Everyone was stunned. Outside the village, the ferocious bird, seemingly cast from molten iron, also trembled, swiftly lifting its head, its eyes flashing two lightning-like beams, staring fixedly at the altar. The egg brushed by tender green willow branches erupted with myriad shafts of rosy radiance and auspicious rays, swirling in misty luminescence, as if suddenly divinized—crystal-clear, resplendent, and utterly astounding. On the shell, the speckles glowed like miniature suns, emitting intense fiery light and brimming with vibrant vitality. More elaborate patterns appeared around the speckles—mystifying, dazzling, reminiscent of dragons and serpents rising, or divine sparrows dancing in phoenix flight, bathed in fire.
The egg underwent inexplicable transformation. Veins wove intricately and swiftly spread. Within a short time, the whole egg had mutated, embellished with new “ornaments,” radiant and glorious, exuding divine brilliance.
“This egg’s life energy is countless times stronger than before! Numerous ancient devil-bird life imprints must have revived. Hatching it will assuredly surpass Azure-Scaled Eagle by far!” Chief Shi Yun Feng exclaimed in shock.
This egg possessed uniqueness, possibly inheriting many fragments of ancient devil-bird imprints and experiencing a throwback mutation. Its bloodline would be supremely noble, far transcending its parents’. A tender branch from the ancient willow lightly touched the egg, causing such an incredible spectacle, leaving people awe-struck! Had the tree sensed the egg’s distinctiveness, or had it awakened the egg using mysterious power?
The villagers gazed at the radiant egg, their eyes burning with intense eagerness—truly a rare and peerless battle-bird, with boundless potential.
Outside the village, the Azure-Scaled Eagle, its scaly body radiant, stood atop a massive rock, its eyes fixed and projecting beams like flowing silken ribbons, unable to believe the sight. It longed to charge into the Stone Village for a closer look but instinctively recoiled with dread upon spotting the old willow tree, only crying furiously from a distance.
The verdant willow branch, brimming with vitality, brushed gently and then slowly withdrew, motionless again. Evidently, it bore little interest, merely a casual touch.
The villagers, full of reverence, finally calmed after a long while.
“Chief, shall we keep this egg?” Shi Lin Hu asked. By now, everyone yearned for the egg, fervently longing for the extraordinary treasure—wasting such an opportunity was unthinkable.
“You haven’t noticed that fierce bird outside the village yet? If we keep the egg, it will certainly go mad!” Shi Yun Feng frowned.
The ancient willow tree was both mysterious and mighty, continuously guarding the village against beasts, as the domain of the tree. Yet it solely played defense, never venturing outside or launching attacks.
Though the Azure-Scaled Eagle dared not intrude, sealing the village’s exit alone would trouble the Stone Village inhabitants, as hunting in the mountains remained vital.
“Abandon the egg and return it to the bald eagle,” an elder suggested. The villagers felt disappointed but resigned; the Azure-Scaled Eagle, immensely powerful, stood as the top predator in the region—rivalled only by the deepest dwellers of the mountains.
Cautiously and carefully, several villagers carried two ancestral relics for protection, escorted the three eggs to the village entrance, placing them on grass before hastily retreating.
By now, the transformed egg had subdued its brilliance, yet the new mysterious patterns hadn’t vanished. Compared to the other two, the differences rendered them distinct species.
The Azure-Scaled Eagle flapped its wings, transforming into a fierce tempest as it swooped over. With wingspan wide, it shielded the eggs protectively, examining intently the crystalline, ornament-laden egg.
It released a loud screech, brimming with wild excitement. The cry pierced the skies, causing massive trees to tremble and leaves to scatter violently!
Only after an extended period did it lift its head. Now, its eyes no longer radiated savageness but fixed a peculiar gaze on the ancient willow tree within the village. Despite longing, it couldn’t set foot into the village.
“Hurry up and take the eggs away!” cried a villager, almost like casting out a pestilence.
Unexpectedly, the Azure-Scaled Eagle flapped its wings forcefully and with one powerful gust blew all three eggs back into the village toward the great willow tree.
“What? It doesn’t want them? It gave them to us?” The crowd stood dazed, perplexed by this sudden succession of oddities.
“The mutated egg, filled with potent runes, may birth a creature far mightier than itself—this ‘sacred guardian’ it gifts us, desiring us to raise the hatchling,” explained Chief Shi Yun Feng.
“Can it possess such wisdom?” The crowd exclaimed, surprised.
“Do not forget—it is a savage beast with mystical runes crystallized inside and a bone source exuding enigmatic power. Its intelligence should not fall below humans!” The elder chief reminded them.
The greater a beast’s might, the deeper its wisdom. Legends spoke of ancient survivors far surpassing humans, watching over earthly tribes like deities.
The chief called out, inquiring if it truly wished to leave its offspring behind. Astonishingly, the Azure-Scaled Eagle nodded. It then looked from the eggs to the old willow tree, hinting clearly with its eyes.
“Hoo!” The fierce gust of wind rose, the Azure-Scaled Eagle spreading its mighty wings, spanning fifteen to sixteen meters, soaring into the skies before vanishing among clouds—disappearing instantly.
Stunned beyond speech, the villagers watched as the three luminous eggs lay silently upon the earth.
“Uncle Lin Hu, what now?” Er Meng asked.
“What else? The mess is of your making! You lot of youngsters shall incubate these eggs!” roared Shi Lin Hu.
“No! Nooo!” Wailed the children.
The three eggs were placed near the altar beneath the giant willow tree, assigned special guards to await the birth of fledglings—surely these eggs held immense value.
Over a dozen days later, crackling sounds echoed—fissures appeared in one egg casing resembling jade; it broke open and rolled out a creature covered in radiant azure scales. Soon followed another hatching, an equally small chick, eyes bright, curious eyes surveying its surroundings.
But the last egg was special. Radiating rosy rays upon cracking, it produced a cry as its hard shell suddenly burst into fine dust and dazzling holy light. Emerging was a hatchling—not in blue scale, but glowing purple plating, exuding a fire-like glow, radiating more mystical might many times beyond its siblings.
Eventually, the purple radiance faded. The astonishingly spiritual fledgling was cloaked in glistening violet scales. Its bright, teary eyes seemed to whisper tales as it gazed upon all the villagers—undoubtedly a uniquely mystical bird of immense promise.
“He’s born!” cheered the children, dashing home to gather pieces of meat, feeding the fledglings eagerly.
Suddenly, an elongated cry pierced the air as a huge bird dove from clouds toward the village, shadowing the landscape below.
“Aha! The Azure-Scaled Eagle is back after vanishing half a month ago! Surely it’s changed its mind and come to reclaim its babies?” Cried a villager.
“That’s not—” Eyes widened, the people stared, shocked.
BOOM! Dust and earth soared as the Azure-Scaled Eagle released its claws. A gigantic dragon-tusked elephant, over six or seven meters long and five or six tall, landed crashing with its massive body, snapping towering ancient trees upon impact. Glistening dragon tusks crowned its skull, now perforated by massive talon-punctures, blood still flowing as it lay slain.
“Is the Azure-Scaled Eagle doing this, offering the elephant as food for the fledglings? Truly wise beyond expectation!” The people exclaimed in admiration.
WHOOSH! A whirlwind swept debris skyward, the Azure-Scaled Eagle surging once again into the firmament.
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