Chapter Seventy-Four: The Fierce Battle with the White Gale Demon Bird

He had seen this giant bird before; it was a White Wind Demon Bird. However, the one he encountered in the past was far larger than this, a formidable beast at the peak of the seventh rank. The bird before him was clearly weaker—its rank uncertain, but certainly not above the fifth. It had yet to attain the power of speech, though its eyes already gleamed with unmistakably human emotions.

Even so, with Chu Han’s current strength, facing this White Wind Demon Bird was an arduous challenge. But for the sake of survival, he had no choice but to fight with everything he had.

At that moment, the White Wind Demon Bird moved. Its enormous wings beat the air, instantly whipping up a wild storm. Trees around them groaned, their trunks splintering under the force of the wind.

Night Listening Rain could do nothing but lower her head, pressing herself to the ground to dodge the bird’s attack, while Chu Han stood right at the center of the roaring tempest.

The furious gale tore at his body, shredding his clothes to ribbons and carving bloody welts across his flesh—his first physical injuries since achieving the Infernal Gold Body.

Gritting his teeth, Chu Han braced himself against the onslaught, gathering lightning in his right fist. He shouted, “Qilin!”

Immediately, thunderclouds boiled overhead, and lightning twisted into the shape of a colossal qilin, which charged at the White Wind Demon Bird with blinding speed, appearing before it in the blink of an eye.

The bird managed to dodge with a sweep of its mighty wings, but the qilin wheeled around, striking again. This time, lightning wrapped around the bird’s body; its feathers began to smolder, filling the air with the acrid scent of burning.

Even so, the creature did not fall from the sky. The distance had sapped much of Chu Han’s attack power—what once gravely wounded the Northern Bear now inflicted only limited harm on the White Wind Demon Bird.

The bird, meanwhile, was slowed by the paralyzing effect of the lightning. It flapped its wings heavily, struggling to remain aloft.

Chu Han clenched his teeth. To truly injure the bird, he needed to close the distance—but he could not fly, and approaching it was easier said than done.

Just then, the White Wind Demon Bird let out a piercing cry. A massive tornado whirled into existence, barreling toward Chu Han. He gasped in alarm and hastily summoned what lightning he could to strike at the tornado, hoping to slow its advance.

But after summoning the great qilin, his internal energy was nearly depleted. He had little left to resist the tornado’s fury. In no time, the tornado regained its vigor, spinning toward him with terrifying speed.

Fortunately, the tornado was far from the cave where Night Listening Rain was hidden, sparing her from harm. It was a small mercy—otherwise, Chu Han would have had to divide his attention to save her.

With the tornado bearing down on him, the overwhelming pressure pinned his body in place. Powerless, Chu Han could only fumble a pill from his ring and swallow it. It was a Restoration Pill, meant to replenish his internal energy, though it would take time to take effect.

As the medicine entered his body, Chu Han used his remaining lightning power to break it down, allowing the pure energy to surge directly through his meridians. His strength recovered rapidly.

This method, though effective for releasing the pill’s power quickly, was harmful to his body, leaving him weakened afterward. But he had no other choice.

With most of his energy restored, he channeled it into his jade pendant. Instantly, the pendant flew from his spatial ring, forming a multicolored shield before him that blocked the tornado’s attack.

Soon, the tornado dissipated. Chu Han finally breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing to the ground and gasping for air. The jade pendant had absorbed all his newly restored energy—he had reached the end of his strength.

Meanwhile, the giant bird in the sky was recovering from its paralysis. Seeing Chu Han’s weakened state, it let out a triumphant cry, evidently believing victory was at hand.

Then, with astonishing speed, it dove from the sky, a missile hurtling toward him. Its enormous beak gleamed with deadly light—if that blow landed, Chu Han would surely be run through.

Such was the difference between magical beasts and humans. In cunning and strategy, beasts could never match mankind. Just as the bird’s beak reached him, Chu Han vanished, leaving only a streak of lightning behind.

Confusion flickered in the bird’s eyes. Before it could react, Chu Han’s lightning-wreathed hand pierced its left wing, blood gushing forth as the bird shrieked in agony.

All Chu Han’s exhaustion had been a ruse. He had reserved a sliver of energy for just this moment. Pretending to be spent, he had lured the White Wind Demon Bird into attacking, seizing the opportunity for a counterstrike.

Of course, it was a gamble. Had the bird chosen to attack with wind from a distance, he would have been helpless. But fortune favored him—the bird’s recklessness had cost it dearly.

Chu Han’s nature was to strike while the iron was hot, to finish off his foes in their moment of weakness. Before the bird could recover, he gathered his remaining lightning and smashed it into the creature’s head.

The bird let out a final, terrible cry, its eyes rolling back as it crashed to the ground. Chu Han’s victory owed much to luck, but it could not be helped—his current strength was barely enough to face such an opponent.

Just then, Night Listening Rain rushed from the cave, terrified by what she had just witnessed. Chu Han was her only hope now. Had he died, she would have perished as well. Fortunately, he had prevailed.

Moreover, the strength Chu Han had displayed left her stunned. She had always thought him only slightly stronger than herself, unable to compare with the great experts of the Eastern Wilderness. But now, it was clear that even among those elites, Chu Han would be a force to reckon with.

She opened her mouth to speak, but before either of them could react, the seemingly lifeless White Wind Demon Bird suddenly rallied. With its dying breath, it opened its beak and sent a blast of wind pressure hurtling toward Night Listening Rain.

Though this was the bird’s final attack, its tremendous power was more than Night Listening Rain could withstand. Frozen in shock, she was unable to defend herself.

“No!”

Chu Han shouted desperately. He had risked everything to bring Night Listening Rain back alive. If she died here, all his efforts would be meaningless—he could not allow her to die before his eyes.

Struggling to his feet, Chu Han, now utterly drained, struck his own dantian with his palm, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he forced out the last trace of his energy to boost his speed.

Night Listening Rain thought herself doomed. She had survived so much, only to meet her end here. She closed her eyes, bracing for pain—but instead, a peal of thunder split the heavens.

Opening her eyes, she saw Chu Han standing before her, arms spread wide. The blast of wind struck his chest full on. Chu Han coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground, utterly unconscious.