Chapter Eight: Could This Be the End of Me?

As the Third Elder’s voice fell, a giant twin-winged wyvern plunged out of the clouds like black lightning.

Its entire body radiated a terrifying aura; with its wings spread, it measured dozens of zhang across, like two massing clouds blotting out heaven and earth.

“A peak third-rank twin-winged wyvern! Get out of the way!”

Yet the creature was far too fast. Before anyone could react, a dark blur flashed before their eyes, and it had appeared overhead like a specter.

The wyvern opened its blood-chilling maw and spewed forth a blast of ice flame.

The ice flame surged like a frigid current, and wherever it passed, thick ice instantly sealed the ground beneath it, filling the air with a bone-deep cold.

Gu Tianya and Gu Fenglin’s expressions changed drastically. With no time to think, the two of them hurriedly gathered every ounce of strength they had, forming a faintly glowing shield before them in an attempt to resist the corrosive frostfire.

The instant the ice flame struck the barrier, a violent shockwave exploded outward, as though a bomb had gone off before their very eyes.

The force sent Gu Tianya and Gu Fenglin staggering back several steps, and blood seeped from the corners of both their mouths.

Gu Xuan and Gu Ling’er were thrown aside by the aftershock, struggling to breathe. It felt as though an invisible mountain pressed down upon them, leaving them nearly unable to move.

Gu Tianya was frantic and shouted at the top of his lungs:

“Xuan’er, Ling’er, don’t panic! Focus your strength on protecting yourselves and get out of here at once!”

Gu Xuan gritted his teeth, enduring the suffocating pressure that seemed ready to crush him. Taking a deep breath, he quickly formed hand seals.

In an instant, a faintly luminous spiritual shield appeared before the two of them.

Gu Ling’er hastily got to her feet as well. Her little face had gone deathly pale with fear, yet her eyes held firm resolve.

Together with Gu Xuan, she did everything she could to sustain the shield, beads of sweat rolling incessantly down her forehead.

“Second Brother, we have to hold on! Let the children leave first, then the two of us will look for a chance to escape!”

Gu Fenglin shouted.

“Agreed!”

Gu Tianya nodded without hesitation. Their gazes met, and each saw the other’s resolve.

During the brief lull in defense, Gu Fenglin and Gu Tianya scanned the wyvern’s massive body like hawks, searching for a weakness and preparing to strike back at the right moment.

The wyvern seemed to sense their intent. It roared repeatedly, battering the shield with its immense ice flame.

Under the relentless assault, the shield flickered uncertainly, on the verge of collapse.

Gu Tianya seized the gap between one attack and the next. His eyes sharpened instantly, and powerful spiritual energy gathered in his palm, flowing like water to envelop the sword in his hand.

In the blink of an eye, the ordinary blade became a slender ice sword radiating a cold gleam.

He hurled it abruptly. The sword transformed at once into a brilliant streak of light, shooting toward the wyvern’s eye like a meteor.

With a wet sound, the ice sword struck true and pierced the wyvern’s eye. In pain, the creature let loose a thunderous howl.

The roar shook the surrounding trees into a rustling frenzy, and the rhythm of its attack was thrown into chaos.

Gu Tianya seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and leaped into the air like black lightning, his long sword thrusting straight for the wyvern’s chest.

But the wyvern’s scales were hard as iron. The blade struck them and merely sparked, unable to pierce through in the slightest.

Enraged, the wyvern beat its wings. A gale like a hurricane swept forth and slammed into Gu Tianya, hurling him away.

Gu Tianya tumbled through the air like a broken kite, then crashed heavily to the ground.

Seeing this, Gu Fenglin rushed forward in a single stride and caught him steadily.

“Are you all right, Second Brother?”

“I can still hold on. I never expected the beast’s hide to be that thick.”

Gu Tianya said through gritted teeth, enduring the pain wracking his body.

By then, Gu Xuan and Gu Ling’er had exhausted all their spiritual energy. The already unstable shield shattered with a crisp crack and vanished entirely.

Once again, the wyvern rose above them. Its murderous gaze fell on Gu Xuan and the others nearby.

With a deafening roar, it unleashed a wave of sound like an avalanche and then beat its wings, surging straight toward the two of them.

“Watch out!”

Gu Tianya and Gu Fenglin shouted at the same time.

At that critical moment, Gu Tianya drew a pill from his chest without hesitation and swallowed it in one gulp.

Instantly, a tremendous power erupted within him, and his strength rose at once.

He unleashed his strongest spiritual technique. A colossal pillar of light shot from his hand, like a bridge reaching to the heavens, crashing directly toward the wyvern.

The wyvern failed to evade and was struck head-on. It let out a pained shriek.

Its body swayed several times; it was clearly gravely wounded.

But at the last moment, this dying wyvern still gathered its remaining strength and whipped up a monstrous hurricane, blasting fiercely toward Gu Xuan and Gu Ling’er.

By then, Gu Tianya was already exhausted, and although Gu Fenglin tried to intervene, it was far too late.

“Take care of yourself!”

Gu Xuan shouted, his eyes filled with grim resolve. He gathered every shred of spiritual energy he had left and, at the last possible instant, shoved Gu Ling’er away.

“No! ...”

Gu Ling’er cried out in despair.

After a thunderous rumble, the ground lay in ruins. The once-lush trees had been torn up by the roots by the hurricane and toppled in heaps.

Yet Gu Xuan’s figure had vanished without a trace.

As for the wyvern, it too finally gave out. Its enormous body swayed, then crashed heavily to the ground, lifeless at last.

Regaining her senses, Gu Ling’er hurriedly scrambled up from the ground, her eyes filled with fear and worry.

She looked around frantically and cried out loudly:

“Brother Xuan! Brother Xuan...”

When the two elders saw that only Gu Ling’er remained, their hearts sank at once.

“Ling’er, are you hurt?”

Gu Fenglin hurried to her side at once and asked anxiously.

“Father, Brother Xuan vanished while trying to save me...”

Tears welled in Gu Ling’er’s eyes as she said, her voice choked with sobs:

“It’s all my fault. If Brother Xuan hadn’t tried to save me, he wouldn’t have...”

Though Gu Tianya was equally frantic and deeply worried for his son’s safety, he still forced down his anxiety and gently stroked Gu Ling’er’s head, trying to calm her.

“Ling’er, do not blame yourself. Xuan’er made his choice because that is his burden to bear. Right now, we must find a way to locate him as quickly as possible.”

“Second Brother is right!”

Gu Fenglin’s gaze swept the area, his expression grave and his tone urgent:

“There are many demonic beasts in Black Pine Forest. Xuan’er must be injured by now. We have to find him as fast as we can—we cannot afford even a moment’s delay!”

With that, he took the lead.

“Second Brother, Ling’er and I will search along the direction of the hurricane first and see whether we can find any trace left by Xuan’er. You head northwest. The terrain there is complicated, and Xuan’er may have been blown that way as well. Let’s stay in contact and notify each other immediately if we find anything. Remember, if you encounter demonic beasts, conceal your tracks. None of us can afford any more accidents now!”

“Good. I understand.”

The three of them moved out at once.

Gu Ling’er searched the surrounding grasses and trees as she walked, refusing to miss even the slightest clue.

Gu Fenglin, meanwhile, kept a wary eye on the surroundings, leaning slightly forward, both hands ready to respond at any sudden danger in case a demonic beast launched a surprise attack.

During their difficult search, Gu Ling’er’s eyes suddenly lit up. Pointing at a broken branch, she said, her voice trembling slightly:

“Father, look. This branch seems to have been snapped by a heavy impact. Could it be Brother Xuan...?”

Gu Fenglin hurried over to inspect it and nodded faintly, a spark of hope flashing in his eyes.

“It’s possible. Let’s follow this direction and look.”

On the other side, Gu Tianya threaded his way through the dense woods in the northwest.

His steps were quick yet steady, his gaze sharply sweeping the surroundings.

Suddenly, he discovered a patch of trampled grass and a faint smear of blood on the ground. His brow tightened at once.

“It seems Xuan’er truly came this way. I just do not know how he is faring now. You must not come to harm, or how could I answer to your mother?”

Carried by the hurricane unleashed by the dragon, Gu Xuan was swept along like a drifting leaf and slammed deep into Black Pine Forest.

The instant he landed, it felt as though his internal organs had been shifted out of place, and searing pain surged through his entire body.

“Cough, cough, cough...”

A mouthful of blood burst from his lips and stained the grass beside him red.

Before he could even recover, eerie wolf howls rang out all around him.

Three early-stage first-rank demonic beasts, Wind Demon Wolves, had heard the commotion and were slowly closing in from different directions.

The Wind Demon Wolves were agile creatures, famed for their speed. Their fur was gray-black, shimmering with a cold luster under the sunlight.

Their triangular ears stood erect, their emerald eyes gleamed with bloodlust, and their fangs flashed from between their jaws, as if heralding the slaughter to come.

“Not good!”

Gu Xuan was shocked. He had thought surviving just now was already a stroke of luck, never expecting that this was only the beginning.

He was already gravely wounded, and his spiritual energy was nearly exhausted. Facing three Wind Demon Wolves, this was undoubtedly a battle so hard that victory was almost impossible.

“Run!”

That was the only thought that flashed through his mind.

But with three Wind Demon Wolves surrounding him, could he truly escape?

They advanced with nimble strides, drawing ever closer to Gu Xuan, each step seeming to tread upon his heart.

Enduring the pain in his body, Gu Xuan gathered the little spiritual energy he had left and gripped his short sword tightly. His hand turned pale from the force as he assumed a defensive stance.

His eyes held determination and stubborn defiance. Though he knew full well how dangerous his situation was, he refused to give up so easily.

The leading Wind Demon Wolf attacked first. With a kick of its hind legs, it shot toward Gu Xuan like an arrow loosed from a bow, so fast that it was nearly impossible to react.

Its sharp claws slashed viciously at Gu Xuan’s face, gleaming with a cold light as though they could tear through anything.

Gu Xuan widened his eyes and used every ounce of strength he had to twist aside, narrowly avoiding the strike.

At the same time, he thrust his sword toward the wolf’s belly, hoping to deal a fatal blow in this perilous moment.

The Wind Demon Wolf reacted with astonishing speed, twisting nimbly in midair and easily dodging Gu Xuan’s attack.

After landing, it spun around at once, a low growl rumbling in its throat as it prepared to pounce again.

The other two Wind Demon Wolves were not idle either. They moved to flank him from both sides, trying to cut off Gu Xuan’s retreat.

Their eyes were locked on him, as though waiting for the best moment to strike.

Gu Xuan kept a wary watch on the wolf before him while using the corner of his eye to track the movements on both sides.

He knew that the slightest mistake would send him into utter ruin.

Suddenly, the Wind Demon Wolf on the right lunged out. Fast as lightning, it snapped at Gu Xuan’s arm.

Gu Xuan had no time to dodge and could only raise his short sword to block.

The wolf’s razor-sharp teeth clamped onto the blade, producing a crisp crack, as though declaring Gu Xuan’s helplessness.

At the same time, the wolf on the left seized the chance to pounce. Before Gu Xuan could evade, its claws raked deep gashes across his back.

Blood instantly soaked the back of his robes, and the searing pain made Gu Xuan’s vision darken.

Yet through sheer tenacity, he forced himself to stay upright, poured his spiritual energy into the sword, and swung with all his might. A burst of sword energy swept toward the three Wind Demon Wolves.

The three wolves were driven back several steps by the sword energy, but they did not retreat. Instead, they circled Gu Xuan continuously, searching for the next opening to attack.

Their eyes were filled with greed and savagery, as if they had already claimed him as their prey.

“I can’t keep dragging this out. I have to find a way out!”

Gu Xuan knew his situation was growing more perilous by the second. His spiritual energy was nearly gone, and his strength was draining away rapidly.

His mind raced, desperately seeking a sliver of survival.

The three Wind Demon Wolves seemed to sense his predicament. They exchanged a glance, as though reaching some tacit understanding, and attacked at the same time.

Gu Xuan fought with all his might, swinging his long sword in a battle to the death against the wolves.

But he was ultimately outnumbered. After being struck once more, his body was hurled backward out of control, crashing heavily into a huge boulder.

Gu Xuan struggled to stand, only to find his legs already weak and powerless. Blood kept pouring from his wounds, staining the ground beneath him.

The three Wind Demon Wolves advanced slowly, low growls rumbling from their throats as though announcing the prey’s death.

Gu Xuan closed his eyes in despair, a trace of unwillingness rising in his heart.

Was I truly going to die here?

At that moment, the Wind Demon Wolves had already leaped toward Gu Xuan, their fangs aching to tear him to pieces.

Suddenly, golden light blazed forth, and a crack appeared between Gu Xuan’s left hand and the boulder.

In the blink of an eye, Gu Xuan vanished from the rock’s side, leaving only a pool of blood behind...