Chapter 9: Hunting (Part 2)

Hai Miluo sighed in relief. He really didn’t want to fight a level-18 mutated talisman beast, especially one that could fly and possessed lightning instincts. This creature was even more troublesome than level-20 mutated talisman beasts that moved on land.

Guo Shier said, “Let’s back off a bit.” He led Eagle Demon, Luo Zhan, and Juehu Miluo to retreat together. With his strength, he could engage in a fight with the level-18 mutated Thunder Eagle, but Eagle Demon and the others couldn’t. It was almost impossible for them to block the Thunder Eagle’s attacks, so they needed to stay farther away for safety.

Li Ran teleported near the Thunder Eagle. He actually had no experience hunting level-18 mutated talisman beasts. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to kill them, but he had never encountered such high-level mutated beasts before, so he was very cautious.

Li Ran set up an altar and sat on top of it. He also brought out his sacrificial treasure—a three-layer circular canopy-shaped artifact. Countless runes hung down from its decorations, instantly covering the entire altar. With the decorations fluttering and the runes swirling, it looked incredibly dazzling from a distance.

The Thunder Eagle spotted Li Ran and immediately let out an angry cry.

Chirp!

A bolt of lightning shot out of its mouth, turning into a silver lightning bolt as thick as a bucket the moment it left its beak, striking Li Ran fiercely.

From afar, Guo Shier saw a blinding light heading toward Li Ran and shouted, “Damn it, dodge quickly…”

Sparkles flew everywhere as silver arcs instantly surrounded Li Ran’s altar. The speed of this thunderbolt was so fast that Li Ran couldn’t dodge it either; he could only use the altar to block it.

Li Ran was shocked inside. “So fast!” he thought. Then he calmed down. His canopy sacrificial treasure was strong enough to withstand this lightning bolt. After all, it was an artifact beyond the ninth-tier altars, so dealing with such an attack was no problem.

As the decorations continued to flutter, Li Ran kept teleporting to avoid the Thunder Eagle’s attacks. He wanted to figure out just how powerful the Thunder Eagle really was. He also conjured some talisman spears and threw them to test the Thunder Eagle’s defense capabilities.

Gradually, Li Ran became more confident. A level-18 mutated talisman beast couldn’t pose a threat to him at all. At first, he had been too cautious, as it was his first time hunting such a high-level mutated beast.

Hai Miluo was guarding on the other side, with Feng Miluo by his side. The two watched intently as Li Ran fought against the Thunder Eagle. After a while, Hai Miluo sighed, “The senior is just probing. I can barely handle this Thunder Eagle, but it’s very difficult to kill it… It’s too strong.”

Feng Miluo said, “With the senior’s strength, killing this Thunder Eagle shouldn’t be difficult.”

Hai Miluo nodded and said, “Yes, the Great Thunder Eagle probably still doesn’t realize how formidable our senior is. Beasts are just beasts; it can’t possibly understand how powerful a professional who surpasses the ninth-tier altar is.”
The ancient ancestors watching the battle from afar were all terrified. Li Ran hadn’t even really started fighting yet, but he had already turned the situation upside down. Whenever his thunderbolts missed, huge craters formed on the ground, with countless clouds of dust rising before being scattered by the strong winds stirred up by the Great Thunder Eagle’s wings.
The sharp cries of the eagle echoed through the sky, while Li Ran continued to move back and forth calmly. Guo Shier gradually understood Li Ran’s strategy—he wanted to wear down the Great Thunder Eagle’s fighting spirit. Once it grew exhausted, it would be Li Ran’s turn to act.
Guo Shier looked at Li Ran with envy and said, “This Great Thunder Eagle… even its feathers are treasures. An 18th-level mutated talisman beast…”
The handsome old man stared intently at the Great Thunder Eagle and whispered, “Shier, given your relationship with Li Ran, getting a little of the Great Thunder Eagle’s blood… shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Guo Shier shook his head. “It’s impossible. Even Brother Li Ran would treat such a high-level mutated talisman beast as a treasure.”
The handsome old man didn’t give up. “Just a little? I don’t think he’s that generous…” He kept twisting his fingers, looking eager.
Guo Shier said, “Try it when no one’s around. It’s not appropriate to ask in front of so many people.” He knew well that if he succeeded in getting it, the other ancient ancestors would also be tempted to ask, which would put Li Ran in a difficult position.
The handsome old man smiled. “Hmm, I’ll wait for you to ask. Hehe, the blood of an 18th-level mutated talisman beast…” As for asking for a soul beast or something similar, he hadn’t even considered it—something impossible, he wouldn’t even think about.
Li Ran had already started counterattacking, firing arrow-like talisman spears one after another. With his strength, these talisman spears were even more powerful than sacrificial treasures, forcing the Great Thunder Eagle to tumble in the air, its agonized cries shaking hearts.
As the battle intensified, pieces of flesh flew off the Great Thunder Eagle’s body. It was clear that Li Ran was enjoying himself and wasn’t in a hurry to kill it. He needed to gain some combat experience, as high-level mutated talisman beasts weren’t easy to find.
The flesh that flew into the air was caught by the hanging chains. Countless virtual talismans fluttered along with them, quickly wrapping up the fallen flesh and bringing it back to the altar—nothing was wasted at all.

Some of the ancient ancestors originally wanted to take advantage of the situation, but seeing how thorough Li Ran was, they all gave up and moved back a distance on the altar. Everyone knew that if the Thunder Eagle managed to escape and headed in their direction, it would cause huge trouble.

After a while, Li Ran stopped pursuing it. A giant, illusory palm appeared and instantly solidified into a tangible palm, glowing with golden light. It descended violently and struck the base of the Thunder Eagle’s wings. With a loud explosion and the Eagle’s agonized cries, the blow knocked it to the ground.

Guo Shier didn’t hesitate to pull back his neck—the sight of that slap made his scalp tingle.

The Thunder Eagle crashed heavily to the ground, half of its body buried in the soil. It struggled and cried out, trying to get up and fly again. But Li Ran didn’t give it another chance. With a wave of his hand, a square-shaped object was thrown down. It was a sacrificial artifact, a seal-like object that could only be crafted by those who had left Earth.

Layers of electric grids surged around the Thunder Eagle as it rose upward. In just an instant, seven or eight layers of grids, flashing with dazzling arcs, enveloped it. The seal-like sacrificial artifact emitted thunderous noises as it crashed into the first layer of grids.

They shattered on contact, with the grids turning into countless arcs that shot in all directions.

The ancient ancestors watching the scene hurriedly teleported away. A few were unlucky enough to be struck by an arc, causing them to tremble violently on the altar. The seal-like sacrificial artifact continued to press down, causing layer after layer of grids to collapse, but the Thunder Eagle gained a little more time to recover.

The Thunder Eagle struggled to pull its head out of the mud. Turning its head, it saw the falling seal-like sacrificial artifact. Frightened, it let out a shrill cry and spat out a ball of lightning. A blindingly bright ball of lightning rushed toward the artifact. The Thunder Eagle crawled forward desperately, using its powerful thighs to push itself forward, but its massive size meant it couldn’t dodge in time.

That ball of lightning was the Thunder Eagle’s last resort, containing immense spiritual power, and it struck the seal-like sacrificial artifact with force.

A violent gust of wind spread rapidly, followed by an earth-shattering explosion. The ancient ancestors in the distance, including those on the fifth-tier altars, lost control of their minds and fell from the sky. Seeing the situation worsen, Guo Shier first released the tentacles of Gu Xi Bi to hold back the altars of Eagle Demon, Luo Zhan, and Juehu Miluo. Then, with a gesture, he unleashed the Umbrella Tower Sacrificial Artifact.

That violent gust of wind swept outward in a circle. Even while on the altar and protected by the Umbrella Tower Sacrificial Treasure, Guo Shier felt the intense force of the impact. The bolt of lightning forced the Seal Sacrificial Treasure to veer slightly aside. Li Ran praised, “Good! That’s more like it… Hehe, go again! Smash!” The Seal Sacrificial Treasure spun rapidly before suddenly disappearing from its spot. Immediately afterward, a howling sound arose as it transformed into a small mountain and crashed down from the sky. The Thunder Eagle let out a terrified screech; it suddenly flipped over, revealing its silver belly. Its two eagle legs kicked violently into the air, its massive claws flashing with countless dazzling arcs of electricity. Bang! Bang! With two loud explosions, the Seal Sacrificial Treasure was sent flying back into the air. Li Ran exclaimed in admiration, “What a beast! So smart! Smash!” He didn’t use any other tactics—just one word: smash! He intended to kill the Thunder Eagle with the force of the Seal Sacrificial Treasure. The ancient ancestors were utterly awestruck, secretly marveling at how terrifying this man was. After all, it was an 18th-level mutated talisman beast, a flying variant with innate lightning abilities, unmatched among beasts of the same level—yet it was completely helpless against Li Ran. Eagle Demon asked softly, “Shier, do you think… it’s him who’s stronger, or Sister Zhen?” Guo Shier thought carefully before saying, “I feel like Sister Zhen might be a bit stronger.” Luo Zhan nodded, “Mm, that Fire Sacrifice move… I don’t know who could withstand it… That’s what truly makes a master.” Juehu Miluo asked in confusion, “Sister Zhen? Who is Sister Zhen? What’s Fire Sacrifice?” He didn’t understand what Guo Shier and the others were talking about. Eagle Demon smiled and said, “She’s also a master, just like Senior Li Ran.” Juehu Miluo’s mouth dropped open in shock. Just Li Ran was already so astonishing; who would have thought there was another professional like him? From their discussions, it seemed that Sister Zhen was even stronger than Li Ran? How could that be possible! Li Ran kept smashing with the Seal Sacrificial Treasure, causing the Thunder Eagle to let out earth-shaking cries. It tried several times to stand up, but was knocked over by the Seal Sacrificial Treasure, which had become like a small mountain. Guo Shier noticed that Li Ran had perfect control over the rhythm of the battle, moving steadily from one move to the next. Soon, the Thunder Eagle was barely alive, its cries growing weaker.

Li Ran waved his hand, and the seal sacrificial treasure flew up, transforming into a stream of light that landed in his hand. He slapped the top of the altar, and the pendants on the canopy above immediately hung down, reaching toward the struggling Great Thunder Eagle and drawing out its soul. The best time to extract the spirit of a mutated talisman beast was just before it died, as its soul’s quality would decline rapidly over time. True masters always knew exactly when to extract a soul.

The handsome old man praised, “This is a great opportunity!”

Li Ran had countless ways to extract souls. This time, he used the pendants, which was the most complicated yet most reliable method, allowing him to preserve the Great Thunder Eagle’s spirit intact. As its spirit separated from its body, the eagle lost its strength, and its cries gradually faded.

Countless spells were cast, raining down on the spirit like a storm. As the runes flashed, the spirit was rapidly compressed. Li Ran shouted, “Come out!”

The Great Thunder Eagle’s spirit let out a silent cry and suddenly broke free from its body. Its beak opened as it soared into the sky. Every elder present seemed to hear the eagle’s cry.

Li Ran shouted again, “Condense!”

Thousands more spells were cast, and the spirit was gradually compressed into a spirit pearl. This spirit pearl was unique, with countless tiny arcs of electricity dancing across its surface. It was about the size of an adult’s fist. With a flash of electricity, the spirit pearl fell into Li Ran’s hand, and he couldn’t hide his joy.

Li Ran folded up the altar and said with a smile, “I’m sorry for causing everyone trouble. From this Great Thunder Eagle’s body, I’ll only take some blood, its claws, and beak. I’ll also take its heart. The rest… you can share it.”

The elders were overjoyed and burst into excitement. Hai Miluo shouted, “Stop chaos! Thank the elder!”

Suddenly, Li Ran looked into the distance and said, “Someone is coming! Be vigilant!”