Kunpeng Wings

"Mm." Die nodded rather sheepishly.

"Wait for me!" Chen Mo slid down the rock wall again. The ground by the underground river below was very damp, and he was afraid of falling into the river.

Only after scooping up two handfuls did Die say she was no longer thirsty.

"Thank you!" Die said shyly, her hands clasped behind her back.

Ding! Favorability +1. Obtained 1 Favorability Coin.

"You don't need to be so polite with me." Chen Mo glanced at the darkening sky beyond the canyon and said, "This place seems pretty good. It's close to a water source, and I saw fish and shrimp in the underground river earlier, so we don't need to worry about food.

For the next few days, we'll have to stay here and wait until things settle down before going out."

There was something Chen Mo did not say. As long as Die did not show herself, the Tagor Desert would not know peace.

Staying here was merely an excuse. His real goal was to fleece Die for more benefits.

"Ah, okay." Die stared blankly at Chen Mo for a moment, then nodded.

Once the sky had fully darkened, Chen Mo lit a fire in a cave within the canyon. The fire was not large, and since it was inside the cave, the outside world could not see its glow at all.

With the cover of night, the rising smoke was also less likely to expose them.

Chen Mo went to great lengths to catch two fish from the underground river. He skewered them on dry branches and set them over the fire to roast.

Outside the canyon, the roars of various magical beasts mingled with the howling wind, echoing without end.

Inside the canyon cave, a lone man and woman shared the same space. Separated by the firelight, they sat facing each other. Neither spoke, yet neither was at peace.

Sizzle!

A spark shot from the fire. Chen Mo turned the fish over, and before long, the fragrant smell of roasted fish drifted through the cave. Chen Mo was the first to speak. "This fish is done. You eat first!"

Chen Mo handed the fish that had finished roasting first to Die.

Die brushed aside the strands of hair clinging to her face, then added more firewood to the flames. "I'm not hungry yet. You eat first. You're injured!"

Chen Mo glanced sideways at Die, propped up the fish that had not finished roasting, then stood and walked over with the cooked fish.

Without another word, he grabbed Die's Jade Hand and forcibly stuffed the roasted fish into it. "I told you not to be so polite with me. Besides, I have one too. Mine just isn't cooked yet."

Seeing Chen Mo act so domineeringly and feeling the warmth from his hand around hers, Die's face instantly flushed scarlet.

She then quietly pulled free, took the roasted fish, and sat off to one side. Lowering her head, she began taking small bites.

Ding! Favorability +3. Obtained 3 Favorability Coins. Hand-Holding Bonus triggered. Obtained Yellow-Rank Advanced Flying Skill - Kunpeng Wings (Upgradeable).

"Hmm?"

Chen Mo raised his Sword Brows. This was the second time the hand-holding bonus had been triggered. He communicated with the system in his mind. "What is the hand-holding bonus?"

The hand-holding bonus is one of the intimacy bonuses. These include kissing bonuses, hugging bonuses, and more. Triggering an intimacy bonus grants additional rewards.

The system quickly gave an explanation.

Hearing that, Chen Mo's eyes widened slightly.

A bold thought surfaced in his mind.

Of course, it was only a thought.

"System, what does it mean that these Kunpeng Wings can be upgraded?"

Chen Mo could not help feeling excited.

In the original work, only experts at the Dou Ling realm or above could achieve brief flight off the ground. Once one reached the Dou Wang or Dou Emperor realm, they could condense energy wings behind their backs with released Dou Qi, allowing them to break free from the earth and soar into the clouds.

Other than that, only those precious flying skills could grant the ability to fly.

The host may inspect it personally.

Chen Mo tapped to inspect it.

He then discovered that being upgradeable simply meant spending Favorability Coins to level it up.

For example, Kunpeng Wings were currently Yellow-Rank Advanced.

Spending ten Favorability Coins could upgrade them to Mysterious-Rank Initial Stage.

Chen Mo currently had fifteen Favorability Coins, so he immediately muttered an upgrade command in his mind.

In an instant, Kunpeng Wings rose to Mysterious-Rank Initial Stage.

This flying skill was a means for Chen Mo to save his life. Naturally, he could not be stingy with Favorability Coins when it came to that.

"W-What's wrong with you?" Seeing that Chen Mo had not come back but instead stood there in a daze, Die asked in confusion.

"Nothing."

Chen Mo regained his senses, returned to sit opposite Die, and resumed roasting the fish.

While Chen Mo concentrated on roasting the fish, Die ate hers while secretly stealing glances at him.

When her gaze fell upon the young man's sturdy, masculine body, the blush that had yet to fade from her face grew even brighter.

After finishing the roasted fish.

Die added more firewood to the flames. She had wanted to talk to Chen Mo, but she discovered that he had sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, seemingly cultivating.

I'd better not disturb him.

Die curled up with her Snake Tail and lay down, resting her head on her hands. Through the firelight, her beautiful eyes remained fixed on Chen Mo's face.

As he cultivated quietly, Chen Mo's consciousness sank into his body. Once one's cultivation reached the Dou Zhe realm, one could internally observe the gathered Qi vortex, allowing him to clearly see his own vortex.

Because of his cultivation art, both his vortex and the Dou Qi condensed within his body were black and white, like a patch of chaos.

After regulating his vital energy back to normal, Chen Mo extracted Kunpeng Wings and began cultivating them.

He would master his life-saving technique first.

A flood of memories surged into Chen Mo's mind.

At once, a shocking image appeared.

It was an enormous Kunpeng, roughly ten thousand zhang in size. With a spread of its wings, it soared ninety thousand li into the sky in the blink of an eye.

Chen Mo drew in a sharp breath.

But in the next moment, intense pain erupted from Chen Mo's back, as though someone were implanting something into it.

The piercing agony made Chen Mo cry out instantly.

Seeing this, Die hurriedly got to her feet and rushed to Chen Mo's side. She asked anxiously, "What's wrong? What's wrong? Did your wound split open?"

Seeing the veins bulging on Chen Mo's face and the cold sweat pouring down him, Die grew increasingly worried. But with her memories lost, she could not think of any good solution. She could only choke back a sob in her heart.

What do I do? What do I do? You can't let anything happen to you...

Die touched Chen Mo's body and found that he was burning hot. Yet when she looked at the pitch-black underground river, she realized she was completely helpless.

I'm so useless.

Filled with self-blame, she gritted her teeth, sat down, wrapped her arms around Chen Mo's waist, and pressed her entire body against his back.

It was the only method she could think of. She did not know whether it would work.

Chen Mo had no idea that Die had done something so drastic. His consciousness was struggling against the remnant soul of the Kunpeng flooding into his mind.

Like a drill, the Kunpeng's remnant soul desperately bored into his mind. This was only after upgrading it to Mysterious-Rank Initial Stage. If he upgraded it again, Chen Mo did not know what torment he would have to endure.

Experiencing a soul attack for the first time, Chen Mo's entire body suddenly shuddered, and his face turned several shades paler.

Chen Mo hurriedly circulated the Supreme Primordial Chaos Art to resist it.

Chen Mo did not know how long the struggle lasted. His consciousness grew increasingly hazy, until he eventually fainted.

In a daze, he seemed to hear a woman crying continuously by his ear.