Chapter 33

"Pity!"

Shang Xia watched the thunderbird flee in a panic, feeling somewhat disappointed.

Previously, he had not hesitated to disperse a large amount of Yin-Yang essence, forming a Yin-Yang vortex around him, which made the thunderbird that rushed in feel as if it were stuck in quicksand, almost allowing him to capture it alive.

Unfortunately, in the end, the thunderbird managed to break free from Shang Xia's essence restraint at the cost of losing one of its tail feathers.

However, the thunderbird was so frightened that it did not dare to linger nearby but instead transformed into a silver streak and disappeared into the horizon.

The female warrior turned and ran at the sight.

Previously, even with the help of the thunderbird, she could not subdue Shang Xia. At this moment, her only remaining advantage was her agility and martial skills.

Shang Xia continued to pursue her at a steady pace, even though he knew he could not catch up, he would not let the female warrior have a moment's rest.

Of course, before leaving, Shang Xia did not forget to take the pair of willow-leaf curved swords as his spoils of war.

However, luck was on Shang Xia's side once again.

As he chased after the female warrior's fleeing figure and passed behind a row of large trees, he suddenly found a fissure several dozen feet deep and over ten feet wide in front of him!

When Shang Xia was being pursued by the female warrior, there was no such deep fissure in the forest, otherwise, he would have been forced into a dead end long ago.

There was no doubt that the appearance of this fissure was either related to the previous surge of the Origin Tide or was formed by the changing terrain of the Two Realms Battle Zone.

However, regardless of how it was formed, the fact was that the female warrior's escape route was now cut off.

Under the gaze of the female warrior, who looked as if she wanted to devour someone, Shang Xia walked up calmly.

"Who are you? Dare you give your name?"

The female warrior's voice was cold, like ice in her mouth.

Shang Xia opened his fan, which was missing a few ribs, and held it in front of his abdomen, swaying it lightly, and said with a cold laugh, "What, are all martial cultivators from the Cangling Realm so impolite? If you want to know someone's name, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"

The female warrior's face flashed with anger, but she quickly restrained herself, though her tone became even colder, "Cangling Realm, Fengyan Clan, Yan Ming!"

Shang Xia closed his fan, bowed, and said with a more serious expression, "Cangyu Realm, Tongyou City, Shang Xia!"

"Shang Xia! Shang Xia..."

The female warrior, Yan Ming, repeated these two words several times, as if trying to firmly remember them. Then, when she looked at Shang Xia again, a mocking smile appeared on her face, "I've remembered your name, I'll come back for you!"

Shang Xia was first stunned, then his face changed, and he drew the soft sword from his waist, ready to pounce forward.

However, the female warrior, Yan Ming, suddenly turned and leaped towards the fissure.

Shang Xia rushed to the edge of the fissure in three steps, only to see the light silk wrapped around the female warrior's body spread out on both sides, making her look like a giant butterfly gliding over the fissure towards the opposite cliff.

"She's still escaped!"

Shang Xia knew he couldn't catch up, but he was unwilling to let her go. Looking at her back as she was about to cross the fissure, he suddenly shouted loudly, "Hey, you're showing off!"

To use the wind to cross the fissure, the female warrior had loosened the light silk and clothing wrapped around her body, spreading them to both sides.

From behind, Shang Xia could see her exposed long legs and the faintly visible white skin...

Shang Xia's teasing voice clearly reached her ears. The female warrior, who was about to reach the other side of the fissure, suddenly sank, almost crashing into the cliff and dying on the spot.

After finally stabilizing herself and landing on the opposite cliff, Yan Ming wrapped the light silk and clothing around her body and turned to glare at Shang Xia.

Shang Xia, however, threw his head back and let out a loud, satisfied laugh, then retreated into the forest and disappeared.

...

Because of the sudden appearance of the fissure, Shang Xia had to take a detour, which cost him an additional day and a half.

When he followed some remaining landmarks to determine the location where the convoy was attacked, the terrain had already changed significantly. The traces of the previous battle were almost completely erased, and the people from the academy were long gone.

He wondered how they were doing, especially the sixteen classmates from the Bing House, who had not yet advanced to the Wu Yuan realm. If the convoy's guards were defeated, they would be at the mercy of their enemies.

"Chirp chirp—"

A chirping sound rang in his ears, making Shang Xia instinctively want to rub his ears. Then he heard a "flutter" and felt a weight on his arm as a bird landed, chirping urgently.

"Alright, alright, I get it!"

Shang Xia's voice sounded somewhat helpless.

Then he opened his palm, and a ball of lightning appeared.

The mutated swift, which had been perched on his arm, flew and hopped into his palm. Lightning sparks instantly spread over the mutated swift's body.

The mutated swift's feathers stood on end, its eyes half-closed, and its body trembled slightly, but it seemed to be enjoying it.

After a moment, the lightning dissipated, and the mutated swift chirped twice, expressing a slight dissatisfaction.

Shang Xia said irritably, "Alright, alright, take it easy! Even the thunderbird can't give you a lightning bath every day, can it?"

The mutated swift chirped once, then flew from Shang Xia's palm to his shoulder.

"Chirp chirp—"

A series of dissatisfied chirps came from a nearby tree branch, where the thunderbird stood, staring at Shang Xia, as if warning him.

However, this time, it angered the mutated swift.

The mutated swift, perched on Shang Xia's shoulder, flapped its wings and chirped urgently at the thunderbird, as if arguing.

"Chirp—Chirp—"

The thunderbird seemed to be rebutting, but it appeared calm.

But the mutated swift was furious. In a series of short chirps, it hopped back and forth between Shang Xia's palm and shoulder, as if stomping its feet and shouting, "Useless thing, he can give me a lightning bath every day, can you? Can you? With so many mates, how often can you get a turn?"

The thunderbird naturally continued to rebut, as this was a matter of male dignity, and even a bird couldn't back down!

However, Shang Xia felt that the thunderbird's chirps gradually became dejected and weak.

On the other hand, the mutated swift on his shoulder was hopping and chirping, flapping its wings and sweeping Shang Xia's ears, looking triumphant and assertive.

This situation had started two days ago.

Shang Xia had realized the value of the living mutated swift, but after the string cage was cut by the thunderbird, to prevent the mutated swift from escaping, he had to temporarily hold its feet.

This was fine for a short time, but it would eventually lead to a lapse.

In fact, when Shang Xia began to detour around the fissure, the thunderbird, which had been scared away, had already followed him again, clearly not giving up on rescuing its mate.

Shang Xia had intended to make a new cage or repair the broken string cage and put the mutated swift back in it.

However, the string cage was made of extraordinary materials, and ordinary vines, even if they could hold the mutated swift, could be easily cut by its wings.

Without a cage, the mutated swift would eventually find a chance to escape.

Seeing the mutated swift and the thunderbird "chirping" in front of him, Shang Xia, in a fit of anger, made his hand glow with lightning, and the mutated swift fell silent in a state of pleasure.

Although Shang Xia knew this was only a temporary solution, he had no other choice and had to periodically use his inner power to keep the mutated swift "quiet."

Even so, during a brief rest, he almost made a mistake.

From the attack on the Tongyou Academy convoy, Shang Xia had been pursued by the female warrior, engaging in a battle of wits and courage. Then he encountered the Origin Tide, advanced to the Wu Ji realm, and fought the female warrior and the thunderbird. Throughout the journey, he had been pursued by the thunderbird and had to prevent the mutated swift from escaping. His mind had been on high alert, and he could not afford to relax for a moment.

However, after a long period of sleepless nights, even as an extraordinary martial cultivator, Shang Xia found it difficult to maintain his vigilance. He had only intended to rest briefly before continuing his journey, as the Two Realms Battle Zone was fraught with danger. But he fell into a deep sleep as soon as he closed his eyes.

When Shang Xia woke up, he was awakened by a series of chirps.

Shang Xia immediately became alert and sprang up, only to see the two birds perched on opposite tree branches, facing each other.

Shang Xia looked at the few feathers of the mutated swift on the ground and guessed that it had fought while he was asleep and had suffered a significant loss.

Shang Xia felt a chill. He had not heard any sounds in his sleep, and if someone or something had attacked him...

Hmm?

Shang Xia's expression changed slightly. The mutated swift was now perched on a tree branch, meaning it had escaped his grasp, but why hadn't it fled?

Thinking about the feathers on the ground and the standoff between the mutated swift and the thunderbird, Shang Xia suddenly understood...

Could it be that the mutated swift had been protecting him while he was asleep?

The truth soon confirmed Shang Xia's guess.

Seeing Shang Xia awake, the mutated swift chirped loudly, looking very excited, then spread its wings and glided from the tree branch to his shoulder.

"Chirp chirp—"

A series of urgent chirps, as if reporting its deeds and eagerly awaiting something.

Shang Xia thoughtfully opened his right palm, and a ball of lightning appeared.

The mutated swift chirped happily and jumped from his shoulder to his palm, immersing itself in the pleasure of the lightning sparks running over its body.

——

I hope all my fellow Daoists, who have passed by and read this, will remember to add it to your favorites.