Cliff Corona, the Golden Eagle King Commands the Flock

The southeastern cliffs of Sunset Forest were even more treacherous than the map depicted.

Three sides were sheer precipices, with only a narrow mountain path leading upward.

Bottomless ravines lay on both sides of the path. Hot mist churned within them, and the low growls of soul beasts occasionally drifted up.

The closer they drew to Broken Cliff, the hotter the air became.

It was not the extreme heat of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

It was a dry, scorching heat baked into the land by years of sunlight.

Hu Liena looked up.

From the highest point of the cliff, a golden feather drifted down on the wind.

Before it could touch the ground, it spontaneously ignited in midair and turned into a tiny spark.

Her expression grew solemn.

"The fire-element aura here is very dense."

Dugu Bo walked behind them, his voice cold and stiff. "The Corona Golden Eagle King has occupied this place for many years. Every noon, it stands at the cliff's peak and absorbs sunlight, using it to restore its wings and Soul Power."

Hu Liena frowned. "Then why did we come at noon?"

After speaking, she turned to look at Di Yao.

She did not need to ask. She already knew this had to be Di Yao's idea.

Di Yao stood at the entrance to the mountain path, looking up at the cliff's summit.

The blazing midday sun hung high overhead.

Broken Cliff gleamed painfully beneath it, as though wrapped in golden flames.

Di Yao's voice was calm. "I want it at its strongest."

Hu Liena could not help saying, "Couldn't you pick a time when it's weaker?"

Di Yao did not turn around.

"If I kill it when it's weak, its Soul Ring will be weak too."

Hu Liena felt her chest tighten with anger.

But Dugu Bo suddenly laughed.

"Interesting."

He looked at Di Yao, a strange glint in his eyes. "Kid, you really aren't afraid of dying."

Di Yao said, "Those who fear death cannot obtain this kind of Soul Ring."

Dugu Bo snorted coldly but said nothing more.

Because he realized the kid truly believed that.

He was not merely putting on an arrogant act.

Di Yao stepped forward.

His Second Soul Ring slowly lit up.

The dark golden pressure of the Ten Thousand Demon Edict spread outward.

Many low-level avian soul beasts had been hiding in the woods on either side of the mountain path.

Fire Crows, Red-Feather Falcons, Golden-Eyed Sparrows, Iron-Beak Eagles.

The instant they sensed Di Yao's aura, they clearly grew restless.

Some birds immediately lowered themselves and cried out in terror.

Others took flight in panic, circling in the air but not daring to come close.

A flicker of surprise appeared in Hu Liena's eyes.

This was the suppression that Demon Emperor Di Jun exerted over beasts.

Even if it was not absolute control, it was enough to throw a beast horde into disarray.

But then—

A piercing cry rang out from the cliff top.

"Screech—!"

The sound was impossibly sharp, like metal tearing through the sky. It shook loose pebbles from the mountain path.

The avian soul beasts that had just fallen into chaos actually stabilized again beneath that cry.

They no longer scattered, instead circling above Broken Cliff in a massive ring.

Hu Liena's expression changed slightly.

"It's forcing the flock back under control."

Di Yao's eyes brightened.

"Good."

Hu Liena looked at him.

She had actually heard a trace of satisfaction in Di Yao's voice.

At a time like this, what was he satisfied about?

Satisfied that this soul beast would be difficult enough to kill?

The sunlight above the cliff suddenly dimmed for an instant.

Not because the sun had darkened.

But because a massive figure spread its wings beneath the blazing sun.

It was an enormous golden eagle.

Its wingspan stretched over a dozen meters. Its feathers were crimson gold, and fine golden flames burned at the tips of its wings.

A ring of light like a sun crown marked its forehead, flickering with every breath.

Its golden eagle eyes looked down upon them, cold, proud, and ferocious.

The Corona Golden Eagle King.

It did not dive immediately.

Instead, it circled high in the sky like a lord scrutinizing invaders who had stepped into its territory.

Di Yao took another step forward.

A Dark Gold Sun appeared behind him.

The Dharma Image of Demon Emperor Di Jun flickered into view.

At that moment, the Corona Golden Eagle King's pupils visibly contracted.

It sensed the solar aura on Di Yao's body.

It was not that of its own kind.

It felt more like something of a higher order.

Yet it did not submit.

Instead, it released an even more shrill cry.

The avian soul beasts in the air were stirred up, growing agitated one after another.

Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes. "This beast doesn't want to kneel."

The corner of Di Yao's mouth lifted slightly.

"That's why it's worth it."

As soon as he spoke, the Corona Golden Eagle King moved.

It dove from the sky.

It was so fast that only a golden afterimage remained.

Its wings sliced through the air, producing a shrill whistle.

Di Yao's First Soul Ring lit up, and Great Sun Golden Flame condensed into a dark golden fire shield in his palm.

Bang!

The Golden Eagle King's claws slammed into the fire shield.

The shield exploded instantly.

The mountain rock beneath Di Yao's feet cracked apart. He was knocked back several steps, and three bloody gashes appeared on his arm.

Hu Liena's expression changed.

This was after Di Yao had absorbed three Immortal Herbs, greatly strengthening his body.

If it had been an ordinary Soul Elder, that single strike would have been enough to tear apart half his body.

After missing with its first strike, the Corona Golden Eagle King used the force to beat its wings and soar back into the sky.

Dozens of crimson-gold feather blades shot from beneath its wings, falling toward Di Yao like a rain of burning knives.

Instead of retreating, Di Yao advanced.

Great Sun Golden Flame erupted beneath his feet, forcefully burning open a path.

But just as he wanted to pursue the Golden Eagle King, the flock in the air suddenly swooped down.

More than a dozen Fire Crows and Red-Feather Falcons charged at Hu Liena.

Several dozen other low-level birds wove themselves between Di Yao and the Golden Eagle King, forming an aerial barrier.

Hu Liena's gaze turned cold.

She finally understood that the Corona Golden Eagle King's greatest trouble was not its own strength.

It was that it could command.

It was not fighting alone.

It was using its entire territory to surround and kill the invaders.

Di Yao saw it too.

But he did not look back.

He only said coldly, "Hu Liena."

Hu Liena gripped her short blade, her voice crisp. "I know."

Her First Soul Ring lit up.

The power of Charm spread outward.

The Fire Crows rushing at her faltered slightly.

Two of them collided, their feathers bursting into sparks.

But more birds had already swooped down.

Hu Liena retreated swiftly. Her short blade cut across a Fire Crow's throat, and hot blood splashed onto her sleeve.

She did not call for Di Yao.

Because he was under even greater pressure.

The Corona Golden Eagle King had already dived again.

This time, its target was not Di Yao's chest, but his eyes.

It wanted to destroy his sight.

Di Yao twisted aside. The claws grazed his cheek, leaving a shallow bloody mark.

At the same time, Great Sun Golden Flame climbed along the Golden Eagle King's talons.

The Golden Eagle King cried out angrily and violently shook its claws, scattering the flames.

Its wings were indeed resistant to fire.

But Di Yao's flames could still injure it.

Di Yao noted that point.

Dugu Bo stood at a distance without intervening.

He watched Di Yao battle the Golden Eagle King on the mountain path, his expression growing increasingly grim.

"The kid's judgment is precise."

Yue Guan smiled softly beside him. "How so?"

Dugu Bo said coldly, "He isn't rushing to kill those low-level birds, nor is he wasting Soul Power trying to forcefully chase it through the air."

"He's waiting for the Golden Eagle King to make a mistake."

Yue Guan's smile deepened.

"He is best at making others pay the price."

The battle continued.

Every move Di Yao made was restrained.

He did not unleash wide-area flames, did not stubbornly pursue, and did not let the flock draw him out of position.

He kept himself at the center of the mountain path.

Because that was the angle the Golden Eagle King had to pass through whenever it dived.

Meanwhile, Hu Liena continuously used Charm on the other side to disrupt the flock.

A feather blade cut a wound across her shoulder, and blood quickly dyed her sleeve red.

If Dugu Yan had been here, she would probably have realized that Hu Liena no longer possessed her usual Holy Maiden composure.

She looked utterly disheveled.

But she did not retreat.

She gritted her teeth, her eyes growing colder and colder.

Another Red-Feather Falcon swooped at her.

Hu Liena did not dodge. She let its claws scrape past her forearm as it flew by, then drove her short blade into its abdomen with a backhand strike.

The soul beast shrieked and fell to the ground.

Hu Liena caught her breath and looked into the sky.

The Corona Golden Eagle King had risen once more.

It wanted to use the sunlight to restore the talons that Great Sun Golden Flame had just scorched.

Di Yao saw it too.

His gaze turned cold.

"So that's how it is."

Hu Liena blocked the birds while shouting, "It's recovering!"

Di Yao's voice remained calm. "Then don't let it fly."

As if it understood him, the Corona Golden Eagle King let out a piercing shriek.

The next instant, it dove down amid blinding golden light.

Di Yao stood in the middle of the mountain path. Though he had yet to obtain his Third Soul Ring, the Soul Power within him had already been pushed to the absolute limit of rank thirty.

The First Soul Ring lit up.

Great Sun Golden Flame condensed into a slender line of fire in his right hand.

The Second Soul Ring lit up.

The Ten Thousand Demon Edict pressed down upon the flock in the sky.

The movements of those low-level flying beasts abruptly stalled.

For the first time, a gap appeared in the Corona Golden Eagle King's diving trajectory.

Di Yao looked up.

Golden eagle eyes met dark-gold eyes.

Di Yao said softly, "You qualify."

The Corona Golden Eagle King's talons descended.

Di Yao did not dodge.

The line of fire in his palm instantly pulled taut.

Like a dark-gold chain, it coiled around one of the Golden Eagle King's wings.

Boom!

The flames exploded.

The Golden Eagle King let out an enraged cry.

It forcibly twisted its body, avoiding the lethal restraint.

But a crimson-gold feather was burned through by the Great Sun Golden Flame, scattering a trail of burning sparks through the air.

Di Yao was also forced back by the shockwave, his feet plowing two deep furrows into the mountain path.

The old wound on his arm split open again.

Drops of blood fell to the ground and instantly evaporated.

Hu Liena's heart clenched when she saw this.

Yet Di Yao merely raised his eyes and watched the Golden Eagle King soar back into the sky.

He was not disappointed.

Instead, his gaze turned even colder.

Because he had already figured it out.

This Corona Golden Eagle King was very strong.

But it was not impossible to kill.

As long as its wings were broken.

This king of the skies could be made to crash back to the ground.