The battlefield was completely engulfed in chaos.
Attacks from the Gu Masters exploded in every direction, displaying different colors and powers, making the scene resemble a massive fireworks display beneath the dim dawn sky.
It was well known that a flock of Heavenly Birds was not merely a group of birds—
but an entire family with a strict hierarchy.
The three-meter birds were nothing more than hatchlings.
Those that reached six meters—
were the immature birds, known as Heavenly Crown Birds.
As for the gigantic nine-meter creatures—
they were the true adults, known as Heavenly Sun Birds.
The Gu Masters took advantage of this fact.
They deliberately attacked the hatchlings, forcing the adult birds to rush in to protect their young.
It was an effective strategy for exhausting the enemy while using minimal strength…
but it was nowhere near enough to stop the flock's assault.
On the contrary—
it only ignited the Heavenly Birds' fury even further.
The situation became even more dangerous.
"Hold your positions!"
"Reinforcements will arrive soon!"
The defenders shouted to one another, desperately trying to maintain their collapsing lines.
Then—
suddenly—
something fell from the sky.
In a single instant, the ground erupted into a blazing hell, as though the sun itself had crashed into the world.
Flames swept across the area with terrifying force—
instantly killing a quarter of the Gu Masters defending the region.
Then…
from within that burning sea of fire—
the creature slowly rose.
Its flaming wings spread across the air, and its overwhelming aura blanketed the entire battlefield, like a phoenix reborn from ashes.
Everyone's eyes widened in horror.
"It's… a Heavenly Sun Bird!"
But suddenly—
a massive beam of light slammed into the Heavenly Sun Bird, exploding against its body with overwhelming force and knocking it stumbling backward.
In the very next moment—
a Rank 3 Gu Master appeared above it.
He stood firmly in the air, surrounded by a radiant aura of light.
"Well done, Lord Wu Shuai!"
The surrounding Gu Masters shouted excitedly the moment they saw him, as though they had finally found a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos.
Wu Shuai raised his hand confidently and spoke in a powerful voice:
"Do not worry! I will hold it back! As for the rest of you, continue—"
But he did not even manage to finish his sentence.
Suddenly—
a gigantic vortex of wind surged toward him.
The winds transformed into sharp blades that tore through the air and struck him directly, sending him flying as wounds instantly opened across his body.
"Argh!"
Wu Shuai staggered in midair before barely regaining his balance.
Then he raised his head—
and his eyes froze.
Standing before him…
was another Heavenly Sun Bird.
But unlike the first one, this one was not surrounded by flames—
instead, violent streams of wind spiraled around its body like an endless hurricane.
And behind it—
the first Heavenly Sun Bird slowly rose once more, flames still blazing across its feathers.
Two.
There were two Heavenly Sun Birds.
In the next instant—
both birds launched their attacks simultaneously.
Fire and wind fused into a devastating storm that swept across the sky, forming a blazing sea of compressed flames.
Even Wu Shuai felt the chill of death.
And only—
at the very last moment—
did he manage to twist aside and narrowly escape before the attack completely swallowed him.
"It's… a combined attack!!"
Wu Shuai thought as cold sweat slid down his forehead.
A combined attack—
was an extremely rare technique in which two individuals released perfectly synchronized attacks at the exact same moment, causing them to merge into a single strike far stronger than ordinary attacks.
But achieving such a feat was not easy.
It required terrifying precision, near-perfect coordination, and a level of harmony that could only be developed after many years of fighting together.
Because of this—
combined attacks were exceedingly rare among beasts.
But the Heavenly Birds were different.
These birds only chose a single mate for their entire lives.
The pair always remained together—
hunting together, fighting together, and protecting their young together.
And over the years—
their synchronization would evolve into something terrifying.
An instinctive harmony that bordered on perfection.
And Wu Shuai's misfortune…
was that the two Heavenly Sun Birds before him were not merely members of the same flock.
They were a mated pair.
And on top of that—
their attacks were perfectly compatible with one another.
The flaming Heavenly Sun Bird dove toward Wu Shuai at terrifying speed.
At the same moment—
the wind-attributed Heavenly Bird unleashed dozens of violent whirlwinds.
Fire and wind merged instantly.
In the blink of an eye—
a gigantic storm of flames engulfed the entire area, as though a hurricane born from hell itself had descended upon the battlefield.
But before the inferno could swallow him—
Wu Shuai transformed into a beam of light and shot through the storm at incredible speed, narrowly avoiding the attack once again.
He reappeared in the distance, breathing heavily.
Then he slowly turned to look at the place where he had been standing moments earlier.
The ground was no longer visible.
Everything had transformed into a sea of blazing fire and molten lava.
A large number of Gu Masters had been swallowed by the attack and burned to death without even leaving complete corpses behind.
Wu Shuai's pupils contracted.
"Should I… run?"
For the first time, that thought appeared in his mind.
The combined attack of those two birds was simply too terrifying.
Its power was already approaching the level of Rank 4.
If that attack struck him directly—
he doubted he would survive.
And even if he did…
he would at the very least suffer severe injuries.
After all—
Wu Shuai was a Rank 3 Gu Master, a figure of high status within his clan.
If he chose to retreat from the battlefield now…
Yang San Mu would not truly be able to punish him too harshly.
But before Wu Shuai could make his decision to retreat—
a massive bolt of lightning descended from the sky and struck the flaming Heavenly Sun Bird directly.
The bird's body trembled violently, freezing in place for a brief moment.
At the same time—
a loud laugh echoed across the battlefield.
"Kneel before your master, you roasted chicken!"
Everyone immediately turned toward the source of the voice.
Standing atop a nearby hill—
were Jian Long and Zhou Quan, their clothes fluttering in the chaotic winds.
Wu Shuai's eyes widened in surprise.
"Zhou Quan… was that you who struck the Heavenly Sun Bird?"
He stared at him in disbelief before continuing:
"I didn't know you were hiding such strength."
Then he frowned while looking at Jian Long, who was laughing beside him.
"And also… what is wrong with that foolish kid next to you? Doesn't he realize we're in the middle of a battle?"
Wu Shuai had completely misunderstood the situation.
The incident between Jian Long and Fang Gong had only happened last night, so there had not been enough time for the news to spread throughout the caravan.
And on top of that—
he would never imagine that a mere teenager could possess the power of Rank 3.
Zhou Quan smiled slightly and said:
"I have many secrets, Brother Wu Shuai."
Then he pointed toward Jian Long and added with a fake sigh:
"As for this kid… please forgive him. He has some mental problems."
"He laughs for no reason and says things he himself doesn't understand."
"What?! No! I was the one who attacked the Heavenly Sun Bird, not Zhou Quan!"
Jian Long quickly tried to correct the misunderstanding.
But Zhou Quan discreetly pointed at his own head, as though confirming that Jian Long was truly insane.
Seeing this, Wu Shuai muttered sympathetically:
"What a pitiful boy…"