073 Deadly Elegance

Smack!

A palm pressed firmly over Baimu’s eyes.

“Begin fusion!”

“Consume twenty Evolution Points!”

“Select three incomplete thunder runes: Thunderflame Rune, White Lightning Rune, Spark Rune. Begin fusion!”

[Fusion commencing. Success rate has surpassed the minimum threshold. Thunder runes will merge with the Azure-Eyed Vulture rune.]

Crackling! Crackling! Crackling...

Arcs of white electricity flickered wildly across Baimu’s body, even forming a ring of lightning around its wings.

But in the next moment, all the arcs extinguished.

[Fusion failed. One attempt lost.]

[Your rune can withstand two more fusions.]

[Next fusion will require: 40 Evolution Points.]

“Fuse! Select four incomplete fire runes!”

Xiunan was undeterred, continuing to expend Evolution Points.

Flames gradually rose from the Azure-Eyed Vulture Baimu’s body, like a blazing yellow light that danced and swayed.

However...

[Fusion failed. One attempt lost.]

[Your rune can withstand one more fusion.]

[Next fusion will require: 60 Evolution Points.]

Xiunan paused in silence, then pressed his palm down once more.

“Fuse! Select two explosion runes!”

[Fusion commencing. Azure-Eyed Vulture rune evolving.]

Rumble... Rumble...

Muffled booms erupted from within Baimu, as if hundreds or thousands of firecrackers were exploding in succession.

Its form began to twist, the white bone armor gradually turning black. Three sacs on the lower jaw hinted at merging together!

Boom!

[Evolution successful. Azure-Eyed Vulture rune has reached its structural limit; no further Evolution Points can be invested for assisted evolution.]

Standing beside the gas stabilizer, Xiunan willed Baimu to step out of the Blue Moon air current.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding...

A graceful, elongated figure emerged from the blue waterfall, and Xiunan could no longer suppress his smile.

“Hahaha... Excellent, excellent! A perfect work of art! You will be my first masterpiece!”

Standing on the ground, Baimu’s slender form was like an elegant noblewoman. Its body had compressed further, now only about 1.7 meters tall. Two iron claws stretched long and powerful, the rear talon exaggeratedly splayed outward like a crescent moon, flashing a cold, deadly light.

It was these claws that had made the ringing sound as it walked.

Both pairs of wings were perfectly proportioned, each feather gleaming with a metallic sheen, the edges tinged with gold. Coupled with Baimu’s white-patterned black armor and the crown of entwined bone atop its head, there was an undeniable sense of majesty.

But Xiunan’s attention was caught not by this, but by the change on Baimu’s forehead. Where there had once been three pairs of eyes, now only one remained. The eye, half the size of a palm, was a deep, unfathomable lake blue.

Staring into it brought a sense of crystalline clarity, a rare beauty, like gazing at a sapphire.

[Name: Death-Eyed Vulture (Explosion Variant)]
[Type: Ring]
[Level: First Ring]
[Traits: Top-tier power output, formidable maneuverability, and strong defensive capability among extraordinary birds of its level. It has virtually no significant weaknesses.]
[Preference: Lingers near the Sacred Bone.]
[Skill: Death Eye — Exerts an almost time-stopping effect on those it gazes upon, completely immobilizing their bones.]
[Skill: Explosion — Disrupts the enemy’s internal energy balance, causing violent internal detonations.]

“Good child... good child...”

Baimu kept nuzzling against Xiunan, whose spirits were soaring as he stroked its delicate head. Suddenly, he felt a dampness on his chest. Looking down, he realized Baimu was so content it had started to weep.

What...?

It must be an effect of the White Bone Secret Ring...

But, come to think of it, Baimu had been a male Azure-Eyed Vulture, at least according to the model he remembered.

Why did its form grow more slender and refined with each evolution...?

No matter. Combat power is the true mark of successful evolution. If Baimu proves powerful enough, Xiunan wouldn’t mind if it shrank to the size of a sparrow.

With a simple gesture, Baimu instantly reverted to rune form.

Xiunan opened the Secret Ring enhancement introduction once more.

[Acquired auxiliary ability: Rune Biologization]
[Acquired extra rune slot: 1]

Rune Biologization: Your rune will exist in a semi-biological, semi-symbolic state. It can leave you within a certain range, living, hunting, growing, and evolving independently.

Extra Rune Slot: A First-Ring Secret Ring Master can command only one rune, but you have gained an additional slot!

Xiunan pondered for a moment, his curiosity about the Sacred Bone’s origin deepening. What mysterious power resided in these bones for them to possess such strength...

And then, this ancient ruin—through his journey, Xiunan had glimpsed fragments of that era, faintly sensing the civilization’s former glory.

The pale blue air currents swirled. Suddenly struck by a thought, Xiunan immediately left the laboratory and rushed toward the grotto.

Racing through dark corridors, Xiunan burst into the bird cavern. Where once hundreds of Azure-Eyed Vultures had gathered, now most had gone; only about thirty remained, clustered atop the white bone pile, pecking at scraps.

Unwilling to abandon such a delicious feast, it seemed.

The instant Xiunan appeared, these thirty-odd fierce birds whipped their heads around. Sharp eyes locked onto him, filled with hunger for flesh and blood.

A shrill cry pierced the air—no one knew which Azure-Eyed Vulture started, but the others quickly responded.

The entire cavern rang with their harsh, grating calls.

They stared down Xiunan with smug arrogance, as though regarding their prey, mocking him with their screeches.

“Baimu, do you hear them? These weaklings are laughing at us! Hahaha...” Xiunan muttered.

A thunderous screech erupted.

A pair of black-edged, gold-striped wings unfurled behind him as Baimu burst out from the Secret Ring in a rage.

At the same time, thirty-odd Azure-Eyed Vultures swooped down from above, diving like fighter jets.

The distance between the two sides closed in an instant. Baimu blinked—its sapphire eye transformed into an obsidian gem, shot through with radiating veins of blood.

Snap! One vulture’s wings froze mid-flight, then, in the next second, it exploded.

A cloud of red mist burst forth, two nearly intact wings spiraling away and slapping wetly against the cavern wall.

In midair, Baimu gracefully stretched its form, a bone plate beneath its jaw trembling, the black eye slowly sweeping over the oncoming vultures.

Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap...

Dozens of vultures stiffened in place, then dropped like stones. Halfway down—

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom...

Gouts of red mist exploded, feathers and bone shards mixing with flesh, splattering against the walls.

One sweep—one third of the Azure-Eyed Vultures were gone.

Terrified, the remaining vultures shrieked and flapped their wings, scattering in panic toward the exit.

With elegant, gliding wings, Baimu soared through the blood mist, a noble hunter pursuing the desecrators before it.

Under the sunlight, the delicate bone crown atop its head was stained with fresh blood, creating a beauty that chilled the heart.