Jiang Chen retreated a few steps back to the edge of the cliff and tucked himself into a crevice among the scattered rocks.
After witnessing what had just happened, Jiang Chen actually calmed down.
Based on his estimation, the strength of those two Fire Crows was at minimum comparable to a human cultivator at the first level of the Spirit Realm. If it were just two flame birds, they wouldn't be much to worry about.
However, according to Jiang Chen's deduction, a rare treasure of such intense spiritual energy—if it truly was a companion growth of a Spirit Beast—then there was far more lurking in that cliff face than just two Fire Crows.
In all likelihood, Jiang Chen was certain that those two Fire Crows were nothing more than foot soldiers.
If two Fire Crows comparable to a first-level Spirit Realm human were merely minor pawns, then something infinitely more terrifying could very well be concealed within that cliff.
"It seems brute force won't work—I'll have to be clever about this. And I need to scout first just how many Fire Crows are hidden in there."
Though he was determined to claim that rare treasure, Jiang Chen was unfamiliar with the terrain and refused to act on impulse.
What if there was an entire nest of Fire Crows inside that cliff, terrifyingly powerful? Given the Fire Crows' mobility, even Jiang Chen would not want to provoke them.
So he decided to observe for a while and bide his time.
The deaths of those two ahead-of-the-pack martial artists by immolation clearly hadn't dampened the enthusiasm of those who followed. After a few hours, another batch of martial artists arrived in a group.
This time, each of them had clearly come prepared.
"Hmm? They actually joined forces? How peculiar." Jiang Chen watched the group of over a dozen people and found it rather surprising.
He had seen far too many clashes and battles along the way.
Yet this group had actually set aside their hostilities and banded together. It seemed there were no permanent enemies—only permanent interests!
Jiang Chen simply concealed himself. Since this group had teamed up, he might as well let them go first. Whether they succeeded or not, at least they could help him test the waters.
As the saying goes—the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
If this batch actually managed to seize that rare treasure, Jiang Chen wouldn't mind being the oriole that swooped in afterward, figuring out how to snatch it from their hands.
If they proved unable to claim it, then at least they could probe just how many Fire Crows were entrenched in the cliff.
If they could draw out the Fire Crows' true strength, then these people would have at least contributed something.
This group had clearly learned from the earlier mistake. They halted at the very base of the cliff for a long while, discussing something among themselves, but did not rush to act.
Below the cliff lay a deep gorge. From the gorge floor up to the rare treasure, the distance was at least several hundred zhang.
Jiang Chen channeled his full power into his Wind-listening Ear, attempting to overhear their discussion.
The mist and clouds in this valley could block vision and hinder Jiang Chen's Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil, but the Wind-listening Ear, carrying sound across a thousand zhang of open air unobstructed by barriers, allowed him to faintly make out some of their words.
Sure enough, this group was debating how to pluck that rare treasure.
One of them said, "We must first successfully pick that treasure, and then compete according to the method we agreed on earlier. Right now, drawing lots is the fairest approach."
"Then let's draw. Four people climb, and the rest provide cover to deal with those Fire Crows."
Several hundred zhang of vertical cliff with almost no footholds—even so, for martial artists who had reached the Spirit Realm, it wasn't an especially difficult task. As long as there was even a slight point of leverage, they could scale the rock face with ease, far more agile than monkeys.
The real danger lay in the Fire Crows' ambush.
If those two earlier martial artists hadn't been ambushed by the Fire Crows and had simply slid down the hundred-zhang cliff face, as long as they could grab onto any minor handhold, they would have landed safely.
So as long as someone provided cover against the Fire Crows, the climbers themselves faced relatively little risk.
That said, no one wanted to take that risk.
No matter how small, a risk was still a risk. What if there were more than two Fire Crows? What if there was an entire nest?
What if their so-called allies, seeing overwhelming numbers of Fire Crows, simply cut and ran?
This was a temporary alliance with no knowledge of each other's identities. Such an ad hoc coalition was naturally fragile—no one would risk their life for another's safety. That much was obvious.
Since no one was willing to take the risk, there was nothing to do but draw lots.
The results came quickly. Four martial artists were selected. The four who were chosen all wore reluctant expressions. Bound by their prior agreement, they knew that if they refused, they would become targets of the group's collective wrath. Grudgingly, they began making their preparations.
The others who weren't picked naturally breathed a sigh of relief—but kept urging them onward.
When the urging grew too insistent, one of the four selected spoke up: "Hold on, all of you. Let me say a few unpleasant words first. Before we set out, you all must swear an oath. If there turn out to be far too many Fire Crows and you can't hold them off, you must still cover our retreat so we can land safely before we all flee together. If you run first and leave the four of us behind, we're dead for certain."
This reminded the other three, who all nodded in agreement.
"Exactly right. You must swear—you absolutely cannot abandon us at the last moment. Otherwise, we will not go up there to be cannon fodder."
"Reasonable. Swear the oath. It has to be a binding oath of heaven and earth—otherwise, with nothing holding you, you could abandon us at any time. A verbal agreement carries no weight."
They were all members of a temporary team with no trust between them. This was perfectly normal.
The others were unhappy, but to get these four to go up, they had no choice. One by one, they pointed to the sky and swore binding oaths that under no circumstances would they abandon their companions and flee first. They would absolutely cover the four climbers and ensure they landed safely before making their own escape.