Tap—

Tap—

The sound of footsteps echoed on the hard stone-paved street. The houses on both sides were tightly shut, with no light and no sound of people, everything submerged in a kind of muted deathly silence, like a secluded mountain valley cut off from the world.

The thirteenth floor presented such a scene.

Fan Wubing stood at one end of the street, facing the wide and straight street. Without averting his gaze, he looked far into the distance at the gray-white city gate on the other end. Under the moonlight, the gate exuded a sense of cold desolation.

It seemed as if no one had set foot here for a long time.

In the air, a certain scent lingered, like that of scorching sunshine baking the earth.

Suddenly, a crisp sound came from another part of the street, as if something hard had burst open with a crack. Such sounds became more frequent and noisier, accompanied by the thud of something heavy falling to the ground.

Until a certain moment, the sounds disappeared, and tranquility reigned.

Looking again towards the city gate, a bird-like creature stood on the top of the city wall. It faced away from the moonlight, obscuring its front, but its plump wings glistened with a soft luster.

Such an appearance,

Sacred and full of mystical essence.

Fan Wubing had a feeling that it was not a demonic beast guarding this level of the tower, but an Immortal Spirit Beast from the annals of time.

The beast suddenly spread its wings and soared into the high night sky. Its brilliant, long, and soft tail feathers and unique plumage marked its identity as a demonic beast,

the Celestial Splendor Xuan Sparrow.

Renowned for its graceful demeanor and astonishing speed.

Fan Wubing looked towards the night sky, watching as the Celestial Splendor Xuan Sparrow danced under the moonlight, its brilliant colors casting dazzling radiance. It was the direct reason for its name.

After tracing a long arc of demonic aura in the night sky, it dove down and landed on the roof of a house, casting an enchanting gaze at Fan Wubing.

Only then did Fan Wubing get a clear view of its true appearance.

Beautiful, its plumage meticulously groomed and trimmed, each feather in the most suitable position, showcasing an unparalleled harmony and beauty.

The Celestial Splendor Xuan Sparrow suddenly spoke human language,

"I can't imagine how you mustered the courage to challenge my authority."

It could speak.

Fan Wubing was not surprised. Demonic beasts at the Nascent Soul level possessed intelligence akin to humans. Besides their beastly forms that still remain unchanged, they are no different from humans. Condensing human speech through demonic power is not uncommon.

Under normal circumstances, Fan Wubing might have been interested in conversing, wanting to inquire if it knew that he was merely a manifestation of the energy within the Demon Refining Tower.

But now, there was no time left.

"It wasn't courage that brought me here, but determination."

"Determination? Ridiculous!" The Celestial Splendor Xuan Sparrow's enchanting eyes elongated, a white gleam streaking from the corner, churning backwards. Then, it spread its wings and in an instant vanished into the night.

Gone?

Just as Fan Wubing was thinking this, an overwhelming oppressive force suddenly came from behind, a surge of energy like thunder crashing towards him.

A chill exploded on his back!

It wasn't gone, just so fast that even its shadow couldn't be seen!

If Fan Wubing hadn't been continuously using the Unwarranted Qi Creation Skill, he might not have sensed the attack's imminent aura and would have already fallen in a pool of blood.

He moved swiftly, positioning himself with the door-like motions, placing his left foot on the ground, swinging his right body, then spinning anticlockwise to evade the Celestial Splendor Xuan Sparrow's demonic strike in an instant, slightly bending his left leg to spring away.

Just after dodging, the spot he previously occupied erupted into a cloud of dust as the stone slabs of the street were shattered to dust.

The Celestial Splendor Xuan Sparrow didn't give Fan Wubing any time to react. The second wave of demonic attack pierced through the dust and shot towards him.

Only then did Fan Wubing get a clear look at what the materialized demonic attack was.

It was thunder!

Through the dust, he looked at the Celestial Splendor Xuan Sparrow. Its wings spread out on both sides, each feather ready to release a surge of thunder-infused demonic energy.

Such rapid speed, coupled with swift and fierce Thunder Demon Techniques!

Fan Wubing's brain worked rapidly.

His keen battle instincts told him that with his current speed, unless he stacked "Heart of Fire" to two hundred layers, it was impossible to catch up to the Celestial Splendor Xuan Sparrow just by running.

The lack of a direct "speed and agility" ability in his combat system was becoming glaringly obvious!

Under natural conditions, he could rely on the Seven Luminaries Rain Control Skill and Unwarranted Qi Creation Skill combo, one creating a favorable environment, the other perfectly blending him into the environment, achieving an elusive and unpredictable effect, making it difficult for opponents to capture him accurately.

However, under current conditions where the Seven Luminaries Rain Control Skill could not exert its effect, faced with absolute speed, his usual combat advantages were immediately compromised!

Will it give me time to stack the "Heart of Fire" passive layers?

Clearly, no!

Faced with one thunderous strike after another, Fan Wubing had no chance to close in on the Celestial Splendor Xuan Sparrow. Moreover, with his current speed, he couldn't even approach it. Forcibly approaching would mean withstanding several thunder strikes.

Can a body at the Ninth-Layer Golden Core withstand a Thunder Demon Technique from the Nascent Soul Realm?

No, definitely not!

Even if the healing effect of the Unwarranted Qi Creation Skill were quintupled, it wouldn't be enough.

The power levels are just not comparable!

What's more, even if by sheer luck he dodged the thunderous assaults and lunged at the Celestial Splendor Xuan Sparrow, what then? It could easily widen the gap with a simple wing-flap.

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