One Hundred and Five: The White Eagle (Part Two)

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The White Great Eagle (Part 2)

The white great eagle held a distinct advantage in the air, while the golden-silver wolf king’s agility and prowess on land could not compare. The eagle didn’t even need to kill the dragonfish and the golden-silver wolf directly; simply snatching them up and soaring high before dropping them could very likely cause them to die from the fall. However, both the dragonfish and the golden-silver wolf king were battle-hardened veterans. As the white great eagle dove down, the dragonfish hissed several times, flicking its whiskers. When the eagle descended to about eighty-seven feet, the dragonfish coiled and suddenly shot upward, biting fiercely at the eagle’s neck.

At the same moment, the diminutive golden-silver wolf king remained completely unshaken by the fierce gust stirred up by the eagle’s dive. It howled twice and, as the dragonfish struck, the little wolf leapt upward sharply, claws aimed straight at the eagle’s head. The wolf and the dragonfish moved with remarkable coordination, both abandoning defense to counterattack with their lives on the line. Just this single exchange left Qi Fei wide-eyed in astonishment.

The little golden-silver wolf and the dragonfish seemed to understand that the eagle’s steel-sharp talons couldn’t be blocked head-on. The eagle’s hardest parts, naturally, were its claws, followed by its pointed beak. Even a great eagle of innate grade, or one slightly lower, was certainly not an opponent the dragonfish or the golden-silver wolf king could injure with a single strike. Faced with such an attack, they simply chose to forgo defense altogether.

This tactic—facing danger head-on—was undoubtedly a shrewd move. Unless the eagle intended mutual destruction, it would be unable to break through their joint resistance.

Sure enough, the white great eagle, faced with the dragonfish and wolf’s combined offensive and defensive retreat, had no choice but to halt its dive. With a powerful beat of its wings, it stopped abruptly and spun upward, rising tens of feet before the dragonfish and wolf’s attacks could reach it.

With complete control of the air, the white great eagle could attack or retreat at will. If it were cautious, it would hold an unbeatable position.

Qi Fei sighed, “No wonder the little golden-silver wolf and dragonfish have temporarily allied. Against this common sky-born enemy, they’re naturally at a disadvantage.” Watching from the sidelines, Qi Fei saw the eagle circling above while the dragonfish and wolf could only passively look upward in defensive posture. He could only let out a helpless sigh. This eagle was naturally a predator of dragonfish and wolves alike; no matter how powerful the two beasts were, they were still restrained by it.

Yet now, with the dragonfish and wolf supporting each other on opposite flanks, the white great eagle found itself unable to gain the upper hand.

The ultimate reason lay in the eagle’s overly simplistic attack method—indeed, it was almost monotonous. For a long time afterward, Qi Fei noticed that in this one-against-two battle, the white great eagle dared not strike headfirst with its beak.

The eagle’s go-to move was a single dive attack with its talons; it seemed to have no other tactics.

Despite the ferocity of their exchanges, the repeated scene was like a song Qi Fei had once heard in a past life: beautiful on the first listen, quite good on the second, tolerable by the third, but after five or ten plays, what was once a masterpiece became dull and tiresome.

Seeing the beasts repeatedly reenact the same combat sequence, Qi Fei’s interest waned. He turned his gaze to a white flower bud nestled in the valley. Over time, the flower had bloomed further—from merely a faint hint of white to showing the shape of a flower bud.

Its fragrance grew sweeter, gradually filling the entire valley with a subtle, elegant scent. Though he did not know the flower’s name, its ability to dispel the scent of decay intrigued Qi Fei greatly. Initially, he intended to seize the still-unopened flower and place it into his Spirit-Taming Jade. But as soon as he moved toward it, the white great eagle cried out sharply, signaling an intention to abandon the dragonfish and wolf to attack him directly.

Not only the eagle, but the dragonfish hissed and flicked its whiskers at him repeatedly. This clearly warned Qi Fei to exercise extreme caution.

Though their combat moves were simple, if any of these beasts attacked Qi Fei, he knew he could not withstand even a few blows. The eagle’s talons and beak, the dragonfish’s immense strength and defense, and the fierce winds stirred by the eagle’s movements were all beyond his ability to resist.

Caught in their gaze, Qi Fei immediately stopped his approach, causing the beasts to turn their attention back to each other.

Muttering quietly, Qi Fei thought, “What a show. Seems these beasts all came together for this flower. I wonder what extraordinary effect it has.” He stared at the soon-to-bloom flower bud for a while before reluctantly looking away. He realized that trying to snatch the flower might provoke a combined attack by the dragonfish and eagle, a risk he was unwilling to take.

Instead, he shifted focus to similar nearby plants bearing flower buds. The beasts continued their repetitive battle, and Qi Fei murmured to himself, “I won’t covet that flower, but if I transplant some of these plants with buds into my Spirit-Taming Jade, will the two innate-level dragonfish and eagle still attack me?”

After pondering this, Qi Fei resolved to put the plan into action. With the special properties of the Spirit-Taming Jade, taking the flower or digging up a plant with a bud was essentially no different.

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Since time inside the Spirit-Taming Jade passed twelve times faster than outside, those plants with flower buds would soon bloom safely within it, avoiding any attention from the dragonfish and eagle. This was the most prudent choice for Qi Fei.

Sure enough, as Qi Fei drew his long knife from the Spirit-Taming Jade and began digging up the plants with buds, the battling beasts paid no attention to him.

Engaged in fierce combat, they remained oblivious. Before long, Qi Fei had carefully excavated nearly a dozen of these strange plants with flower buds. Feeling he had enough, he was unwilling to linger any longer in such a dangerous valley.

Since this flower attracted these beasts, it was likely that other powerful creatures might also be drawn by its scent. As a human distinct from these beasts, if he lingered too long after their battle, they might turn their attention to him.

Putting aside thoughts of benefiting from their conflict, even if the dragonfish or white great eagle were injured, they were still beyond Qi Fei’s current ability to confront.

After transplanting twelve plants into the Spirit-Taming Jade and ensuring they wouldn’t wither, Qi Fei glanced once more at the beasts before attempting to slip away quietly.

However, his plan was suddenly disrupted near the valley’s entrance. A buzzing sound came from afar, and before Qi Fei could fully understand what was happening, a colossal creature, twelve feet long and at least four feet wide, burst into the valley with the sound of beating wings through the entrance’s narrow gap.

Qi Fei was stunned; even the battling dragonfish, wolf, and eagle ceased their movements.

Before them stood a fearsome creature with a glossy back, sharp head, and a belly covered in hundreds of yellowish scales. This was a massive eight-winged earthworm, far larger than the seventh-level one Qi Fei had seen before. Not only was it several times the size, but its back bore eight translucent wings, thin as cicada wings yet eerie in appearance.

Its enormous fangs gleamed faintly with white light as they opened and closed, emitting a crackling sound that sent shivers down the spine.

The eight-winged earthworm had clearly noticed the beasts’ battle but seemed uninterested in them, twisting its body to fly directly toward the nearly blooming flower bud.

This strange flower, which had drawn the beasts’ fierce struggle, was clearly very important to them. Yet after the earthworm’s appearance, the flower seemed to lose all attraction for the beasts. They watched quietly as the earthworm approached, using its massive fangs to prod the flower bud for a while. The beasts that had once fought fiercely over the flower now seemed subdued, too frightened to make a sound or move.

With his keen eyesight, Qi Fei thought that although the earthworm looked imposing, the combined strength of the beasts might still pose a challenge if they fought. Yet since the earthworm’s arrival, they acted like students faced with a strict teacher—terrified and silent, unwilling to risk a dangerous confrontation.

Qi Fei muttered anxiously, “Ah, this place is no place to linger. I’d better make a hasty retreat.”

He immediately sprang into motion, rushing out of the valley. Unlike earlier, when the dragonfish, wolf, and eagle were too occupied to notice him, the earthworm’s commanding presence left no room for hesitation.

Fortunately, the four beasts remained fixated on the flower, paying Qi Fei no mind. Soon, he had escaped beyond the valley’s borders. Upon confirming no pursuers, he exhaled deeply and slowed his pace.

Relaxed, Qi Fei took in the surrounding scenery—the fluttering blossoms, green trees, and low grasses. This moment of calm allowed him a deeper connection with nature, helping him approach a state of simplicity and clarity.

As he walked, Qi Fei suddenly felt his spirit expand outward, even surpassing his previous limit of twenty feet. This sudden advancement thrilled him.

Yet the joy was short-lived. As his spirit grew, he heard distant thunder roaring from the direction he had just left. Initially, he thought it was the earthworm’s sound, but looking up at the darkening sky filled with rolling black clouds, he couldn’t help but curse aloud, “Just escaped, and now I have to turn back—no choice!”

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With his true energy awakened, Qi Fei had no choice but to steel himself and return to the valley to help Tong He escape, despite his fear of the powerful beasts within.

He had traveled through many places, and though this garden area was filled with countless fir trees, he had yet to find any iron fir needles. This frustrated Qi Fei greatly. At one point, he considered the possibility that this place was a temperate zone with perpetual mild weather—no wind or rain—making the emergence of iron fir needles very difficult despite the abundance of trees.

Now witnessing the weather’s change, he had to discard that assumption. The gathering thunderclouds and booming thunder clearly indicated a high probability of lightning striking the forest, which was essential for producing iron fir needles.

Therefore, despite the presence of several powerful beasts beyond his match, Qi Fei had no choice but to return immediately.

He would not recklessly enter the valley. He knew that while the valley contained unusual plants and many fir trees, the surrounding small mountains held even more. Following the principle that true energy strikes higher elevations first, Qi Fei chose to climb to the mountain peak to observe after returning.

Being at a height not only gave him a better vantage point but also helped avoid the beasts’ line of sight—an advantage over the uncertain dangers within the valley.

Qi Fei had been trained by Tong He in physical exercises, so steep mountains were no obstacle for him.

Soon, he reached the summit of the surrounding peaks. Looking around, he saw that these mountain tops were connected in a ring, forming a circular, relatively flat plateau as if someone had deliberately leveled the peaks.

This formation was perfect for observing the entire area. The thunderclouds grew heavier, and occasional thick streaks of lightning flashed across the sky, filling Qi Fei with joy. Once the electricity struck, it would likely hit one of the dense fir trees on the mountaintop. While this might not guarantee the emergence of iron fir needles, at least the environment for their formation had been established—far better than before without such true energy-infused weather.

Estimating that the lightning had not yet fully gathered to strike, Qi Fei glanced down at the valley once more.

From above, he saw that the flower bud watched so closely by the four beasts had begun to open slightly. One or two petals unfurled, signaling it was about to bloom.

The white great eagle had folded its wings and perched atop a tall fir tree several dozen feet high, observing the flower from afar.

The golden-silver wolf king and the dragonfish had each found vantage points—one on a protruding rock, the other straightening its coil to gaze from a distance, leveraging their physical advantages.

The eight-winged earthworm remained near the flower bud, circling restlessly like a child pondering how to enjoy a favorite treat.

Except for the earthworm’s movements, the other beasts stood motionless, lending the valley a brief calm.

Whether it was Qi Fei’s imagination or not, from his vantage point, he noticed the golden-silver wolf’s eyes constantly darting about atop the rock, and the white great eagle’s talons rhythmically flexing and relaxing as it balanced on the tree. The dragonfish’s head remained still, but its body subtly contracted and expanded, clearly gathering strength.