Although Lu Jingming found the earlier piercing call extremely imposing, no fear stirred within him. After all, with Jingliu by his side, even if the legendary Beast God Emperor Tian himself appeared, he didn't think he'd be too afraid… well, maybe just a little—mostly worried about getting caught in the crossfire and losing his life.
As the call grew louder and closer, the surrounding air seemed to ignite, and the temperature soared rapidly. The once lush, vibrant leaves quickly withered and yellowed before his eyes, as if life itself was being instantly drained away.
Soon, a gigantic bird-type spirit beast appeared within his sight.
This bird was unlike any ordinary creature. Its wingspan stretched several meters wide, with bones clearly visible beneath a layer of dark red, molten-lava-like armor. Its wings were woven from burning black flames and brilliant golden feathers, each feather seeming to hold boundless power.
Its beak, forged like obsidian, gleamed with a purplish-red destructive energy at the tip, as if a single peck could tear through space itself.
Its molten-gold vertical pupils burned like twin flames, radiating a chilling, heart-stopping light. Even more extraordinary, it trailed seven long tails behind it, which flickered like comets across the sky, their ends crumbling to ash that scattered in the air. Wherever they passed, the air twisted and scorched, leaving scorched marks in their wake.
Such a rare and strange bird-type spirit beast was something Lu Jingming had never seen before—nor had it ever been described in the original stories.
He couldn't help but reflect inwardly that the variety of spirit beasts in the original work was far too limited. Having just entered the Starfall Forest, he had already encountered two beasts he had never heard of.
Judging from this bird's appearance and imposing aura, it was likely a top-tier spirit beast with a supreme bloodline.
Otherwise, how could it have so thoroughly intimidated the Black Flame Demon Tiger, itself a thousand-year spirit beast?
Indeed, a careful sensing confirmed this newly appeared bird was also a thousand-year spirit beast. Despite its shocking looks and impressive aura, its spirit power fluctuations weren't much stronger than the Black Flame Demon Tiger's.
This meant the two beasts were roughly equal in age, but their actual combat strength could differ greatly.
The difference in strength among spirit beasts depends not just on age, but on species and bloodline quality—much like snakes can never compare to dragons of the same age.
On Douluo Continent, the age of a spirit beast is discerned not only by its external traits but also by sensing the fluctuations in its spirit power.
Of course, some exceptional spirit beasts can conceal their spirit power fluctuations.
But most spirit beasts under a hundred thousand years old don't bother hiding their aura.
Furthermore, judging a beast's age by its spirit power fluctuations usually only gives a rough estimate, never an exact figure.
For example, from the fluctuations emitted by this bird, one could estimate its cultivation at roughly between one and three thousand years.
To narrow it down further, one must also consider its physical traits and other factors.
"One thousand five hundred years… Scorching Radiance Bird, bearing phoenix bloodline, attributes: Destruction and Fire," Jingliu's calm voice rang out. At the same time, frost seeped from her hand as moisture in the air quickly froze, and a long sword radiating chilling coldness appeared in her grasp.
"Shriek!"
The Scorching Radiance Bird seemed to sense the threat from Jingliu and let out a piercing cry.
It suddenly unfurled its black flame-wreathed wings, and countless feathers instantly transformed into a torrential meteor shower of fire, raining down upon Jingliu.
The scene was like a shower of fiery meteors, scorching hot and seeming to burn everything to ashes.
Jingliu remained composed, lightly swinging her sword. A streak of ice-blue sword qi flashed like lightning, sweeping across the air and instantly freezing it into a crystal-clear ice curtain.
The fiery feathers froze mid-air upon contact with the chilling sword energy, then shattered like hailstones, falling to the ground with crisp sounds.
Seeing this attack fail, to Lu Jingming's surprise, the bird didn't retreat at all. Instead, it charged at Jingliu with fierce determination—somewhat reckless.
Its beak rapidly gathered a powerful destructive force, forming a raging orb of black flames.
With a mighty flap of its wings, its whole body shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring. The destruction-laden beak slashed through the void, leaving a long, terrifying black streak, as if attempting to tear the very fabric of space apart.
Jingliu moved as if she were strolling through a quiet garden, her steps light and graceful as she elegantly sidestepped the fierce strike.
At the same time, she raised the icy sword in her hand, and with perfect precision, gently tapped the Scorching Radiance Bird with the blade.
Though it seemed like a casual, effortless strike, the power behind it was beyond imagination.
The bird recoiled as if hit by a heavy hammer, its entire body hurtling like a high-speed projectile, roaring through the air as it smashed directly into a massive tree.
With a dull, thunderous crash, it embedded itself deeply into the trunk, causing the surrounding trees to tremble violently from the tremendous impact.
"Go ahead. Its destruction attribute suits you well," Jingliu said calmly as she sheathed her icy sword, as if the fierce battle just now had been nothing more than a light tap on the air.
Lu Jingming nodded, a hint of admiration shining in his eyes.
Inwardly, he wondered when he would be able to move like Jingliu—every gesture filled with elegance and strength so overwhelming that a mere casual motion could effortlessly defeat those formidable foes he once thought invincible.
Indeed, this Scorching Radiance Bird was a variant born of the phoenix bloodline. Though only one thousand five hundred years old, it possessed unparalleled destructive power.
With such strength, its true combat capability rivaled that of spirit beasts cultivated for over five thousand years, making it one of the elite among spirit beasts.
To put it in perspective, spirit beasts over five thousand years old equate roughly to the power level of human spirit masters at the Soul Sect rank, while those around a thousand years typically only reach the Soul Respect level.
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