Eagle Spirit?
It looked just like the Lightning Lord of a Xianzhou General.
However, she truly didn't remember which General had a Lightning Lord in this form.
Could it be the mysterious Marshal Hua?
But the gender didn't match.
Moreover, the Marshal was guarding the Xianzhou Xuling, making it even more impossible for her to appear here.
"Ouch—"
A girl with healthy, wheat-colored skin leaped out from behind a pile of rocks outside the barrier.
Her figure was slender, but her hands were encased in a pair of jaw-dropping gilded gauntlets, with patterns winding around them like dragon scales.
Before Tingyun could even see her face clearly, the girl stepped forward, charging towards the Borisin besieging the merchant guild like an arrow from a bow.
As a result...
After running no more than three steps, the girl was tripped by a rock beneath her feet.
Her center of gravity shifted, and her body involuntarily lunged forward, her arms flailing wildly in the air, until finally, with a 'thud', she fell flat on the ground.
"Um... are you alright?"
Tingyun couldn't help but ask.
Although this girl's appearance was strange, seeing her aggressive charge towards the Borisin made it clear she was an ally.
Cough cough~
Carole was just the girl next door.
This was her first time on a battlefield. After descending from the sky and facing the bloody scenes up close, the courage she had previously mustered was quickly draining away.
She had finally gathered enough courage to rush out, and then...
"I'm fine."
"Nothing's wrong at all!"
The girl suddenly looked up, her face still stained with some dust, but a stubborn smile appeared on her lips. "I am the teacher's student, after all!"
As she spoke, Carole clenched her fists, and her arms suddenly shook.
Her fist intent erupted.
Boom!
An extremely violent surge of energy burst out from within her body, sweeping in all directions like a raging sea.
Golden light flashed, and a layer of molten gold light-shield instantly enveloped her entire body.
The flowing radiance triggered layers of ripples.
Then, she patted the dust off her clothes and, without looking back, marched with steady steps towards the Borisin.
"Quick, follow her! Don't let her take risks!"
Tingyun's heart tightened, and her voice suddenly rose.
Student?
So she was the disciple of that 'Eagle Spirit'?
They couldn't let anything happen to her.
The Borisin besieging the merchant guild were a dark mass of thousands, and there were even tribal leaders among them.
How could she charge into thousands of Borisin alone?
"Yes, Lady Tingyun!!"
The Cloud Knight Captain reacted quickly, immediately waving his halberd and roaring, "Cloud Knights, charge with me!"
The Captain was no fool.
Currently, the merchant guild was protected by a barrier, so there was no need to worry about safety for the time being.
But if something happened to the student of that Eagle Spirit, their merchant guild would likely face a catastrophe; it was hard to guarantee that the other side wouldn't blame them.
Five hundred Cloud Knights roared into formation, rushing out of the barrier like a torrent of steel.
But before they had even charged ten meters, the brutal scene before them made everyone freeze in unison.
"Dragon Strike!!"
Carole roared, her right fist clenched tight, a cluster of brilliant golden light suddenly condensing in her palm.
All her 'fist intent' was compressed into a single punch.
Then, her feet pushed off the ground, and her fist intent, like a raging dragon emerging from an abyss, tore through the air with a piercing sonic boom.
In an instant, she crossed hundreds of meters, appearing directly at the front of the Borisin army, her heavy fist smashing squarely into the chest of a Borisin squad leader.
Boom—!!
As the fist force landed, the squad leader didn't even have time to scream before his chest was blown apart by the mountain-shattering force of the Dragon Strike.
His body exploded, flesh and blood flew, and severed limbs showered the surroundings like rain.
What's more, the fist intent wasn't finished.
With the point of impact as the center, it transformed into a golden dragon-shaped shockwave, sweeping forward wildly!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Nearly a hundred Borisin were sent flying into the sky like grass being mowed, the sound of shattering bones never-ending.
Those close by had their bodies twisted and deformed by the punch, their internal organs shattered and blood spraying from their mouths and noses; they had already stopped breathing while still flying in the air.
Borisin further away were also overturned by the shockwave, smashed into rock walls, their fate unknown.
"..."
The Cloud Knight Captain's mouth hung open, his throat swallowing frantically, so shocked he couldn't make a sound.
The hand holding the halberd trembled slightly, and his eyes couldn't help but glance back at Tingyun inside the barrier.
Uh... this?
Where did she even need their protection?
Tingyun was also frozen in place, her fingertips cold.
A One-Punch Woman.
Carole didn't stop.
Her eyes were blazing, her fighting spirit like fire, and she laughed almost wildly.
After the first punch, she was no longer afraid, even feeling a sense of increasing excitement as she fought.
"Again!!"
Her punches were like thunder, her momentum like a galloping dragon.
Boom boom boom—
Carole charged through the Borisin crowd, delivering 'Dragon Strike' after 'Dragon Strike'.
Her fist wind was like cannonballs.
Every punch she threw carried a sonic boom.
Punch after punch, she sent the wolf cubs flying and blowing them apart.
The Borisin fell in swaths, their formation collapsing instantly into a disorganized mess.
As if entering an uninhabited land, Carole wove through the enemy crowd, blood mist erupting wherever her fist wind reached.
Some wolf cubs tried to surround her, but they couldn't even break Carole's Golden Aegis, only to be smashed into meat paste by her heavy punches.
"A devil!"
"That woman is a devil!"
"Run! Run away—"
"By the Reignbow Arbiter!"
Fear spread rapidly like a plague.
Amidst Carole's slaughter, the Borisin morale completely collapsed, and they threw down their weapons and fled in all directions.
Even the tribal leaders turned pale as ash, wanting to flee.
Unfortunately, they were locked on by Carole's gaze.
After scanning the battlefield, she fixed her eyes on a giant wolf wearing a wolf-bone crown and black skin, its size clearly twice that of an ordinary werewolf.
The teacher said that the larger the build, the higher the status.
"Trying to run!?"
Carole sneered. After a few quick steps, her legs suddenly exerted force, and she leaped high into the air, carrying ten thousand tons of force as she smashed down towards the Borisin leader!
In mid-air, golden light swirled.
"No, no—"
Seeing Carole flying towards him, the Borisin leader's heart and gall were split with fear.
"Cataclysm!!"
Carole roared, her legs infused with ten thousand tons of force, her feet landing like a falling meteor, heavily crushing the earth like Mount Tai.
Rumble!!
In an instant, the ground shook and the mountains swayed, as fire and lava spread wildly like a spiderweb.
Many Borisin were instantly crushed to death by the overwhelming pressure.
Then, the earth vibrated, and giant stone pillars burst from the ground one after another, carrying the momentum of a thousand thunders, piercing through the fleeing Borisin.
They were hoisted high, suspended in mid-air like sacrificial offerings.
The Borisin leader tried his best to dodge, but was sent flying by a stone pillar, spitting out a mouthful of old blood.
Before he could even land, he was hit by a second, third, and fourth pillar in succession, his body twisted and deformed like a rag.
Finally, only a head rolled onto the ground, eyes wide open, mouth agape, dying with grievances.
Carole looked around. With only a few remnants left, she didn't pursue them further.
She bent down to pick up the leader's wolf head, turned around, and walked step by step towards the merchant guild.
The remaining soldiers could be left to the Cloud Knights.
"Cough cough, let me handle this, don't let it dirty your hands."
The Cloud Knight Captain ran forward quickly, saying respectfully.
Carole glanced at him and tossed the wolf head casually. "Fine, it's yours."
The Captain hurriedly hugged it in his arms with a grin.
He sent four hundred Cloud Knights to pursue the fewer than a hundred remnants, while he himself led a hundred men to grandly escort Carole back to the merchant guild.
"This humble girl, Tingyun, Head Representative of the Whistling Flames merchant guild of the Xianzhou Luofu's Sky-Faring Commission, thanks the benefactor for saving our lives."
Tingyun lowered her eyes and smiled, performing a graceful bow, her wide sleeves fluttering, her voice clear and melodious.
Every movement carried the unique elegance and composure of a Xianzhou noble lady.
Truth be told, Foxians are indeed beautiful.
"Uh... I'm Carole. Hehe, don't thank me. If you want to thank someone, just thank my teacher."
Carole scratched her head, her cheeks slightly red.
She had only seen such quaint etiquette on TV. Being thanked so solemnly in reality made her a bit dazed.
And being called 'benefactor' felt really good.
No wonder Hua always liked saving people.
Being thanked was just too wonderful.
"May I ask who the benefactor's teacher is?"
Tingyun looked up, inquiring.
"It's better to wait for the teacher to tell you himself."
Carole waved her hand and said.
"Very well."
Tingyun nodded slightly, her smile undiminished, though a hint of wariness was hidden deep in her eyes.
Sincere as her thanks were, being in a foreign land and encountering danger meant her alertness could never be relaxed for a moment.
"By the way, are your ears and tail real?"
Carole suddenly leaned in, her eyes shining like fireflies on a summer night.
Seeing Tingyun slightly startled, she stuck out her tongue.
"I'm just curious!"
"Of course they are. Is this the benefactor's first time seeing a Foxian?"
Tingyun turned slightly, her fox tail giving a gentle flick.
"Yeah, in my hometown, you only exist in 'legends'. Seeing you suddenly now feels like a dream."
Carole nodded vigorously. Suddenly, she lowered her voice, looked around, and said seriously in a whisper.
"But that's not important. What's important is, you'd better hide."
"Huh?"
Tingyun's fox ears twitched, a bit stunned.
Hide?
What did that mean?
In the distance, the sandstorm had gradually subsided, clearly nearing its end.
...
"Dammit!"
"Dammit all!"
"What on earth is this thing?!"
The Borisin were roaring frantically. Facing the suddenly appearing sand soldiers, they were completely powerless to stop them.
No matter how many times they hacked them apart with battle-axes and scimitars, the broken sand would instantly regroup like a living thing.
Even more terrifyingly, as long as they touched that sand, the moisture in their bodies would be instantly drained.
Even the strongest Borisin warrior would turn into a mummy in the blink of an eye.
Armor and steel blades also rusted into ash in an instant.
There was no way to fight.
Only cannon fire could temporarily blow them apart.
But the sand soldiers were endless.
Ryuga walked forward slowly. Behind him, the phantom of the Eagle Spirit towered into the clouds, arms spread wide, as flowing sand rose from his palms, gathering into a sand curtain that blotted out the sun.
On the ground, countless sand soldiers burst from the earth, sweeping in all directions.
In the sky, nine yellow sand dragons spiraled and danced.
The Borisin base was almost instantly overrun.
"Ah—a devil! A devil!"
"Run! Ugh... help, help me..."
"Lord Father-Wolf, grant me strength, grant me..."
"Great Reignbow Arbiter, have you abandoned us?!"
"Awoooo—"
Wails rose and fell, coming to an abrupt halt after just a few breaths.
Ryuga continued forward; he had already locked onto the Father-Wolf, Touman.
A massive lion-headed beast-ship roared as it took off, attempting to escape.
Unfortunately, a sand dragon soared up and coiled around it.
The hull snapped in the middle, the metal crumbling like rotten wood, and the flesh shriveled into a withered corpse at an extremely fast speed.
In the ruins, Touman knelt, clutching his giant blade, his whole body trembling.
Watching the man walking slowly towards him, his pupils contracted violently, his eyes nearly splitting.
"Dammit! Dammit!"
Glancing at the shriveled beast-ship, Touman's throat moved as he swallowed hard.
Fortunately, he had jumped out in time, otherwise he would have likely turned into withered bones in the sand like them.
Of the thousands of elites inside the ship, not one escaped.
In the sky, the dragon roared.
"Dammit, is it a High Elder of the Vidyadhara?!"
"Why would a Xianzhou General also appear here?"
"MD, what bad luck!"
"Wait... the Xianzhou Luofu has long been without a High Elder."
"And... an Eagle Spirit, which Xianzhou General does this belong to?"
Touman gripped his war blade tightly, his teeth grinding, staring at the man walking slowly.
The surroundings had become completely silent.
There were no more wails from the Borisin, which meant his pack of a million had been completely wiped out.
He was close.
He finally saw that face clearly.
Cold, calm, without joy or sorrow, but not a Xianzhou General.
"You... who on earth are you?!"
Touman backed away step by step, the war blade trembling in his hand, his arm muscles constantly bulging and shaking, yet he never dared to strike that blow.
Fear coiled around his heart like a vine, tightening more and more.
"Touman, right? I'll take you as a gift for visiting the Xianzhou." Ryuga nodded. When visiting someone else's territory, one must bring a 'meeting gift'.
"Go to hell! Awoooo—"
Hearing 'Xianzhou' and 'gift', Touman's eyes suddenly turned blood-red, his wolf pupils bursting. The shadow of death, anger, and shame overcame the fear the man brought.
He roared to the sky, his body suddenly swelling, instantly transforming into a 'Red Wolf'.
His fur was like fire, his fangs like blades.
Roaring, with his physique boosted tenfold by Moon Rage, he infused twelve-tenths of his strength into his arms and swung his war blade down wildly—
"!!"
The Eagle Spirit suddenly opened its eyes, a divine light flashing in its golden pupils.
Ryuga raised his hand, pressing down with his palm.
Simultaneously, the Eagle Spirit gathered sand into a palm, smashing down with the force of ten thousand tons.
Boom!
...
"..."
Tingyun swallowed a mouthful of dry saliva.
Watching the man walking step by step, and the massive Eagle Spirit floating behind him, her calves couldn't stop trembling slightly.
Her fox ears were pinned straight back, the fur slightly bristling.
"Teacher!"
Carole jumped up joyfully, waving her hand.
"Mhm, well fought."
Ryuga nodded, giving Carole a thumbs-up.
Then he looked at Tingyun, pointing to the Father-Wolf Touman in the Eagle Spirit's hand.
"I think you might want him, Miss Tingyun."
"Do you want him dry or wet?"
Tingyun opened her mouth. "Uh, thank you... let's keep him alive."
A living one is always worth more than a dead one.
Ryuga didn't say much, tossing the Father-Wolf Touman like a dead dog to the Cloud Knight Captain's feet.
The Eagle Spirit slowly faded, turning into points of starlight...
After the pressure dissipated, Tingyun finally took a deep breath and performed a deep bow. "May I ask the benefactor's name?"
"Ryuga."
Ryuga directly used his name.
He looked Tingyun up and down, just like their first meeting in the plot.
Truly a little fox who only knows how to bewitch people; one word: 'Charming'.
Charming to the bone, every gesture carrying a natural allure, yet Tingyun didn't have any vulgar or worldly air about her.
...
Just then, two beautiful figures descended from the sky.
One was Himeko, dressed in pitch-black combat gear, with dragon horns on both sides of her forehead and pointed ears.
Mhm, modified by Protean Jak'Sho; after all, to pose as a High Elder, one must have a pair of pointed ears.
It could also mislead Lygus.
Tingyun's heart shook, her pupils contracting slightly.
Dragon horns, pointed ears, Vidyadhara!?
But she had never seen the person before her.
The other figure was surrounded by points of starlight, like a flowing veil woven from the Milky Way.
The gentle starlight reflected the girl's flawless and peerless face.
When she noticed Tingyun, Elysia's beautiful eyes suddenly lit up, so brilliant one couldn't look away.
"What a clever, exquisite little fox."
"Hello, I'm Elysia."
As she spoke, she took a light step forward, her smile bright and her eyes dancing. Her curious gaze fixed on the fluffy and soft fox tail behind Tingyun, and she blurted out.
"Um, can I touch your tail?"
The air seemed to freeze.
The composure on Tingyun's face instantly froze. She only then suddenly realized what Carole meant by telling her to hide her tail earlier.
"Cough cough~, Elysia, how can you bring that up in front of others?"
"Such things should obviously be discussed in private."
Ryuga's face darkened.
Had Elysia awakened some strange attribute again?
Touching horns.
Touching tails.
"Mhm, mhm!"
Elysia nodded obediently, her bright eyes still staring straight at Tingyun.
"..."
Tingyun's face darkened: Did I even agree to let you touch my tail?
To be continued…
Advance 50 Chapters are up on my Patreon!
pat reon.com/ReidAstrea