Chapter Eleven: The Power of the Roaring Soul Melody

A first-grade lower-tier flying spirit beast, compared to the White-headed Goose owned by Bai Lun, a disciple of the Golden Flame Sect, was rather inferior. The White-headed Goose was a first-grade upper-tier spirit beast, capable of soaring several hundred meters high, whereas the Golden-eyed Eagle was only of the lower tier, reaching a pitiful altitude of fifty meters. For some first-grade sects, such lower-tier flying spirit beasts like the Golden-eyed Eagle were almost essential for every disciple venturing out.

Though the Golden-eyed Eagle was not valuable, for Mount Hua, which was poor and destitute, it was a rare and precious aid. With this spirit beast, the disciples of Mount Hua would find it much easier to ascend and descend the mountain.

Thinking of ascending and descending, Jiang Yan suddenly remembered his task to purchase livestock and hoes in Qingyang Town. He decided to descend the mountain using the Golden-eyed Eagle, believing that with its help, he would surely return smoothly from Qingyang Town tonight.

Once the decision was made, Jiang Yan acted immediately, casting a set of Spirit Communication Techniques upon himself and connecting with the Golden-eyed Eagle in the Spirit Beast Garden. The Golden-eyed Eagle, sensing Jiang Yan’s command, immediately flapped its wings, stirring up a great wind, and slowly rose into the air.

Yun Ying and the Howling Sky Dog were swept by the wind as the Golden-eyed Eagle took off, rolling across the ground like tumbling gourds. When the astonished Yun Ying picked herself up, she saw Jiang Yan commanding the Golden-eyed Eagle and quickly darted over, tugging at Jiang Yan’s sleeve, her delicate face raised, calling out crisply, “Senior Brother!”

Jiang Yan picked up Yun Ying, leaped onto the back of the Golden-eyed Eagle, and mentally instructed it to fly toward the training grounds.

The Howling Sky Dog, thinking itself too light, was blown out of the Spirit Beast Garden by the wind, tumbling all the way. When it finally stood up and returned angrily, Jiang Yan had already jumped onto the eagle's back with Yun Ying. Seeing this, the Howling Sky Dog had no choice but to abandon its idea of retaliating against the Golden-eyed Eagle with its Soul-shaking Howl.

“Woof woof…” Although it dared not use its Soul-shaking Howl, the Howling Sky Dog did not hide its displeasure toward the Golden-eyed Eagle. Its barking carried its grievance, though it refrained from unleashing its special skill.

“Little White!” Yun Ying, hearing the Howling Sky Dog’s bark, excitedly waved to it, beckoning it to follow.

“Aw-woo…” The Howling Sky Dog let out a helpless whimper, leapt in a flash of white, and landed on the eagle’s back. Yun Ying reached out her small hand and gathered it into her arms. Thus, one grown and one small, with a little dog in tow, rode the Golden-eyed Eagle toward the practice field halfway up Mount Hua.

…

Nanmen Luo’s face was aglow with delight as he slowly stood up from the Six-Star Platform. He had finally broken through, just before sunset, reaching the second layer of Qi Refinement. Soon, he could receive the Bone Transformation Pill from his senior brother, the sect leader.

Once he took the Bone Transformation Pill, his much-maligned ugly face would be forever changed. The prospect of finally having a handsome visage filled Nanmen Luo’s heart with uncontrollable joy.

“A flying spirit beast?” Nanmen Luo stared at the distant black dot descending, muttering to himself in confusion. It was strange—how could there be a flying spirit beast on Mount Hua? The only flying creature belonged to the sect leader, a wooden crane from his Treasure Pouch, but that crane had long since broken.

Nanmen Luo squinted, watching the black dot grow larger, hoping to discern what kind of flying spirit beast dared to soar above Mount Hua.

The approaching spirit beast was pitch-black, save for its golden eyes, and on its back, which was taller than a man, there appeared to be a rider. Nanmen Luo strained his eyes, trying to make out the rider’s features.

“Sect Leader Senior Brother!” Upon recognizing the rider, Nanmen Luo cried out in surprise.

The Golden-eyed Eagle landed gently atop the broad wall of the training ground, its mighty wings stirring up gusts that roared with the wind.

The wind whipped Nanmen Luo’s robes, ruffled the chubby Mu Yun, and startled Tang Wan from her meditative practice.

Tang Wan frowned, opening her beautiful eyes. Upon seeing the Golden-eyed Eagle before her, her anger instantly turned to astonishment. When she recognized Jiang Yan and Yun Ying atop the eagle’s back, her delight grew. “When did our sect acquire a flying spirit beast?”

Jiang Yan’s gaze swept across Nanmen Luo standing on the Six-Star Platform, and his heart stirred. A transparent information screen appeared before his eyes.

Name: Nanmen Luo
Sect: Mount Hua
Position: First-generation disciple
Cultivation: Qi Refinement, Second Layer
Weapon: Light Spirit Sword, Basic Mortal Grade
Technique: Greenwood Technique, First-grade Mid-tier

Unexpectedly, Junior Brother Nan had broken through. Jiang Yan felt a trace of joy—one step closer to completing the sect’s main quest. With a flick of his wrist, a milky-white porcelain bottle appeared in his palm. Jiang Yan called out, “Junior Brother Nan, since you’ve broken through to the second layer of Qi Refinement, as your senior, I’ll give you the Bone Transformation Pill.” With that, he tossed the porcelain bottle to Nanmen Luo.

Nanmen Luo caught the bottle, his ugly face breaking into a foolish grin, his mouth stretching to his ears as he stared at the bottle, lost in laughter.

Mu Yun looked at the bottle in Nanmen Luo’s hand with envy. Junior Brother Nan had received the Bone Transformation Pill, so had Senior Sister Wan, yet he himself had not. Fat Mu Yun felt a bit embarrassed—how could he, the third-ranked disciple, be surpassed by the fourth?

Jiang Yan looked at the three on the Six-Star Platform and called out, “I must go down the mountain on business. Once I leave, I’ll activate the sect’s protective barrier. All matters, great and small, of Mount Hua will be handled by Sister Wan in my stead. Junior Brothers Mu and Nan, you must obey her arrangements and not defy her orders.”

The three responded respectfully. Only then did Jiang Yan pat the Golden-eyed Eagle and take off, flying toward Qingyang Town below.

The Golden-eyed Eagle sped through the sky, heading for Qingyang Town. Along the way, Jiang Yan deliberately controlled its altitude—not too high, not too low—just right for admiring the beautiful scenery from Mount Hua to Qingyang Town.

Mount Hua stretched for a hundred miles, nearly encircling Qingyang Town, and the sect’s location was but one peak among the range. Flying toward Qingyang Town, Jiang Yan looked down from the eagle’s back: verdant forests lush and dense, flashes of blue and red light occasionally flickering among the trees, and strange animal cries echoing from time to time.

“Oooh…” A low, suppressed howl, reminiscent of a wolf’s, rose from below.

Jiang Yan looked down and saw a blue dog-shaped beast howling up at the Golden-eyed Eagle in the sky.

“Woof woof…” In Yun Ying’s arms, the snow-white Howling Sky Dog suddenly poked out its head and barked angrily at the beast below.

The Golden-eyed Eagle suddenly shuddered, almost throwing Jiang Yan off its back. Luckily, Jiang Yan reacted swiftly and steadied himself, avoiding an aerial acrobatics display.

“Oooh…” The blue dog-shaped beast abruptly stopped howling and toppled headfirst into the grass. It was the Howling Sky Dog’s Soul-shaking Howl—a second-grade lower-tier area attack skill. With one bark, the beast had no time to react before collapsing.

A flock of birds flying in the distance was also struck by the Soul-shaking Howl. One moment they were soaring joyfully, the next, as if hit by bullets, they plummeted from the sky in a flurry.

The Howling Sky Dog shook its head, realizing it had caused trouble, and quickly tucked its head back into Yun Ying’s arms.

Jiang Yan could not help but smile bitterly. This Soul-shaking Howl truly was an indiscriminate area attack. The dog-shaped beast below was felled, the birds ahead were struck and fell, and even the Golden-eyed Eagle itself was affected, nearly tossing him off. In the future, whenever the Howling Sky Dog unleashed its Soul-shaking Howl, he would have to find a way to avoid friendly casualties.

The two people and two beasts continued onward. Perhaps intimidated by the Howling Sky Dog’s Soul-shaking Howl, not a single bird appeared before they reached Qingyang Town.

“Look, Qingyang Town, Senior Brother!” Yun Ying stretched out her chubby finger, pointing excitedly at a town nestled among green trees and mountains.

Jiang Yan rubbed Yun Ying’s head and commanded the Golden-eyed Eagle to land. The eagle descended gently outside Qingyang Town.

Dressed in gray, Jiang Yan walked slowly toward Qingyang Town, bathed in the glow of the setting sun. Behind him, the delicate Yun Ying skipped and bounced, the snow-white Howling Sky Dog frolicked gaily at her side, and the Golden-eyed Eagle brought up the rear, flapping its wings and waddling after Jiang Yan.