Golden-Eyed Eagle

Lu Xuanqing no longer dared ask Liu Xing just what they ought to hunt. She could only give a wry smile and say, "This is my first time hunting. Is there any prey nearby that's easy to catch and handle? I'm afraid I'll get tired on the way back if we go too far."

Liu Xing nodded repeatedly. "I forgot you're still injured, beautiful. Actually, there's a small grassland not far ahead where we should be able to catch a Grass Deer. It isn't particularly delicious, but it'll fill our stomachs."

Terrified that this Grass Deer might be another disgusting creature, Lu Xuanqing asked with her heart in her throat, "What's special about a Grass Deer?"

Liu Xing said, "Grass Deer aren't very big, and they look much like ordinary wild deer. Their fur changes color along with the grass: emerald green in spring and summer, withered yellow in autumn and winter. They hide in the grass, and unless you search carefully, they're very hard to spot. Grass Deer can't run fast. Once we find one, it's as good as in the bag."

At last, there was a reasonably normal kind of prey. Lu Xuanqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "Let's catch a Grass Deer, then!"

"No problem," Liu Xing said. He led the way, and before long, he had brought Lu Xuanqing to a small grassland.

It was called a small grassland because its area truly was modest. Within their range of vision, they could see a continuous mountain range at its far edge. Judging from that, the grassland covered no more than a few dozen square kilometers. If the Grass Deer spent their entire lives on this little grassland, it was no wonder they weren't particularly good runners.

Like an old horse that knew the way, Liu Xing led Lu Xuanqing in a careful search of the grassland. A little over ten minutes later, they found something.

About thirty meters away lay an animal that looked like a wild deer, was roughly the size of a dog, and was green all over. It remained motionless, apparently asleep.

Liu Xing chuckled softly. "Now that we've found this fellow, there's no chance of it escaping the palms of our hands."

Liu Xing could easily cover thirty meters in a single leap whenever he pleased, let alone Lu Xuanqing.

Liu Xing rubbed his hands together, preparing to leap forward, when a sudden rumble filled his divine sense. The Spirit-Devouring Beast, which had been asleep all this time, had actually awakened. At the same time, the silver thread formed from divine sense shot outward, locking onto its target in the blink of an eye.

This time was different from the last. The target wasn't some stationary spot, but a bird of prey flying through the sky!

A Golden-Eyed Eagle!

Using the information relayed by his divine sense scan, Liu Xing instantly recognized the bird of prey, even though it was still several kilometers away.

The Golden-Eyed Eagle was one of the fierce beasts at the top of the food chain on Connors Star. With its wings spread in flight, it measured over three meters across, making it the most formidable bird in the skies. Its most distinctive feature was its pair of golden eyes, which gave it its name. Even from a thousand meters in the air, a Golden-Eyed Eagle could clearly make out a grasshopper on the ground with those golden eyes.

With such extraordinary eyesight, the Golden-Eyed Eagle could be called the Grass Deer's natural enemy. The eagle that had drawn the Spirit-Devouring Beast's divine sense was rapidly approaching the small grassland, presumably to hunt Grass Deer.

Yet although the Golden-Eyed Eagle was a ferocious bird, it wasn't a Demon Beast capable of absorbing spiritual energy. Given the Spirit-Devouring Beast's nature, why would it take notice of an ordinary bird of prey?

Unfortunately, Liu Xing hadn't managed to get Lu Xuanqing to tell him exactly what was special about the Spirit-Devouring Beast, so he didn't find its interest in the Golden-Eyed Eagle particularly unusual. Still, based on his previous experience, he focused his attention on the eagle.

Lu Xuanqing also found this rather strange. When they first spotted the Grass Deer, Liu Xing had looked ready to strike. Why had he suddenly gone still?

Then Lu Xuanqing reconsidered. Here on Connors Star, Liu Xing had the most hunting experience. Perhaps he was waiting for a better opportunity. So she followed his example, lying motionless in the grass.

A moment later, the Golden-Eyed Eagle appeared on the horizon. With just a few beats of its enormous wings, it was already nearing the sky above Liu Xing and Lu Xuanqing.

Lu Xuanqing secretly admired him. Liu Xing truly was a seasoned hunter, able to detect an approaching bird of prey in advance. It never occurred to her that the Spirit-Devouring Beast was the reason for his seemingly miraculous performance.

Lu Xuanqing could hardly be blamed for failing to notice anything unusual. The Golden-Eyed Eagle wasn't a Demon Beast. Though fierce in appearance, it gave off no fluctuations of spiritual energy, so it naturally wouldn't attract her attention. But strangely enough, why would an exotic creature like the Spirit-Devouring Beast, which delighted in nothing but supreme treasures, take notice of this Golden-Eyed Eagle?

The Golden-Eyed Eagle flying overhead naturally saw Liu Xing and Lu Xuanqing lying in the grass. However, it was unfamiliar with these animals called "humans" and felt far less confident about hunting them than Grass Deer. It therefore kept its sights fixed on the Grass Deer. Confident in its flying speed, it believed that once it swooped down and snatched up the deer, those two unfamiliar animals hiding in the grass would have no time to react. They could only watch helplessly as it tore through the air and flew away.

The Golden-Eyed Eagle folded its wings and plunged from the sky. Its sharp talons easily seized the Grass Deer, which was still fast asleep. Then, with a deft turn, it flew straight back up into the sky.

Only then did Liu Xing seem to come to his senses. He rose to his full height from the grass and chased after the departing Golden-Eyed Eagle, shouting, "You damned beast! How dare you steal something I've set my sights on? Even if I have to chase you to the ends of the sky, I'll catch you, you feathered brute, pluck you bare, and roast you!"

Lu Xuanqing was so astonished that her glasses might as well have fallen off and shattered all over the ground. With Liu Xing looking so furious and flustered, how did he resemble an experienced hunter in the slightest?

But in that brief moment of distraction, Liu Xing had already bounded several hundred meters away. Left with no choice, Lu Xuanqing shook her head and rode the wind after him.

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