Ferocious Might

"It's too late! It's too fast—we can't make it back to the village!" Little Monkey cried, baring his teeth in pain. A flying rock had grazed his arm earlier, tearing away a large patch of skin, and blood streamed down. "There's a deep stone cave over here! Let's go inside and hide!" Little Dot, Shi Hao, shouted to everyone.

They fled through the mountains, rounded several huge boulders, and rushed into a tangle of enormous vines. Little Dot slipped inside with a swish, and all the other children immediately followed.

It was a damp stone cave hidden behind the vines. The faint sound of water could be heard, and it was dim and pitch-black within. The cave stretched endlessly deep. After hiding inside, the children did not dare stop, continuing to race dozens of meters farther in before finally halting.

Heavy panting filled the darkness. After running several miles, the dozen or so children were exhausted. They had been terrified just moments ago. That vicious Azure-Scaled Eagle was far too powerful; if it caught them, a single claw strike would turn them into a puddle of blood and shattered bones.

"Whew, that was close! We were this close to being finished!" Having survived the disaster, they all dropped to the ground on their butts.

"The entrance isn't very big. That vicious bird probably can't get in." Though the children relaxed somewhat, they did not lower their guard.

This ordeal had been exceedingly perilous. They had come within a hair's breadth of being buried in the mountain forest beneath the claws of that descendant of an archaic demonic bird. Now that they had calmed down a little, their backs were already slick with cold sweat.

The cave was extremely deep and connected to an underground river. Cold winds whistled through it. The children looked at one another, troubled. How were they supposed to return to Stone Village? None of them dared go outside.

"Eh, right—Little Dot, how did you know there was a stone cave here?" Once they came back to themselves, the children remembered that Little Dot had opened up a path to survival at the critical moment.

"Eeya!" Little Dot looked a little embarrassed. Tugging shyly at the corner of his clothes, he muttered softly, "Last time, I chased a crimson little bird out of the village and nearly got lost. I accidentally came here."

The children were speechless. Little Dot was good at everything, except that he was lively and restless, with an overwhelming curiosity. When he was little, he had already run out of the village several times while chasing the chieftain's big yellow dog. Not to mention after he grew older. Once his abilities improved, whenever he saw anything strange or unusual, he would chase after it without letting up until he got to the bottom of it.

"Hehe... Little Hao, still nursing at three, chasing birds everywhere!" the older children teased.

Little Dot flushed with embarrassment, puffing out his cheeks as he said indignantly, "Don't laugh! It was a little bird, crimson all over like blood. It looked exactly like the archaic divine bird Vermilion Bird described in the Bone Script!"

"Tch. Don't talk about something from legends when no one even knows whether it exists. Even a Firecloud Sparrow or one of its descendants could wipe out a great clan. If it really were a Vermilion Bird, would it let you chase it? One yawn from it could shatter the territory of a regional lord!"

"But it really looked exactly like the one described in the Bone Script—red and beautiful." Little Dot argued. His fair little hands clenched tightly, excitement on his rosy face as his black-jewel eyes gleamed in the darkness.

Boom!

Suddenly, a muffled impact jolted all the children awake. They turned toward the entrance, where a cold metallic gleam flickered. The Azure-Scaled Eagle's head appeared, its eyes chilling and terrifying as it stared at the children in the cave.

"Heavens, it's coming in!" The blood drained from many children's faces, leaving them deathly pale.

"It's fine. The entrance is too small—it can't get in!" Er Meng was truly fierce. As he spoke, he grabbed a rock as large as a washbasin and hurled it with all his strength.

Bang!

With his thousand-jin strength, that enormous rock flew at terrifying speed and with boundless force, smashing into the Azure-Scaled Eagle's head. Yet it only sent sparks flying with a metallic clang. The cold gleam of those metal-like azure scales flickered without the slightest damage, while the rock split apart and fell to the ground.

Everyone sucked in a cold breath. This vicious bird had a body of bronze skin and iron bones. It was far too powerful, enough to chill their hearts.

Crunch!

With one swipe of its claw,

it instantly tore hundreds of jin of rock from the cave entrance, easily gouging out a huge chunk as though sharp iron hooks were clawing through mud. The children stared dumbstruck. Could not even the stone cave stop it?

Crack!

The sound of shattering rock rang out again. The Azure-Scaled Eagle flapped its wings, their edges slicing through the air like blades and cutting the rock wall into pieces. Huge boulders rumbled down as its massive body forcibly squeezed inward.

"Too terrifying! Can it split this little mountain apart? If this goes on long enough, won't it really smash open the cave and level this place?"

Little Monkey drew his bow and nocked an arrow. It was a Dragon-Horn hard bow, its so-called dragon horn taken from a Dragon-Horned Elephant. Normally, only adults could draw it, and in Stone Village it was considered the finest material for making bows.

Whoosh!

An arrow shot forth at extreme speed, fierce and heavy, streaking like a meteor with violent force.

Clang!

Yet to everyone's shock, the feathered arrow struck the Azure-Scaled Eagle's head and threw off a shower of sparks, unable to pierce through. Even such a hard bow and sharp arrow were ineffective.

Dread crept into their hearts. What were they supposed to do? Even a powerful bow could not hurt it. There was no possibility of engaging it in close combat, either. They were trapped in a dead end.

"Eeya, let me try."

Little Dot borrowed an iron spear from one of the older children. It weighed a full forty or fifty jin. He jogged forward, then suddenly accelerated and charged toward the cave entrance. At last, he fiercely hurled the iron spear. It instantly shot through the air like lightning, its cold gleam streaking toward the entrance.

Shi Hao could lift a thousand-jin bronze cauldron. When he threw the iron spear with all his strength, its penetrating power was terrifying beyond measure as it stabbed toward the Azure-Scaled Eagle's eye. The spear tore through the air with a howl, compressing the air until it roared along with it!

The Azure-Scaled Eagle had been disdainfully hunting these children all along, but for the first time, a trace of surprise appeared in its eyes. It swiftly swung its head aside, unwilling to let the iron spear strike its eye.

With a deafening clang, the iron spear slammed into the Azure-Scaled Eagle's head at tremendous speed and force. It was like two metal plates grinding together, sparks spraying everywhere as a piercing noise rang out.

In the end, the iron spear fell to the ground. But one of the coldly gleaming scales beside the vicious bird's eye also fell away, and a thin stream of blood flowed out, glaringly conspicuous.

A shrill bird cry rang out, like lightning striking straight into their souls. It began vast and thunderous, then turned sharp and piercing, like a dragon's roar—utterly terrifying.

Several children staggered backward in fright, then dropped onto the ground. They hurriedly covered their ears with both hands, or their eardrums might have been shattered by the vibration.

This vicious bird had been wounded through carelessness and flew into a frenzy. Its eagle eyes were cold as blades as they fixed on little Shi Hao. Its giant claws swung wildly, crazily tearing open the cave walls as it forcefully squeezed inward.

Rocks rolled everywhere, ranging from dozens to over a hundred jin. Beneath those sharp claws, they were as fragile as rotten wood. The stone cave was being widened as the Azure-Scaled Eagle screeched furiously and charged inside.

"This is bad! That huge bird has gone mad! Isn't it going to crush all of us here with one claw?" Little Monkey and the others were alarmed. The children were beginning to regret it. No wonder the adults had never dared act rashly—this vicious bird was simply too terrifying.

"This place is close to Stone Village. Chieftain Grandfather and the others will definitely hear the commotion and come rescue us," little Shi Hao said.

"That's right. Attack with everything we have and anger it. Make it cause an even bigger commotion, and the chieftain and the others will notice sooner!" Shi Big Strong said, grabbing a huge boulder and smashing it fiercely toward the vicious bird.

The bird cry became even more terrifying, shaking dust down from the cave ceiling as rocks rolled everywhere. That massive, scale-covered body drew closer step by step, furiously carving through the rock wall.

The children shot arrows at its eyes. As for the iron spears, they handed them to Shi Hao, Er Meng, and Shi Big Strong—the three strongest among them—so they could hurl them at the Azure-Scaled Eagle's eyes.

Rocks exploded and flew through this stretch of mountain forest while leaves whirled wildly. To protect its eyes, the vicious bird retreated from the narrow cave several times, completely leveling the nearby mountain terrain.

"What's going on? Why has that Azure-Scaled Eagle gone mad? Why is it causing trouble near our village?"

Someone in Stone Village noticed the anomaly, a puzzled look appearing on his face. They quickly sent someone to report to the village elders, and a group of people came to a high platform at the village entrance to watch that area.

"Chieftain, today I saw Er Meng, Dazhuang, and Little Dot sneaking together. Could they have left the village and caused trouble?" said an older child of fourteen or fifteen, reporting that more than ten younger children were missing.

"These little bastards!" Shi Linhu slapped his thigh, suddenly recalling how Little Monkey and several other children had been peeking around while they discussed the Azure-Scaled Eagle.

Once Chieftain Shi Yunfeng learned of it, he understood that the situation was urgent. He immediately said decisively, "Quickly, bring the two ancestral artifacts. We're going together!"

All the strongest men of Stone Village mobilized. For the sake of the children, their eyes had turned red. Who cared whether it was a descendant of an archaic demonic bird? They would fight it all the same! Some carried wolf-tooth clubs weighing hundreds of jin, some bore massive bows taller than a man on their backs, and others held broad black-iron swords over half a man tall, killing intent surging from them.

"Don't worry, the children will be fine. If that bald eagle dares show its ferocity, we'll chop it to pieces and feed it to the Tree Pigs!" These burly men comforted the women and children, roaring loudly before charging into the mountain forest with a howl.

This group of young, strong men swept through like a herd of beasts, fierce and imposing. From far away, they began firing arrows. The thick shafts were like javelins, and every one was an iron arrow with astonishing power!

Thump, thump...

Great arrows shot out in waves, piercing through and snapping many trees. They were wild and tyrannical, like a pack of towering savages whistling in as they shouted challenges at the vicious bird.

The Azure-Scaled Eagle had already withdrawn from the cave entrance. Its eyes were icy as it stared at these battle-hardened men, showing no fear. It was the apex predator of this region; as long as it did not enter the deepest part of the mountain range, it could swagger wherever it pleased.

It spread its wings, and a fierce wind howled. Many of the heavy arrows and iron spears flying toward it were knocked away, clanging as sparks scattered everywhere. Then it raised its head and let out a long cry, vicious light blazing in its eyes. With a beat of its wings, it flew forward and pounced upon the group.

Its body was seven or eight meters long, and its wingspan reached fifteen meters. As such a colossal creature swooped down, its momentum was terrifying. Dead branches and fallen leaves exploded apart, and before it even drew near, the dreadful airflow already lashed against their faces painfully.

"Everyone gather together and defend! Lin Hu, activate the ancestral artifact!" Chieftain Shi Yunfeng said.

Facing head-on a descendant of such a terrifying demonic bird would certainly bring grievous losses. Only by using the ancient treasured artifacts passed down through the village could they possibly intimidate and drive it away.

"Bald eagle, come on! Charge at me!" Shi Linhu shouted, standing at the very front as he looked up at the diving vicious bird. At the same time, he pulled a beast bone from his robes, apparently the arm bone of a vicious beast.

The Azure-Scaled Eagle's pupils contracted, as though it sensed something. It stopped its charge and stared fixedly at the dull, lusterless bone, wariness appearing in its eyes. Its half-meter-long black beak suddenly began to glow, and a symbol emerged, radiating terrifying pressure.

"Good heavens, this Azure-Scaled Eagle truly is extraordinary. It bears an inherited symbol imprint in its bloodline, representing a powerful force," the old chieftain exclaimed.

Roar! At the same time, Shi Linhu let out a great roar. Knowing the situation was urgent, he activated his full strength. His left arm lit up, several Bone Script characters emerging and shining brilliantly, before he abruptly pressed the beast arm bone against it.

Boom!

A powerful aura surged into the sky like a violent hurricane, as though the king of ten thousand beasts had revived. The vicious bird in the sky shuddered and rapidly soared upward, pulling far away.

Shi Linhu's left arm blazed with light. That vicious beast's arm bone actually fused with his arm, becoming part of his body. Flesh and bone melded together without distinction, profoundly mysterious.

Moreover, the radiance around that left arm grew ever brighter, finally condensing into an ancient symbol. It was as if a vicious beast was about to leap out from within that rune!