Crimson Flame Valley, Blood Feather Eagle

Upon arriving at Crimson Flame Valley, Xia Daoming was awestruck by the sight of the bushes covering the mountainside, burning like flames under the sun.

However, Xia Daoming's attention was quickly drawn to the people gathered at the valley entrance.

There were dozens of people gathered at the valley entrance.

They were clustered in groups of three or five, chatting amongst themselves, occasionally looking up at the sky. No one dared to step into Crimson Flame Valley, as if they were waiting for something or fearing it.

Xia Daoming, arriving alone and travel-worn, attracted quite a bit of attention.

"Is the young master traveling alone?" Soon, a plump yet graceful woman, dressed like a young married lady, approached him proactively.

"Yes!" Xia Daoming nodded and asked, "May I ask what guidance the madam has for me?"

"We six are planning to cross Crimson Flame Valley tonight." The charming young lady gestured to the five people not far away and said, "I see that young master is a Fourth-Rank Martial Master, and traveling alone, so I wanted to invite you to join us."

As the charming young lady spoke, her beautiful eyes sparkled with allure, exuding an irresistible charm that made it difficult to refuse.

The Martial Master realm corresponds to the number of meridians cultivated. Each meridian exhibits different blood and qi fluctuations.

The energy of a Minor Martial Master is Manifest Strength, the easiest to identify.

When a martial artist reaches the Great Martial Master realm, their energy transitions from manifest to latent. Without actively unleashing their energy, it becomes difficult to discern.

Of course, this is only for martial artists of comparable or lower cultivation levels. If the opponent's cultivation is higher and they are specifically probing, it is still difficult to conceal one's cultivation realm.

Unless one possesses special energy concealment techniques.

"The sun is bright today, why not leave now instead of waiting until night? Also, I see that your cultivation and that of your companions are not low. Even if you encounter wolves or tigers, you should be able to kill them. Why do you need to recruit more people to travel together?" Xia Daoming directly asked the questions in his heart.

This body, apart from its robust and tall physique, was nothing like his former corpulent self. In terms of appearance, it was even inferior to his past life's looks; he could only be considered slightly above average.

Therefore, Xia Daoming would never be so narcissistic as to believe that his mere presence at the valley entrance would make the charming young lady before him fall in love and approach him.

"It seems young master is visiting Crimson Flame Valley for the first time and doesn't know the dangers of crossing it." The charming young lady smiled charmingly at Xia Daoming, then pointed her slender, jade-like finger towards the sky, saying, "Young master, please look up at the sky."

Xia Daoming looked up.

He saw dozens of large, crimson birds circling in the sky above the canyon.

"Those are not ordinary large birds; they are Blood Feather Eagles! Not only are they swift, but their talons and beaks are sharp enough to break metal and stone, and their feathers can detach and transform into sharp swords to attack enemies.

One or two Blood Feather Eagles attacking is manageable, but if you encounter a flock of them, let alone us Minor Martial Masters, even a Great Martial Master could lose their life if not careful."

As Xia Daoming looked up at the sky, the young lady's alluring voice echoed in his ears.

But he felt a chill run down his spine.

"Feathers that can detach and turn into sharp swords to attack enemies, are these still eagles?"

"Blood Feather Eagles are a type of Demonic Bird. They usually live in deep mountains. Only from late July to September each year, when the Fire Tongs Berries in Crimson Flame Valley ripen, do they fly out from the mountains to feed on the berries and build nests on these cliffs to lay eggs and raise their young.

For some reason, they have come earlier this year. It's only mid-July, and Blood Feather Eagles have already come to occupy Crimson Flame Valley."

"Do Demonic Birds have intelligence?" Xia Daoming couldn't help but ask upon hearing this, while a million mythical creatures galloped through his mind.

The last time, he had learned from Ji Wenyue that cultivators existed in this world, and now Demonic Birds had appeared.

Indeed, traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books. His previous life in Black Stone City was like being a frog in a well.

"Demonic Birds and Demonic Beasts, like other birds and beasts, have no intelligence. They are just born with some innate abilities and techniques," the charming young lady explained, looking at Xia Daoming with some surprise.

Seeing that Xia Daoming was travel-worn and appeared weathered, and was a Fourth-Rank Martial Master, she assumed he traveled frequently and must be experienced. To her surprise, he didn't even know if Demonic Birds possessed intelligence.

"Hoo!" Xia Daoming secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the demons here were not like the demons in the folk legends of his world!

"Blood Feather Eagles don't leave until September, which means it will be over a month from now?" Xia Daoming frowned after his relief.

"Yes, so we decided to cross the valley at night. At night, Blood Feather Eagles usually return to their nests to rest. Even if a few come out to hunt, they are only a minority. If they really attack us, as long as we join forces, we should be able to handle it," the young lady said.

Hearing this, Xia Daoming finally understood the young lady's intentions.

He thought for a moment, glanced at the other five people, and said apologetically, "Thank you, madam, for providing this information. However, I am accustomed to traveling alone, so I will not join your team."

"Young master, there is strength in numbers. Although you are a Fourth-Rank Martial Master, you definitely won't be able to handle the Blood Feather Eagles alone if you truly encounter them," the young lady urged him, unwilling to give up after being rejected.

"Thank you for your kind invitation, madam, but I have decided to go alone," Xia Daoming said.

Seeing that Xia Daoming was determined not to join, the young lady had no choice but to leave.

Before leaving, she cast a lingering glance at Xia Daoming with her beautiful eyes, making one feel reluctant to refuse.

However, Xia Daoming remained unmoved.

After consuming four Three Yuan Blood Return Pills and supplementing his diet with a large amount of meat over the past month, Xia Daoming's meridians had reached Level Nine completion.

Fighting over ten Fourth-Rank Martial Masters alone was not a problem.

The six-person team they had hastily formed had only one Fourth-Rank Martial Master. The remaining five, including the charming young lady, were all Second or Third-Rank Martial Masters.

If he agreed to join them, wouldn't he become their free bodyguard?

Furthermore, a larger group meant a bigger target, which would more easily attract the attack of the Blood Feather Eagles.

"Sister, the other party refused?" A young man with pockmarks on his face, who looked about seventeen or eighteen years old, asked in a low voice.

The charming young lady shook her head.

"Heh heh, even better if you don't agree. That guy looks like he just came out of some rural village to make his way in the world. He doesn't know anything. Even if he has Fourth-Rank Realm, so what?

He hasn't experienced life-or-death combat, hasn't seen major events. When the Blood Feather Eagle dives down, he'll probably wet his pants from fear on the spot, and nothing will be useful.

Unlike me, Tian, who has traveled north and south, fought countless battles, and seen every kind of situation. Madam, just stick close to me, and I'll definitely protect you," said the only Fourth-Rank Martial Master among the six.

This Fourth-Rank Martial Master had a face full of coarse flesh, but with a pair of small, beady eyes, making him look somewhat ugly.

As he spoke, his beady eyes leered over the delicate young woman.

He especially didn't shy away from looking at her backside.

"That's right, that's right! My senior brother is battle-hardened, I guarantee Madam will be satisfied!" said a man as thin as a monkey, with a lewd expression.

Except for the young woman's younger brother, who showed a hint of anger, the other men all showed smiles of understanding.

The delicate young woman had clearly traveled the martial world often and had experienced such situations before. Seeing this, she didn't get angry. She just pretended not to hear the hidden meaning in the skinny man's words and said, "The Blood Feather Eagle is no small matter. It's always better to have one more person."

After speaking, the delicate young woman looked up again, as if she hadn't given up.

The man with the beady eyes frowned slightly and let out a cold, noncommittal laugh.

Just as the delicate young woman was looking around, the ground trembled slightly.

Dust rolled up in the distance.

Through the dust, sixteen riders could be vaguely seen, escorting a carriage towards Crimson Flame Valley from all directions.

The carriage was wrapped on all sides with expensive and exquisite silk, embroidered with the image of a black tiger with wings.

And those sixteen escorts, their vital energy and blood were surging. Six of them were Third-Rank Martial Masters, eight were Fourth-Rank Martial Masters, and two escorts had vital energy and blood surging, their power obscure, clearly Great Martial Masters.

"The Xu Family of Li City!" The delicate young woman's expression changed slightly, her eyes showing reverence.

"The Xu Family of Li City!" Among the crowd gathered at the valley entrance, besides the delicate young woman, many others recognized the origin of the mounted group. Everyone was first surprised, then showed expressions of joy.

As the saying goes, it's good to shelter under a big tree.

With the powerful Xu Family's mounted group paving the way, they would naturally be much safer following behind.

"So this is the only Grandmaster force in Li City—the Xu Family. They truly are different. I wonder who is sitting in the carriage that they have so many powerful Martial Masters accompanying them, even two Great Martial Masters."

Xia Daoming heard the exclamations from the crowd and recalled Ji Wenyue's mention of Li City's only Grandmaster—Xu Zhiyuan. He was secretly shocked and impressed.

The crowd parted to the sides.

The mounted group drove straight in and stopped at the valley entrance.

The Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master leading them looked up at the sky, frowned, then quickly turned his horse around and came to the side of the carriage.

The carriage curtain was rolled up.

It revealed a young face with a jade-like complexion, very handsome, but with rather thin lips and slightly narrow, elongated eyes, giving off a hint of being sharp and ruthless.

"It's Xu Shixiong!"

"The Seventh Young Master of the Xu Family!"

"It is said that Xu Shixiong became a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master at fourteen. Now, at only twenty-one, he is already at the Seventh-Rank Great Martial Master realm. He is the most promising disciple among the younger generation of the Xu Family to become a Grandmaster!"

Soon, someone recognized the person in the carriage and exclaimed in surprise.

"To be a Seventh-Rank Great Martial Master at twenty-one, the Xu Family is truly formidable!" Xia Daoming was very surprised upon hearing the exclamations.

"Why have we stopped?" Xu Shixiong asked.

"Replying to Seventh Young Master, the Blood Feather Eagles have come to Crimson Flame Valley early to lay eggs and give birth this year. To avoid being attacked, this old servant suggests we wait until nightfall to cross the valley," replied the Great Martial Master, who was nearly sixty and had graying temples, with utmost respect, showing no demeanor of an elder or a Great Martial Master.

Xu Shixiong frowned slightly, then glanced at the crowd gathered at the valley entrance and said indifferently, "It's just the Blood Feather Eagles; they can't cause much trouble. However, to avoid unnecessary casualties, have the people at the valley entrance go ahead and attract the Blood Feather Eagles."

After saying that, Xu Shixiong let the curtain fall.

PS: The second update will be out soon.