The wyvern, rejuvenated by the ambient qi it had absorbed, rose from its prone position with renewed fury. Its scales glistened even more ominously in the dim light, and its eyes burned with a fiery intensity that sent shivers down Zhou Yixing's spine.
Zhou Yixing had hurried to Jiang Tao’s side, his face etched with concern. “Are you alright?” he asked frantically, trying to assess the extent of his friend’s injuries.
Jiang Tao groaned, wincing as he tried to push himself up from the rocky ground. His vision swam with pain, and a sharp ache radiated through his body. “I think I broke some bones,” he managed to wheeze, “We need to—”
Before he could finish, the wyvern roared again, the sound echoing with a force that seemed to shake the very air. It reared up and its wings flared open, the ground beneath them trembled.
Don't tell me it has a breath attack, lesser wyverns shouldn't have that right?! He panicked.
Thankfully it didn't because he looked up to see the wyvern, charging towards them with terrifying speed.
“Move!” Yixing shouted, grabbing Jiang Tao by the arm and dragging him to his feet. Together, they scrambled to get out of the wyvern’s path, narrowly avoiding a swipe of its claws which left massive tracks in the ground.
They landed in a heap as they tumbled away from the wyvern’s destructive path. Jiang Tao's head spun as he tried to regain his bearings, the pain in his side sharp and unrelenting.
Yixing, breathing heavily, pulled him to a safer distance. The wyvern’s roar was deafening, each bellow shaking the ground beneath them.
There was no way they could defeat it. They were completely outmatched and the thing wouldn't stay down despite its numerous wounds.
We’re gonna die… I can't believe this is how it ends. All because I felt like being a hero. Jiang Tao’s mind raced as he struggled to come to terms with their dire situation.
They were on the brink of defeat, and the reality of their predicament hit him like a cold wave. None of his previous encounters had ever gone this bad.
Gritting his teeth Yixing stepped between Jiang Tao and the wyvern. “It's too early to use this, but I have no choice” He muttered through clenched teeth.
A Jade seal appeared in his trembling hands, the symbol of the Zhou clan etched onto its surface. Jiang Tao's brows scrunched in confusion at the emergence of the artifact.
The wyvern, sensing the change in the atmosphere, let out a low, menacing growl as it prepared for another assault.
“What... what is that?” Jiang Tao asked through gritted teeth, trying to rise despite the pain.
“Our survival”
Holding it aloft, Yixing called out with a strained voice, “Great Ancestor, I, Zhou Yixing of the eastern Zhou clan, beseech your aid!”
The air stilled for a moment as if nothing happened; then Jiang Tao felt it, and his hair stood on end as an imposing presence filled the air. It was as if a divine eye had turned its attention towards them.
The Jade seal in Yixing’s hands began to glow and he slammed onto the rocky terrain below. Instantly the ground beneath the seal began to shimmer with an otherworldly light. The symbol of the Zhou clan blazed brightly expanding and pulsing with radiant light.
The wyvern caught off guard by the sudden shift in power, halted its attack and reared back in confusion.
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Without warning, a brilliant beam of white fire descended from the heavens striking the wyvern with pinpoint accuracy. The creature's roar of agony was short lived as the beam obliterated it completely, leaving nothing but scorched earth in its wake.
The jade seal in Yxings hands disintegrated into motes of light. It's power spent. Yixing staggered feeling his insides turn green with regret.
“One use…”He sighed, his voice heavy with the weight of the sacrifice. “We survived. My thanks venerable ancestor”
Jiang Tao lay on the ground, struggling to process the blinding light that had consumed the wyvern. The roar of the beast had been silenced in an instant, replaced by the eerie quiet of the aftermath.
Yixing stood over him, panting heavily. His face was pale, and sweat dripped from his brow, mixing with the dirt on his face.
His hands shook slightly as he looked at his empty hands his thoughts lingering on the now-gone jade seal.
Tao tried to push himself up, wincing from the pain but Yixing was there before he could injure himself further. Supporting him up with his shoulder.
He looked at Yixing with gratitude. “Thanks. You… you used the clan’s artifact. That was—”
“—a last resort,” Yixing cut him off, his voice strained. “We couldn’t have survived without it.”
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In a distant empire, a woman lounged on a lustrous glass throne. She was beautiful, clad in yellow robes that cast off a soft glow and her long brown hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders. Around her sparks of light periodically manifested.
"My little star has already used such a potent treasure? so soon... Hmm"
She waved her hand in a small motion and a bronze mirror appeared in her hands. The woman peered into the bronze mirror, her eyes narrowing as she observed the scene that had unfolded on the mountain.
The reflection showed Zhou Yixing and Jiang Tao, battered but alive, standing amidst the scorched crater that was the wyvern's remains. Her lips curved into a thoughtful smile, mingled with a touch of concern.
Her fingers traced the intricate patterns on the mirror's frame, causing the image to zoom in on Yixing's weary face. She could see the exhaustion etched in every line of his expression, but also the glimmer of fierce resolve.
“I shouldn't have left you with your father,” she murmured, “I should've nurtured your potential here in Dragon Gate City.”
“Lady Xi” a feminine called breaking her focus from the mirror, “Are you spying on your son again? Matters the Western Sun Dominion should not concern you, my lady!" said the reproachful voice.
Lady Xi sighed wistfully. "I know, I know... Our contract with the Zhou clan was a mutual exchange. I give them a worthy son in exchange for a divine artifact but maternal instincts are not so easily squashed, Song Yi,”
Her eyes lingered on the reflection for a brief moment, her focus shifting from Yixing to Jiang Tao.
"How exciting," She said, her eyes gleaming with interest.
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The two cultivators began their descent from the mountain, moving carefully over the treacherous terrain.
Jiang Tao couldn't help but sneak frequent glances at Yixing. The battle had left them wounded but they had won. So why was he so sullen? He knew Yixing hadn't wanted to fight to begin with but it worked out in the end.
“Are you angry with me?”
Yixing trudged down the mountain, his face etched with a mixture of exhaustion and melancholy. Jiang Tao's question hung in the air, and Yixing hesitated before responding.
“No, Brother Tao,” he said finally, his voice heavy. “Not at you. I understand your quirks as annoying as they are. What I'm angry at is the sole reason we had to face the wyvern, that failed cultivator who tried to send us to our deaths.”
“I know,” Jiang Tao said softly, his gaze fixed on the uneven path ahead. “I should have known better than to trust Lord Bai’s assurances. I thought… I thought we could handle it.”
He clenched his fists, feeling a surge of anger mixed with guilt. He had been too eager, too trusting, and it had nearly cost him his second chance at life.
“A wyvern… There's no way he did not know it was there. That wound on its wing was man made it was too clean. It was wounded, desperate. Someone had already tried to take it down and failed. And Bai Yuxi knew it. He and I cannot live under the same sky,”
Tao swallowed hard taken aback by the sheer anger in his friend's voice. He had never seen him truly angry before. Annoyed or irritated, yes, this was something else.
Good luck to that guy. He thought about Black Vale’s chief.
Sure he was also a bit ticked off but his fury didn't hold a candle to Yixings growing loathing.
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They reached Crimson Fish camp as the sun began to set. The martial artists were resting in their tents, their tired voices mingling with the crackle of campfires.
A scout on guard duty spotted them first. “They’re back!”
The martial artists cheered in relief, rushing to meet the two battered cultivators. Faces that had been weary and worried were now alight with joy, their voices rising in a cacophony of questions and exclamations.
“What sort of beast was it?”
“How did you survive?”
“You’re alive!”
“Of course, they're alive idiot! they're cultivators.”
As the camp erupted into cheers and questions, Jiang Tao felt a sense of relief wash over him. The warmth of the welcome, despite their exhaustion and the chaos they had just endured, was comforting. He managed to muster a tired grin, even as his body protested the movement.
Faced with so much praise and awe even Yixing managed a tiny smile that didn't reach his eyes.
The camp leader approached them, stern-faced Captain Hu. He surveyed the two friends with a critical eye, noting the exhaustion that radiated off of them.
“Rest for the night,” he said. “You’ve earned it. Tomorrow, we set off back to the village.”