Chapter One Hundred Twenty-One: Reckless Confidence

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Yi An fixed his gaze steadily on the strange bird that faced him, his eyes deep and contemplative.

“Why not have the one behind you step forward and discuss this with me? Perhaps we might still reach some understanding.”

“At this point, there’s no need for secrets or half-measures. You can’t stop me anyway, so why waste your effort?”

Yi An’s words fell into the air, yet the strange bird showed no sign of compromise, its eyes filled with hostility and ready to strike at any moment.

“So, there’s no room for negotiation?” Yi An’s expression shifted, his gaze sharpening with cold resolve. He had no patience left to watch the other’s theatrics. An hour had already passed; if he missed this chance, the next encounter might not end so favorably. He could already foresee that any subsequent attempt would end in failure.

The mastermind behind this was not an inanimate force. His appearance here would undoubtedly alert them. Even a mere half-day would be enough time for them to seal their defenses so thoroughly that Yi An would find no opening.

In the next instant, Yi An saw the bird, which seemed eager to swallow him whole, suddenly abandon its previous hesitation. Agile and fierce, it dove toward him with terrifying speed.

Yi An’s brows furrowed slightly—this was unusual. Could the bird be relying on some hidden advantage to make such a reckless move? Or was it preparing for a desperate last stand to buy its master some precious time?

Foolishness!

That was Yi An’s verdict. Unless the bird could delay him for an entire hour, it was all a waste of effort. He didn’t believe this weak creature could improve so dramatically in such a short span. Even if it was reckless, Yi An had great confidence he could kill it the moment it came close.

“Roar!”

As the bird neared, Yi An suddenly launched his attack, striking down heavily on the creature’s form—decisive and without hesitation.

Yet at that moment, something unexpected happened. The bird, previously at a disadvantage, neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, it fiercely met Yi An’s fatal blow head-on with its sharp claws. It was pushed back less than twenty feet, almost falling, but quickly regained its footing. It was far from the shattered remnants Yi An had anticipated.

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Yi An’s face changed, his gaze darkening with gravity. This bird had undergone a seismic transformation in a short time, as if reborn, its power multiplied tenfold or more. No wonder it dared face him directly.

“Damn it!”

“It’s a waste of a precious resource to pour innate yin-yang energy into such a worthless bird.”

Yi An’s expression grew somber, and he cursed inwardly. The bird’s sudden surge in power couldn’t be without cause. The only plausible explanation was that its unseen master, cornered and desperate, had infused some of their innate yin-yang energy into the creature, enabling it to rival Yi An’s strength in a brief time.

He could think of no other possibility.

This bird was just like the two wild beasts he had previously encountered—they only awakened their intelligence after absorbing a trace of innate yin-yang energy.

What puzzled him was that innate yin-yang energy didn’t directly enhance strength. How had the bird managed this?

But now was not the time for speculation. With the bird glaring at him fiercely, Yi An’s primary task was to end this and then unmask the mastermind. The answers would come with time.

Under Yi An’s overwhelming pressure, the bird appeared unharmed on the surface, but both were of equal caliber, and Yi An was slightly superior. The bird, swollen with confidence, had never attempted to evade, resulting in severe wounds. The energy wave coursed through its body, penetrating deep into its lungs.

Without a few days, it wouldn’t be able to dispel that energy.

“Beasts, no matter how much intelligence they gain, remain limited in wisdom,” Yi An glanced at the creature. His words were not meant as insult. Whether birds or beasts, before they transform into demons, even if they awaken intelligence, it remains shallow—perhaps only as sharp as a human’s mind.

In short, simple minds and strong limbs. Only after demon transformation do they gain full spiritual wisdom. Otherwise, they remain as foolish as this dumb bird before him.

The bird could have used its agility and strength to hold him back.

Though it could not defeat Yi An, it might have bought its master enough time. Then Yi An’s efforts would be in vain.

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Regrettably, the bird would likely never get that chance again. Whether its master would rage in frustration was unknown.

Sensing its dire situation, the bird’s eyes blazed with fierce fighting spirit. Suddenly, it became a streak of light, aiming straight for Yi An’s vital point.

“Bang!”

A muffled sound echoed as the bird’s plan was thwarted once more. It had hoped to use its speed and remaining strength to launch a surprise strike.

The bird was stunned, caught in a daze. One unexpected blow after another nearly shattered its fragile heart.

The next moment, the bird felt its breath falter. When it came to, a bloodstain had appeared on its chest. The pain was brief, fading quickly. Its life was down to its final moment.

Its eyes widened in fury and disbelief. It struggled to comprehend what had just happened—it felt like a dream, surreal and unreal. The fatal strike it had hoped would severely wound or kill Yi An had utterly failed.

What it couldn’t accept was that its full-strength attack hadn’t even shaken Yi An. Until death, it never understood why.

Yi An’s face remained calm as he surveyed the bird’s corpse, shaking his head in regret over the wasted innate yin-yang energy. Having lost a portion of its source, the energy’s effectiveness was greatly diminished.

But the full truth would only be clear once he obtained that fragment of innate yin-yang energy.

“Could it be that the mastermind doesn’t understand the secret of this innate yin-yang energy?” Yi An pondered, the thought growing ever more likely.