Chapter 246: The Great Sage Monkey King is here!

A massive energy surge swept across the entire Longwhite Mountain; in an instant, wind and snow filled the sky, and all things trembled.

In fact, the anomaly of the Longwhite Mountain Range had already shown up earlier, but the Golden Eagle had been covering it with Spiritual Power so outsiders wouldn't notice.

Under such strong pressure, a violent backlash is inevitable; although the anomaly was suppressed, it didn't disappear, and now that this region's magnetic field has lost balance and gone chaotic, the erupting power is simply unimaginable.

「Boom—！」

The booming sounds continued without cease, strange colors filled the sky, making it hard to distinguish day from night, and mountains, rivers, vegetation, and streams all took on a special glow.

A tremendous pressure came from the air, as if several snow peaks were falling simultaneously, and even the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped by dozens of degrees.

This was merely the outskirts; at the epicenter of the anomaly—the deep valley—the scene had completely changed, with fissures in the abyss constantly widening and continually spewing out cold air.

Like a volcanic eruption, gas kept jetting out from the fissures.

Mist flowed within, almost forming a substance, like a liquid, swirling and lingering in the valley.

Not far away, the Golden Eagle's eyes were filled with deep worry: "Damn monkey, why aren't you here yet? At a critical moment you're letting me down!"

The Golden Eagle took out its phone, intending to call to urge them on, but probably because the surrounding magnetic field was completely disrupted, the signal dropped to zero, the phone couldn't get through, and it was so angry it almost crushed another phone.

Suddenly it seemed to sense something; its sharp eagle eyes turned to the southeast, and it couldn't help but blurt out a curse: "Damn! Someone's already here this fast."

The anomaly caused such a commotion; the Golden Eagle had long guessed that humans would come to investigate.

The people previously sent out were all wiped out; the Sand Emperor acted swiftly, mustering its forces and arriving first.

These soldiers were practically armed to the teeth, with all kinds of light and heavy weaponry available, showing that this time they were dead serious, and they were fuming.

Besides various snow-going off-road vehicles, there were even more than a dozen snow-armored tanks in the rear of the column!

All sorts of heavy artillery, grenades, mortars, and the like kept appearing one after another.

Whether they were truly out for revenge or just using this as an excuse, in any case, they were bound to make a big move this time.

Upon entering the mountain range, this unit received orders to eliminate any obstacles and animals they saw in the mountains, especially avian creatures.

They were determined to give them a taste of their own medicine!

Although they didn't understand why the higher-ups had issued such an order, the lower-ranking soldiers carried it out without exception.

"Beep—beep—beep—"

So, as soon as the Golden Eagle approached the vicinity of the army, it was picked up by radar, and what greeted it was a sky‑covering barrage of destructive firepower!

"Boom—!"

Several shells burst forth at once, kicking up large sparks; fire snakes writhed and ravaged, causing the surrounding temperature to spike rapidly—even the ground ice and snow melted considerably—directly dazing the Golden Eagle.

Right off the bat, the other side unleashed its ultimate move!

Although it had a Spiritual Power shield, it couldn't withstand the enemy's overwhelming firepower; moreover, having previously expended much Spiritual Power to suppress the anomaly here, a head‑on clash now offered it little advantage.

The Golden Eagle's wings turned into several streams of light, shooting straight toward the Sand Emperor's soldiers, accompanied by several screams and curses; the Golden Eagle soared upward and departed from the area.

As long as it was fast enough, the shells couldn't hit it.

The Sand Emperor's soldiers shouted abuse as the Golden Eagle flew away; aside from a few feathers drifting down in the air, the Golden Eagle was completely unharmed and still wanted to give chase, but they were held back.

"Never mind, the important thing is the mission; the higher-ups didn't send us out just to shoot birds."

The leading commander gazed into the distance, his eyes bearing a hint of determined resolve.

Afterwards they continued forward, scouting the mountain range, and soon discovered traces of Great Xia personnel.

At the same moment, Great Xia also noticed, looking ahead at the approaching troops, and their eyes widened instantly.

Amid the ice and snow, the two sides faced off, the air thick with a killing intent.

"This is our territory—get out at once!"

"Boom!"

Hardly had the words fallen when the enemy launched an attack; the Sand Emperor opened fire without a word, not even bothering to communicate, completely catching them off guard.

"Everyone, take cover!"

"Damn it, are these hairy bears crazy? Actually sending this many people over!"

"How dare they!"

Vast expanses of white snow were nearly stained red with blood, and a Great Xia official's heart was filled with rage.

They were precisely the squad dispatched by Yang Jiaxiong to investigate the mountain's changes; now the entire vicinity of the mountain range within ten li was shrouded in strange light.

Setting foot here felt like entering another world, but they never imagined that the greatest danger they'd face wasn't the suddenly changing Longwhite Mountain, but the Sand Emperor!

"Boom!"

The booming sounds continued nonstop, mixed with countless shells falling, fire snakes constantly dancing, and large explosions and bullets weaving through the jungle.

Looking at the Sand Emperor's soldiers, bristling with firepower, Tang Shifeng's fury also reached its peak.

"This is Eastern territory—final warning, withdraw at once!"

The only reply from the other side was ever more hardened artillery fire!

The enemy's firepower was simply too fierce; watching his comrades fall one after another, Tang Shifeng's eyes nearly burst as he shouted, "Where are the reinforcements? Why haven't they arrived yet!"

The vice battalion commander's face was grim beyond words: "The Longwhite Mountain anomaly has erupted, scrambling the surrounding magnetic field—we simply can't get in touch with headquarters."

Tang Shifeng's complexion suddenly turned as ugly as it could get.

Even before this, he had received a notice from above saying the Sand Emperor was likely to break the rules.

But they never imagined the other side would be so brazen as to dispatch such a massive force—and open fire without even a word.

Yet now the magnetic field around here is in chaos, so their distress signals can't get through; this foray into the mountains amounts to only a battalion's strength, and they lack heavy firepower.

Compared to the enemy, who came fully prepared, they had no advantage in numbers or weapons; rushing out would just be suicide, so they couldn't meet force with force.

Tang Shifeng's face was as ugly as it could get: "That pack of bastards must have figured we couldn't contact the outside world, which is why they're acting so recklessly."

The vice battalion commander reported: "Battalion Commander, I've already sent someone back by a roundabout route to report, but even if reinforcements are to arrive, it will take at least several hours."

Tang Shifeng couldn't help but spit out a curse, then said in a low voice: "This is our territory—sacred and inviolable. Tell everyone to hold this position with me to the death!"

The Sand Emperor's soldiers weren't familiar with the terrain, while the Great Xia troops waged guerrilla warfare in the forest, barely managing to catch their breath; even so, the fighting was extremely difficult.

Damn! These turtle grandsons actually just rushed in like that.

Shit, all of you die for me!

Many soldiers kept cursing, unleashing the fighting power of taking on ten opponents each; despite that, with the disparity in strength between the two sides, they could only be forced to retreat step by step by the Tsar's soldiers opposite them, and their numbers kept dwindling.

Just as the local firepower covered them and they were about to be driven out of this area, a huge black shadow appeared from midair at some point, revealing a pair of sharp eyes.

They actually started fighting with the Tsar's soldiers!

The Golden Eagle circling in midair looked down at the scene below, artillery fire filled the sky, booming sounds rang out continuously, and the snow was stained with blood.

Originally the Golden Eagle had intended to watch from the opposite shore, not wanting to get involved in the humans' battle.

But facing the Tsar's soldiers' offense against it, it could not simply watch them win this battle no matter what!

The Golden Eagle's sharp eyes flashed with a stream of light, and in just a moment it had already made its decision.

The enemy's enemy is a friend!

The Great Xia soldiers were obviously fewer in number than the Tsar's soldiers; even if it helped Great Xia win, afterward it didn't fear Great Xia turning on it and pointing their guns at it.

Cry!!!

Accompanied by a sharp whistle, amidst the sky-filling artillery fire, a black mass dove down from midair.

Its body, tens of meters long, was like a black cloud, instantly covering this area, carrying the momentum to destroy the withered, and it charged toward the Tsar's soldiers' ranks.

The Golden Eagle's sharp talons directly tore apart several soldiers.

Blood spread, flesh fell upon the pure white snow; a group of the Tsar's State's soldiers had no time to react, looking up at the black shadow overhead and roaring, their eyes turning completely red.

Damn it! That stinking bird again!

Kill it!

When it earlier encountered the Tsar's soldiers, although the Golden Eagle was dazed by the enemy's fierce artillery fire, the Tsar likewise gained nothing good.

That huge wingspan merely gave a light swing, and who knows how many soldiers were severed and fell in the snow.

Now seeing the Golden Eagle's silhouette again, it could be said that enemies meet, eyes red with hatred.

Southeast direction 50 degrees, 70 meters above ground, position 800 meters!

Fire!

Accompanied by an angry shout, in an instant the artillery fire rang out in unison.

In this strange-colored world, fire snakes sprayed everywhere, roaring forth, even the air was torn in half, completely covering everything; it could be said to block out the sky and sun.

Even the Golden Eagle protected by Spiritual Power did not dare to be careless, hastily dodging to avoid this strike.

And in the distance, many Great Xia soldiers, seeing the Golden Eagle suddenly appear to draw fire, also froze for a moment.

Where did this flying creature come from? It's just too big!

A giant bird over ten meters long—could they really have been mistaken?

Moreover, judging by the Tsar's soldiers' appearance, they seemed to have a grudge against this giant bird, concentrating all firepower on it.

Watching the Golden Eagle fly back and forth in the air, nimbly dodging cannonballs fired from the Tsar's State, at times its wings turned into blades, sweeping away dozens of soldiers; wherever it passed, blood flowed freely, and its combat prowess could be described as extremely formidable.

What are you staring at? Help out!

Tang Shifeng let out a loud shout, pulling everyone's thoughts back to reality.

The Great Xia soldiers had no time to think, they all picked up their guns and threw themselves into the battlefield.

Although this big bird's arrival was strange and beyond their common sense, no matter what, it looked like it was helping them.

Just get it done!

Snowy white peaks, artillery fire filling the sky, golden-red flames wrapped in towering heat waves instantly melted the surrounding snow, bullets pouring down like rain to erode this land.

Those steel-like beasts rolled over the earth, roaring earth-shakingly, continuously releasing powerful firepower—tank howitzer artillery armored vehicles, nearly all-around coverage.

Even with the Golden Eagle's help, they still gradually fell into a disadvantage.

Regardless of numbers or weapons, they held no advantage; if not for the Golden Eagle's appearance, they would have lost even faster!

Soldiers were bloodied and severely wounded, comrades kept falling beside them; even the Golden Eagle's protective spiritual light was scattered, its black-gold feathers stained with deep blood.

Most of them were from the Tsar's soldiers, some its own; several artillery shells bombarded its body in succession, even a steel-and-iron frame could not withstand it.

Mainly because earlier, to suppress this place's anomaly, the Golden Eagle had expended too much Spiritual Power; otherwise, how could it have ended up in such a sorry state?

The Tsar also saw that Great Xia could persist this long solely because of the Golden Eagle.

More than ten cannons suddenly, without any warning, left their original positions bombarding the Great Xia troops, all turning to lock onto the Golden Eagle in the sky.

Boom!

The vast majority of the artillery fire struck the Golden Eagle; in an instant its beast pupils contracted to pinpoint size, the dangerous aura causing its feathers all over to explode.

Given this state, there is simply no way to withstand such powerful firepower.

Damn it!

Dozens of artillery shells, carrying scorching heat, wove into a sky-covering net sweeping toward the Golden Eagle; the entire sky was illuminated by their fire like a sea of flames, leaving no escape.

The terrifying explosion's sound pierced the clouds, a huge mushroom cloud rose in midair, and faintly the Golden Eagle's massive silhouette could be seen falling like a meteor from the sky.

Again!

From afar came an angry roar, and again dozens of artillery fire surged forward.

Watch out!

The Great Xia soldiers, seeing this scene, nearly had their eyes burst.

They roared, wanting to go up and help, but how could their speed possibly match that of the artillery fire?

Boom—rumble!

Countless snowflakes were blown into the sky, dust flew, soil churned incessantly, the terrifying blast force even uprooted vast swaths of surrounding trees, blasting them to pieces.

You damned bastards!

Witnessing all this, Tang Shifeng's face turned extremely grim, anxiously running toward where the Golden Eagle fell.

After just a few hours of fighting side by side, sharing life and death, they had already regarded the golden eagle as their comrade-in-arms; without the golden eagle's help, they could not have held out this long.

However, he had just run up to the vicinity, and after seeing the situation clearly, he froze in place.

"This is……"

Amid the sky‑filled dust, the terrifying wave kicked up by the explosion gradually dissipated, revealing a purple‑gold staff planted in the ground, its surface flashing with intricate patterns, like a heavenly pillar supporting heaven and earth.

A faint golden light spread out, forming a shield that tightly protected the golden eagle within.

His pupils suddenly contracted; he saw a figure glowing with golden light appear ahead of him at some unknown time.

In an instant, all the impact and the explosion vanished into nothing, as if swept away by some mighty force.

At the sight of that golden figure, Tang Shifeng's body trembled uncontrollably, and he felt an unprecedented pressure.

After all, he had experienced a hundred battles, gone through countless campaigns, and had brushed with death several times, yet he had never felt such emotion before.

It was as if standing before him was a giant beast from the ancient Honghuang; even his soul trembled, and in just a moment his back was drenched in cold sweat, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

What is that staff?

And what is the origin of that golden living being before him!

Not only the Great Xia, but even the cannon fire in the distance ceased.

Everyone stared in shock, their expressions horrified, looking at the sudden golden living being on the battlefield and that staff.

The living being stepped forward slowly, pulled out the staff, and a heart‑shaking ripple spread out; standing before the golden eagle, it protected one side, and at the same time its low voice, like the voice of the Great Dao, resonated between heaven and earth.

"Great Sage Monkey King is here!" (End of chapter)