Chapter 383: The Divine Descends

Fighting the Hundred-Winged Birds on the periphery, although it made them easy targets, if their comrades focused all their efforts on drawing the birds’ attention, it ensured they wouldn’t be attacked a second time even if injured. In other words, by working together as one, even those fighting on the edges had a relatively low chance of dying. Compared to fighting alone in chaos, their chances of survival increased by hundreds or even thousands of times.
With lives at stake and others watching, trying to move toward the center would likely result in being killed by their own comrades. Thus, those with minor injuries voluntarily stayed on the periphery, while further in, injuries grew more severe. In the very center, most were lying down, mostly in a coma.
“Not bad. I believe you know what to do without my orders!”
Lin Dong shouted loudly. After leaping aside to avoid the bird’s closing wings, he quickly stepped onto the bird’s basin-sized head.
The Golden Leaf Sword was thrust out abruptly, leaving a scratch on the base of the bird’s wing with a hissing sound.
The bird’s most rigid part was its wings, but the base of the wings was not included. The ninth-tier Golden Leaf Sword penetrated deep into the wound—six to seven centimeters—before Lin Dong’s spiritual energy was exhausted, causing the sword tip to stop moving forward.
Choo…
Blood sprayed out like a blood-red fountain as Lin Dong pulled back his Golden Leaf Sword.
The sudden intense pain made the bird flap its wings frantically. It no longer tried to drive Lin Dong away by simply contracting its wings as before but saw him as its greatest enemy.
With rapid flapping, the bird soared into the sky. A hundred meters up, just as Lin Dong was about to deliver his second strike, the bird suddenly flipped around.
As its body tilted, Lin Dong spread his legs and, as it descended, used his feet to clamp down on the bird’s head. Then, he flipped along with the bird.
Holding the bird’s head firmly, Lin Dong pushed with his right arm. The Golden Leaf Sword, accompanied by a streak of golden light, pierced the bird’s wing, from which blood was still flowing.
Choo…
The bird flipped back and raised its head. Its wings were fully spread, and its flapping became even more intense, instantly creating a powerful whirlwind as it rose rapidly.
The fierce wind howled like thunder. The protective barrier resisting the wind pressure continuously drained Lin Dong’s spiritual energy from his dantian.

200 meters, 300 meters, 400 meters…
Spirit energy kept flowing into his legs. Lin Dong firmly held onto the Hundred-Winged Bird’s head, ignoring how fast it accelerated or how fierce the winds were, staying tightly attached to both sides of its head.
The Golden Leaf Sword in his hand pierced through the hurricane toward the injured base of the bird’s wings. Blood gushed out under the force of the wind.
1,000 meters, 2,000 meters, 3,000 meters…
The air grew thinner. The Hundred-Winged Bird seemed tireless, soaring like a sharp sword into the sky.
Lin Dong’s expression showed not panic but joy.
With such speed and endurance, the Hundred-Winged Bird might not be as good as many eighth- or ninth-tier spirit birds. But as a mount capable of spreading branches across Lingnan Commandery, it certainly had the qualifications.
This trip hadn’t been in vain.
Both the man and the bird were fighting desperately to hold on.
Finally, the bird’s speed slowed down. Inside Lin Dong’s dantian, less than 30% of the spirit energy remained after resisting the violent wind pressure.
Its soaring momentum weakened rapidly. Soon, its left wing, stained red with blood, flapped more slowly. To maintain balance, its right wing also slowed down.
Lin Dong smiled in delight—now was the time to act!
Sure enough, the bird’s wings tightened significantly, its raised head slowly lowering. Its massive body tumbled downward.
Lin Dong’s focus sharpened.
He believed that as a seventh-tier spirit bird, it must possess some intelligence. Dying together with its enemy was highly unlikely.
In other words, the bird surely had reserves left. It would definitely stop itself when nearing the ground.
The biggest challenge for Lin Dong was whether he could keep holding onto the bird’s head. The next challenge was the shock when the bird stopped.
Regardless of whether the bird had reserves, falling from thousands of meters high meant that if he were alone, he would be crushed to pieces. At just 180 meters, even a strong person could land safely. But at thousands of meters, the falling speed was too fast, and the time too long. Unless he had the spirit energy of a peak-level warrior, his energy shield couldn’t withstand such intense strain.
With the bird by his side, Lin Dong wouldn’t have to worry about this. Most of the wind pressure from the rapid descent would be absorbed by the bird, allowing his spirit energy to sustain him until landing.
All he needed to do was use the bird’s body as a stepping stone at the moment of landing to stabilize his fall. With Lin Dong’s strength, this wasn’t a difficult task.

Next is the recoil when the Hundred-Winged Bird stops moving. If one can’t withstand being flung away, the height might not be fatal, but the Hundred-Winged Bird would be severely injured and surely choose to flee. One flies away, while the other has a high chance of being summoned away. By then, Lin Dong can only sigh helplessly. Below, the other Hundred-Winged Bird keeps flapping its wings, and people at the periphery of the crowd keep being flung backward. Yet, others quickly fill in those gaps. Those who are flung away are caught by their companions behind or to the sides, and their positions are arranged accordingly. Under the fierce attacks of the warriors at the periphery, the Hundred-Winged Bird’s attacks are repeatedly repelled. As more and more get severely injured, the bird’s body gradually develops wounds, and even its wings, comparable to spiritual weapons, start to bear sword and knife marks. They resist desperately, holding on through gritted teeth. In the center of the crowd, the severely injured raise their heads, staring anxiously at the sky. This is merely buying time. The vast sky is their only hope. Only if Lin Dong kills the other Hundred-Winged Bird can they possibly return to the city. “Look, they’re coming down!” “Bad news—that Hundred-Winged Bird is falling!” “It’s over. We’re doomed. They said it would take just fifteen minutes to kill one Hundred-Winged Bird, but now we’re all going to die. If we had known, we should have worked together to kill one first at any cost, so that at least a few hundred could survive. Now… it’s just buying time; everyone’s using their spiritual energy to stay alive. With so many severely injured now, even if they try to fight desperately, it’s probably too late.” The severely injured warriors still have some spiritual energy left. By focusing it in their eyes, they can clearly see Lin Dong and the Hundred-Winged Bird falling from the sky. Chaos reigns once again, and despair lingers in their hearts. One kilometer, nine hundred meters, eight hundred meters… The Golden Leaf Sword has been put back into the mobile counter. Lin Dong grits his teeth and endures, keeping his feet firmly planted on the bird’s head like two iron nails. Suddenly, at a hundred meters above the ground, the bird’s wings suddenly spread wide. Cracks sound repeatedly amidst the deafening wind. The rapidly spreading wings deform under the wind pressure. Buzz! The rapidly falling body suddenly stops. Lin Dong, whose feet were clamped on the bird’s head, releases them as he can’t withstand the recoil. Like a straw, Lin Dong is flung backward.

Without hesitation, his gaze sharpened slightly as most of the remaining spiritual energy in his body surged forth, instantly rushing toward the Hundred-Winged Bird. After stabilizing itself, the Hundred-Winged Bird was struggling to lift its severely deformed wings when an invisible force took control of its body, pulling it toward Lin Dong. Losing its balance, the already struggling bird had no chance to resist, and its massive body quickly flew to Lin Dong’s feet. Standing on the bird’s abdomen, the man and the bird plummeted toward the ground once again. At a height of over ten meters, Lin Dong released more spiritual energy, and Yu Wu Jing once again enveloped the Hundred-Winged Bird. Unlike before, this time it was used to control the bird upward, cushioning the impact of the rapid descent. Boom! With a thunderous noise, the Hundred-Winged Bird crashed onto the grass beside the road. Standing firmly on its abdomen, Lin Dong, dressed in black, resembled a black deity descended from the heavens. Buzz… A loud cheer erupted among the crowd. In less than fifteen minutes, he had fought alone against a seventh-tier spiritual bird in the daunting skies—a sight that deeply shocked everyone and restored their hope for survival. In the small forest a hundred meters away, cheers also rang out. “Huh…” The three of them, including Niu Hong, collapsed against the tree trunks as soon as they saw Lin Dong standing firmly on the bird’s abdomen, their bodies sliding down halfway. Though their hearts, which had been in their throats, had settled, the adrenaline still made them breathe heavily and their hearts pound like after a fierce battle. “So amazing!” Hua Wu Qian swallowed hard and said weakly, “If we were that strong, wouldn’t Lingnan City let us do as we please?” Watching Lin Dong, covered in black robes from afar, Niu Hong surprisingly didn’t indulge in fantasies like Hua Wu Qian. An unusual glow flickered in his dark eyes. Liang Ru took out golden healing medicine and bandages from the leather bag but hesitated. “Boss, should we go check if Brother Lin is hurt?” “No need. It’s better to avoid drawing attention. Brother Lin isn’t reckless; he wouldn’t act unless he’s sure.” Niu Hong stood up resolutely and decided, “Let’s do as Brother Lin said—immediately bypass the small forest and head back to the city.” Liang Ru and the others hesitated for a moment before nodding and standing up. Then, the three of them ran deeper into the forest. On the Hundred-Winged Bird, Lin Dong took out a Spirit Restoring Pill from the portable counter and swallowed it, waiting quietly for its effects to wear off.

The descendants and warriors of various major families, too injured to participate in defense, watched Lin Dong nervously, desperately hoping he would step in to stop the other Hundred-Winged Bird, yet none of them dared to speak up. The scene of Liang Mushan being destroyed and the Hundred-Winged Bird being defeated as it descended from the sky were deeply etched in their minds. Their awe of Lin Dong was so great that no one dared to speak. Even Hua Wuyue, who had a vague idea of Lin Dong’s identity, felt the same way.