"Time to pay with your life!!!"
As he spoke, the blood sword had already met the Azure Crow Overlord's sharp talons. Though his hand met some resistance, Luo Long soon discovered that the blood sword had severed its talons.
" screech!"
The Azure Crow Overlord had never expected the talons it had relied on for so many years to be severed. Having experienced the terror of this blood sword, it immediately tried to flee.
Its wings beat rapidly as it tried to escape, paying no heed to its severed taloned foot.
Although the blood sword Luo Long swung had slowed somewhat, the Azure Crow Overlord exposed its belly as it chose to flee.
Boom!!!
The blood sword cleaved straight through those hard feathers, leaving a deep wound across the Azure Crow Overlord's belly.
After it flew away, it left so much blood in the air that it seemed to be raining blood.
Though Luo Long wanted to pursue it, he had already reached his limit.
The Armor Magic Tool on his body had shattered, his head was scorched, and he fell from the sky.
He slammed hard into the swamp. Although most of the sludge had been drawn away, some still remained.
Luo Long fell straight into the sludge and vanished from sight. Without magical energy to sustain it, the Blood Bone Sword could no longer hold its form and fell along with him.
Watching the Azure Crow Overlord, which had already left, Lu Wu was still deeply shaken.
Only Zu Yanzhi and Nangong Pei remained beside him now. Grandpa Shen and that old grandma had already headed to where Elder Luo had fallen.
"That was terrifying," Zu Yanzhi said in shock.
The two had long since sat down. In fact, the pressure released during the Azure Crow Overlord's battle with Elder Luo had left all three of them slumped on the ground.
They had only just recovered a little to begin with. Once they lost their protection, they simply could not withstand it.
"By my estimate, they're all extremely powerful Super Level Mages, though I don't know why Master Shen and the others didn't act," Nangong Pei speculated.
"And that grandma-if the earlier interruption in the forging was because she left, why did she come back now?" Zu Yanzhi was somewhat puzzled.
In fact, neither Nangong Pei nor Lu Wu could figure it out either.
That enormous blood-red sword was the Blood Bone Sword. Elder Luo had used it as soon as Grandpa Shen finished forging it.
"I thought they came here to forge it to take advantage of the magma terrain, but that only provided Fire Element energy. Now it seems they knew all along that they'd draw that vicious avian Ruler here," Lu Wu said with a sigh.
They had not breathed a word of it before, but they themselves had known perfectly well.
With that old grandma there, the grievously wounded Elder Luo did not die, but his breathing was extremely faint.
After returning to Rongcheng, Lu Wu and the others were arranged places to rest.
Apart from Lu Wu and Mu Nujiao, everyone stayed outside rather than in the Hunter Union building.
They went to a skewer shop outside to get together.
"I never imagined so much happened after we left," Mu Nujiao said with feeling as she listened to their account.
She would have no chance to see that overlord from the depths of Mount Wuyi.
Mu Nujiao, Wang Chong, and the others had already told Lu Wu's group about the Earth Element Spirit Seed. Everyone thought the Lesser Warrior Heavenly Horned Toad Demon had swallowed it ahead of them, and Jiang Chun had killed all the Heavenly Horned Toad Demons there.
"What are your plans next?" Zu Yanzhi looked at the others. During their time together, they had all become friends.
"Back to Hong City. I only came here for fun and took a mission at the hunter hall," Wang Chong said. "Now that the mission's done, naturally I'll head back."
Nangong Pei turned the skewer in his hand. He had already made his plans, and his expression was calm. "I'll probably go back to school."
"Once Elder Luo wakes up, I'll head back to Magic City." Lu Wu nodded. If he did not return to school soon, his homeroom teacher Jia Wenshang would probably blow up.
Before coming to Rongcheng, he had merely wanted to see whether he could find an opportunity to break through.
Now, not only had he broken through, he had also cultivated his Fire Element to Basic Level Second Tier, his soul had improved remarkably, Little Fire had broken through to the Servant Level Advanced Stage, and he had awakened the Wind Element.
It could be called a bountiful harvest.
For the time ahead, he would focus on cultivating his Wind Element properly.
"The school assessment is coming up. I need to go back for it," Mu Nujiao said.
Although her cultivation had progressed quickly here while sharing that Spirit-grade Stardust Magic Tool with Lu Wu, she naturally had to return it now that she was leaving.
Mu Nujiao was actually very satisfied already, though compared with Lu Wu, she truly felt she fell short.
The school assessment determined how much time she could use a Stardust Magic Tool, so she certainly had to participate.
"You're going back for a school romance, aren't you?" Zu Yanzhi said with a laugh. "Come on, hurry up. Let's finish eating and leave so we don't disturb these two."
"Exactly, exactly! Hahahaha!"
"Come on, cheers, cheers!"
Since he had not yet recovered, Lu Wu returned to the building to rest after eating. His soul and magical energy had been severely overdrawn this time, so he was in no hurry to cultivate.
Otherwise, he would damage his foundations.
Lu Wu noticed that Grandpa Shen was unwilling to mention what had happened at Mount Wuyi, so he did not dare ask more.
After spending a few days with Grandpa Shen, Elder Luo had recovered somewhat, and Lu Wu went to ask Grandpa Shen when they would return.
"I'm not going back for now. You should head back to school first." Shen Shitian did not intend to return yet.
Luo Long had recovered somewhat, but he still needed to stay in bed.
The fire poison in his body was extremely stubborn. Even with a Healing Element mage present, it would still require prolonged treatment.
Looking at Lu Wu, Luo Long felt somewhat grateful. "I never thought you'd still be as lively as a dragon and a tiger, brat. It's good to be young."
"With Grandma Song's help, I've more or less recovered now," Lu Wu replied.
His external injuries had indeed more or less healed. As for his soul, enough rest would suffice.
"If not for you, I'm afraid we wouldn't have successfully forged the Blood Bone Sword. What a pity. I'm old, and I couldn't kill that beast," Luo Long said slowly. "Didn't you want to know why we forged the magic tool there?"
"Old Man Luo." Shen Shitian raised an eyebrow.
"It's fine. Without Lu Wu, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to lure that beast over at all, let alone sever one of its feet. Even if it doesn't die after returning, the other Rulers of Mount Wuyi will hunt it down." Luo Long waved a hand, knowing what his old friend meant.
Lu Wu said nothing and listened closely.
"Thirty years ago, Old Man Shen and I were serving in the military. How high-spirited we were back then. I'd just broken through to the Advanced Level, and the veteran mage mentoring me wanted to find me a Soul Seed."
"So I followed a team into Mount Wuyi, only to encounter that beast on a rampage. The entire team was captured. I was the only one left alive."
"All these years, there hasn't been a moment when I haven't thought of revenge. After breaking through to the Super Level, I went in several times, but encountered many Rulers, and in the end, I always returned empty-handed."
"If you hadn't insisted on acting alone, how could that beast possibly have escaped?" Song Muying entered the room just in time to hear Luo Long speaking.
"Say a little less," Shen Shitian said helplessly. "Old Man Luo has only just recovered a little."
"Am I wrong?"
"This is something I absolutely had to do alone," Luo Long said loudly. As he grew agitated, blood began spilling from his mouth.
"Enough, enough. In front of the children, too. Both of you, be quiet." Shen Shitian held Luo Long down.
"Although I haven't avenged them, without you, I probably still wouldn't have been able to do anything to that beast..." Luo Long looked at Lu Wu and said softly.