Chapter 2279 - 2276: Snow Eagle’s Calamity

Chapter 2279: Chapter 2276: Snow Eagle’s Calamity

"The Snow Eagle’s nest might be on the cliff; if we follow the mountain trail, we could encounter the Snow Eagle again. Anyone willing to risk death may proceed." Ji Zimo stood by Shen Lin’s side.

Lin Tian finally understood that the group was disputing over the upcoming route, splitting into two factions: one advocating for the river path, the other for the mountain trail. Both sides had their reasoning, yet neither could persuade the other.

Seeing Lin Tian approach, everyone watched him as Ling Shuiyao asked, "Lin Tian, you’ve heard the argument. Should we take the mountain trail or follow the river path?"

"I choose the mountain trail, but others can decide freely. I won’t force anyone," Lin Tian responded calmly, without the slightest hesitation.

Having received this answer, Ling Shuiyao smiled since Lin Tian had effectively sided with her.

"Well, now we’re divided into two factions." Yan Lingling expressed some frustration, even though she was stronger than the other contestants, still a fourteen-year-old girl, so the others wouldn’t follow her lead.

"I’ll go with Lin Tian." Xiao Manxuan didn’t hesitate and quickly made her choice, standing next to Lin Tian.

Miss didn’t say anything and directly came over, indicating her choice, followed by Ling Shuiyao, Ghost, and Huang Xiaopang.

"Lin Tian, my aunt told me to listen to you more before we came, but this time I have my own thoughts and choose to follow the river path. I hope Brother Lin doesn’t mind." Wang Lin respectfully said as he clasped his fist toward Lin Tian.

Lin Tian returned the courtesy, saying: "No need to be polite, Brother Wang. This is about the Shennong Ding; trust your instincts."

Wang Lin was always low-key, and Lin Tian had a decent relationship with the Wang Family, so his impression of Wang Lin was favorable—at least Wang Lin wasn’t like other family disciples.

"I also want to see the Snow Eagle, so I’ll go with Lin Tian." Liu Xiaoxiao’s words made Situ Yufeng uneasy. As a practitioner of Eagle Claw Skill, witnessing the true power of eagle claws, he naturally wouldn’t miss the chance.

Yuwen Xingjian also stood on the other side. While he admired Lin Tian, these family disciples had their own plans and wouldn’t follow simply out of admiration.

Another important reason was that Lin Tian had too many helpers; following him wouldn’t yield much benefit, especially when the Shennong Ding was at stake—sentiment wouldn’t sway him.

Before long, only Yan Lingling was left, the little girl feeling some gloom. A good team had scattered in the blink of an eye.

"Ling’er, come over; you’ll be in danger if you go with them." Shen Lin called out to Yan Lingling.

Yan Lingling blinked her eyes, saying: "I... still want to follow Brother Lin Tian."

"If that’s the case, pack your things and set off. Good luck to you." Lin Tian waved his hand, refraining from further explanation, and went back to prepare his things. Shen Lin watched him, several times wanting to draw his black sword but ultimately restrained himself.

After packing their belongings, the groups parted ways. Shen Lin led one group along the river, while Lin Tian’s group took the mountain trail. Soon, they couldn’t see each other anymore.

"Ling’er, don’t stress about it. Even if something happens to them, it’s not your responsibility. Everyone is an adult now, so expecting you to take responsibility is unreasonable." Lin Tian saw the little girl still troubled and offered a few words of encouragement.

Yan Lingling nodded her small head, saying: "Before leaving, Great Grandpa asked me to watch over everyone on the journey. Looking at it now, I can’t change their minds."

"Haha... Ling’er, you’re still too naive." Lin Tian laughed, adding: "In the face of great interests, everyone has their own thoughts; it’s not about right or wrong. Let’s see whose luck holds."

"What if they find the Shennong Ding first?" Yan Lingling asked naively, and others looked at Lin Tian as well.

Lin Tian looked up towards the distance, his face expressionless: "I need the Shennong Ding to save someone. If they find it first, I will borrow it; if they refuse, I’ll have to take it."

"You’re using it to refine medicine and save someone, right? I think they would lend it to you." Yan Lingling smiled slightly.

"If it’s Wang Lin or Yuwen Xingjian, they might lend it, but others definitely won’t." Lin Tian confidently stated.

Yan Lingling blinked, seeming to understand something.

The group walked along the mountain, where the rocky and uneven path, though rough underfoot, didn’t present the risk of stepping into a swamp, allowing their pace to quicken.

However, Death Valley is spindle-shaped; choosing the mountain trail meant the path was winding, extending the journey further. Walking along the river path was more straightforward and allowed quicker advancement.

The deeper they went, the taller the mountains grew, steeper with every step. In the sunlight, large shadows enveloped Lin Tian and his group.

Lin Tian paid little attention to the road beneath his feet, focusing instead on the towering mountain cliffs, uniform brown stones staring at him until his vision went dizzy.

He couldn’t tell how many hours they had walked when suddenly, a streak of white appeared in the distance, standing out conspicuously against the brown rocks.

"Roar..." Bai growled lowly, eyes fixed on the white streak, filled with alertness.

"What’s that..." Miss strained her eyes towards the distance, then felt startled: "It’s the Snow Eagle!"

The mention of Snow Eagle caused Ghost and the others to halt; Ghost looked at Lin Tian: "Brother Tian, you knew we’d encounter the Snow Eagle?"

Lin Tian nodded, unfazed by the others’ nervousness: "I guessed, but with seventy percent certainty; the Snow Eagle’s nest is indeed on the cliff."

"Aren’t we here to find the Shennong Ding? Why are we looking for the Snow Eagle?" Huang Xiaopang asked in confusion.

"As far as I know, while the Thousand-year-old Snow Lotus is rare, it’s not enough to effect the Yijing Xisui. The snow lotus consumed by the Snow Eagle is quite extraordinary." Lin Tian smiled confidently; this knowledge, of course, came from the Shennong Emperor’s Medical Scripture.

Huang Xiaopang not only failed to understand but seemed even more puzzled: "Why are we suddenly talking about snow lotus?"

Miss’s eyes flickered as she exchanged glances with Lin Tian, and Lin Tian smiled inwardly. Miss was indeed intelligent, having already guessed some reasoning.

Lin Tian didn’t explain any further, speeding towards the target. As so many people suddenly appeared, the Snow Eagle became aware, letting out a long call, seemingly as a warning.

"Huh, something’s not right." Lin Tian slowed his pace; although the Snow Eagle saw so many people, it didn’t fly away. Instead, it continued staying on the cliff. Stranger still, its call was not as piercing as before, lacking the usual intensity.

Ghost and others were about to cover their ears, then realized the eagle’s cry wasn’t mentally taxing.

Lin Tian quickly activated super vision, finally spotting something amiss. Around the Snow Eagle, many white dots were dancing in the air. These white dots turned out to be tiny white insects.

The insects bore fine granules, shimmering like tiny ice crystals. Whenever an insect vigorously flapped its wings, these ice crystals would tumble down, landing upon the Snow Eagle.

The moment ice crystals touched the Snow Eagle, they would swiftly freeze. At that moment, Snow Eagle’s wings and claws were encrusted with a stiff ice layer, rendering it unable to unfurl its wings. Moreover, the Snow Eagle appeared to be shivering, whether from cold or poisoning was unclear.

"Ice-silk flying insects!" Yan Lingling suddenly exclaimed, her voice filled with shock and vigilance.