Chapter 495 - 477: Growth of the Cyan-Scaled Eagle
The trio approached and stopped before the crowd.
At some point, Li Jingfeng had already found the perfect angle, standing sideways to the group. A ray of sunlight filtered through the canopy and fell upon him, making him look exceptionally striking and handsome.
"Brother Su, let me introduce you. This is my sister, Li Ningcai!"
A young girl in a pale yellow short skirt, with bright eyes and delicate features, turned to Su Yu upon hearing this and called out crisply, "Brother Su!"
"Ningcai, you are bright and charming. Seeing you today certainly adds a bit of color to this lush, green mountain."
Hearing this, Li Ningcai couldn’t contain her joy and smiled sweetly. "Brother Su, you’re such a sweet talker! You’re so much better than that big brute Gu Changfeng! My brother said you also came from a poor background, and that in the future, you and Gu Changfeng will definitely become the two legendary experts of Black Stone City, praised by all."
"I hope so," Su Yu replied with a faint smile.
"This is Miss Gu Junyao from the Gu family, a good friend of my sister. I am leading the team this time, and Miss Gu will also lend a hand in wiping out the Black Lotus Sect," Li Jingfeng said, pointing to a tall, long-haired woman standing nearby.
Gu Junyao’s demeanor was somewhat aloof, and she merely gave a slight nod.
Seeing her reaction, Su Yu didn’t force a conversation. Instead, he took Zhen’Er’s hand and introduced her, "This is my wife, Yang Zhen. She will also be heading to Tiger Roar Mountain with us this time."
Yang Zhen took a step forward. Today, she was simply wearing a plain green dress, yet an aura of unparalleled, refined elegance still emanated from her. Coupled with her exquisitely beautiful face and the faint aura radiating from her Wood Spirit Body, she looked just like a fairy descending upon the mortal realm.
The group was momentarily captivated. Even Li Ningcai and Gu Junyao, being women themselves, were stunned for a second.
"Wow, you’re so beautiful," Li Ningcai said, her eyes shining with admiration. She stepped forward to hold Yang Zhen’s hands, examining her closely, her envy growing the more she looked. "With such elegance, how come I’ve never heard of you before? Are you also from the Outer City?"
Yang Zhen smiled and replied, "Yes, Ningcai. Your dress is so pretty. What material is it made of?"
"Right? It is! This is Floral Brocade from Jian’an Prefecture. It looks nice and is super comfortable to wear..."
The two women quickly struck up a conversation, seemingly hitting it off right away. Standing to the side, Gu Junyao maintained her aloof appearance and hardly joined in.
"Brother Su, Brother Li, for this trip into Tiger Roar Mountain, we’ll proceed according to our agreement," Shi Yueshan said. "We will head to Medicine Valley first. If Brother Li’s intervention is needed, the Shi family will provide Dragon Sinew Grass as compensation based on the situation. If there are no unexpected incidents and the Dragon Sinew Grass is harvested smoothly, the Shi family will only offer a sum of silver taels as a token of gratitude. After that, the two of you can go on your own to hunt down the Black Lotus Sect. How does that sound?"
Li Jingfeng’s closed eyes suddenly snapped open. He spoke slowly, "Alright! If any accidents occur, I will step in. You can put your mind at ease!"
Seeing his brimming confidence, Shi Yueshan gave a slight nod.
Although Li Jingfeng always looked overly confident and arrogant, his strength was genuine. As an expert at the Great Dragon Tendon stage who practiced the Li family’s famous Dragon-slaying Nine Swords, his combat prowess was likely no weaker than an expert in the Early Stage of the Profound Bone Realm like Uncle Hai. With him around, nothing could possibly go wrong.
"Move out!"
"Bring the White Tiger Godslaying Crossbow!"
At Shi Yueshan’s command, the Shi family’s herb-gathering team began their advance toward Tiger Roar Mountain. Shi Yueshan personally led dozens of Martial Artists to clear the path ahead, while two Cyan Armored Bulls pulled a White Tiger Godslaying Crossbow in the middle of the formation.
This White Tiger Godslaying Crossbow was over three meters long and two meters high. Its entire body was forged from century-old Black Iron Wood, and its bowstring was crafted from rare Silver Dragon Tendon blended with the essence of dozens of Great Tendons, giving it terrifying, overbearing power. The front of the Godslaying Crossbow was also engraved with a special Array, powered by a precious Ancient Wind Spirit Stone. Once fired, a single bolt could injure an expert in the Profound Bone Realm!
At the rear, Shi Hai held the fort while Su Yu and the others marched along.
"Zhen’Er, are you in the Ape Tendon Realm? If there’s any danger later, I’ll protect you. I’m in the Tiger Tendon Realm," Li Ningcai chattered continuously along the way. "But the most formidable one is Gu! She’s only a year older than me, but she’s already an expert in the Little Dragon Tendon Realm!"
A trace of arrogance flashed across Gu Junyao’s eyes. Her strength placed her in the top fifty of the Martial Examination. Her participation in hunting down the Black Lotus Sect Demons this time was specifically arranged by her family so she could accompany Li Jingfeng. The original intention was to play matchmaker for her and Li Jingfeng, but the two hadn’t exchanged more than a few words so far.
Gu Junyao glanced at the guy who had been persistently posing sideways toward her, her expression slightly stiff. She thought, "Is this guy really a Great Dragon Tendon expert? How does he not have the slightest bit of presence... Looking at him, this Su Yu has good looks, but it’s a pity he’s from the Outer City... His strength is only at the Jiao Tendon Realm. Although he’s doing well among the Great Commanders and has been in the limelight recently, he’s ultimately just a young man. If I can break through to the Profound Bone Realm, I’ll be able to socialize with the true direct descendants of the three major families. Not to mention those in the Divine Storage Realm, but people like Zhao Xiuyuan and Wang Chenye in the Profound Bone Realm wouldn’t be bad choices."
The group progressed along the mountain path. The outskirts of Tiger Roar Mountain had long been thoroughly scouted by various major factions, so there wasn’t much significant danger. A few small beasts might have posed a threat to ordinary groups, but the Shi family’s team boasted over a dozen Martial Artists. They cleared them all out cleanly without Su Yu or the others needing to lift a finger.
When noon arrived, the group took a break, roasting the meat of wild boars and roe deer they had hunted along the way. Taking advantage of the lunch break, Su Yu found a secluded spot and summoned his Cyan-Scaled Eagle.
Before long, Qingyuan descended from high in the sky. It pierced through the canopy and landed in a clearing in the woods. As it folded its massive wings, the lingering gusts of wind still flattened the surrounding grass and vegetation.
"Good grief, your size is changing rather quickly," Su Yu said.
Qingyuan typically returned home once every ten days or so. It had been a bit longer this time; Su Yu hadn’t seen it for about twenty days.
When it spread its cyan wings, its body length easily exceeded four meters. The layers of scaly feathers were as dense as armor, gleaming with a cold, golden luster under the dappled sunlight. Its talons were robust and its neck held high. With a commanding presence in its eagle eyes, it already possessed the majestic air of an ancient exotic breed at a mere glance.
"Looks like you can easily serve as a flying mount now," Su Yu mused.
Su Yu leaped onto Qingyuan’s back and commanded it to take off. After circling at a low altitude for a while to get a feel for it, he discovered that the Cyan-Scaled Eagle’s strength was already comparable to the Muscle Forging Realm. Let alone carrying just him, it could fly effortlessly even with two people on its back.
"Excellent. With you around, I have another trump card up my sleeve!"
Su Yu gently patted the unique golden feathers on Qingyuan’s head. Feeling a wave of affection mixed with pride transmitting into his mind, he understood what it meant.
"I know you’re amazing. You grew this strong on your own without needing me to raise you. Unlike that Little Crocodile Dragon, who does nothing but laze around the house eating all day.
"When I get back, I’ll find a chance to kick it out too. I’ll toss it into the Black Water River and let it brave the world on its own!"
After comforting Qingyuan, Su Yu had it continue circling high in the sky, following the group from a distance. This way, it could monitor any unusual situations from above and serve as a trump card for either escaping or pursuing enemies at critical moments.
"Keep moving forward! We’re almost at Medicine Valley. Stay alert!" Shi Yueshan shouted another order, and the herb-gathering team resumed their journey.
A few hours later, they finally arrived at their destination, Medicine Valley.
Not long after the group entered the valley, the distant roars of Exotic Beasts caused Shi Yueshan to frown deeply.
"Uncle Hai, take your men and set up the White Tiger Godslaying Crossbow first! I’ll go take a look!"
"Brother Shi, I’ll go with you!" Su Yu volunteered. The two of them leaped onto the thick branches of towering ancient trees and dashed rapidly toward the front.