The golden eagle swooped down from the summit, its wingtips shattering half the cliff face.
Qian Renxue did not retreat. Her six wings spread, and she rose through the falling rocks. The Sacred Sword in her right hand blocked one of the eagle's talons. The other had already reached her shoulder, but she twisted aside, letting it scrape away a flare of golden armor-light.
A ninety-eight-thousand-year-old Blazing Sun Golden Eagle.
It nested on Sunlit Peak, north of Spirit City, with searing light hidden in its feathers. Qian Renxue had searched for it for three days. Only after confirming that there were no eaglets near the old nest on the cliff had she climbed the mountain alone. Azure Luan, who had accompanied her, remained outside the mountain, watching only the few roads leading to the villages.
Her sixth trial had just ended, and her soul power had reached level 90. She had not relied on anyone to bring her ninth spirit ring. She had sent the message on the message stone only once the previous night, then tucked it into her bracer without waiting for Yuan Yu to return.
The golden eagle wheeled in midair, its feathers dazzlingly bright, and dozens of light blades descended from above. Qian Renxue folded her six wings in front of her, blocking the densest cluster first, then climbed along the cliff face. Broken stones struck her back, making her protective golden light flicker, but she still did not change direction.
When the talon descended a second time, she abruptly withdrew the Sacred Sword and let it sink into the rock wall. The eagle tried to pull free, but her blade had already sliced through a gap in its feathers and into the joint. Blood splashed down the cliff.
It beat its wings with an enraged