Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Sinister One

As Zhou Tian and his companions hurried along, a sudden surge of murderous intent swept over them from behind, tightening their hearts. Instantly, Zhou Tian and the elves with him leapt aside, adopting defensive stances, wary of any threat from the rear.

"Why is there nobody here?" The sense of danger had been unmistakable, yet when they turned to look, no enemy appeared before their eyes. This unexpected absence startled Zhou Tian and his group. Still, even without a visible adversary, none of them doubted their instincts. If only one among them had sensed the killing intent, it might have been dismissed as a mistake. But with every member, Zhou Tian and the elves alike, all feeling the same ominous presence, they could not believe themselves to be wrong, no matter what.

"Where is it?" Anxiously searching for the enemy who had threatened them, Zhou Tian happened to glance upward, and only then did he spot an eagleman hurtling toward them from the sky.

"Watch the skies!" he cried, warning the elves beside him, then immediately took cover.

Had the foe been ordinary, Zhou Tian would not have been fazed. But against an eagleman, he found himself helpless. First, the eagleman soared above, utterly out of reach of the myriad snakes Zhou Tian commanded, rendering his greatest advantage useless and making any effective attack almost impossible. Second, by nature, Zhou Tian, despite his reluctance to admit it, was still a serpent—and eagles were the nemesis of snakes. Though he did not feel fear, Zhou Tian could not deny a creeping sense of unease when facing an eagleman.

For these reasons, Zhou Tian struggled to muster his full strength against this adversary. Unless he could ambush the eagleman, his chances of victory alone were almost nonexistent.

Fortunately, the elves accompanying him were born archers, and just as eagles preyed on snakes, archers were always the bane of flying races. Now, seeing the eagleman approach, the elves were surprised but remained unafraid. Drawing their bows, they unleashed a volley as the eagleman drew near.

With a whistling sound, several long arrows streaked toward the eagleman. Given the elves' skill, there was no chance of missing; as soon as the arrows left their hands, they flashed before the eagleman. Were their opponent any ordinary bird, no matter how swift, it would have been impossible to dodge.

But this eagleman was a formidable warrior, handpicked by the Beast Empire to deal with Zhou Tian and his companions, and would not be so easily dispatched by a handful of elves. From the outset, he had not regarded Zhou Tian or the elves as worthy adversaries; his confidence led him to act alone, openly revealing his presence, even allowing his murderous aura to radiate unchecked as he flew toward them.

Certain of his superiority, the eagleman could not be brought down so easily. Though Zhou Tian and the elves could not see how he evaded their arrows, the result was clear: the eagleman flew on, unaffected, toward their position, while the arrows simply vanished, their fate unknown.

Seeing their attacks fail, Zhou Tian and the elves felt a pang of unease. Before they could react further, the eagleman descended from above, granting them no chance to escape.

"So you are the little troublemakers causing chaos in the Empire?" The eagleman glanced around with a hint of disappointment, then grumbled, "It seems those others aren't with you after all. I knew it—the deaths among our clansmen weren’t caused by the White Tiger and the others. Sending me to deal with you youngsters is really making a mountain out of a molehill."

Hearing these words, Zhou Tian and his companions felt a chill settle in their hearts. For the eagleman to speak so, it was clear that they had encountered a truly formidable opponent.

If the eagleman was as powerful as he seemed, escaping today would be almost impossible. Yet, despite their unease and fear, Zhou Tian and the elves refused to surrender just because of his words. Even knowing the eagleman's strength was likely terrifying, as soon as he landed, the elves unleashed another coordinated attack.

With a second volley, swift as before, the elves leapt back and shot their arrows at the eagleman as his feet touched the ground.

Yet, facing their assault, the eagleman reacted with utter disdain, standing motionless as the arrows struck him without resistance.

Zhou Tian could not believe the eagleman's body was truly so tough. If he had used battle energy or magic, Zhou Tian might have believed he could withstand the elves' attacks, but to rely solely on his physical form seemed impossible.

Yet, against all expectation, as Zhou Tian was convinced the eagleman could not possibly endure, the arrows appeared to pass through him as if through air, ‘piercing’ his body without effect.

"My heavens! Is this creature a ghost?" Zhou Tian's eyes nearly popped from his head at the sight, pointing at the eagleman and crying out in disbelief.

"Just faster than you think," came the eagleman's voice suddenly from behind Zhou Tian, as he reeled in shock at his foe’s uncanny abilities.

Hearing the enemy’s voice directly behind him, Zhou Tian broke out in a cold sweat, not even daring to look back; he immediately attempted to flee his hiding place.

But—

With a crack, just as Zhou Tian was about to leap away, a hand shot out from behind, seized him, and with no hesitation, snapped his neck.

It was as trivial as swatting a fly. After ‘killing’ Zhou Tian, the eagleman cast a cold glance at the nearby elves, prepared to toss Zhou Tian’s ‘corpse’ aside.

Yet, as he was about to let go, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his hand. Looking down in surprise, he found that Zhou Tian, who should have been dead, was in fact very much alive. Not only was Zhou Tian unharmed, his injuries seemed insignificant, and as the eagleman shifted his attention to the elves, Zhou Tian bit him.

(Thank you to Master Wu Shi Jian Tong Hui for the generous reward of 588. This humble monk is deeply grateful!)