Chapter 160: Pursuit of the Winged Serpent
Shayleaf and Tongsheng were startled when the luminous branches appeared before them, intercepting the corrosive tide of dark magic. For a heartbeat, they both froze—then Shayleaf's expression softened with sudden relief as she recognized the origin of the technique.
"Brother Elly! He's finally awakened…" she whispered, joy flickering across her tired features.
Her joy was short-lived. The battlefield was already shifting again.
The Lion Demonic Beast tore its way out of the remnants of the priest's destructive spell. His mane burned like molten gold as an aura far beyond an ordinary Golden Lord erupted from his massive frame, faintly brushing upon the Mortal Shedding Realm.
"ROOOOOAAAARR!!! You dare!!"
The lion's fury rippled outward, shaking the battlefield. With reckless momentum, it ignored Shayleaf entirely and hurled itself toward the priests and their leader, crushing remnants of trees and plant summons beneath its golden flame. The surviving demonic beasts howled and surged with it, tearing into the last fighters of the other factions in a bloody frenzy.
Shayleaf seized the moment of distraction. She sprinted toward Elton, her eyes shimmering with relief. Tongsheng, pale and exhausted, quickly followed.
"Gege! It's about time… you scared me for a bit there," Christy said breathlessly, equal parts joy and fatigue weighing on her tone.
"Brother Elly!" Shayleaf nearly leapt to his side, her words spilling out. "Your aura… it feels different. Almost like a strange kind of elf, but not quite. How interesting!"
"Master, you're awake." Tongsheng's smile was tired but genuine.
Elton gave them a wry chuckle. "You three look like you've had fun without me. But for now—let's leave this mess behind. The villagers have already hidden. And as for those scavengers—" His eyes slid to the grey-skinned woman and her armored companion, who were staggering to regroup. "—there's one more thing to settle first."
The Blue Star Heavenly Destroyer expanded into the air, glowing with starlight. Elton motioned for the three women to step onto the blade and brace themselves. At the same time, he nodded at Tongsheng.
"String it."
"Yes, master." Tongsheng notched a special arrow, its shaft glowing faintly with green-gold runes of nature.
In a flash, Elton guided the blade skyward. Tongsheng released.
Fwwooosh!
The arrow descended like a comet upon the unsuspecting pair. The grey-skinned woman raised her claws at the last second, but the impact ripped through her defenses. The explosion flung her into the earth, leaving a crater that swallowed her struggling figure.
"Grahaallling!!" the armored man cried, barely surviving the shockwave as he staggered back, battered and bloodied.
Elton didn't linger. With one sharp whistle, the Blue Star Heavenly Destroyer carried them off into the skies.
A thunderous roar split the heavens.
The Winged Serpent, grievously wounded yet unbowed, burst upward from the battlefield. Its wings tore through smog as its voice bellowed:
"Grrraaaahhhh!! You insects! You dare scar me—I will devour you all!!"
Blackened winds surged as it shot after Elton's group, faster than any Golden Lord should be. Its aura surged with killing intent, nearly scraping the Mortal Shedding threshold.
"Damnit," Elton muttered, feeling the oppressive aura drawing close. "Persistent snake."
The chase ignited instantly.
Wind bombs half the size of houses detonated around them. Bladed gusts cut the air into ribbons. From the serpent's maw, condensed beams of destructive energy seared across the horizon.
"Gege, left!" Christy shouted sharply. Her Aka Boshi no Tengan flared open, her eyes glimmering with crimson starlight. Through its sight, she mapped every gap in the storm of death. She reached forward, clutching Elton's arm. "Two more degrees down—now cut right!"
Elton steered the sword accordingly, gliding through impossibly narrow spaces as explosions swallowed the skies behind them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each evasion left the others breathless. Without Christy's foresight, the serpent's relentless barrage would have been much more difficult and dangerous to navigate.
Meanwhile, Shayleaf worked furiously, her spiritual voice a rapid incantation nearly fifty times faster than normal speech. Threads of nature magic laced with vampiric runes poured from her palms: barriers of green-gold, guiding gusts to lighten their flight, bursts of leaf storms and branch-spears hurled backward to harry their pursuer.
Tongsheng's bow twanged repeatedly. Every few moments, she unleashed another arrow, glowing brighter than the last, piercing the serpent's defenses. Some were deflected by hastily erected wind barriers. Others barely cutting into it's scales, drawing gouts of black blood.
The serpent roared, each wound only increasing its wrath.
The pursuit was not isolated. The serpent's attacks cascaded downward, scarring the land below. Villages fled in panic as titanic explosions leveled forests and shattered hills.
At one point, a stray beam of condensed wind and energy crashed into a nearby city.
BOOOOOOM!
The detonation painted the horizon in violet and red fire. Buildings crumbled, screams echoed—but before the city suffered significant damage, a vast protective barrier erupted from its heart, absorbing the flames.
Seven powerful auras flared within the city—Golden Lords. Ten more rose in tandem—Gold Tier 4s.
"Foul beast! You dare!"
From the city burst a massive demon warrior, eight feet tall, with four muscular arms and obsidian skin. His fury blazed as he leapt onto a topless magical aircraft, summoning it to life. Behind him, five other elites—two Golden Lords, three Gold Tier 4s—mounted their own craft in hot pursuit.
The chase spiraled into chaos. Elton and his group sliced through the skies, barely staying ahead of the serpent's relentless wrath. Christy's eyes blazed, Shayleaf's magic poured endlessly, Tongsheng's arrows sang like comets, and Elton's control of the sword wove all of it into survival.
Behind them, the Winged Serpent screamed vengeance. Around them, collateral destruction drew in new factions, new dangers, new hunters.
The Whispering Expanse trembled with the clash of titans.