Chapter 11

"Too late, it's too fast, we can't make it back to the village!" Pi Hou shouted, baring his teeth. He had been grazed by a flying rock, which had torn a large piece of skin from his arm, and blood was flowing freely.

"There's a deep cave over here, let's go in and hide!" Xiao Budian shouted to everyone.

They fled through the mountains, dodging several large boulders and rushing into a patch of giant vines. Xiao Budian slipped in, and the other children followed closely behind.

The cave was very damp, hidden behind the vines, and the sound of water could be faintly heard. The inside was dark and pitch black. The cave was incredibly deep, and after the children rushed in, they didn't dare to stop, running for dozens of meters before finally stopping.

In the darkness, heavy breathing filled the air. They had run for several miles, and the dozen or so children were exhausted. They had been both frightened and terrified. The Azure-scaled Eagle was a terrifying creature; if they were caught, one claw would turn them into a puddle of blood and broken bones.

"Phew, that was close, we almost didn't make it!" After surviving the ordeal, they all plopped down on the ground.

"The entrance to this cave isn't very big, that fierce bird shouldn't be able to get in," the children said, though they were relaxed, they didn't forget to stay alert.

This experience had been extremely dangerous. They had almost lost their lives in the forest, falling prey to the claws of the ancient magical bird's descendant. Now, as they calmed down, a cold sweat had broken out on their backs.

The cave was extremely deep, connected to an underground river, and a cold wind blew through it. The children looked at each other, worried. How could they return to the stone village? They didn't dare to go out.

"Hey, right, how did you know there was a cave here, Xiao Budian?" When they came to their senses, the children remembered that Xiao Budian had led them to safety at a critical moment.

"Uh!" Xiao Budian was a bit embarrassed, fidgeting with the corner of his clothes, and mumbled, "Last time, I chased a crimson bird out of the village and almost got lost, and I accidentally ended up here."

The children were speechless. Xiao Budian was good in every way, but he was very lively and curious. When he was younger, he had chased the village chief's big yellow dog out of the village several times. It was even worse when he got a bit older; with greater abilities, he would relentlessly pursue anything strange and unusual, determined to understand it.

"Hehe... Even at three, he couldn't stop chasing birds, little Huahua!" The older children teased.

Xiao Budian was flustered, puffed out his cheeks, and said angrily, "Don't laugh, it was a bird as red as blood, just like the Vermilion Bird recorded in the bone books."

"Tsk, don't talk about those legendary things. Even a Fire Cloud Sparrow or its descendant could wipe out a super clan. If it were really a Vermilion Bird, it would let you chase it? One yawn could shatter a prince's territory!"

"But it really looked just like the one in the bone books, red and beautiful," Xiao Budian argued, his small, white hands clenched tightly, his rosy face excited, and his big, black eyes glowing in the darkness.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, a loud, dull sound startled all the children. They turned to look and saw a cold, metallic gleam at the cave entrance. The head of the Azure-scaled Eagle appeared, its eyes cold and terrifying, staring at the children inside.

"Heaven, it's trying to get in!" Many of the children's faces turned pale.

"It's fine, the entrance isn't big enough for it to get in!" Er Meng was really fierce. As he spoke, he grabbed a stone as big as a washbasin and threw it with all his might.

"Bang!"

The stone, thrown with immense force, hit the Azure-scaled Eagle's head. However, it only sparked and clanged, the metallic green scales remained unharmed, while the stone shattered and fell to the ground.

Everyone drew a sharp breath. This fierce bird was like a copper-skinned, iron-boned creature, incredibly powerful, and it sent chills down their spines.

"Pfft"

With one claw, it instantly tore out a rock weighing hundreds of pounds, as if it were a sharp iron hook easily scooping out a piece of mud.

The children watched in shock. Even the cave couldn't stop it?

"Crack!"

The sound of rocks breaking came again. The Azure-scaled Eagle flapped its wings, slicing through the rock wall like a blade, causing large rocks to roll down. Its massive body forced its way in.

"It's terrifying, can it really split this hill open? If it keeps this up, it might really break through the cave and flatten this place."

Pi Hou drew his bow, a hard bow made from the horn of a dragon-elephant, which only adults could usually draw. It was considered the best bow-making material in the stone village.

"Whoosh!"

An arrow shot out at incredible speed, like a meteor, swift and powerful.

"Clang!"

However, to everyone's surprise, the arrow hit the Azure-scaled Eagle's head, sparking but unable to penetrate. Even such a strong bow and arrow were ineffective.

Everyone was alarmed. What could they do? Even a powerful bow couldn't hurt it, and they were trapped in a desperate situation.

"Uh, let me try."

Xiao Budian borrowed a heavy iron spear from one of the older children, weighing about forty to fifty pounds. He ran a short distance, then suddenly accelerated, rushing towards the cave entrance and throwing the iron spear. It shot through the air like a bolt of lightning, the cold light heading towards the entrance.

Shi Hao could lift a thousand-pound bronze tripod. With all his strength, he threw the iron spear, which had an incredible penetrating power, aiming for the Azure-scaled Eagle's eyes. The iron spear whistled through the air, the force so great that it made the air vibrate!

The Azure-scaled Eagle, which had been disdainfully pursuing the children, now showed a hint of surprise in its eyes. It quickly turned its head to avoid the iron spear piercing its eyes.

"Clang!" The iron spear, with its tremendous force, hit the Azure-scaled Eagle's head, creating a sound like two metal plates rubbing together, sparks flying, and a piercing noise.

In the end, the iron spear fell to the ground, but a scale on the side of the bird's eye also fell off, a trickle of blood visible, quite noticeable.

A high-pitched bird cry echoed, like a bolt of lightning striking the soul, first loud and then sharp, like a dragon's roar, very intimidating.

Several children were so startled that they fell back and sat on the ground, quickly covering their ears to protect their eardrums from being ruptured.

The fierce bird, having been injured by mistake, became enraged. Its eyes were cold like blades, staring intently at Xiao Shi Hao. It flapped its wings, furiously tearing at the cave walls, forcing its way in.

Rocks of various sizes, from dozens to hundreds of pounds, crumbled like rotten wood under its talons. The cave was being widened, and the Azure-scaled Eagle, enraged, charged in.

"Trouble, this big bird is going crazy. We won't be crushed by its claws, will we?" Pi Hou and the others were alarmed. The children regretted it; no wonder the adults never acted rashly, this fierce bird was too terrifying.

"This place is close to the stone village. Grandpa, the chief, and the others will surely hear the commotion and come to our aid," Xiao Shi Hao said.

"That's right, we should attack with all our might, anger it, and make more noise. The chief and the others will notice sooner!" Shi Dazhuang said, grabbing a large rock and throwing it at the fierce bird.

The bird's cry became even more intimidating, shaking the dust and rocks inside the cave. Its massive, scaly body approached step by step, angrily chiseling the rock walls.

The children shot arrows at its eyes, and the iron spears were given to Shi Hao, Er Meng, and Shi Dazhuang, the strongest among them, to throw, aiming for the Azure-scaled Eagle's eyes.

The forest was in chaos, with rocks flying and leaves swirling. The bird, to avoid its eyes, retreated several times from the narrow cave, leveling the nearby area.

"What's going on? Why is that Azure-scaled Eagle acting so crazy, coming to our village and causing trouble?"

In the stone village, someone noticed the abnormality, looking suspicious, and quickly sent someone to inform the elders. A group of people came to a high platform at the edge of the village to observe the area.

"Chief, today I saw Er Meng, Dazhuang, and Xiao Budian sneaking around together. They must have gone out of the village and caused trouble," a teenager around fourteen or fifteen said, informing that a dozen smaller children had disappeared.

"These little rascals!" Shi Linhu slapped his thigh, suddenly remembering that when they were talking about the Azure-scaled Eagle, Pi Hou and the others were peeking around.

Chief Shi Yunfeng, upon learning the situation, understood the urgency and said decisively, "Quick, fetch the two ancestral treasures, and let's go together!"

The strongest men in the stone village all set out, their eyes red with determination to protect the children. Whether it was a descendant of an ancient magical bird or not, they were ready to fight! Some carried hundreds of pounds of wolf-toothed clubs, some carried super large bows taller than a person, and others held black iron broadswords as tall as a person, their aura fierce and intimidating.

"Don't worry, the kids will be fine. If that featherless big bird dares to be vicious, we'll chop it up and feed it to the tree pigs!" These men reassured the women and children, shouting loudly, and then charged into the forest.

These young men, like a herd of beasts, were fierce and powerful. They started shooting arrows from a distance, the thick arrows like javelins, and all made of iron, with incredible power!

"Bang," "Bang"...

A barrage of arrows shot out, many trees were pierced and broken, the scene was incredibly fierce, like a group of tall wild men charging in, shouting at the fierce bird.

The Azure-scaled Eagle had already retreated from the cave entrance, its eyes cold, staring at these fierce fighters. It showed no fear, as it was the top predator in this area, able to dominate as long as it didn't enter the deepest part of the mountains.

It spread its wings, and a strong wind howled. Many heavy arrows and iron spears were deflected, clanging and sparking. Then it raised its head and let out a long cry, its eyes filled with fierce light, and it flapped its wings, charging at the group.

With a body seven to eight meters long and wings spanning fifteen meters, this massive creature's dive was terrifying, causing branches and leaves to shatter. Even before it approached, the powerful air currents made their faces hurt.

"Everyone gather and defend, Linhu, use the ancestral treasure!" Chief Shi Yunfeng ordered.

Fighting such a terrifying descendant of a magical bird would surely result in heavy losses. Only by using the ancient treasures passed down in the village could they hope to scare it away.

"Featherless big bird, come at me!" Shi Linhu shouted, standing at the front, looking up at the diving fierce bird. At the same time, he took out a piece of animal bone, likely from a fierce beast's arm.

The Azure-scaled Eagle's eyes narrowed, as if sensing something. It stopped its charge, staring intently at the dull bone, showing a cautious look. Its half-meter-long black beak suddenly glowed, a rune appearing, emitting a terrifying aura.

"Goodness, this Azure-scaled Eagle is indeed extraordinary, with a bloodline rune in its body, representing a powerful force," the old chief marveled.

"Roar!" At the same time, Shi Linhu roared, knowing the urgency. He used all his strength to activate the rune on his left arm, which glowed brightly, and then he pressed the animal bone onto it.

"Boom!"

A powerful aura shot up into the sky, like a violent hurricane, as if a king of beasts had come to life, startling the fierce bird in the sky, which quickly ascended, putting a considerable distance between them.

Shi Linhu's left arm glowed, and the animal bone seemed to fuse with his arm, becoming a part of his body, blending with his flesh and blood, very mysterious.

The light on his left arm grew stronger, eventually forming an ancient rune, as if a fierce beast was about to burst out of the rune!

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