The arrival of this new force immediately changed the state within Zhao Ya’s body.
With this power, Zhao Ya leaped several meters into the air and flipped over like a sparrow hawk, landing squarely on the back of the Free-Loading Bird leader.
The Free-Loading Bird leader was startled and immediately began thrashing around, trying to throw Zhao Ya off.
But Zhao Ya, having come here through great hardship, naturally would not be easily thrown off.
His feet seemed to root into stone, remaining still no matter how the giant bird struggled.
Then Zhao Ya squatted down, grabbed its neck feathers with one hand, and formed a fist with the other, striking down fiercely.
With a thud, the giant bird trembled violently, letting out a cry of immense pain.
Yet Zhao Ya acted as if he hadn’t heard it, throwing another punch.
Feathers scattered as blood began to flow from the giant bird’s mouth. It turned its head, looking at Zhao Ya with a pleading gaze, and began to chirp softly.
Zhao Ya’s fist hovered in the air, raising an eyebrow slightly, "What? You’ve surrendered?"
The giant bird nodded repeatedly, evidently understanding Zhao Ya’s words.
"Alright, since you can understand me, take me back to your nest," Zhao Ya said.
The giant bird seemed hesitant.
Zhao Ya didn’t waste words, simply throwing another punch.
This time, the giant bird couldn’t hold on any longer, dropping tens of meters before barely stabilizing itself.
"Well? Will it be your life or your nest?" Zhao Ya said indifferently.
The Free-Loading Bird leader dared not hesitate any longer, letting out a couple of soft chirps before heading east with Zhao Ya.
This scene was witnessed by not only the Sea Gatherers but also Kong Xiangdong at the seaside, who stood on the snowy hill, shock written all over his face.
He had originally intended to help, but Zhao Ya moved so swiftly that in the blink of an eye, he had dealt with the majority of the invading Free-Loading Birds.
And now, he was directly "hijacking" the leader of these Free-Loading Birds and flying away.
Even Kong Xiangdong, who was well acquainted with Zhao Ya’s strength, felt a deep shock at this moment, not to mention the Sea Gatherers.
"Chief, who exactly is this man, how can he possess such formidable strength?" someone bravely asked.
Kong Xiangdong glared, "Don’t ask what you shouldn’t. Mind your own business or you’ll lose your life."
After being scolded by Kong Xiangdong, the Sea Gatherers dared not speak up.
"So Chief, should we wait here for the master, or head back to the town first?"
"Let’s head back to town. I reckon he’ll return after he’s done."
There’s no point in staying at the seaside anymore.
Besides, with bird corpses everywhere, if it attracts other Exotic Beasts, it would be another hassle.
Better to head back to town and wait.
As for whether Zhao Ya will be in danger...
What a joke!
Now it’s already a stroke of luck for the Exotic Beasts that Zhao Ya isn’t causing them trouble.
Who would dare be foolish enough to trouble him?
Kong Xiangdong led the group back to town.
Meanwhile, Zhao Ya sat cross-legged on the back of the Free-Loading Bird leader, leisurely watching the scenery below.
This was already his second time traveling on a bird’s back.
The first time was at Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, but the bird there couldn’t compare to this Free-Loading Bird leader in terms of strength or any other aspect.
Yet Zhao Ya soon grew bored with the scenery.
It was too monotonous.
The world below was covered in snow, and as far as the eye could see, there was only a snow-white landscape, utterly tedious.
Zhao Ya simply closed his eyes to rest.
The giant bird occasionally turned its head to sneak a look at Zhao Ya but dared not play any tricks.
The reason was simple.
The lesson this human male had given it was too profound.
He single-handedly decimated most of its underlings, and against all odds, flew with his physical body to a hundred meters in the air and successfully captured it.
This filled it with such awe that it dared not make even the slightest move.
Despite being injured and carrying a person, the giant bird’s flight speed was still very fast, and before a cup of tea could finish, a low-lying hill appeared ahead.
Passing through the outskirts of this hill, a basin was revealed in the center.
The terrain of this hill was perilous, making it impossible to traverse on foot, accessible only by flying.
Plus, the basin, sheltered by the surrounding hills, had a higher temperature, making it an ideal nesting site for these Free-Loading Birds.
The giant bird gradually descended, finally landing on a flat piece of ground.
There were many Free-Loading Birds in the basin, but they all watched their leader in terror, daring not to approach.
Zhao Ya scanned the surroundings and saw a cave at the base of a hill not far away.
Feathers fell at the cave entrance, clearly indicating the leader’s usual dwelling.
He dismounted from the giant bird’s back and was about to walk forward when he stopped, took out a pill, and went to the Free-Loading Bird leader.
"Open your mouth!"
The Free-Loading Bird leader dared not disobey and obediently opened its mouth.
Zhao Ya casually tossed the pill in, watching it slide into the giant bird’s stomach, and clapped his hands.
"Alright, if you want to die, you can leave now. Rest assured, the Poison is quick-acting and guarantees a painless death."
With that, Zhao Ya turned and left, without caring whether the Free-Loading Bird leader understood.
After he entered the cave, the giant bird stood dumbly in place, not daring to move.
Although it didn’t know what the pill was, even with feathers on its butt, it could guess it wasn’t something good.
So, to stay alive, it dared not move a muscle but obediently waited for Zhao Ya to return.
Zhao Ya entered the cave, which was unexpectedly odorless and even had a clean floor.
After walking a little further, he saw a bright spot up ahead.
A pile of items lay there on an open space.
The pile was filled with all sorts of things—from Sea Gatherers’ spears to dried fish and bottles of wine.
But Zhao Ya wasn’t interested in those; his eyes went directly to something shining at the top of the pile.
As he got closer, the light quickly disappeared.
And this was exactly what Zhao Ya had come for.
Previously, when collecting shells, he was suddenly attacked by the Free-Loading Birds, clearly indicating these creatures also knew the worth of these shells.
Compared to the Sea Gatherers, who only had a chance to gather in the morning, the Free-Loading Birds, living by the Wuyang Sea and frequently charging "protection fees," found it much easier to find these shells.
The result did not disappoint Zhao Ya.
After leaping to the top of the pile, Zhao Ya undid the pouch at his waist and sprayed a circle around him.
Pink shells of various sizes revealed themselves.
After counting, there were as many as twenty-one.
Zhao Ya was overjoyed, eagerly placing them all into his bag.
Moreover, other items were not spared from Zhao Ya’s scrutiny.
The Free-Loading Birds were quite intelligent, especially this leader, whose intellect was akin to an adult human.
Being collected in its nest meant the items were valuable.
Among them, Zhao Ya even found three Miracle Creations.
Naturally, Zhao Ya gladly accepted these as well.
When Zhao Ya finally emerged from the cave fully loaded,
the Free-Loading Birds that had been gathered around the leader scattered, some even forgetting how to fly, scrambling away in a panic.
Zhao Ya, uninterested in these things, carried his bulging bag to the leader, squinting as he examined it.
The giant bird was rigid, not daring to move.
If it could express emotions like a human, it would surely be grinning obsequiously.
Finally, Zhao Ya nodded.
"Hm, not bad, quite obedient indeed!"
With that, Zhao Ya mounted the bird again.
"Let’s go, take me back to town!"