Golden Flame Eagle

Shi Lan felt a bit speechless. She had remembered long ago that Shi Feng could fly, so why did she bother riding a horse to travel? The jolting on horseback was quite uncomfortable.

"Why don't we return to Tenglong City first?" Shi Lan remembered Su Lanyue and spoke.

Shi Feng shook his head and said, "Tenglong City might not be safe right now. As for the safety of the matriarch and the others, you don't need to worry. The family head will definitely make proper arrangements."

Shi Lan nodded, her eyes lighting up slightly. "Why don't we set off immediately?"

Thinking of flying on a magical artifact, Shi Lan suddenly felt a surge of excitement.

"Young Master, you should rest well for the night. After this, for the next month or so, it will be difficult to get any rest."

Upon hearing this, Shi Lan had to suppress her eagerness and nodded.

The night passed without incident.

Early in the morning, Shi Lan got up and began to pack her belongings. She gave away unnecessary items, including the fine steed, to the innkeeper.

Since flying with magical artifacts was prohibited within Dianxing City, Shi Feng only summoned his artifact after taking Shi Lan out of the city.

Shi Lan watched as the saber she had always treated like a kitchen knife transformed into a giant blade about ten feet long in the blink of an eye, momentarily stunned.

Shi Feng mounted the saber and beckoned, "Young Master, come up."

Shi Lan leaped onto the saber, feeling its stability beneath her feet. She stomped curiously a couple of times, but the saber remained perfectly still, no different from standing on solid ground.

"Young Master, hold on tight," Shi Feng reminded her. The saber beneath them began to ascend rapidly.

Shi Lan glanced down, watching Dianxing City shrink rapidly in her vision. She suddenly felt her legs go weak and a wave of dizziness.

"Don't look down. You'll get used to it after a while," Shi Feng said, handing her a bag of water.

After a few sips of water and a few deep breaths, the discomfort of being at high altitude began to slowly subside.

A layer of crimson light enveloped the saber, blocking out the strong winds blowing against them.

Watching the mountains and rivers rapidly recede below, Shi Lan felt a sense of exhilaration. This feeling of being high in the sky, surveying the world below, was truly refreshing.

After flying for nearly three hours, Shi Lan and Shi Feng encountered an extremely large group of refugees, stretching as far as the eye could see. There were at least hundreds of thousands of them.

Above these hundreds of thousands of people, many streaks of light hovered, and thousands of Demon Suppression Army soldiers guarded them, clearly in the process of migrating.

At a glance, Shi Lan saw many horrific scenes. A significant number of these hundreds of thousands of people were injured, and it was common to see those missing limbs. An undeniable scent of blood mixed with herbs continuously entered her nostrils.

Judging by the wounds of the injured, they had clearly been attacked by demonic beasts.

Around this large group of refugees, scattered demonic beasts followed from a distance, evidently attracted by the immense scent of blood.

Occasionally, beams of energy would slash down from the hovering lights above, killing a few demonic beasts that got too close.

However, the number of demonic beasts continued to gradually increase...

Shi Feng did not pass over these people, but instead took a wide detour, continuing his journey.

Shi Lan remained silent. The brief glimpses of the tragic scenes she had just witnessed weighed heavily on her heart.

The two of them traveled diligently during the day and stopped for a few hours of rest in the evening, as flying lights were too conspicuous in the darkness.

More than half a month passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, they encountered countless migrating refugees and even stumbled upon a demonic beast horde. Fortunately, Shi Feng discovered it early and they detoured far away.

What left the deepest impression on Shi Lan was a battlefield they encountered on the road.

Skeletons gnawed bare, shattered armor and weapons, the land for hundreds of miles around was soaked red with blood, pitted and scarred, like a hellish scene from Asura had descended upon the world.

All of this clearly showed what the Chengtian Domain had become.

Shi Lan's sense of crisis grew heavier, but all she could do now was cultivate even harder.

One day, Shi Lan sat cross-legged on the saber as usual, circulating the Jade Body Forging Technique to digest the essence of flesh and blood.

"Cease!" Shi Feng suddenly roared.

"Screech!"

Before Shi Lan could react, a high-pitched eagle's cry sounded above her head. The cry was incredibly piercing, causing Shi Lan's ears to ring, as if her eardrums were about to burst!

Shi Lan's mind was in turmoil, and the flow of energy within her body became uncontrollable, running wild.

"Pfft!"

Shi Lan felt a sweetness in her throat and couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

She managed to calm the chaotic energy within her body and quickly opened her eyes, only to find the surrounding light dim.

Looking up, Shi Lan couldn't help but hold her breath.

A colossal creature with a wingspan of over ten feet circled above her head. From Shi Lan's perspective, it almost blotted out the sky!

This massive bird had golden wings, and under the sunlight, it looked as if it were clad in golden flames.

"Hold on tight, it's a Golden Flame Eagle!" Shi Feng shouted, changing direction and diving straight towards the ground. At the same time, his Innate Qi surged out, pouring into the surrounding light barrier.

Fighting a bird-like demonic beast in the sky was undoubtedly playing to the enemy's strengths and to their own weaknesses.

The Golden Flame Eagle turned, its wings folding slightly, and dived down. The sharp talons beneath its belly gleamed with a cold light, as if forged from steel, and slammed hard onto the light barrier surrounding Shi Feng!

"Screeeech—"

As the talons scraped across the light barrier, they produced a sound like metal clashing, scattering sparks!

Although the light barrier didn't break, the immense force carried by the Golden Flame Eagle's talons caused Shi Feng's descent speed to surge dramatically. He was sent hurtling uncontrollably towards the ground!

Shi Feng's eyes turned cold. Forgoing speech, he grabbed Shi Lan, enveloped her in a layer of Innate Qi for cushioning, and then threw her out of the light barrier ahead of him.

Before Shi Lan could react, she hit the ground and tumbled like a gourd, rolling nearly a hundred meters before coming to a dazed stop.

BOOM!

A deafening impact suddenly rang out!

The light barrier enveloping Shi Feng shattered like an egg. A massive amount of dust and debris was kicked up, and spiderweb-like cracks spread out nearly thirty feet from the impact center on the ground.

Shi Lan was jolted awake by the tremendous noise. She managed to regain her senses, struggled to her feet, glanced at the situation in the field, and without hesitation, turned and fled.

She knew the Golden Flame Eagle was beyond her ability to handle. If she stayed, Shi Feng would be distracted protecting her, and she would only be a liability.

A crimson blade aura, over thirty feet long, shot up into the sky, slashing towards the Golden Flame Eagle in mid-air.

"Caw!"

The Golden Flame Eagle let out a piercing cry. Its wings beat, and it narrowly dodged the blade aura. A few feathers brushed by the aura instantly turned to ash!

Shi Feng, holding his saber, emerged from the thick dust and smoke. Seeing Shi Lan's retreating figure far in the distance, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. Then, he looked up at the Golden Flame Eagle in the sky, a cold smile playing on his lips.

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