Chapter 39: Chapter 39: The Battle of the Stork and the Clam
As dusk descended, the waning sun cast a golden glow over the forest.
In a dense area of the Soul Hunting Forest, a Jade Aurora Bird, with nearly nine hundred years of cultivation, circled high above. From time to time, it would dive down to attack a Horned Serpent Viper, a beast that had cultivated for over a thousand years, coiled in the forest below.
Compared to the Jade Aurora Bird, the Horned Serpent Viper surpassed it in both size and cultivation level. Yet, nature's balance rendered the serpent's most powerful venom useless against the bird. The Viper's poison was ineffective.
The Jade Aurora Bird's attacks were swift. Each time it swooped down from the sky, it would strike at the viper with lightning-fast pecks or sharp talon swipes. It never lingered. Whether or not the attack landed, the bird would retreat swiftly, never giving the serpent a chance to counterattack.
Frustrated and helpless against the bird's relentless assaults, the Horned Serpent Viper lashed its tail and hissed furiously at the sky.
With each probing strike, the viper tried desperately to retaliate. But no matter how hard it tried, it couldn't land a single bite on the agile bird. Even when the Viper managed to graze the bird with its venomous horn, the bird was completely immune to the poison and continued flying about, full of vitality.
Over time, the serpent grew wiser and stopped trying to bite. Instead, it attempted to gore the bird with its horn. But this tactic also proved ineffective.
Realizing the Viper had changed its strategy, the Jade Aurora Bird shifted its own approach. It stopped attacking the viper's head and focused on targeting the beast's body, forcing the viper to defend itself constantly.
Finally, after repeated attacks, the viper began to tire, its movements becoming sluggish.
Noticing its enemy's fatigue, the Jade Aurora Bird prepared to deliver the final blow. It swooped down from the sky like a bolt of lightning, talons raised, aiming directly for the viper's most vulnerable spot—its vital "seven inches."
The saying "strike a snake at its seven inches" refers to the weak point in all serpents, where their vitals are most vulnerable. The Horned Serpent Viper, despite its soul beast status, was no exception.
Because the bird had focused its earlier attacks on the viper's head, its sudden shift to the creature's seven inches caught the serpent completely off guard. Even when it finally realized what was happening, it was already too exhausted from the previous battle.
The Viper's counterattack was half a beat too slow.
Whoosh!
In a flash, the Jade Aurora Bird's talons tore through the air, heading straight for the Viper's seven inches. In a split second, the sharp claws clamped down on the serpent's body, locking onto the critical spot.
With its target secured, the bird used all its strength, trying to pierce through the viper's scales, tear into its flesh, and crush its heart to finish off the beast.
But the Viper had cultivated for a thousand years. Its scales were as tough as iron, far more resistant than those of lesser creatures. While the bird could easily pierce the scales of a viper with less than a thousand years of cultivation, breaking through the armor of this one proved to be a different challenge.
"Hisss!"
Feeling the sharp pain at its seven inches, the Horned Serpent Viper let out a pained shriek and, in a rage, lashed its menacing head toward the Jade Aurora Bird.
This time, it managed to bite the bird. However, the feathers on the bird's back were incredibly tough. The Viper's venomous fangs couldn't penetrate them. The earlier wound on the bird had only been possible because the serpent had rammed its horn into the softer feathers on the bird's underbelly.
Now, faced with the bird's hardened back feathers, the Viper was at a loss.
Sensing the attack on its back, the Jade Aurora Bird realized it was in danger. Despite not being injured, it recognized the gravity of the situation and tightened its grip. This time, its claws finally pierced through the viper's scales and sank into its flesh. The serpent screamed in agony.
Realizing its bite was futile, the Viper—fierce and cunning—resorted to its second deadly move: constriction!
Abandoning its failed biting attack, the Horned Serpent Viper coiled its massive body around the bird, intending to squeeze the life out of it in a desperate final struggle.
Sensing the serpent's intention, the Jade Aurora Bird dug its talons in even harder, trying to drive them deeper into the viper's flesh and pierce its heart.
Despite the excruciating pain, the Viper gritted its teeth and ignored the agony, tightening its coils around the bird with all its might, determined to crush the life out of its foe.
In the distance, hidden within the forest, Lin Ye's eyes gleamed as he watched the two massive beasts locked in a deadly embrace.
Now's my chance!
With a swift motion, Lin Ye activated his Phoenix Dance technique, leaping from the treetops and hurtling toward the beasts.
In mid-air, he drew his iron sword with his left hand and summoned the Xuanyuan Sword with his right. As he neared the combatants, now only twenty meters away, he twisted his body, aligning himself with his targets. With a powerful flick, he hurled both swords.
The sharp iron sword and the unstoppable Xuanyuan Sword sliced through the air with a piercing whistle, hurtling toward the two soul beasts locked in combat. The iron sword was aimed at the injured Horned Serpent Viper, while the Xuanyuan Sword targeted the Jade Aurora Bird.
Hearing the whistling blades, both soul beasts became aware of the danger. But after such an intense battle, they were too entangled to separate.
In a moment of inevitability, the iron sword struck first, following the wound the Jade Aurora Bird had already inflicted on the Viper's seven inches. The blade pierced through the scales and drove straight into the Viper's heart.
At the same time, the Xuanyuan Sword cleaved through the air, striking the Jade Aurora Bird, its sharp edge cutting through the bird's body.
"Hiss!"
"Caw!"
Both soul beasts let out simultaneous cries of pain as the sharp blades pierced their bodies. But the fatal strikes silenced them almost instantly. Their screams abruptly cut off as life drained from them.
The Jade Aurora Bird was the first to die, falling completely still. The Horned Serpent Viper, however, being a snake, did not die immediately. Its body continued to twitch and spasm, even in death.
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