Beast Taming Star Journey

The chilling voice, like an icicle, pierced my spine. I gripped Su Yao's hand tightly, forcing myself to calm down. Behind the barrier, shadowy figures loomed, indistinct, but the chilling malice emanating from them was palpable, suffocating me. The Di Envoy cowered behind me, clutching my clothes in fear, trembling as he said, "They...they're here..." I took a deep breath, suppressing my fear. Escape, I had to escape! I channeled my inner energy, commanding my beast—the Sky-Splitting Thunder Eagle—to attack the barrier. The Thunder Eagle let out a sharp cry, its wings crackling with violent lightning, slamming into the barrier. "Boom!" A deafening roar erupted, lightning shattered, and the dark barrier trembled violently, but only a ripple appeared before returning to normal. The recoil traveled from the Thunder Eagle to me; I groaned, feeling my blood surge, a sweet taste rising in my throat, almost spitting out blood. "Useless," the cold voice rang out again, tinged with mockery. "This barrier, how could you possibly break it?" I suppressed the surging blood within me and commanded the Thunder Eagle to attack once more, but the result was the same. The barrier remained unmoved, yet I was repeatedly injured by the recoil. My face grew paler and paler, my vision blurred, and I almost collapsed. Su Yao supported me, her face also grim. The Di Envoy was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, muttering incoherent words. Despair washed over me like a tidal wave. Were we really going to be trapped here to die? I gritted my teeth, unwilling to accept my fate. I still had Su Yao, and I still had the Di Envoy; I had to find a way to escape! I tried to stay conscious, racking my brains for a solution. Suddenly, Su Yao seemed to have an idea. Her eyes lit up, and she grabbed my arm, saying urgently, "Nong Yu, I... I've thought of a way!" Her voice trembled slightly, yet it was full of hope. I looked at her; her eyes shone with unwavering determination, a light that seemed to dispel the despair in my heart and rekindle the flame of hope within me. "What method?" I asked eagerly. Su Yao took a deep breath and pointed to a special symbol on the barrier, saying, "I once saw it in an ancient text. This kind of barrier isn't unbreakable. You just need to find the array's core and inject enough power into it to break it!" Her tone carried a hint of excitement, but even more so, a solemnity. "The array's core?" I followed her finger; at the center of a complex, spiderweb-like pattern was a tiny, almost imperceptible black dot. "That's right," Su Yao nodded firmly, "that's it! But this requires extremely precise control of power. A slight mistake will not only fail to break the array but will actually strengthen the barrier." My heart skipped a beat; this was undoubtedly a gamble. But now, we had no other choice. "What do you need me to do?" I asked firmly. Su Yao quickly drew a triangular pattern on the ground. "You stand here and command your Thunder Eagle to concentrate its power here," she said, pointing to one vertex of the triangle. Then she pointed to another vertex. "Envoy Di, you stand here." After assigning positions, Su Yao stood at the last vertex of the triangle, took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and slowly raised her hands. A powerful energy wave emanated from her body. I could feel the surrounding air trembling because of this power. "Ready?" Su Yao opened her eyes, her gaze piercing. I nodded, mobilizing all my inner energy and commanding the Thunder Eagle to concentrate its lightning power at the vertex of the triangle. Although Envoy Di didn't have the ability to control beasts, he followed Su Yao's instructions and injected his meager power into the triangle. As the power of the three of us converged, the triangular pattern began to emit a dazzling light, echoing the array eye on the barrier. "Now!" Su Yao shouted, releasing her power without reservation. I felt a powerful suction force emanating from the array's core, the lightning power of the Thunder Eagle surging into it like a rushing river. With a deafening roar, the black barrier collapsed like shattered glass! We were finally out! However, before I could even breathe a sigh of relief, a chilling laugh came from behind: "Trying to escape? Not so easy!" I turned around and saw dozens of men in black pouring out from the broken barrier, each wielding a sharp blade, their killing intent palpable. "Protect Envoy Di!" I shouted, shielding Envoy Di behind me. Su Yao showed no fear; she flashed forward, charging into the enemy ranks like an arrow. Her movements were agile, her longsword wielded with lightning speed, each move precise and swift, instantly repelling several men in black. I directed the Thunder Eagle to attack from the flank, forming a pincer movement with Su Yao. The Thunder Eagle's claws and lightning threw the men in black into disarray. Between battles, Su Yao would occasionally glance back at me, her eyes filled with confidence and affection. She gave me a flirtatious wink, a slight smile playing on her lips… “Watch out!” Su Yao was like the eye of a storm, elegant yet deadly. Her longsword flashed like a silver light, each strike accompanied by the screams of the men in black. I stood a short distance away, my heart pounding in my chest, both admiring her exquisite swordsmanship and worrying about the danger she was in. Each time she looked back, her confident and loving eyes flowed into my heart like a warm current, dispelling my fear. “Watch out!” I couldn’t help but warn her as one of the men in black attacked from the side while Su Yao was engaged in combat with another. Su Yao reacted swiftly, dodging the attack with a sidestep and striking the man in black with a backhand strike. “Don’t worry, these small fry can’t do anything to me.” Su Yao’s voice was clear and firm, with a hint of teasing. She turned back again, giving me a radiant smile, a smile as warm and dazzling as a ray of sunshine in winter. However, the men in black seemed endless, surging forward wave after wave. Although we coordinated well, and Lei Ying's lightning and claws inflicted considerable damage on the enemy, the situation remained dire. I noticed Su Yao's breathing becoming rapid, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. "This won't do, we have to find a way to break through!" I shouted. Su Yao also realized the seriousness of the situation. She nodded, "I'll cover you, you take the Di Envoy and go first!" "No, we'll go together!" I firmly objected. "Listen to me!" Su Yao's tone was firm, "You and the Di Envoy are our hope, I'll stay behind to cover our retreat!" My heart ached. I knew she was right, but how could I let her face so many enemies alone? "Don't hesitate!" Su Yao forced back an approaching man in black with her sword and urged again, "Go!" I gritted my teeth, knowing this was not the time for sentimentality. I grabbed the Di Envoy and shouted to Su Yao, "Wait for me! I'll definitely come back for you!" With that, I commanded the Thunder Eagle, leading the Di Envoy through the encirclement of the men in black. Looking back, I saw Su Yao still fighting fiercely; her figure stood out among the men in black, appearing both lonely and incredibly brave. My heart was filled with guilt and worry, but I knew that the most important thing now was to protect the Di Envoy and find a safe place to escape the pursuit of the dark forces. The Di Envoy remained silent the whole way, his face pale, his eyes filled with fear. I understood that he had been through so much, both physically and mentally exhausted. "Where are we going?" the Di Envoy asked, his voice hoarse and weak. I looked around; the dense jungle blocked out the sun, and distant mountain peaks stretched endlessly. Countless thoughts flashed through my mind, and finally, my gaze settled on an inconspicuous mountain peak in the distance. There seemed to be a hidden cave there… "Follow me," I whispered, and walked in that direction. A tense atmosphere hung in the air; every step felt like walking on a knife's edge. "Hopefully... it's safe there," I muttered to myself, quickening my pace.