Gurgle, gurgle…
The strange cries of birds echoed across the sky. The flock was enormous, like a blanket of dark clouds descending upon the mountain cliffs, pressing down toward Cliff City.
Among the blessed lands of the Beast Calamity, Cliff City was one of the ten most distinctive cities.
The city was built atop a mountain cliff, the tallest of all. Its culture and landscape carried a unique charm.
"The Fat-Butt Birds are coming!"
"Hurry, hurry, get defensive positions ready!"
"Everyone stay calm—our Beast Battle Masters are all present!"
At this moment, Cliff City was buzzing with activity, every defense on high alert.
The flock known as Fat-Butt Birds let out their bizarre gurgling cries as they arrived above the city.
They had cockscombs on their heads, mottled feathers covering their bodies, plump and rotund builds, and enormous hindquarters in particular.
Among the flock was a Bird King, massive in stature—twice the size of an ordinary Fat-Butt Bird. It flew over Cliff City, gazing down at the buildings below. Its hindquarters heaved and strained, and with a forceful squeeze, a massive clump of bird droppings plummeted downward.
The droppings were black and foul-smelling—and critically, enormous, roughly the size of a small house, falling from a great height.
Whoosh—!
BOOM!
The droppings accelerated as they fell, emitting a sharp whistling sound, before slamming down heavily and smashing an entire section of the city wall to rubble.
Fortunately, there were few casualties among the surrounding crowd.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
The Bird King's attack heralded the opening of the flock's assault. Clump after clump of droppings rained down from the sky, hammering into Cliff City.
For a moment, it was as though a torrential downpour had descended from above.
Except the "raindrops" were deeply peculiar—they were clumps of enormous bird droppings.
Countless buildings collapsed and were destroyed. Roads, gardens, fountains, and even the city lord's statue at the very heart of the city—all received a merciless baptism of droppings.
After the first wave of attacks, the Bird King flapped its wings and soared higher, pulling the flock upward behind it. The mass of birds spread out in a vast dark sheet, circled once around the perimeter, and then returned, pressing toward Cliff City once more.
"Beast Battle Masters, attack!" The city's defense commander bellowed at this point, taking flight first to engage the Fat-Butt Birds head-on.
A large number of Beast Battle Masters followed close behind, and man and bird clashed in the skies above.
"Little Arrow, let's go too—dare you?" The young Zhan Bu Du had already slipped away from the city lord's manor in secret, speaking to the Small Arrow Tail Eagle perched on his shoulder.
The Small Arrow Tail Eagle let out a sharp cry, its youthful face filled with pride. It flapped its wings once, then gently pecked Zhan Bu Du's cheek—annoyed at its master's faint-heartedness.
"If you're not afraid, then come with me!" Zhan Bu Du grinned. He appeared to be an innocent youth, but was in fact one of Fang Yuan's clones. During his time in Cliff City, he had been taken in as a disciple by the city lord, and after spending every day with the Small Arrow Tail Eagle, he had long since figured out the creature's temperament inside and out. Now, a simple bit of goading was enough to ignite its fighting spirit.
"Come on, Little Arrow Tail!" Zhan Bu Du suddenly shouted.
The Small Arrow Tail Eagle screeched like a hawk, its wings snapping open as it shot skyward like an arrow, circled once, then dove back down toward Zhan Bu Du.
Zhan Bu Du roared again: "Beast Battle Master—Transform!"
He activated his Gu Insect, and his entire body blazed with a blinding green radiance. The Small Arrow Tail Eagle slammed into him with full force, merging into the humanoid shape of light.
In the next instant, the humanoid figure of light rapidly compressed and deformed.
The green light dissipated. Zhan Bu Du had transformed into a monster standing ten feet tall—with the head of an eagle, a human body, green wings sprouting from his back, and both hands and feet replaced by yellow talons.
Zhan Bu Du flapped his wings hard, and a violent gust of wind erupted as he rocketed skyward to join the fray.
"Look—it's Xiao Du! He really did sneak off to fight behind our backs. That child!" A middle-aged beauty watched Zhan Bu Du's small silhouette with worry.
She was the daughter-in-law of Cliff City's lord. She had once had a son of her own, but he had died young in childhood.
After the city lord took Zhan Bu Du as his disciple, the boy quickly integrated himself into the family. The middle-aged woman came to regard him as her own godson, pouring the love and tenderness she had once reserved for her lost child largely into Zhan Bu Du.
Beside her sat a middle-aged man, his body only existing from the waist up—his lower half had been severed clean at the waist. Yet his complexion was healthy and his spirit vigorous.
He watched Zhan Bu Du's silhouette for a while before praising: "Hahaha, this kid's combat skill keeps getting better and better. As expected of someone I trained. Father, you really took on a fine disciple."
"And he's your fine godson too." The Cliff City Lord stroked his grizzled beard, his old heart swelling with warmth.
He had originally taken Zhan Bu Du in solely because, by coincidence, the Small Arrow Tail Eagle had bonded with the boy as its closest kin, making it impossible to separate them. But after teaching him carefully, the city lord was pleasantly surprised to discover that Zhan Bu Du was a block of uncarved jade—the more he was polished, the brighter he shone.
The comprehension Zhan Bu Du displayed, and his diligent and hardworking spirit, both left the city lord thoroughly satisfied. But what satisfied him most was Zhan Bu Du's character—warm-hearted, brave, eager to help, like sunshine that could shine straight into a person's heart.
"Watch out!" High above, Zhan Bu Du shouted, his speed surging.
His right talon swept forward, and a wind blade shot out.
The pale green wind blade curved like a saber, slicing through the Fat-Butt Bird that had been in pursuit and killing it instantly.
"Thank you, Xiao Du." The Beast Battle Master he had rescued was a guard of Cliff City. At the moment, his feelings were somewhat complicated.
In ordinary times, he had looked down on Xiao Du and mocked his meager strength, saying he had only been acknowledged by the Small Arrow Tail Eagle out of sheer luck.
But now it was clear that Zhan Bu Du's combat ability far surpassed his own—and yet the boy had saved him without holding any grudge.
"Don't mention it—we're all people of Cliff City!" Zhan Bu Du opened his beak and spoke in a human voice.
Hearing this, the rescued Beast Battle Master felt even more conflicted.
"Regroup quickly! Fight the Fat-Butt Birds and protect the city!" Zhan Bu Du urged.