"What's going on?"
The children turned pale with fright.
A glint flashed in Ye Xuan's eyes.
"Stop."
He signaled for the Green Scaled Eagle to descend, conceal its presence, and land behind a secluded cliff.
Through a gap in the rocks, they had a clear view of the scene below.
In the distant valley, dust filled the sky and shattered rocks flew like clouds.
Three enormous beasts were locked in a desperate battle.
The fierce beasts fighting for their lives were all overlords of the Great Wilderness.
One of them was golden from head to toe, as if cast from gold. It was a Suanni!
But the old Suanni was in terrible shape. It was covered in blood, its aura feeble. It was clearly on its last legs.
Opposite it...
A pitch-black Demon Ape wielded a white bone club, swinging it wildly. Every blow cracked the earth.
On the other side, a Li Huo Bull Demon blazed with crimson flames. It stamped all four hooves against the ground and spewed fire hot enough to melt rock.
The two fierce beasts had joined forces to attack the dying old Suanni!
"It's a Suanni! A Primordial Remnant Species!"
Er Meng blurted out in shock, then hurriedly covered his mouth.
Ye Xuan narrowed his eyes.
The old Suanni was nearing the end of its lifespan and had wanted to find a place to die in peace, but its enemies had come after it.
"That old Suanni won't last much longer."
Ye Xuan could see it clearly.
Although the old Suanni was still fighting desperately, even unleashing terrifying thunder to scorch one of the Demon Ape's arms, it was only a last burst of strength.
Boom!
Another violent collision.
The old Suanni let out one last mournful roar, and the Thunder Runes within its body erupted all at once.
The Demon Ape and the Li Huo Bull Demon were terrified by its determination to take them down with it. Afraid they'd be dragged into its final counterattack, they turned and fled, vanishing into the dense forest in the blink of an eye.
Silence settled over the valley once more.
The old Suanni's enormous body crashed to the ground. The light gradually faded from its golden eyes, and its last trace of life drifted away with the wind.
An overlord had fallen.
"They're gone?"
Shi Dazhuang, Shi Linhu's son, scratched his head. "They're not taking the corpse?"
"They ran because they were scared. They thought the Suanni was going to blow itself up."
Ye Xuan stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes.
"An opportunity like this shouldn't be wasted."
"Green Scaled, down."
The Green Scaled Eagle let out an excited cry. That was a Suanni's corpse! It would be a great tonic for it, too.
It folded its wings and plunged down like a bolt of green lightning, landing steadily in the middle of the valley.
Ye Xuan leaped off its back and walked over to the Suanni's corpse.
Even in death, the body still radiated terrifying heat and pressure. Ordinary beasts wouldn't dare come near it.
Ye Xuan placed a hand on the Suanni's forehead.
It was scorching hot to the touch.
"It's been preserved perfectly."
Ye Xuan nodded in satisfaction.
"Looks like I didn't just find the Little Rascal this time—I scored a real bargain, too."
He grabbed one of the Suanni's enormous feet with one hand and swung.
"Up!"
The enormous body, weighing over a hundred thousand pounds, landed directly on the Green Scaled Eagle's back.
The Green Scaled Eagle buckled under the weight and nearly collapsed to the ground, letting out a low, protesting cry.
"Quit complaining. I'll give you a leg when we get back."
At that, the Green Scaled Eagle perked right up. It beat its wings with all its might and carried the mountain of meat and the children wobbling into the sky.
Stone Village.
The sun was setting, bathing the whole village in gold.
Shi Yunfeng and the men and women of all ages had gathered anxiously at the village entrance.
"It's been half the day already. Why haven't they come back?"
"Do you think something happened to them?"
Just as everyone was growing frantic with worry...
A huge shadow suddenly fell from the sky.
"Look! What's that?"
Someone pointed at the sky in alarm.
A giant green fierce bird was diving toward the village. Its enormous body blotted out the sky, bringing with it a suffocating pressure.
"It's the Green Scaled Eagle! Get your weapons! Prepare to fight!"
Shi Yunfeng shouted. The bone script in his hand lit up.
But the next moment...
Everyone froze.
Because they saw a group of familiar figures riding on the fierce bird's back.
And a golden mountain of meat?
Boom!
The Green Scaled Eagle landed in the open space at the village entrance, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Ye Xuan jumped down first, looking perfectly at ease.
Then Little Shi Hao and the other children slid off the eagle's back. Though they were all covered in dust, they were full of energy.
"Grandpa Chief! We're back!"
Little Shi Hao clutched the huge emerald egg and dashed toward Shi Yunfeng as if presenting him with a treasure.
Shi Yunfeng stared at the Green Scaled Eagle, which was now docilely crouching behind Ye Xuan. Then he looked at the enormous corpse on its back, which radiated the aura of thunder.
"Th-this is a Suanni?!"
"Has the Green Scaled Eagle been tamed?"
The villagers were all dumbstruck.
They'd gone out and not only brought the children back, but returned with an aerial overlord as a mount?
And they'd even brought back the corpse of a Primordial Remnant Species?
This was unbelievable!
"Y-Young Immortal Master..."
Shi Yunfeng was so excited he could barely speak.
"We got lucky. Found it on the way back," Ye Xuan said casually.
"Let's unload it first and butcher it while it's still warm."
Ye Xuan casually dragged the Suanni's corpse down and tossed it onto the threshing ground.
"Shi Linhu, get some people to heat the water and set up the pots."
"The whole village is eating meat tonight."
"Right away!"
Shi Linhu's face flushed with excitement as he called the men over to get to work.
A Suanni! He'd never eaten such high-grade meat in his life!
Another surprise awaited them as they butchered the Suanni.
As Shi Linhu carefully split open the Suanni's skull, a translucent golden bone covered in intricate runes dropped out.
"Divine Bone! It's a Primordial Bone!"
Shi Yunfeng held the bone in trembling hands.
"It didn't destroy itself!"
Primordial Remnant Species usually shattered their Divine Bones before dying, so they wouldn't fall into their enemies' hands.
Getting a complete Primordial Bone was harder than reaching the heavens.
"Looks like fortune has smiled on Stone Village."
Ye Xuan walked over and picked up the bone for a closer look.
His Double Pupils activated.
The intricate Thunder Dao Runes rapidly broke apart and reassembled before his eyes.
After only a few glances...
A golden arc of lightning danced across Ye Xuan's palm.
He mastered the Suanni Treasure Art in an instant!
He handed the bone to Shi Yunfeng.
"Chief, keep this bone safe. It'll be one of the village's inherited arts from now on."
"Let the children study it, too. The more skills they have, the more paths they'll have to choose from."
Shi Yunfeng was overcome with gratitude. He carefully put the bone away.
After dealing with the Suanni, Ye Xuan didn't rest.
He brought the Green Scaled Eagle and those three bird eggs to the Willow Tree.
"Master."
Ye Xuan bowed respectfully.
"Although this Green Scaled Eagle's bloodline isn't pure, it's still descended from a Primordial Demonic Bird. These three eggs also show signs of mutation."
"With a little of your power, Master, they might be able to return to their ancestral bloodline."
"They could also serve as Stone Village's guardian beasts in the future."
The Willow Deity said nothing.
One of her verdant Willow Twigs descended gently and brushed across the three emerald eggs.
Hum!
A beam of green divine light flowed into the eggs.
In an instant, the scale patterns on the shells seemed to come alive, moving and rearranging at a frantic pace.
The eggshells, which had originally been green, began to show a faint golden-purple hue.
It was a sign that their bloodline was evolving!
Before you continue