Chapter 1112: Chapter 1112: Blood Eagles
The sudden change in events made Ye You abandon his initial plan to directly break through the formation. He took Qing Xun, Yun Wang, and Yun Cheng, leaving the front gate of the Chief Mansion, and under the cover of night, hurried towards Soul-breaking Cliff.
Yun Cheng, unfamiliar with Midair City, asked Yun Wang in a low voice while on the move: "Brother, what kind of place is Soul-breaking Cliff?"
Yun Wang paused for a moment and then countered: "Do you know what the Changkong family’s totem is?"
The Jiuxi Royal Family and the Eight Great Families all have their own totems, which are said to represent the divine ancestors of each family from ancient times.
Yun Cheng replied easily, "Of course I do—it’s the Blood Eagle."
Yun Wang nodded and continued, "Right, it’s the Blood Eagle. But their Blood Eagle is different from our Divine Dog. Our Divine Dog has long since fallen, but their Blood Eagle still exists."
Initially, Yun Cheng didn’t comprehend the connection; he had asked about Soul-breaking Cliff, and his brother replied about the Blood Eagle. After pondering for a few seconds, Yun Cheng suddenly understood something, and asked in surprise, "Could it be there are Blood Eagles atop Soul-breaking Cliff?"
Yun Wang sighed and said, "I’ve never been to Soul-breaking Cliff myself, but I’ve heard that numerous Blood Eagles live there. The Changkong family feeds them human flesh, and when the family is in need, these Blood Eagles will protect them with all their might."
Yun Cheng’s face turned pale as he asked, "Those beasts eat human flesh? Then, on this trip..."
Yun Cheng swallowed hard, unable to voice the rest. He just raised his eyes surreptitiously to glance at Ye You, who was walking ahead.
Yun Wang spoke solemnly, "Hearing is deceiving, seeing is believing. Whether the Heaven Ladder truly exists and if it can be used—we have to see for ourselves. Between the lesser of two evils, we must choose."
Yun Cheng nodded without asking further. Since the path had already been chosen, they would walk it no matter how difficult.
Soul-breaking Cliff was located on God Eagle Mountain to the west of the Chief Mansion. The Chief Mansion floated in mid-air, at about the same height as the mountain, with a long passageway connecting the two.
The corpses of young men and women discarded after being used by Mei Ji were transported by guards to God Eagle Mountain and thrown off Soul-breaking Cliff to feed the Blood Eagles.
Guards and servants who died unexpectedly within the Chief Mansion suffered the same fate.
Still, even with this, the daily number of corpses rarely exceeded ten, far from satisfying the Blood Eagles’ needs. Thus, Mei Ji often sent people to capture random villagers from the outskirts of Midair City for feeding the Blood Eagles.
When Jiu Ge returned to Midair City after graduating from the Heavenly Magic God’s Castle, he once tried persuading his mother: rulers govern people—if you kill them all, whom would you govern?
Mei Ji felt her son made a valid point and thus ordered the formation of a team tasked with capturing low-level Demonic Beasts from nearby Yuding Snow Mountain, All Souls Forest, and Sunset Desert to feed the Blood Eagles.
The Blood Eagles were indiscriminate eaters, devouring the Demonic Beasts just as eagerly. From then on, Demonic Beasts became their primary food source, yet the practice of feeding Blood Eagles human flesh never ceased.
The passageway from the Chief Mansion led straight to Soul-breaking Cliff, making its route considerably shorter. However, Ye You and the others, coming from outside, had to take a detour.
After trekking through the night, the four finally arrived at the infamous, terrifying Soul-breaking Cliff.
The stars in the sky flickered sparsely, the night like ink-stained darkness. The dim light impaired the vision of everyone except Ye You, who had only a short range of visibility. The responsibility of finding the Heaven Ladder naturally fell on Ye You’s shoulders.
Ye You’s purple eyes remained strikingly clear in the dark, capable of perceiving their surroundings with perfect clarity.
Before seeking the Heaven Ladder, he had already spotted numerous Blood Eagles resting on protruding rocks along the cliff. Their vivid crimson feathers stood out conspicuously—a testament to their diet of human flesh.
Ye You instructed Qing Xun and the other two to stay quietly in a corner while he cautiously moved to search for the so-called Heaven Ladder under the cliff.
In the dead of night, even the slightest noise could alarm the resting Blood Eagles.
Ye You searched for a long time but failed to find it, causing growing doubt in his heart. Could the note be someone’s prank? If there were no direct Heaven Ladder to the Chief Mansion, they would have wasted an entire day.
If anything happened to Qin Sisi during that day, Ye You would regret it for the rest of his life.
Just as unease filled Ye You’s heart, he approached a corner under the cliff—a secluded spot. The stones outside protruded enough to obstruct the view from outside.
Ye You raised his head to look upwards, and suddenly, his eyes brightened. He blinked forcefully and examined further. A smile of joy spread across his face.
The Soul-breaking Ladder—it was finally found.
Now Ye You was certain; someone was indeed assisting them from the shadows. Yet, he couldn’t deduce their identity at the moment, and there was no time to dwell on it.
He brought Qing Xun and the other two to the Heaven Ladder and informed them they could climb up Soul-breaking Cliff from there.
Seeing the Heaven Ladder truly existed, everyone was exhilarated. However, Ye You’s subsequent words poured cold water on their spirits.
He explained that the so-called Heaven Ladder was merely protruding rocks combined with grooves carved using sharp force. The climbing process would be exceedingly arduous.
Lacking practical combat experience, Yun Cheng suggested, "Since we’ve found the location, can’t we just fly straight up?"
"No," Ye You spoke sternly. "This place houses many Blood Eagles. I’ve observed them—although the majority are low-level, there are quite a few Fifth and Sixth Orders among them. I can even sense a stronger presence. Flying straight up would expose us to countless Blood Eagles, surely resulting in an attack—we’d be doomed."
"I understand now." Yun Cheng realized his naivety, and his expression turned solemn.
Yun Wang looked at his younger brother with affection, stepping forward to pat his shoulder—a gesture of both comfort and encouragement.
Ye You continued, "Hence, we can only climb the Heaven Ladder. It’s well-hidden and unlikely to be discovered by the Blood Eagles. Even if discovered, we can use the terrain to defend ourselves. Supporting each other increases our chances of success. After careful observation, I found no human guards in this area—only Blood Eagles."
Qing Xun’s demeanor relaxed slightly, commenting, "That’s good. We’ll begin climbing the ladder when dawn breaks."
Ye You shook his head and said, "No, you all stay here and wait for dawn. I’ll start now."
"No way," Yun Wang objected fervently. "It’s too dangerous for Your Highness to climb alone. If we climb, we go together."
Ye You understood Yun Wang’s concern. He patted Yun Wang’s shoulder and spoke solemnly, "You can’t see clearly in the dark, making conditions unsuitable for you. But for me, it’s not an issue. Follow my orders—I’ll ascend first. You all climb after dawn."
