*CLANG!*

A metallic blade of a spear collided with a large, curved and sharp talon in the dark skies, as a lightning illuminated a huge black cloud, producing two shadows on the outside.

One was of a man holding a spear, and another was of an eagle three times the size of a normal one, its massive wings with a span of 8 meters spread wide as it clawed forward.

*Clang!* *Clang!* *Crackle!* *Rumble!*

Multiple strikes, each one coupled with a flash of lightning followed right after, creating shadows of the man and the bird in different poses throughout the dark skies, as they seemingly clashed in several points across the sky at the same time.

“How is this possible?! How can you move so fast?! How can you keep up with me?!!!”

A voice resounded in Wu Long’s ears at the same time as a high-pitched bird cry reverberated through the sky.

Wu Long’s answer was a sharp spear move, his whole figure along with the weapon covered in glow of the lightning, bluish white electric arcs dancing around him and seemingly spreading throughout the stormy sky.

*Clang!*

Another sharp sound as if metal was hitting metal.

‘This doesn’t make any sense! I have transformed into my True Form, there should be no way for this puny Mortal human to keep up!’

A huge eagle with azure and black feathers, with some silver feathers on the edges of its wings looked at Wu Long with silver eyes full of confusion and hurt pride.

The dome of the barrier steadily continued closing, leaving a still considerable gap over their heads, as only moments passed since they disappeared from the surface below, but every time he tried moving toward that freedom he was intercepted, and fleeing meant exposing his back to what turned out to be a formidable enemy.

“Screw you! Silver Feather Barrage!”

The Azure Eagle made a large movement with both its wings, and hundreds of feathers shot from the ends, turning into blurry silver shadows that struck a body of water that has been constantly accumulating as they fought but slightly lagging behind the two, finally catching up because of the delay before the Spiritual Beast’s attack.

The water failed to completely stop the feathers, but slowed and changed their trajectory spreading the attack into a conical shape, while a spear came out of its surface aiming at the exposed belly of the eagle as it tried to go up.

*Screech!*

A sharp, piercing call resounded in the sky as the huge bird of prey shrank into a human, narrowly avoiding the spear and transforming back as it turned in the air, aiming its sharp beak at Wu Long.

The spear shaft turned, striking away the beak and simultaneously making another counter, as the spear blade turned and went for a cut to the eagle’s exposed neck.

*Clunk!*

A blunt metallic sound resounded as a wing shielded the bird.

“Pesky human! Die!!!”

The Azure Eagle formed Reinforced Qi blades around its talons, but was unable to get significantly far away from Wu Long to aim them at him, meanwhile blocking and evading a barrage of spear strikes.

It then transformed into a human again with sharp claws instead of fingers, as Wu Long was too close for it to fight efficiently in its bigger True Form.

However, it was quickly overwhelmed in close combat, receiving many puncture wounds and lacerations on the shoulders, forearms and thighs in mere moments, forcing it to transform back into a more sturdy True Body, trying to quickly regenerate.

But then it was once again forced into the awkward close combat as its big body was struggling against the agile human who did not let it create distance.

“Void Break!”

Finally, the Azure Eagle’s feathers glowed bright azure light, as it’s entire appearance distorted.

“Falcon Talon Piercing Strike!”

Wu Long’s eyes shined as the surroundings became discolored in a large sphere, and as the Azure Eagle disappeared from the spot distorting into a small black spot and appeared in another place, its chest was struck by a piercing strike of his spear.

*Screech!*

A high-pitched bird cry full of pain reverberated through the grassy plains through the storm raging in the skies.

“H…how?”

A voice full of disbelief and bewilderment reached Wu Long as the Azure Eagle looked at him with astonished silver eyes, its beak not opening to produce human speech, rather manipulating the air in front of it’s forehead with Spiritual Qi like the White Ring Revenant Pythons that Wu Long has met before.

“You were simply a poor match against me.

You are actually a lot faster than me, as expected of a Spiritual Beast Race which excels at speed even among peers in any Realm.

It is just that the wind was always hampering you while helping me, and with your wing span it mattered a lot.

At the same time your human form is not as fast which was why you transformed to flee the barrier in the first place.

My reserves of Spiritual Qi have just recently grown so much that it is not a big deal for me to match the strength of your Reinforced Qi with sheer volume of compressed and well-

structured Spiritual Qi, even though I did have to use quite a lot in this short span.

As for this last strike…”

Wu Long’s eyes were cold and emotionless, but he opened his mouth, raising his free of the spear left hand as a small whirlwind appeared within it, and the Azure Eagle saw this as him extending the least bit of mercy by explaining to this dying Spiritual Beast what happened so that it did not die in confusion.

“…You were honestly unlucky, if it were someone else, even if they knew the Innate Spatial Powers you Azure Eagles received from your ancestor, the Great Void Eagle, there would have likely be no way for them to use that against you.

Except that my Spear Domain is the embodiment of my Concept of Space and my Law of Piercing, albeit very limited at the moment, but enough so that at the moment you used your spatial ability I was able to redirect where you would jump.

As for the Falcon Talon Piercing Strike I used, it should be quite famous among your kind as it was made by a cultivator after an enlightenment he had while observing your rival Tribe, the Crimson Eye Sentry Falcons”

Wu Long calmly ended his explanation, as the Azure Eagle’s silver eyes trembled at the realization.

‘I see… this is no mere Mortal human… this is…’

*Puff!* *Crunch!*

The spear lodged deep into the chest of the Spiritual Beast was abruptly pulled out, prompting blood to gush out while a bare hand that previously held a small whirlwind tore into the bloody hole made by the spear, reaching deep within to find a still beating, but already fatally damaged heart.

“Wh-what are you doing?!”

“I explained to you the reason for your defeat, now I amcollecting the fee”

Wu Long’s words made the Azure Eagle numb from astonishment, as it felt its life starting to rapidly wilt away.

“M-my bloodline! You… you monster! Out of all things…!!!”

As the Spiritual Beast understood what the bloody crimson glow coming from within it through Wu Long’s arm was, it produced a shrieking voice of horror, fury and unwillingness along with opening its beak to make one last already feeble, but still shrill and high-pitched cry full of sorrow.

Its bloodline was the most precious thing to this Azure Eagle, a sign of its high and noble ancestry, its pride and glory.

Were it not for this obsession with its bloodline, it would not have been in this situation in the first place.

Now, it was taken away, stripped from it while it was still alive to witness it.

“I-… I thought you showed the noble mercy of a warrior!”

“Mercy? Why would I show it to someone like you?

I don’t mind showing mercy, although I don’t see much nobility in it. But I only do so to those who deserve it.

You, on the other hand, have no such qualification.

You are simply facing your day of reckoning”

Wu Long finished his words with a cold glint in his eyes as he methodically finished draining the last bit of this Azure Eagle’s bloodline power with the Blood Rune, looking as its silver eyes gradually lost their luster and then became gray and hollow, the lustrous azure and black feathers on its body drying up and withering along with its entire body, leaving only some silver feathers on the ends of its wings and talons intact.

The source of this cntent is fr(e)webnovel