Chapter 16

After a brief rest, Lin Chen and his companions set out once again on their arduous journey toward the summit of Lingfeng Mountain. The mountain path grew increasingly steep and rugged, resembling a path of no return leading to the netherworld, and every step forward demanded an immense effort. An unsettling aura hung heavily in the air all around them, acting like an invisible net that tightly enveloped them and pressed down so hard it was almost suffocating. They focused all their attention and cautiously groped their way forward, their heartstrings stretched to the absolute limit. Suddenly, a sharp, piercing birdcall rang out from the sky, a sound that seemed to tear at one's eardrums. Everyone instinctively looked up to see a flock of giant Black-Feathered Birds diving toward them like a dark cloud. The feathers of these Black-Feathered Birds were as hard as iron, flashing with a cold glint in the dim sunlight, and their razor-sharp claws looked capable of effortlessly tearing a human body apart. Their eyes flashed with a frantic and bloodthirsty light, clearly revealing them to be ferocious exotic beasts brutally tamed by the Shadow Cult.