A misunderstanding?
Lu Heng stood on the open ground outside the Shelter, looking up and silently meeting the gaze of the Giant Plume Eagle high in the sky.
The valley was deathly silent; the wind had stopped and the grass was still.
The entire forest was shrouded in a heavy oppressive atmosphere, with all the lurking beasts lying in wait, except for this Bronze Tier Giant Plume Eagle hovering in mid-air, its fierce aura locking onto the figures on the ground.
The moment their eyes met, Lu Heng immediately sensed something was wrong.
The Giant Plume Eagle's gaze was strange.
The focus wasn't on his face, nor was his body locked.
Those cold, sharp vertical pupils kept their gaze wandering and downward, fixed on something he was carrying.
It's not a person, it's an object.
Lu Heng felt a sense of doubt.
He stood quietly in place, quickly thinking and checking in his mind.
His full armor was intact, and his sword was ordinary, with nothing particularly remarkable about it. The only thing that set him apart from ordinary equipment was the Giant-Feather Crossbow slung across his shoulder.
After a moment's hesitation, Lu Heng raised his hand and gently picked up the Giant-Feather Crossbow from his shoulder, revealing it to the world.
At this very moment.
The Giant Plume Eagle, which had been merely observing and confronting each other high in the sky, suddenly erupted with intense hostility.
Wings taut, air currents turbulent, and the dormant malevolence around him exploded, instantly shifting from confrontation to rage.
Lu Heng's mind went completely blank.
An outrageous and absurd idea suddenly popped into my head.
No way?
You came all this way to cause me trouble, all because of this Giant-Feather Crossbow?
Lu Heng was speechless, and the more he thought about it, the more absurd and frustrating it felt.
This crossbow has absolutely nothing to do with him.
The Illusion Giant Plume Eagle from before was defeated and killed by the Giant Plume Eagle before us.
After the battle, it simply strode away, not even glancing at the equipment of its fallen kin.
From beginning to end, Lu Heng was just passing by and picking up scraps; he simply picked up some leftover equipment.
And so many days have passed, and he has been using this Giant-Feather Crossbow day and night to defend against the enemy, firing countless arrows and holding off wave after wave of air attacks.
For so long, all has been calm.
All the Black Iron Tier and Bronze Tier beasts in the entire forest remained dormant and showed no unusual activity.
But just on the last day of the trial of disaster, it came knocking.
Lu Heng couldn't help but silently complain to himself.
Do you think you deserve your status as Bronze Tier beast?
Why did they have to come looking for me on the last day, bringing up old grievances?
Was it the aura of natural disaster on the last day that distorted and affected its mind?
Otherwise, it simply doesn't make sense.
All the other beasts remained peaceful and dormant, except for this one that came specifically to cause trouble for him—a completely inexplicable feud.
After a brief standoff of fury, the Giant Plume Eagle could no longer restrain itself.
Its entire body was covered in black feathers that stood on end, exuding ferocity to the fullest.
A sharp, piercing cry of an eagle tore through the valley.
The giant wings trembled violently, and the enormous black shadow, accompanied by a gale, swooped down at an extremely terrifying speed.
It moved so fast that it left only a blur.
Lu Heng immediately turned around and swung his sword, the Bronze Hunting Blade slashing out fiercely.
However, the speed difference between the two sides is significant.
This strike only hit empty air currents.
It couldn't even touch the edge of the other side.
He has absolutely no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation.
The thought of backing down instantly flooded my mind.
Abandon the outer fortifications, abandon the vine nets and watchtowers, and retreat to the Stone Cave Fortress to hold out to the death.
If we can hold on until the last day, it will all be over.
But the thought was quickly extinguished by Lu Heng.
He knew all too well the rules of this wilderness.
Within the mountains and forests, sights and sounds abound.
Beneath the bushes, tree shadows, and layers of soil, countless strange beasts secretly observed the strength of the weaker ones.
If he backs down, admits defeat, or avoids battle at this moment...
In the eyes of all the lurking hunters, he was weak and easily bullied.
If we yield an inch today, tomorrow the beasts will dare to devour us ten feet.
If you cut off one city today, you will lose ten cities tomorrow.
Endless concessions will only result in endless harassment.
He absolutely cannot set this precedent.
We must draw our swords and establish our authority, setting the rules for our own territory.
This Shelter was the only place he built himself, stone by stone, in his desperate situation of homelessness.
It was his only home in the chaos of the world.
No ferocious beasts shall be allowed to trample upon it wantonly.
A direct confrontation lacks speed, while a purely defensive approach would demonstrate weakness.
Lu Heng quickly finalized his plan.
Show weakness to lure the enemy close.
He deliberately released all his strength, relaxed his shoulders and back, and his arm holding the knife felt weak and powerless.
His knife-wielding movements were scattered, weak, and clumsy, perfectly mimicking an image of exhaustion and inability to fight any longer.
The Giant Plume Eagle high in the sky was completely deceived by the illusion.
With eyes only for the prey's weakness and vulnerability, its swooping attack becomes even more ferocious.
Its heavy body crashed to the ground with a loud thud.
The force struck, Lu Heng fell to the ground without offering any resistance.
The next instant, cold, hard claws gripped his body tightly, pressing him firmly into the mud.
Completely locked, unable to move.
The moment it subdued its prey, the Giant Plume Eagle's ferocity diminished, and it let out a light and triumphant cry.
The tense body completely relaxed, and all vigilance vanished.
Right now.
The disheveled look in Lu Heng's eyes vanished, leaving only a cold calm.
He abandoned his knife, and with a sudden burst of strength, gripped the Giant Plume Eagle's thick, sharp talons tightly against his body.
Without any hesitation, he directly detonated the Geothermal Talisman within his body.
Extremely high temperatures erupted instantly at the point of contact.
The scorching heatwave instantly engulfed half of the Giant Plume Eagle's body.
Even with the best eyesight and fastest reflexes, eagles cannot completely evade detection.
It instinctively sensed the deadly danger and hastily flapped its wings, trying to take off and escape, but its body had barely left the ground by half a foot.
The scalding heat had already permeated the skin, flesh, bones, and feathers.
A sizzling sound of burning suddenly rang out.
Large swaths of black feathers instantly carbonized and burned.
The flesh and blood were scalded and cooked by the high temperature.
The intense, excruciating pain from the severe injury instantly overwhelmed the Giant Plume Eagle's ability to move.
Its body, which had been suspended in mid-air, suddenly froze.
The massive body was completely out of control.
It can no longer maintain its balance, nor can it flap its wings.
A piercing, mournful scream rang out.
The Giant Plume Eagle's massive body crashed heavily to the ground.
Upon landing, it convulsed violently, its wings went limp and powerless, and half of its torso was severely burned, leaving it a bloody mess.
It struggled to stand up, but its limbs kept going weak and losing strength.
The high temperature from the Geothermal Talisman penetrated the body, severely damaging it.
Completely incapacitated, he could only collapse to the ground, trembling in agony.
Lu Heng was briefly lifted into the air by the claws, and then fell down with them.
The distance from the ground was extremely short, and with the cushioning effect of his armor, he only suffered a slight shock and was otherwise unharmed.
Dust flew everywhere, settling on the ground with a burnt smell.
The once ferocious and domineering Bronze Tier Giant Plume Eagle now lies in the mud, severely injured and convulsing, no longer possessing the imposing aura of a soaring overlord.
Lu Heng pushed himself up from the ground, his eyes coldly fixed on the Giant Plume Eagle that was struggling on the ground.
This final battle, which began with an absurd misunderstanding, has now reached a decisive conclusion.