"One of My Kind" (41k)

A trace of surprise appeared on Zi Yan's delicate little face. So big!

Though startled, Zi Yan instantly swung her little hand at the howling golden gale, scattering it with a punch. Then her Purple Wings spread behind her, and she shot into the sky, dodging the enormous golden foot stomping toward her.

"Stinking monkey, can't you handle losing? Shrink down if you've got the guts, and see if I don't beat you to a pulp!"

Zi Yan flew high enough to meet the Golden Giant Ape's head. Staring at the beast, countless times larger than herself, she puffed out her cheeks in indignation.

But the Golden Giant Ape ignored her. Maintaining this form consumed an astonishing amount of energy, and it had to crush the little thief who had stolen its Mighty Vajra Fruit before its time ran out.

An enormous golden palm swept toward her with a golden storm in its wake. Watching the hand blot out almost the entire sky, Zi Yan felt deeply annoyed. She had always been the one using brute force to send others running, yet now a stinking monkey was overpowering her.

Annoyed as she was, Zi Yan abandoned the idea of meeting its attack with her fists. That was far too unfair, and she was no fool. Pitting her tiny fist against such an enormous monkey's palm would put her at a terrible disadvantage.

As these thoughts flashed through her mind, Zi Yan darted aside, evading the giant ape's attack. But its other enormous palm came howling toward her. Her Purple Wings beat, and she narrowly escaped it.

"Roar!"

An earth-shaking roar erupted from the Golden Giant Ape's enormous mouth. Layers of terrifying sound waves wrapped in golden energy blasted toward Zi Yan with the force to destroy heaven and earth.

Wherever the golden sound waves passed, trees were uprooted and earth and stones flew. A small sandstorm gradually formed, sweeping toward Zi Yan alongside the sound waves.

At the sight of this wide-ranging attack, Zi Yan's little face grew solemn. It seemed she could not dodge it. Her body was powerful, but taking a hit like that for nothing would definitely hurt!

Zi Yan could only flee swiftly in the same direction as the sound waves. Meanwhile, mockery filled the Golden Giant Ape's enormous eyes. Its true killing move was still to come!

The giant ape opened its mouth slightly and aimed at Zi Yan, who had no time to watch what was behind her. Terrifying golden energy gathered without cease.

Cut off her escape, then follow up with damage. What a clever monkey! Liu Yu marveled. It seemed his earlier judgment had been mistaken. The Snow Demon Ape probably could not beat this Golden Ape. He had underestimated its intelligence, subconsciously assuming it was all brawn and no brains...

Liu Yu moved. If the energy gathering in the Golden Ape's mouth struck Zi Yan, she would likely suffer serious injuries.

At that moment, an enormous Golden Light Pillar erupted from the giant ape's mouth, shooting straight toward Zi Yan.

Zi Yan also sensed an immense power lock onto her. As she turned her head, boundless gold filled her purple eyes. She wanted to dodge, but it was already too late.

Just as Zi Yan clenched her teeth, shut her eyes, and prepared to endure the blow, a figure with six wings silently appeared behind her and brought his longsword down in a fierce slash.

In an instant, a streak of Blood Sword Light nearly a hundred meters long formed, slashing toward the sound waves and the Golden Light Pillar.

Bang!

The moment they touched, the Blood Sword Light annihilated the sound waves and tore apart the Golden Light Pillar. All the golden energy was utterly destroyed in an instant.

Then, having shattered the sound waves and the Golden Light Pillar, the Blood Sword Light traced a crimson line through the air with the speed of thunder striking before one could cover one's ears, slashing toward the giant ape.

Boom!

After the Blood Sword Light struck the giant ape, its enormous body, shrouded in golden energy, abruptly dissolved into golden energy with a thunderous crash and dispersed between Heaven and Earth. Boundless crimson ripples followed, staining everything nearby blood-red.

Where the Golden Giant Ape had stood, a Golden Ape only three meters tall appeared instead. Its aura was terribly weak, and even its golden fur seemed to have dulled.

High in the sky, Zi Yan, whose eyes were still tightly shut, realized that no pain had come. Instead, she sensed a sudden surge of energy and heard an enormous crash, so she slowly opened her purple eyes.

In Zi Yan's sight, a tall man with Blood Six Wings sprouting from his back and a blood-colored sword in his hand stood before her. The Golden Giant Ape on the other side had disappeared.

"A birdman? Could he be like me?" (Liu Yu: ...)

Zi Yan muttered under her breath. She had accidentally eaten a stalk of Transformation Grass, which had turned her into this little girl. That was why she kept seeking medicinal ingredients containing vast amounts of energy. Only by eating them could she grow up quickly, after which she would be able to switch freely between her beast form and human form.

In her eyes, the birdman before her was much the same as herself. Those three pairs of wings grew from his back; they were not Dou Qi Wings. He was probably somewhat stronger than she was.

As Liu Yu turned around, his body stiffened and his face twitched slightly. Birdman?!

Zi Yan blinked her large eyes at the rather strange birdman and could not help asking, "Hey, birdman, what's wrong? Did beating that stinking monkey exhaust you?"

Liu Yu's gaze darkened. He had helped this little brat, yet she was calling him a birdman! For some reason, a hint of irritation crept into his voice. "I'm not a birdman!"

"Hehe, birdman, I won't tell anyone your secret about being a magical beast. Let me tell you, my true form is a magical beast too."

Zi Yan patted her chest, conveying that she understood everything and would keep his secret. She looked quite adorable, but to Liu Yu, she was utterly infuriating!

Children speak without restraint. I shouldn't hold it against a little brat. Her irresponsible father abandoned her in the wilderness when she was young, so it's perfectly normal for her not to understand certain things. Besides, she only misunderstood and mistook me for a magical beast. Liu Yu consoled himself, and for a moment, he felt considerably better.

"Hey, birdman, what are you thinking about? You look like you're all alone too. Why don't you follow me from now on? I'll take you to eat all kinds of heavenly treasures every day and help you regain your beast form quickly. How about it?"

Zi Yan stared intently at Liu Yu, an indescribable emotion flickering in her purple eyes. She had clearly already taken him for one of her own kind.

She had lived alone deep in the mountains since childhood, lonely and helpless. Even when bullied, she could only endure it silently. Only after eating Transformation Grass and meeting Old Man Su had she experienced a little warmth.

And now, she had been lucky enough to meet someone like herself. With no friends of her own, she truly wanted a friend!

"First, I'm not called birdman. I have a name: Liu Yu. Of course, you can also call me Dad... Boss. Second, I'm stronger than you, so if anyone's following anyone, you're following me!"

Taking a light breath, Liu Yu corrected her somewhat helplessly.

"Okay, Boss!"

At Liu Yu's words, delight appeared on Zi Yan's face. She had absolutely no objection to his wanting to be the boss. In the world of magical beasts, whoever had the biggest fists was the boss!

In her excitement, Zi Yan threw herself straight into Liu Yu's arms. Rubbing her little head against him, she mumbled, "Boss, if only I'd met you sooner. Then no one would have dared bully me!"

Liu Yu was initially rather speechless at Zi Yan's sudden embrace. She was a magical beast in human form, and an ordinary person could not withstand her physical strength. Her sudden impact made his whole body shudder slightly. Had he not been strong and sturdy, coughing up blood would have been the least of his worries.

But Zi Yan's next words silenced Liu Yu. Naturally, he knew about her circumstances, and a trace of pity stirred in his heart. Gently stroking her silky purple hair, he said softly, "Don't worry. Follow your boss from now on, and I promise I won't let anyone bully you. If anyone dares, I'll turn them straight to ash!"

"Mm!" Zi Yan answered in her childish voice. Having someone watching over me feels so good!

"I already knocked that Golden Ape flat for you. It bullied you just now, so you can deal with it however you like."

Liu Yu pointed at the Golden Ape lying below and spoke softly.

Zi Yan pulled away from Liu Yu's embrace and flew toward the Golden Ape. Liu Yu followed her.

"Roar..."

Seeing the little girl looking down at it from above, the weakened Golden Ape let out a mournful cry. Its golden eyes were full of pleading—the desire to live. No one could remain calm before death, not even a vicious magical beast.

Zi Yan watched the Golden Ape coldly, but the sorrow in its eyes reminded her of her former self, stirring a trace of compassion.

Ordinarily, she would certainly have beaten the drowning dog. Despite her little-girl appearance, killing and death had long since become commonplace during her years surviving in the wilderness. But she was in a good mood now. Because of it, she had met her boss, so today she would spare its monkey life.

"Stinking monkey, do you have any more of those golden fruits?" Though Zi Yan had decided to let it off, it still owed her compensation.

Hearing Zi Yan's question, the Golden Ape hurriedly nodded. It still had three Mighty Vajra Fruits. Its life mattered more than the fruits!

"Then hurry up and take me to them!"

Seeing the Golden Ape nod, Zi Yan could not help smacking her little lips. Of all the medicinal ingredients she had tasted, that golden fruit was the most delicious. It was sweet, unlike the bitter, unpleasant ingredients she had eaten before. If not for the sake of growing up, she would never have eaten those.

At her words, the Golden Ape dragged its weakened body upright, struggling to stand for fear that any displeasure on Zi Yan's part might end its life as an ape.

Watching the "utterly miserable" Golden Ape, Liu Yu produced a jade bottle, took out a Qi Cultivation Pill, and said to it, "Take this pill. It can quickly restore the Dou Qi in your body."

The Golden Ape fearfully accepted the pill floating toward it. All it felt toward this strange man with six wings sprouting from his back was terror.

He had suddenly appeared and unleashed a terrifying streak of Blood Sword Light that not only easily destroyed its attack but also knocked it back into its original form. Fortunately, its innate ability, Gigantification, actually only enlarged its real body to five or six times its original size, then used that as the core to form an enormous body fifty or sixty meters tall.

The instant that terrifying sword light struck, the Golden Ape inside the giant body had poured all its remaining energy into that body. Only then had it barely managed to withstand the slash.

The Golden Ape decisively stuffed the pill into its mouth. The instant the Qi Cultivation Pill entered its body, pure medicinal power automatically surged throughout it. Within moments, more than half its Dou Qi had recovered, and its weakened condition had improved considerably.

Beside them, the pill's fragrance had already made Zi Yan crave it. After witnessing its powerful effects, her eyes shone even brighter. "Boss, I want some too!"

Without hesitation, Liu Yu handed Zi Yan the jade bottle, which still contained three Qi Cultivation Pills. At the same time, he explained, "These pills are for restoring Dou Qi. You can't just eat them whenever you like."

Zi Yan accepted the jade bottle, cast a yearning glance at the pills inside, then put it into her Storage Ring. Her boss had said she could not eat them casually, and she had to listen to him.

"Boss, are you an alchemist?"

Zi Yan gazed at Liu Yu expectantly. If her boss was an alchemist, he could refine pills for her to eat every day. Hehe...

"Yes. If you find medicinal ingredients in the future, I can refine them into tastier little pills for you."

Liu Yu chuckled. How could he fail to see what Zi Yan was thinking? Refining medicinal pills was an extremely complicated task, but simply processing a single ingredient into pill form and adding a few things was all too easy. He could do it with a casual effort.

These little pills were made from only one medicinal ingredient and retained the wild nature of its medicinal power. Ordinary people would never take them, as their bodies, far weaker than those of magical beasts, could not withstand that power. Nor would alchemists waste ingredients refining little pellets that did not even qualify as proper medicinal pills.

"Boss, you're the best!" Zi Yan involuntarily swallowed, as though she could already picture her happy life ahead. After coming back to herself, she spoke rudely to the Golden Ape again. "Stinking monkey, what are you standing around for? Hurry up and take me to the fruits!"

Feeling the Dou Qi rapidly recovering inside its body, the Golden Ape was somewhat astonished. But upon hearing Zi Yan's words, it hurriedly led her and Liu Yu toward its territory.

In a dense forest, the Golden Ape led Liu Yu and Zi Yan to an ancient tree that towered into the heavens. Its trunk was five or six meters thick, and its top was beyond the reach of their eyes. Moreover, the entire tree had a golden-yellow hue.

With a few leaps, the Golden Ape climbed into a hollow in the ancient tree. Before long, it returned to Liu Yu and Zi Yan with two golden fruits the size of an adult's fist.

Upon seeing the golden fruits, Zi Yan snatched both straight from the Golden Ape's hands. An almost human expression of anguish appeared on its face. After handing over these two Mighty Vajra Fruits, it would have only one left.

After snatching the golden fruits, Zi Yan presented them to Liu Yu as though offering precious treasures. "Boss, one for you and one for me. Refine mine into little pills."

Liu Yu accepted the golden fruits. Once he got a clear look at them, he recognized what they were.

These were called Mighty Vajra Fruits. Shaped like apes, they were treasures that grew alongside a certain unusual beast, bearing one fruit every hundred years. They contained pure, extraordinary energy and were among the few heavenly treasures humans could consume directly.

Of course, those below Dou Wang would not consume them directly. The reason was simple: they could not withstand the medicinal power. Most would prepare them into Spirit Liquid instead.

Drinking this Spirit Liquid could work miracles in tempering the body. For example, a "scrawny runt" could take one sip and instantly turn into a muscular powerhouse.

Thanks to Kesulu Asatuosizyz for the monthly ticket.