Divine Beast Azure Luan

Jiang Lu paused, her expression deep and unfathomable. Instead of answering, she asked:

"You're the divine bird on the mural?"

The black shadow flew directly down from atop the stone pillar and looked at Jiang Lu. The chill in its blue eyes had lessened somewhat from before.

"That's right."

Jiang Lu looked at its revealed true form. After suffering the backlash, it had only a trace of soul power left to maintain its current shape.

It had taken it so long to recuperate just to regain this much. If the formation had not been unable to hold, then after a few more centuries, it would eventually have restored its true form.

"The little bird in your arms is rather good."

It abruptly changed the subject, looking toward the red figure at Jiang Lu's waist with an unfathomable expression.

Hearing itself mentioned, Chi Li poked its head out of the cloth pouch, then flapped its wings and flew onto Jiang Lu's shoulder.

It tilted its head and looked at the divine bird.

This aura—

It was a divine beast, an Azure Luan!

Though its bloodline was impure, in a place like the Immortal Cultivation Realm, it was absolutely an existence capable of crushing everything beneath it.

Jiang Lu sensed Chi Li's body stiffen, followed by its claws tightening slightly around her shoulder.

Jiang Lu pressed her lips together and sent it a voice transmission, telling it to be careful.

Chi Li pretended not to understand, tilting its head as it looked at the divine bird's figure.

"A second-rank spirit beast is far too weak. You and I are fated. Since I am about to dissipate, how about I pass this body's cultivation to you?"

The divine bird's voice turned gentle, its tone carrying a bewitching lure.

"To me?"

Excitement flashed through Chi Li's eyes, followed by disbelief.

"That's right. Come forward."

Chi Li tilted its head and asked Jiang Lu. Jiang Lu had wanted to stop it; she felt that this divine bird harbored ill intent. But when she saw the eager anticipation in Chi Li's eyes, she sighed and nodded.

"Go on."

Chi Li flew from her shoulder toward the altar.

How could it fail to hear the malice in the divine bird's tone? But its bloodline suppressed the other's, and this Azure Luan had only that trace of soul power remaining.

It could not possibly harm it.

Chi Li bounced forward, slowly making its way toward the altar's center.

Only then did it clearly see the chains connected to the stone pillar.

One end of the chains was fastened to the stone walls on all sides. The other appeared to be bound to the stone pillar, but only upon approaching did it see a figure on the pillar.

Though all that remained now was a skeleton.

"Master! This bird has fallen into demonic cultivation!"

Fallen into demonic cultivation!

Jiang Lu was greatly startled. How could a divine beast fall into demonic cultivation, unless—

"It sacrificed the bloodline of its master's entire clan to nourish itself. The sacrifice has now been completed. The person who set up this formation must have foreseen this, which was why they left themselves a safeguard."

"In this way, once the sacrifice was complete, that Lineage would suffer its punishment, yet the divine bird would not be given the chance to fully recover, preventing it from emerging to bring calamity upon the common people."

Jiang Lu nodded. That had been her thought as well. It was not entirely heartless; otherwise, if the divine bird truly fell into demonic cultivation and came forth to plague the living, the formation's creator would have to bear a measure of karmic consequence.

The weight of karma was too great for that person to bear!

"Master, step back first!"

Chi Li spoke to Jiang Lu, its expression carrying a faint excitement.

If Cangchen saw this, he would surely say that the divine bird was about to meet with disaster.

But the divine bird did not know that.

It thought Chi Li was excited to receive its cultivation.

Hehehe—

Don't be impatient!

Since this little thing knows what is good for it, I'll grant it a swift death!

Brilliance and excitement flickered in the divine bird's blue eyes.

Jiang Lu retreated until she was an inch away from the stone wall, watching as the divine bird slowly flew out from the stone pillar. It circled the pillar several times.

Then the purple ghostly light around the altar suddenly lit up, and a hexagonal totem appeared upon it.

The totem gradually lit from the outside inward, then illuminated the entire stone pillar.

The stone pillar gave a trembling hum.

Then the chains began to shake violently.

"Kreee—"

The divine bird let out a piercing cry, then spun around and flew toward Chi Li.

In an instant—

It entered Chi Li's body.

Chi Li felt that trace of soul power, and flames erupted all around it, immediately burning it away.

"Aah—"

"What are you?!"

A miserable voice echoed endlessly through the cave, filled with unwillingness and shock!

It had actually been tricked by such a tiny second-rank spirit beast!

The flames on Chi Li's body clearly revealed the uniqueness of its identity. Other than the few divine flames and the innate flames possessed by certain divine beasts, it could think of nothing else capable of burning it.

Could this spirit beast be one of those divine beasts?

As the flames burned, the divine bird gradually lost all signs of life. All its cultivation condensed into a Golden Core, which fell before Chi Li.

Then the bone-chilling coldness throughout the cave vanished completely.

"Cutie!"

Jiang Lu cried out. She had not forgotten the important matter at hand!

Then Cutie shot out of the cloth pouch like an arrow, and Jiang Lu immediately followed.

Behind the altar, the fragrance of treasures wafted through the air.

Rich!

Rich!

Mine!

All mine!

Jiang Lu ran over and looked at the palm-sized luminous pearl. It was so pretty!

Though it had no practical use, she liked it.

With a wave of her hand, she stored everything away into her space.

Then she saw the enormous ice bed that had been revealed!

"Master! I want it!"

Cangchen's eyes widened as he stared unblinkingly at the ice bed.

He loved it too much!

Chi Li would definitely grow stronger after absorbing the divine bird's energy.

Then the gap between his strength and Chi Li's would surely widen.

But!

With this ice bed, he would definitely be able to increase his strength too.

He blinked his round eyes at Jiang Lu, just short of kneeling to beg her.

Jiang Lu nodded helplessly.

"How are you taking it away? Let me tell you, we need to leave quickly."

If her space could store it, she would have taken the ice bed away long ago.

Since it was still here now, it was likely because it was too large, and her current strength was insufficient to store it.

"Master, just watch me!"

Cangchen had never planned to take the ice bed away. Anything related to water or ice could be completely converted into his own energy.

Then he spun around and flew directly onto the ice bed.

The scales on his body shimmered faintly, and the icy radiance on the bed vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Before long, it had become dull and lusterless.

Jiang Lu's eyes widened. She picked Cangchen up and examined him again and again. How could such a tiny body hold such enormous energy?

Cangchen blinked innocently at Jiang Lu.

"You two... do you have some identities I don't know about?"

Suspicion filled Jiang Lu's eyes. Ordinary spirit beasts did not possess such abilities.

Hearing this, Cangchen exchanged a guilty look with Chi Li, who had just run over, and both shrank back.

"M-Master... we didn't mean to hide it from you."

"Hm? So there really is something?"

Jiang Lu stared into their eyes. Well now, these two little things had actually been keeping secrets!

"Actually, we came from the Upper Realm. We are divine beasts. We were plotted against during a battle and fell here, and for some reason, we lost our cultivation and became the little spirit beasts we are now."

Seeing Jiang Lu's expression clearly saying, You're still spouting nonsense, after Chi Li finished speaking, Cangchen hurriedly added:

"We told you before!"