The Thunder Falcon still carried him in its claws. The proud creature would never tolerate a human riding on its back.
The only advantage was that all four of his limbs were free.
When it came to sensing changes in the thunder's momentum, this Golden Core bird's instinctive premonitions were every bit as accurate as human analysis. After lifting Hou Niao and circling once, it felt as though heaven and earth shuddered, a framework shattered, and a force broke free.
The thunder's momentum sank, then swept a hundred li away in the blink of an eye.
The Thunder Falcon beat its wings and followed close behind. More than half a year after Hou Niao had begun this journey, they started home. Though their destination was clear, their actual route would depend on the interplay between heaven and earth and the thunder's momentum.
This journey had been rather bland, as tasteless as water. But Hou Niao did not mind, for he knew that most of any cultivator's life was spent in disappointment and uneventful routine. Being content with the mundane was an ability in itself, and he enjoyed the process.
The Thunder Falcon chased the thundercloud at full speed, and the two returned to the state they had been in on their outward journey. Two hundred li later, Hou Niao felt his Law Power gradually returning, until it had recovered completely.
With a gentle tug, he freed himself from the Thunder Falcon's grip. His arrival at and departure from Blue Island had taken only three days, so quickly that he had not even had time to say goodbye to the two holy maidens before leaving.
As the return journey began, he discovered that the thunder's momentum was no longer twisting and turning as it had on the way there, but traveling