Chapter 307: Saving the Vermilion Bird (1)
Virtuous Heaven Temple's Overseer sliced through the monsters like a hot knife cuts through butter. With every swing of her blade, a monster fell. She made it look easy, but for Shen Jingbin's group, taking these monsters on posed some difficulty. Despite that, they were able to clean out a sizeable area.
Not needing to worry about the monsters sneaking up on her any longer, Virtuous Heaven Temple's Overseer turned all of her attention to dealing with the Vermilion Bird flying above her. Currently, it was restrained by the red light and unable to break free, no matter how it struggled. The black threads on its body suddenly surged upwards to twist and distort; lashing out at her like a whip.
The monsters around them seemed to have gone berserk because of the Vermilion Bird's rage. Seeing this, the Overseer felt compelled to issue a warning. "Look out for those Soul Locking Threads. Make sure you don't get hit! If you're hit by the Vermilion Bird's Soul Locking Threads, your soul will be trapped, and you'll become its puppet; just like those monsters. When that happens, you'll never be free unless you defeat the Vermillion Bird."
Everyone was taken aback when they heard her warning. At first, they were only focused on killing the monsters. Now, they had no choice but to do their best to dodge those tentacle-like Soul Locking Threads. The Overseer glanced at them before turning her attention back to the Vermilion Bird. She pursed her red lips, used her legs to exert a bit of strength, and leapt straight into the air; appearing before the Vermillion Bird in the blink of an eye.
The Vermilion Bird cried out before opening its mouth. 'Boom!' A jet-black ball of fire erupted from its beak.
"It looks like you've still got quite a bit of spirit even after being locked up for so long. I must've gone too easy on you in the past!" The Overseer said as she stared straight into the Vermilion Bird's eyes that were devoid of any white. Her expression turned cold, and she whipped her long sleeves forward to deflect the fireball towards the throng of monsters below; immediately burning all of the monsters in a wide area to death.
Holding her golden sword in her right hand, she placed her left index finger and middle finger against her forehead and pulled out another sword that radiated a silver glow. She then combined the two swords and pulled a flower from her sleeve to obstruct the Vermillion Bird's vision. At the same time, she rushed forward to attack and viciously plunged her blade into the Vermillion Bird's abdomen.
Everything happened in an instant. The ones fighting hard only heard the Vermillion Bird's shriek above them before an object slammed heavily into the ground.
All of the monsters' movements instantly became strangely sluggish; as if they were frozen in time. Shortly after, a few of them began to move again and dazedly examined their surroundings. Looks of shock appeared on their faces when they found that they were at Virtuous Heaven Temple, and they immediately beat a hasty retreat. More and more monsters gradually regained consciousness, but each of them reacted the same way. Not long after, not a single monster was left. If not for the traces of battle left by their fight, Shen Jingbin would've thought that everything she'd seen was all a dream.
The Overseer sheathed her sword, walked over to the Vermilion Bird's side, and kicked its body. "Come over and help me get this thing back into the temple," She said to Shen Jingbin and the others.
In the game, NPCs were kings, and none of them had the slightest inclination to decline her. They obediently approached the Vermilion Bird.
"Master!" Shao Feng, who was hidden inside the temple, could tell from the silence that the battle was over and hurriedly ran out.
The Overseer awarded her disciple with a rap on the head. "I told you to guard the temple, and this is how you do it? If I'd been late or held up by other matters, Virtuous Heaven Temple would've been destroyed."
Shao Feng covered the spot where he'd been hit and looked at his Master with the expression of a kicked puppy.
"What're you staring at me for? Quickly, go help. Clean up after yourself."
"Okay," Came Shao Feng's pitiful response. He jogged up to Shen Jingbin's group and began helping them move the paralyzed Vermilion Bird into the temple. It currently couldn't move, and it wasn't able to shoot flames out of its mouth, but its feral glare still creeped him out. In response, Shao Feng took out a piece of dark colored cloth and covered the Vermillion BIrd's head with it.
Realising that everyone was now staring at him, he offered an awkward explanation. "Its… its glare was too intense. I was worried that you ladies might be scared, so… right, so I covered it up. No thanks are needed."
Heh, you're the one who's actually scared!
After the fight, Qi Mu took the initiative to heal everyone and cleanse their negative status effects before helping them out. All of them worked together to move the Vermilion Bird into the temple.
"I'm the Overseer of Virtuous Heaven Temple, Xu Sheng. Your efforts today prevented this incident from becoming a catastrophe." After resealing the Vermilion Bird, Xu Sheng bade them be seated in the main hall. "Are you the Lead Disciples of the Six Great Sects?"
"We are," Quiet and Steadfast said as he cupped his fist in greeting
"If my guess is right, you've come to the Southern Sea in search for someone, right?" Asked Xu Sheng.
Quiet and Steadfast nodded.
"Then, the day has finally come." Xu Sheng let out a heavy sigh. "I happen to know the person you're looking for. As repayment for your help, I'll be your guide."