Fortunately, two coils of vine rope were still fastened around him. They were his lifeline.

Yet in the very next instant, Wei Zhao suddenly caught a highly human glint of mockery in the giant eagle's eerie eyes. Its blood-diamond beak parted slightly, and a visible burst of force effortlessly sliced through the vine rope from afar.

"Damn it!" Wei Zhao could not help cursing. No wonder the vicious bird had chosen to retreat when faced with his twenty-two stances of Frenzied Fire Fist. It turned out that, from beginning to end, it had never regarded him as an opponent at all. It had merely been toying with him.

It was just like a cat playing with a mouse. First, it had to torment and amuse itself to its heart's content before finally sinking its teeth in and killing the mouse.

Wei Zhao had never imagined that a dignified expert at the early Foundation Establishment stage could one day find himself in such a miserable state. More miserable still, a mouse being toyed with by a cat could at least run a couple of steps. As for him, he did not even have the slightest room left to dodge.

At the split-second when the vine rope snapped, Wei Zhao reached out and caught a branch that was about to give way. The Heart-Eroding Exquisite Grass was right beneath his eyes, yet he did not even have the chance to reach out and seize a handful.

At that moment, Wei Zhao had not the slightest room left to fight back. Like a mouse, he had been driven into the very last corner. Whichever way he fled next, the cat would simply swat him back with one paw, then bite him to death.

At last, beyond mere mockery, Wei Zhao saw murderous intent in those eagle eyes.

It was obvious that this aerial tyrant of a vicious bird had had its fill of play.

Just then, the Ghost Thing's voice suddenly rang out in Wei Zhao's mind: "Kid, driven to this point and you still plan to hold out on your own? Aren't you afraid of dying? With your level of strength, losing to a Ghost-Eyed Golden Eagle in a place like this is nothing to be ashamed of."

"A Ghost-Eyed Golden Eagle?" Wei Zhao was momentarily stunned. Then he saw the vicious bird above him throw its beak wide open as vast true qi rapidly gathered within it. In an instant, fierce winds rose, whipping up flying sand and tumbling stones. The creature was indeed preparing to strike the killing blow.

Compared with this display of might, Wei Zhao's twenty-two stances of Frenzied Fire Fist were utterly feeble, not even worth mentioning. Wei Zhao was certain that once the terrifying force gathered in its beak was released, he would have no chance of surviving.

"Little thing, have you had enough?" A mass of black mist suddenly drifted out of the jade pendant's space. The Ghost Thing revealed itself and spoke to the Ghost-Eyed Golden Eagle in a calm voice.

The moment it saw that mass of black mist, the Ghost-Eyed Golden Eagle's imposing aura clearly faltered. After freezing for a moment, it hurriedly drew in its wings, its gathered true qi rapidly dispersing. Then it spoke in a human voice: "This little beast pays respects to Senior. I did not know Senior was here. I have caused offense; please forgive me."

Once a creature reached the middle Foundation Establishment stage, speaking in human language was perfectly normal and hardly surprising. The reason it had not spoken to Wei Zhao earlier was simple: in its eyes, he was nothing more than a tiny prey animal. As a predator, why would it bother conversing with its prey?

"Since you know I am here, why haven't you left yet?" Though the exchange still took place through divine sense, Wei Zhao sensed an unprecedented majesty in the Ghost Thing's aura. More precisely, this was the aura that, according to legend, belonged only to those of superior rank.

"Yes, yes!" The Ghost-Eyed Golden Eagle cast a trembling glance at Wei Zhao, then shot into the sky and rapidly departed. Even in the sight of its receding back, Wei Zhao could clearly sense undisguised shock and fear.

To frighten off the mighty and previously haughty Ghost-Eyed Golden Eagle with a casual remark immediately reminded Wei Zhao of the time he had faced the Five-Fiend Dragon, when the Ghost Thing had done exactly the same thing.

After frightening away the Ghost-Eyed Golden Eagle, the Ghost Thing soon returned to the jade pendant's space. Wei Zhao hurriedly expressed his gratitude: "Many thanks, Senior Ghost, for coming to my aid. I am truly indebted to you."

The Ghost Thing gave a mocking chuckle. "Now you know how to be grateful? Why were you so stubborn just now instead of asking this old man for help? I thought you had become capable enough to deal with an existence like the Ghost-Eyed Golden Eagle. Turns out you were merely a dead duck with a hard beak, stubbornly holding out for no reason!"

Wei Zhao could only give an awkward reply. "I was in a panic and didn't think of it."

That was only partly sincere. With Wei Zhao's memory, he naturally remembered the Ghost Thing's abilities and knew that this mysterious senior had a particular way with spirit beasts. But when had he ever encountered a Foundation Establishment spirit beast before? What if the Ghost Thing's ability proved ineffective, and after emerging, it was instead injured by the spirit beast, damaging its primordial spirit? Wouldn't that leave him in an even worse predicament?

Those little calculations of Wei Zhao's completely escaped no notice from the Ghost Thing. With a chuckle, it said, "Actually, when you encountered that Nine-Tailed Cloud-Piercing Leopard earlier, this old man already wanted to lend you a hand. But you turned out to be quite something, kid. Without saying a word, you relied on nothing but your early Foundation Establishment strength to deal with the creature. You certainly opened this old man's eyes!"

After a pause, the Ghost Thing continued, "But if you could even deal with a Ghost-Eyed Golden Eagle, this old man would really have to find an opportunity to slice you up and study you. Or perhaps I would simply suspect that some powerful primordial spirit had possessed your body. Fortunately, you are not quite as outrageous as that!"

Slice him up and study him? Possessed by a powerful primordial spirit? A bead of cold sweat immediately slid down Wei Zhao's forehead. This Senior Ghost certainly had quite an imagination.

"Senior Ghost, you overestimate me far too much. This Ghost-Eyed Golden Eagle is so ferocious; how could I possibly be its match? I did not even touch a single feather from beginning to end. It was the one toying with me the entire time..." Wei Zhao let out a bitter, somewhat disgruntled laugh, then asked in confusion, "Speaking of which, forgive my curiosity, Senior Ghost, but what exactly is your origin? Why is even a powerful existence like the Ghost-Eyed Golden Eagle so afraid of you?"

Afraid was putting it mildly. Although the Ghost-Eyed Golden Eagle had tried its best to maintain its imposing bearing, Wei Zhao had clearly felt every muscle in its body stiffen after the Ghost Thing appeared. Even its wings beat with extreme difficulty. It might well have fallen straight out of the sky.

Judging by all the signs, this was an instinctive trembling from the very depths of its soul, not the result of some special ability.

The cultivation world had always operated by the law of the jungle. The Ghost Thing was now merely a fragment of a primordial spirit, yet it could make a vicious bird as mighty as the aerial overlord Ghost-Eyed Golden Eagle tremble in fear. How powerful must it have been at the height of its strength?

The Ghost Thing remained silent for a moment before saying, "Very well. You will find out sooner or later anyway, so I may as well tell you now and let you prepare yourself in advance. But first, kid, finish what you came here to do. We can talk afterward."

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