Chapter 99: Hunt the Wind, Hunt the Wind!

"Snap!" Wang Chen's face was cold as he flicked his fingers.

"Boom!" An enormous hand of stone erupted from the ground behind Su, crushing the walls of the crevice until they shattered.

Amidst flying sand and stones, a dark figure was seized by the giant hand and lifted high into the air!

With the crevice destroyed, light flooded Su's vision. He scrambled out of the dust and looked behind him.

When he finally saw who was caught in the stone hand, he exclaimed in disbelief, "Dago!"

"How did you appear behind me without a sound? Why did you try to harm us?" Su's face flushed, a thousand questions bursting to be asked.

But Dago was being squeezed by the stone hand, his face twisted in agony, his whole body snapping and cracking like roasting beans, unable to speak.

"I can answer the first question for him," Wang Chen stepped out of the smoke, lightly brushing dust from his clothes.

He was about to speak when something seemed to cross his mind. He turned toward the not-so-distant Dragon-Eating Vajra Vulture, a flash of azure light in his eyes.

Only then did Wang Chen relax, turning back to explain, "As I said before, I originally thought he hid in a cave dug in advance, waiting for the poisonous locusts to kill us before emerging."

Wang Chen looked at Dago, whose eyes burned with hatred, and said self-mockingly, "It's laughable, really. After we searched the peak and found no trace of him, I pondered his whereabouts for ages and came up with what seemed like a plausible theory."

"But this fellow didn’t need to bother with any of that."

Wang Chen spoke gravely, "He can move directly through the earth, like a fish swimming through water!"

Su's eyes widened. "How is that possible?"

Wang Chen told him to calm down, "I'll explain everything in detail later."

He glanced at the Dragon-Eating Vajra Vulture, which was staggering and stumbling about. "Now that we've eliminated this hidden bomb, it's time to send the storm beast on its way."

Wang Chen closed his palm, and the stone hand followed, crushing Dago's legs as if squeezing a packet of instant noodles.

Dago's face turned pale, sweat poured down his forehead, and after a tortured scream, he passed out.

Wang Chen bound Dago with the stone hand, and a flash in his palm summoned Forest Gale. He called to Su, who was still dazed, and rushed toward the Dragon-Eating Vajra Vulture.

"Snap out of it, kid!" Wang Chen shouted. "Get used to this rhythm of battle—this world is far tougher than you imagine!"

Still bewildered, Su was jolted awake by Wang Chen's shout.

He reached behind him, took up his Wind Hunter's Bow, drew out a specially crafted arrow from the quiver, nocked it, and pulled the string taut.

"Whoosh!" A sharp sound split the air as the arrow shot out, piercing deep into the vulture's wing.

The beast let out a shrill cry of pain.

"Wang Chen!" Su shouted, fitting a second arrow to the string.

"Got it—" The tip of Wang Chen's Forest Gale staff flared with ethereal light.

"Power of Swiftness!"

A wave that twisted the air swept past him, making his whole body feel lighter.

He dashed to the vulture's side, skillfully dodging its wild flailing wings.

With keen eyes and swift hands, he grabbed an iron cable.

The cable extended from the tail of Su's arrow.

Wang Chen pulled the cable, and the arrowhead clattered with metallic sounds as its barbs opened, digging deep into the vulture's muscle.

Its cries grew more agonized, wings trying to sweep Wang Chen aside.

But Wang Chen braced himself against the blow, pushing back with both hands.

His boots flashed with light—Rockbreaker’s Stand was in effect.

The attack hurt him, though, his organs shaken, and even with the Tree of Life’s soft armor absorbing some force, he felt it.

But the urgency left him no choice but to swallow the taste of blood and fight on.

A flash in his hand, and an iron hook appeared, attached to a much thicker cable.

He hooked the cable from the arrow tail, ensured it was secure, then dragged the cable’s end to one side and drove the iron wedge deep into the ground.

A kick to the wedge’s side sent another clang of metal, and barbs opened, gripping the earth firmly.

Wang Chen spun toward the next cable.

While Wang Chen worked frantically, Su seemed much more at ease.

Thanks to the Wind Hunter clan’s gift for marksmanship, even as the vulture struggled, Su’s arrows struck true, driving deep into the back of the wing.

In no time, the joints of the vulture’s wings were bristling with arrows.

Su slung his bow and raced to the vulture, pulling the cables and anchoring them firmly into the ground.

The two worked in seamless harmony, methodically and efficiently.

Wang Chen was occasionally struck by the giant wings, coughing blood and needing to pause for healing.

Su, struck even more often, bore it with his robust physique, enduring the blows.

Sometimes, the vulture would release a blade of icy wind from beneath its wings, frosting the ground around them.

But since Wang Chen and Su always stayed behind the vulture’s wings, the wind blades could not reach them.

This was the method distilled from the sacrifices of countless Wind Hunters—the most effective way to deal with the Dragon-Eating Vajra Vulture.

Its talons and beak were lethally sharp; so, don't let yourself be caught by them—fight only from its back.

It could unleash wind blades from its wings, especially effective in the air; so, lure it to the ground and use positioning to dodge the blades.

It could seize prey into the sky and deliver a killing blow midair; so, bind it with iron cables, ensuring it never takes flight again.

Wang Chen and Su followed this strategy to the letter, rendering its abilities useless; the only effective attack had been its initial grab at Su, which landed solidly.

But the Wind Hunters rarely relied on elemental power, and so long overlooked the vulture’s ability to break through elemental protection.

It was understandable that no warnings were issued to the clan about this aspect.

Moreover, in past hunts, the greatest sacrifice came in luring the vulture to the ground.

Unexpectedly, Wang Chen’s skills made this easy, throwing the vulture into confusion and unwilling to fly blindly without full vision.

Thus, their hunt seemed remarkably effortless.