Long Huang's expression changed as he realized the danger he had just awakened. Although Long Huang had hit his target, it did not even pierce the eagle's metal-like feathers.
The eagle's defense far surpassed that of wild beasts at its level, rivaling even top wild beasts.
"Shit! Shit! Shit! shit!"
Long Huang, seeing the eagle near him at breakneck speed, quickly used the trees to dodge and evade the Metal Pecking Eagle.
"Fuck! Just my lucky day."
Long Huang exclaimed, his heart beating like a speeding car, his breathing uneven as he jumped from tree to tree, the overwhelming pressure of the situation bearing down on him.
He moved like an agile cat as he fled amidst the trees. Even so, the eagle followed closely behind him, its eyes still locked on him as it weaved through the trees.
Swoosh!!
"Mr. Eagle, do you think you can let me go?"
Screeeee—ch
"I'll take that as a 'no' then."
Long Huang then broke a branch and threw it, aiming for the beast's eye. As the branch spiraled through the air, it hit the eagle on the beak instead of its eye, causing the beast to be enraged and take to the sky.
The eagle dove from above the trees like a falling star, its metal-like feathers gleaming in the sun as it sliced through the air.
Screech!
Thud!
Long Huang threw himself sideways off the tree branch, clutching the trunk as he fell.
BOOM!
Wood exploded, and splinters rained down. The eagle's talons shredded the branch where he had been.
"Fuck if I was a second too slow, that could have been me."
Long Huang's mind raced through his options. 'Climb down? Too slow. Run along the branches? It's faster in the air. Fight? With what—my bare hands against a beast that can shred peak Muscle Tempering Realm cultivators?'
Swoosh!
The eagle didn't give him time to decide as it flew back up, trying to grab him.
He pushed off the tree trunk, launching himself sideways toward a neighboring tree, branches whipping past his face as he stretched out his hand, trying to grab onto one as he fell.
When he finally caught a branch. The impact nearly wrenched his shoulder from its socket, but he held. He swung once, twice, then let go again, dropping the final ten feet to the forest floor.
A scream escaped his lips, short and sharp, as he gritted his teeth. White spots danced in his vision.
Above, the eagle shrieked in frustration. Before taking to the sky once more.
'This dam bird doesn't have any weakn— wait, weakness I remember,' thought Long Huang as a look of triumph flashed in his eyes.
Long Huang broke off a 1-meter-long branch and looked up. He could hear the eagle crashing against branches, trying to force its way down.
"Come on, bastard, come to papa!"
Boom!
The eagle burst through the last layer of branches. Its eyes blazed with killing intent. Its talons extended.
Long Huang gripped the branch tighter, sweat dripping into his eyes.
Long Huang didn't throw the branch; instead, he planted his feet and angled the branch upward, using it as a spear.
The eagle, seeing its prey, dove even faster.
Then, with a sickening CRUNCH, the branch pierced clean through the eagle's throat—the one weak point where the metal feathers parted during a dive.
For a horrifying moment, the branch bent, straining against the creature's momentum and natural armor. Long Huang's arms screamed in protest.
Feathers gave way. Flesh tore before the branch emerged from the back of its neck.
Snap!
At the same moment The weight and momentum of the eagle caused the branch below Long Huang to snap, sending him crashing to the forest floor.
Boom!
After crashing into the ground, Long Huang lay there for a while, groaning, before helping himself up with the help of a tree.
Across from him, the eagle was thrashing on the ground, the branch still protruding from its neck.
"Fuck why hasn't it died?"
The eagle's talons raked the ground as it tried to rise, tried to reach him one last time. Long Huang scrambled backward, putting distance between himself and the dying beast.
The eagle's movements slowed. Its struggles became weaker, more desperate.
With one final, shuddering screech, the Metal Pecking Eagle collapsed. Its eyes, still fixed on Long Huang, went dark.
Thud!
"Finally, that took forever!" he thought as he dropped to his knees, sweat dripping down his face.
"That's what you get, you overgrown chicken!"
Hhh...haah...huff..
Chest rising, a deep breath of relief.
"I'm rich, baby!"
"Hell yeah"
He pumped his fist, then immediately regretted it as his abused muscles and bones screamed in protest.
Long Huang quickly regained his composure and stored the Metal Pecking Eagle corpse,
Now, with both the King Cobra and the Eagle's corpses, his wealth exceeded 20 gold notes. He had never encountered such wealth in his life.
"Hmmm, the gold notes I'll get from selling these beats are still not enough for me to buy a good weapon and some pills."
Night began to set in as the stars started to paint the sky. Noticing he was close to the heart of the forest, he checked the area for wild beasts or demon beasts but found nothing.
He wanted to head back to the outer region, but with his injuries, it would be even more dangerous than staying here.
With that thought, he decided to camp there for the night.
After setting up the tent from his camping kit, he sprinkled beast-repelling powder around it and went out to gather twigs for a fire to keep warm.
He made the fire inside the tent, where there was a section with a cutout and a vent nearby to help pull the smoke out, minimizing the smell and smoke to avoid attracting beasts.
"This kit shows its worth; money well spent," he remarked.
Gurrr!!
"Fuck, I'm so hungry, but I don't have anything to eat."
"Wait a second, I do."
Reaching into his storage pouch, he took out the corpse of the Metal Pecking Eagle to cook some of the meat, seasoning it with salt and some spices from his kit.
"Mmm, this one is delicious, chicken!" he said as he took a hearty bite.
As he savored the meat, a sizzling sound sounded out beneath his skin as he quickly broke through to the 7th stage of the Skin Tempering Realm.
"Damn, was it so easy cultivating that I broke through from just eating? And speaking of cultivating, I haven't actively done that in a while, hmm."
Realizing his cultivation had been neglected due to other distractions, Long Huang resolved to cultivate throughout the night.
As the sun rose and set, three days passed. Long Huang was still sitting cross-legged, with his bloodline madly absorbing spiritual energy.
The dragon's might alarmed the nearby beasts, but they dared not approach.
Boom!
He had broken through to the 9th stage of the Skin Tempering Realm.
"From the dragon's legacy, I've learned that most cultivators stop at the 9th stage of each realm, whether due to limited resources, cultivation techniques, or talent."
"This is usually the limit. However, there's a layer above that called the Extreme Realm, which adds three stages to most realms."
"But for the Meridian Tempering Realm, which depends on how much pain you can endure, most stop at the 9th level. For it was no longer a competition of just talent and resources but also willpower."
"The Chaos Battle Dragon breathing technique introduces a 13th stage called the Flawless Realm at each realm. Flawless Realm, what is its significance?"
"Why am I talking to myself? Am I going mad?"
"Nah"
"Being alone really is boring." Long Huang mused.
Afterward, he got up and emerged from the tent, beginning to practice the Wind Deer Steps and Ocean Wave Fists.
For the next three days, Long Huang's body could be seen moving swiftly through the Sky Cloud Forest. Wherever he went, a scream of pain soon followed, along with a fallen beast.
Cra..ck!
The snap of a twig underfoot was the only warning. Long Huang froze, his senses screaming. From the dense foliage of the forest, a Green Flame Deer emerged.
Its horns were like beautiful white twisting tree branches, its hide shimmered with an emerald light, and flames flickered at its hooves.
Swish!
The deer lowered its head and charged, a blur of green and white.
There was no time for strategy. Instinct took over. Long Huang sidestepped, the heat of the passing flames searing his arm.
The smell of his own singed robes filled his nostrils. He knew he couldn't match its fortified skin or its speed. So, he had to be smarter.
As the deer skidded to a halt and pivoted, Long Huang didn't retreat. He lunged forward, inside the arc of its next charge. A hoof caught him in the ribs, and a sickening crack echoed in the small clearing.
"AHHH"
Pain, white-hot and blinding, flared through his side.
But it was the opening he needed.
Ignoring the agony, he wrapped his arms around the deer's neck, not to choke, but to unbalance. He threw his weight to the side, using the creature's own momentum against it. They tumbled together across the forest floor, each roll causing Long Huang pain.
The deer thrashed, its sharp antlers scraping his face, its hooves scraping against his legs and hitting his chest, causing him even more intense pain, but Long Huang held on, his grip like a vice. He banged the deer's head over and over again.
And with a final, desperate heave, he slammed the deer's head against a protruding rock at the base of a nearby tree.
Bam!
The creature went limp, the emerald light on its hide flickering before slowly dying out. The phantom green flames around its hooves also vanished, leaving only the scent of burnt flesh and blood.
Hhhh.... hhhaah
Gasping, Long Huang rolled onto his back, clutching his broken ribs, the pain second only to what he felt after fighting the eagle.
Staring at the unconscious beast, he could only sigh; this fight against a mere deer had nearly broken him. He felt no triumph, only the cold, hard reality of his lack of strength.