25: Three years have passed, and the golden eagle couple who love swordsmanship...

Three years passed in the blink of an eye.

The Fourth Year of Huang Tian.

In this year, Yu Xuzi was twenty-one years old.

As of today, Yu Xuzi's cultivation had been stuck at the Peak of the Middle Stage of Qi Refining for more than half a year.

To achieve a Breakthrough to Late Stage Qi Refining, besides steady effort, he would likely have to descend the mountain to seek other Opportunities and Spiritual Materials.

May fourth.

It was his "birthday."

His Master, Xuan Chengzi, once told him that he had been abandoned at the foot of the mountain on this day, so it became his birthday.

The back mountain.

Nine large bowls of offerings were placed before Xuan Chengzi's grave.

The morning sun broke through, and pale golden light pierced the clouds and mist surrounding Cangqing Mountain, scattering onto the stone monument.

Yu Xuzi sat here alone, eating the offerings without reservation while talking a lot to his Master.

These were all foods only wealthy families could afford; his Master rarely ate them during his lifetime, but now it was fine—he could eat them every day.

Whenever Yu Xuzi descended the mountain, he would casually rob two Gangs of bandits, accumulating so much worldly silver that he couldn't spend it all.

Suddenly!

Two clear, sharp cries echoed from the sky, piercing the clouds and splitting stones.

"Screech—Screech—"

Yu Xuzi's expression remained unchanged; he knew who had arrived without needing to look up.

Two gigantic birds swooped down from the clouds. Their wingspan was a staggering ten feet wide, spreading out like two auspicious golden clouds.

This was a pair of Golden Eagles, and they were mates.

The male eagle's feathers were entirely dark gold, shimmering with a metallic luster in the morning light. A tuft of feathers on its head resembled an emperor's golden crown, and its gaze was sharp as lightning.

The female eagle was slightly smaller, but its plumage was more luxurious. Its neck feathers glowed with faint purplish-gold, and its eyes were extraordinarily spirited.

They were not ordinary species, but neither were they Spirit Birds or Yao Beasts that possessed cultivation.

At most, they were considered Half-Yao Beasts that had gained a bit of supernatural power from being nourished by the Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence, but they could not cast Demonic Techniques.

"Bang—!!"

The two eagles landed steadily on the open ground at the edge of the cliff, both looking toward Yu Xuzi.

"Whoosh whoosh~~"

The male eagle even flapped its massive wings gently, stirring up a breeze that swept a few fallen leaves toward Yu Xuzi.

Without turning his head, Yu Xuzi said, "I know, I know. You're quite the romantic. What good thing did you two find this time?"

"Coo—Coo—"

Yu Xuzi stood up and looked beside the female eagle's claws.

Sure enough, a Spiritual Plant, jade-green with silver veins, lay quietly there, emitting a faint spiritual light.

"The quality is decent."

"Follow me."

Yu Xuzi silently nodded, then stood up, took out the Magical Artifact yu king sword, flew on the sword to a clearing on the back side of the mountain, and began... practicing his swordsmanship!

"Swish~ Swish~ Swish~"

In an instant, Sword Qi crisscrossed and flames surged.

The two Golden Eagles, however, watched with great interest from outside. Their massive golden wings began to flap consciously, and they squawked loudly, seemingly imitating Yu Xuzi's swordsmanship.

Especially the female eagle; her eyes were glued to him.

As the golden wings flapped, the airflow moved with them, cutting through the grass and topsoil, truly looking like rampaging Sword Qi.

Two and a half years ago, these two fellows passed by Cangqing Mountain and happened to see Yu Xuzi practicing swordsmanship in the mountains.

And so they stayed... because the female eagle among them was particularly interested in the swordsmanship Yu Xuzi practiced, and the male eagle watched alongside her.

Yu Xuzi did not drive them away.

Both Golden Eagles possessed high intelligence and were extremely perceptive, making them rare and giving them the potential to become Spirit Beasts.

Especially their trait of loving swordsmanship made Yu Xuzi feel a connection with them, and their interactions became increasingly harmonious.

Getting along with Spirit Beasts was much easier than getting along with people.

Moreover, over the past two years, the two Golden Eagles often sought out spiritualized flowers, grasses, and wild fruits from the outside world and brought them back as compensation for Yu Xuzi.

Just like today.

Two quarters of an hour later.

Yu Xuzi retracted his sword and stood still. After slowly regulating his breathing, he walked up to the two Golden Eagles and reached out to stroke their golden feathers.

"After today, I will be descending the mountain, and I probably won't return for a while."

"Gah—Coo??"

They tilted their heads, watching him. Their eyes slightly swiveled, revealing a look of confusion that anyone could recognize.

"You wouldn't understand even if I told you. Just know that I am leaving. Do you want to come down the mountain with me?"

"Screech—!!!"

Their two pairs of golden wings excitedly stirred up a gale, sweeping up dust and vegetation that flew everywhere.

"Good."

Yu Xuzi smiled and nodded, then returned to the Daoist Temple to pack... Going upstream along the Canglan Great River, two countries bordered the western territory of the Yellow Heaven Celestial Kingdom:

Xuan Kingdom and Yu State.

The two countries used the Canglan Great River as their boundary.

North of the river was Yu State, and south of the river was Xuan Kingdom.

The border between them and the Yellow Heaven Celestial Kingdom was also the Canglan Great River, specifically two tributaries—one south and one north—which were still very wide and could be considered a natural barrier.

The three countries had similar national strength, and the natural barrier of the great river coupled with the constraints of the Cultivation World meant that, apart from minor skirmishes, no major conflicts had occurred for several hundred years.

However, the newly established Yellow Heaven Celestial Kingdom clearly did not share this understanding. After nearly three years of recuperation, they actively launched a war!

Their first target was Xuan Kingdom, south of the river!

A few days ago, on May first.

Dawn.

Linjiang City, in the easternmost territory of Xuan Kingdom, was still asleep.

Only the sentries on duty atop the city wall, clad in cold iron armor, lay dozing on the ramparts.

The Jinsha River flowed swiftly and was one of the main upstream tributaries of the Canglan Great River, serving as a natural chasm dividing the two countries since ancient times.

But at this moment, the center of the river, where the water should have been rushing, was filled with an endless expanse of white mist.

The hazy moisture clinging tightly to the river surface swallowed the sound of the waves, making the silence eerie.

"Uh~ Huff huff—"

The old soldier, Old Soldier Wang Huzi, suddenly woke up, feeling a panic in his heart.

This was an old soldier's intuition.

He struggled to his feet, leaned on the cold parapet, and squinted his blurry eyes, trying hard to see what was in the mist.

Having guarded Linjiang City for thirty years, he had seen river mist countless times, but never one so strange.

This mist was excessively white, chillingly white.

And... it was too quiet.

Even the usual calls of the early birds in the riverside reeds had vanished.

"This is sinister..."

He muttered to himself, his rough hand subconsciously tightening around the knife hilt at his waist.

Just then, something seemed to move within the mist.

First, there was a vague outline, then huge black shadows appeared bit by bit, like the backs of giant beasts surfacing from the water.

Followed by two, three... ten... a hundred!

Dense shadows pierced the thick white mist, revealing their true forms—they were ships, massive Tower Ships!

They cut through the river waves, advancing against the wind at an unnatural speed!

The hulls were tall as towers, and bright yellow banners flickered faintly in the silent mist, fluttering in the wind.

"Ene... Enemy attack—!!!"

Old Soldier Wang Huzi's desperate shriek finally tore through his throat, carrying a tremor of despair as he rang the city alarm bell.

"Clang—Clang—Clang—"

Instantly, the rapid tolling of the bell shattered the tranquility of Linjiang City.

"Everyone on the city walls!"

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!!!"

"The Yellow Heaven Cult fanatics actually attacked!"

The city wall descended into chaos. Soldiers ran in panic, officers shouted themselves hoarse, rolling logs and boulders were pushed onto the parapets, and the winches of the ballistae squeaked harshly.

However, the sight on the river surface soon caused everyone's movements to freeze.