He hadn’t cultivated much during his several days of travel. Fortunately, the Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pill had been slowly releasing its medicinal power, so his Cultivation hadn’t been delayed by much.
After tidying up his room and putting everything away, he planned to make up for the Cultivation he had missed over the past few days. He began to circulate the Fuyue Bear Scripture and Yijing Marrow Cleansing.
’The Gang Qi has gotten fiercer!’
As he cultivated, he discovered an even greater change in his Gang Qi. It was as sharp as a blade, scraping his muscles, bones, and flesh with a stinging pain.
This was a sensation he had only experienced before when his Golden Gang Skill broke through. It would take some time for his physical strength to increase before he could adapt to being tempered by this more tyrannical Gang Qi.
After cultivating for about an hour, he switched from the Fuyue Bear Scripture to the Bright King Unmoving Body and began his Body Refining. This time, it was even worse, like being subjected to death by a thousand cuts.
Fortunately, despite the pain, the effects of his Body Refining had improved significantly. His muscles, bones, and flesh felt as though they were being tempered and refined a thousand times over, and his power and strength increased at a palpable rate.
’The mining camp is fraught with danger. I can’t overdo my training of the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture,’ Xu Yang mused.
The Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture consumed too much of his Heart Spirit. If he over-trained, he would fall into a deep slumber, so in a place fraught with danger, he could only cultivate it in moderation.
This was also why he had come to replace Guan Du. Disciples needed to cultivate; they couldn’t just toil for the Sect like beasts of burden forever. So, after being stationed outside for a period, they would be allowed to return and focus on their cultivation for a while to ensure they didn’t fall behind.
In the evening, Chen Yong had someone deliver dinner. Just as Guan Du had said, the food was indeed not very good.
There was a large basin of rice, and the main dish was a soup made with dried tofu and jerky. There were barely any pieces of meat, and no vegetables at all.
And this was his meal; what the miners ate was likely even worse.
’Looks like I’ll have to get my own food.’
With his current body, no amount of ordinary food would be enough to sustain his training.
A night passed without incident.
DANG DANG...
Early in the morning, while he was cultivating in his room, he heard the sound of a gong from outside, followed by the panicked voices of the miners.
"Enemies are attacking!"
He knew the gong was a warning signal, only to be struck by the patrolling Outer Disciples when there was danger.
Without hesitation, Xu Yang snatched up Red Blood from beside him and sent out a gentle stream of Force that blew the door open. He rushed out of the room like a whirlwind.
The miners, who had just gotten up to eat, were already in chaos, scrambling desperately into the rooms on either side. Xu Yang’s gaze swept the area, but he didn’t see any enemies.
"It’s a Cyan-Scaled Eagle! Run!"
"Run, my ass! Get down! The Cyan-Scaled Eagle only eats living things. Get down and play dead!"
A miner shouted. At that moment, Xu Yang also noticed the sound of wind overhead as the sky darkened.
He quickly looked up to see a giant bird with a wingspan of over ten feet diving down from the sky like a bolt of cyan lightning. Its sharp talons glinted coldly, and it radiated a ferocious aura.
Its talons were larger than a man’s hand and covered in cyan scales, easily large enough to completely envelop a person’s head.
The feathers on its body were sleek and glossy, shimmering with the cold, unique luster of metal. They looked as if they were forged from iron, like individual blades.
Its pair of eagle eyes were sharp and keen, its beak like an iron hook, its tip like a spearhead, and it glowed with a faint red light. Its two wings were like great sabers, slicing through the air with piercing shrieks.
Just then, the Cyan-Scaled Eagle suddenly folded its wings and accelerated its dive from the sky, swooping toward a running miner like a bolt of cyan lightning. The powerful wind it generated kicked up a cloud of dust from the ground.
This was the Yunling Mountain Range, a place that not only nurtured all sorts of treasures but also gave birth to numerous fierce birds and Exotic Beasts.
Just as the miner was about to be snatched away as prey by the Cyan-Scaled Eagle, a nearby Outer Disciple finally made a move.
"Beast, you dare!"
Zhou Jiang roared and, from a distance, slashed out a crimson ray of Sword Qi.
The Sword Qi shot toward the heavens like a bolt of silk, letting out a piercing shriek as it cut through the air. In an instant, it struck the Cyan-Scaled Eagle’s abdomen.
BANG!
A muffled bang sounded as the Sword Qi collapsed and exploded. The Cyan-Scaled Eagle was completely unaffected, continuing its dive with lightning speed.
The Sword Qi unleashed by a Gang Qi Great Success expert hadn’t just failed to injure it; it hadn’t even managed to knock loose a single feather. Its ferocity was astonishing.
The miner it had targeted was like a lamb to the slaughter. Paralyzed by its ferocious might, he trembled all over, rooted to the spot and unable to move.
Fortunately, another Outer Disciple named Guo Yun had appeared with Zhou Jiang. While Zhou Jiang attacked the Cyan-Scaled Eagle, Guo Yun had already dashed over, grabbed the miner, and pulled him out of the way.
BOOM!
The Cyan-Scaled Eagle streaked past like a bolt of lightning, its talons grasping at empty air. Dirt and rock flew as its claws tore a large pit in the ground, and the turbulent wind kicked up a massive cloud of dust.
Its body burst out from the dust cloud with a sharp shriek. It spread its folded wings, beating them once to stir up a gale. In mid-air, it forcibly reversed its direction and dove back, charging toward Zhou Jiang.
"Zhou Jiang, watch out!"
Guo Yun roared, tossing aside the miner in his hand and rushing quickly toward Zhou Jiang. From a distance, he blasted out a thick ray of Sword Qi.
A savage light filled the Cyan-Scaled Eagle’s eyes; it seemed enraged that its hunt had been disturbed. Its wings slashed out like great sabers, instantly shattering the Sword Qi Guo Yun had unleashed. Its momentum undiminished, it continued to plunge toward Zhou Jiang like a great spear.
’Not good!’
Zhou Jiang’s expression changed drastically. He finally understood why the miner had just stood there waiting to die. The ferocious might radiating from the Cyan-Scaled Eagle was like a massive boulder pressing down on him, making even a single step an arduous task.
"Get out of the way!"
Guo Yun’s eyes widened in fury as he desperately blasted out Sword Qi. If Zhou Jiang didn’t dodge now, he would surely be torn to shreds by the Cyan-Scaled Eagle.
"Stand down!"
At that very moment, Xu Yang’s voice rang in their ears. A golden light flashed in his eyes, and a sharp, overwhelming aura flooded the area, accompanied by the piercing shriek of tearing air.
A golden ray of Sword Qi, crescent-shaped and condensed to the point of being solid, slashed at the Cyan-Scaled Eagle with unstoppable force.
BOOM!
Visible ripples spread out, the ground trembled, dirt and rock shattered, and dust shot into the sky. The Cyan-Scaled Eagle’s massive body was blasted away, sent flying sideways several yards through the air, and it nearly crashed to the ground.
SKREEE...
Its sharp cry was filled with pain and fury, and its blood-stained feathers bristled.
Xu Yang shot forward like a bolt of golden lightning, but by the time he landed, the Cyan-Scaled Eagle had already soared into the sky, showering down a large amount of blood and causing him to miss his target.
Even his strike had only managed to injure the Cyan-Scaled Eagle, not kill it outright.
The main reason was that he had attacked from over a hundred feet away to save Zhou Jiang. Combined with the hurriedness of his attack, he hadn’t been able to use his full power.
Of course, this also spoke to the terror of this Cyan-Scaled Eagle. It was definitely a powerful Exotic Beast comparable to a Marrow Cleansing Great Success Martial Artist. Its feathers were harder than refined steel.
The feathers that had fallen to the ground looked just like blades.
"That beast holds a grudge!" Guo Yun growled.
Indeed, the Cyan-Scaled Eagle didn’t fly away immediately. It was still circling above the mining camp, its eyes fixed on Xu Yang as it let out sharp cries.
"Thank you for saving me, Brother Xu!" Zhou Jiang said, walking over with a look of lingering fear.
If Xu Yang hadn’t appeared in time, he would be dead.
In the face of such a terrifying Exotic Beast, he was no different from an ordinary person.
"It’s merely my duty. Tell everyone to come out and eat. This beast won’t dare to cause any more trouble."
Xu Yang stared intently at the Cyan-Scaled Eagle in the sky. The creature clearly possessed some intelligence. ’If I could subdue it and take it as a mount, it would not only be impressive, but also convenient for travel.’
’That’s probably not possible.’
He immediately dismissed the thought.
An adult Exotic Beast like this was wild and difficult to tame, fierce and unafraid of death; it couldn’t be domesticated just by capturing it. The Exotic Beasts raised by Medicine King Peak were mostly trained from the time they were cubs or hatchlings.
After flying around for a while, the Cyan-Scaled Eagle seemed to realize it couldn’t afford to provoke Xu Yang. It let out a few unwilling cries before flying off into the distance and disappearing from sight.
The miners who had been hiding all around came out of their rooms. Chen Yong, the mining camp’s Steward, also made a belated appearance.
"Junior Brother Xu, what skill! You’ve performed a great service on your first day at the mining camp," Chen Yong said with a smile.
Xu Yang shook his head. "I’m afraid this Cyan-Scaled Eagle will be back. Everyone, be more careful on patrol. Sound the alarm if you spot it."
Zhou Jiang and Guo Yun nodded in agreement.
Xu Yang bent down and flicked one of its feathers. It let out a metallic ringing sound; the hard feather could be used as a blade itself.