The next morning, Tang Yuxian woke from her meditation. She turned to look around, then slowly rose and walked to one side.
Not far away, Tu Feng stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing straight ahead, motionless.
"What are you doing?" Tang Yuxian walked up to him and asked, her face full of confusion.
"Shh..." Tu Feng quickly gestured for her to be quiet, then pointed forward.
Acting all mysterious, Tang Yuxian rolled her eyes and looked in the direction he indicated. In that instant, she froze on the spot.
Before her, not far away, their young master had assumed an incredibly peculiar stance — standing on one foot with both arms extended outward like the wings of a bird, slowly and rhythmically fluttering them up and down.
At first glance, it almost looked as though he were a bird soaring through the sky, filled with a flowing sense of rhythm.
What surprised Tang Yuxian even more was that the Silver-Blood Golden-Feather Eagle in front of the young master was actually doing the exact same movements.
Its pair of golden wings were spread wide, letting out piercing cries as they beat up and down, churning up gusts of wild wind.
Only now, the golden-feather eagle no longer seemed as hostile as it had the past few days. Its cries even carried a hint of wanting to be affectionate.
As time passed, when the rhythm of man and bird finally synced up perfectly, the young master and the eagle slowly lifted off the ground together.
It was as if, in that moment, human and eagle had merged into one, inseparable.
Tu Feng and Tang Yuxian were both dumbstruck, their faces masks of astonishment.
Both of them were powerful cultivators of high realm, but when they searched their hearts, they had to admit they could do absolutely nothing about that golden-feather eagle. In the entire Yang family, aside from the person specifically tasked with raising and training them, the golden-feather eagle showed no courtesy to anyone — and yet now it was actually playing with the young master.
And this was after the young master had plucked two of its golden feathers!
In that moment, both blood guards felt a surreal sense of disbelief. They exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with confusion and shock. They had no idea what kind of miraculous method Yang Kai had used to achieve this.
A short while later, man and eagle had risen several dozen zhang off the ground.
With a hearty laugh, Yang Kai suddenly twisted his body and landed right on the golden-feather eagle's back. Under the watchful eyes of the two blood guards, the eagle let out a clear, resonant cry and took to the sky with outstretched wings.
The eagle's back wasn't particularly wide — just barely enough for one person to sit on.
But both Tu Feng and Tang Yuxian could clearly sense that Yang Kai wasn't using a shred of strength or True Yuan. The eagle was carrying him entirely of its own volition.
"I thought this beast held grudges?" Tang Yuxian suddenly felt her brain wasn't quite keeping up.
Tu Feng opened his mouth, then let out a chuckle: "Not bad. He's really made us reassess him. But if this is all there is... it's still not enough."
Tang Yuxian nodded slightly.
Winning the genuine, heartfelt submission of blood guards was no simple matter. Both Tu Feng and Tang Yuxian were powerhouse experts of the Shenyou Realm — how could the turnaround of a single eagle make them submit so easily?
A long while later, the golden-feather eagle finally glided back down. When it was about a dozen zhang off the ground, Yang Kai leaped off its back. The eagle folded its wings and landed right on Yang Kai's shoulder, perfectly docile.
That hooked beak even affectionately prepped Yang Kai's hair.
"Young master is impressive," Tu Feng praised with genuine admiration.
Yang Kai stroked the golden-feather eagle's head and chuckled: "I offended it a few days back. Took some effort to turn it from enemy to friend."
"How did you do it?" Tang Yuxian asked curiously.
Yang Kai's expression turned serious: "Feel its heart. Let it sense your intentions. That's all it takes."
Tang Yuxian blinked several times, instantly finding this very profound.
"Let's go!" Yang Kai had no intention of showing off. He called out and mounted the Cloud-Treading Steed.
Over the next few days, the group maintained their unhurried pace, but the bond between the golden-feather eagle and Yang Kai grew ever closer. The fifth-stage demon beast could now clearly understand all of Yang Kai's commands — whether simple or complex, it executed every single one flawlessly.
The two blood guards were absolutely stunned by Yang Kai.
Even the Yang family member who raised and trained the golden-feather eagle probably didn't possess such skill.
If the young master lost the succession battle, he'd make a fine eagle keeper back at the Yang family.
Yang Kai was secretly amused. If not for the purpose of winning over these two blood guards, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths. A mere fifth-stage demon beast — one Beast Subjugation Seal, and even the most rebellious creature would behave obediently.
Yet here he was, forced to put on this act for days on end. Exhausting beyond belief.
Three more days passed.
Before Lingxiao Pavilion.
The entire sect lay in ruins — broken walls, crumbling ramparts.
Scorched earth covered the ground, and collapsed buildings stood everywhere.
The earth itself seemed to groan.
Yang Kai's expression was somber, his mood heavy.
A sect that had endured for hundreds of years was now nothing but rubble. A few years ago, Yang Kai wouldn't have felt any sense of belonging here. But after everything he'd been through, he had come to regard this place as his own master's sect.
"This is your sect, young master?" Tang Yuxian gazed at Yang Kai curiously, wondering why the place was so desolate — it almost looked as though it had been exterminated.
Yang Kai dismounted the Cloud-Treading Steed and gave a slight nod.