Chapter 137: The Phantom of the Underworld Crow in the Niwan Palace

Lu Han raised an eyebrow, sensing the formidable power of the fire hawk phantom. In particular, the creature's glowing red claws, which seemed almost tangible, gave him the distinct impression that a direct hit would result in severe injury.

Due to the sheer intensity of the phantom, the ground of the tavern scorched wherever the fire hawk passed. With no time to think, the sound of a ringing sword erupted beneath Lu Han’s feet. His body performed an unnatural, twisting movement, and he instantly shifted to another spot. However, the fire hawk had already locked onto his aura. It veered toward him once more, its massive, fiery red talons lunging forward to seize him.

Watching Lu Han, who now seemed to have nowhere left to run, Boss Zhu curled his lips into a mocking sneer. "You brat, where do you think you can hide? You are the first person in all these years to last this long against me while only at the first level of the Innate Realm. You should be proud!"

At this, some of the onlookers in the tavern could not help but gasp. Most of the third-level Innate experts present admitted to themselves that they would not have been able to withstand that strike either.

The fiery red phantom surged toward Lu Han in an instant, feeling like a searing flame that made his face sting with heat.

"Do or die!" Lu Han gritted his teeth. Since evasion was impossible, he had no choice but to take the blow head-on.

The Innate energy within his body surged like a rushing river, flooding into his hands. A white, frigid frost engulfed his palms. Sensing this immense power, Lu Han let out a low growl and unleashed a palm strike.

*If I can just endure this blow, defeating him won't be difficult,* Lu Han thought to himself.

During their battle, both had depleted a significant amount of Innate energy. This fire hawk strike was clearly a powerful martial art, and the energy required to sustain it must be terrifying. Lu Han’s "Heavenly Frost Chill" was a Profound-grade intermediate technique; he did not believe the opponent’s technique could be superior to his own, otherwise he would have already been defeated. Given that he was using a Profound-grade intermediate technique, his remaining energy was already low—the opponent surely couldn't have much left either.

"Brat, see how you die!" Boss Zhu thought triumphantly, already anticipating the outcome as he saw Lu Han meet his strike with a palm.

Boss Zhu’s face was somewhat pale. While the "Flying Eagle Bone-Crushing Claw" was indeed powerful, it had nearly drained the Innate energy from his body. Yet, as long as it left Lu Han severely wounded, it would be worth it.

Just as Lu Han braced himself to withstand the giant talons, a bird’s cry suddenly echoed throughout the entire tavern. Everyone present felt a shudder in their souls, as if they were being frozen solid. A grey, foot-long avian creature emerged from between Lu Han’s brows.

"Screech!"

The sharp cry startled Boss Zhu. However, he immediately relaxed; although he had never seen such a creature, it looked faint and unstable, as if it were about to dissipate at any moment. At only a foot long, it posed no threat to his nearly two-meter-wide fire hawk phantom.

Only the Evil Wind Beast, hiding in the distance, revealed a cold sneer. "If it were anything else, perhaps, but a fire hawk? Isn't it just asking for death in front of an ancient supreme ice beast?"

The Evil Wind Beast muttered to itself. The mysterious woman glanced at Lu Han in surprise. She knew he was no ordinary person, but she hadn't expected him to be connected to an Ancient Nether Crow. She was, of course, well aware of what the Ancient Nether Crow was. "Truly a mysterious fellow," she murmured. "No wonder even it chose you. Now, I am even more interested in you."

Before anyone could recover their senses, the next scene made their jaws drop.

As soon as the foot-long grey bird appeared, the fire hawk phantom trembled. The grey bird leaped onto the hawk’s head and took a sharp breath. The fire hawk was instantly transformed into a stream of energy and sucked into the belly of the unknown creature. The grey bird then zipped back into Lu Han’s forehead, settling in his Niwan Palace as if nothing had ever happened. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Lu Han felt as though the creature had let out a satisfied burp.

Not only were the onlookers stunned, but Lu Han himself was bewildered. "That blow I thought was impossible to block... just absorbed like that?" he wondered in shock.

But Lu Han had no time to dwell on it. *A perfect opportunity!*

Boss Zhu stood wide-eyed, unable to believe that his most confident attack had been swallowed whole by an unknown grey bird phantom. As he stood there in a daze, Lu Han struck.

"Heh, losing focus in the middle of a fight isn't a good habit!"

"What!" Boss Zhu realized something was wrong.

"Too late!"

Lu Han manipulated his hand seals, grey energy flowing between his fingers as he finished the sequence. "Nether Crow Finger!" he shouted softly.

Boss Zhu looked over just in time to see a grey avian flying toward him. Though it lacked the vitality of the one that had appeared earlier, it was clearly the same species. The phantom flew straight at him. Boss Zhu instinctively reached out to block, but the phantom simply passed through him.

"Aaaargh!" Boss Zhu clutched his head, howling in agony.

"Star-Shattering Palm!"

With the sound of a sword ringing beneath his feet, Lu Han instantly appeared before Boss Zhu and slammed his palm into the center of his chest, right over his heart.

"Boom!"

Struck by the "Nether Crow Finger" and unable to mount a defense, Boss Zhu was hit squarely by Lu Han’s palm and sent flying. He crashed into a table several meters away, smashing it to pieces.

"You..." Boss Zhu propped himself up with one hand, pointing at Lu Han, wanting to say something. But suddenly, his chest tightened, and a mouthful of blood surged up his throat.

"Blegh!"

Scarlet blood sprayed from Boss Zhu’s mouth, staining the floor.

Everything had happened so fast that the patrons in the tavern were left reeling, unsure of what had transpired. The entire room drew a collective sharp intake of breath.

When Boss Zhu had first unleashed his Profound-grade introductory technique, the "Flying Eagle Bone-Crushing Claw," everyone assumed Lu Han was finished. After all, it was a full-strength strike from a peak third-level Innate expert. From his performance so far, while impressive, they didn't think Lu Han could possibly survive it.

But the following sequence of events left them utterly baffled: first, a phantom bird emerged and swallowed the unstoppable attack; then, Lu Han rushed in and struck Boss Zhu with another phantom that passed right through him. Although they didn't understand why that strike had passed through him, they saw Boss Zhu clutch his head in agony immediately after, only to be defeated by Lu Han’s follow-up strike—all within a few breaths.

Even Li Wei, the seventh-level Innate expert who had been watching from the sidelines, was filled with disbelief. "How is this possible?" he muttered, unable to comprehend what had just happened.