Iron Feathers

Yu Chen, having parted ways with the Crow Tribe group, did not let down his guard. He moved cautiously through the jungle, faint mist curling around him. From afar, his figure could not be seen at all, as though he had melted into the surrounding environment.

This was the effect of the Shamanic Script Mist. The essence of shamanic script was divine patterns; every character contained traces of the natural laws of heaven and earth. The Shamanic Script Mist in Yu Chen's hand, for instance, embodied concealment, haziness, moisture, and other meanings.

When deployed in the jungle, combined with some of the knowledge Yu Chen had accumulated in his previous life, it provided excellent cover, preventing attacks from wild beasts and venomous insects.

Yu Chen continued onward and crossed a mountain, only to discover with surprise upon reaching his destination that the foothold he had carefully prepared during his time away from the tribe had already been occupied by other "people."

"Ironfeather Eagle?"

Yu Chen frowned at the eagle before him. It was nearly a meter long, with a grayish-black head marked by distinct white patterns, a dark body, and a faint metallic sheen.

Ironfeather Eagles were a type of ferocious beast that lived in the Southern Barbarian Mountains. They were quite well-known and ranged widely, so one could encounter them anywhere in the mountains. Ordinarily, Ironfeather Eagles preferred to live alone, gathering in flocks only during mating season. They fed mainly on small animals and snakes, making them especially hated by the snake-raising Snake Tribe.

Furthermore, as ferocious beasts, Ironfeather Eagles were naturally immune to many low-level shamanic arts. Even shamanic arts mixed with totemic power were not particularly effective against them. This was especially apparent with the Snake Tribe's shamanic arts, making them even more detested by the Snake Tribe's shamans.

To be honest, if this Ironfeather Eagle had not occupied the foothold Yu Chen had prepared for so long, he would not have wanted to face it at this time.

After all, it was currently Ironfeather Eagle mating season. Its choice to nest here meant that, besides the female Ironfeather Eagle inside, motionless and most likely incubating eggs, Yu Chen would have to face at least one enraged male Ironfeather Eagle.

Even though Yu Chen cultivated the Earthly Baleful arts, talismans, and water alongside his shamanic arts, making him far stronger than ordinary shamans, he was not absolutely certain that he could defeat two Ironfeather Eagles in a head-on clash.

But simply leaving was not realistic either. This foothold contained some living supplies and cultivation resources he had gathered over the years. Without this foothold and those things, living alone in the Southern Barbarian Mountains would expose him to dangers no less severe than killing these two Ironfeather Eagles.

He touched his wrist and removed the Yin Snake Chain woven from vegetation and snake bones.

Holding the slender chain in his hand, Yu Chen chanted under his breath. Scarlet patterns immediately emerged across the chain, which then rose into the air and transformed in the wind into a white snake half a zhang long.

Unlike the snake shadows Yu Chen had summoned earlier, this half-zhang white snake now possessed flesh and blood, scales growing across its surface. Even when examined with shamanic arts, faint blood-qi spiritual radiance could be seen on its body, no different from a real snake.

The Snake Shadow Banner appeared in his hand. With a gentle shake, mist flew from its surface and slowly shrouded the Ironfeather Eagles' nest.

Snake shadows crawled through the mist. The Ironfeather Eagle in the nest abruptly turned its head, accurately spotting the white snake among the many snake shadows, then let out a piercing cry toward the sky.

The next second, a black shadow descended from above. It was the other Ironfeather Eagle, the male that had been hiding nearby to guard his mate. Its wings spread wide and its talons extended as it pounced upon the white snake.

This newly appeared Ironfeather Eagle had thicker feathers, while its sharp claws shone with an obvious metallic gleam. The white snake formed by the Yin Snake Chain did not dare meet it head-on. With a flick, it slipped into the grass.

At the same time, Yu Chen, hidden in the shadows, shook the Snake Shadow Banner. Snake shadows surged out from every direction and rushed toward the Ironfeather Eagle.

Startled, the Ironfeather Eagle beat its wings fiercely and took to the air again.

Yet in the next instant, it discovered that these snake shadows could not harm it at all. One after another, they struck its iron-plate-like feathers, leaving behind only pale marks.

The venom and shamanic arts hidden within the snake shadows could not affect the Ironfeather Eagle either.

Its eagle eyes shifted as it surveyed the surroundings, then it swooped down once more, stretching out its talons toward the white snake near the nest.

Snake shadows flew out again. This time, the Ironfeather Eagle paid them no heed, its claws hooking straight for the white snake's neck.

Red light flashed. One snake shadow suddenly scattered, transforming into a tiny snake-shaped dart that shot straight for the Ironfeather Eagle's eye.

The Ironfeather Eagle reacted swiftly, abruptly rising half a foot into the air. The Fire Snake Dart struck the softest feathers on its belly instead, viciously piercing its flesh. The surrounding snake shadows converged at once, slithering through the wound as all kinds of toxins Yu Chen had refined entered the Ironfeather Eagle's body along with them.

Though a ferocious beast possessed a powerful physique, the vast quantity of toxins injected into its body was still more than the Ironfeather Eagle could bear. It flapped its wings wildly and struggled without cease. The white snake seized the chance to surge upward and ram into the Ironfeather Eagle's eye, punching straight through its head.

When its mate was injured, the Ironfeather Eagle guarding the nest let out a shrill cry. But by the time it spread its wings and flew up, it was already too late. It dove down viciously, pecking at the white snake crawling out of the male Ironfeather Eagle's eye socket.

The mist churned, and the surrounding grasses and trees rapidly grew, patterns like snake scales emerging across their surfaces. They intertwined in midair, weaving into a net that caught the female Ironfeather Eagle.

The white snake flickered into a streak of white light and surged upward again, battling the Ironfeather Eagle.

Compared to the male, a female Ironfeather Eagle during mating season showed signs of softened feathers in order to better incubate her offspring. Her strength was also somewhat weakened. For the moment, she could not break free from the entanglement of the vines and the white snake. It was then that red light appeared on the male Ironfeather Eagle's belly.

The next moment, the surrounding mist gathered and turned into a giant python. A mysterious pattern on its brow blossomed with dazzling radiance. The giant python coiled down and tightly trapped the female Ironfeather Eagle.

As the two stared at each other, its crimson snake tongue shot out, becoming a streak of red light that pierced through the female Ironfeather Eagle's eye.

"Looks like my luck isn't too bad! These two Ironfeather Eagles must have only recently reached adulthood. Neither the hardness of their feathers nor their battle instincts amounts to much!" Yu Chen emerged from the shadows, his body blanketed in layer upon layer of mist. He had used this method to conceal his aura and fool the two Ironfeather Eagles' vision.

Yu Chen stepped forward and used the Snake Shadow Banner to draw the toxins out of the male Ironfeather Eagle's body. Then, with a beckoning gesture, the Fire Snake Dart flew from the female Ironfeather Eagle's eye, while the white snake turned back into a chain and returned to his hand as well.

As expected, the damage is considerable! Yu Chen sighed inwardly as he looked at the notch on the Fire Snake Dart's tip and the fine cracks across the Yin Snake Chain.

An Ironfeather Eagle's feathers were harder than hundredfold-refined steel and yet possessed great resilience. They also bore natural patterns resembling shamanic script, allowing them to resist shamanic attacks quite effectively. Even the feathers on their bellies, their softest area, could not be pierced by ordinary weapons.

Although Yu Chen's Fire Snake Dart had been refined from the bones of a snake that had become a demon, together with the shamanic scripts for snake, fire, and poison, and mixed with certain special metals, its hardness was not particularly remarkable.

Forcing its way through the Ironfeather Eagle's belly feathers and into its body, it naturally suffered backlash from those patterns and damaged itself. By Yu Chen's estimation, this slight damage was only because these two Ironfeather Eagles had only recently reached adulthood. If a few more years passed and the patterns on the male Ironfeather Eagle's feathers became more distinct, or underwent some change, then when the Fire Snake Dart struck it, never mind cracks—it would be fortunate just to break through its defense.

The Yin Snake Chain was the same. Its quality was still somewhat lacking, and damage was unavoidable in a direct clash with an Ironfeather Eagle.

After putting away the Fire Snake Dart and Yin Snake Chain, Yu Chen looked at the two Ironfeather Eagle corpses and felt somewhat troubled.

The flesh of these ferocious beasts was unsuitable as food to begin with, and now that it had been corroded by snake venom, it was even harder to stomach.

After thinking for a moment, Yu Chen summoned several snake shadows to carry the two Ironfeather Eagles into the nest. He looked at the large bird's nest inside the cave, the several eagle eggs within it, and the supplies around it, more than half of which had been destroyed.

Even though he had been mentally prepared, the veins at Yu Chen's temples still throbbed.

He decisively plucked several feathers bearing the deepest patterns from the two Ironfeather Eagles and set them aside. Then, using a sacrificial rite, he offered the two Ironfeather Eagle corpses and the eagle eggs to the surrounding mountains and land.

The next update will be at eleven thirty.