CHAPTER 537: CHAPTER 103: THE LEGENDARY DIVINE BIRD

Another half-day passed, and the Titan Airship descended from the sky, docking at the Black Bear Ridge as mentioned by Jin Nuo.

When they left Fengdan County, the weather had gradually warmed up. After more than ten consecutive days of flight, Yue Jinghua and her companions had deeply penetrated the heart of the Dragon War Empire.

Spring was in full swing, and the entire hillside was covered with tender green wild vegetables and edible fungi.

Yue Jinghua and the others disembarked from the ship, and aside from the soldiers who were still injured, everyone got off and were assigned different tasks.

Hongling took a group of women to gather edible fruits and vegetables near the Titan, twenty soldiers were tasked with finding water sources, and another twenty were collecting firewood.

The remaining twenty or thirty people were split into two hunting teams, led by Jin Nuo and Yue Jinghua. In a day and night’s time, they would see which hunting team brought back the most Dark Beasts.

"Little Brother Yue, we have to agree this time, if Team Jin comes in first, food, clothing, accommodation and transportation on the Titan should all be on the house," Jin Nuo secretly calculated that the consumption on Yue Jinghua’s Titan wasn’t cheap.

After all, Yue Jinghua was the Lord of Fengdan County; he had been short-sighted before. If this guy wasn’t so wealthy, how could he own such a luxurious top-level airship?

"Fine, but just to be clear, what happens if you lose?" Yue Jinghua’s eyes gleamed slyly; she had already seen through Jin Nuo’s intentions.

Pfft, lose? As if. Since I was ten, I’ve been hunting with those dandies from the Imperial City, and only I know where those Black Bears stop to rest, Jin Nuo thought confidently to himself.

"If we lose, we’ll pay double the bill," Jin Nuo agreed confidently on the wager’s terms. "Just a word of advice from your elder brother here at Black Bear Ridge, there’s a saying: ’First the boar, then the bear, third the tiger.’ When hunting, aim for these three for the best results."

"Deal. But Brother Jin Nuo, for fairness, we’ll compare not only the quantity of the hunt but also the rarity of the Dark Beasts. As for the judgment, Chi Xi will decide," Yue Jinghua said with an indifferent smile, curious to see if he could pluck feathers from a frugal rooster.

"That won’t do, Chi Xi is your person, how do I know you won’t secretly collude with her?" Jin Nuo protested anxiously.

"These soldiers behind me are also your men, how do I know they won’t collude with you? This balances out, we’ll disregard friend or foe, only results matter," Yue Jinghua said with a smile.

Thinking it over, Jin Nuo was convinced he held the winning cards. Although Yue Jinghua was a mercenary, she was somewhat a novice. In terms of hunting skills, she might not necessarily be stronger than him.

So he unhesitatingly agreed, allowing Yue Jinghua to choose her team first. She picked about a dozen people and then led them towards the depths of Black Bear Ridge.

As they walked, Yue Jinghua observed the surrounding terrain.

"Color Worm, how’s the distribution of Dark Beasts around here?" Yue Jinghua didn’t believe Jin Nuo would deceive her, but to her, the likes of boars, bears, and tigers held little attraction.

"Awoo, that big dope got it wrong. Black Bear Ridge is teeming with tasty and scrumptious Dark Beasts; they just haven’t discovered them yet," the Gold Eater Worm haughtily raised its worm body. "In the water, there are delicious Rock Egg Crabs and Two-headed Fire-breathing Crucian Carps, and near the shallows, there are Mushroom Snakes suitable for brewing into liquor. Alas, wrong timing; if only you were born a few hundred years earlier, you might have been able to catch a Fiery Fire Stork or two to play with."

"A Fiery Fire Stork?" Yue Jinghua raised an eyebrow slightly. Each region has its own distribution of Dark Beasts, and Black Bear Ridge was no exception. Its vast terrain encompassed wide undulating grassy slopes, where the gentle relief was well-suited for nobles to gallop around on horseback while hunting.

What Jin Nuo was talking about, the likes of boar bears and tigers, despite all being large Dark Beasts, this area has been hunted all year round. Even if there were such Dark Beasts, they would have already been hunted to extinction by now.

Instead of looking for a needle in a haystack, it would be better to seek an alternative route.

The Fiery Fire Stork is a legendary bird in tales, and in the lore of the Canglong Continent, the Four Great Holy Beasts are the Sun Dragon, the Moon Tiger, the Star Sparrow, and Chen Wu.

Ten thousand years ago, for unknown reasons, the Dragon Clan, as well as the Four Great Holy Beasts and other holy beasts, left one after another.

But there are still some Dark Beasts on the continent whose veins carry Holy Beast Blood, such as the Sub-Asian Dragon, and this beautiful Dark Bird called the Fiery Fire Stork.

Legend has it that the Fiery Fire Stork is a descendant of the Star Sparrow, its feathers as resplendent as the newly risen Venus. From birth, the Fiery Fire Stork thrives on absorbing the Star Power between heaven and earth, and once it breaks through to Ninth Rank, it can summon the Big Dipper, ignite the fire of stars, and undergo Nirvana Rebirth to transform into a Holy Beast.

"Awoo, there’s another version of this legend. Some people say that the Fiery Fire Stork is not afraid of the Plane Thunder Fire Gang Wind, that it soars across planes, acting as a messenger," reflected the Gold Eater Worm with some emotion, its ancestors having endured great hardships while traversing the planes, struggles hard to share with others.

The terror of Plane Prohibitions is beyond human power to stop, and it’s hard to imagine a bird the size of a crane able to traverse such celestial prohibitions with its delicate body.

A divine bird capable of flying across planes? Keep in mind that the Gold Eater Worm is quite proud; it rarely praises any Dark Beast. Yet, the Fiery Fire Stork managed to draw its admiration, clearly indicating that this bird is no Mortal creature.

Upon hearing this, Yue Jinghua grew interested in this Dark Bird called the Fiery Fire Stork.

Regrettably, according to the Gold Eater Worm’s senses, the Fiery Fire Stork’s presence has almost disappeared in the Black Bear Ridge area.

After questioning an accompanying Imperial Soldier, Yue Jinghua learned that around three hundred years ago, a noblewoman who was hunting here in the summer became fond of the Fiery Fire Stork’s beautiful feathers and made them into a Feather Fan.

Since then, fans and ornamental specimens made from Fiery Fire Stork feathers became the rage for a while, approximately a hundred years ago, the Fiery Fire Stork became extinct within the Dragon War Empire.

"How foolish," muttered Yue Jinghua, unable to suppress a deep sigh. Such a spiritual bird had been driven to extinction due to the ignorant hunting by the Human Race.

However, she didn’t need to traverse planes at the moment, so she didn’t need the Fiery Fire Stork.

After hearing the Gold Eater Worm’s analysis of the Dark Beasts distribution in this area, Yue Jinghua made a decisive choice to split her people into two groups. One group would catch crabs and crucian carps on the riverbanks and mudflats, and the other group would follow her to catch Mushroom Snakes.

After a night, Yue Jinghua’s group didn’t catch any large Dark Beasts, but according to the Gold Eater Worm, they indeed found quite a few rare delicacies on the continent.

"Tonight, we’ll hunt in the mountain range once again. If we’re lucky, we may even catch one or two Earth Tyrant Bears and try Chi Xi’s specialty dish, honey-roasted bear paw. But first, let’s head back to the Titan airship to rest up," Yue Jinghua looked at the sky and ordered the Imperial Soldiers to pack up and head back.

Just as they were about to cross the mountain range, Yue Jinghua suddenly felt a strong spiritual fluctuation.

Following that, a flock of late-returning birds were startled into flight on the horizon, and a tremor like an earth-shaking wave approached from afar.