Free Web NovelChapter 652: Chapter 73: Corpse
It is said that on this Celestial Mountain, an Exotic Beast resides, with cultivation reaching the Transformation Realm, extremely powerful.
Bashish Red Peak had never seen it before.
But the Barbarian Lord once said in person that indeed, at the Tianshan Peak, there resides an Exotic Beast, which is the Tianshan Golden Eagle, whose wings are like clouds hanging low in the sky, soaring upwards, flapping across ten thousand miles, unmatched by human strength.
The Barbarian Lord is also the sole True God of the Six Barbarian Tribes, one of the Nine Sects of the world, supreme and unparalleled, and even he holds this Tianshan Golden Eagle in high esteem, hinting at its formidable power.
This kind of Exotic Beast has a fiercely strong sense of territory, and once an outsider intrudes, it will surely arouse its hostility!
This young one, ignoring his own life, is determined to run to the mountain top, surely intending to lure it over, using the Tianshan Golden Eagle to kill them all.
"This young one is truly vicious!"
Bashish Red Peak was secretly startled.
This young one knew he was doomed, with no way out, and wanted to drag him down to die together.
He almost, for a Third Grade Martial Artist, gambled his life, dying on the Celestial Mountain!
Fortunately, he sensed the anomaly in time.
Evil may rise, but the Way will rise above.
"This little brat tried to outsmart me, but he’s still too green."
Bashish Red Peak watched Chen Tang’s back with a cold snort.
He guessed Chen Tang’s plan and intended to turn back down the mountain.
Yet, thinking again, if he descends now, this person, seeing him leave, would stop climbing to the peak and follow him down, surviving in the end.
"No, I have to follow him, cut off his retreat, and watch him climb all the way to the peak."
Bashish Red Peak chuckled coldly, thinking, "This way, when this kid first stirs the Tianshan Golden Eagle, as soon as there’s any commotion from the mountain top, I will immediately flee down."
Thinking of this, Bashish Red Peak continued pursuing behind Chen Tang.
Their path from the foot of the mountain grew increasingly distant.
Bashish Red Peak looked down briefly, clouds swirling below, all a blur.
If one fell from here, with nowhere to grab onto, even a Grandmaster would find it hard to escape death.
Only by stepping into the Transformation Realm, resonating with heaven and earth inside and out, could one truly traverse the void without assistance, all-pervading.
Bashish Red Peak took a deep breath, calming his mind, focusing his gaze, continuing to follow Chen Tang up the mountain.
From around noon, they climbed until nightfall.
The surrounding air became increasingly thin, the temperature kept dropping.
Chen Tang, with his Vajra Indestructible Body and vigorous Qi and Blood, was not afraid of the cold.
Bashish Red Peak channeled his Innate True Qi in Minor Circulation within, immune to the wind and chill.
As the sky brightened, Bashish Red Peak suddenly saw Chen Tang flipping upwards, his figure vanishing from sight, seemingly having reached the mountain top.
Bashish Red Peak exhaled lightly, halted his movements, found a temporary footing, and listened attentively.
Now, he need only wait quietly.
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After nearly a day and a night of fleeing, Chen Tang finally reached Tianshan Peak.
The Grandmaster behind him seemed to have guessed his intention and had not pursued further.
This person did not climb the mountain, and Chen Tang had a plan for the next step.
As long as he could gain the trust of that Golden-Winged Roc on the mountain top.
Even if not, without arousing its hostility, letting him find a way through, descending the other side of the Celestial Mountain would be enough to escape Bashish Red Peak.
If he could, on the mountain top, get away with one or two Celestial Bodhi fruits, that would be even more perfect.
Or perhaps the Golden-Winged Roc wasn’t on the mountain top at the moment, out searching for food, giving him a chance to sneak in, harvest the Celestial Bodhi, and escape successfully.
By the time Bashish Red Peak realized, chasing up the mountain top, the Golden-Winged Roc would be back, catching him right there.
Seeing its place had been looted, the Exotic Beast would vent its anger, slaughtering Bashish Red Peak on the spot!
Of course, such thoughts were wishful thinking.
For now, escaping the crisis is the priority, taking it one step at a time.
On the mountain top, snowstorm raged, visibility was very low.
Chen Tang dared not make a sound, cautiously probing forward, his nerves on edge.
After walking a while, a huge silhouette vaguely emerged ahead, like a small hill, as the morning sun rose, scattering over it, faintly glinting with a golden shine!
Chen Tang felt a tightening in his heart.
The colossal entity before was likely the legendary Exotic Beast, the Golden-Winged Roc!
However, what puzzled Chen Tang was, this Exotic Beast should have sensed his presence long ago, so why was it so silent?
Could his affinity with animals be that miraculous?
By rights, this Exotic Beast should exude a terribly intimidating aura.
The Mountain Lord hadn’t reached the Transformation Realm, yet Chen Tang could feel the Beast King pressure it inadvertently emitted.
Though Chen Tang had nearly seen this Exotic Beast, he still didn’t feel any threat.
Chen Tang frowned secretly, continuing forward, getting closer to that massive entity.
As daylight gradually broke, the sun rose, its rays filtering through the sparse clouds, illuminating an incredibly breathtaking scene!
An Exotic Beast lay quietly there, its vast body almost occupying the entire view.
The sheer length was more than thirty feet, and with wings fully spread, it might reach sixty feet in span, its golden feathers shining with a metallic luster under the sun.
The enormous wings spread on the ground, resembling a vast sail, with sleek, distinct edges.
This was indeed the Golden-Winged Roc.
But what shocked Chen Tang wasn’t seeing the true form of this Exotic Beast.
It was because this Golden-Winged Roc was already dead!
The corpse of the Golden-Winged Roc hadn’t decayed, either it had not been long dead, its cultivation reached the Transformation Realm, or perhaps the cold, frigid climate here...
Chen Tang drew even closer, clearly seeing several apparent wounds piercing through it.
Especially the fatal wound on its chest, the blood long dried, staining a vast swath of the icy terrain beneath it, strikingly.
The Golden-Winged Roc’s head drooped, its golden crest particularly prominent, yet its eyes dimmed and lifeless.
Most glaringly, the Roc’s beak was gone, leaving only a bloody hollow.
Around the wound, it was distinctly cut by sharp tools, smooth and tidy, as someone had sliced off its beak!
The enormous talons lay monstrous and powerless on the ground, the hooked nails forcibly plucked away!
This Golden-Winged Roc, once the king of the Celestial Mountains, yet lacked knowledge of the torture it endured before its demise, ending in such a fate.
Chen Tang stood there dumbfounded, the shock followed by a wave of sorrow flooding his heart, unable to let go.
Before ascending the mountain, he considered many possibilities.
Both the best and the worst were pondered over.
But he never expected to witness such a scene.
The Golden-Winged Roc, an Exotic Beast akin to a Grandmaster of the Transformation Realm, perished tragically at the Celestial Mountain’s Peak!
In this world, who could accomplish such a thing?
The legendary Dao Sect, perhaps?
Chen Tang circled the Roc’s corpse and suddenly witnessed an even more astonishing sight, his step faltered, pupils contracted, marveled beyond words.
