The few of them pressed their ears to the earth, distinctly hearing the screech of the Man-Eating Eagles. They must have hit a nest. they exclaimed in surprise. It seemed it was time for Ma Xiong to unleash his fury.

Ma Xiong dug forward with every ounce of strength he possessed. Since the two ahead of him had already exerted their utmost, their remaining stamina was less than that of an ordinary person. However, thanks to the small bit of cunning he’d cultivated during his university studies, Ma Xiong had conserved most of his energy, making him the main force among the three. Thus, he easily caught up to the other two. Old Sun’s eyes were red, likely recalling that wager.

After pushing forward another three or four meters, a light began to shine through the earth beneath Ma Xiong's hands. Ma Xiong looked up and realized he had breached the tunnel directly into the Man-Eating Eagles' lair. Only a small opening remained above; with one more solid push, they could break through the diversion tunnel and reach the nest.

Just as Ma Xiong was about to deliver the final blow, Ge Mei hastily stopped him, saying, "Don't rush. Let’s observe the enemy first. If they get attacked by the Man-Eating Eagles again, things will get messy."

"Indeed. Last time we defeated the Man-Eating Eagles through despicable means. We won't be that lucky now." Ma Xiong suppressed the urge to escape immediately and peered out through the opening.

Ma Xiong observed carefully and found the situation was not as dire as they had imagined. The eagles that were shrieking were not adults, but fledglings.

Ma Xiong turned and told Ge Mei and the others, "It’s fine, just some immature eagles. They're probably still in the feeding stage."

Old Sun exclaimed excitedly, "Still virgins, dammit! What’s there to fear?" Ge Mei glanced, then added with full confidence and swagger, "Dig!"

Ma Xiong then proceeded to blast the way open with supreme confidence.

But the moment they broke through, they were stunned. There were indeed only fledglings, but the instant they opened the passage, hundreds of adult eagles flew in from outside. Perhaps they had briefly left to search for food, never expecting the food to come looking for them.

Ma Xiong saw them nodding and bowing to each other, likely congratulating one another on finally finding a meal.

Ma Xiong asked, "Ge Mei, what do we do now?"

Ge Mei said, "Ma Xiong, remember when you lured away the Blood Zombies, you saw a large opening on the side of the mountain cave? You wondered why there was an exit there. It seems that opening is the entrance to these eagles' roost. When they flee desperately outward later, remember to use every ounce of strength; whatever you do, don't get bogged down fighting the eagles just because they bite you. Old Sun will lead the charge, Ma Xiong stays at the very rear, and toss them a bomb on the way out. Old Sun, give Ma Xiong a bundle of detonators."

Old Sun unbuckled his belt and handed the whole thing over to Ge Mei. The belt was densely wrapped with about three or four bundles of detonators, enough explosive power to flatten the entire cave.

Ge Mei snapped, "You damn fool, you want to take their belts and their lives too? Do you want to die with them because you feel guilty towards the Man-Eating Eagles, or do you want the eagles to die because the eagles wronged you? One bundle is enough to send them to the West." Old Sun reluctantly took back his belt, unwrapped one bundle and handed it to Ge Mei, then dutifully buckled his own belt back on.

By this time, the Man-Eating Eagles could no longer restrain themselves; several were already circling them. Catching them off guard, the leading eagle suddenly swooped toward them, slamming directly into Old Sun’s waist. Old Sun cursed, "You son of a..." then pulled out a grappling hook from his waist and hurled it at the attacking eagle. With a sharp thwack, the hook struck the eagle square on the head, instantly shattering its skull and spraying brains everywhere.

The other eagles observing nearby perceived the initial attack on their kin as an act of provocation, and feeling entirely justified, began to assault them.

The small cave instantly descended into chaos: feathers filled the air, wings flapped wildly, and the eagles let out frantic screeches.

Ge Mei roared, "Charge!"

They bolted forward heedlessly. Although eagles filled the space above their heads, they couldn't fly too low, so they could still pass by ducking. But the eagles' claws were merciless; they grabbed their backs and tried violently to lift them up. Ma Xiong's back was clawed countless times, but he steadfastly remembered Ge Mei’s warning: ignore the eagles’ attacks and just charge toward the exit with all your might. Yet, the more they ignored them, the bolder the eagles became. Failing to lift them with their talons, the eagles deliberately dove lower, trapping them. If they wanted to move forward, they would have to crawl flat on the ground.

Old Sun grew desperate. With a loud shout, he leaped upward, then tilted his head forward, leveling his body, and slammed into the cluster of eagles.

Rumble. It was like an earthquake. The ground was covered in blood plasma and brain matter, a delightful mix of red and white. Old Sun stood up, his entire body smeared with gore. The ground was littered with mangled corpses.

Old Sun’s dive proved highly effective. The clustered, low-flying eagles were scattered immediately, leaving a narrow path where they had been gathered moments before.

They seized the opportunity and rushed through. This time, it was relatively smooth; only one or two unruly ones bothered them, but the rest were surprisingly docile.

But docility wouldn't save them. Ge Mei reached the entrance to that side opening and directed them to first jump onto a protruding rock in the valley, then had Old Sun prepare the grappling hook, securing it to the mountaintop so they could be lowered down later.

Having prepared everything, Ge Mei lit the detonator bundle and tossed it into the cave, then swiftly jumped down himself, grabbing Old Sun and shouting, "Jump."

Old Sun immediately grabbed Ma Xiong and leaped off the mountaintop. Ma Xiong felt the wind whipping past his ears, and a suffocating pressure in his chest.

After a while, the sensation improved because the explosion finally echoed from above. Boom, a muffled blast sounded. But things were not as simple as they had imagined. The mountain cave had blown open, and rocks immediately began raining down on them.

Seeing this, Ge Mei yelled, "Damn it!" and suddenly leaned his body sharply inward, pulling the rope toward the cliff face.

Since their hook was anchored to the mountaintop, they began to fall when the summit exploded. Ge Mei swung them toward the cliff body, and smack, they slammed hard against the rock face. Ma Xiong felt dizzy, probably having been hit by a falling stone. Leaning against the cliff, Ge Mei drew his knife and, with a swish, plunged the blade into the rock, thus securing their position on the mountain wall.

Ma Xiong glanced at the falling stones; each one was about the size of an ordinary cooking pot. Ma Xiong thought that being hit by one would certainly cost him his life and his chastity.

After about a quarter of an hour, the stones stopped falling completely. They were still twenty meters above the ground, and Old Sun’s hook remained tightly lodged under a falling rock. Old Sun tested it; the hook was pinned firmly beneath the stone, impossible to pull free.

Ma Xiong figured that since the other two had given their all, it was time for Ma Xiong's Yin Yang power to contribute. Thus, Ma Xiong focused his mind, aimed his eyes at that specific stone, dispersed all the Qi from his body, and exerted his utmost strength to control them, floating toward the stone pinning down Old Sun’s hook. The distance was too great, and the Qi reaching the stone was already perilously thin. But Ma Xiong felt he could still exert a meager amount of control.

Ma Xiong strained every fiber of his being, trying to concentrate his Qi, and told Old Sun, "Old Sun, when I unleash my power, pull the hook upward with all your might."

Old Sun nodded in understanding.

Seeing Old Sun comprehend his intention, Ma Xiong poured the very last drop of his strength into that Qi. As expected, the stones did not disappoint Ma Xiong; they shifted slightly.

Although it was only a slight movement, it was enough to expose Old Sun's hook. Now, the direction of Old Sun’s pull on the rope changed, with most of the force concentrated on the hook. Under Old Sun’s tugging, the hook was finally pulled free smoothly.

Ma Xiong, having overexerted himself, lacked even the strength to speak.

Old Sun secured the hook again on what seemed like a solid rock on the mountaintop and slowly lowered them down.

The moment their feet touched the ground, Ge Mei asked Old Sun, "What, do you have a blood feud with those eagles? Why dump so many detonators in the cave?"

Old Sun replied, "I didn't intend to drop them all, but they came to attack my seedlings [a vulgar pun on young eagles/offspring]. Ma Xiong might not have a blood feud with them, but he has a feud that seeks to cut off their lineage. So I made sure they’d be childless."

Ma Xiong said, "Well done, truly a man of integrity. It seems you usually adhere to the strict standards of a true gentleman."

Old Sun was confused by Ma Xiong’s praise, frowning in thought for a moment before nodding stiffly. Perhaps he found Ma Xiong’s compliment utterly unexpected and worried Ma Xiong was up to some trickery.

Seeing that Old Sun had fallen for the trap, Ma Xiong said happily, "Then you must keep your word?"

Old Sun became even more perplexed, but unable to fathom why Ma Xiong would praise his trustworthiness, he could only nod again.

Ma Xiong said gleefully, "Good then, now swear allegiance to me as your master."

Old Sun instantly became agitated: "On what grounds should I become your disciple?"

Ma Xiong countered, "You said it yourself: if your digging didn't surpass mine, you’d become my disciple."

Old Sun sighed, "It was exactly as Ma Xiong expected. A rogue is a rogue, extremely cunning." Ma Xiong cut in, "Enough talk, swear allegiance now. Ge Mei is the witness."

Old Sun looked at Ge Mei with an expression of feigned innocence, then slyly winked, signaling: Ge Mei, help me out of this bad hand.

At this moment, Ge Mei was still angry at Old Sun: Damn it, throwing so many bombs, nearly killing me! Of course, he wouldn't help Ge Mei cheat; instead, he started mocking Old Sun: Oh my, the dignified Old Sun actually breaks his word? How will you show your face when we get back? Ma Xiong will surely tell everyone, including your wife, about this.

Seeing that the situation had reached this point, and that any further sophistry would have no audience, Old Sun had no choice but to accept his bad luck: "Fine, you two are colluding already? I’m having a rotten day, defeated by you little brat. Heavens, a petty person succeeding!"

Hmph, it’s just asking you to take a master; why the harsh curses? Faced with Old Sun’s unreasonableness, Ma Xiong could only offer a wry smile and say, "We’ll discuss the apprenticeship when we get back. For now, let’s figure out how to find the Demon Tower."