Chapter Sixty-One: Can’t I Take a Moment’s Rest?
Wild flames raged through the dense forest, leaving Qin Chuan almost no place to stand. The searing heat had turned the sword's blade scaldingly hot.
“Damn, this fellow is ruthless. He really wants me to die in this inferno!”
Qin Chuan maneuvered the Cold Iron Sword, leaping here and there, with the rapidly spreading fire chasing close behind.
The Swift Firebird Lord fixed his gaze ahead and spoke in a sinister tone, “Fly forward and unleash your ultimate moves, ignite the woods—make sure he dies in the flames!”
“Yes, sir!”
Soon, the woods before Qin Chuan were ablaze as well, and the fire gradually encircled him.
“This time, let’s see if you survive!”
“Reform the formation—prepare for flame jet!”
To ensure Qin Chuan’s death, the Swift Firebird Lord ordered his remaining soldiers to regroup.
He led the swift firebirds into four squads, arranged in a 1-2-1 formation.
This time, the lord had learned from experience. He kept his subordinates away from the big trees, hovering twenty-five meters above the ground, ready to deliver a fatal blow at the last moment.
Meanwhile, Qin Chuan hopped and dodged through the flames, looking utterly bedraggled.
Suddenly, Qin Chuan shouted from below, “Hey, Swift Firebird Lord, right? How about we negotiate?”
The lord assumed Qin Chuan was about to surrender. A smug satisfaction grew within him, and he replied mockingly, “You’re at death’s door, begging for mercy now—isn’t it a bit late? But go ahead, speak.”
Qin Chuan responded nonchalantly, “Ah, it’s really nothing major. Could you guys come down a bit?”
“Haha! Ridiculous! Do you think we’re fools?”
“If we come down, we’ll be in your attack range. We’re not that stupid!”
“How could someone suggest such a dumb plan? Maybe his spirit core has been burned out by the fire!”
“Haha, exactly!”
...
For a moment, even the Swift Firebird Lord couldn’t help but sneer. Seeing Qin Chuan’s miserable state brought them some satisfaction.
Hearing their mocking, Qin Chuan mused to himself, “Laugh all you want—soon, you’ll pay dearly.”
Three seconds later, the eyes of Qin Chuan’s consciousness flashed with a cold light.
The Cold Iron Sword emitted a sharp hum, a faint purple radiance enveloping its blade, and its dark dragon pattern shone vividly in the flames.
“Ha! My skill cooldown is finally over!”
“Flow Strike!”
“Chirp!”
Without hesitation, Qin Chuan locked onto the Swift Firebird Lord.
The Cold Iron Sword, engulfed by the flames, shot skyward in an instant, heading straight for the lord, suspended in midair.
At that moment, the sword radiated an aura of sharpness, resembling an unstoppable flying blade.
Qin Chuan’s earlier words were far from idle—they were a deliberate ruse to lull the firebirds into complacency.
From the start of the battle, Qin Chuan had attacked only once.
Although he had previously used Flow Strike and Blink, the lord had not witnessed them.
Thus, the Swift Firebird Lord assumed Qin Chuan’s maximum attack range was only twenty meters.
Qin Chuan exploited this misconception, feigning ignorance and lulling his opponent, then used the blaze as cover to launch a sudden assault.
His strategy worked perfectly—the lord only realized the danger when the Cold Iron Sword was three meters away.
But it was already too late.
“Thud!”
“Ding! 25% slow effect triggered.”
“Ding! Critical hit triggered—damage increased by 150% and knockback effect applied.”
“Ding! Killed Level 20, Tier Three, inferior variant Swift Firebird Lord. Gained 31,250 experience points. Cross-rank kill bonus: 100% extra experience. Congratulations, host, you’ve gained 62,500 experience points.”
“Ding! Killed the elite subordinate of the ruler of the Deer Plains. Extra experience reward: 62,500 points.”
“Ding! Mutation skill ‘Slaughter’ triggered.”
Qin Chuan’s previous ultimate had wiped out 110 swift firebirds, his rage meter was overflowing, so this attack landed as a critical hit.
Now, Qin Chuan’s sharpness stat had reached 468+, and on a critical hit, it soared to an outrageous 700+.
Besides, the firebirds’ tenacity was inferior even to the black-winged birds, so being taken out by Qin Chuan’s critical hit was only natural.
Yet, what seemed normal to Qin Chuan was utterly abnormal—and terrifying—to the swift firebirds.
“The lord was slain in a single strike?!”
“How is this possible?!”
“Am I seeing things?”
...
In an instant, all the swift firebirds were dumbfounded.
It was simply too unbelievable.
Qin Chuan heard the system prompt and was elated: “Damn, a Tier Three lord is really sweet—over a hundred thousand experience in a single go, this is just awesome!”
While the remaining firebirds hovered stunned, Qin Chuan slid upward five meters and unleashed an ultimate on their formation.
“Falling Sky Flow Strike!”
Purple light flashed, and a hundred sword shadows rained down from above.
“Swish, swish, swish!”
“Ahhhh!”
The ultimate engulfed the lord’s squad; within moments, only fifteen firebirds remained.
The firebirds’ anguished cries woke the fifteen survivors, who swiftly spread their wings and flew past the edge of the attack.
As a well-trained "air force," they always followed the lead formation, regardless of the situation.
Thus, the three other squads, newly roused, followed the fifteen swift firebirds in perfect formation—straight into the range of Qin Chuan’s ultimate.
“Ha! You really are handing yourselves over! Haha!”
Although Qin Chuan had anticipated this, it still felt exhilarating when it actually happened.
“Ahhhh!”
“Ding! Kill...”
...
Three seconds later, another five-meter vacuum was created.
With this round, Qin Chuan effortlessly claimed another 109 kills.
Two ultimates had wiped out four squads—a feat unprecedented for both sides.
“Mother of mercy, this Dark Demon Sword is terrifying!”
“Fly, fly! Don’t look back!”
“Damn, for once I regret not having an extra pair of wings!”
...
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! The remaining swift firebirds vanished in a blink, flying hundreds of meters in a heartbeat, quickly disappearing into the horizon.
They came quickly, and left even faster.
“Hey, don’t run! Damn, my quadruple experience bonus!”
Watching the remnants flee in panic, Qin Chuan cried out in dismay—it was enough to break anyone’s heart.
“You’re too much! Fleeing so fast—I don’t even have wings, how am I supposed to chase you?”
Qin Chuan had always despised those who fled from battle; now, he felt a pang of regret as well.
After all, no one likes to watch birds and sigh...
“Devour the source!”
Qin Chuan inhaled voraciously at the pile of swift firebirds that had fallen from the sky.
“Ding, devour successful, gained 6,000 evolution points.”
“Ding, devour successful, gained 380 evolution points.”
...
Meanwhile, the flames continued to blaze. Qin Chuan returned to his starting point and was immediately swallowed by the fire.
A black sword flashed out from the heart of the flames, its blade shimmering with faint purple light, hopping several times to escape the burning area.
“Thank heaven for my 0.6 seconds of invincibility—otherwise, I’d be a goner, if not skinned alive.”
This round, Qin Chuan claimed 220 kills, and thanks to quadruple experience, his haul was considerable.
Evolution points: 294,800 / 1,638,000
Experience: 1,218,400 / 13,107,200
Rage: 80 / 100
At that moment, the sound of spirit beasts running and roaring echoed around him.
Qin Chuan’s lips twitched involuntarily. “Damn, can’t I ever get a moment’s rest?”