In the azure high sky, fluffy clouds drifted.
An old Gu Master rode atop a white crane. Beneath his white eyebrows, sharp as blades, his eyes radiated a profound murderous intent.
"Hehehe, I will start collecting this debt from your descendants and younger generations," he smiled, looking down at the battlefield below. Extending a withered, bony finger, he lightly pointed downwards.
The white crane beneath him immediately lifted its long, elegant neck and let out a loud, clear, and prolonged cry.
The sound spread across the vast heavens, and amidst the lingering echoes, countless answering cries came from all directions.
"What is this sound?" Fang Yuan was currently activating his Earth Listening Flesh Ear Grass, and as he was the first to hear it, his heart suddenly clenched in alarm.
The crane cries were endless, rising and falling in waves. The sound was majestic and magnificent. This wasn't a flock of one or two hundred, or even two or three thousand cranes. At least ten thousand cranes were needed to create such an effect.
"Could there be a migration of cranes happening?" Fang Yuan inexplicably felt a strong sense of impending doom.
The crane cries also drew the attention of all the Gu Masters on the field. They looked up one after another.
"What is that in the sky?"
"By the sound, it should be a large migration of birds. Warn all the Gu Masters not to act recklessly and stir up trouble!" The Bai clan chief was just speaking when his voice suddenly hitched.
His eyes slowly widened as he saw in the sky one, two, three... tens of thousands of cranes, densely packed, diving straight down toward the ground.
"How can this be?"
"Prepare for defense! Quickly!"
"You'd better run! There are tens of thousands of these cranes. There's bound to be a Ten Thousand Beast King among them."
"The Wolf Tide has just passed, and now a Crane Calamity? Good heavens. Isn't my Qing Mao Mountain cursed..."
The Gu Masters were in an uproar, their hearts shaken and their will to fight wavering.
They had just barely managed to resist the Wolf Tide, suffering heavy casualties. Now a Crane Calamity had appeared. How could the three great clans of Qing Mao Mountain, already so weakened, have the strength to deal with such a massive flock?
The cranes folded their wings and shot down like a rain of arrows from the sky.
Angry shouts, cries of panic, and screams of agony erupted simultaneously. Lights of various colors surged – moon blades, water bullets, iron thorns, all reflecting back at the sky.
After a brief and fierce resistance, the Gu Masters suffered heavy casualties.
These cranes had beaks like iron awls, the force of a wild boar's charge in each wingbeat, and talons sharp enough to split rocks. Ordinary cranes were already troublesome. Moreover, within the flock, there were many Hundred Beast King cranes, and the number of Thousand Beast King cranes was also considerable.
The clans had a rich history of accumulated experience in repelling the Wolf Tides, and crucially, they had sturdy mountain strongholds to rely on for defense. But here, the wilderness was wide open. What defensive structures were there?
In almost the first wave of attack, the Gu Masters lost half their number.
Crane beaks pierced hearts, crane claws tore open skulls, and a single wingbeat sent people flying back, spitting blood, their bones shattered.
Fang Yuan was also attacked. His eyes were covered in a vast whiteness, so he had to rely on his Earth Listening Flesh Ear Grass to dodge the attacks.
"Fang Yuan! Hold on!" At this moment, a shout came from behind him — it was Gu Yue Bo.
Fang Yuan was very puzzled.
What was up with this Gu Yue Bo? When he called out to him earlier, his tone was already strange. He seemed to have an intention to protect him. Now he had deliberately come to his aid.
Though Fang Yuan was shrewd and calculating, he was no prophet. In such a dire situation, how could he have known that Tie Ruo Nan had mistaken him for a Ten Extreme Physique?
Gu Yue Bo was a Rank 4 powerhouse, but the cranes surrounding Fang Yuan were only ordinary raptors. Gu Yue Bo easily killed or dispersed them.
"Fang Yuan, is that you?" Gu Yue Bo arrived at the edge of the Misty Maze.
Thoughts raced through Fang Yuan's mind like lightning: The situation was extremely dangerous. Staying close to Gu Yue Bo would greatly increase his chances of survival. He immediately replied, "It's me."
Gu Yue Bo recognized Fang Yuan's voice, and a huge weight was lifted from his heart. "Good! Fang Yuan, let's not talk about what happened before. No matter what, the clan will protect you. We're going back to the stronghold. I'll get you out of here!"
What he didn't know was that, for Fang Yuan, the stronghold was even more a dragon's pool and tiger's den.
But comparing the Crane Calamity to the stronghold, the former was right at hand — run or die. The latter was a bit further away, not an immediate threat yet.
Fang Yuan sighed and didn't hesitate. "Clan leader, please lead the way. I'll try to keep up!"
Just at this moment, a giant crane descended from the sky. The white-browed old Gu Master sat calmly on its back. His voice was chillingly cold. "No one escapes. You will all die here by this old man's hand."
Fang Yuan couldn't see, but he heard Gu Yue Bo beside him gasp in shock, "A Rank 5 Gu Master!"
Clearly, Clan Leader Gu Yue had some reconnaissance method to judge the stranger's cultivation.
Fang Yuan's heart trembled involuntarily. "Why has another Rank 5 powerhouse appeared? This little Qing Mao Mountain isn't some famous mountain or holy land. Why do Rank 5 masters keep showing up one after another?"
"Could it be related to the First Generation Gu Yue?" A flash of insight struck Fang Yuan.
His heart pounded violently!
If this had been an ordinary crane calamity, he would have had no chance. Wild birds were hard to use, and although his cultivation was at the peak of Rank 3, it was nothing compared to a Rank 5. Breaking the deadlock would be impossible.
But now, a Rank 5 Gu Master had appeared, bringing him infinite danger while also offering a glimmer of hope to break the situation.
In the game of Qing Mao Mountain, the three Rank 5 masters were the key. All others were merely foils.
Only a Rank 5 Gu Master could deal with a Rank 5 Gu Master.
In an instant, Fang Yuan made a decision in his heart.
It was time. He had to bet it all on this!