Bai Zhan had finally grasped the situation. The tall, burly man was curled up in Zhang Junbao's arms like a frightened little girl. In that instant, he had felt the Death God right beside him.
The Black-Crowned Golden Eagle's hooked beak could bore through a ship's steel hull; Bai Zhan's body was in no way capable of withstanding it. Its talons had pierced him as easily as if they were digging into tofu. Before the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle, the physique Bai Zhan was so proud of was really little different from a block of tofu.
"That damned beast actually dared to hurt someone right in front of us. We can't let it get away! Who just saved Bai Zhan?" the officer said angrily.
"That was Zhang Junbao. I recognized his build," Zhuge Tao said.
"Impossible! The speed he burst out with was comparable to the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle's. How could a Quasi-Martial Artist reach that speed?" Old Wang, the Thunder Dojo's supervisor, exclaimed.
"Didn't I tell you the information you received was from before he cultivated Genetic Origin Energy? It looks like he succeeded, and his physical abilities have improved dramatically!" Zhuge Tao said calmly.
"How is that possible? Then... doesn't that mean he already meets the requirements for Special Training?" Old Wang, the Thunder Dojo's supervisor, stared wide-eyed. The strength Zhang Junbao had displayed had left him utterly shocked.
"Yes, even I was kept in the dark by that kid! Enough talk, hurry! We can't let a damned demonic beast ruin a genius like him!" Zhuge Tao stopped talking and ran even faster.
"Fifteen more seconds and we'll be there. Junbao, hold on!"
Fifteen seconds wasn't long, but for Zhang Junbao, who was being hunted by the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle, every second felt like a year.
Carrying the burly man, who weighed nearly two hundred jin, while constantly moving at high speed was more than his current physique could sustain for long. In the end, his physical abilities were still a little lacking.
The Black-Crowned Golden Eagle attacked again, and this time it seemed to have learned its lesson. Its two hooked talons attacked separately. As Zhang Junbao dodged the first, his body was still in midair with nothing to push off from when the second came at him, flashing with a cold gleam.
Has this Black-Crowned Golden Eagle become a spirit? It even knows how to feint! Just because I'm in midair with nothing to push off from, it thinks it can ambush me like this? How naive!
Xuantian Ascending Dragon Steps!
Zhang Junbao let out a loud shout and stepped on the air. White clouds of compressed air burst beneath his feet, and his body forcibly shifted several meters sideways, once again escaping the attack.
"What kind of footwork is that?" Bai Zhan, hiding in Zhang Junbao's arms, stared wide-eyed. He had never seen such an ability before. Could people walk through the air?
"Could you be a Spirit Reader?"
"Cut the chatter. Say another word and I'll drop you! My stamina's almost gone. When that happens, we're both finished!"
Zhang Junbao rebuked him angrily. At a time like this, he still had the mind to study his footwork.
The Xuantian Ascending Dragon Steps had been a major aid to Zhang Junbao when he roamed the martial world unchallenged. It was a secret technique that Wudang never taught outsiders, allowing him to walk through the air by rapidly kicking it with both feet.
It was nothing like those absurd TV dramas where someone could ascend to the sky by stepping on one foot with the other. This was entirely consistent with scientific principles!
Having missed again, the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle seemed to grow angry. A majestic demonic beast of the Intermediate Beast General Level, it had been dodged time and again by a human. Fury burned ever brighter in its heart.
"Scree!"
A piercing cry suddenly rang out, exploding like spring thunder. It was deafening. The high-pitched cry was painfully shrill, and Zhang Junbao and Bai Zhan, directly beneath it, bore the brunt.
Zhang Junbao felt his eardrums nearly rupture. Blood constantly seeped from both ears, and his head felt as though it were about to split.
His speed suffered greatly as a result, and the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle was quickly catching up.
Bai Zhan fared even worse: the cry knocked him unconscious, and blood streamed from all seven orifices!
Pain shot through Zhang Junbao's shoulders. The Black-Crowned Golden Eagle had seized him and lifted him into the air.
The Black-Crowned Golden Eagle was delighted to have succeeded and cried out again, though this time it was an ordinary cry without the power of the last one.
Getting both targets at once saved it some trouble. Having earned enough for milk powder in a single outing, the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle prepared to flap its wings and make its eagle exit before the powerful humans arrived.
"Beast!"
A furious roar exploded like thunder in the distance. Zhuge Tao's aura surged, his eyes wide. From beneath his usual scholarly refinement, a shocking killing intent erupted as he raced over like an ancient god of slaughter.
He could no longer make it in time with his own speed. A spear appeared in Zhuge Tao's hand, and he poured all his strength into the throw. He struck the butt of the spear, sending it shooting fiercely toward the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle like a divine dragon. Its momentum was like a rainbow, the spear rushing forth like a dragon, a meteor lighting up the darkness of the night sky.
Having unleashed that move, Zhuge Tao nearly collapsed. He braced his hands on his knees and panted frantically. A move that drained every ounce of an Advanced Warlord's strength was sure to possess extraordinary power.
Zhuge Tao had acted so decisively because he had spotted a figure racing toward the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle from behind. Its targets were likewise Zhang Junbao and Bai Zhan.
The smug Black-Crowned Golden Eagle had never imagined that another demonic beast had been watching its every move, waiting for the moment its guard was lowest to strike.
Before Zhuge Tao's dragon spear arrived, the hidden demonic beast made its move. It plunged from the sky like lightning, its long beak, sharp as a peerless treasured sword, piercing the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle from top to bottom as it went straight for the two people in its talons.
But how could Zhuge Tao's all-out strike miss? Just as the demonic beast drove its whole body through the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle, Zhuge Tao's dragon spear arrived, piercing both demonic beasts and shooting into the sky.
Only then did everyone finally get a clear look at the demonic beast that had launched the sneak attack.
"That's a Sword-Beaked Dragon Eagle!!!
"Judging from its size and sword beak, it's an Advanced Beast General Sword-Beaked Dragon Eagle. Why has it appeared here too?"
The officer, Iron Monkey, roared in despair. Faced with an Advanced Beast General and an Intermediate Beast General, how could these Quasi-Martial Artists, most of whom had only the strength of Beginner Warriors, resist?
Fortunately, Zhuge Tao's spear had severely wounded both demonic beasts. The Black-Crowned Golden Eagle had also been pierced through by the Sword-Beaked Dragon Eagle and could barely keep itself aloft. It fell from the sky.
But the Advanced Beast General Sword-Beaked Dragon Eagle had escaped disaster at the critical moment. Zhuge Tao's dragon spear had missed its heart, instead opening a fist-sized bloody hole beneath its neck.
But for the Sword-Beaked Dragon Eagle, whose body was twelve meters long, such an injury was serious but not fatal!
As an Advanced Beast General, the Sword-Beaked Dragon Eagle was vicious and brutal. The fact that it had pierced straight through the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle showed that, to it, humans and other demonic beasts alike were merely food.
With its neck pierced, its sword beak, its most powerful weapon, had been greatly impaired. The Sword-Beaked Dragon Eagle noticed that the remaining two powerful humans had reached its side. Without hesitation, it beat its wings hard and rose into the air again.
Zhang Junbao also felt the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle's talons loosening their grip on him. He kicked Bai Zhan in the backside, sending him flying.
Using the force of the kick, he pulled himself higher until he was level with the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle's head. The Black-Crowned Golden Eagle truly lived up to its reputation as a demonic beast known for its defense. Its wings, as hard as diamond, had blocked much of the damage.
The demonic beast's powerful vitality also meant that, even after suffering such grievous injuries, it had not died immediately. It was still flapping its wings, struggling to escape. But Zhang Junbao had no intention of giving it that chance.
Using the force of his kick, Zhang Junbao came face-to-face with the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle. Their eyes met. Eagle-type demonic beasts were known for their piercing gazes, but this time the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle lost the staring contest with Zhang Junbao. In the eyes of the man before it, it sensed a frenzied killing intent showing through the calm.
Without hesitation, Zhang Junbao thrust his sword into the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle's terrified eye. He twisted the blade, shredding the eye and brain together.
Thus ended the life of the Black-Crowned Golden Eagle that had roamed freely for decades, leaving behind only a terrifying, piercing wail as it died!