"Chapter 16" Lost Egg

Xuan had no choice but to take out his sword and point it at the woman's neck.

The sharp blade grazed her skin, and she felt a surge of fear. Seeing this, Lie Yan took a step back, her sword pointed at Xuan.

"Stop!" she yelled, but Xuan looked into her eyes, his gaze unwavering. "This woman is hiding something, and we both know it. Do you really want me to stop?"

Lie Yan realized she had used her instincts at the wrong time again, and with an embarrassed look, she backed down.

The woman pleaded, "Lie Yan, we're good friends, please help me." But Xuan interrupted her pleas, his sword slicing through the air, cutting a small gash on her skin.

"Tell me what you're hiding and where the remaining egg is," he demanded.

Blood poured down from her throat, and sensing that Xuan was serious, she cried, "It wasn't with me! This bag was given to me by Mei Ling. She told me to keep it close to Lie Yan, and in return, she'd give me a Minor Realm Breaking Pill so I could reach the same cultivation stage as Lie Yan."

Tears and saliva oozed from her mouth as she realized her jealousy and greed had led her to this situation.

If she hadn't agreed to Mei Ling's provocations, this wouldn't have happened. Xuan looked at Lie Yan, his eyes narrowing. "Who is Mei Ling?"

Lie Yan answered, "She's an Inner Court disciple, same as me, with peak Meridian Unlocking stage cultivation from the Golden Dragon faction. You might not know, but they're a top faction in our sect."

Xuan nodded; his expression grim. "I know them well, and I'm glad I didn't join them. I already had a feeling that they weren't good people, but now I have my answer."

Lie Yan and the female disciple's eyes widened in shock when they heard that Xuan had been approached by Liu Xing and had rejected his offer.

"You were offered a chance to join the Golden Dragon faction by Liu Xing himself, but you rejected him?" The female disciple on the ground spoke in shock, "How stupid."

But Xuan shut her up, his sword pressing against her throat. "Stupid isn't me, but you. Tell me where the egg is, or you might end up shredded by the mother beast today."

The female disciple gulped, looking at the beast, which was glaring at her. The beast was intelligent and could understand human language, which was why it hadn't attacked Xuan.

The female disciple cried and pleaded, "I'm telling the truth! I don't know where the other egg is! The bag... the bag was given to me by Mei Ling. She must know about this!"

Xuan rubbed his head, knowing that the last egg might be lost.

He looked at the mother beast and said, "I know you can understand us, but it seems your last egg has ended up in someone else's hands. I promise to find it for you, but you have to let us go."

The beast shrieked, denying Xuan's proposal.

Xuan added, "Listen, if any of them die, the sect elders will come for you, and in that case, you won't be able to save yourself or those two." He pointed towards the remaining eggs.

The bird shrieked and backed down, addressing Xuan in a series of sharp chirps.

To Lie Yan's surprise, Xuan's eyes lit up with understanding. "You want me to... are you sure?" he asked, and the bird nodded its head emphatically.

Xuan smiled, his eyes gleaming with amusement, and turned to Lie Yan. "Is keeping a beast allowed in the sect?" Lie Yan nodded, still looking surprised that Xuan could understand the beast's language.

Xuan grinned, and the bird flapped its wings, gesturing for him to climb on. "Well, then... you can come," Xuan said, swinging his leg over the bird's back.

The bird let out a triumphant squawk, and with a powerful beat of its wings, they took to the skies, leaving Lie Yan staring after them in wonder.

The bird's speed was breathtaking, and it vanished into the skies in mere seconds, leaving Lie Yan staring after it in awe.

She turned back to the female disciple, who was still lying on the ground, a mixture of shame and desperation etched on her face.

Lie Yan's expression was one of disappointment and disgust. "Let's go," she said curtly, waving at the remaining three disciples.

Together, they turned their backs on the female disciple, leaving her to cry out Lie Yan's name in despair. Lie Yan ignored her pleas, her heart hardened against her former friend's betrayal.

As Xuan soared through the skies on the bird's back, he felt an exhilarating rush of wind and freedom.

He gently patted the bird's back, and it responded by surging forward, its wings beating powerful as it headed towards the sect.

"Swoop!"

The bird crossed the valley and entered the outer sect, its sudden appearance sending outer court disciples scrambling for cover.

"What in the world?!" one of them exclaimed, staring up at the bird in awe.

"Is that a... a red feather Condor?!" another disciple whispered, eyes wide with wonder.

As the barrier came into view, Xuan leaned forward, his voice carrying over the wind. "Slow down, big fella. We don't want to alert the whole sect just yet." The bird responded by tilting its wings, slowing its descent as it approached the barrier.

Just as Xuan had predicted, the bird crossed the barrier with ease, Xuan still safely on its back. But their stealthy entrance was short-lived, as the bird's presence triggered a series of alarms, alerting the elders to the sudden arrival of a powerful beast within the inner sect.

"Intruder alert! We have a Red Feather Condor heading towards the inner sect!" a voice boomed from the elders' chambers, echoing throughout the sect.

As the alarms echoed throughout the sect, Xuan felt the commotion and decided to slow down, bringing the Red Feather Condor to a gentle stop at the entrance of the Inner Court.

The sudden appearance of the majestic beast, with Xuan perched confidently on its back, brought a flurry of Outer Court elders rushing to the scene.

One by one, they arrived, their faces stern and worried, as they took in the sight of the Red Feather Condor and Xuan.

Their eyes widened in surprise, and some of them even took a step back, awed by the sheer presence of the beast.

"What in the world...?!" one of the elders trailed off, his eyes fixed on Xuan. "Disciple, is that beast yours?!" another elder started to ask, but Xuan simply smiled, his eyes glinting with amusement.

The Inner Court disciples, who had been watching the scene unfold, exchanged nervous glances.

They knew that the Red Feather Condor was a beast of great power and prestige, and to see it calmly standing at the entrance of the Inner Court, with Xuan on its back, was a sight that made them think of the identity of the disciple, except Fifth Elder Ning Binglan and First Elder, who spoke in unison.

"Ye Xuan!"