(Actually, Garuda is not the Golden-Winged Great Peng; "Garuda" is merely the name given to him by the guides who fear him.)
As he spoke, Danyu raised his hand, gesturing lightly toward a distant cliff, and said, "Look over there."
Hearing this, Mo Chen and Qian Renxue hurriedly looked in the direction Danyu was pointing. There, perched proudly atop the towering, sheer cliff that reached into the clouds, stood a sturdy-looking goat. The goat was entirely golden, and the pair of golden horns on its head shimmered with a dazzling light.
Danyu continued his introduction, "That is a Stone-Firm Goat of about 4,000 years. It possesses both sacred and light attributes."
The two nodded, and Mo Chen felt increasingly satisfied with this place. "It seems the rumors about Divine Eagle Valley are true; this really is the place with the highest concentration of sacred and light-attribute Soul Beasts," Mo Chen said with a slight nod of agreement.
At this moment, Danyu suddenly turned his head, staring intently at Mo Chen, and asked curiously, "I really want to know, how exactly did you find out about Divine Eagle Valley? Reasonably speaking, other than us guides, no one should know of this place."
Facing Danyu's inquiry, Mo Chen did not hesitate, telling him exactly how he had learned of the valley: "It was a stroke of chance. A few years ago, I captured a prisoner. In order to survive, he volunteered to tell me he could take me to a place—the place he spoke of was Divine Eagle Valley."
Upon hearing Mo Chen’s account, Danyu was momentarily speechless, a few dark lines appearing on his forehead. His brief interaction with Mo Chen had almost made him forget that the man was an out-and-out warmonger, capable of discovering the location of Divine Eagle Valley through such a direct method.
"Being able to know this place means that person was also a guide. Although we are in the same profession, there are differences even among colleagues." Danyu paused, then remembered the primary purpose of this trip. "By the way, I wonder what age of Soul Ring this young lady requires?"
Qian Renxue had been lost in the previous topic. Suddenly hearing the question directed at her, she was slightly startled; the thoughts in her mind were like strings of a lute that had been snapped, instantly tangling into a mess. It took a long while for her to snap out of her daze.
"Seventy-five thousand years," Qian Renxue replied softly after regaining her composure.
Danyu nodded thoughtfully. "Seventy-five thousand years... that age is certainly not considered high in Divine Eagle Valley. It seems there is no need for us to risk venturing into the core area this time."
As he spoke, Danyu looked toward the valley ahead and continued, "You must understand, Divine Eagle Valley is unlike other places. The terrain is extremely complex, and the environment is harsh to the extreme. For young beasts born here, survival is as difficult as ascending to heaven. However, if they can truly survive, there is no doubt they will grow into incredibly powerful beings."
Before he could finish his sentence, Danyu stepped forward toward the depths of the valley, and the other two hurried to follow. The further they ventured into the valley, the lower the temperature dropped. Bursts of biting cold wind whistled from all directions like ghosts.
Qian Renxue subconsciously hugged her arms tightly, trying to ward off the relentless currents of cold air. Even so, she could clearly feel threads of chill piercing through the gaps in her clothing, forcing their way into her body and making her shiver.
Seeing Qian Renxue trembling in the cold wind, Mo Chen did not hesitate to extend his right hand, placing it on her delicate shoulder. In an instant, a powerful yet gentle surge of Soul Power erupted from within him, wrapping around Qian Renxue like an invisible cloak of energy. This Soul Power not only effectively blocked the biting wind but also continuously provided her with warmth.
Qian Renxue was slightly stunned, her gaze involuntarily falling on the hand Mo Chen had placed on her shoulder. She knew that the current Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe, was merely a disguise she had adopted. Although she hadn't truly needed a third Soul Ring back then, the fact remained that Mo Chen had saved her.
Raised under strict discipline from a young age, with her father dead and her mother devoid of affection, she had arrived here to work as an undercover agent as soon as she reached a conscious age. It could be said that aside from her grandfather, Qian Renxue had never received any warmth.
Yet, Mo Chen’s sudden appearance had instantly occupied her heart. Regardless of whether it was personal bias or something else, Qian Renxue could not ignore these feelings. It was as if a seed named "affection" had been planted in her heart, and after all these years, that seed had grown into a towering tree. Feeling the warmth from Mo Chen’s palm, a sensation of unprecedented heat slowly permeated her body, and at the same time, some indescribable, strange, yet heart-fluttering emotions quietly welled up within her.
Without realizing it, Qian Renxue’s jade-white face flushed with a faint crimson, as enchanting as peach blossoms blooming in spring.
Seeing this, Mo Chen smiled slightly and strode forward, standing in front of Qian Renxue to shield her from the oncoming wind with his tall frame. "As a guide, you must be quite familiar with this place, and you should know what kind of Soul Beast we need, right?"
Walking a short distance ahead, Danyu heard Mo Chen’s question and stopped. He turned around and replied, "Our target this time is a 75,000-year-old Armor-Splitting Rhinoceros." With that, he resumed his path toward the depths of the valley.
However, as they ventured deeper, a deafening, piercing cry suddenly erupted from the heart of the valley. The sound was like a thunderclap, echoing through the heavens and causing the entire valley to tremble.
"Oh no!" Danyu’s expression changed drastically, and he shouted in alarm. He flashed over, grabbed the arms of Mo Chen and Qian Renxue, and hauled them toward the side with all his might. Fortunately, there was a small, natural crevice in the mountain wall nearby, just large enough to hide the three of them.
In an instant, a violent hurricane swept out from the depths of the valley like a wild beast. Flying sand and rolling stones blotted out the sky, as if the entire world were being dragged into the storm. Wherever the hurricane passed, even the hard rocks could not withstand its power, crumbling and shattering under the ravages of the gale.
"What!" Mo Chen exclaimed, immediately shielding Qian Renxue beneath him without hesitation. His body surged with brilliant light as immense Soul Power erupted from within, forming an indestructible shield in an attempt to withstand the terrifying hurricane.
Yet, the hurricane was like a ferocious beast, pouncing upon them with claws bared. The wind constantly squeezed and pounded at Mo Chen’s body, leaving him feeling as if a mountain were pressing down on him. Despite his best efforts, the shield he used to block the wind struggled under the burden, a thin crack appearing and rapidly spreading across its surface.
"What is going on?" Veins bulged on Mo Chen's forehead, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his cheeks. He gritted his teeth, struggling to hold up the crumbling shield, his heart filled with doubt and shock.
Beside him, Danyu’s face was as pale as paper, his voice trembling as he said, "It’s... it’s him."
"Is that the 600,000-year Soul Beast?" Qian Renxue asked, her brow furrowed and her beautiful eyes flashing with panic.
Danyu nodded slightly. "Yes, it is exactly him. He is currently in a state of extreme rage, driving away all the uninvited guests who have trespassed into his territory."
"As expected of a 600,000-year overlord, it truly is unfathomable!" Mo Chen shouted while struggling to resist the wind. He felt an unprecedented crisis. Even for someone like him, who had conquered and fought through countless battles, he felt a sense of powerlessness now.
Fortunately, the hurricane came and went just as quickly. After lasting for less than a moment, it was as if an invisible giant hand had forcibly suppressed it, and it began to subside. Even so, that brief rampage was enough to make one feel its astonishing destructive power.
"So... so terrifying!" Qian Renxue said, her face full of panic and her voice trembling. Her beautiful eyes revealed deep fear; the sudden hurricane had clearly left her shaken.
Danyu was also still reeling, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. "Truly worthy of being the absolute hegemon of Divine Eagle Valley, the divine bird Garuda!" he muttered, his tone filled with reverence.
Mo Chen was half-crouched, hands on his knees, gasping for breath. The sudden confrontation with the hurricane had depleted a massive amount of his Soul Power in a very short time, leaving him feeling as if he had been hollowed out. After catching his breath, Mo Chen looked up at the now-calm sky, frowning in thought. "This thing is too terrifying to have reached the 600,000-year realm. I suspect it might carry a trace of phoenix bloodline."
Recalling the powerful pressure from just moments ago, even from such a distance, Mo Chen had felt a resonance with his own Martial Soul. This peculiar sensation had traveled through his body like an electric current, accelerating his heartbeat and making his blood boil, fueling his curiosity about the legendary Garuda.
"A battle between two 100,000-year Soul Beasts is truly tempting," Mo Chen muttered to himself. After a short recovery, he felt like a roaring flame, his deep-seated fighting spirit fully ignited. For Mo Chen, a vast disparity in power was nothing new. Looking back at his past, nearly every battle he had fought was one against a stronger opponent. Yet, even in such difficult situations, Mo Chen had always managed to carve a path to survival with his indomitable will.
However, just as Mo Chen prepared to make a move, Danyu seemed to see right through him, not giving him a chance to speak. Danyu turned around and walked directly toward the other side of the valley. "Follow me! Garuda is ahead; we must take a detour," Danyu shouted without looking back, quickening his pace as if he didn't want to stay for even a second longer.
Mo Chen glanced back at where Garuda had appeared. Although his fighting spirit was still burning, his reason told him that if he rushed forward now, he would likely become a snack. With a sigh of resignation, he buried his impulse deep within, silently vowing that when his strength was sufficient, he would make Garuda his ninth Soul Ring.
Along the way, they encountered numerous Soul Beasts, but regrettably, either their age was too low to meet the requirements, or their attributes were too extreme and incompatible with Qian Renxue's abilities. One 74,000-year-old Variegated Demon Cat caught their attention. It also possessed both sacred and light attributes, but after careful observation and analysis, they found that while the attributes matched, its base stats were not suitable for Qian Renxue. While the demon cat was formidable, absorbing it would only increase her speed and bring no other growth.
After a long and arduous search, Danyu stopped at a turn in the path. He slowly crouched down, running his hand over a large footprint on the ground. Relying on his years of experience, Danyu immediately determined, "Yes, this is the footprint left by an Armor-Splitting Rhinoceros!" He stood up excitedly, focused on the direction the tracks led, and moved forward without hesitation.
In the process of tracking the rhinoceros, they also unexpectedly discovered some rare and precious herbs. For example, there was a miraculous herb called the Soul-Revival Grass, said to have the power to bring the dead back to life, and a fruit called the Green Treasure Spirit Fruit, which could potentially trigger a secondary evolution of one's Martial Soul. Since these treasures were ownerless, Mo Chen did not let the opportunity slip by. He quickly took out his storage Spirit Tool and carefully collected the precious herbs and fruits one by one.
However, they found no trace of any Withered Flower. That was to be expected, after all; given its name, it surely only grew in graveyards or places of extreme gloom and cold.