Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 271 - 264 Also, Snake Cave Master Part 2

Chapter 271: Chapter 264 Also, Snake Cave Master Part 2

Huo Yinqi and the Luo surnamed man each carried one, while Lin Xin closely followed the two, swiftly heading toward the defensive line previously abandoned by the group.

When they left Demon God Temple, they hadn’t gone far down the mountain when the three of them, moving extremely fast, quickly caught up with the group, who were legging it at full speed.

Just as both parties met, before they even had the chance to speak, a whistling noise came from overhead.

A large flock of dark, oppressive birds swooped down from a distance, covering the sky and heading straight for the group.

The forest couldn’t stop the birds’ frenzied assault at all.

Amidst the clanging sound of drawn weapons, everyone started to frantically slash at the birds, but there were simply too many of them, even obscuring the line of sight.

"You all go first!" Huo Yinqi shouted loudly, clearly sensing that these birds were not ordinary creatures but possessed special abilities, fearless of death or injury, and immune to common spells for dispersal.

"But!"

"No buts, go! I have my own way to escape!"

"Then... Auntie Huo, please be extremely careful!"

"Red Guardian!?" Ma Jingxuan also called out.

"You go ahead and leave, I’ll be fine." Lin Xin, however, seemed much more composed, being a Guardian himself, his performance was far superior.

This reassurance made Ma Jingxuan calm as well, and she quickly left with the other two, Guo Zixuan.

The group was by now faintly divided into several parts, drifting further apart.

The Luo surnamed man was lying on the ground, hunched over among the Disciples, disguising himself as a common Sect Disciple, striving not to attract the attention of the flock of birds.

Huo Yinqi, on the other hand, was cut off alone and headed deep into the forest.

Lin Xin was also the same, his vision blocked by the largest group of birds. Surrounded by many people at the moment, he dared not use his Spiritual Energy for fear of being discovered by Huo Yinqi and the others.

He was just relieved to notice that the chubby girl, Ma Jingxuan, was unharmed. It seemed the birds were specifically targeting him and Huo Yinqi, not caring much for the others. With that in mind, he felt more at ease.

After all, he had promised someone to protect the chubby girl for a year. If he allowed her to come to harm so easily, would he not be breaking his initial promise?

The flock of birds separating the group suited him, as it allowed him to fully exert his strength.

After being carried away for several li, the flock of birds, seeing they could not injure him, finally began to disperse slowly.

Lin Xin gripped the Red Flower Sword, ready to act, but then he heard a delicate shout from behind.

"Be careful! It’s the Cave Master of Snake Cave!" Huo Yinqi’s voice came from afar, seemingly injured and somewhat disheveled.

Lin Xin was startled, immediately retracting the Spiritual Energy he had just stirred up, and simply used his strength to swing his arm, slaying the birds. However, this range of sweeping was ultimately more convenient with the use of Spiritual Energy. What a pity.......

With a swing of his sword, the sonic vibration, although without the amplification of Spiritual Energy, the Morning Chorus was still formidable. The vibrating sound waves at the Jade Resonance stage slowed down all the birds’ movements in an instant.

Ding!~~~~

The multitude of dark birds slowed down, and although they were birds amplified by Taoist Arts and Divine Skills, they were still affected to some extent.

A pathway was cleared among the multitude of birds, allowing Huo Yinqi, who was not far away, to come over.

The two converged quickly, back to back.

Huo Yinqi was clearly disheveled, wounds and blood all over her body, several areas showing signs of charred explosions.

"Monsters are hiding in the flock and ambushing us; we must find a place to hide! It’s easier to deal with them that way!" she said desperately as she swung her double stingers, knocking down black birds while urgently speaking.

"Find a wall or a cave where we only need to deal with one side," Lin Xin’s longsword moved almost too fast to see, with only the sound of rushing wind with each swing.

Within half a meter around him, black birds continuously fell and perished, their Essential Blood greedily absorbed by the Red Flower Sword.

The Red Flower Sword now seemed to have subtly turned into a demonic blade, this ability to draw blood no longer came from Yin Mantuo but had become an eerie ability inherent to the blade itself.

"What about the Luo surnamed guy?" Lin Xin asked offhandedly.

"He ran away!" Huo Yinqi was infuriated at the mention of him; if it weren’t for the necessity to conserve energy and endure, she would have already scolded him under normal circumstances.

Cowardly and fearful was one thing, but having the Array Plate that could defend against enemies and not using it in the face of danger, only caring for his own safety and escape, was quite another.

Lin Xin didn’t inquire further, having already seen what kind of person he was previously; this was just further confirmation.

The two fought and retreated, soon finding a steep rock face covered with vines and moss.

The space around them was tightly sealed by a dark cloud of birds, with only a sliver of light filtering through the gaps.

The number of slain birds on the ground kept increasing, almost piling up into a small mound unnoticed.

"Out of the way!"

Suddenly, a deep voice boomed from above.

Instantly, like an army dispersing, all the birds parted suddenly like dark clouds, revealing the sky above their heads.

Both looked up at the sky simultaneously, but instead of seeing the expected sun and clouds, they were faced with a swath of yellow-brown feathers filling their entire field of view.

In the midst of the forest, the two stood back against the rock wall, surrounded by circles of black bird clouds, with a giant yellow bird over twenty meters long hovering in the air in front of them!

The yellow bird flapped its enormous wings, looking down on them from on high. A pair of amber eyes clearly reflecting Huo Yinqi’s figure. Noticing her attire, it spoke softly.

"Wanhua Sect?"

"Wanhua Sect’s Huo Yinqi, has seen the Cave Master of Wuchen Mountain Snake Cave. My teacher Lin Xiaoyun often mentions your esteemed self." Huo Yinqi, disregarding the wounds and blood on her body and face, quickly and reverently bowed in salute to the other.

"Lin Xiaoyun... Hmm... I’ve heard this name before," ruminated the Cave Master of Snake Cave, "the Great Elder of the Wanhua Sect, indeed." He began sizing up Huo Yinqi, his gaze somewhat peculiar.

"Senior?" Huo Yinqi’s scalp tingled as she clasped her hands and asked, "It was an oversight on my part that caused harm to the two protectors, and I have already reported to the sect. Compensation will be brought shortly to make amends for the protectors’ injuries."

"It wasn’t you who killed them," the giant bird said, shaking its head slightly and turning its large eyes away from her to look at Lin Xin instead.

"You?"

Lin Xin frowned slightly.

"It was me, what do you want to say?"

"Nothing much to say," the bird nodded slightly.

Suddenly, a violent wind rose, and the giant bird moved a tremendous claw towards Lin Xin. Its yellow talon, like four sharp spikes, was entirely capable of crushing Lin Xin into a pulp.

Lin Xin was also ready to make a move, as the Red Flower Sword in his hands faintly glowed red.

"Senior!"

Suddenly, Huo Yinqi stepped forward several paces, standing in front of him, "Senior, it was an unintentional mistake!"

"Scram!"

A blast of wild wind swept her away, throwing her fiercely into the distance.

Huo Yinqi’s entire body was confined by Divine Skills and Taoist Arts, and she realized that the wild wind was no ordinary gust. It contained some unusual Divine Skill that not only immobilized her but also suppressed other Taoist Arts.

The disparity in realm was too great; she had no way to resist.

The huge claw continued to press down on Lin Xin hard, a twisting, suction force enveloping him, preventing any escape.

"Hmph!" Lin Xin snorted coldly, forcefully bursting forth with strength, leaping from the ground at an angle and flying out. Red Flower Sword leading the way, he broke through the wind barrier and headed into the distance upon landing.

"Think you can run? Can you really escape?" The Cave Master of Snake Cave scoffed coldly and beat his wings towards Lin Xin.

Lin Xin was planning to distance himself from Huo Yinqi first before he could fully exert his strength. After all, just practicing Body Cultivation was only part of his capabilities, he still had to add Red Flower Sword Path and Heart Eye Sword Path, all of which needed to be driven by the Return to Origin Spirit Energy at their core.

The Sword Technique he used earlier when killing the eagle-headed being was actually executed by mere physical strength. The Sword Technique didn’t even have a third of its original power, which made him feel annoyed that the opponent was too weak.

The Cave Master of Snake Cave flapped his large yellow wings from a distance towards Lin Xin.

Whoosh!!

A substantial yellow whirlwind charged at Lin Xin, with numerous tiny particles shimmering within, like grains of sand.

"Break!" Lin Xin pointed with his sword and suddenly deployed his movement technique. Riding the whirlwind’s force, he moved even faster toward the distance.

One man and one bird sped towards another clearing in the forest, arriving at the edge of a small lake in no time.

"This is the place!" A fierce glint flashed in Lin Xin’s eyes. He could tell that the other party did not want to harm Huo Yinqi and had been consistently trying to separate the two of them, sharing his own objective.

Now that they were here, with a common goal, they could finally fight without restraint.

As he landed on the ground and turned back, the Red Flower Sword in Lin Xin’s hand began to glow with a faint red luminescence. A slowly spreading scent of blood was about to emanate from him.

"Senior!!"

Suddenly, a loud call interrupted his gathering momentum, and the Spirit Energy he was just marshaling had to be dispersed.

Huo Yinqi, not knowing from where, ran out and landed half in the air, resolutely blocking in front of him.

"Senior! I will surely provide you with an explanation for this matter. After all, this junior brother acted only in defense to protect us. Please extend your magnanimity! I am willing to share the cost of the compensation!" Her face was covered in grimy dust, evidently having expended a great deal of effort and energy to keep up with the man and the bird.

The Cave Master of Snake Cave was also stunned, not expecting Huo Yinqi to catch up so quickly when he had already hastened the departure of his quarry. Even he didn’t want to kill her lightly, given her status as the direct disciple of the Great Elder of the Wanhua Sect, unless he no longer wished to stay in this vicinity.

The relationship between the Wuchen Mountain Snake Cave and the surrounding forces was extraordinarily delicate; none truly feared the other, but there was mutual wariness.

Though he wasn’t afraid of trouble, he would inevitably have to relocate because of this.

He was quite content at Wuchen Mountain and did not wish to move.

Now, seeing Huo Yinqi once again jumping in front of Lin Xin, he felt a headache coming on. If he acted, she was in the way and it would be difficult to proceed; if he didn’t, it would make him look weak in front of his brethren. They would say that despite his brother being killed, he didn’t dare lift a finger to retaliate, just allowing the assailant to walk away—this would tarnish his reputation on the road if word got out.

At this moment, seeing Huo Yinqi’s determination, he knew it would be difficult if he didn’t maneuver around her.

After a moment’s contemplation.

Suddenly, his eyes rolled, and he opened his mouth to spit out a yellow Treasure Bead.

As soon as the bead left his mouth, the winds howled wildly around, sweeping up everything in the vicinity that could be swept away.

Leaves, branches, stones, dirt, and bits of grass—even some of the thinner trees were uprooted.

The wild winds rapidly converged into a massive, black tornado overhead, spinning swiftly at the Cave Master of Snake Cave’s command.

With a fierce motion, he smashed the ferocious wind downward.

The black tornado, like a whip, lashed viciously toward the direction of Huo Yinqi and Lin Xin.

"Senior!!!" Huo Yinqi’s call was immediately drowned in the roar of the gale.

She steadied herself, eyes tightly shut against the wind, yet was helplessly flung far off by the gust.

Seizing the opportunity, the Cave Master of Snake Cave and Lin Xin hurriedly swept toward another area...(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your votes for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)