Chapter 39 Deep Into the Great Wilderness
He picked up the Iron Blood Long Spear, gathered a point of True Qi, and then with a spear thrust that shot forth like a dragon, he pierced through the exceedingly tough skin of the Red-Scaled Dragon Serpent, extracting from its body a crystal clear, round inner core.
This inner core radiated a misty glow, harboring powerful and pure energy fluctuations, which he then stored away.
Immediately, Qinchuan no longer lingered, his figure flickered as he raced toward the depths of the Great Wilderness.
"Roar!"
Days after Qinchuan had set off, a series of loud and terrifying beast roars echoed from the mountains ahead.
"Boom!"
At the same time, the mountains trembled, and towering ancient trees shook violently and snapped.
A fiery red bird circled in the sky, then like an arrow shot down, plunging into the mountains.
A gigantic Sword-Tail Tiger leaped high into the air, pouncing towards the bird in mid-flight, engaging in a fierce battle with the fiery red bird.
There were also resounding roars all around, seemingly cheering on.
Qinchuan\'s brow furrowed, not expecting to encounter Demon Beasts fighting for dominance.
"It\'s a Fourth Rank Demon Beast, the Crimson Flame Bird, and a Sword-Tail Tiger..."
"This area is still within the territory of Fourth Rank Demon Beasts, a long way from that place. My current Cultivation Level is still a bit too low, my speed too slow. If this continues, I\'m afraid there won\'t be enough time to reach my destination."
Qinchuan murmured to himself.
Then, an idea struck him, and his gaze fell on the Crimson Flame Bird, that Fourth Rank Demon Beast.
The Crimson Flame Bird, a Fire-Attribute demon fowl, boasted astonishing attack power, and its flying speed was extraordinarily fast.
Currently, it was locked in combat with the Sword-Tail Tiger, using its powerful attacking strength and remarkable flying velocity to toy with the tiger, completely at its mercy.
It let out a long cry, its piercing call echoing in all directions. Its talons, sharp as hooks and gleaming with a chilling radiance, easily penetrated the Sword-Tail Tiger\'s skull, then hoisted its corpse mid-air, flying back and forth, a display of its might, cementing its status as the king among Fourth Rank Demon Beasts.
The other surrounding Fourth Rank Demon Beasts all prostrated themselves, emitting soft roars.
Many other birds circled around the Crimson Flame Bird, seemingly offering their congratulations.
"So they were vying for the position of king among the Fourth Rank Demon Beasts."
Having understood the situation, Qinchuan quickly grasped what was happening.
Both the Crimson Flame Bird and the Sword-Tail Tiger were very powerful among Fourth Rank Demon Beasts, and they had been competing for the king\'s position.
Qinchuan moved swiftly, as if treading on flying geese, and within a few flashes, he ascended the ridge and landed atop a tree canopy.
"Roar..."
The Demon Beasts around immediately sensed Qinchuan\'s presence and began roaring angrily at him.
Those Beast closer to him even lunged at Qinchuan with fierce light flashing in their eyes.
However, with a sweeping glance, Qinchuan released an invisible surge of Emperor Soul\'s majesty. In an instant, the Demon Beast that was charging at him collapsed to the ground in terror, its eyes filled with fright.
The other Demon Beasts that had been roaring at Qinchuan were also intimidated; they stopped their roars, lay on the ground trembling.
Qinchuan\'s gaze fell upon the Crimson Flame Bird, his presence commanding as he roared at the bird, "I am in need of a mount, Crimson Flame Bird, come to me now!"
"Boom!"
In midair, the Crimson Flame Bird, sensing Qinchuan\'s imposing aura, nearly plummeted from the sky. It hurriedly flapped its wings twice before finally stabilizing its figure.
However, the carcass of the Swordtail Tiger it had been clutching fell to the ground with a thunderous boom.
"Chirp chirp!"
The Crimson Flame Bird flew around Qinchuan before landing before him. It glanced at the other Demon Beasts below, then weakly chirped at Qinchuan twice, as if negotiating something with him.
Qinchuan\'s expression remained indifferent, yet the majesty of his Emperor Soul was unmatched. He simply said, "Submit now!"
The Crimson Flame Bird glanced at the numerous Demon Beasts below and the vast domain it had just won from defeating the Swordtail Tiger, a look of grievance coloring its face. It had only just become the lord of this Fourth Rank Demon Beast region, its behind had not even warmed its throne, so to speak, and now it was about to be captured as a mount. The contrast in its fortunes was simply too harsh.
However, the pressure of the Emperor Soul emanating from Qinchuan was too strong, and in spite of the bird\'s grievance, it had no choice but to submit, obediently prostrating itself at Qinchuan\'s feet.
Seeing this, Qinchuan couldn\'t help but chuckle. He stepped onto the broad back of the Crimson Flame Bird and said, "Don\'t be so reluctant, I\'m just temporarily requisitioning you. Once we arrive, you are free to leave. But I fear by then, you won\'t want to part."
"Chirp chirp..."
Upon hearing that Qinchuan would let it go when they arrived, the Crimson Flame Bird\'s spirits lifted. It nodded eagerly, dismissing with a snort the idea that it wouldn\'t want to leave him later on.
Then, carrying Qinchuan, the bird soared in circles high above the mountains, letting out a long cry to the many Demon Beasts below.
Qinchuan couldn\'t help but laugh dryly. This Crimson Flame Bird was announcing to the other Demon Beasts that it would return to continue its reign as their king.
"Let\'s go."
Qinchuan pointed out the route, and ordered the Crimson Flame Bird to proceed.
With a loud cry, the bird beat its wings, and a violent whirlwind erupted in the empty space, surging with tremendous power.
Soon after, the Crimson Flame Bird, bearing Qinchuan, turned into a streak of fire and shot towards the direction Qinchuan had indicated.
Its speed of flight was many times faster than Qinchuan\'s own movement technique when traveling.
"Already reached the peak of the Ninth Grade Fourth Rank Realm, huh? No wonder it\'s so fast."
Qinchuan, seated steadily on the Crimson Flame Bird\'s back, felt the scenery flying past and nodded in approval.
With this Crimson Flame Bird quickening his journey, he could save a great deal of time.
Moreover, he could use the time spent traveling to consolidate his cultivation level.
However, after flying for some distance, the speed of the Crimson Flame Bird gradually slowed down, as it had entered the territory of the more powerful Fifth Rank Demon Beasts.
In the Great Wilderness, the levels and ranks of Demon Beasts are clearly defined; different rankings of Demon Beasts occupy their respective graded areas.
High Rank Demon Beasts usually don\'t venture lightly into the domains of Low Rank ones.
And naturally, the Low Rank Demon Beasts dare not step into the domains of their Higher Rank counterparts.
"Keep moving forward."
Qinchuan, sensing the Crimson Flame Bird\'s apprehension, commanded indifferently.
The Crimson Flame Bird, hearing this, cast aside its hesitations and simply sped forward, flapping its wings with vigor.
"Roar!"
No sooner had they entered the range of the Fifth Rank Demon Beasts than one of them felt the approach of the Crimson Flame Bird and rushed out, letting out an infuriated roar at the swiftly moving bird.
"Scram!"
Yet, Qinchuan\'s eyes suddenly snapped open, a sharp gaze containing a trace of his Emperor Soul\'s majesty landing on that Fifth Rank Demon Beast.
The Fifth Rank Demon Beast\'s eyes immediately filled with horror, and it quickly prostrated itself on the ground, shivering.
Qinchuan\'s trace of Emperor Soul\'s majesty was actually not of terrifying power; it mainly served to intimidate.