As the sun set in the west, the sky was painted with a vivid red hue, casting a warm glow over the entire mountainous region. The tranquility of the evening light brought a sense of calm and peace.
The Stone Village was almost within reach. This area, being on the periphery of the mountain range, was relatively free from fierce beasts and thus remained peaceful.
"We’re almost home," Xiao Budian sighed with relief.
Suddenly, a thud sounded.
At that moment, the Qinglin Eagle plummeted, its wings striking and shattering several towering trees. It was gradually exhausting its strength, with black blood seeping from its wounds. It was unable to hold on much longer.
"Hang in there, Auntie, we’re almost home," Xiao Budian encouraged, trying to boost its spirits.
With a long cry, the Qinglin Eagle finally succumbed to exhaustion. Its massive body fell, scattering leaves and breaking many ancient trees in its wake.
Fortunately, it glided down rather than falling straight, otherwise, a fall from such a height would have resulted in broken bones.
With a thunderous crash, the Qinglin Eagle's grasp of the Sunserpent's corpse was the first to hit the ground, shattering the boulders in the forest, followed by the eagle’s massive body landing among the undergrowth.
Xiao Budian, carrying the red horn, tumbled down as well. Thankfully, he was agile and quickly dropped the several-meter-long horn, avoiding injury.
"Are you alright, Auntie?" Xiao Shihao quickly got up and ran to the Qinglin Eagle.
The descendant of the ancient demonic bird was in terrible condition, with blood flowing from its wounds like black ink, exuding a foul smell. It was completely drained and struggled to stand.
The Qinglin Eagle let out a long, piercing cry, its voice resonating through the air, making Xiao Budian’s ears ache. He quickly covered his ears as the surrounding leaves were whipped up.
"Yes, Auntie, if you’re in pain, just let out a loud cry. We’re not far from the Stone Village. Dapeng and Xiaoqing should be able to hear and bring the elder to help us," Xiao Budian said, trying to comfort it.
He ran to the red horn, slicing off a large chunk of flesh and bringing it to the Qinglin Eagle’s beak. "Auntie, I heard that the Lingxi Horn can neutralize poison. Although it’s from a bull, it might still have some effect."
He fed the piece of meat to the Qinglin Eagle and helped it close its beak. At this moment, the fierce bird looked at him with a softer gaze, akin to a mother looking at her child. The ancient demonic bird’s descendants were known for their high intelligence.
"Hang in there, Auntie. The elder will be here soon."
As time passed and distant beast roars were heard, Xiao Budian grew anxious, unsure if the villagers in Stone Village had heard the Qinglin Eagle's cry.
If he returned alone and a beast appeared, the weakened Qinglin Eagle would be unable to defend itself.
"Even if they haven’t heard, the elder will surely send someone to rescue us. Be patient, Auntie. Everything will be alright," Xiao Budian reassured with a childish voice.
The deep growls seemed to be drawing closer, and the sound of rustling leaves signaled that twilight was descending. The forest grew dark and eerie.
"Have some more of the precious blood," Xiao Budian offered another piece of the Sunserpent's flesh.
Suddenly, Xiao Budian's hair stood on end. He quickly sidestepped as a cold iron arrow whizzed past his throat, embedding itself in the mountain rock with a loud clang.
At that moment, the terrifying sound of another arrow slicing through the air came. The speed was so fast, far exceeding the speed of sound, that if Xiao Budian had reacted even a moment slower, his throat would have been pierced.
A second cold gleam flashed as another iron arrow shot towards him. Xiao Budian dodged, but blood splattered as the arrow pierced the piece of meat he was about to feed to the Qinglin Eagle.
"What a waste, feeding a dying beast. It’s better left to us," a gruff voice said.
"Is it you?" Xiao Budian exclaimed in anger, recognizing the people from the Vei Village. The archer was their hunting team leader, towering at two meters thirty or forty, with bulging muscles like snake-like tendons.
Around them, twenty or so figures emerged, each holding a hard bow and aiming iron arrows at him.
Xiao Budian was furious. His eyes widened as he said, "Last time we spared you, and you swore an oath. Now you want to kill me?"
"What a cute child. Do oaths compare to the rarity of the Sunserpent’s body or the precious red horn of ancient beasts?" sneered a middle-aged man from Vei Village.
With a flash of silver, Xiao Budian stopped talking. His arms moved, drawing a moonlight circle that was dazzling and radiant, like the divine moon descending from the heavens.
Holding the moon, he charged at the group. When reason failed, only combat remained. Though still a child, he had heard many tales of the cruel and terrifying beasts of the Great Wilderness.
Now, he viewed these people as beasts rather than fellow beings, charging forward to fight and protect the Qinglin Eagle.
In his mind, these people were far more wicked than the usually "fierce" Qinglin Eagle, and no longer deserved any sympathy.
The iron arrows rained down like a storm, each with the weight of a thousand pounds, so terrifying that even a giant beast would be pierced through.
Such a large group targeting a child was heartless and merciless, showing no sign of hesitation, with cruel, cold smiles.
With a clang, the silver moon spun, deflecting a row of iron arrows with loud clangs, even the iron rods could not withstand and broke apart.
"Don’t hold back. Though he’s a child, he possesses powerful treasures. Shoot him down together," a burly man bellowed.
The silver moon howled, spinning through the forest. The man who had shouted was struck, losing half his shoulder and an arm, blood spurting as he fell with a scream.
"What a powerful child. Retreat and use iron spears," commanded the leader of Vei Village's hunting team, ordering a retreat and the use of even more powerful throwing iron spears, more fearsome than arrows.
Iron spears, glowing with a cold light, flew through the air. Each spear was two meters long and weighed several dozen pounds, capable of piercing a Fire Rhinoceros’s hide.
Clang, clang.
Xiao Budian blocked the spears with the silver moon, shattering them with loud clangs and sparks. The situation was dire.
"Kill!"
Xiao Shihao’s eyes hardened. Though kind-hearted, he was not weak. When others sought to kill him, he would fight back fiercely for self-preservation.
The silver moon trembled as he sprinted, wielding the precious moon to block the iron spears. After running several dozen meters, he unleashed his full strength, sending out a blinding silver light. Several screams were heard ahead as five or six people had their arms severed, blood spraying high.
Some iron spears narrowly missed Xiao Budian, tearing his clothes, but he could not afford to care. He summoned a second silver moon, which showed an ancient tree floating on it, casting an even brighter light.
With a thud, the silver moon flew several meters, almost cutting the Vei Village hunting team leader and several others in half. They were severely injured, and the leader’s abdomen was slashed open, with intestines nearly spilling out.
"Run!"
The leader shouted an order, his face pale and covered in sweat. The group quickly retreated, lifting their severely injured comrades and dispersing into the forest.
"This kid is quite a threat, too powerful. But the signal has been sent, the elder and the others are not far off and should arrive soon."
"Are you alright, Aunt Qing?" Xiao Budian ran back and saw the Qinglin Eagle with an iron spear and several arrows embedded in its wounds. Tears nearly fell from his eyes in sorrow.
The Qinglin Eagle’s gaze was gentle as it shook its head lightly, remaining silent and calm.
"Auntie, I feel so useless. Even after everything, I couldn’t bring myself to kill them, only injuring their shoulders and arms," Xiao Budian cried in self-reproach.
He was still a child, and despite his precocity, he couldn’t be as ruthless as an adult. Even though he had acted, his heart and hands had trembled throughout.
However, those who were injured had lost their combat ability and would no longer be a threat. Most had lost their shoulders and arms, destined to be disabled for life.
Several miles away, people from the Vei Village quickly gathered and rushed in this direction. Among them was a young man lying half-sitting on a stretcher, his face pale, eyes cold, and playing with a string of beast teeth.
An elder whispered, "He’s so powerful, injuring more than a dozen of our people. Don’t worry, this time the spirit will grant us a powerful artifact. Let’s see how he handles it."
"The Sunserpent’s body is right there. The spirit will come personally," another elder said.
Meanwhile, several miles away, the people of Stone Village, like a pack of fierce tigers, had mobilized the entire village and were rushing into the forest where Xiao Budian was. Leading the way were the young birds, Ziyun, Dapeng, and Xiaoqing, flapping their wings anxiously.
"Roar!"
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