Chapter 136: Could It Be That It’s All Over?

Someone stepped in to mediate: "Alright, alright, stop arguing. Why don't we try to shoot it down?"

"Brother, if we shoot it, it will die. What use is a dead Purple-Gold Eagle to us? Let's just forget it. Isn't it better to let it live happily in this deep forest?" The woman's voice was soft and sweet, making it very easy to feel favorably toward her, though one couldn't tell what she was like as a person. Still, being able to speak up for a small animal showed she had some kindness.

"Little silly, we only need to hit its wing. As long as it can't fly away, we can take it back and treat its wounds. Besides, if we discovered such a small Purple-Gold Eagle, others will naturally see it too. It would just be captured by someone else eventually. If we take it back, you can look after it—that will be its good fortune!" The brother's tone was filled with indulgence; it seemed the siblings were very close. With just a few words, he decided the fate of the eagle, and since no one else contradicted him, it seemed this man either had influence, was well-liked, or was the leader of the group.

The group lowered their voices and began to move toward Zi Xuan’s position. Whether they startled the young eagle or not, as they approached, the bird let out a "flap" and flew away. The group had no choice but to chase after it. Their laughter faded into the distance, and they eventually moved beyond the range of Zi Xuan’s vigilance.

Just as Zi Xuan thought he was safe, the laughter returned toward his hiding spot. He only had time to shift into a more comfortable position before he was too terrified to move again. The Purple-Gold Eagle was startled by the group once more, flapping its wings and landing on the cliff wall directly above Zi Xuan. It scared him so much his heart nearly jumped out of his chest: "Damn it! It's as big as a Huaxia water buffalo; you call this a 'young' Purple-Gold Eagle? How big is an adult one? That's not the point. The point is, whatever you are, stop coming here to scare people! If you lead these people to me, I’m done for."

Whether the eagle heard his inner plea or was spooked by someone below the cliff, it flew off before the group could catch up, leaving Zi Xuan to let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, my life is safe for now." As the eagle flew away, the group followed. Just as Zi Xuan began to celebrate his safety, the eagle circled back.

It was as if the bird had discovered some treasure here; no matter how they chased it, it refused to go elsewhere, flying back and forth over this exact spot. It kept the group running in circles and sent Zi Xuan’s heart on a rollercoaster of tension and relief. He was nearly driven to illness. Fortunately, Zi Xuan didn't have a heart, or he surely would have suffered a heart attack.

Zi Xuan could see the pattern, and the group wasn't stupid. They quickly grasped the eagle's flight path and began to formulate a strategy. They stationed people at various points to guard the area, while the brother from the pair, who was the most skilled, stayed behind to wait for the eagle to return to its nest.

Regardless of their plans, Zi Xuan was in deep trouble. He watched helplessly as the eagle fell into the brush right in front of him. Because only its wing was injured, it thrashed about, subsequently brushing aside the vines that had been shielding Zi Xuan. Against the bare cliff, Zi Xuan was now fully exposed.

The dozen or so people gathered to gawk at the eagle, but when they saw Zi Xuan, they froze. No one could have expected that after turning the area upside down, a living person was hiding under the cliff wall. For a moment, no one spoke.

After staring at each other for a long time, a tall man from the group pointed at Zi Xuan and whispered to the leader: "Big Brother, look, doesn't he look like the person wanted by the Zhang family of Moon River City?"

Hearing this, Zi Xuan’s heart tightened: "Damn it, I've been discovered. It seems I'm wanted by the Zhang family!" Preparing for the worst, Zi Xuan waited silently for their next move, his hand already moving stealthily toward the hilt of his blade, ready to strike first and escape if they made a move.

"It really does look like him! Ten thousand low-grade spirit stones—what on earth did he do to make the Zhang family put up such a massive bounty? That’s quite a fortune." A young man with a thin mustache whispered behind the leader. It seemed he had no immediate intention of attacking; given their cultivation levels, someone with a ten-thousand-spirit-stone bounty was likely capable. It wouldn't be worth it to try and steal a chicken only to lose their own rice.

The leader didn't respond to their questions, just staring fixedly at Zi Xuan. Suddenly, he turned to leave, but as he did, he offered a reminder: "You’d better find somewhere else to hide. A short distance past here lies the 'Thunder Tribulation Forbidden Zone,' considered the most dangerous of the ten forbidden areas in the cultivation world. Just touching the edge means near-certain death; there is absolutely no way out. If they discover your trail and block the mountain exit, you won't have anywhere to run."

As the group walked away, disjointed questions drifted back: "Boss, why did you warn him? Sigh! If we had caught him, we could have traded him for ten thousand low-grade spirit stones! That would have covered our entry fees for this trip..."

Zi Xuan knew this place was no longer safe. Although the leader had kindly warned him and hadn't made things difficult, he had seen the greed in the eyes of the others. To get that bounty, they would surely notify the Zhang family the moment they left.

Zi Xuan knew his own body; he couldn't even exchange a few blows, and even running would cause his chest to tear with pain. He couldn't go out and find another hiding spot; he’d be tracked down before he even reached the mountain exit.

It seemed he had three roads, but in reality, there was only one. Moving was difficult, and staying was a death sentence. His situation was exactly like what he had encountered in the God Realm, only back then he had the couple Zi and Yang to support him. Now, he had to face it alone. Zi Xuan realized that even though he had changed his shell, his fate remained the same. He had to face what he had to face. Heaven had set the same test for him again, and he wondered if he could overcome it on his own this time.

Since he had to move forward, he would take the gamble! Zi Xuan figured that since they knew it was the most dangerous area, they would have reservations. As long as he didn't go too deep, he might survive.

Knowing he couldn't wait for them to catch up, Zi Xuan began to slowly move deeper into the forest.

Sure enough, just as he reached the edge of the forbidden zone, hearing the faint crackling sounds and seeing flashes of golden light, his heart pounded with terror. The Zhang family men had caught up. It was led by the Golden Core cultivator he had fought before, but this time there were nearly two hundred of them. It seemed the Zhang family would not rest until they saw his corpse. Fortunately, he had chosen to gamble by entering the zone, or he would have already been hacked to pieces.

Zi Xuan stood at the entrance, watching them mockingly. They didn't dare rush in, only slowly shrinking their encirclement. They were afraid, too. Zi Xuan gave them a faint smile, braced himself, and stepped inside. Hearing the occasional crackle, his scalp tightened and his heart beat rhythmically, his unsteady footsteps betraying his inner turmoil.

"What do we do? He went in there," someone worried. Not for Zi Xuan, but because the Zhang family patriarch had ordered them to bring back a person alive or a corpse dead. If he was in the Thunder Tribulation Forbidden Zone, where were they supposed to find a body to bring back?

"What else can we do? Just wait here!" This person was just tagging along and had no interest in earning merit, so he didn't care.

"But the patriarch ordered a person alive or a corpse dead!" Someone retorted. "If you're so smart, why don't you go in and drag him out? We don't even want the credit; you can have it all!" Another person rolled their eyes. *Damn it! You might not want your life, but I do! Don't act like a hero when you're just looking for trouble.*

While they argued about whether to drag Zi Xuan out, he had reached the second barrier of the forbidden zone. Seeing streaks of golden light crackling before him, he suddenly felt a sense of intense crisis. Before he could process what was happening, a bolt of golden light as thick as a water barrel struck him on the head.

Zi Xuan’s mind went blank, and he lost all consciousness.

Those outside only saw the golden light strike Zi Xuan, and then he vanished. Had he been struck by the tribulation lightning and obliterated into nothingness?

They looked at one another in shock. Although they had heard of the power of the Thunder Tribulation Forbidden Zone, this was the first time they had seen it with their own eyes. The timid ones began to tremble on the spot. It only added another layer of terror to the mysterious zone.

At that moment, Tang Wei was sleeping soundly in the room prepared for her in Sangjia Village. At the exact moment Zi Xuan disappeared, she let out a sharp cry and bolted upright in bed. She felt she was being overly sensitive, so she sat on the edge of the bed, hugging her pillow and lost in thought.

She had a sudden, terrible premonition, as if she had lost something incredibly important. Her heart felt heavy.