Chapter 9

The primeval forest was dense, with a heavy mist and poisonous insects lurking about. The roars of beasts were as loud as thunder, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of fierce beasts and venomous snakes, making one's skin and bones feel cold.

"Roar..."

A thunderous roar echoed from deep within the mountains, causing rocks to roll and the ground to tremble. The trees swayed violently, and leaves flew wildly, indicating the presence of a large and ferocious beast in the distance.

The children's faces turned pale. They had traveled a considerable distance from the stone village, having sneaked out without the adults' knowledge and entered the old forest. Fortunately, they had not yet reached the true habitat of the fierce beasts.

"Big Brother Dazhuang, the forest is too dangerous. We are still young and shouldn't go any further," one child trembled and said.

Having grown up near the primeval forest, they naturally knew the dangers it held. Various fierce creatures lived there, and even their parents had to be cautious when entering, or they might lose their lives.

The group of children, numbering about a dozen, were all quite young. The leader was Shi Dazhuang, who had once lifted a thousand-pound bronze tripod. He had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a sturdy build, living up to his name. He was almost as tall as an adult. He looked at another child and asked, "Pihou, how much further is it?"

Pihou, whose real name was Shi Zhonghou, was thin but very strong and agile. He replied, "I heard Uncle Linhu say that the cliff is not far from the village, in this direction. We should be getting close."

"What do you think, Shi Hao?" Shi Dazhuang asked.

In the past, Shi Hao was just a follower among the older children. Since he lifted the bronze tripod, even the adults regarded him as a prodigy, and the children saw him as one of their "core members."

"Going further will be very dangerous," Little Shi Hao said in a clear voice, his large, black eyes wide and honest.

"But we're really not far from there," Shi Dazhuang said.

More than half of the children were eager to continue.

"If you're going, I'll follow," Little Shi Hao said in a childish voice.

Thus, the group of children set off again, walking for another mile. The trees gradually thinned, and the vegetation became sparse, while large rocks became more common, and a fierce aura permeated the air.

The rocky terrain was rugged, forming a vast stone forest. It was silent, and the ground was scattered with the remains of giant beasts, white and shocking.

Pihou looked around and whispered, "This is the place. I heard Uncle Linhu say that its nest is built on a cliff deep within the stone forest."

Shi Dazhuang also lowered his voice, reminding all the children, "These bones might be from the prey it has eaten. Although it should not be in the nest at this time, we still need to be careful. If we are discovered, we might lose our lives!"

The dozen or so children, having grown up in the wilderness, were highly alert. They quickly and agilely hid in the crevices of the stone forest, covering themselves. After a brief observation and a sniff of the air, they nodded to each other and, like monkeys, dashed towards the deepest part of the stone forest.

Along the way, they saw many skeletons, white and enormous, including the bones of birds several meters long and the skulls of beasts as large as millstones. These were the remains of fierce beasts and birds that had been torn apart in the forest, making the place feel lifeless and eerie.

"It really intends to settle here. If it stays for a long time and breeds offspring, it will pose a fatal threat to our village when people enter and exit the mountains!"

"Uncle Linhu and the others have been observing its habits for days."

The children whispered and ran quickly, like a dozen small whirlwinds, rushing into the depths of the stone forest.

A stone cliff loomed ahead, even more silent and barren. At the top of the cliff was a huge nest made of black wutong wood, giving a very oppressive feeling.

The children watched from a distance, hiding in the crevices of the rocks. The black nest was about ten meters in diameter, very large, and clearly the nest of a fierce bird.

"Really here!"

"This green-scaled eagle has been lingering here for a long time. Now it has built a huge nest. Could it really have laid eggs, as Uncle Linhu said?"

The children's eyes gleamed with excitement. This was their main purpose for coming!

This was a very fierce and powerful bird, with blood from ancient magical birds. It was difficult to deal with, and any ordinary fierce beast or creature it targeted would die, unable to escape.

"According to Uncle Linhu's observations, the male green-scaled eagle hasn't been seen for several days. It might have met with an accident in the depths of the mountains. The female bird goes out to hunt every noon. This is our chance to approach," Pihou said.

The children clenched their fists, clearly nervous, but also filled with anticipation and excitement. Growing up in the mountains, they were all very bold, which was why they had come to such a dangerous place on their own.

"Everyone hide in the crevices. I'll throw a stone to test it!" a dark-skinned child said. His name was Shi Meng, and the villagers called him Er Meng. During the village's martial arts performances, he had once knocked down a large ox and almost lifted the thousand-pound bronze tripod, making him second only to Shi Hao and Shi Dazhuang among the children.

"Whoosh," a large stone flew up and landed on a pile of rocks in front of the cliff with a loud thud.

Everyone was startled, but fortunately, there was no movement on the cliff.

"Er Meng, don't be so reckless. Be more careful," someone said.

"I'm testing if it's in the nest. It seems fine. Let's go quickly!" Er Meng said, about to rush forward.

"Big Brother Er Meng, wait a moment," Little Shi Hao said, grabbing a large stone and throwing it with force. The stone flew up the cliff and landed near the nest with a loud thud.

After a moment, the cliff remained quiet, and the green-scaled eagle did not appear.

"Go!"

The children, like a pack of animals, shouted and quickly rushed towards the cliff. Upon reaching it, they divided their tasks. Some stood on large rocks, watching the sky to guard against the sudden appearance of the fierce bird, while others prepared to climb the cliff.

"Big Brother Dazhuang, you all wait. I'll go up first to check," Shi Hao said.

"You're still a kid. Just watch from the side. We'll go up," Shi Dazhuang said, and the children laughed. Little Shi Hao was still drinking animal milk, often the subject of their teasing.

"I've been eating meat for a long time. I just drink it occasionally!" Little Shi Hao pouted, his large, black eyes glaring in protest.

Of course, the little guy was smart and knew that the older children weren't really mocking him but were protecting him, not wanting him to take the risk of going up first.

"I'm faster than all of you. If there's danger, I can escape quickly," Little Shi Hao said, not waiting for them to speak. He climbed up the cliff like a monkey, agile and swift.

"Don't let him take the risk. We'll go up too!" Shi Dazhuang, Er Meng, and Pihou followed closely behind, also climbing like monkeys.

The cliff face had many crevices, allowing the children to climb quickly. Growing up in the mountains, they were very skilled at climbing, not much worse than the demon apes in the mountains.

"Phew... Finally up!"

The cliff was about 300 meters high. After Little Shi Hao climbed up, he waited for the other three to catch up before they all walked towards the huge nest.

"What a big bird's nest!" Pihou exclaimed.

Standing close, the nest was particularly impressive. It was about ten meters long, made of black wutong wood, and took up most of the cliff top, larger than the houses in the village.

In addition, there were some large bones with bloodstains on the cliff, each thicker and longer than an adult, which was quite terrifying.

Especially on the millstone-sized beast skulls, there were several terrifying claw marks, still stained with blood, making them look very fierce.

"These are the bones of a dragon-horned elephant. How terrifying! A fierce bird can actually eat such a large elephant!" Er Meng was amazed.

"Let's not worry about that now," Shi Dazhuang said, climbing up to the black bird's nest.

Upon reaching the nest, they immediately felt a chilling aura and a strong smell of blood. The edges of the nest were dark red, clearly where the green-scaled eagle often ate, and the long-term immersion in various animal blood made the place very ominous.

"The fierce bird isn't here!"

"Look, there are several bird eggs!"

The children exclaimed in surprise. They were bold and had come here on their own after overhearing the adults' conversation, aiming to get the eggs of the fierce bird.

"Great! Let's take them back to the village to hatch. In the future, we'll have powerful fierce birds to hunt for us and bring back prey!" Pihou shouted excitedly.

The nest was lined with soft golden grass, looking very comfortable. Three eggs, as clear as jade, lay there, with patterns and spots on them, shimmering with a luster.

Each egg of this fierce bird was as large as a basin, transparent and shiny, green like jade, and the patterns on them sparkled in the sunlight.