Chapter 102 — Little Grey

By now the matchless, overbearing Blackwater Mystic Serpent was covered in wounds; on that huge body, once so invincible it seemed a demon god's, great gashes showed one after another, dark red blood flowing without cease, dyeing the trunk beneath it a dark red. A beast of that order was naturally hard as stone all over, and only talons and beak like the Yellow Bird's could wound it.

Yet though the Blackwater Mystic Serpent was sorely hurt, the Yellow Bird was hardly better off. Its plumage, once as bright and fair as a phoenix's, had been bitten by the Blackwater Mystic Serpent several times in the fight, and countless feathers had come away; there were several wounds on its body too, deep enough to show bone, blood welling out and dyeing the feathers near its breast red.

Now both beasts paused in their attack: the Blackwater Mystic Serpent crouched atop the Heaven Emperor's Treasure House, the Yellow Bird alighted on a nearby branch, and the two faced each other; the black serpent roaring, the Yellow Bird crying, as though each sought to overawe the other, neither showing the least intent to withdraw.

But to all appearance the Blackwater Mystic Serpent had the worse of it. After all, the terrain here was against it—it hung alone in the high air, able only to coil tight upon the trunk, while the Yellow Bird could fly on beating wings and strike from every direction, greatly to its advantage. Moreover the Yellow Bird was by nature the mortal enemy of demon-beasts like the Blackwater Mystic Serpent, and was born with the power to resist its poison and venom; though it still feared them, once bitten it suffered no hurt to its vitals, nothing fatal.

One of the Blackwater Mystic Serpent's greatest powers was all but useless before this Yellow Bird, and with the terrain against it, disaster seemed near. It seemed to sense this too, and flew into an even greater rage. Its huge eyes glaring wide, it suddenly turned its head, and while the Yellow Bird still rested far off, savagely rammed down upon the Heaven Emperor's Treasure House.

The Yellow Bird was enraged; with a clear cry it beat its wings and rose again.

But that blow had gathered all the Blackwater Mystic Serpent's strength, crashing down; to say nothing else, the great trunk beneath it shook violently, and upon the Heaven Emperor's Treasure House cracks spread in an instant—even the huge stone door was split by that blow into several fissures.

It was as though, after holding out against the Blackwater Mystic Serpent's dreadful strength through countless blows, the mysterious power within the Heaven Emperor's Treasure House had at last begun to give way.

In the distance, Fa Cheng and the others stared at one another, and drew in a breath of cold air.

The Yellow Bird gave a sharp cry, flew up into midair, then suddenly plunged down, its beak like a huge arrow loosed from the string, shooting toward the Blackwater Mystic Serpent.

In an instant heaven and earth changed color, the wind and clouds shifted, and a violent gale seemed to rise, forming a vast vortex that looked like a tornado, and within that fiercely spinning wind the Yellow Bird plunged down.

The Blackwater Mystic Serpent roared loudly, and from its enormous serpent eyes shot endless ferocity and a savage glare; ignoring the Yellow Bird's attack from above, it once again recklessly drove its huge head against the Heaven Emperor's Treasure House.

"Boom!"

In a flash, sand and stones flew, dust billowed, and a rending sound of "crack, crack, crack" rang through heaven and earth, until at last, with a thunderous crash, the vaulted wall of the Heaven Emperor's Treasure House collapsed, smashed open by the Blackwater Mystic Serpent's unmatched strength.

Almost at the same moment, the Yellow Bird swooped down in a fury, and the tornado instantly enveloped the Blackwater Mystic Serpent; all present heard the serpent give a heaven-shaking roar, a sound of utter anguish, as though it had suffered some grievous hurt.

The gale was exceedingly violent, and Facheng and the others drifted like ants before the wind and had no choice but to retreat a good distance further.

When the dust in the field slowly settled, the hissing and roaring had not diminished in the least; looking over, the crowd saw that atop the Blackwater Mystic Serpent's head blood was streaming, and from its right serpent eye blood sprayed like a fountain—the Yellow Bird had pecked one of its eyes out outright!

And just then, within the breached Heaven Emperor's Treasure House, a golden radiance flickered slowly, then gradually dimmed.

The Blackwater Mystic Serpent and the Yellow Bird had no time to spare for their fight; both looked down at once.

Before these two giant beasts, even the vast Heaven Emperor's Treasure House seemed no more than a child's toy.

Through the swirling dust, two figures staggered to their feet inside the Heaven Emperor's Treasure House—none other than Ming Li and Lu Xueling. And Xiao Hui, who had been clinging to Ming Li's shoulder all along, now tumbled from it, ducked beneath the wooden platform, and clutched the wooden pillar tightly with both hands to steady itself.

One could well imagine that beneath the Blackwater Mystic Serpent's reckless battering, the situation inside the Heaven Emperor's Treasure House a moment ago could not have been comfortable. Judging by Ming Li and Lu Xueling alone, though their faces were somewhat pale, they were still fairly composed; Xiao Hui, however, was frightened "pale of face"—that is, of fur—its mouth chirping "zhi zhi zhi zhi" without cease.

Ming Li composed himself, then gave a start, for on either side stood a giant beast of inconceivable size, glaring hungrily, and from their look both were reeking with murderous intent; needless to say, this was no good place to be.

But before he could react, the Blackwater Mystic Serpent's remaining eye had already caught sight of the wooden platform within the Heaven Emperor's Treasure House, and of the transparent liquid held in the wooden cup upon it.

At once uncontrollable greed shot from the serpent's eyes, and its huge head suddenly lunged down; how could the Yellow Bird stand idly by? With a clear cry it drove its sharp beak down to peck as well.

The two giant beasts unleashed their might at the same instant; however high Ming Li's and Lu Xueling's cultivation, instinct alone now bade them summon their magic treasures and flee swiftly. But Ming Li had no sooner taken flight than his body jolted, and behind him came a "zhi zhi" cry—Xiao Hui, who had been clinging to his shoulder, was hidden beneath the wooden platform and had not followed.

Though his temper had changed greatly from former days, his affection for Xiao Hui was deep and true; without a thought he turned back to fetch it. Unexpectedly, the moment he paused, the Yellow Bird gave a shrill cry and, locked together with the Blackwater Mystic Serpent, beat its wings, and a gale came roaring forth that pushed Ming Li and Lu Xueling far away.

Ming Li was frantic, but the force of that single wingbeat from the Yellow Bird was immense; he was carried far off against his will, and when he finally steadied himself he was already a good hundred paces or more from the tree trunk. His brows knitted tight, brilliant azure light flared beneath him, and he shot straight back.

By now the struggle between the Yellow Bird and the Blackwater Mystic Serpent had reached a fever pitch. The serpent's aim was clear—to seize that small cup of spirit medicine—but the Yellow Bird would never suffer it to touch the prize, and so it no longer took to the air but perched upon the trunk; the two giant beasts circled the tiny wooden cup, snapping and pecking, hissing and roaring without end, yet for the moment, each held within the other's sphere of power, neither could stoop low enough to reach the medicine.