The Land is Devastated

Suddenly, a streak of crimson lightning tore through the sky. It was incredibly brilliant, instantly dyeing the entire firmament red as if a vast expanse of sunset clouds had appeared.

A fire-red bird, crystalline and dripping with vibrant color, no larger than a palm, plummeted from the sky and crashed right in front of the great willow tree at the village entrance.

"Ah, Little Red!" Little One stood up abruptly and dashed over.

The bird was entirely crimson. Once it landed, all its divine radiance retracted, and its red feathers dimmed. A horrific wound ran through its chest and abdomen, nearly severing it in two. Furthermore, there were several claw marks on its head that had nearly pierced its skull.

"Is that a Vermilion Bird?" Shi Lin muttered to himself from not far away.

The crimson bird was in a miserable state, its injuries grave. Within those wounds, terrifying runes flickered, intermittently pulsing and continuing to destroy its vitality.

Little One did not dare to act rashly, for the moment the little red bird had fallen, it had scorched the ground. It was like a furnace, radiating a frighteningly high temperature.

"Little Red, what happened to you?" Little One asked softly.

The bird on the ground had eyes that were not red, but black and white, clear as gemstones. It rolled its eyes at him in a grand fashion. The resentment and indignation in that look made Little One feel quite embarrassed, and he scratched his head.

"Little Red, are you in pain?" After holding his breath for a long time, that was all Little One could squeeze out. The crimson bird widened its eyes, glaring at him indignantly, showing him nothing but the whites of its eyes, looking thoroughly annoyed.

The fact that a red bird had fallen from the sky left the group of children stunned. Could this be the little bird that Little One had been pining for, the one he had once chased out of the village all by himself?

However, those who truly understood, such as the Chief and several elderly men, were frozen stiff. Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao were even more terrified, their hair standing on end; they dared not move a muscle, fearing they might provoke the little red bird.

They had once gazed from afar as a fire-red bird battled in the Vast Mountain Range, burning down half the sky. That scene was too terrifying; they would never forget it for the rest of their lives.

Now, as this crimson bird fell from the sky, it had dyed the horizon red, as if sunset clouds were spilling down. One did not need much imagination to feel a chill down their spine—this was, in all likelihood, that supreme creature.

"Child, come here," Shi Yunfeng whispered, calling Little One back for fear of angering the little red bird.

"Grandpa, it's okay. I know Little Red is powerful, but I don't feel any killing intent. It has no hostility toward Stone Village," Little One explained, his large eyes blinking.

The crimson bird lay on the ground, eyes wide, and opened its beak to spit out a faint wisp of radiance. It landed on a massive boulder. With a "puff," a wisp of blue smoke rose, and the entire boulder melted into a pool of magma, flowing on the ground. The heat was unbearable, stinging everyone's faces.

The crowd was horrified. This was merely a tiny wisp of radiance, not even true flame, yet it already possessed such terrifying heat. Recalling what they had seen before—a sky full of inextinguishable fire that burned for a full half-month—what kind of divine might was that?!

The villagers broke into a cold sweat for Little One. Shi Feijiao and the others carefully stepped forward, intending to drag him away.

"Little Red, don't be angry. Look, even your head is smoking. Be careful, or your beautiful red feathers will burn away, and that would be a pity," Little One said.

A cluster of red feathers on the little bird's head shimmered with radiance, standing on end. It was clearly very angry, but a moment later, it calmed down, staring at Little One with a strange, lingering gaze.

"Grandpa, look, Little Red is very kind. It's not throwing a temper tantrum anymore," Little One laughed happily, his smile sweet and pure. He really wanted to pick up the little red bird.

The fire-red bird flapped its wings and struggled to stand. Runes flickered at the wound on its chest and abdomen, continuously eroding its life force.

"You came to find the Willow Deity, didn't you? When you came before, you landed on its trunk. Do you want it to help you heal your wounds this time?" Little One asked.

"Hmph!" Having its intentions guessed by a child, the little red bird was displeased. It let out a crisp huff, ignored him, and looked up at the willow tree.

The thick, charred willow tree was silent. The dim willow branch that swayed in the wind now silently lowered itself, gradually emitting a green radiance.

The crimson bird chirped softly and took a few difficult steps forward. Facing the tender green branch, it exposed its wounds and retracted the last of its firelight.

A drop of crystalline sap appeared on the branch, like a bead of jade dew. It radiated light and emitted a fragrant scent that left everyone in Stone Village feeling refreshed.

The willow branch lowered, and the tender bud touched the fire-red bird. The translucent sap slid down and sank into the horrific wound. Instantly, the firelight there flared intensely, and runes flickered incessantly. The little red bird chirped, its body trembling as if in great pain, enduring it with difficulty.

The willow branch swayed gently, and several more drops of sap appeared, rolling between the tender buds. Each was crystalline and translucent, like fairy pearls, flowing with color and emitting a fragrant aroma. As these drops fell, the runes gradually vanished, and the wound that had pierced its chest and abdomen closed completely. The little red bird's pain seemed to diminish significantly.

Subsequently, the green-glowing bud lowered to its head, and the crystalline sap flowed down. The claw marks on the little red bird's head also slowly disappeared. With this, the grave injuries it had suffered were completely eradicated.

With a flash of fire, the little red bird was bathed in crimson light, its entire body brilliant and dazzling to the point that people could not keep their eyes open. Boundless divine radiance flowed, making it look magnificent and eye-catching—a completely different creature from a moment ago.

The villagers were terrified. The palm-sized crimson bird was now emitting a monstrous divine might. It felt as if they were facing an ancient god; the crowd nearly collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, the great willow tree emitted a halo of light, neutralizing this heavenly pressure.

As for those further away, such as near the lake, the five-colored birds and unicorns all knelt and bowed toward this place as if on a pilgrimage.

The little red bird was in a very good mood. It chirped happily, retracted its divine might, and hopped around on the spot. It spoke to the willow tree in crisp human language: "I owe you a great favor."

The charred willow tree made no sound, but its tender green branches swayed, pointing toward all the villagers.

The crimson bird was full of spirit, its lethargy swept away. Its feathers were crystalline and bright, and it was full of vitality, having recovered its strength.

With a "clang," a red feather detached from its body. The radiance flowing from it was like electric sparks, very miraculous, and it plunged into a rock with a hiss.

"Keep this well. If anyone comes looking for trouble, show it to them!" Its voice was beautiful, crisp and melodious, like jade beads falling onto a plate. Clearly, this was a token of protection.

However, after the red feather pierced the rock, the area immediately melted into a pool of magma. Crimson light flowed, the liquid boiled, and the area expanded rapidly.

The crowd retreated; the temperature was too high.

The little red bird was startled. It looked at the crowd, then opened its beak and inhaled. The light on the crimson feather flared and flickered violently as wisps of divine radiance flew up and into its mouth.

It drained the divine essence, leaving behind only a bright, beautiful red feather, then nodded at the willow tree and soared into the sky.

"Little Red, come play often!" Little One stood at the village entrance, waving vigorously at the sky.

The crimson bird stumbled in mid-air, nearly falling. It looked back and glared at him fiercely, then erupted with radiance and flew toward the distance without looking back.

"Keep this feather safe!" the Chief, Shi Yunfeng, said solemnly. This small red feather was of great importance; no one would treat it as an ordinary feather.

A long time later, things finally calmed down, and the villagers began to familiarize themselves with this new environment.

A group of children shouted and ran along the beautiful, grassy lake shore, discussing how to catch Dragon-Whisker Fish to strengthen their bones and muscles. They were becoming increasingly hungry for power.

The little phoenix bird, with its vibrant wings and two-meter-long body, swam leisurely into the lake, not afraid of the children at all. As for the dozens of unicorns, other than being slightly wary of the adult men, they completely ignored the children.

The villagers discovered that this place was truly perfect for living. There were no overly savage beasts, and the distant forests were full of prey. Although there were fierce birds and beasts, they were not too difficult to deal with.

The nearby lake teemed with all sorts of fish, especially the Dragon-Whisker Fish, a true tonic, making every tribesperson grin from ear to ear. In the past, even direct descendants of the Purple Mountain Lineage, Lei Clan, and Golden Wolf Tribe couldn't afford the luxury of daily feasts of these rare, strength-boosting fish.

"We should go out and see what this place is, how far it is from our original Vast Mountain Range, and what happened to our old home," Shi Linhu said.

"Uncle, let me go. I'll go with Aunt Green-Scaled Eagle to take a good look."

"Let's go together!" Shi Lin said.

Amidst the envious gazes of a group of children, Little One climbed onto the Green-Scaled Eagle's back. Then, Shi Lin leaped up, also boarding the eagle. With a flap of its silver wings, the wind howled as they soared upwards, disappearing into the clouds.

Birds of prey are extremely sensitive to direction. After circling once in the high altitude, it quickly flew in one direction, like a silver lightning bolt, moving at incredible speed.

"Whoa, what happened? These mountains have collapsed!" Little Shi Hao exclaimed, surprised. Just a few hundred miles out, he noticed the abnormality on the ground.

The earth was cracked, lifeless, the mountains and rivers completely shattered, devoid of vitality.

As they ventured deeper, he saw broken walls and ruins, giant cities destroyed one after another, reduced to vast wastelands, stained with blood, but without corpses. Traveling thousands of miles deep, he found no sign of life, only residual blood. Many great tribes had been annihilated, and this vast territory had become a dead land.

"It's simply a devastation of life!" Shi Lin said in a low voice.

"That's a giant footprint!"

High in the sky, level with the clouds, looking down at the earth, one could clearly see a massive footprint that had crushed a mountain range, shattering numerous peaks!

Little One was shocked. What kind of colossal creature could this be?

Continuing to fly forward, several dark, boundless abysses appeared on the ground. But upon closer inspection, they realized they were claw marks, gouged out by some fierce bird of prey.

"This raptor..." Little Shi Hao stared blankly.

The Green-Scaled Eagle trembled, a primal fear stirring within its soul, a reverence for a supreme being. As fellow birds, the difference was truly immense.

Moving further, the land was scorched for thousands of miles, desolate. The entire mountain range had been melted, leaving behind a charred landscape.

"Could this be the result of Little Red being pushed too far?" Little One murmured to himself.

The Green-Scaled Eagle possessed high intelligence. It circled these battlefields for a long time, sensing the powerful battle intent, as if gaining some insight. Especially the traces of combat between birds of prey were of great help to it.

"Aunt Green, when Ziyun and Dapeng can fly, I'll bring them to these places to gain insights," Little One said.

With a long cry, the Green-Scaled Eagle responded, appreciating Little One's intelligence and thoughtfulness.

Moving forward again, endless mountain ranges collapsed, many swept away by sheer force. Thousands of majestic high mountains were neatly broken, a terrifying sight!