Not wanting to take them both on at once, Shang Xia chose to escape.

Unable to run back into the forest, he could only flee towards the river in the distance. He could only hope that he could make it before they caught up.

With all the knowledge he learned from Tian Mengzi, he knew that any type of water body would contain an endless amount of danger. Even so, there was nowhere else to go. He could only take the gamble and hope that approaching the lake would give him a chance at living.

He didn’t forget to hold the cage up in the air and taunt the other two while making his escape. “Are you really going to let it die?!”

A loud cry and the whistling of air from the female cultivator’s knives were all he received as a reply.

Shang Xia didn’t dare to turn around.  Shooting two bolts of lightning to protect himself, he didn’t stop running.

As soon as the lightning appeared, another long cry came from the Mutated Rain Swallow.

Wasn’t he just making things worse?! 

Shang Xia felt a thousand alpacas running through his mind as the Lightning Bird became even more enraged.

As the lake grew larger and larger, Shang Xia could see faint black figures darting under its surface. 

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Shang Xia thought if he should really jump in.

Taking a closer look, Shang Xia saw the mouths of countless fishes appearing under the surface.

Fish of all sizes lined the side of the lake.

Crying out frantically, the Mutated Rain Swallow crashed into the cage repeatedly. 

The Lightning Bird that was close to catching up turned at the last second, drawing a beautiful arc through the skies as it returned to the forest. 

Even a brainless person could tell that something big was about to happen.

Stopping dead in his tracks, Shang Xia noticed that the female cultivator did the same.

Noticing a sudden change in the weather, Shang Xia raised his head to look at the sky. The sun that was originally hidden behind the hazy clouds emitted brilliant rays that lit up the earth below. 

Feeling the temperature rising dramatically, the grass beneath his feet started to wither. Cracks formed in the ground and the water in the lake started to evaporate.

A lizard-like creature that was covered in black scales leaped out of whatever water remained in the lake before running away from it.

Shang Xia looked at the female cultivator and saw the look of confusion in her eyes.

Deciding to return to the forest, he knew that it would be much better than staying out in the open.

The moment he started walking, she went over to block his path.

“Are you done?!” Shang Xia snapped at her. He had to admit that he wasn’t her opponent. However, without the Lightning Bird, there was no way she could defeat him.

Anyone with half a brain would choose to give up on the chase now that their life was in danger. The sudden change in weather was a bad sign. She had to be actually crazy if she wanted to continue the pursuit.

Pointing at the cage on Shang Xia’s waist, she sighed, “Let’s make a deal.” 

She wasn’t stupid. She also knew that it was impossible for her to snatch it from him. However, there was no way she could let him walk away like that.

The moment he left, there was no way she could obtain the bloodline of the Mutated Rain Swallow.

If she made a deal with him, there was a chance for her to reach her goal!

She could tell that Shang Xia was also in a rush to leave, and she could play to his emotions.

Despite the ugly expression on his face, Shang Xia could only growl, “What do you propose?”

Holding out the pair of knives in her hands, she muttered, “What do you think of these? They’re called ‘Red Sleeves’ and they are both low-grade weapons.”

Shang Xia was slightly taken aback. He didn’t expect her to trade her weapons away. He could tell that she was really desperate.

However, that only told him how much she valued the Mutated Rain Swallow.

Tapping his Delicate Jade River Sword, he snorted, “Do you really think I lack low-grade treasures?” 

A trace of rage flashed through her eyes, but it quickly disappeared. “Alright, I’ll add on fifty pieces of silver essence!” 

Silver essence was the common currency in the battlefield between two worlds and it was made from pure silver that contained a trace of heaven and earth qi.

In the Azure Origin World, they called it silver essence.

In the Azure Spiritual World, they called it spiritual silver.

It has lots of uses, and it had some supplementary effects that could assist cultivation. That was how it became the common currency in the battlefield between two worlds. 

From the looks of it, the Azure Origin World and Azure Spiritual World didn’t share an enmity that would result in the extermination of the other world. At the very least, they came to an agreement on some matters.

Shang Xia felt a strangely cool sensation washing over his back as the heat subsided.

Ignoring the feeling, he chuckled in amusement when he heard her price. “Are you throwing scraps at a beggar? Do you think I won’t turn the bird into barbecue because of a little bit of silver?” 

“You!” Realizing that the negotiations were going nowhere, a sneer appeared on her face. She retreated several feet in an instant.

Shang Xia thought that she was finally going to give up, but the smile on her face caused him to turn uneasy. 

Discovering a trace of cold air blowing behind him, his bones turned chilly.

Turning around abruptly, Shang Xia saw the presence of a giant moon beside the brilliant sun!

With the presence of the sun and moon, half of the water in the lake started to boil while the other side started to freeze.

A layer of frost appeared on one side of the plains while the other side remained cracked like before.

This…

Sun and Moon in the sky… It was the sign of an Origin Tide!

Tian Mengzi’s earlier explanation rang in his mind as panic started to set in his heart. Shang Xia knew that he had to leave.

However, a ray of frosty light shot towards him the moment he moved.

Suppressing his shock, he turned to look at the source of the light. Seeing two knives flashing in mid air, the female cultivator’s voice entered his ears. “Are you still thinking of leaving? It’s too late now.”

Realizing that he had fallen for her trick, he wanted to kick himself. From the start, she had seen the appearance of the moon! She was buying time with her stupid offer!

By the time the moon had fully appeared, she retreated in order to stop Shang Xia from running away!

“What do you want?!” Shang Xia could feel the energy fluctuations coming from behind him, and he could tell that the Origin Tide was about to erupt.

“Hand over the cage and I’ll let you leave.” She crossed her arms and sneered coldly.

“Is there no way to negotiate?” Shang Xia asked. 

“What do you think?” 

Raising her chin, she chuckled smugly, “You better hurry up and make your decision. The Origin Tide is coming…”

As soon as the words left her lips, a giant explosion rocked the lake. When he turned his head, he saw lava spewing into the skies.

There was actually a giant volcano hidden under the lake!

The strange thing was that part of the lake remained frozen. The lava didn’t manage to melt it in the slightest.

A strange scene played out before him as an imaginary screen formed in mid air to separate the fire and ice.

Dense heaven and earth qi started to gather around to form strong currents. 

“Hey, the Origin Tide is about to arrive. If you don’t wish to lose control of your inner qi, do as I say!” The female cultivator yelled. Was the brat tired of living?!

Her words fell on deaf ears as Shang Xia stared directly at the strange scene before him. She even thought of carrying out a sneak attack to snatch the Mutated Rain Swallow.

As the inner qi in her body started to rampage around, she quickly got rid of her thoughts.

Before anything else could happen, the heavens darkened as the qi in the air disappeared. Everything returned to chaos!

The Origin Tide had arrived!