Chapter 762: 762 Thunder Wings
"Eh? Can it be?"
Just as Xia Yong was punching his chest and stomping in regret by the canyon, the next moment his gaze fixated on Yun Xiao’s figure became stunned, almost to the point of believing his eyes were deceiving him.
Because Yun Xiao, who had already soared mid-air, did not fall downwards at this moment. Suddenly, a silver light flashed behind him, as if something was emerging from beneath his shoulders.
At this moment beneath Yun Xiao’s shoulders, waves of silver radiance were striking out, looking like strands of silver thunder and lightning, extremely mysterious.
This silver thunder and lightning, after a series of changes, unexpectedly formed a pair of somewhat ethereal Thunder Wings on Yun Xiao’s back, and although the wings were illusory, they were the reason Yun Xiao did not fall towards the canyon below.
Huuh...
Amidst Xia Yong’s astonished gaze, the Thunder Wings behind Yun Xiao gave a gentle flap, and then, carrying the body of the youth, he actually swayed across towards the opposite side of the canyon.
Seeing this scene, Xia Yong’s eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets. That was the power of flight, a capability he had wanted to possess his entire life.
Yet Xia Yong had remained at the Peak of the Seeking Origin Realm for decades, without ever catching a glimpse of the chance to break through to the Earth Bending Realm, causing him every time he thought about it, to be incredibly depressed.
Above the Earth Bending Realm is the Heavenly Rank Third Realm, the higher realm which grants one the power of flight. It goes without saying, the moment Xia Yong saw a youth who had only reached the Origin Seeking Realm Early Stage through a Secret Technique, yet could possess the power of flight, how envious and jealous he was.
Although at the moment Yun Xiao’s Thunder Wings on his back were a bit illusory and quite unstable in flight, as if they might disappear at any time causing him to fall into the deep valley.
But that was indeed genuine flight because ordinarily, even an Earth Rank Third Realm expert would not be able to stay in the air for too long, unless it was some Meridian Technique from the former Riding Qi Sect that could allow one to remain suspended in the air for a brief duration.
Xia Yong had planned every detail, but had not anticipated this, so he could only watch that coarsely dressed youth getting farther and farther from himself but never falling into the canyon below.
"Yun Xiao, I, Xia Yong, swear, even if you escape to the ends of the earth, I will capture you and bring you back!"
After a brief shock, Xia Yong finally put away those pointless thoughts, this feeling of failing at the last moment, almost made him want to spit out a mouthful of old blood.
If Yun Xiao had directly fallen into the deep valley and shattered to pieces, then so be it, but in the last moments, the lad unexpectedly grew a pair of Thunder Wings on his back and miraculously escaped to the skies.
Such a canyon dozens of feet wide, unless Xia Yong also grew wings on his back or immediately broke through to the Heavenly Rank Third Realm, he would be fundamentally unable to pursue.
Previously, while mocking Yun Xiao with "a bird that can’t fly even if it had wings," he never imagined that in the blink of an eye, that youth would truly grow a pair of wings and fly away. Such an abrupt change was excessively depressing.
......
"This..."
Not to mention Xia Yong across the canyon, raging mad, cursing ceaselessly, as for Yun Xiao himself, he originally thought he was going to fall into the valley and turn into a mound of flesh, but he didn’t expect such an astonishing surprise.
"It’s the newly activated Thunder Attribute Ancestor Vein!"
Yun Xiao, who had regained some consciousness, sensed immediately the Thunder Wings extending from his back, which were unquestionably linked to the sixth Ancestor Vein he had activated earlier.
Moreover, Yun Xiao could guess that after refining the Seventh Rank Advanced Thunder Spirit Crystal, this Thunder Attribute Ancestor Vein was initially activated, and it was during his breakthrough to the Origin Seeking Realm Early Stage with the help of the Golden Snake Worm Xiao Wu that the Thunder Wings burst forth.
Previously, Yun Xiao had no idea what the use of this Thunder Attribute Ancestor Vein was, but at this very moment, he couldn’t help but feel ecstatic joy in his heart. He had only just reached the Earth Rank Third Realm, yet he already possessed the power of flight. Just imagine, what kind of might would this bring to his future battles?
"Hey, hey, hey, hold on for me!"
While Yun Xiao was extremely excited, he suddenly felt his body sharply sink, and the pair of Thunder Wings beneath his shoulders became faint and almost transparent.
However, Yun Xiao was still tens of feet away from the other side of the canyon; if his strength was to deplete now, it would all be in vain, and he would inevitably stumble and crash into the valley below.
But at this moment, Yun Xiao was relying on the power of the Golden Snake; he could not control the Thunder Wings at all. If Xiao Wu could not hold on, his fate would undoubtedly be very tragic.
"We’re close! So close!"
The closer Yun Xiao was to the end of the opposite shore, the tighter his heart wrenched, for a failure at such a critical moment was truly maddening.
Perhaps Xia Yong, who was earlier in pursuit, had felt this same sensation. However, Yun Xiao was a bit more fortunate than Xia Yong. It wasn’t until the other shore was just mere yards away from him that the Thunder Wings on his back suddenly vanished.
At the same time, the power of the Golden Snake Worm disappeared as well, so at this very moment, Yun Xiao’s body instantly began to fall downwards, forcing him to muster his last bit of strength to lunge forward fiercely and, finally, he managed to grab onto a jagged rock jutting out from the opposite side of the gorge.
"Phew..."
It wasn’t until he had secured a grip on this firm rock that Yun Xiao let out a significant sigh of relief. However, due to the loss of the Golden Snake Worm’s power, he felt as if all his strength had been drained, and he desperately wanted to just let go and fall into a deep sleep.
But the last sliver of consciousness reminded Yun Xiao that he must not let go, for to do so would mean the difference between life and death – all his grand plans would never have the chance to be fulfilled.
Relying on sheer willpower, Yun Xiao eventually managed to climb onto the shore of the gorge using both hands and feet. At this moment, he had exhausted the very last bit of his energy, his limbs went limp, and he lay on the ground gasping for air.
Recalling the life-and-death moment from before, Yun Xiao still felt some lingering fear. Faced with a seemingly certain death, he had miraculously come back to life. He had to admit, luck played a part in his survival.
"Fire Cloud Rat Chi Yan!"
About an hour after he lay motionless on the ground, Yun Xiao felt that he had regained some strength. He tried to sit up and immediately noticed a motionless red shadow not far from him. Remembering something, his body shot upright.
It turned out that this red shadow was none other than Fire Cloud Rat Chi Yan, who had been casually swatted away by Xia Yong earlier. Seeing its still form, Yun Xiao’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest, fearing that what he saw was merely Fire Cloud Rat Chi Yan’s corpse.
Yun Xiao quickly hurried to Fire Cloud Rat Chi Yan’s side, unable to sense the slightest breath, his face displaying increasing panic as he swiftly reached out to feel one side of the body.
"Thank heavens!"
After sensing for just a few breaths, Yun Xiao finally detected a faint, almost imperceptible heartbeat. He let out a substantial sigh of relief knowing that Fire Cloud Rat Chi Yan was still alive.
Although Fire Cloud Rat Chi Yan’s breath was nearly indiscernible at the moment, Yun Xiao knew that the Fire Cloud Rat species had strong physical strength and recovery capabilities. As long as it was still breathing, given some time, it should be able to recover.
"This place is not safe to linger in!"
After picking up Fire Cloud Rat Chi Yan from the ground and holding it in his arms, Yun Xiao turned around to look at the other end of the now empty gorge and muttered to himself.
Although Xia Yong might not be able to chase him down immediately, the great gorge surely had an end. It was also possible for someone of Xia Yong’s status to borrow a Flying Beast Pulse Demon and fly directly over here.
For now, Yun Xiao knew he had to escape this dangerous area as soon as possible and recover his own Meridian Qi. By doing so, he might have a chance to save his life in the future.
Most importantly, the Golden Snake Worm that had lent him its strength earlier had once again fallen into a deep sleep after exhausting its energy. If Xia Yong were to pursue him again, his escape would be several times more difficult than today.
Therefore, Yun Xiao made a quick decision, chose a direction, and soon disappeared into the dense forest. Using medicinal herbs found in the mountains, in less than half a day, his appearance had drastically changed, making him look like an ordinary dark-faced young man, with no trace of his former self to be seen.
...
While Yun Xiao was evading Xia Yong’s pursuit, significant events were unfolding within the Spirit Fighting Commerce branch in distant Yuyang City, events that, too, were related to Yun Xiao.
"Let it be so. Great Elder stays, everyone else may leave."
Within a majestic room of the Spirit Fighting Commerce branch, several figures bowed respectfully and exited. The figure who had spoken was none other than the Chairman of this branch: Xu Huang!
For some reason, this morning, Xu Huang had a premonition that something significant was about to happen. Thus, he gathered many Elders of the Spirit Fighting Commerce to discuss urgent matters.
Still, even after that, the unease in the depths of Xu Huang’s heart did not fade – in fact, it grew stronger. After everyone had left the room, he spoke, "Great Elder, is there still no news of Huan’er and the others?"
"No news yet!"
This Great Elder was in charge of intelligence. He was aware of what weighed on the Chairman’s mind. After shaking his head, he advised, "Rest assured, Chairman, it’s just a boy at the Qi Seeking Realm Early Stage; nothing untoward will happen!"
"But I just have this feeling of unease!"
The Great Elder’s reassurances did not alleviate Xu Huang’s restlessness. Right after he finished speaking, a figure appeared at the doorway of the room.
Seeing this figure made Xu Huang’s heart skip a beat, as an ominous feeling arose. He was all too familiar with this figure.