The Grand Elder, fire swirling around his legs and coiling along his right arm, moved like a phantom, and in an instant he was at the Core Elder's side. He seized him firmly and, relying on the superior speed granted by his cultivation realm and his Movement Technique, dragged them both out of harm's way.
SLAM!
The Crimson Pyrogryph's colossal paw crashed into the air where they both stood moments ago.
"Burning Palm!"
Seizing the brief instant when the beast faltered at not having sensed the feeling of crushing its 'prey', the Grand Elder counterattacked, his palm surging forward in a blaze of fire.
A palm-shaped strike, formed of his Fire Qi and spanning tens of meters, roared across the battlefield and crashed into the Crimson Pyrogryph.
Krraaass–shhhhh!
The orange flames of the Grand Elder collided with the Ruby Flames of the demonic beast. For a moment the special flames of the Crimson Pyrogryph held firm, but with the momentum behind his strike he managed to force an opening and break through its defense.
Unfortunately…the Ruby Flames of the Crimson Pyrogryph were simply too superior to what the Grand Elder could conjure, and with the beast's exceptional fire resistance…
The most his full-powered attack achieved was leaving a few small burns upon the massive demonic beast's fur.
And that was with his cultivation being superior, with him striking while the other was defending, and with the fact that the Grand Elder of the Flame Sovereign Sect was far stronger than what any 'ordinary cultivator' at the 8th layer of the Core Formation Realm could ever hope to be.
Even with all of these factors working in his favor he had only caused a few small burns!!!
This was enough to show just how tyrannical and powerful the bloodline of the Crimson Pyrogryph truly was!
After all, while its bloodline might be slightly inferior to its mate, the Azure Thundergryph, when compared to a 'random' 6th layer Core Formation demonic beast it was vastly superior!
'As expected, it won't be that easy to take it down!'
This was the thought that passed through all the Elders' minds, but since they had anticipated such a situation, they did not panic and instead continued their assault with calm and methodical precision against the immense demonic beast.
Rooaaarrr, Boom, Crack, Swish.
Explosions and roars shook the land as the surrounding tens of kilometers were devastated, reduced to nothing more than a sea of magma beneath the terrifying heat of the Crimson Pyrogryph and the Grand Elder's flames!
The only thing left untouched was the mountain where the Thunder Vein Dew was located, not only because both the Crimson Pyrogryph and the Elders were cautious not to harm it, but also because the mountain itself possessed extraordinary durability.
Booom, booom, booom.
The sounds of battle continued to thunder outward as the surrounding land was ravaged further, the very air distorting under the heat of this prolonged clash.
And as the minutes passed the Crimson Pyrogryph gradually began to fall at a disadvantage!
Under the near perfect teamwork of the four Elders, with one at the 5th layer, two at the 6th, and one at the 8th, even the Crimson Pyrogryph and its terrifying bloodline couldn't bridge the numerical gap.
Because of that burns, tears and injuries started to pile up on the hill-sized demonic beast.
GRRRrrrrrrrr
With a violent flap of its powerful ruby-colored wings the Crimson Pyrogryph pulled back, growling aggressively at the four cultivators who, strangely enough, did not pursue it…
At that moment, even though the pain in its wounds made it want nothing more than to hurl itself back into the fight and 'avenge' itself, an uncertain glint flickered in its vast bestial eyes as it glanced at the mountain where the Thunder Vein Dew was located.
It almost looked like the Crimson Pyrogryph was…hesitating about something?
And this wasn't an illusion because the Crimson Pyrogryph was truly hesitating!
It wanted nothing more than to throw itself back into the fight, even if death should come then let it come, but—
Shiver.
The colossal demonic beast shuddered as its 'thoughts' drifted toward its mate, the Azure Thundergryph, and knowing how furious she would be if she learned that something had robbed HER Thunder Vein Dew, that was so important to her, he decided to swallow his pride, go against his instincts, and call for her help.
Hwrrrroooooaaaahhh!
Another roar burst from the Crimson Pyrogryph, but unlike the earlier ones this one carried not only rage but a depth of pain, almost like… a plea for help.
Gulp.
'This is where everything is decided!' the thought ran through all the elders' minds as they anxiously waited for what would happen next…
***
Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away in what had once been the 'Ancient Ruins' and had now become a death zone, the Azure Thundergryph was still slaughtering the cultivators below.
Its deadly Thunder Beam kept reaping lives without pause, and because of that the tens of thousands strong expedition had already been reduced to a pitiful number.
Less than two thousand remained alive, each of them wearing expressions of despair carved deep into their features as they knew that death was coming for them—and that it would come soon!
Twitch.
The Azure Thundergryph suddenly halted, its azure-colored ears flicking as the Thunder Beam dissolved, and it slowly turned its gaze toward the west.
"Please… please just leave…" The cultivators below, seeing how the calamity above had ceased its rampage and seemed to have lost interest in them, prayed desperately—to heaven, to earth, to the gods, to the Dao, to anything that might listen—begging for only one thing: that it let them live!
ROOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRR!!!!
FLAP–FLAP.
Their prayers seemed to be answered as, in the very next moment, the Azure Thundergryph unleashed a terrifying roar filled with boundless fury before its massive wings flapped and it crossed an insane distance in an instant.
In but a moment its colossal form loomed before the barrier that kept the cultivators trapped, and with its overwhelming power it was clear that the barrier would be torn apart in an instant, but just then—
Pop.
With a small popping sound a hole suddenly materialized in the barrier just before the demonic beast could destroy it, which allowed it to pass unobstructed, and which also allowed the barrier to remain intact—or at least that was the case, except for the massive hole through which the Azure Thundergryph passed.
"!!!!"
The cultivators below saw the Azure Thundergryph disappear in the distance past the barrier that had kept them 'prisoner'.
But they didn't have the time to cheer for their survival, as all of their attention was fixed on the hole in the barrier… all of their attention was focused on survival!
Because they knew that if they didn't escape this barrier, even with the Azure Thundergryph no longer here, they were still condemned, for there was no way the Flame Sovereign Sect would not come back later to finish the work.
After all, if word of what happened today were to spread it would be far too damaging to the Sect's reputation, and it was clear that they would never allow that!
Swish.
Seeing a chance at survival the cultivators instantly hurled themselves toward the hole in the barrier, desperate to escape this death trap.
Unfortunately—
They were too slow!
Huum.
The barrier almost instantly repaired itself, the hole sealing shut under the despairing gazes of the cultivators.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
Cries of despair resounded from the cultivators who saw their only chance of survival slip through their fingers…
Unfortunately for them, this was the Cultivation World, and their despair meant nothing—they were simply too weak and were consequently crushed in a scheme concocted by those stronger than them.
And this… this was the fate of the weak!
***
Fwoooossshhh.
Meanwhile the Azure Thundergryph, uncaring of the ants she had left alive behind the barrier, was furiously flying forward, her speed terrifying.
With each flap of her immense and majestic wings, adorned with beautiful azure feathers and wreathed in crackling azure thunder, she crossed unfathomable distances.
ROAAARRR!
Cries of rage tore from this apex predator as an unimaginable fury burned in her heart—fury at the thought of her mate, the Crimson Pyrogryph, being under mortal threat, and even more so at the thought of HER Thunder Vein Dew being stolen!
With rage coursing through her veins the Thundergryph continued her flight, but then—her fury only amplified as her gaze fell on something standing in her path.
Leisurely floating in the air tens of kilometers away, which for a creature of her level was nothing, there was an humanoid in crimson Taoist Robes.
An humanoid that she recognized instantly as the thief who had dared to rob her earlier and even worse had wasted some drops of her Thunder Vein Dew!
She didn't know, nor did she care, that this thief was called Sect Master Qin. The only thing that mattered was that this…creature had dared to steal from her, that he was standing there in her way, and that he was at the 1st layer of the Core Perfection Realm but—
So what?
With her terrifying bloodline she was confident in crushing even a creature a couple of small realms above her, so in the same realm?
There was simply no comparison!
The idea of him resisting didn't even pass through her mind, the only 'thought' in her head was to crush this thief who dared to appear before her and then go save her mate!
Bzzzzzz–Krrrraaaack!
The Azure Thundergryph's maw parted as arcs of deadly azure lightning materialized, and within moments they were lashing violently inside her mouth.
The storm grew more powerful and more deadly with every passing second as the arcs fused together into a single concentrated Thunder Beam, still barely contained between her jaws.
Flap.
With another beat of her colossal wings she cut through the air, the distance separating her from the thief shrinking to mere hundreds of meters, close enough that she could clearly see the flicker of surprise—and even fear—on his face.
A twisted smile stretched across the Azure Thundergryph's visage, baring her rows of sharp teeth, and before her prey had the slightest chance to react she released the concentrated lightning she had been holding back.
BZZZZZZZ–KRRRAAAAAAKKKK!!!
The beam of condensed azure lightning surged forth toward Sect Master Qin, who desperately evaded, unwilling to even consider meeting an attack that seemed less like a beast's strike and more like a punishment from the heavens itself!
'It's even stronger than I expected!' he thought grimly, his body twisting in a desperate maneuver as he leapt out of the thunder beam's path.
BOOOOOMMMMM!!!
He felt the azure thunder graze his skin as it passed just beside him before continuing its path and finally colliding with a mountain hundreds of meters away.
That mountain, nearly a kilometer high, was instantly vaporized under the dreadful power contained within the Thunder Beam.
Gulp.
'If I'm struck by that attack at best I'll suffer serious injuries, and at worst I'll be crippled!'
His mood grew grimmer and more serious with every passing second as he cautiously eyed the living calamity whose immense azure eyes glared down at him with a mixture of fury and disdain.
'Still…' the faintest hint of a smile made its way onto Sect Master Qin's features as he confirmed that the worst-case scenario had not come to pass.
'Its power isn't so unreasonable that I am powerless… holding it back for a couple of minutes is certainly not impossible, at least its speed doesn't seem that dreadful.'
Pushing his focus to the limit he realized, 'As long as I evade its azure thunder, holding out is entirely possible!'
With these thoughts circling in his mind he wasted no time before opening his mouth,
"Emperor Flame Arts: Sea of Fire!"
The instant the words left his lips, the temperature within a radius of several kilometers surged by thousands of degrees as what looked like a vast sea of flames materialized in the air.
With a wave of Sect Master Qin's hand, that sea surged forward, crashing toward the Azure Thundergryph.
CRACKLES.
Azure thunder concentrated on the beast's left wing and in an instant what was earlier only a faint electric current transformed into an unchained yet controlled storm, thousands upon thousands of arcs of thunder coiling across her wing before she slashed at the advancing wave.
For a moment the world fell silent, as if even heaven and earth were holding their breath.
Thunder against Fire.
A wing wrapped in azure thunder against a sea of flame.
At that instant it looked less like a clash between a cultivator and a demonic beast and more like the confrontation of two gods, a god of thunder and a god of flame colliding in open defiance of one another.
FWWOOOOOOOOSH–KRRRAAAACK!!!
Flame and thunder met in a world-shaking explosion that tore the air apart as the two forces collided on this battlefield of gods.
For a brief moment they were held in a stalemate before the 'God of Thunder's' attack proved stronger, the sea of flame was torn apart, yet Sect Master Qin still managed to evade the azure thunder and emerged relatively intact.
"..."
Both 'gods' paused for an instant, examining one another, before with a roar and a cry, the demonic beast and the cultivator once again hurled themselves into this devastating struggle.
Shake, Boom, Crack, Kraack!
They clashed repeatedly, each impact shaking the world around them, and what quickly became evident was that Sect Master Qin was at a disadvantage.
At least compared to the Azure Thundergryph he was clearly inferior, but even so, even while pressed down by its overwhelming might, he still managed to hold his ground!
'I've done and am still doing my part now…' he thought as his gaze flickered toward the horizon, ignoring the countless wounds now marking his body.
'I hope you won't disappoint me, especially not you… Lei'er!' With that determined thought blazing in his mind he hurled himself once more into the storm, clashing head-on with the living calamity that was the Azure Thundergryph.
Author Note:
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The Azure Thundergryph really isn't joking around with a Thunder Beam a mountain is vaporized and the Sect Master isn't far behind as with a single Technique he raise the temperature by thousand of degree in a multiples kilometers radius!
With power feats like these I think that calling it a battle of gods is pretty fitting(Of course as 'gods' they are pretty weak but still compared to us poor mortal…yeah, no comparaison)
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