Journey to the West Creation Technique

Southern Desolate State.

High in the sky, a gray eagle with golden claws spread its wings and soared.

Iron feathers were cold and sharp, and eagle eyes were keen.

The gray eagle patrolled all the way and swooped down toward the Nanming Guard's stronghold by the sea.

Although Haiyangang is hidden deep in the valley and very secluded, it is completely visible from the eagle's perspective.

After circling several times, the golden-clawed eagle searched around Haiyan Port.

The target was quickly located...

A huge shadow was reflected in the eagle's eyes; it was a colossal beast with a proud and imposing figure.

It is several tens of feet tall and shaped like a feathered dragon.

It was a hundred times larger than the feathered dragon, with an extremely bright red crest on its head, the vibrant color running down its neck, and the feathers on its neck were also as red as flames, spreading all the way to its body, making it majestic and dazzling.

It slowly roamed through the rainforest, its giant claws stomping down, causing the ground to tremble and the vegetation to fall.

With no little feathered dragons accompanying it and no demonic beasts daring to approach, it was clearly a ferocious creature that dominated this area.

The monster had extremely keen senses and instantly noticed the gaze peering from above.

It suddenly raised its head and let out a deafening roar that shook the heavens and the earth.

The roar was like thunder, shaking the clouds and changing the color of the sky and earth.

The golden-clawed eagle in the sky folded its wingtips, lingered no longer, flapped its wings and flew away in an instant.

The Golden Clawed Eagle sped along and soon arrived above the Nanming Guard. It circled once above the guard post and then landed directly at the command post office.

As the eagle landed, golden light swirled around it, and it transformed into a tall and imposing cultivator.

The eagle feathers that originally covered his body transformed into a close-fitting robe, which he draped over his back.

This person was none other than Zhou Mo, the headmaster of the school.

The robe he wore, which allowed him to transform into a golden-clawed eagle, was forged from the remains of an adult golden-clawed giant eagle over a period of six months.

Zhou Mo straightened his robes, stepped into the government office, and went straight to the main hall of the garrison.

Commander Shen Li sat upright in the hall. Upon seeing him enter, he immediately asked, "How is the investigation going? What kind of demonic beast is causing trouble in the Haiyangang area?"

Zhou Mo frowned: "It's been confirmed! It's a Crimson-Crowned Fire-Feathered Dragon..."

……

Nanming Guardian.

Inside the city gate.

Next to the inn was a row of small courtyards for monks.

These courtyards are all detached houses, and each person there possesses extraordinary abilities.

After meeting Shen Li, Zhou Mo came here immediately.

I gently knocked on the courtyard gate.

Cai Yiheng, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, looked surprised.

"I don't know where Headmaster Zhou has come from..." Cai Yiheng was about to ask.

Zhou Mo then recounted in detail the story of the Crimson-Crowned Fire-Feathered Dragon in the Haiyangang area.

"This beast is an ancient behemoth with a powerful aura. It has already reached the threshold of the Golden Core stage and can be considered a quasi-Golden Core level demon beast." Zhou Mo said solemnly, "Even if all eight Foundation Establishment cultivators of my Southern Underworld Guard join forces, we may not be able to win. If we forcefully surround and annihilate it, we may suffer heavy losses."

Upon hearing this, Cai Yiheng frowned: "It's really unnecessary to provoke such a ferocious beast for a salt-producing area. Why not find another place to produce salt?"

Zhou Mo gently shook his head: "Quite the opposite. Precisely because of this Crimson-Crowned Fire-Feathered Dragon, ordinary demonic beasts dare not approach, making Haiyan Ridge safer than other places. As long as the disciples remain hidden in the valley and do not provoke them, they can focus on salt production, which may not be a bad thing."

"Is salt production safe, but salt transportation dangerous?"

"Most of the salt road is safe, but it becomes quite dangerous when it gets close to the sea salt hills."

Cai Yiheng frowned: "Did Headmaster Zhou come here specifically to have me transport salt?"

"No... I'm not asking you to go." Zhou Mo's gaze was deep, and his smile was meaningful. "I want your apprentice, Lu Chengjun, to go."

Cai Yiheng was utterly astonished and exclaimed in surprise, "Ah? Chengjun is only at the early stage of Qi Refining, his cultivation is shallow, how can he shoulder such an important task?"

Zhou Mo gazed out the window, his smile deepening, and said lightly, "Brother Cai, you are truly unworthy of being a teacher. You understand your disciple far too little."

Upon hearing this, Cai Yiheng was slightly taken aback: "Does Headmaster Zhou mean that Chengjun is hiding his strength?"

Zhou Mo stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the sky, his tone tinged with a hint of regret: "About half a year ago, I bought a giant golden-clawed eagle from him. Such a ferocious bird could not be killed without the cultivation of the late stage of Qi Refining... I took it back to my residence and refined it day and night, spending a full six months to completely refine it into a magic weapon. I was planning to visit him again to express my gratitude after it was completed... But who would have thought that I would run into him using the Earth Escape Technique."

"What!? Earth Escape Technique!" Cai Yiheng was even more incredulous.

Zhou Mo paused for a moment and continued, "Earth Escape Technique is a second-tier earth-elemental Dao technique, which can only be mastered by at least a Foundation Establishment cultivator. This Dao technique is extremely rare. Even in the Central Continent, Foundation Establishment cultivators who know Earth Escape Technique are extremely rare, and none of the eight of us know it."

Cai Yiheng was startled, and the look of astonishment on his face gradually faded as he fell into deep thought.

Seeing this, Zhou Mo did not urge him, but waited quietly.

To be honest, when he transformed into a golden-clawed eagle and saw Lu Chengjun using earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a technique used in Chinese fantasy novels) to tease the peasant woman, he was surprised, but the difference was not significant.

After a long while, Cai Yiheng slowly raised his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Actually, there are far more strange things about this kid than just this one..."

"...Last year, he was just an unarmed mortal, a villager who drifted to the Southern Desolate Continent by boat. Midway, they encountered a shipwreck...Twelve ships with thousands of people, all perished in the fish's belly, and in the end, only he, a mere mortal, survived. At the time, I thought he was just lucky to have escaped with his life, and in a heartless act, I abandoned him in the desolate wilderness teeming with monsters..."

"...But who could have predicted that he not only survived, but thrived. When we met again three months later, he had established himself in the indigenous tribe. Even more strangely, he had awakened his spiritual root out of thin air and officially embarked on the path of cultivation. Looking back now, that so-called stroke of luck could not be explained by ordinary chance."

After listening, Zhou Mo pondered for a long time: "It seems that this young friend Lu is indeed extraordinary, no ordinary person. This is a great thing. The Southern Underworld Guard is currently isolated and helpless, in a precarious situation, and its survival is uncertain. Who knows when it will be completely destroyed? The more amazing his trump card is, the more advantageous it is for our survival."

……

Fence Village.

Lu Chengjun was wielding a hoe to repair the land.

Suddenly.

A golden-clawed eagle swooped down from the sky.

Upon landing, he transformed into Zhou Mo, clad in gray feathers.

Lu Chengjun and the tabby cat at his feet were both stunned by what they saw.

A bird turned into a living person!?

Upon seeing the man's appearance, Lu Chengjun suddenly remembered his background and immediately clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "This student greets Headmaster Zhou."

"No need for such formalities."

"May I ask what brings you here, Headmaster Zhou?"

Zhou Mo looked at Lu Chengjun meaningfully and recited aloud, "A hidden dragon in the abyss will surely soar to the heavens!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Zhou Mo frowned slightly. Had he not been straightforward enough?

So he chose another poem and recited it again: "A large boat carries a heavy load, a swift horse gallops far. Great talent bears great responsibility; how can one be confined to a life of hardship?"

Lu Chengjun was taken aback: "Headmaster Zhou... whose boat are you referring to?"

Seeing that Lu Chengjun was still pretending to be stupid, Zhou Mo stepped forward and stated his purpose: "The salt-transporting operation in the Nanming Guard's sea salt field has been occupied by a quasi-Golden Core level Crimson Crown Fire Feather Dragon... The entire Nanming Guard is most suitable for you."

"What? Me?"

"It's you!" Zhou Mo nodded heavily.

"A Crimson-Crowned Fire Feather Dragon of near-Golden Core level is lurking there, and you want me to go?"

"That's right!"

Why?

"You know earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a type of magic that allows you to escape through the earth)."

"I won't."

"Stop pretending! I saw it all."

Lu Chengjun: "..."