That formidable flying spirit beast was currently positioned extremely high up, and being nighttime, it was completely invisible to the naked eye from their vantage point, yet all of them could distinctly feel its presence.

“It’s coming down!”

Zhang Yang suddenly muttered, his gaze sharpening intensely.

The spirit beast from the heavens was descending rapidly. Not long after his words fell, they finally caught sight of the beast’s shadow.

A small, dark speck plummeted swiftly. When it was only a few dozen meters from the ground, Zhang Yang finally made out the true appearance of the flying creature.

Upon seeing it clearly, Zhang Yang couldn't help but freeze for a moment; the energy he had been gathering slackened considerably, and his face registered utter astonishment.

Amidst his shock, the mighty flying spirit beast finally landed, settling atop a post used for hanging things directly in front of Zhang Yang, where it stood observing him.

Staring at the spirit beast that was now fixing its gaze upon him, Zhang Yang found himself at a loss for words.

This spirit beast was, in fact, a parrot. Its emerald feathers were strikingly beautiful, and its size wasn't imposing—perhaps twice the size of an ordinary parrot, and still smaller than Shandian.

It perched on the post; if Zhang Yang hadn't been able to sense the terrifying power surging within its core, it would have been difficult to associate it with a spirit beast at all, let alone one of such formidable strength.

Zhuifeng, Wuying, and Shandian all gathered closer.

The three little ones were equally taken aback, clearly unprepared for the spirit beast, which was clearly superior in power to them, to manifest in such a form.

What astonished Zhang Yang even more was that this parrot actually opened its beak and spoke.

“Human, you should not have returned!”

The parrot’s voice was crisp and melodious, perhaps carrying a slight regional accent. At the sound of its speech, Zhang Yang froze completely.

Spirit beasts were inherently intelligent, but a spirit beast was still a spirit beast. He had never encountered one that could speak human language, not even Wuying or Shandian—they could communicate telepathically once their loyalty reached a certain threshold, but they had never uttered a single word aloud.

“You, are you talking to me?”

Zhang Yang extended a hand, pointed at his own nose, and softly questioned.

“Your progress is startlingly fast, far exceeding my expectations. But you should not have returned, and certainly not now!”

The parrot nodded its head while perched on the post, continuing its discourse, which only deepened Zhang Yang’s amazement.

The spirit beast parrot was speaking of his return, implying it knew he had been there before. If that were true, it meant the creature had seen him previously.

The last time he was here was during the great battle with the Golden-Crowned Python, and back then, his strength was significantly lower, not even having reached the third layer.

This time, he was already at the mid-stage of the fourth layer.

Thinking of this, a cold sweat suddenly broke out on Zhang Yang’s back, filled with a lingering sense of dread.

He didn't know when this spirit beast had last seen him, but regardless of the timing, if this powerful spirit beast had chosen to act, he would undoubtedly have been no match for it.

The gap in their power levels was simply too vast.

Thankfully, it hadn't displayed malice the previous time. Recalling that the defense team members were merely unconscious, and that the Golden-Crowned Python's corpse had vanished only after everyone fell asleep, Zhang Yang could safely conclude that this was a spirit beast not inclined toward needless slaughter.

But even if it wasn't bloodthirsty, spirit beasts behaved differently when celestial treasures were involved. Natural treasures held immense allure for any spirit beast, just like the giant crab and the White Jade Snake from before.

“You have already taken the Saintess Flower. Why did you come back?”

As Zhang Yang pondered, the spirit beast’s next sentence nearly made him faint again. It turned out this spirit beast had known about his plundering of the Saintess Flower the last time.

To know about it and yet refrain from stopping him or seizing the flower was entirely beyond his expectation.

“I came back this time just to look around, and also to prepare to enter the Savage Mountain one more time, to explore its deepest reaches!”

Zhang Yang spoke softly. He still felt a chill of fear, but the animosity he felt toward the parrot spirit beast had lessened somewhat.

Knowing that the creature had watched him take the Saintess Flower, Zhang Yang even felt a flicker of gratitude. Forget spirit beasts; even a human would struggle to show such restraint. This amounted to the creature having spared his life during that previous encounter.

“Entering the Savage Mountain? You are so young; did one of your elders tell you about this?”

The parrot suddenly became agitated, its voice growing sharp.

Seeing its demeanor, Zhang Yang momentarily paused, his mouth slightly ajar, but ultimately said nothing.

This instruction had indeed come from Zhang Pinglu. However, in retrospect, Zhang Pinglu seemed to have concealed something from him. Zhang Pinglu must have been aware of this parrot's existence.

Knowing that such a powerful spirit beast resided in the Savage Mountain and yet sending him here, promising other rewards, surely meant there was another reason.

Regrettably, he couldn't inquire now. He would have to wait until he returned. Upon his return, he needed to confront Zhang Pinglu and demand answers.

“I don’t care about your intentions; you must leave immediately, and you are forbidden from entering the Savage Mountain. I have spoken my piece; whether you listen is up to you!”

The parrot suddenly flapped its wings and soared into the air, quickly ascending until it was high above.

“Leave now, and do not enter the Savage Mountain!”

The parrot’s warning echoed down from the sky. Feeling the powerful parrot departing, Zhang Yang remained standing foolishly, utterly still.

Everything that had transpired this night was simply too unbelievable for him.

Spirit beasts generally had distinct classifications. Ordinary animals, no matter how long they lived, could not ascend to become spirit beasts—take the sea turtle, for example; despite its longevity, it remained an ordinary creature.

Spirit beasts possessed inherent bloodlines.

Just like the Fox-Tailed Marten, the Treasure-Seeking Mouse, or the Heavenly Horse, they all followed a lineage, sharing established blood ties.

Because of this, Huan Shu treated Wuying specially; they were divergent branches of the same ancient spirit beast lineage, sharing the same blood—they were kin spirit beasts.

And Zhang Yang himself, though descended through his maternal line, carried the Zhang family bloodline, which he had recognized within himself.

But the parrot did not fit this mold. At least, not within Zhang Yang's current knowledge, no parrot had ever been recorded as a spirit beast. This was precisely what shocked him: an animal seemingly incapable of achieving spirit beast status had not only become one but one of such immense power, completely shattering his established understanding.

“Zhi zhi zhi!”

“Ji ji ji!”

Shandian and Wuying chirped together. The two little ones were equally bewildered. Generally, they could sense the unique bloodlines inherent to spirit beasts—for instance, Wuying’s deep concealment was still detected by Shandian.

Yet, they sensed absolutely nothing of the sort from this parrot; they could only perceive the parrot’s spirit beast aura and its overwhelming strength.

Zhuifeng was similarly perplexed.

It was akin to a stone that logically could never turn into gold suddenly transforming into pure gold of the highest caliber. No wonder their expressions were so bewildered.