Xu Yang’s arm shuddered, and his Protective Gang Qi wavered violently, on the verge of shattering.
It felt as if his strike had landed on an iron mountain; the shock nearly broke his bones. The saber’s glow shattered, and with a muffled grunt, his feet left the ground as he was sent flying backward.
Red Blood vibrated violently in his hand, nearly flying from his grasp.
’So hard!’
He glanced at the spot where his saber had struck the Cyan-Scaled Eagle. It had left only a single mark. While not shallow, it was nothing compared to the creature’s beak, which was larger than a man’s head.
"SCREECH!"
It let out a pained shriek, a bloodcurdling cry. With a beat of its wings, it charged toward Xu Yang like a whirlwind, intent on tearing him to pieces.
Xu Yang’s senses detected a wave of hateful, frenzied killing intent.
’What immense power!’
He had always overpowered his opponents with sheer strength. This was the first time he had encountered something stronger than himself.
If his body hadn’t been continuously tempered by Golden Gang Qi, and if he hadn’t recently been cultivating the Bright King Unmoving Body to elevate his Physique to a new level, those two impacts would have been enough to shatter his bones. He might have been killed by the sheer force of the shockwaves.
’In terms of raw strength and Physique, I’d need to reach at least Marrow Cleansing Great Success and achieve Great Success in the Bright King’s Unmoving Body to match this Cyan-Scaled Eagle.’
His Sword Intent reconverged as he suppressed his roiling blood. Regaining control, he plummeted from mid-air. The eagle’s wing, crashing down like a tidal wave, grazed the top of his head as it passed, kicking up a storm of sand, stone, and dust.
’The Cyan-Scaled Eagle is strong, but it’s ultimately just a mindless beast.’
The earth beneath his feet shattered. Xu Yang’s figure vanished, his body tearing through the air in pursuit.
Before the Cyan-Scaled Eagle that had just flown over him could turn, Red Blood came crashing down.
A golden arc of saber light descended like a waterfall, striking the Cyan-Scaled Eagle’s back with world-splitting force.
"SPLURT!"
Blood-soaked feathers scattered as blood sprayed into the air.
The Cyan-Scaled Eagle’s massive body convulsed. It let out a piercing shriek and plummeted from the sky, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.
Though its beak was strong enough to withstand a strike from the Half-Spirit Weapon Red Blood, the rest of its body was not nearly as durable and couldn’t block such an attack.
"CRASH..."
The ground trembled and fissures spread, as if a house had fallen from the sky and gouged a massive crater in the earth.
The Cyan-Scaled Eagle struggled to rise, but Xu Yang was already on its back like a shadow, a golden blade of light sweeping toward its neck.
"SCHLICK!"
Blood spurted like a fountain. The meter-long neck was severed at the base and tumbled to the ground. The creature’s struggling body and flapping wings fell still, moving no more.
The golden light enveloping Xu Yang gradually receded. Scalding beads of sweat poured from his pores, and a sharp pain shot through his bones and sinews.
Using Introspection, he examined his body and found several ruptured meridians and blocked blood vessels. His formidable body had sustained internal injuries from the Cyan-Scaled Eagle’s two attacks.
"It’s gone quiet!"
"Could Brother Xu have killed those two terrifying Cyan-Scaled Eagles?"
When Zhou Jiang, Chen Yong, and the others noticed the silence outside the mine and that the earth-shattering sounds had ceased, they hurried out of the tunnels. Rushing out of the mining area, they saw a scene of devastation several hundred feet away. The land looked as if it had been savaged by a hurricane; grass and trees had vanished from many spots, leaving behind shocking fissures.
Two Cyan-Scaled Eagles lay motionless on the ground, their blood dyeing the earth red.
Amid the settling dust, a handsome figure stood atop a Cyan-Scaled Eagle’s corpse, holding a crimson Treasure Saber. He looked like a War God descended upon the world, radiating an overwhelming aura.
"Brother Xu... Brother Xu killed both Cyan-Scaled Eagles," Zhou Jiang stammered, his voice trembling.
’Such powerful Exotic Beasts, and there were two of them. Yet Xu Yang killed them all by himself.’
’Just moments ago, he had felt like a lamb to the slaughter under the pressure of their might. Now, the head of one of those powerful Exotic Beasts was split open, its brains pooling on the ground.’
An imperceptible glint of wariness flashed in Guo Yun’s eyes. "They’re all dead?" he said in disbelief. "How did he do it?"
’Faced with two such powerful Cyan-Scaled Eagles, I thought it would be impressive enough if Xu Yang could just drive them away. I never imagined he’d kill them both.’
One’s head was split open; the other had been decapitated and a wing severed.
"Junior Brother Xu, are you alright?" Chen Yong, ever the shrewd old fox, strode over with a look of deep concern.
Xu Yang’s voice was faint. "How could I be fine after fighting such powerful Exotic Beasts? I’m lucky to be alive. I need to go back and recuperate. I’ll leave the rest to you."
Chen Yong nodded to himself. ’It would be terrifying if Xu Yang were completely unscathed after all that.’
"Your recovery is the priority, Junior Brother Xu. Leave the rest to me. I have experience processing Exotic Beasts, and I’ll make sure to collect all the valuable parts for you."
Then, he turned to Guo Yun, Zhou Jiang, and the others and barked, "What are you standing around for? Go get the tools, quickly! All this blood is valuable stuff, don’t let it go to waste!"
As he spoke, he reached out as if pained by the waste, trying to stanch the flow of blood from the Cyan-Scaled Eagle’s wound.
Every part of an Exotic Beast was a treasure; its flesh and blood were highly nourishing. For a powerful creature like this, a few bowls of its blood could be as precious to them as a Guiyuan Pill.
"Yes, sir!"
Not daring to delay, Zhou Jiang and the others immediately turned and ran back to the mining camp to fetch tools.
Seeing this, Xu Yang lingered no longer. He took the scabbard from Guo Yun, sheathed Red Blood, and walked back toward the mining camp.
’His injuries seem quite severe.’
A faint smile touched Chen Yong’s lips as he watched Xu Yang’s somewhat unsteady retreat.
’Outwardly, it only looked like Xu Yang’s clothes were a bit torn.’
’But Martial Artists are shielded by their Protective Gang Qi. Their clothes wouldn’t tear unless they suffered an attack they could barely withstand. Xu Yang must have sustained internal injuries.’
’For a Martial Artist, internal injuries are the most troublesome type; they can’t possibly heal in a short period.’
That evening, Xu Yang pushed open his door and walked out. He had finished clearing his blocked meridians and blood vessels. His injuries were almost completely healed; as long as he avoided fighting for the next day or two, he would be fine.
"Brother Xu, are you ready for dinner?"
Chen Yong had already arranged for someone to wait outside. Seeing Xu Yang emerge, the disciple immediately spoke up.
"Mm."
Xu Yang nodded. He was, in fact, quite hungry.
"Please wait a moment, Brother Xu. I’ll go make the arrangements. Your meal has been ready for some time."
The disciple, whose name was Jin Qiu, turned and left. A short while later, he returned with Chen Yong, both carrying trays of food.
"Junior Brother Xu, come and try this Cyan-Scaled Eagle meat. It tastes fantastic," Chen Yong said with a smile.
If those two Cyan-Scaled Eagles were taken back to Cyan Yang City, they would sell for at least six to seven thousand silver. But since they had to remain here and guard the mine, eating the meat was their only option.
Xu Yang’s eyes lit up. He had never eaten an Exotic Beast as powerful as a Cyan-Scaled Eagle. The beasts he had eaten back at the Purple Sun Sect were generally only comparable in strength to a Gang Qi Martial Artist. For someone at his level of Cultivation, eating them was like an ordinary person eating pork; he felt no particular effect.
He picked up his chopsticks, placed a piece of meat in his mouth, and after chewing a few times, swallowed. He immediately felt a warm current spread from his stomach, slowly flowing to every corner of his body as it was absorbed.
’This is incredible. If I could eat Exotic Beast Meat of this quality every day, my Cultivation would improve much faster.’
’Then again, an Exotic Beast of the Cyan-Scaled Eagle’s caliber was likely a rare sight even within the Yunling Mountain Range.’
"There’s too much meat to preserve for long, so I took the liberty of letting Zhou Jiang and the others have some," Chen Yong said.
The meat from the two Cyan-Scaled Eagles weighed several thousand pounds in total. Xu Yang wouldn’t be able to finish it all by himself even in a month or two.
Even with the colder weather, it wouldn’t keep for that long. After ten days to half a month at most, the essence within the meat would begin to dissipate.
"It’s fine."
Xu Yang said, "I can’t finish it all by myself anyway, and it will spoil if left for too long. Prepare some extra for the workers each day. Let them have a taste of an Exotic Beast as well."
’There’s so much meat that even if I share it with Zhou Jiang and the others, we won’t be able to finish it quickly. I might as well be generous and share it with the miners.’
’He had worked in a mine himself and knew the hardships of the common laborers. Rather than let it go to waste, he’d prefer to help them out.’
"How magnanimous of you, Junior Brother Xu!"
Chen Yong smiled. "I’ve already had my men set aside the most valuable parts—the claws and beak. I’ll have them delivered to you shortly."
Xu Yang nodded. "Good."
’He wasn’t too concerned about the smaller Cyan-Scaled Eagle, but the larger one’s beak had been something that even his Half-Spirit Weapon, Red Blood, couldn’t cut. If a material like that were used to forge Weapons, the result would surely be exceptional.’
’Of course, he had plenty of Spirit Iron and had no use for it himself, but he could still sell it for one or two thousand silver.’