“Pah!” Eric Bennett spat out the eagle feather at the corner of his mouth, swung his long blade, sending arcs of light flashing, and cursed, “Damn it, what rotten luck, running into these flocking feathered beasts. Everyone, stay close together, don’t scatter! If anyone dares not to save their companions first, I’ll skin him alive myself!”

“Don’t worry, Big Brother Bennett!”

“We’ll definitely save our companions first!”

The group of young men gritted their teeth and shouted, each with steady breathing, clearly seasoned by battle—not green novices.

Behind an ancient tree, Ryan Carter squinted his eyes, observing the fierce fight between the seven youths and the Shadow Lightning Eagles. After watching for a while, he realized the seven were in a dire situation.

Shadow Lightning Eagles, these flocking spirit beasts, are vengeful to the extreme. Once one of their kind is killed, they will pursue the enemy relentlessly until death!

With those five eagle corpses present, this battle could not end peacefully. Either all seven would be torn to pieces, or all thirty-plus Shadow Lightning Eagles would be wiped out!

The eagles and the seven youths were evenly matched. If this stalemate continued, both sides would suffer heavy losses, and in the end, only one or two people—or a few eagles—might survive.

“Woo-woo!”

Suddenly, a powerful and mournful eagle cry echoed from deeper within the Silent Ridge. Before long, another dozen or so Shadow Lightning Eagles came screeching in, joining the fray.

“Damn!” Eric Bennett finally changed his expression. “Looks like this damned place is the nest of these feathered beasts. We can’t stay here any longer—we have to break out fast! If more of them keep gathering, we’ll be in real trouble!”

“If we stay put, we can keep our formation, but once we try to break out, I’m afraid we won’t be able to withstand the group attack of the Shadow Lightning Eagles!” said a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl, her figure fiery, clad in black leather armor, a quiver on her back and a longbow in hand. Her almond eyes sparkled, and she called out boldly.

“Julia Clark! We have no choice. If we don’t break out, we’ll be worn down to death! Who knows how many more beasts are on their way? If we keep waiting, things will only get more dangerous!” Eric Bennett roared, his expression resolute. “Everyone, get ready to break out with me!”

“Alright!” The group, including Julia Clark, responded in unison, preparing to fight their way out of the Silent Ridge.

At that moment, Ryan Carter, who also saw how perilous the situation was, suddenly stepped out from behind the tree and walked silently toward the seven.

“Young man, don’t come over here! It’s too dangerous—get as far away as you can! The Shadow Lightning Eagles only hate the seven of us; they might not bother with you. Leave, now!” Eric Bennett, just about to break out, suddenly noticed a stranger approaching. After a brief daze, he shouted urgently, trying to stop Ryan Carter from coming closer.

Ryan Carter paid no heed, just flashed a toothy grin at Eric Bennett and kept walking steadily forward.

“Are you out of your mind, kid?”

“Looking to die?”

“Idiot! What are you doing?”

“……”

The group cried out in shock. Julia Clark also withdrew her long, shapely leg, her almond eyes swirling with anger. “Where did this little punk come from? Are you really trying to rush in and get yourself killed?!”

Amid the seven’s confused and angry shouts, Ryan Carter walked up to a Shadow Lightning Eagle that had died a miserable death, reached out and dug the beast core from its forehead. Ignoring the stunned looks from Eric Bennett, Julia Clark, and the others, he proceeded to the remaining eagle corpses, and in the blink of an eye, had dug out the beast cores from the other four spirit beasts.

The seven were dumbfounded, Eric Bennett and the others feeling a bit unhinged, looking at Ryan Carter as if he were a madman.

How greedy for wealth did one have to be to risk his life just to snatch beast cores?

Especially when it was only for first-rank spirit beast cores!

Right in front of more than forty Shadow Lightning Eagles, he dug out the beast cores of their kin, completely enraging them and driving them all into a frenzy...

Where did this idiot pop out from?

He’s dead for sure!

The seven all showed looks of pity at the same time, certain that Ryan Carter would soon be torn to shreds, his flesh devoured clean by the Shadow Lightning Eagles.

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh!”

Sure enough, all the Shadow Lightning Eagles went berserk, even abandoning Eric Bennett and the others, screeching as they lunged at Ryan Carter alone, intent on tearing him to pieces.

“Is he trying to buy us time with his life? What a cute little guy, thank him! What are you all waiting for? Break out now!” Julia Clark suddenly shouted sharply.

Eric Bennett and the others snapped back to their senses, secretly thinking that, at the critical moment, women really are the calm and ruthless ones. Without further hesitation, they moved swiftly, no longer looking at Ryan Carter, who was now surrounded by the Shadow Lightning Eagles like a cloud of gray, and fled the Silent Ridge as fast as they could.

The seven were certain Ryan Carter was doomed, and knew that after the eagles tore him apart, they would come after them again. So they didn’t look back, trying to get as far from the eagles’ nest as possible, hoping to snatch a slim chance at survival.

Amidst the swirling eagle shadows, dense blue-green lightning crackled like a net, the “zzzt zzzt” of electricity chilling to the bone.

Ryan Carter faced them alone.

Chapter 8: A Modest Display of Skill

Strands of blue-green lightning crashed down from above. Ryan Carter’s expression sharpened, and he suddenly opened his chest, fully activating the Heavenly Thunder Annihilation.

“Zzzt zzzt zzzt!”

Countless currents, like streams of blue fire, poured into Ryan Carter’s body. In an instant, surging lightning power rampaged wildly through his meridians.