As Zhong Yaxiu finished speaking, he actually took out his supreme artifact, the "Chaos Tablet." This tablet held countless types of demonic beasts and ghostly spirits, including not a few ancient divine beasts! No one expected Zhong Shenxiu to bring it out at this moment; what on earth was he planning?

The "Hawkeye" woman was immediately captivated by the "Chaos Tablet" floating before Zhong Shenxiu. Just as she was scrutinizing what it was, a blinding radiance suddenly burst forth, accompanied by an overwhelming, heaven-shaking aura!

The Tier Nine demonic beast on the ground, which had been planning its escape, instead curled up on the earth, trembling uncontrollably upon sensing this presence!

As for the "Hawkeye" woman at this moment, the look of sheer horror on her face reached an unparalleled degree, her mind experiencing a brief, stark blankness!

Just then, a sound—"Chiu~"—rang out, and a beam of light, like blue lightning, suddenly shot out from the "Chaos Tablet," dancing joyfully up and down in the high air!

The speed was so incredible that only a long, blue trail was visible scoring the sky; the creature’s exact appearance remained utterly unknowable! The "Hawkeye" woman stared dumbly toward the heavens. She prided herself on her keen eyesight, yet she still couldn't keep pace with the speed of that blue light!

What was that? Why did I feel my blood boil? Why this surge of excitement I can’t suppress? The stunned expression on the "Hawkeye" woman's face was breathtakingly lovely, like an exquisitely beautiful statue erected right there!

And then, the rapidly moving blue light in the sky finally halted, revealing its true form at last! The instant she clearly saw it, the "Hawkeye" woman’s body began to tremble uncontrollably. This wasn't fear; it was sheer exhilaration!

High in the air, a magnificent bird, its entire body shimmering with blue flames, looked down upon everything below. Its enormous wings remained utterly still, yet its body hovered effortlessly, emanating an undeniable air of kingship!

This bird possessed a wonderfully melodious name: The Unknown Phoenix Dancer, Lan Sha!

It was no exaggeration to say that if this Lan Sha were to unleash its full power, it could erase this entire "Forest of No Return" from the continent in mere minutes! That is how formidable, how utterly peerless it was!

Yet, this also spoke volumes about Zhong Shenxiu's own might: as powerful as Lan Sha was, it ultimately had to obey Zhong Shenxiu’s commands, because if Zhong Shenxiu chose to unleash his power, even a hundred Lan Shas could be annihilated in an instant!

It had been countless years since the various beasts within Zhong Shenxiu’s "Chaos Tablet" had seen the light of day, so it was little wonder that this Lan Sha was so exuberant upon release!

The fresh air, the feeling of soaring freely—it was indescribably wonderful! Anything was better than existing in that endless, pitch-black void! Wait—what was that? Lan Sha’s eyes suddenly darted, having spotted the swarm of "Demon Bugs" flying their way!

Insects held an undeniable, fatal attraction for birds. Lan Sha’s blue flames instantly surged several feet high, and its beak emitted excited chirps of "Chiu-chiu!"

This sound seemed to possess immense penetrating power; the entire "Forest of No Return" seemed able to hear it. Coupled with its highly visible flames, many humans and beasts noticed its presence, all displaying expressions of astonishment! "Heavens! Look at that demonic beast, I’ve never seen anything like it!" The escort troops who had just fled were the first to spot the Lan Sha in the sky, all staring upward with their mouths agape!

For the members of the "Ethereal Legion" currently hunting demonic beasts, they were also momentarily stunned upon seeing this Lan Sha. However, unlike the inexperienced escorts, after observing for a moment, they could state with certainty: This must have been conjured by the Young Master!

But the reactions of the avian demonic beasts were entirely different. The instant Lan Sha let out its cry, not a single flying creature could be seen in the skies above the "Forest of No Return"; all were clinging to perches everywhere, trembling visibly!

To these demonic beasts, Lan Sha’s aura was irresistible—it was the aura of a true sovereign that demanded submission!

Simultaneously, the Demon Bugs flying toward Zhong Shenxiu and his companions sensed imminent danger and began retreating collectively like a tidal wave back the way they came, flapping their wings with desperate speed!

If they could speak, they would surely be shouting: "Brothers, this is too tough! Retreat, quick!"

However, was it so easy for prey targeted by Lan Sha to escape? If they could actually flee, then Lan Sha wouldn't bother following Zhong Shenxiu; it would have likely ended up as a pot of bird stew long ago!

In a flash, Lan Sha’s body expanded at incredible speed. In just a moment, it hung in the sky like a small mountain. Then, after a cheerful cry, it transformed once more into a streak of blue light, rocketing toward the swarm of bugs! It accelerated so rapidly that it reached the closest Demon Bugs almost instantly, sucked one in, and then began to chew it in its beak.

Although the Demon Bug was massive, this depended on who you compared it to. Compared to this ancestor of the avian class, it was no more than an insignificant kernel of corn beneath a chicken's beak!

Lan Sha devoured that Demon Bug in three bites, then accelerated sharply to snatch another one, chewing with loud "Ka-tsa! Ka-ba!" sounds.

Witnessing this scene, the "Hawkeye" woman was utterly dumbfounded. Lan Sha’s sheer power and abnormality had completely surpassed her capacity to process it. Her mind was currently undergoing a tempestuous, overwhelming baptism!

For her, who viewed birds as near-gods, Lan Sha was undoubtedly the ancestor of all gods!

This Lan Sha was exponentially more awe-inspiring than the "Bird God" her own "Eagle Clan" worshipped during their rites!

The "Hawkeye" woman was now so agitated she was nearly screaming aloud. She never imagined she would witness such a "deity" in person! Her eyes shone with an unusual light as she gazed raptly at Lan Sha, as if staring at a lover she had known for years!

This woman was utterly mesmerized by Lan Sha’s splendor!

"Hey, sister, what do you think of this bird I raised?" Zhong Shenxiu asked the "Hawkeye" woman, barely suppressing a smile. The "Hawkeye" woman mechanically turned her head toward him but couldn't utter a single word.

Zhong Shenxiu had intended to tease her a bit longer, but at that moment, he suddenly thought of something. He turned and looked toward Lan Sha, his heart filling with such anger he wished he could deep-fry the bird!

In that brief interval, the swarms of Demon Bugs had almost all been consumed by Lan Sha, which was still happily chewing away, clearly not finished!

He had intended to capture these Demon Bugs to count toward his competition score! Now, because he’d simply lost focus for a moment, they were almost all gone. Lan Sha had certainly been efficient, showing no regard whatsoever for Zhong Shenxiu’s feelings! Oh, the heavens! So many bugs wasted—that was how many points lost for nothing! "Get over here!" Zhong Shenxiu's voice was not loud, but it made the feasting Lan Sha visibly flinch.

Although Zhong Shenxiu’s appearance was entirely different from before, that aura and spiritual sense had never changed. The fear of Zhong Shenxiu was deeply branded into Lan Sha’s soul; it knew the consequences of angering him well—either being treated as a lab mouse for experiments or being processed as food (in any case, it wouldn't be wasted!).

In an instant, Lan Sha’s kingly aura vanished without a trace. Its massive body instantly shrunk to the size of a parrot, flying back in trembling submission! "Chiu-chiu! Chiu-chiu!" Lan Sha cried plaintively before Zhong Shenxiu, which translated roughly to: Master, I was wrong! I won’t dare again...

Lan Sha now fully realized how foolishly complacent it had been, daring to ignore Zhong Shenxiu. What a grievous error! "Who told you to eat those Demon Bugs? Spit them out!" Zhong Shenxiu scolded, acting petulant like a spoiled child.

The thought of all those lost points made Zhong Shenxiu's heart ache! And the thought of having to resume a female disguise gave him a headache!

Lan Sha grew even more distressed. Those bugs were already digested in its belly; how could it possibly regurgitate them? But it dared not defy Zhong Shenxiu’s command, so it kept making "ka-ka" retching sounds, yet nothing came out except water! (Though its anxious appearance was quite captivating!)

"Hmph!" A cold snort from Zhong Shenxiu made Lan Sha tremble once more.

(In truth, Lan Sha didn't need to be this terrified, as the current Zhong Shenxiu was not the one from before—he was merely displaying a bit of childish temper and wouldn't truly harm it!)

However, Lan Sha had only just emerged and lacked a current understanding of the market conditions. It genuinely believed Zhong Shenxiu was growing angrier, causing its body to shake even harder! "Chiu-chiu!" Lan Sha whimpered in utter terror and grievance: Master, I truly cannot cough them up! (Good heavens, it actually took him seriously!)

Just then, the "Hawkeye" woman, who had been observing everything, suddenly stepped forward, dropped to one knee, and uttered a very strange sentence: "Please, Lord Fara, calm your anger! Do not scold Lord Feathered God any further; Rachel, Sylvia is willing to accept any punishment from Lord Fara!" Lord Fara? Lord Feathered God? At that moment, Zhong Shenxiu was truly baffled, staring blankly at the apologetic "Hawkeye" woman!

(This development seems rather unexpectedly delightful!)