A gift

Though the young eagle was tiny, its eyes were as sharp as obsidian, and faint, dark-purple arcs of electricity flickered among its black feathers. It desperately flapped its wings, which had yet to grow flight feathers, trying to intimidate the enemy before it.

In front of the nest coiled a terrifying python as thick as a bucket and over a hundred feet long!

The python was an eerie dark green from head to tail, its scales gleaming with a metallic luster. A fleshy lump had even risen atop its head, faintly showing signs that it was transforming into a flood dragon.

"A Houtian Paragon demonic beast, a Jade-Scaled Poison Python." Qin Chen recognized the enormous python at a glance.

The Jade-Scaled Poison Python flicked its scarlet tongue, greedily eyeing the black eaglet in the nest. It could sense that as long as it swallowed this young bird with its extraordinary bloodline, it would immediately break through the shackles of the Houtian realm and transform into a Xiantian demonic beast!

"Hiss-"

The Jade-Scaled Poison Python hesitated no longer. It opened its blood-basin maw, exposing two rows of venomous fangs as sharp as daggers, and lunged to bite down on the eaglet amid a nauseating gust of bloody stench.

Facing that terrifying maw, the black eaglet showed not the slightest retreat in its eyes. Instead, it opened its tender beak, attempting to fight back.

At that moment, when its life hung by a thread.

"Vile beast, you're courting death!"

A cold shout exploded through the valley like a thunderclap.

Immediately afterward, a dazzling beam of purple-gold sword energy descended from the sky like the celestial river surging backward from the nine heavens. Bearing the terrifying might to sever everything, it cleaved savagely into the Jade-Scaled Poison Python's vital spot seven inches below its head.

Squelch!

Before that purple-gold sword energy, the dark-green scales, hard as iron, might as well have been made of paper.

Without the slightest resistance, the Jade-Scaled Poison Python's enormous body was instantly split in two. Scalding, foul-smelling blood gushed out like a fountain, staining the cliff face red.

The python's lower body still writhed madly on the ground, while its head had already fallen limply against the edge of the nest. Deep fear and disbelief still lingered in its cold, serpentine eyes.

An instant kill!

A Houtian Paragon demonic beast on the verge of breaking through to Xiantian could not withstand even a single move from Qin Chen.

Whoosh!

Qin Chen landed lightly on the rock. With a casual wave of his hand, an invisible surge of true qi blocked all the splashing snake blood three feet away, keeping even a single drop of filthy blood from touching his spotless white robes.

He turned and looked at the black eaglet in the nest, which had yet to recover from its fright.

The eaglet seemed to sense the power of the human before it as well. It stopped screeching, tilted its little head, and studied Qin Chen with sharp eyes, both curious and wary.

"Don't be afraid, little one."

Qin Chen crouched down, making his voice as gentle as he could, and extended a finger. A wisp of the purest, gentlest Xiantian True Essence curled around his fingertip.

The eaglet stared at that wisp of true essence, sensing the tremendous vitality within it. The wariness in its eyes gradually faded. It tentatively stretched out its head and gently pecked Qin Chen's finger with its tender beak, then narrowed its eyes in comfort and rubbed its little head against his palm.

All things possessed spirit, let alone a mutated descendant with the bloodline of a super divine beast. It could clearly distinguish who bore it hostility and who bore it goodwill.

"A descendant of the Dark Lightning Roc King indeed, to be so intelligent at such a young age." Looking at the fluffy Little Black in his palm, Qin Chen's lips curved into a smile.

He carefully cradled Little Black in his hands, sensing the power of lightning within the little creature-faint, yet exceedingly pure.

"Come on, little one. I'll take you to meet your future big brother."

Qin Chen lingered no longer in the mountains behind the manor. His figure became a streak of light as he swiftly sped toward Cloudmist Manor.

Qin Yu's Detached Courtyard, Cloudmist Manor.

Evening had fallen, and the lingering glow of sunset bathed the entire manor in gold.

Qin Yu had just finished a day of Extreme Training and was soaking in a large wooden tub filled with dark-brown medicinal liquid. The liquid churned, giving off a pungent medicinal odor as it seeped continually into his pores, repairing his damaged muscles.

"Hiss... today's medicinal bath seems even more painful than usual." Qin Yu gritted his teeth, fine beads of sweat covering his forehead, but endured it without letting out a single cry of pain.

Just then, the courtyard door was pushed open.

"Yu, how are you feeling?" Dressed in white, Qin Chen strolled into the courtyard.

"Brother, you're back!" Qin Yu opened his eyes and cried out in delighted surprise. Then he looked at Qin Chen's empty hands in puzzlement. "Didn't you say you were going hunting for game? Why did you come back empty-handed?"

Qin Chen walked over to the wooden tub and smiled mysteriously. "What's ordinary game worth? Today, I found you an incredible treasure in the mountains behind the manor."

As he spoke, Qin Chen brought out the hand he had kept hidden inside his wide sleeve and slowly opened it.

"Chirp, chirp-"

A clear eagle's cry, carrying a hint of defiance, rang out in the courtyard.

A jet-black eaglet with eyes as sharp as lightning stood in Qin Chen's palm, curiously studying Qin Yu in the wooden tub.

"This... this is...?" Qin Yu froze, even forgetting the pain in his body. "It's so beautiful! There seems to be lightning in its eyes!"

Qin Yu was deeply drawn to Little Black at first sight.

"This is an eagle with a demonic beast's bloodline." Qin Chen held Little Black out before Qin Yu. "I found it by a cliff in the mountains behind the manor. It was being attacked by a Jade-Scaled Poison Python at the time. This little one has an extraordinary bone structure, and an extremely powerful force of lightning lies within it. If raised properly, it will definitely be a great help to you in the future."

Little Black looked at Qin Yu in the wooden tub. Perhaps guided by fate, it showed no shyness around this stranger at all. Flapping its little wings, it hopped straight from Qin Chen's palm onto the rim of the tub, tilted its head, and rubbed its little head against Qin Yu's wet cheek.

"Haha, that tickles!" Qin Yu burst into laughter at its antics, his eyes full of affection.

He stretched out his rough fingers and gently stroked the down on Little Black's back.

"Brother, are you really going to give me this divine eagle?" Qin Yu raised his head and looked at Qin Chen, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Of course." Qin Chen smiled and nodded. "You practice External Cultivation, so your path is destined to be lonely and arduous. With this little one keeping you company, you won't be too lonely in the future. Besides, I think it's taken quite a liking to you. Give it a name."

Qin Yu looked at the eaglet, black as ink all over, thought for a moment, and blurted out, "It's so black. Let's call it 'Little Black' from now on!"

"Chirp, chirp!" Little Black did not seem averse to this rather casually chosen name. Instead, it chirped twice in delight, by way of an answer.

At the very instant Qin Yu formally accepted Little Black and gave it a name!

A mechanical voice rang out deep within Qin Chen's mind.