Chapter 9: Intervention

“What? You want us to enter the gorge first and draw the Bloodfeather Eagles’ attention?”

Xue Shixiong’s cold, indifferent voice reached those near the horse caravan, and instantly, faces paled and panic erupted.

They never imagined that with such a powerful force, the Xue family not only refused to let them share any benefit, but even, to save time, planned to cross the Crimson Flame Gorge in broad daylight—and use them as bait and cannon fodder!

People began to slowly retreat.

Even if they entered the gorge at night, they’d still need to find companions to travel with.

Who in their right mind would dare enter the valley in broad daylight?

But as people began to retreat, the lead Great Martial Master waved his hand; apart from one fifth-rank Great Martial Master who remained seated calmly beside the cart, all other guards drew their swords and charged forward on horseback, forming a fan-shaped encirclement that forced everyone back toward the gorge entrance.

“If you don’t want to die now, enter the Crimson Flame Gorge!” The half-gray-haired Great Martial Master’s gaze swept over them like a hawk’s, his face expressionless as he spoke coldly.

“Elder, have mercy on this humble one! I’m only a second-rank Small Martial Master, and I’ve got elderly and young to care for—entering this gorge in broad daylight means certain death!” A man in his thirties, hunched over, knelt and banged his head repeatedly before the Great Martial Master.

“So you’ve chosen to die now?” the Great Martial Master said coldly.

One guard already drew his sword and spurred his horse forward.

“No, no! I’ll enter the Crimson Flame Gorge!” The man scrambled back into the crowd, terrified.

“Elder, I’m from the Situ family—please show mercy and let me go!” A young man stepped forward, bowing respectfully.

“The Situ family of Liuyun Alley?” The Great Martial Master raised an eyebrow slightly and asked.

“Yes, yes!” The young man hurriedly replied, his face glowing as if being named aloud by the Great Martial Master brought him great honor.

Several others in the crowd immediately stepped forward.

“Are you Situ Zhongliang’s son?” The Great Martial Master asked coldly.

Situ Zhongliang, patriarch of the Situ family of Licheng’s Liuyun Alley, a sixth-rank Great Martial Master.

The young man paused, then shook his head. “No, but I’m…”

“If you’re not, why are you waving the Situ family’s name? Get back!” The Great Martial Master’s face darkened.

Before the young man could speak further, a guard leveled his sword at him, as if ready to cut him down at the slightest word.

The young man turned pale and quickly retreated into the crowd.

“Do any of you also wish to name your clans?” The Great Martial Master’s gaze swept over the few who had stepped forward and now stood frozen, faces ashen.

“No, no!” Everyone shook their heads frantically and scrambled back.

“Sis, we’re dead now!” The pockmarked young man said, pale-faced, to the beautiful young woman.

“It’s too late for fear now. When the time comes, don’t worry about me—find a chance and break out on your own.” The beautiful young woman said.

“Sis, you’re the only family I have left in this world—I won’t leave you, no matter what.” The pockmarked young man said.

The beautiful young woman looked at him, a flicker of warmth and gratitude in her eyes.

“Enough. You may proceed now. Remember: only forward, no turning back! Anyone who flees—kill on sight!” The Great Martial Master’s gaze swept over them, cold and merciless.

A powerful aura of killing intent erupted from him, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet as if suddenly plunged into winter.

Faces turned ashen; everyone pulled out whatever could serve as a weapon and moved in groups, cautiously entering the gorge entrance.

Xia Daoming glanced back at the horse caravan and the black-tiger emblem on the carriage, his eyes gleaming with lethal intent.

“Xue Shixiong, you son of a bitch—I’ll remember your name!”

Xia Daoming swore inwardly, yet still followed the crowd into the Crimson Flame Gorge.

The enemy had two fifth-rank Great Martial Masters, over a dozen third- and fourth-rank Martial Masters, and even a seventh-rank Great Martial Master. Even if Xia Daoming boasted formidable strength, he’d rather face the Bloodfeather Eagles than confront such a terrifying force.

After all, Bloodfeather Eagles were mindless beasts, and from the crowd’s words, they were clearly low-grade demonic birds—likely no stronger than a fourth-rank Martial Master in combat power.

With his strength, as long as his luck wasn’t abysmal, he could certainly protect himself.

But if he defied the Xue family’s orders, his chance of escape was near zero.

Most Bloodfeather Eagles had built their nests in the middle section of the valley.

That was the true forbidden zone.

The crowd moved forward cautiously, holding their breath, occasionally glancing up at the sky.

The closer they got to the valley’s center, the more tense and careful they became.

“Remember: we’re entering the forbidden zone now—don’t make a sound, and don’t run!”

The martial master with green-eyed gaze and fourth-rank status whispered the warning, his face devoid of its earlier lewd amusement; now it was grim, beads of sweat rolling down his temples, his sword hand trembling with bulging veins.

The Xue family’s caravan followed a hundred meters behind, unhurried.

The carriage curtain rolled up again.

Revealing that handsome face.

The owner of that handsome face watched the people ahead, their cautious movements, his eyes cold and merciless, tinged with mockery.

As if those ahead weren’t risking their lives—but performing a play, and he, the audience.

“Liiii!”

Suddenly, a piercing, shattering cry echoed from the sky.

Then several crimson streaks, like lightning, slashed downward toward the people in the valley.

The Bloodfeather Eagles flapped their massive wings, stirring violent gales.

“Rattling!”

Loose rocks from the cliffs tumbled down in a cascade.

“Ahh! Bloodfeather Eagles!”

Panic erupted; one cowardly man bolted toward the southern exit.

But before he’d taken a few steps, a shadow engulfed him.

Before he could react, the eagle’s talons sank deep into his back and lifted him skyward.

Blood streamed from his back, splattering the air.

“Boom!”

The Bloodfeather Eagle suddenly hurled him from the sky.

Blood and brains sprayed everywhere.

“Ahh! Aahh!”

Witnessing this horrific scene, many in the crowd panicked and turned to flee back the way they came.

“Shhh! Shhh!”

But before they’d run far, arrows shot like lightning.

One man was pierced through the chest and fell dead.

More arrows stuck into the ground, their feathers trembling faintly in the dappled sunlight of the valley, issuing silent warnings to those who dared flee.

“Ahh!” The fleeing men froze.

“Don’t panic! Form ranks and advance together!” A seasoned Martial Master bellowed.

His roar calmed the crowd.

People scrambled into small groups of three or five.

But the stench of blood in the air enraged the Bloodfeather Eagles—more dove down.

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

Some Martial Masters slashed with their swords, striking the eagles’ talons—sparks flew as metal met talon.

“Ahh! Aahh!”

“Boom! Boom!”

One after another, people were snatched by talons, carried into the sky, then dropped like sacks of sand.

The grouped defenders were quickly scattered, each man fighting only for his own survival.

“Sis, save me!” The pockmarked man was knocked flat by a massive wing, the eagle’s hooked beak poised to pierce his skull—he screamed in terror.

A graceful figure shot forward without hesitation, her sword thrusting straight at the eagle’s head.

It was the beautiful young woman.

“Boom!”

The Bloodfeather Eagle flapped its wings and struck back.

The young woman and her sword were flung aside, colliding with the pockmarked man.

At that moment, a gale swept down, shadow engulfing them.

A Bloodfeather Eagle had silently descended like lightning toward the pockmarked man, its talons glinting with cold steel.

The pockmarked man’s hair stood on end—he didn’t think, he shoved the beautiful young woman toward the eagle.

“Liu Zhong, you—” Her eyes filled with shock and fury; even as the talons neared, she forgot to react.

“Clang!”

Just as the talons brushed her hair, a flash of cold light sliced through the air.

“Liiii!” The Bloodfeather Eagle shrieked, soaring upward, a few drops of blood falling from its talons.

But the beautiful young woman seemed frozen, her gaze fixed on the retreating familiar figure, two glistening tears sliding down her pale cheek.

“Aren’t you running? Do you want to die here?” A familiar voice roared beside her like thunder.

She jolted awake, her eyes shifting from the retreating figure to the young, ordinary face beside her—her heart churned with conflicting emotions.

This man, who had just refused her invitation, now saved her life—while her cousin, who swore never to leave her, had shoved her into the eagle’s talons!

“Thank you—” she began.

“Run for your life!” Xia Daoming cut her off, toe tapping the ground as he sprinted swiftly toward the southern gorge exit.

Along the way, he rescued several others.

However, he dared not draw too much attention, revealing only two or three tenths of his true strength.

The reason the Seventh Young Master dared drive everyone forward as cannon fodder was that, in his eyes, even if these people escaped alive, they would never dare harbor thoughts of revenge against the Xu family—and even if they did, they were powerless to stir any trouble.

Xia Daoming knew well that if he unleashed his full power and revealed strength greater than a fifth-rank Martial Master, the Seventh Young Master of the Xu family would immediately grow wary and strike to kill him, eliminating the threat before it could grow.

Even so, as Xia Daoming sprinted forward, he suddenly felt a chill rise along his back, as if a venomous snake lurked in the shadows, watching him.

At that moment, a Blood-Feathered Eagle swooped down toward him.

Its massive wings beat toward him.

Xia Daoming’s heart stirred; he feigned inability to dodge, letting the wing sweep across him, causing him to stagger and nearly fall.

Using the stumble as cover, Xia Daoming’s peripheral vision swept toward the direction he had sensed earlier.

There, the luxurious carriage, surrounded by numerous guards, passed by the group locked in fierce combat with the Blood-Feathered Eagle.

The carriage curtain fluttered open.

The handsome face turned slightly toward the direction where he had just been.

Xia Daoming’s heart tightened.

Fuck, after all my caution, did this bastard still notice me?

Cursing inwardly, Xia Daoming rolled clumsily like a startled donkey, evading the eagle’s sharp beak.

As he rolled, Xia Daoming caught sight of the carriage curtain being drawn shut.

“I must’ve fooled him!” Xia Daoming breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Just as Xia Daoming relaxed inwardly, a Blood-Feathered Eagle with wings spanning two zhang suddenly dove toward the carriage.

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