Chapter 21: The Descendant of the Divine Eagle

  At this time, Song Qing's breath was full and unstoppable, his whistle echoed for miles, startling all the creatures in the nearby mountains, everyone panicked, thinking that some fierce beast had come out of the mountain. Hearing the sound, every household rushed out of their homes with hoes and axes. In the forest, it was a scene of chickens flying and eggs smashing, birds fleeing from the forest, and beasts running wildly.

  Since Song Qing broke through, he hasn't left his room for several days, but instead sat on the bed to consolidate his realm. Don't think that breaking through means everything is fine, as the time before and after breaking through is when a person is at their weakest. After breaking through, one cannot immediately go into battle, or they will easily fall from their realm.

  It was July, and Song Qingchu strolled through the Xiangyang mountain area under the bright moonlight. All around, trees grew densely, and wildflowers flourished luxuriantly. Deep within the grass and woods, the sounds of insects chirping and cicadas singing could be heard from time to time, accompanied by the rustling sounds of small animals scurrying through the bushes.

  It had been five days since Song Qingchu broke through, and after consolidating his realm, he didn't continue to cultivate with all his might. After all, the way of cultivation was about balance and relaxation. With nothing else to do, Song Qingchu thought of the second purpose of coming here - Jianmo Valley.

  So Song Qing decided to take advantage of the current relaxed training schedule to go find Jianmo Valley, on one hand it could be considered as a combination of work and rest, on the other hand it was also for the sake of getting to San Chi Qing Feng Sword earlier.

  After walking for a while, a loud and clear eagle cry suddenly came from the sky. Song Qing's face showed surprise, and he secretly thought, could it be that the divine eagle of those years is still around? It must be known that Dugu Qiubai was a figure from the Northern Song Dynasty, and the divine eagle was also with him at that time. If the divine eagle is still alive now, wouldn't it have become a spirit by now?

  But Song Qing still couldn't hold back the curiosity in his heart, and hurriedly followed the sound, gradually going deeper, walking into a very remote mountain valley.

  He heard the eagle's cry was already close in front of him, so he lightened his footsteps and hid behind a bush, peeking forward to see a huge eagle standing proudly on an empty space in the valley.

  Song Qing let go of the fear in his heart, this was not the divine eagle from back then, because according to the book's records, the divine eagle that followed Yang Guo was even bigger than Yang Guo himself.

  And this carving is about twice as large as a normal god carving, but it's only as tall as Song Qing's shoulder.

  It was actually the descendant of that divine eagle back then. The divine eagle was born in the Northern Song Dynasty and had followed Dugu Qiubai and Yang Guo respectively. Although it had gained spiritual awareness, it hadn't become a supernatural being after all. It still couldn't escape the cycle of fate. However, when the divine eagle followed Yang Guo on his adventures, it found an equally magnificent eagle in the Eastern Sea. You understand, dry wood ignites fierce flames, and thus this eagle was born.

  Its entire body is covered in pure black feathers, with a large, blood-red fleshy tumor on the top of its head. Its beak is curved like a hook, and its wings are extremely short. However, its legs and iron-like claws that grasp firmly onto the ground are exceptionally sturdy and robust. Truly an ancient, strange, and majestic creature, exuding a unique aura of power and grandeur.

  At this moment, the giant eagle is facing a clump of grass in front of it, calling out incessantly, with a hint of a bold challenge in its cries. Before long, rustling sounds can be heard from that clump of grass. Under the moonlight, a huge snake as thick as an arm emerges, coiling into a snake array two zhang away from the giant eagle, hissing and spitting out snake letters, its triangular head darting left and right in a flash.

  Song Qing's heart skipped a beat, because according to the hunters' usual descriptions, this snake was only as thick as a water pipe, and he didn't expect to see such a huge one here. It's worth noting that snakes are not always judged by their size, but it can't be denied that larger snakes are generally harder to deal with. Moreover, looking at the cautious expression of the divine eagle, it was clear that this venomous snake was no ordinary creature.

  A giant eagle and a huge snake stared at each other from afar, then the eagle seemed to be distracted, turning its head to one side. The big snake saw an opportunity, suddenly popping out like a strong arrow shot from a bowstring towards the eagle's neck. But the eagle quickly turned its head back, its curved sharp beak swiftly and accurately pecking out, hitting the snake right on the top of its head.

  "What a great move!" Although he had been prepared in his heart, seeing this giant eagle still understood the enemy's tactics, Song Qing Shu couldn't help but shout out in praise.

  The giant eagle, hearing the human voice, immediately dropped the long-dead snake it had just picked up and turned its head towards where Song Qing was hiding, with a somewhat wary expression.

  Song Qingchu stood up straight and bowed his hands from a distance to the giant statue, saying: "Brother Statue, I have no ill intentions, please do not be overly cautious."

  Perhaps influenced by his ancestors, or perhaps it was the giant statue that sensed Song Qingchu's kindness, its wary posture relaxed slightly.

  Just then, Song Qing's face suddenly changed color and he shouted: "Be careful!" He drew out the fine steel sword from behind his back and threw it out. The long sword turned into a green light that swept past the giant statue's side, piercing through the head of a golden giant snake that had quietly crept up to the giant statue's back, pinning it to the ground. It turned out that there was a pair of poisonous snakes here, and the giant eagle had only killed one of them, while the other was very cunning and had been hiding in the bushes, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Until it saw the giant eagle neglecting its back as it guarded against Song Qing, it quietly crept out to prepare for a sneak attack from behind.

  The giant eagle saw the snake's corpse on the ground and knew that the person in front of it had helped itself. It walked forward, using its beak to grasp the hilt of the fine steel sword, and pulled it out. Then, it turned around and presented it to Song Qing. After Song Qing took the treasure sword, the eagle bowed its head three times towards him and let out a soft cry three times.

  Song Qing knew it was expressing gratitude to himself, so he waved his hand and smiled: "Diao brother, just now it was only a matter of lifting one's hand, no need for too much courtesy."

  The giant eagle nodded its head, seemingly understanding Song Qingchu's meaning. It turned around and pecked at the two large snakes on the ground with its beak, causing two huge snake gallbladders to roll out. The eagle swallowed one of them, then used its wing to fan the other in front of Song Qingchu, before calling out softly several times, as if indicating for him to take it.

  Song Qingxue burst out laughing and said, "Brother Diao's love is too great, I'm afraid it's not good for me to refuse." Song Qingxue stepped forward and put the snake gall into a gourd at his waist.

  The gourd was filled with freshly brewed strong liquor. Song Qing had originally planned to hunt and kill a few venomous snakes while searching for the Sword Demon Valley, but unexpectedly didn't encounter any on the way, yet met one here instead. It's truly 'with intention, flowers don't bloom; without intention, willows shade'.

  The divine eagle saw Song Qingxue put away the snake gall, although he didn't understand why he didn't take it immediately, but still knew that Song Qingxue had accepted his kindness. He walked over and nipped at Song Qingxue's hem a few times before letting go and striding off with big steps.

  Song Qing saw the situation and had already guessed where the divine eagle was going to take him, so he was very happy. After all, he was originally looking for Jianmo Valley, and now the divine eagle was leading the way, which was an unexpected joy. He shouted: "Elder Eagle, wait!" After that, he used his Wudang Ti Yun to closely follow behind the divine eagle.