CHAPTER 475: CHAPTER 435 LADY CROW

Bang!

Behind the tail feathers, a transparent ring of air exploded. With a wingspan reaching twelve meters, the giant Blue Eagle transformed into a blue bolt of lightning, accelerating rapidly and soaring across the sky like a swift wind.

The exhilaration brought by the freedom of flight and extreme speed made Aiven, who had transformed into an eagle, unable to resist letting out a piercing cry that resonated like shattering metal and stone.

Screech—!

Flying freely in the sky has been a persistent human pursuit since ancient times, and even for a powerful Extraordinary like Aiven, it’s an obsession that cannot be avoided.

At this moment, the sharp eagle’s beak cleaved through the atmosphere, and turbulent air flowed smoothly from the blue feathers glimmering with faint electric light to the back.

An electric flash.

Moments ago, he was soaring above the forest-green canopy; in the next, he had broken through the high sky’s sea of clouds, bathing in the first ray of sunlight that shone upon the planet before all earthly beings.

Forests, mountains, rivers, lakes... even white clouds lay beneath his feet.

This is the qualitative change in mobility brought by wings, as if there’s nothing in the world that can constrain him!

In reality, Transformation Technique, even targeted Bird Transformation Technique, is completely a non-issue for Official Wizards of the Vitalist School.

But.

In the past, Aiven had no interest in expending long hours, effort, and even luck factors to perform complex rituals to obtain an extra animal form.

Especially as it not only involves essential life form changes but also carries certain risks.

Moreover, at the Tier 2 Official Wizard stage, using the low-level Transformation Technique to achieve Extraordinary Creature transformations is almost impossible, offering limited combat enhancements.

In comparison, the advantages of Activated Beast Hide are clear: powerful, convenient, and sufficiently safe.

Aiven’s original idea was to craft Activated Beast Hide from a demonized shark species like his Storm Horn’s crew, even having decided upon his favored type, the Blue Flag Demon Shark, which was the source of his knightly Extraordinary Traits.

However, the moment Aiven saw the Thunderbird, that idea instantly vanished.

Even the Great Albatross in Aiven’s modified possession, with a wingspan of only seven meters after numerous modifications, had not undergone demonization due to its scarcity and couldn’t keep up with his skill advancement, thus remaining mostly free-range.

Conversely, the Blue Eagle, which could achieve a wingspan of twelve meters even in its youth, is currently one of the sky’s overlords on this continent.

Especially given its Thunder Attribute, which perfectly complements his Branded Swordsman abilities. With his Tier 3 Extraordinary Essence, he can don the Activated Beast Hide: Thunderbird Robe and possess combat strength comparable to a mature Blue Eagle.

Already, it has become Aiven’s most powerful piece of Extraordinary Equipment.

Meanwhile, demonized Activated Beast Hide can change shape, no longer constrained to an animal skin appearance like ordinary shark leather, but able to morph into clothing, belts, and accessories, boasting excellent aesthetics.

Like this Thunderbird Robe, which he solidified into a captain’s cloak, showcasing the master’s might and charm while possessing immense power.

"The feeling of flying freely is truly nice, don’t you think?"

After flying wantonly for a bit, he recalled the three companions on his back and tilted his head to check on them.

"Uh..."

What he saw were three people clinging tightly to his back, with three pairs of eyes glaring resentfully, and... due to inevitable static electricity, their hair had turned into a spiky explosion.

Worse yet, their blown-up hair was forced toward the back by high-altitude winds, exposing three gleaming foreheads...

This feud had really grown.

Aiven had accelerated without considering direction, merely wanting to flee the Quinayinter Clan’s territory swiftly, without regard for his passengers’ flight experience.

Because Apsuya’s Wendat Clan had strained relations with the Thunderbird Clan, they viewed them even less favorably than the invading Nimansite People.

The same applied to the Quinayinter Clan, not to mention that one of their tribal symbols had been eliminated.

However, Kaka had stored the enormous Thunderbird carcass in the Shadow Secret Vault, erasing traces entirely, insomuch that they needn’t fear pursuit in the short term.

Seeing the three staring silently with wide eyes, Aiven turned back somewhat sheepishly:

"I... understand."

At the same time, a streamlined Light Barrier quietly formed, securely enveloping the passengers in the rear, instantly upgrading their travel class.

...

Whish—

From the "Thunderbird" clan heading north, a direct distance of nearly eight hundred kilometers through the mountain forest, a curtain made of shadows was suddenly lifted.

First, a flickering ghostly blue lamp appeared, followed by two "people" and a "wolf," three figures with a disheveled appearance tumbling out of the Shadow Realm crack.

Glug... glug...

The two people immediately pulled out a bottle of potion emitting a white glow and unhesitatingly drank it down.

In the next moment, the severe shadow erosion marks on their bodies quickly dissipated.

Clearly, the technology they obtained from the "Shadow School" is far stronger than Aiven’s, and their Shadow Jump ability is at least one or two eras ahead of him.

"This should be enough time for us. The direct distance to the territory of Lady Crow is less than 150 kilometers now; even if we travel slowly, they won’t catch up with us."

"Living Corpse" packed away the [Witchcraft Tools: Shadow Realm Lamp] which could be used to guide the way in the cracks of the Shadow Realm, then couldn’t help but express his unspeakable frustration with a loud sigh.

"Ah!"

This time, they used a witchcraft tool to perform a power similar to "Shadow Jump" but far superior, in just about ten minutes, they have jumped almost 800 kilometers north in a straight line.

Actually, if it wasn’t for the urgency of escaping, they wouldn’t have done such a long jump at one go. The longer the jump distance in the Shadow Realm’s crack, the greater the price paid, and the higher the chance of being ambushed by Shadow Realm creatures.

Only because as keen-sensed magic professionals, during the retreat, they clearly felt the [Hunting Mark] on their bodies and a vague heavy sense of crisis looming from afar.

Knowing that in their state of severe injury, even with treasures from the "Shadow School," they’d eventually be chased down, they are already preparing to lure the powerful pursuer into Lady Crow’s territory for an ambush!

"Although we don’t know who is tracking us, as long as we can enter Lady Crow’s territory, there’s no need for this top-tier Totem God to intervene.

Just receiving help from her shaman group will allow us to get through this crisis."

From this location heading north, there are six vast interconnected lakes, with wide water areas like an ocean and expansive swampy wetlands.

This is the territory of a powerful Totem God—Lady Crow, who ranks only below demigod and has transcended the limits of faith and territory.

Besides the Totem God and her followers, the crows, only her shaman group is allowed to operate here; all other outsiders are considered invaders, regardless of whether they’re Nimansites or Atrean people.

Thus, no ordinary Atrean people actually live here.

It could be said that the faith in this great being has transcended any specific tribe or region, becoming like the famous "Death God" Wuhao, a broad and deep-seated belief and cultural gene.

This extraordinary personality also serves as a prerequisite for competing for the demigod position.

In the New Continent, the relationship between gods and humans is complex.

When low-ranked like wandering spirits, being accepted by a tribal clan is the peak of their dreams; mid-tier like the "Great Sea Shark" Oveg lead to mutual dependency; thereafter, as the Totem God’s power grows, the roles reverse...

In many Atrean tribes, the "Godslaying" ritual persists, marking outdated or conquered tribe deities’ names on food during new god ceremonies and consuming them.

If the Arawak clan under Aiven ultimately chose to abandon the "Tiger Whale" Totem God and fully devote themselves to the "Life Tree," they would also conduct such a "Godslaying Banquet."

Due to the nomadic people’s relatively fragile survival capacity compared to agricultural nations, these people are pure pragmatists.

They believe the god they ultimately choose is the most important, noble, and authoritative among all gods. In the Atrean worldview, the governance of gods over the secular world is not unchanging, and the roles of gods are constantly shifting; they can die, retire, and be replaced.

They recognize deeply that gods are not omniscient and omnipotent; they have their powers and limitations. Besides preserving ancestor worship and their tribal Totem God, Atrean people also have broader faith objects.

Such a situation contrasts significantly with the Old Continent’s general single faith.

Conversely, in the absence of necessary related benefits, a powerful god might also abandon their original people, completely freeing themselves from the bonds of faith to achieve higher ascension.

However, all of this occurs over extremely long and extensive periods, and many aboriginals may never experience it in a lifetime.

Tap... tap... tap...

As "Living Corpse" and "Poisonous Wolf" advanced toward the human-scarce region belonging to "Lady Crow."

They were unaware that the moment they left the Shadow Realm, they entered the high-altitude aerial reconnaissance scope of the White Seagull, akin to a surveillance satellite.

Whiz—

Upon receiving simultaneous news from Seagull and Apsuya, Aiven immediately turned direction, heading towards the direction of the Six Great Lakes for pursuit.

At full speed, he moved like a blue arc that appears occasionally among the clouds.

In the mundane world, the fastest speed of the needle-tailed swift is only about 350 kilometers/hr. However, the Blue Eagle, transformed by Aiven, easily maintains a speed of 900 kilometers/hr for a long time, at 0.75 Mach, barely below the speed of sound.

Ignoring terrain constraints, soaring over mountains and forests, it will take less than an hour to catch up with them!