Daoist Competition-Chapter 1095 - 287: Quail Spirit Bird (2)

He didn’t even release the Protective Treasure Light. The quail beneath his feet let out a long cry, and a streak of star fire started from its feathers, spreading across its body in an instant. Red light and black wind flowed and drifted, dazzlingly brilliant. As soon as the Gang Thunder came within thirty meters, pieces of Fire Floss flew out, blocking them all without exception.

Lu Muqiu thought to himself, "No wonder Nie Gui is so arrogant. His abilities are indeed considerable, with this spirit bird protecting him. Ordinary means can’t harm him, but he must also have weaknesses. I need to probe slowly and find them out."

Although he had many Divine Skills, when cultivators fought, they always tried to get their magic artifacts within about ten meters before unleashing their power.

If the distance was a bit far, even if the magic artifact came near, the opponent would have enough time to react and try to evade.

After all, the quail is a spirit bird. With wings creating wind, it flies quickly. At such a distance, even if he had powerful dharma treasures to break the fire, it posed no real threat. Hence, to defeat this person, a novel strategy was needed.

While he was thinking, Nie Gui took a token from his Sleeve Bag, threw it down to his feet, and the token split open with a snap. A three-meter-long, blue-winged, white-bellied, brown-clawed Green Bird Essence emerged. The bird, nimble and light in its flight, fixated on Lu Muqiu as soon as it appeared, winging its way toward him.

Lu Muqiu was not flustered. Calmly using his Escape Skill, he transformed into a wisp of elusive smoke, swiftly flying around the quail while patiently pondering a solution.

The Green Bird Essence, although in pursuit, was always unable to catch up due to his extreme tunneling speed.

Nie Gui did not give chase. Though the Nanhua Sect hardly interacted with Demon Sect disciples, they knew the Hun Cheng Sect’s Flying Escape Technique was extraordinary. The quail, due to its massive body, was not very agile in its movements. Impulsively giving chase would only waste mana, a rather unwise decision.

After flying in circles for an hour, Lu Muqiu still hadn’t made a move. Maintaining a calm gaze, he demonstrated sufficient patience.

However, Nie Gui grew somewhat impatient. He let out a low hum, and the quail raised both heads, its wings vibrating. Suddenly, smoke and flames erupted, and within a hundred meters in every direction, flames and black winds appeared out of nowhere, densely scattered like stars, halting in blue-green.

This was meant to hinder Lu Muqiu’s flight. Yet, there was no trace of panic in his eyes. Like a stream of light, he quickly traversed the heavenly vault; only a gray-white wisp of smoke wove to the right to evade, skillfully avoiding gaps in the fiery net. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Especially the gang cloud above his head, although dull and gray, seemed to contain a subtle suction. If observed closely, vortexes could be seen swirling around him, swallowing any stray winds or flames nearby.

Nie Gui was somewhat surprised and looked at him seriously, raising an eyebrow, "You do have some skill."

Lu Muqiu had only achieved the Nascent Soul state for over a decade, yet was sent by the sect to engage in a sword fight with Xuanmen, which was no mere coincidence.

At the sect’s inner competition, none of his peers, including several Nascent Soul Second Realm cultivators, could avoid defeat at his hands.

Although in intra-sect fighting, many life-risking techniques couldn’t be used, it was enough to demonstrate his extraordinary nature.

After another quarter of an hour, even those spectating started to feel drowsy when Lu Muqiu’s gaze suddenly focused, noticing an inconspicuous move by Nie Gui.

Nie Gui took an elixir pill from his Sleeve Bag, tossed it down, and one of the quail’s heads raised, opening its mouth to swallow it.

This bird usually consumed a hundred large pythons a day. Only a sect like Nanhua, skilled in raising spirit beasts, could afford its sustenance. Once out of the Mountain Gate, it can only consume elixir pills. Activating its Divine Skills greatly depletes its True Essence, necessitating supplementation with elixir to avoid weakness in battle.

A gleam flickered in Lu Muqiu’s eyes. After some thought, he raised two fingers and invoked One Spell.

From the gang cloud above, a grey-black long rope flew out, coiling like a snake. Its front end was a hook with an eagle’s beak. Shrouded in black smoke, it moved like threads of fire.

This hook, named "Desert Chasing Hook," was forged by combining the foul air from ten-thousand-meter depths with Refined Jade Sand honed by the elements over millennia, creating a unified structure. Upon manifestation, it could fly miles away, drawing in spiritual breath and seizing essence.

With a shout, he pointed, commanding the dharma treasure to soar up, circling once in the air before dropping down, directly targeting the Green Bird Essence behind him. With just a twist and a pull, it was shredded.

Seeing the Green Bird Essence so easily dealt with, Nie Gui only glanced indifferently, unimpressed. Instead, the fact that Lu Muqiu finally decided to act pleased him somewhat.

If the stalemate continued, no one knew how long the battle would drag on. He hoped to end it swiftly.

Lu Muqiu, seizing the moment with no obstructions in his way, flew up on clouds, looked down, invoked a spell, and the Desert Chasing Hook let out a strange wail, drawing a long black rope to strike down from a hundred meters high.

Nie Gui’s eyes remained mocking, letting the quail’s fiery feathers resist. The Desert Chasing Hook attacked dozens of times swiftly, all thwarted.

Seemingly another futile attempt, yet Lu Muqiu remained composed, calmly recalled the treasure.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed a barely visible cluster of spiritual breath on the hook, drawn from the quail’s essence. He secretly placed his hand on it, gently caressing until it gradually entered his body.

This Pecking Hook, combined with the Hun Cheng Sect’s Secret Technique, could absorb a bit of essence from its target without contact, even with just a trace of breath. Being undetectable and unfamiliar, those unaware would suffer at first contact.

If the adversary’s essence was strong, losing a bit of essence was negligible. But he noticed this bird couldn’t endure prolonged combat. Already requiring elixir replenishment midway, by employing this method four or five more times, he could drain thirty percent of the spirit bird’s Primordial Qi before detection, significantly reducing the threat.

Much of Nie Gui’s combat prowess relied on this spirit bird. Weakening it would make the battle considerably easier.

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...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)