Chapter 176. The Three-Headed Ghost Race, Instant Kill With One Sword, Soaring Killing Intent

Lu Yuan couldn't pinpoint the Golden-Winged Great Peng's exact location, but he could clearly sense its condition thanks to the Blood Bond they shared.

It was gravely wounded. It had yet to suffer any fatal wounds, but it was still in anger. The Golden-Winged Great Peng was still being pursued. It was still being hunted.

"Whoever dared to attack the Golden-Winged Great Peng shouldn't be from this world." Lu Yuan's expression turned cold. He knew very well that only beings from the Outer Cosmos would dare to make such a brazen move.

Not long ago, he had personally killed three Nether Bulls to make an example of them and intimidate the rest. Yet despite that warning, they still dared to stir up trouble.

Those beings from the Outer Cosmos were surely smart enough to know that the Golden-Winged Great Peng was his mount. Lu Yuan quietly rose from his seat and walked straight out of his residence.

Outside, Ice Fairy and Zhu Qingyu immediately approached him. In truth, they had been standing outside for quite some time now, but they dared not disturb him.

They were afraid that interrupting him could affect his condition. Now that he had emerged on his own, they promptly reported what the officials had discovered about the Golden-Winged Great Peng's plight.

"The Nether Bulls are involved. And based on our surveillance, there are other beings from outer space watching closely. We assume they're ready to strike at any moment," Ice Fairy explained in detail. She had already reached the Unfettered Realm and became a part of the Celestial Court.

This meant that, in terms of hierarchy, Lu Yuan was her superior. Both she and Zhu Qingyu were assigned as assistants to the Lord of the Celestial Court.

They were pleased with this arrangement, as it meant they could remain by Lu Yuan's side more often than not.

"I understand." Lu Yuan nodded calmly. "Do you know where the Golden-Winged Great Peng is right now?"

The Golden-Winged Great Peng was wounded and being hunted by powerful enemies. Time was of the essence.

"Yes. We've been tracking it with the assistance of our ground forces."

Zhu Qingyu immediately transmitted every relevant piece of information to Lu Yuan. This was the true strength of the officials on display. With access to the best resources across the nation, they could find anyone with the tiniest lead.

Lu Yuan glanced at the data. He memorized the Golden-Winged Great Peng's approximate location. Then, he turned toward the two women.

"Good." He nodded and stepped forward. He rose into the air, and a powerful surge of energy erupted from him as his figure flew into the distance.

Those at the Golden Body Realm were capable of flight. In fact, they could move faster than sound.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Looks like we really can't slack off after joining the Celestial Court," remarked Ice Fairy as she stared at Lu Yuan's departing figure in the distance. She sounded emotional. She clearly remembered the first time she had seen him.

Back then, she believed they were at roughly the same level.

Even after Lu Yuan displayed his overwhelming strength, she still felt that she could eventually catch up to him. However, the distance between them was only growing wider with every passing day.

"Yeah. We need to work even harder." Zhu Qingyu nodded, and a complex but different emotion flickered briefly in her eyes as she added, "At the very least, we can't disgrace the Celestial Court's reputation. We have to keep up behind him."

Lu Yuan checked his communicator again to confirm the exact location of the Golden-Winged Great Peng. Then, he accelerated, shattering the sound barrier to streak across the heavens like a fighter jet, leaving a long trail of air in his wake.

Meanwhile, the Golden-Winged Great Peng beat its massive wings, and its feathers erupted with light. It had already entered the Golden Body Realm, and its overall level of strength had surged drastically.

Its innate ability to fly had improved dramatically as well, reaching an astonishing level. The aura it released was far stronger than before, no weaker than the Peacock King.

It had become truly powerful, but despite that, the Golden-Winged Great Peng was gravely wounded. Fresh blood dripped continuously from its wings, slowing it down.

"Damn it. They actually ambushed me. They're despicable! Absolutely despicable!" The Golden-Winged Great Peng roared, its eyes burning with fury. It possessed a bloodline far stronger than most creatures in this world, so it had great potential to advance further down the path of evolution.

Proud by nature, the fact that it was wounded and was being hunted down like this was an unbearable humiliation for it. However, it had no choice but to keep fleeing. Those beings from outer space were all a full realm above it in strength.

"Stop running. You can't escape. Just be obedient and die." A voice rang out from behind. Moments later, multiple powerful auras surged forward.

The Nether Bulls tore through the air, closing in at high speed.

They were all Venerable Kings, far stronger than the three Nether Bulls that were killed at Mount Tai. Under normal circumstances, killing the Golden-Winged Great Peng wouldn't be difficult for them.

Unfortunately, the Golden-Winged Great Peng was extremely fast, and they had to go all out just to barely keep up with it. On top of that, the humans had deployed unknown weapons against them, and they almost lost track of the Golden-Winged Great Peng.

"Keep dreaming. I'm not your match, but my master will kill you all once he gets here!" the Golden-Winged Great Peng roared, glancing back. It knew the fate of those three Nether Bulls, which was precisely why it had fled toward Mount Tai.

"Your master?"

"I'm afraid you won't get that chance."

A cold voice suddenly echoed from ahead, carrying an intimidating, chilling aura that pressed down on everything around it.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng's heart trembled. It looked forward and instinctively slowed its flight.

A towering figure nearly ten meters tall hovered in midair. Its form was vaguely humanoid, but three heads rose from its shoulders, each sporting a different expression, which all looked grotesque.

The figure brandished a divine halberd emanating waves of oppressive power with three distinct lights flowing across its shaft. The eyes of the middle head were filled with coldness and soaring killing intent.

It's over.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng's expression changed drastically at the sight. The three-headed being was also a Venerable King, and it was clearly stronger than the four Nether Bulls behind.

With an ambush ahead and pursuers behind it, its chances of survival were grim.

"Weren't you good at running? Go on, keep running."

The four Nether Bulls finally caught up, and their auras fluctuated violently as they came to a halt. The Golden-Winged Great Peng was simply too fast, and its bloodline was superior to theirs. Under normal circumstances, they would have abandoned the chase long ago, but orders from above were absolute.

They pressed forward together, unleashing the full extent of their auras.

"Let me handle this. I haven't killed anyone yet since I got here," said the Three-Headed Ghost, his gaze sharp and composed. "None of my people has ever hunted a Golden-Winged Great Peng.

"And this one has a Mythical Bloodline flowing in it. Even though it is still a juvenile, it is still a Golden-Winged Great Peng. That means I'm about to be the first one to kill such a creature among my people."

His words brimmed with confidence, as the difference in their realms meant he could easily suppress the Golden-Winged Great Peng. The Golden-Winged Great Peng's lineage was famous across all starfields. After killing it, he could refine its blood essence to further his own evolution.

"Let's see if you have what it takes," the Golden-Winged Great Peng coldly said, unwilling to wait for death. It still had some tricks up its sleeve. It could use one of them to escape this pinch, but it would have to pay a massive price for it.

At this point, however, it could no longer afford to hold anything back.

"

Hmph.

I guess you really want to die." All three faces of the Three-Headed Ghost twisted with anger and unleashed waves of killing intent. The trident in his hand also gave off an ominous aura.

Without hesitation, he channeled power into it, forming a violent storm that tore apart the surrounding clouds.

With a thunderous roar, the trident wrapped in a dazzling three-colored light shot forward, ripping through the sky like a bolt of lightning. His goal was clear. He wanted to impale the Golden-Winged Great Peng to death.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng felt a terrifying sense of crisis. Golden light erupted from its wings, surging outward like countless heavenly swords. Faced with the attack, it immediately went all out.

Just as it was about to attack, it suddenly stopped and withdrew all its power.

Just like that, it hovered calmly, facing the oncoming trident with no intention of either avoiding or blocking it.

What's going on? Has it gone mad?

The Three-Headed Ghost and the Nether Bulls were stunned.

Just then, an intense sense of crisis washed over them, and their souls jolted as a figure shrouded in golden light appeared and snatched the trident in midair. The newcomer's movements were smooth as if the terrifying power contained within the trident posed no threat to him at all.

Impossible! I went all-out! How did he stop it so easily?!

The Three-Headed Ghost exclaimed inwardly. Then, he tried to recall the trident, but it wouldn't budge even an inch.

"Not bad at all. It can barely be considered a divine material," said the figure shrouded in a golden light. When the light faded, the figure was revealed, and it was none other than Lu Yuan.

He glanced at the trident, a faint delight flickering in his eyes.

The weapon resembled the Vatican's holy relics and could be used to evolve the Great Luo Sword Embryo. Had it not been for that fact, he wouldn't have bothered catching it.

"Master." The Golden-Winged Great Peng lowered its head respectfully. It hadn't resisted earlier, as it knew its master had arrived. Now that his master was here, it was no longer in danger.

"It's that human! He's the one who killed our people!"

"This is bad. He's too strong for us to fight! Run!"

The Nether Bulls were instantly horrified. Without any hesitation, they turned and fled at full speed. Hunting the Golden-Winged Great Peng was one thing, but with this human present, they had no chances of survival.

"Too late," Lu Yuan calmly said. He didn't even turn his head as the Great Luo Sword Embryo appeared in his hand. Moments later, streams of sword light erupted from it.

Then, he swung once, performing the Heaven-Earth Sword.

Swoosh! Boom!

A radiant sword light erupted, slicing every Nether Bull in the distance into two. After the clean cleave, the sword light continued onward, cleaving the top of a nearby hill. Yes, Lu Yuan cleaved a literal hill in two with just one sword strike.

Lu Yuan didn't move even an inch. He turned his gaze to the Three-Headed Ghost and said, "I have no grudge against your race. However, you came looking for trouble, so I have no choice but to send you on your way."

RUMBLE!

The power within him exploded like a river bursting through a shattered dam.

The Three-Headed Ghost recoiled, utterly shaken. He couldn't believe it. A human from this world had actually reached such a level of strength? How was that even possible?

He thought of fleeing, but he knew it was impossible. Lu Yuan's killing intent had already locked onto him. The moment he moved, he would be torn apart by a storm of Lu Yuan's fury.

"Behind me stands the Three-Headed Ghost Race, one of the strongest races in the Outer Cosmos! I am acting under the orders of a Ranker of the Celestial Race, the tenth strongest among the Outer Cosmos' younger generation!

"If you kill me, our two races will definitely avenge me!"

Fear gripped him, yet his backers gave him the courage to shout in defiance. The Three-Headed Ghost Race and the Celestial Race both stood at the pinnacle of the starfields in the Outer Cosmos.

No one from the Outer Cosmos would dare to provoke him.

"So what?" Lu Yuan's expression didn't change, even in the slightest. "If your people insist on provoking me, then I'll slaughter them all myself!"