'Beast Hunters?!' Ash began to wonder by the time his old memories flashed in his mind.
In his previous world, the Beast Hunters were just run-of-the-mill adventurers whose job was to hunt a Magical Beast in the bounty lists. However, the Beast Hunter in the Immortal Beast Realm was a career that could only be done by elite cultivators.
Their power and strength surpass mortal limitation and are able to alter the landscape as they see fit. With just a punch, the mountain shattered into rubble! With just a slash of their swords, an ocean would split apart for hundreds of miles.
Hailing from the Nine Greater Realms, a party of Beast Hunters consisting of ten elite disciples of a powerful sect were jetting across the blue sky, leaving a trail of clouds behind as they closed the distance.
"No good, they will catch up with me at this rate. I must bring this little one to safety first!" The giant eagle muttered.
Meanwhile, Ash was completely unaware of the strength and cultivation level of the enemies while being cradled in between the giant eagle's talons.
Soon, the wind howled violently without any alarming sound. A moment later, a rain of swords surged from nothingness when one of the hunters deployed his sword intent. The giant eagle couldn't help but to dive from the height at a neck-breaking speed.
On the other hand, Ash was overwhelmed by the acrobatic maneuver, it made him sick and almost threw up. It was his first time to fly, his heart was beating so fast as if it could explode at any second.
"Hold on! This is going to be a rough flight!" Said the giant eagle.
"Aaaaaaaa!!!! Just put me down! Put me down! I'm going to die at this rate!"
As the giant eagle made a sharp downward turn, Ash felt a terrifying killing intent right behind his neck albeit it's not projected directly at him. Slowly, Ash could hear an arrogant voice of a man echoed from afar, it sounded like a choir of death in his ear.
"Deploy the Wind Prison Formation! Now!" Shouted one of the hunters in midair. "Fetch me that eagle's head!"
"Understood, Elder!"
When the formation array was completed, the once clear blue sky gradually darkened as the wind howled, causing a chaotic turbulence in the sky. Soon after, ominous black clouds formation hovered above their heads, creating a thunderous hailstorm in the surrounding area in order to prevent the giant eagle from getting away.
However, the giant eagle was resilient. Even though the air had been thinned by the formation array, he opted to fly towards the eye of the storm instead.
Alas, the leader of the hunters was much faster than the giant eagle. The middle-aged man wearing a regal-looking white robe who was raiding a flying sword beneath his feet, deployed another terrifying sword intent, forcing the giant eagle to stop abruptly, keeping him hovering in one place.
Despite the stark difference of their size, the middle-aged man was completely unfazed. He stared daggers towards the giant eagle, menacingly.
The giant eagle soon recognized the middle-aged man in white robe. He was none other than Elder Zhang himself! The Hall Master of the Kunlun Sect's Beast Taming Hall.
Elder Zhang was a Spirit Severing Cultivator, renowned for his ruthless methods of taming any Spirit Beast that he fancied. He would do anything necessary to bring the beast onto his side. It also includes killing the beast's offspring or their partner to weaken the target beast's mind and soul. Therefore, Elder Zhang could easily brainwash the beast and turn them into his pet.
The giant eagle saw through Elder Zhang's evil scheme from miles away. He still remembers it as clear as a day when Elder Zhang murdered his partner in order to weaken his mind. However, he remained adamant and resisted the temptation of being consumed by rage.
"If it isn't the mighty Tienxing himself? Haha! This is truly my lucky day." Said the Hall Master.
"Zhang Wei..." The giant eagle, Tienxing, snorted. "Hmph! If you think this lousy Formation Array could hold me down, you better run for your life! Before I kill you all!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk…" Zhang Wei clicked his tongue several times. "Your feistiness hasn't changed for the last hundred years, old friend. I gave you a second chance to rethink your decision for refusing my offer, yet you choose to incubate a useless—"
Elder Zhang peeled his eyes open by the time he saw a strand of fine red feather in between Tienxin's talons. He immediately recalled the record in the Heavenly Beast Codex about a certain avian type of Immortal Beast and soon recognized the little beast.
'Are my eyes playing tricks on me? That color pattern, the presence of Primeval Yang Qi... Unmistakably, that little bird is a fledgling Phoenix!' Elder Zhang thought inwardly. 'Hehehe, that little beast would be a fine addition to my collection!'
Aware of the sudden glint of evilness in Zhang Wei's eyes, Tienxin opted to flap his wings with all his might, propelling his body to the upper atmosphere in a single burst.
"After that bird!" Zhang Wei shouted aloud to his disciples.
Their Qi flared up during the pursuit, creating a plethora of colorful cloud trail behind them. Likewise, Tienxing mustered every last drop of his strength to flee.
Checking the fledgling phoenix between his talons, Tienxing was a tad concerned. 'This little one won't survive this fight. The residual energy from their attack could kill him instantly.'
Before long, Tienxing spotted a jetstream nearby, judging from the distance, he was confident to reach it with a single burst.
"I'm sorry little one. From now on, you must survive on your own." The giant eagle said.
Ash had no idea why Tienxing would say that as if it was their last chance to talk to his long lost child. Ash was an orphan in his previous world, and this giant eagle was the closest father figure that he had ever known.
"Wait, how about you? There are many of them! You'd be dead if you fight them alone!" Ash was sincerely concerned about Tienxing.
"Better die rather than being somebody's pet." Tienxing said stoically. "Promise me, no matter what fate has for you in the future, never forfeit your freedom and become somebody's slave or pet."
"I promise."
"Good."
With that said, Tienxing loosened his grip, letting Ash to fall into the jetstream which would bring him to the other side of the supercontinent.