Chapter 2253: The Waves of the Era, Whoever Gets Hit Dies

From this point, they diverged from the main official road, and travelers here were few. In Canyan, the safety level on main roads versus wilderness paths was worlds apart.

Leaning close to the cliff edge and looking down, one could feel the strong sea wind blowing upward from the ocean. Had he not held on tight, Mr. Sun’s hat would have already flown off into the open air.

He confirmed with Master Pu again, "We’re here…?"

"Changing transport!"

"..." Changing transport at the edge of a cliff?

With Master Pu leading the way, he discovered a narrow path along one side of the cliff that led downwards. Though somewhat narrow, the stone steps were smoothly cut and not difficult to navigate.

Master Pu led him through a small stone cave, and suddenly their眼前 brightened—they had reached the sheer cliff.

The mountain wall was almost vertical to the sea, but it featured numerous natural indentations and hollows, the result of natural weathering. Now, these served as perches for one gigantic mountain eagle after another!

These mountain eagles had grayish-brown feathers that gleamed in the sun. Even the smaller ones were twice the size of a regular eagle, while the largest could boast an eight-zhang wingspan. A patch of white feathers adorned their chests, and with iron-like talons and steel-like beaks, they presented a formidable appearance.

Upon reaching this point, Master Pu whistled to attract the attention of the eagle flock.

The mountain eagles looked over with eyes like those of predators; two of them even crouched low, as if preparing to attack. Mr. Sun felt his scalp prickle slightly.

Master Pu raised a token high in his hand and announced loudly:

"Pu Hua, Captain Tongwei of the Black Armored Army, Scarlet Heaven Imperial Guard, by the Emperor's command, is escorting Mr. Sun Hongye to Ju City! We request the assistance of the Grey Feather Clan."

The largest mountain eagle tilted its head, eyed the token, and let out a low cry. Two slightly smaller eagles then flew over, landing steadily on the platform in front of Master Pu, and spoke in human language:

"Retrieve the items from the cave."

"Thank you. We'll be staying overnight at Tongyue Mountain."

Clearly, this was the "change of transport" Master Pu had spoken of.

Inside the cave were several transport vehicles. The two men assembled the vehicles onto the eagles' backs themselves, then gently climbed aboard and securely fastened themselves.

"Hold on tight," the eagle said, before swooping down and jumping off the cliff.

Freefall from a great height! This was incredibly exhilarating; Sun Hongye instantly held his breath.

However, the mountain eagles quickly spread their wings.

With a whoosh, an updraft lifted them, soaring high into the sky! Their ascent was several times faster than their descent.

Both had already wrapped their heads and faces with cloths and activated their protective auras to ward off the strong headwinds.

The mountain eagles circled once, adjusted their direction, and flew towards Tongyue Mountain. Although carrying over a hundred *jin* of passengers, the eagles were steadily supported by air currents while soaring, making the load effortless.

Behind them, three more mountain eagles followed, forming an escort team.

In truth, the sky was not entirely peaceful either.

Julu Harbor receded further and further, while the mountains lay beneath their feet. Sun Hongye looked down at the land, filled with emotion. He had once served in a sect but had only traveled by air twice.

The spiritual energy in this world was indeed much more abundant than before, but the concentration varied greatly between different regions. In most areas, the spiritual energy could not support avian monsters carrying people, nor could it support flying artifacts. Yet, as soon as he set foot in Canyan, he experienced flight on an avian monster.

He had noticed it with his first breath: the spiritual energy here was astonishingly dense! So much so that after a few deep breaths, he felt a bit intoxicated.

According to Master Pu, the spiritual energy concentration within Canyan was already close to that of the early Middle Ages! Therefore, occasionally seeing powerful individuals flying freely in Canyan was nothing to be surprised about.

However, low-altitude flying was not permitted within Julu Harbor to avoid disrupting normal order. To switch to air travel, they had to leave Julu Harbor. Of course, many large cities within Canyan also prohibited both high and low-altitude flying. Various aerial transport vehicles and avian monsters carrying people had to land in the suburbs, requiring passengers to switch to ground travel to enter the city.

Thus, the eagles did not fly in a straight line to Tongyue Mountain but had to bypass many cities. Outsiders unfamiliar with the flight paths could easily get into trouble.

Still, air travel was very expensive, so most travelers still opted for ground transportation. Furthermore, the carrying capacity for air travel was extremely limited; large quantities of goods still needed to be transported by ground.

Even so, Sun Hongye enjoyed the convenience of riding the wind. Traveling a thousand *li* in a day? Haha, that was nothing.

However, as they flew over a stretch of forest, two monsters emerged from below, resembling crows with very long necks and eyes glowing red. They followed the eagles for dozens of *zhang*, clearly having ill intentions towards the passengers on the eagles' backs. Sun Hongye felt as if they were looking at him like fresh meat.

But a few of the escorting eagles swooped down and chased them away.

After three hours of flying, the eagles stopped to drink and eat.

Pu Hua patted the large creatures' back feathers and took out dried mouse jerky from his pouch, feeding it to them. "These mountain eagles fought alongside us during the Dragon God War, and we share good things to eat. Their favorite is this specialty from Wenyun County, dried mouse jerky."

The eagles indeed loved it, eating them one after another with great relish.

Pu Hua even asked Sun Hongye, "Want some?"

"No, thank you."

The stream where they landed was next to a desolate mountain village. The eagles indicated it was a fixed, safe landing spot.

The village was of considerable size, with over a hundred residential buildings, which elsewhere might rival a small town. But it had been re-engulfed by nature; more than half the roofs were overgrown with vines, ferns, and green grass, even blooming with colorful small flowers, making them look like isolated graves.

A gust of wind blew, and a broken door panel beside Sun Hongye creaked. Desolation and vitality, eerie yet harmonious.

"This village doesn't seem to have been built long ago," Sun Hongye observed, noticing that the colorful plaster on the walls hadn't fully faded. "At most, less than ten years?"

"Perhaps it was built around the time of the Dragon God War—there was significant population movement during that period—and then abandoned during the 'Awakening Period.' The time indeed feels short."

Pu Hua walked through the abandoned village, checking for dangers. Occasionally, a weasel or fox scurried away, but no monsters had settled there.

"But there's nothing to be done. Mountain monsters and wild beasts enlightened by the Emperor's Dew constantly emerge. No military force can extend to every desolate or remote corner of the country, nor can they constantly drive out or exterminate these creatures. Therefore, ordinary residents are safe only by concentrating in large cities and towns, under military protection."

"For small villages like this one before us, the residents were initially unwilling to move, claiming it was their ancestral home. But in the end, unable to withstand external disturbances, they could only give up. Over time, the land reverted to nature."

Sun Hongye was moved. "It is because Canyan is prosperous and powerful that it can protect its citizens. The outside world, though, is in chaos! Several countries I've traveled through couldn't survive the 'Awakening Period' and perished on the spot!"