The speed of the Mutated Rain Sparrows was fast, but the Wolf Eagles weren’t that slow.
The eagles were large and they knew how to work together to hunt down rain swallows that had split from the group.
From what Shang Xia could see, the Wolf Eagles seemed like the Mutated Rain Swallows’ mortal enemy!
Leaping off his horse, the Delicate Jade River Sword slashed upwards and killed a Wolf Eagle that was flying low in the air.
Shang Xi and the cultivators following behind Shang Xia acted in unison and started to take out the threat that was the Wolf Eagles. Soon, the wretched cries of the eagles could be heard as the stench of blood filled the air.
Even though Shang Xia and the others reacted quickly, more than a dozen Mutated Rain Swallows had been killed since the appearance of the Wolf Eagles. The feathers of the swallows filled the skies.
When they saw that more than a dozen Mutated Rain Swallows were killed, Shang Xi was so angry that her eyes turned bloodshot!
The Mutated Rain Swallow had the ability to purify the bloodline of those from the Wind Swallow Race! Of course, they really couldn’t care about that. Instead, they cared about the fact that the fur of those little critters could be used to make Embroidered Cloud Cases! It was also a key ingredient if they ever planned to create a spatial pouch!
Every single Mutated Rain Swallow was a precious resource!
Cultivating and raising a single Mutated Rain Swallow was a tough process. No one knew how long it would take to gather enough fur from the Mutated Rain Swallows for them to create a single spatial pouch, but now, there were more than a dozen of them who died!
The cultivators who were trying to stop the eagles from hurting the swallows couldn’t be too weak either! The weaker ones who weren’t at the Martial Extremity Realm could only try their luck when hitting the Wolf Eagles, and even if they were to try, they might hit a Mutated Rain Swallow by accident.
Those who could actually threaten the Wolf Eagles were experts at the Martial Extremity Realm or higher.
There were six Martial Intent Realm experts in the group, but it wasn’t possible for them to kill all the Wolf Eagles threatening the swallows.
Luckily, the Lightning Bird didn’t remain idle. Every time an enraged chirp left its lips, a streak of silver would tear through the air and slice one to two Wolf Eagles into two. The eagles couldn’t even cry out in pain before they were killed.
The Lightning Bird who went through its second transformation was obviously much stronger than before! Its speed experienced a massive boost too.
According to the ranking of creatures by the Tongyou Peak, the Lightning Bird could be considered a rank three spiritual beast!
Too bad it couldn’t change the situation alone!
“Snake! There are snakes behind us!” Someone in the group yelled suddenly.
“Don’t panic! Ten of you, come with me! We’ll deal with the situation at the back!” Wu Tinghai suppressed the commotion that was breaking out in the team.
As several cultivators met up with him, they ran towards the back of the group.
All of a sudden, someone in the middle of the party cried, “Hold up! The eagles in the skies should be here for the snakes! Why are they working together now? Why did the eagles go for the Rain Swallows?”
“Fuck! The eagles in the skies are there for the swallows. They didn’t target us! Why should we give a shit about them? Are our lives more important or are the lives of those little birds?”
“We’re going to reach the Tongyou Peak soon! We have to return at all costs!”
The quarrels caused several dozen cultivators to break away from the group and charge towards the Tongyou Peak, leaving Shang Xia and the flock of Mutated Rain Swallows behind.
“Hey! You stupid fools! Without the Mutated Rain Swallows leading the way, do you think you would arrive here safely? Hurry up and come back!” Yun Zhidai screamed at those who left.
“Enough! There’s no need to yell anymore! They have already escaped!” Shang Xi’s expression was nasty and a chilly light flashed in her eyes when she looked at those who ran.
“Swish, swish!” Two soft whistles tore through the air and two Wolf Eagles that were soaring above were shot dead.
Shang Xi turned to look at the person who shot the arrows and was met with a soft chuckle, “Those bastards are most likely scattered cultivators from the Azure Origin World. They have no alliance to our Tongyou Institution. All the disciples of the institution are here.”
Shang Xia nodded at the side and thanked, “Many thanks, Brother Deng!”
Shooting out another arrow, it pierced accurately into a Wolf Eagle in the air. As it released a loud cry, it faltered in the air. However, it managed to maintain its flight.
“They are too damn fast! Moreover, their bodies are massive and they have an impressive life force! I might not be able to kill them unless I hit a vital spot!” Senior Brother Deng wanted to shoot it down, but two other eagles assisted their wounded comrade and brought it to the side.
“Shit! They’re too damn smart!” Senior Brother Deng cursed before turning to Shang Xi, “Junior Sister Shang, can you get the kid to call the Mutated Rain Swallows down? The Wolf Eagles are killing them left and right in the air! However, they won’t dare to do a thing if the swallows perch on us!”
Shang Xi didn’t need to pass on the message as Shang Xia heard what he said. A light flashed in his eyes and he whistled loudly to call for the Lightning Bird.
The Lightning Bird had already lost its mind in slaughter. Instead of responding to Shang Xia, it tried calling out to the Wolf Eagles.
However, they couldn’t be bothered with it. It couldn’t save the entire flock alone anyway.
Only after Shang Xia whistled three times did it finally fly down to sit on his shoulders.
Shang Xia tried to calm down its rampaging emotions while trying to communicate with the Lightning Bird. He wanted to tell the Lightning Bird his idea, but he wasn’t confident it could understand him.
The Lightning Bird cried out in fright. If it agreed to Shang Xia’s idea, wouldn’t it be leaving the lives of the Mutated Rain Swallows in the hands of those from the Tongyou Peak?!
The Lightning Bird started flapping its wings furiously on Shang Xia’s shoulders.
Releasing a piercing cry, it turned into a silver streak and shot back up into the skies.
Shang Xia sighed and he thought that their friendship had ended when he saw two Mutated Rain Swallows diving towards him!
“Wow! It understood what you said!”
Yun Yifei gasped at the side. She was a little skeptical about Shang Xia’s ability to communicate with the Rain Swallows, especially the rank three Lightning Bird, but she was finally convinced.
The Wolf Eagles noticed the two Mutated Rain Swallows flying towards Shang Xia, and they noticed the injuries on the two little birds too. Without hesitation, the Wolf Eagles started to soar towards the two injured birds.
Shang Xia hadn’t made his move when Deng Gua, the senior disciple with the bow, shot one of them dead.
Yun Yifei leaped into the air and strands of threads wrapped around the Wolf Eagle.
It seemed as though she wanted to capture it alive!
Whatever the case, the two injured Mutated Rain Swallows reached their limits. They desperately changed positions in the air and fell into Shang Xia’s waiting arms.
The moment they did, another two started to dive towards his position.
Shang Xi, Yun Yifei, Deng Gua, and the rest started to form a protective layer around him.
He quickly discovered that the Mutated Rain Swallows would only rush towards him. It was clear as day they didn’t trust the other disciples of the Tongyou Peak.
Of course, he was soon placed in an awkward situation. There was a limited amount of space on his shoulders! After eight of them came down, there was no longer space for them to perch!
Shang Xia decisively jumped off his horse. He wanted to place the birds on the back of the horse, but he was met with fierce resistance from the Mutated Rain Swallows. He eventually convinced them to get on the back of the horse, and he heaved a sigh of relief when they did. A Scarlet Cloud Horse could support a lot more Mutated Rain Swallows than Shang Xia!
It didn’t take long for the back of his horse to be filled.
Sun Haiwei leaped off her horse and sent it over to Shang Xia to assist his efforts.
Soon, the second horse’s back was filled with Mutated Rain Swallows. There were a total of twenty standing on a single horse.
Shang Xia wanted to look for another horse, but he noticed that they were carrying wounded members of the Tongyou Peak. He couldn’t exactly force them to get off…
However, there weren't any other Mutated Rain Swallows who came after. The battle in the air continued.
“The Mutated Rain Swallows are extremely proud! They wouldn’t allow themselves to be captured alive. It’s amazing that you managed to gain their trust for them to hand over the injured to you. However, it’s clear they don’t wish to rely completely on us. They plan to fight the Wolf Eagles with everything they have!”
Shang Xi explained at the side.
Deng Gua shot down another Wolf Eagle and sighed, “We should speed up. We’re close to the Tongyou Peak. The moment we return, the eagles will retreat. Brother Wu sent a report about the snakes behind us and they're getting stronger and stronger. There are Martial Intent Realm beasts starting to appear!”
The hearts of everyone who heard him turned a little colder. Shang Xia released a long whistle to try to communicate with the Lightning Bird before speeding up once more.
The sky was filled with angry and miserable chirps as birds fell one by one.
Even though the Mutated Rain Swallows weren’t an opponent for the Wolf Eagles, they managed to fight their enemies on even grounds with the help of the disciples of the Tongyou Peak.
Every time a Mutated Rain Swallow fell, Shang Xia would feel as though a knife was stabbed deep into his heart.
They closed in on the Tongyou Peak when they heard a loud cry from behind. “Be careful! A rank four snake appeared!”
Everyone turned to stare in the direction of his voice and they noticed a massive snake with a head the size of a house. It was several hundred feet tall, and it stretched its head up into the skies before anyone could react.
Opening its mouth, it took a deep breath and sucked all the creatures flying in the air towards it.
In one move, more than a third of the flying creatures were sucked into its belly!
Violent cries filled the skies and the two species of birds started to disperse immediately.
Obviously, the giant snake wasn’t content with such a small meal as it turned to look at the cultivators desperately running away. When they felt the snake’s gaze on them, they felt goosebumps growing all over their bodies.
The giant snake hissed as it rushed towards them. Swallowing its saliva greedily, it got ready for a great meal!