“Jump! Wonderful.”
“Jump again! Xiao Bao, you’re amazing.”
Fei Hua, playful at heart, could have a great time playing with the Treasure-Seeking Mouse with just a small twig.
The Treasure-Seeking Mouse, while finding Fei Hua childish, cooperated with him and indulged in their amusing games.
The human and the mouse laughed heartily.
Fei Hua held the twig high, intending to make the Treasure-Seeking Mouse jump again, when he saw it freeze in place.
He paused slightly, about to ask, when the Treasure-Seeking Mouse let out an anxious squeak and immediately burrowed into his arms, chattering non-stop.
The purple-robed person was coming!
Upon understanding the Treasure-Seeking Mouse’s words, Fei Hua’s expression changed drastically. He looked helplessly at Yin Li, “Senior Sister Yin.”
Yin Li had already heard the Treasure-Seeking Mouse. She immediately stepped out of the cave, summoned her contracted spirit beast, the Phoenix Crown Nightingale, and quickly turned back to pick up Zhang Nannan.
As she passed Fei Hua, she sternly ordered, “What are you standing there for? Hurry and bring that person up as well.”
“Oh, oh, okay.”
Fei Hua snapped back to reality and quickly picked up Wang Yao, standing together on the Phoenix Crown Nightingale’s back.
With a flap of its wings, the Phoenix Crown Nightingale soared into the air.
Fei Hua channeled his spiritual energy to stabilize his swaying form in the wind, occasionally glancing back with worry.
Senior Brother Xiong and Senior Brother Zuo were not present, leaving only him and Senior Sister Yin. If that purple-robed person brought reinforcements, he and Senior Sister Yin would surely be no match for them.
He prayed they wouldn’t be caught by the purple-robed person.
Fortunately, the Treasure-Seeking Mouse had detected trouble early, giving them time to escape. Otherwise, being cornered in the cave would truly be a situation of nowhere to go.
“Junior Brother Fei, immediately send a message to Senior Brother Xiong and have him change course to rendezvous with us.”
“Understood.”
Fei Hua put Wang Yao down and quickly took out his sound transmission disk to contact Xiong Zhuangzhuang.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang, on his way, received the message and, with a look of alarm, immediately turned back with Zuo.
With Xiong Zhuangzhuang’s reply, Yin Li felt a little more at ease.
Last time, they had managed to shake off the purple-robed person’s pursuit using the Phoenix Crown Nightingale. She figured it would be difficult for them to catch up this time either, but meeting up with Xiong Zhuangzhuang was certainly better, as one could never be sure if they would encounter other ambushes along the way.
However, just as Yin Li relaxed, a high-pitched bird cry echoed from behind them.
The Phoenix Crown Nightingale’s wingbeats faltered instantly, and the next moment, its frequency rapidly increased, its round eyes flashing with panic.
Yin Li’s phoenix eyes narrowed, and she stood up to look back.
Soon, a tiny black silhouette, like a sesame seed, entered her field of vision.
Yin Li recognized the fierce bird’s origin at a glance.
“Crimson-lined Falcon!”
A bird of prey renowned for its speed and attack power.
It was also one of the few fierce birds capable of countering the Phoenix Crown Nightingale.
Yin Li gasped, and upon closer inspection, indeed saw a very conspicuous purple-robed figure standing on the Crimson-lined Falcon’s back.
She inwardly cursed her luck. With the Crimson-lined Falcon’s speed, they would be caught within half an incense stick’s time, and escaping would become much harder.
They had to stop the Crimson-lined Falcon from approaching.
With that thought, Yin Li slammed her right hand into her storage pouch, spraying out a cloud of red powder that dispersed in the air and quickly drifted outwards with the wind.
Fei Hua’s eyes lit up as he recognized the red powder.
It was a specialty of the Beast Taming Sect, capable of confusing the minds of demonic beasts, making them sluggish.
However, the powder’s effect varied from beast to beast, and typically, the more powerful the demonic beast, the less affected it would be.
Yin Li didn’t expect to completely escape the Crimson-lined Falcon with the powder, but she hoped to buy them some time to rendezvous with Xiong Zhuangzhuang.
The red mist obscured Yin Li’s vision, but thankfully, her divine sense was unaffected.
Yin Li watched as the Crimson-lined Falcon directly charged into the area filled with red powder, her lips curling slightly.
“Success?”
Fei Hua’s divine sense couldn't reach very far, so he had no idea what was happening inside. He could only guess the situation based on Yin Li’s reactions.
Seeing Yin Li smile, the corners of his own mouth unconsciously relaxed.
But soon, the curve of Yin Li’s lips vanished, and she blurted out, “This is impossible!”
Fei Hua knew something was wrong. Indeed, the next moment, a black and red figure burst out of the red mist, letting out an even louder cry.
“It’s completely unaffected!”
Fei Hua’s mouth also gaped in surprise.
This red dust was the result of hundreds of years of adjustments and improvements by the ancestors of the Beast Taming Sect. Nearly all the demonic beasts encountered on the Kyushu Continent had been experimented on to produce this version.
Yet, today, the red dust had failed on this Crimson-lined Falcon, and at the most critical moment.
Fei Hua was so anxious his forehead was covered in sweat, and his feet unconsciously started to twitch rapidly, making him restless.
Yin Li was equally astonished but knew the gravity of the situation. Unwilling to dwell on this matter, she quickly retrieved other items from her storage pouch that could restrain demonic beasts, throwing them out one after another, and then stared fixedly behind them without blinking.
The Crimson-lined Falcon’s wings were scorched black, but a very thin red thread ran through the middle of each feather, making it distinctive and giving it its name.
The items Yin Li scattered included spiritual fruits favored by avian demonic beasts, small insects emitting a strange meaty aroma, and colorful spiritual grains.
These were all foods most favored by avian demonic beasts in the Beast Taming Sect.
Even the Phoenix Crown Nightingale under Yin Li couldn’t resist glancing back stealthily.
Normally, ordinary demonic beasts would have their focus diverted and attention affected by so many favored foods.
But Yin Li was disappointed once again.
The Crimson-lined Falcon dodged every item she scattered, its wings spread high, completely unaffected, its willpower astonishingly strong.
Yin Li had no other choice but to resort to her last method. She took out her pipa and, with her fair hand, plucked a string, unleashing a sonic attack.
The pipa music Yin Li played did not possess gentle and lyrical beauty; instead, it was powerful and resonant, like a battle hymn.
Under her sonic attack, invisible waves rippled outwards, creating unseen tides.
By the time the melody reached the purple-robed person, a formation of invisible killing intent had already formed before her.
“A mere trifle.”
The purple-robed person sneered dismissively and abruptly swept her sleeve forward.
“Crack!”
A loud cracking sound suddenly rang out.
The invisible waves surged back with even greater ferocity.
Yin Li’s pupils contracted, and the speed at which she strummed the strings suddenly accelerated.
Boom!
The invisible collision in the air erupted with a deafening roar.
Several figures descended rapidly from the sky in a dishevelled manner.
Bang bang bang!
“Cough, cough!”
Yin Li spat out dirt and sand from her mouth, weakly propped herself up with her arm, and looked upwards.
A colossal figure hovered above them, blocking the light and casting them into shadow.
And near Yin Li lay Fei Hua and the others, who had fallen from the sky together, along with the Phoenix Crown Nightingale with its wings in disarray.
Yin Li bit her lip tightly. They had still been caught.