Ptooey.
Ma Hongjun spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and glared viciously at the equally battered Lava Crimson Flame Vulture. "Again!" With that, he charged recklessly at it once more. The Lava Crimson Flame Vulture's ferocity had been fully roused as well, and it met him with a piercing cry. The two immediately plunged into a brutal melee.
At that moment, the benefits of the previous week's intensive training became clear. Ma Hongjun's body had grown considerably sturdier, and he gradually gained the upper hand in his close-quarters struggle with the Lava Crimson Flame Vulture. He wrapped his left arm around its neck and clenched his right hand into a fist, coating it in Phoenix Flame as he hammered the spot his flames had burned earlier. Screeching in pain, the vulture thrashed wildly through the air, trying to shake him off. But how could Ma Hongjun give it that chance? He clung tightly to its neck, adjusting his balance as he attacked. Then, during one careless moment on the vulture's part, he managed to climb onto its back.
"Hahaha! You mangy bird! If you could throw me off that easily, wouldn't all that suffering have been for nothing?" Ma Hongjun laughed wildly. Now that things had reached this point, he knew the outcome was no longer in doubt.
Unable to shake Ma Hongjun off, and with its life rapidly draining away beneath his relentless attacks, the Lava Crimson Flame Vulture finally steeled itself, folded its wings, and plunged straight toward the ground.
"Holy shit!" Ma Hongjun's pupils contracted sharply. "This bastard wants to take me down with it!"
"Fatty!" Ning Rongrong cried out, and even the light of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in her hand wavered.
"Trust him." Qin Muchu pressed a hand to Ning Rongrong's shoulder,