Parasol-Wood Nest

The primeval mountain forest was dense, its shade heavy and dank. Venomous insects came and went among the trees, beast roars rumbled like muffled thunder, and waves of rank stench left behind by savage tigers and serpents rushed at them, chilling them to the bone. "Awooo..."

Thunderous roars came from deep within the mountains, sending rocks tumbling down as echoes boomed, trees swayed violently, and leaves whirled madly through the air. Large savage beasts prowled in the distance.

The children's faces turned pale. They had already traveled some distance from Stone Village, having slipped out behind the adults' backs and entered the old forest. Fortunately, they had not yet entered the true habitat of the savage beasts.

"Dazhuang, the forest is too dangerous. We're still too young—we can't go any farther," one child said tremblingly.

They had grown up beside the primeval mountain forest and naturally knew its dangers. All kinds of ferocious creatures lurked within; even their fathers had to proceed with utmost caution when entering the forest, or they might lose their lives.

The group consisted of more than a dozen children, all quite young. Their leader was Shi Big Strong, who had once lifted a thousand-jin bronze cauldron. He had thick brows, large eyes, broad hands and feet, and lived up to his name. He was nearly as tall as an adult. Looking at another child, he asked, "Little Monkey, how much farther?"

Little Monkey's name was Shi Zhonghou. He was skinny and shriveled-looking, but immensely strong and clever. "I heard Uncle Lin Hu and the others say that cliff isn't far from the village. It's in this direction—we should be almost there."

"Shi Hao, what do you think?" Shi Big Strong asked.

In the past, Shi Hao had merely been a tagalong behind the older children. Ever since he had lifted the bronze cauldron, even the adults had regarded him as a little monster, let alone the children. In an instant, he had become one of the group's "backbones."

"It'll be dangerous if we keep going," little Shi Hao said honestly in his crisp voice, his large black-and-white eyes bright and round.

"But it really isn't far," Shi Big Strong said.

More than half the children were tempted and wanted to continue.

"If you're going, I'm going too," Little Dot said in his childish voice.

Thus, the children set off again. After traveling another li or so, the great trees grew sparse, vegetation thinned out, massive rocks gradually became more numerous, and waves of fierce aura filled the air.

Jagged mountain rocks stretched before them, forming an enormous Stone Forest. It was silent and still, with the snow-white, startling remains of giant beasts scattered across the ground.

Little Monkey looked around and whispered, "This is the place. I heard Uncle Lin Hu and the others say that its nest is built on a cliff wall deep in the Stone Forest."

Shi Big Strong lowered his voice as well and reminded the children, "These beast bones may have been left behind when it ate savage beasts. Although it shouldn't be in the nest at this time, we still have to be careful. Don't let it spot us, or we might lose our lives!"

The dozen or so children had all grown up in the Great Wilderness and were extremely alert. Like little mountain beasts, they swiftly and nimbly darted into cracks in the Stone Forest to conceal themselves. After observing for a moment, they sniffed the air against the wind, then nodded to one another. Like apes, they sprang toward the deepest part of the Stone Forest.

Along the way, they saw many bones, snow-white and enormous. There were bird bones five or six meters long, as well as beast skulls as large as millstones. They all belonged to fierce beasts and savage birds of the mountains that had been torn apart and devoured alive. The place was steeped in deathly stillness.

"It really intends to settle here. If it stays long enough to breed offspring, the people of Stone Village will face a fatal threat whenever they enter or leave the mountains!"

"Uncle Lin Hu and the others have discussed this for days. They've already observed its habits."

The children whispered as they raced onward, moving so quickly that they were like a dozen little whirlwinds charging into the depths of the Stone Forest.

A stone cliff lay across their path. It was even quieter here, not a blade of grass growing anywhere. At the very top of the cliff sat a gigantic nest, built from black parasol wood, and it gave off an oppressive feeling.

The children hid between cracks in the rocks some distance away and watched carefully. The black nest was fully ten meters across, immense enough that there was no need to guess—it was the nest of a mutated savage bird.

"It really is here!"

"This Azure-Scaled Eagle has lingered here for a long time.

Now it has built such a huge nest. Could it really have laid eggs, just as Uncle Lin Hu said?" The children's eyes all shone. This was their main reason for coming here!

This was an exceptionally fierce and powerful mutated bird, with blood inherited from an ancient demonic bird flowing through its body. It was difficult to deal with. Any ordinary fierce beast or ferocious creature targeted by it would die, with no hope of escape.

"According to Uncle Lin Hu and the others' observations, that male Azure-Scaled Eagle hasn't appeared for several days. It may have met with an accident and died deep in the mountains. Every day at noon, the female goes out alone to hunt for food. The chance to get close is right before us," Little Monkey said.

The children clenched their fists. They were clearly nervous, but their eyes also held anticipation and excitement. Children raised in the mountain forest were all bold, otherwise they would not have come to such a dangerous place on their own.

"Everyone hide in the cracks between the rocks. I'll throw a stone and test it!" said a dark-skinned child. His name was Shi Meng, though the villagers all called him Er Meng. During martial practice in Stone Village, he had once directly thrown down a huge wild ox and had nearly lifted the thousand-jin bronze cauldron. Among these children, only Shi Hao and Shi Big Strong surpassed him.

With a whoosh, a large stone flew into the distance. It finally landed with a thud in the pile of rubble before the stone cliff, producing a tremendous crash.

Everyone jumped in fright. Fortunately, there was no movement from the cliff.

"Er Meng, don't be so reckless. Be more careful."

"I was testing whether it's in the nest. It looks like it's fine. Let's hurry up!" Er Meng said, about to rush over.

"Er Meng, wait a moment," little Shi Hao said. He grabbed a fairly large stone and hurled it with all his strength. The rock shot up the stone cliff with a whoosh, landing near the Parasol-Wood Nest with a loud bang.

After a moment, the cliff remained quiet. The Azure-Scaled Eagle did not appear.

"Go!"

Like a pack of beasts, the children howled and charged toward the stone cliff. Once they reached it, they divided their tasks in an orderly manner. Some stood atop huge rocks, watching the sky and keeping lookout in case the savage bird suddenly appeared, while several others prepared to climb the cliff.

"Dazhuang, you all wait here. I'll go up first and take a look," Shi Hao said.

"You're a little brat who hasn't even been weaned yet. Just watch from the side—we'll go up," Shi Big Strong said. The children all laughed. Little Dot was still drinking beast milk, so they often teased him about it.

"I've been eating meat for ages! I only drink it as water once in a while!" Little Dot protested angrily, wrinkling his nose and glaring with eyes like black gemstones.

Of course, the little fellow was very clever. He knew the older children were not truly mocking him. They were looking after and protecting him, unwilling to let him climb up first and take the risk.

"I'm faster than all of you. If there's danger, I can escape faster too." Without waiting for them to speak, Little Dot shot up the stone cliff like a little monkey, climbing swiftly with nimble agility.

"Don't let him take the risk—we're going up too!" Shi Big Strong, Er Meng, and Little Monkey all followed close behind, chasing after him like apes.

There were many cracks in the cliff wall, allowing the children to find handholds and quickly climb upward. Having grown up in the mountains beside the primeval forest, they were naturally skilled at climbing and leaping, not much inferior even to the Demon Apes of the mountain range.

"Whew... we finally made it up!"

The stone cliff was around three hundred meters high. After climbing up, Little Dot waited a moment for the other three. Only when all of them poked their heads over the edge did they head together toward the gigantic nest.

"What a huge bird's nest!" Little Monkey exclaimed.

Standing before it, they felt especially awestruck. The nest was fully ten meters across, built from black parasol wood, and occupied most of the cliff top. It was even larger than the houses in Stone Village.

Besides that, there were large bones streaked with blood scattered across the cliff top. Every single one was thicker and longer than an adult human, making their scalps tingle.

Especially on those beast skulls as large as millstones, there were several horrifying claw holes still stained with blood, making them look exceedingly savage.

"These are the remains of Dragon-Horned Elephants. How terrifying! A savage bird actually eats giant elephants whenever it pleases!" Er Meng said in shock.

"Forget that for now," Shi Big Strong said, climbing toward the black bird's nest.

Upon reaching the nest, they immediately felt waves of chilling aura, accompanied by a bloody smell. The edge of the nest was dark red. Evidently, the Azure-Scaled Eagle often ate along the nest's rim, and after being soaked in all kinds of beast blood over time, this place was saturated with Sha Qi.

"That savage bird isn't here!"

"Look, there are several bird eggs!"

Several children cried out. They were audacious beyond measure. After overhearing the adults' conversation in the village, they had acted on their own initiative and come specifically for the savage bird's eggs.

"Wonderful! Let's hurry and carry them away. We'll take them back to the village and hatch them. In the future, powerful savage birds will hunt fierce beasts for us and bring back prey!" Little Monkey cried excitedly.

The Parasol-Wood Nest was lined with soft Golden Silk Grass and looked very comfortable. Three translucent eggs, like green jade, lay quietly within. Patterns and speckles covered their surfaces, their sheen glimmering.

Each egg laid by this savage bird was as large as a water basin, translucent and gleaming, emerald-green like agate. The markings upon them glittered brilliantly beneath the sunlight.