Chapter 118: Highs and Lows (Please vote, please add to your library!)

Deep beneath the earth, Yang Fan’s heart pounded wildly, waves of unease surging through him.

He could sense the scene unfolding above ground at this very moment.

It was definitely not a good one. The recent tremors on the surface carried the unmistakable aura of a powerful being.

At this moment, Yang Fan felt utterly helpless.

All he could do was pray that the Azure Sky Eagle wouldn’t discover him.

Beyond that, there was nothing else he could do.

......

In the Kunpeng Tribe, Li Xianyi and Hu Dao sat in the courtyard.

Yang Fan had been taken away from the tribe that morning, while they remained behind under Kunsha’s orders.

Hu Dao, the one-armed man, took a sip of tea and said to Li Xianyi, “Do you think Earth will let the people from the Kunlun Secret Realm leave?”

Li Xianyi looked up at the sky and replied, “I don’t know.”

Hu Dao continued, “I’m feeling conflicted.”

Li Xianyi glanced at him and said, “Conflicted about what? You’re not the one making decisions!”

Hu Dao gave an awkward smile. “I know that. Don’t tease me. I’m not capable of making decisions. What’s troubling me is this: if Earth really lets the Kunlun Secret Realm’s people out, what if they harbor ill intentions and break the agreement? Earth would be attacked from both sides. But if Earth refuses to let them out, that means losing an ally—and people like us might never get out either.”

Li Xianyi frowned deeply.

Indeed, the path for the Kunlun Secret Realm’s people had only two options: go out or stay in. There was no third way.

Based on his understanding of Earth’s rulers, given the current situation with the Dark Realm’s invasion looming, the rear must not harbor any uncertainties.

The likelihood of Earth rejecting the Kunlun Secret Realm was greater.

If that happened, people like them might truly never leave.

With that thought, Li Xianyi relaxed his brow and said to Hu Dao, “Stop overthinking. It’s useless. We don’t even know if Yang Fan has made it out yet; it’s been most of the day.”

Hu Dao nodded. “Yeah, no point worrying. Besides, the Kunsha Tribe leader sent two eighth-rank elders to escort him. Nothing should happen. It’s just a matter of speed.”

Li Xianyi also nodded. With two eighth-rank elders escorting him, what could possibly go wrong? Yang Fan was probably already close to returning to Earth.

...

Little did Li Xianyi know, at this very moment, Yang Fan was trembling with fear, staring at the cracked earth above his head.

He had been praying underground, but suddenly felt an immense force rolling overhead; sunlight poured down onto him.

Before he could react, a great power flipped him over.

Looking up, he saw a massive eagle, at least forty meters tall, staring down at him!

Yang Fan’s scalp tingled as he faced the sovereign of the Azure Sky. Damn it, he really had been found.

Damn it all, prayers were useless—it was all lies.

Tears welled up in Yang Fan’s eyes. He had no idea what he could do now.

Fight? Ha! The elders of eighth rank under this Azure Sky Plain sovereign had survived a self-destruct attack. He didn’t even have the right to try.

Run? Don’t even think about it. With his speed, where could he possibly escape to?

Beg for mercy?

Thinking that might be worth a try, Yang Fan recalled what Kun Lie had said to the Azure Sky Eagle earlier and nervously asked, “Honorable Sovereign of the Azure Sky, may I ask why you have captured me?”

The Azure Sky Eagle looked puzzled.

The aura of this tiny being was absurdly weak.

Could this little one have killed the eighth-rank tribesmen under its command?

The Azure Sky sovereign was very doubtful.

Yang Fan met the eagle’s questioning gaze and, summoning courage, said, “You came because someone in the forest was ambushed and killed, right?”

The eagle nodded, looking down at Yang Fan.

It was certain this little one couldn’t have killed its tribesmen, but whether he knew who did—that remained to be seen.

Yang Fan’s heart burned with anxiety.

The mighty beast had nodded; it wanted to know who had killed the Azure Sky tribesmen in the forest.

But he had no clue! He hadn’t arrived much earlier than the others—who could say who had taken down that beast?

The Azure Sky Eagle waited a moment longer but saw no reaction from Yang Fan. Growing annoyed, it still desperately wanted to know who dared challenge the Azure Sky Tribe and ignore its sovereign.

With a shift in its aura, Yang Fan was pinned to the ground, unable to move!

The eagle had no intention of killing this little one.

He was too weak; killing him or not made no difference.

But it needed to know who was challenging the Azure Sky Tribe!

Lying on the ground, Yang Fan felt as if his internal organs were about to shatter. The bandage on his shoulder tore again, blood flowing uncontrollably.

Under the eagle’s oppressive aura, he couldn’t even control his blood flow or regulate his energy.

The pressure on his body grew heavier, and soon he felt he might be crushed beneath it.

Then, steeling himself, Yang Fan shouted with all his might, “West! That person went west!”

The moment the words left his mouth, the oppressive pressure above vanished.

Looking up again—

The majestic Azure Sky Eagle’s massive form was gone.

Slowly rising, Yang Fan wiped the sweat from his brow and hurried to control his energy, staunching the bleeding from his shoulder.

Before he could even begin to rejoice at having survived, he suddenly felt as though he were flying.

Glancing around—

He really was flying!

Looking more closely—

He was grasped by a gigantic claw, soaring through the sky!

Seeing this clearly, Yang Fan felt like the unluckiest star had descended upon him.

Hadn’t the eagle left?

So why was it back?

Indeed, the one holding him aloft was that very tenth-rank Azure Sky Eagle.

It had turned back and captured him again!

The eagle’s eyes gleamed with cunning as it soared across the horizon.

Initially, it had left, but upon taking flight, it sensed something was amiss. It still did not know who had killed its tribesmen.

Though it could have steamrolled its way through, it had already slain enough on the Azure Sky Plain recently; further slaughter might attract powerful humans.

It only wanted revenge.

So the sovereign of the Azure Sky bent down, seized Yang Fan, and flew westward!

In the sky, Yang Fan felt the weight of the heavens pressing down upon him.

The wind cut at his face like blades.

On the verge of fainting, he activated the Heavenly Dominion.

His skin turned golden, barely resisting the savage wind’s assault.

The soaring Azure Sky Eagle sensed a change in the tiny being grasped in its claws, but paid it no mind.

With its strength, whatever changes Yang Fan underwent were insignificant.

Stabilizing himself, Yang Fan thought to himself that today had been a rollercoaster of emotions—truly exhilarating.

To think he was still being flown through the sky by a tenth-rank beast—it felt utterly surreal.