Chapter Ten: Liu Ruyan of the Pagoda Sect

At that time, Young Master Brocade was newly gathered in the Core Formation realm, showing signs of rare talent. During his travels, he happened to meet Little Seven. Thus, he led four elders from his family into the grand formation of Sword Mountain Sect, ascending straight to the Sacred Peak!

Back then, the heads of the Eight Peaks had only attained minor achievement in cultivation, none were a match for him and dared not step forward. When Young Master Brocade reached the main peak, the Holy Overlord, due to me, was in a foul mood. With a single slap—in full view of the four elders—he sent Brocade sprawling at his feet!

The four elders who accompanied him dared not make a move, though all were formidable experts in the God-Breaking stage. I secretly transmitted a message: "If you wish for a quick death, act now." They shifted their stances, attempting to form the strongest combined formation, but the Holy Overlord, with only a cough, injured them all!

The surroundings fell silent as Wuyun’s voice grew louder, as if fearing the clouds above might miss his tale.

Just as the Holy Overlord seemed intent on staring Young Master Brocade to death, I intervened: "Children quarrel, love and hate. You, young man, raising your hand is against the rules!"

Young Master Brocade still tried to stand his ground, declaring he would marry none but Junior Sister Little Seven. He summoned his treasured artifact, which was shattered by a glare, leaving him terrified and fleeing in disgrace. I told him, "Do not forsake the forest for a single blade of grass." After I exposed a few of Little Seven’s embarrassing moments, that fellow pleaded with me for help, believing there was a hidden master in the clouds.

Later, after I berated the Holy Overlord, Brocade departed, carried away by the injured four elders. Had those four elders perished, Brocade would never have achieved his present status. But fate had him encounter me.

"Bah! You’re just afraid Junior Sister Little Seven would be whisked away, and you couldn’t fulfill your promise!" Yue Luohua interjected, only to be slapped by Little Seven, prompting him to hide obediently.

This man, who feared not even the Holy Overlord, was actually afraid of his wife!

"Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!"

From the clouds above came the sound of applause. Upon closer inspection, it was a female cultivator clad in warrior’s garb, adorned with treasures from head to toe, her face veiled in black. As soon as she appeared, both Yue Luohua and Little Seven were struck with shock!

"The Tower Sect!"

These two, unafraid even in the face of death, now showed a hint of terror before this woman. Those nearby, confused, seeing their ancestors so wary, also began to panic and hide.

"When did the Holy Overlord provoke such a troublesome woman?"

Before Wuyun could sigh, Copper Furnace announced the arrival of the Tower Sect: "When the Tower Sect appears, all other sects are mere dogs. They not only slaughter cultivators, but also capture their families to sacrifice to demonic beasts! For thousands of years, everyone believed this sect extinct, yet they still exist!"

"This sect is beyond the mundane world, and the Tower Sect possesses a guardian beast. Where is their beast?" Copper Furnace muttered, scanning the sky, but with his Core Formation stage, he could not discern its mysteries.

"You, quite impressive!" The woman in the sky spoke, "I am Liu Ruoyan, the forty-third generation leader of the Tower Sect. What the Holy Overlord did to my sect will finally be repaid! Your story is interesting. I’ll spare your life—imprison you in the monster cave to have your flesh fed to beasts. Not bad! Ha! The Holy Overlord actually used our sacred relic to forge your worthless body!"

Liu Ruoyan’s anger grew as she spoke. The surrounding clouds thickened, and upon closer look, the dark clouds expanded into a giant eagle, stretching ten thousand meters long!

A true ancestral Flood Eagle—serpent head, eagle body!

Such a beast must be at least a kilometer long to assume human form, and at ten thousand meters, its cultivation equaled the pinnacle of God-Breaking stage. When the Flood Eagle appeared, a single sweep of its wings stirred up billowing smoke and sand, forming a sandstorm that encircled the protective formation!

"What grudge do you bear against the Holy Overlord? You should know, he never spares anyone with hostile intent, regardless of age or gender," Wuyun probed.

The question seemed to stir Liu Ruoyan’s memories, igniting her fury: "For the sacred bone my clan worshipped, he slaughtered my entire sect! At the time, I was young and powerless, forced to watch!"

"Stop! That’s not right. The Holy Overlord rarely kills the defenseless. He must have spared you because you posed no threat," Wuyun finished speaking, and the sky darkened again. The Flood Eagle launched feathered blades, aligned like swords, attacking a point on the formation.

Within half the time it takes to burn an incense stick, fragments of talismans used to construct the formation began to fall—a sign that the formation was weakening.

At last, just as the formation was about to collapse, several new items flew out, additions Yue Luohua had placed at Wuyun’s instruction.

The internal and external formations mingled, shrouding the array in mist and creating a unique environment with the sandstorm outside, mitigating much of the assault. Once activated, the Flood Eagle could no longer attack the same spot to break the formation!

Liu Ruoyan waved her hand, dispersing the sandstorm. The Flood Eagle ceased flapping its wings, instead turning its massive head toward the formation, preparing a devastating attack!

"I need to go out and have a word with that dumb bird!"

Wuyun spoke, clouds forming under his feet, and with Core Condensation stage power, he soared skyward, circumvented the formation, and stood at the edge of the invisible array, staring intently.

"Hahaha!" Liu Ruoyan laughed wildly. "In the next moment, you and all of Black Forest Town will cease to exist!"

"You may not have the final say," Wuyun replied fearlessly, facing the descending Flood Eagle, and intoned, "In the beginning, beasts were inherently wicked; humans, at their origin, reveal their true nature…"

Just as the Flood Eagle was about to unleash its inner core’s energy, it suddenly deflated like a punctured ball. In an instant, it became docile, reverting to its serpent-headed eagle form, landing on Wuyun’s shoulder.

It glanced left and right, then pecked at Wuyun’s face, examining the bleeding flesh to see what was hidden inside.

"Damn it, back when your father failed his tribulation, who became a cloud to teach you the thirty-six forms of transformation?"

"If not for that interference of inner energy, I would have taught you the last six forms! Blame yourself, foolishly refusing to fly after me, unwilling to leave your father’s corpse behind. Loyalty and filial piety have never coexisted!"

Growing agitated, Wuyun knocked the Flood Eagle’s head, asking, "How did you get involved with such a mad woman?"

"What, she feeds you every day, treats you well, helps groom your feathers, and casts spells to bathe you?"

Wuyun was stunned, as were Yue Luohua and Little Seven below. Liu Ruoyan was even more astonished—she herself could not communicate with this ancient beast, yet this Core Condensation youth could!

After repeated calls, the Flood Eagle ignored her completely. It seemed that a master was always a master, and a servant always a servant—if cared for well, served well, it was simply as it should be.

From within two other dark clouds, raucous laughter finally erupted. Then, a flash of light struck—an attack aimed at Wuyun, intercepted by the Flood Eagle, which enlarged itself to catch the weapon. The sharp implement burst free from the eagle's beak and transformed into a person—a square-faced elder.

With white hair and spirited eyes, leaning on a staff, the elder had just fused man and staff in his attack, but was blocked. He was not angered, his whole body exuding the toughness of steel, proudly declaring, "Back then, the Holy Overlord severed my leg. The taste of that leg, I sense it in you. Either the skull or the rib—I must reclaim it. Otherwise, I’ll remain a cripple forever!"

Wuyun looked closely—he was indeed a lame old man!

"What I have, you cannot use even if you take it," Wuyun replied modestly, patting the Flood Eagle.

The crippled elder sneered, "This Flood Eagle appears large, but a single formation could trap it. Up in these clouds lurks one who devours people without a blink, who could take your life in a single breath!"

Wuyun pointed to the almost invisible wire silently approaching, shaking his head: "He’s already trying to take my life!"