The Bird That Devours Heaven

"Damn it!" Leon cursed through gritted teeth as his figure flashed across the sky again and again like a streak of purple lightning. Violent spatial ripples spread beneath his feet each time he teleported, tearing apart layers of cloud as he chased the fleeing Inferno Swift Bird.

Yet no matter how fast he moved—

He still could not catch it.

The enormous beast streaked through the heavens like a burning crimson comet. Even after suffering such devastating injuries, its speed remained horrifying.

Its wings blotted out the moonlight.

Every flap crossed thousands of meters instantly.

Leon’s expression darkened further.

The purple mana around his body surged violently, his midnight robes snapping wildly in the storm winds. His long black hair whipped behind him while killing intent gathered in his eyes.

Just as his teacher had once said—

The Inferno Swift Bird could cross tens of thousands of kilometers with a single flap of its wings.

Back then, Leon had only treated those words as an exaggerated warning from an old monster who enjoyed dramatic stories.

Now he finally understood.

It was not exaggeration.

It was truth.

Even with continuous teleportation, he was still barely keeping up.

Below them, countless cultivators looked up with numb expressions.

Nobody even knew what to say anymore.

A human was chasing a pinnacle beast across the sky.

The scene alone sounded insane.

But it was happening right before their eyes.

Leon narrowed his purple eyes.

He still refused to give up.

This opportunity was too rare.

If he allowed the Inferno Swift Bird to escape now and recover fully, the next encounter would become infinitely more dangerous.

Leon understood this clearly.

The only reason he managed to heavily injure the beast earlier was because he had caught it off guard.

The first strike of a hidden blade was always the deadliest.

Especially against ancient creatures like this.

The Inferno Swift Bird had never seen the Sky split Strike before. That moment of unfamiliarity had nearly cost it its life.

But next time?

It would absolutely be prepared.

Leon’s gaze turned colder.

"I can’t let it leave alive..."

Suddenly—

A terrifying sword energy ripped apart the clouds behind him.

"Stand down!"

The cold voice echoed through the sky like divine judgment.

BOOM!

A massive purple sword arc tore through space itself and slashed toward the fleeing beast.

The entire forest below split apart under the pressure alone.

Mountains trembled.

Ancient trees exploded into dust.

The cultivators below stared upward with pale faces.

"Oh my god... this is too cruel."

Someone swallowed hard.

Their voice was trembling.

The people gathered in the Forsaken Domain had already heard countless rumors about Leon before today.

The young division master of Amethyst Summit Division.

The mysterious genius of Celestis Academy.

The man who killed the Inferno Ape.

But hearing stories and witnessing reality were completely different things.

Before today, most people still believed the rumors had been exaggerated.

Now?

Nobody dared doubt them anymore.

"He’s insane..."

"A Sage Realm expert is chasing a pinnacle beast..."

"What kind of monster is this?"

Another cultivator wiped cold sweat from his forehead.

"That’s not an ordinary pinnacle beast either. That thing carries ancient bloodline inheritance."

"And he’s actually suppressing it..."

The atmosphere grew colder.

Fear slowly spread through everyone’s hearts.

Not fear toward the Inferno Swift Bird—

But fear toward Leon.

Because what they were witnessing no longer fit common sense.

Far away on a mountain cliff, Magnus stared at the distant figure with bloodshot eyes.

His breathing had already become unstable.

"This bastard..."

His fists trembled violently.

Beside him, Max remained silent for a long time before finally sighing.

"Senior Brother... stop provoking him in the future."

Magnus instantly turned toward him.

"You think I’m afraid of him?"

Max laughed bitterly.

"This isn’t about fear anymore."

His eyes remained fixed on the sky.

"It’s survival."

Magnus froze.

Meanwhile—

The massive sword energy cut through the heavens and ruthlessly descended toward the Inferno Swift Bird.

The beast immediately sensed danger.

Its giant crimson eyes contracted sharply.

Cold sweat nearly formed across its body.

That terrifying sword earlier had almost killed it.

How could it possibly dare face another strike head-on?

The Inferno Swift Bird suddenly folded its wings and dove downward violently.

BOOM!

Its giant body crashed through layers of clouds and descended toward the forest below at terrifying speed.

The sword energy barely missed it.

The slash split apart several mountain peaks in the distance instead.

The entire land shook violently.

Dust rose into the sky like a giant storm.

Before Leon could continue pressing forward—

The Inferno Swift Bird suddenly opened its enormous mouth again.

ROAR!

A horrifying roar erupted outward.

Dark crimson runes instantly spread around its body.

Then—

An enormous devouring force exploded from its mouth.

The surrounding forest twisted violently.

Thousands of beasts screamed in terror as they were dragged into the sky unwillingly.

Ancient trees uprooted instantly.

Boulders shattered.

Even rivers rose upward unnaturally.

Everything within several kilometers was swallowed alive.

Leon’s face darkened slightly.

His gaze sharpened as he carefully observed the strange flowing runes around the beast’s body.

The more it devoured—

The faster its injuries recovered.

The severed flesh around its wings slowly regenerated again.

"Hmm..."

Leon narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"So it heals through devouring..."

He finally understood.

Fragments of ancient records suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Back in Celestis Academy, Leon had spent countless nights reading old forbidden texts hidden deep inside Amethyst Summit Division.

Among them were records regarding the ancient beast era.

And the Inferno Swift Bird was mentioned many times.

According to legend—

The original Inferno Swift Bird existed during the chaotic age before civilization.

It lived upon the sacred Mulberry Tree in the Eastern Sea together with another divine creature—

The Prime Sun Crow.

One represented light.

The other represented darkness.

The Prime Sun Crow appeared during the day, spreading holy flames across the world and blessing countless living beings.

But the Inferno Swift Bird...

It hunted at night.

Wherever it flew, death followed.

It devoured beasts.

Humans.

Spirits.

Even mountains and rivers.

Everything became nourishment for its body.

The more it devoured—

The stronger it became.

Countless ancient races feared it.

And eventually—

Its ambition grew beyond control.

Leon remembered one particular sentence from an ancient text.

"The bird desired to swallow heaven itself."

It attempted to devour the entire world and become the sole ruler beneath the heavens.

That insane ambition ultimately triggered one of the greatest calamities in ancient history.

The rise of countless ancient beasts followed afterward.

And among them—

The Ten Ancient Beasts emerged.

Creatures powerful enough to suppress the Inferno Swift Bird completely.

One of those beasts was the Prime Dragon.

The same owner of the ancient bone Leon obtained previously.

Of course—

Those were merely ancient legends now.

Time had buried most truths long ago.

And the Inferno Swift Bird before him was not the original ancient destroyer.

This was merely one of its descendants carrying diluted bloodline inheritance.

Otherwise—

Leon would have died from a single glance alone.

Still...

Even a descendant remained terrifying enough.

"Can it really swallow anything?" Leon muttered quietly.

Below him, entire sections of the forest were disappearing into the beast’s mouth.

The scene looked apocalyptic.

Countless creatures screamed in despair.

The land itself seemed to be dying.

Leon’s killing intent deepened instantly.

"This thing really is a disaster..."

Purple mana surged around his fingers.

The Energy Sword slowly appeared in his hand.

The blade emitted soft purple radiance beneath the dark heavens.

The moment the sword emerged—

The surrounding air seemed to freeze.

Even space itself trembled slightly.

Leon prepared to end this scourge once and for all.

But just as he was about to move—

"ROAR..."