Having made up his mind, the remaining eight black lances tore through the air, ruthlessly stabbing into the Giant Golden Eagle.
Its wings were indeed nearly indestructible—but Yu Zi Yu never believed the rest of its body was the same. Feathers were feathers. Flesh was flesh.
Thus, the eight lances all targeted its abdomen — the weakest part of any raptor.
Screech!A piercing, mournful cry echoed through the canyon.
The Golden Eagle flapped its wings desperately in its final struggle. Blood gushed out like a crimson fountain as its massive body jerked backward, trying to escape the agony tearing through it.
But Yu Zi Yu, who had already resolved to kill it in a single strike, wouldn't allow even a sliver of hope.
"Explode."
At his command, the nine root-lances—each wound tightly like a twisted spring—unleashed every bit of the power they had stored.
This technique mimicked the mechanics of a coiled spring: twisting to build force, then releasing that force explosively only after the roots had already pierced deep inside the target.
The result? Maximum internal destruction.
Splurt—!A wet, sickening spray erupted as the lances spun violently, turning the Golden Eagle's insides into a rain of blood.
Yu Zi Yu, unable to react in time, was instantly drenched from top to root.
And at that moment—
Ding!A cold system chime rang crisply in his ears.
"Ding! You killed Tier-0 Level 7 Mutant Golden Eagle. Evolution Points +70."
"Ding! Condition to evolve to Tier-1 met. Current Evolution Points: 70/10. Would you like to initiate Tier-1 evolution?"
…
Tier-1… Evolution!?Yu Zi Yu's heart trembled in excitement.
As expected… there really is Tier-1. And beyond that… Tier-2, Tier-3, and more.He glanced at the lifeless Golden Eagle, pierced like a skewer, and finally let out a breath of relief.
"Confirm evolution."
The instant he spoke, a tremendous surge of energy flooded his entire body.
The moment it entered him, his whole being trembled uncontrollably.
Crack… crack…Sharp, crisp sounds echoed as his bark split apart.
His trunk expanded rapidly—thickening until two grown men would struggle to wrap their arms around it.
And it all happened in just a few breaths.
But the growth didn't stop.
Yu Zi Yu could feel every inch of his body strengthening—cells being torn apart by the raging energy, then instantly re-forged stronger than before. Again and again, destruction followed by reconstruction.
A profound transformation was happening—one that touched the very essence of his life.
His branches shot upward, growing rapidly, lush and green. Faint starlight flickered across their surface—just like during his previous upgrades.
Yet now, the spectacle was visible even under the bright sun.
From afar, a towering tree 20–30 meters tall shimmered with a stellar glow at the heart of the canyon.
Thousands of branches surged skyward, each one glowing faintly like drifting stars.
In an instant, the entire canyon was bathed in his radiance.
Birds fled into the sky.Animals trembled on the ground.
A true overlord of the canyon was being born.
…
Meanwhile, an even greater change was unfolding deep underground.
Yu Zi Yu's countless black roots were expanding at a terrifying pace.
They dug deeper and wider, cutting through earth like massive subterranean beasts. The ground bulged and cracked in multiple places, forming long ditches along the canyon floor.
But these were only his sub-roots.
His true lifeline—his main root—was undergoing its own evolution.
The thick root burrowed downward with unstoppable force, ignoring solid rock entirely. While the earth trembled above, it continued descending until—
Boom!At around a hundred meters deep, a cold sensation washed over him.
"An underground river…!?"A mix of shock and curiosity rippled through him.
Moments later, he felt countless tiny rootlets latch onto the rocks like a massive web, spreading across nearly fifty meters.
Then came the chill—stronger, purer, flowing continuously into his root system.
It wasn't just water.
Yu Zi Yu felt something else… some unknown substance merging into his body.
"A Spirit River… containing unknown energy?"A bold guess flashed through his mind.
At such depths, such energy was indeed possible.
But there was no time to ponder. Because—
SCREECH! SCREECH! SCREECH!Piercing cries ripped through the air as the eight Peregrine Falcons in the nest burst upward.
His evolution had affected them too.
And how could it not?
A swirling vortex of Spiritual Energy had erupted around Yu Zi Yu, centered on his trunk, engulfing everything nearby.
The Peregrine Falcons, resting closest to him, naturally benefited the most.
Even the Red Fox beneath him began changing.
Its claws lengthened, gleaming sharply.The crimson fire in its eyes burned brighter.Its body grew larger, its fur thicker and more vibrant.
From afar, the fox—now the size of a young calf—looked like a creature made of living flame.
Sacred… yet terrifying.
"ROAR—!"A deep, resonant roar erupted.
Bathed in fire, the Red Fox leaped onto a massive boulder and scanned the canyon like a vigilant guardian, eyes sharp and dangerous.
On the other side—
Screech! Screech! Screech!The eight Peregrine Falcons—now as large as fully grown adults, with 70-centimeter bodies and wingspans of up to two meters—took flight.
Together—
Screech—!A unified, piercing cry reverberated through the canyon, powerful enough to crack stone.
Then, spreading out in eight directions, they began their patrol, eyes cold and predatory as they scanned every corner of the gorge.