"This platform sure is spacious!" He Wenchang and his two companions climbed onto the platform and looked around its wide, empty expanse.
Seeing this, the woodcutter and hunter also went up to investigate.
The officials who had led the way, however, regarded the platform as though it were a natural predator. They did not dare approach, only saying timidly from below, "Be careful, brave warriors. That monster can see far and wide. Once it spots someone standing on the platform, it will leave its nest to feed. It is ferocious."
He Wenchang answered with a hearty laugh, drew the sword at his waist along with his two friends, and looked around.
They had dared to venture out together in search of medicine because they had martial skills of their own. Though they could not compare to a scion of a martial arts clan like Lu Xiu, they were no slouches.
They waited a good while, but the demonic bird did not appear.
Lu Xiu, the fisherman, and the farmer climbed onto the platform one after another, leaving only Ao Ding and Sun Chen below.
"Boy, aren't you going up for a look?"
Ao Ding quickly shook his head.
He suspected that this platform might be an altar for blood sacrifices. Why would he foolishly take the risk?
Seeing Ao Ding so timid and cautious, Sun Chen sighed again and thought to himself: This boy is timid and fainthearted. That is no good temperament for the path of cultivation. He will need careful guidance in the future.
But then he remembered that he was dying and silently added: I'll leave that worry to my senior brothers in the Guangfa Sect.
Boom-
Suddenly, the sky darkened, and a sinister wind sprang up.
With a piercing cry that shook their ears, a blaze of golden light hurtled down from the sky.
"The demonic bird is here! Be careful!"
The officials took one look at the golden light and fled at a run, abandoning the ten brave warriors.
They even called out before leaving? It doesn't look as though they regard us as sacrifices? Ao Ding watched the dust raised by those Beauty Ants as they ran for their lives and pondered.
Then he turned to examine the golden light descending from the sky.
The demonic bird stood three zhang tall, its plumage golden throughout, with a cloud-shaped golden crest upon its head. Only on its wings and tail could individual red feathers be seen.
"Huh? A Red 𫜁 Bird?"
The words slipped out before Ao Ding could stop them. Though its appearance was very different, its bearing, its build, its movements...
They were so familiar!
The Red 𫜁 Bird, commonly called the "Firecloud Pheasant" in the Seven Spirits Sect, was a spirit poultry ingredient regularly stocked in the kitchen gardens. It could command fire, nourish yin and replenish yang, and its magnificent feathers were suitable for ornaments and clothing. The Seven Spirits Sect raised many of them.
In the past, Ao Ding's research into the "Chicken Feather-Shedding Curse" had depended on the Red 𫜁 Birds' selfless contributions.
But...
How could those "Firecloud Pheasants" raised by the Seven Spirits Sect compare to this enormous bird before him?
Even standing here, Ao Ding could feel the formidable presence radiating from its body.
Sun Chen smiled. "Careful, boy! This bird looks much like a Red 𫜁 Bird, but it isn't merely descended from one-this is a hybrid of a Golden-Winged Bird and a Red 𫜁 Bird... It is called a 'Golden-Peng Pheasant,' meaning a chicken that looks like a great peng. Hmm, whose chicken coop wasn't properly watched, letting this thing escape?"
Golden-Winged Bird referred to the golden-winged great peng. These divine birds had plump, delicious flesh and were much loved by the True Persons of the Jade Cauldron Sect. But their numbers were scarce, making it difficult to eat them regularly. Using dragons as bait, the Jade Cauldron Sect had managed, with great difficulty, to capture three flocks. They then crossbred Golden-Winged Birds with a hundred kinds of birds from across the world, producing many unusual varieties of meat poultry. The Golden-Peng Pheasant was among the finest and sometimes appeared at banquets of the six sects.
"Huh?" Ao Ding blinked, then looked eager to try his hand.
The Golden-Peng Pheasant was also recorded in the kitchen gardens' books. Supposedly, at the Seven Spirits Sect's height, Golden-Peng Pheasants had once graced its tables, but it could no longer raise such spirit poultry.
But-
If it was a chicken, that made things easy.
Ao Ding stared at the great bird on the platform, growing ever more excited as he silently tightened his grip on his wooden staff and sought an opening.
Though He Wenchang and his two companions were terrified by the meat chicken's enormous size, they still mustered their courage and charged forward, swinging their swords.
The hunter behind them swiftly leaped off the platform, hid in a concealed spot, and rapidly drew arrows from his quiver, shooting them at the Golden-Peng Pheasant in a continuous stream.
Screee-
With just one cry, all the swords striking the bird and the arrows snapped.
The great golden bird stretched its neck, its enormous beak sharp as a spear, and pecked straight at He Wenchang's head.
Seeing this, Lu Xiu abruptly used his lightness skill to dart forward, swinging his sword across the bird's beak.
Bang-
His treasured sword shattered inch by inch. With no time to mourn it, Lu Xiu seized the chance to drag He Wenchang away. The two rolled with the momentum, narrowly escaping the great bird's answering peck.
"Cheep-" Unwilling to give up, the Golden-Peng Pheasant fixed its gaze on the two figures and lunged again.
Suddenly, a streak of white light shot up from below the platform.
"Han Yin Falling Feathers-"
The white light struck the bird, jolting it backward again and again. An invisible force swept over its plumage, forcibly stripping away quite a few feathers.
"Cheep-" The Golden-Peng Pheasant flew into a rage and turned to glare at Ao Ding below the platform.
Ao Ding continued to keep Sun Chen shielding him in front, waving his wooden staff as he cast spells without pause.
He flung out one "Chicken Feather-Shedding Curse" after another. Whenever the Golden-Peng Pheasant tried to move, the spells drove it back, sending feathers flying.
This curse had developed from the Great Skinning Method and specifically targeted chickens.
After several exchanges, the Golden-Peng Pheasant's eyes were red with fury. With patches of plumage missing here and there, it looked utterly ridiculous.
Hum-
The great bird shook its remaining feathers, and scarlet flames blazed around it.
"Careful, it's going to breathe fire-" Seeing this, Sun Chen immediately warned everyone.
He Wenchang hurriedly called for everyone to jump off the platform.
Rumble-
A searing pillar of fire swept across the platform. As the Golden-Peng Pheasant spewed flames wildly, the surroundings became a sea of fire.
Hiding behind Sun Chen, Ao Ding saw the oncoming flames actually bend around Sun Chen of their own accord, leaving a fire-free space three zhang across around him.
A True Person's protective immortal Gang really is useful.
The youth silently marveled and gestured to the others nearby.
Understanding him, the others crawled along the ground and stealthily shifted behind Sun Chen. All nine of them kept the white-haired old man in front as a shield.
"..." Sun Chen looked at the nine people behind him, momentarily at a loss for words.
He sighed and asked Ao Ding, "What do you think?"
"I can fight it. My curses counter it-but I'm worried the Jiaxia Kingdom might go back on its word... If I have to deal with these... of the Jiaxia Kingdom, I won't be able to do anything."
Sun Chen suddenly laughed. "What a coincidence. The Jiaxia Kingdom can deal with you, but can do nothing against this bird. That is the principle of all things giving rise to and overcoming one another."
The derivative curse Ao Ding had comprehended from "Skinning Hell," the "Chicken Feather-Shedding Spell," naturally countered birds. But his understanding of the "Great Skinning Method of the Five Creatures and Ten Kinds" was far too shallow; he could not yet strip the skins off "ants." If a large swarm of Beauty Ants surrounded and attacked him, he would surely end up skinned and dismembered to feed their larvae-however little blood Baleful Intent these Beauty Ants possessed, they still had a tiny bit. Was killing a minor Seed Qi Realm cultivator so difficult?
By contrast, this Golden-Peng Pheasant fed on ants and bees, naturally countering the Beauty Ants of the Jiaxia Kingdom. Whenever these Beauty Ants approached it, they grew dizzy and disoriented, their legs weak, leaving them at its mercy to peck up and swallow.
"So I need to negotiate the terms with the Jiaxia Kingdom beforehand and establish an oath. Otherwise, after we get rid of the demonic bird, they might refuse to open the hidden treasury and insist on forcing me to marry." Ao Ding sighed ruefully. "Although I have no interest in those 'princesses,' with my looks, I worry that lust might cloud their minds and ruin our real business."
Sun Chen nodded. "That is prudent."
He casually pointed a finger, and the Golden-Peng Pheasant seemed to suffer a grievous blow, hurriedly flapping its wings and fleeing.
Then he addressed everyone.
"We have learned roughly what this bird is capable of. Let us return first and discuss our next steps."
Realizing that this "grandfather and grandson" were no ordinary mortals, He Wenchang quickly nodded.
Cultivators?
With their help, this journey is assured!
The other woodcutter and fisherman had few calculations of their own. Seeing most of the others agree, they silently followed the crowd.
Soon, as the party of ten walked back, they encountered the officials waiting in the distance.
Those Beauty Ants enthusiastically gathered around them, asking after their well-being.
Ao Ding stepped forward and said slowly, "We can deal with this bird. But there are some details we must discuss with your kingdom. Please have a few people in charge come to the prince consorts' residence to confer with us."
The officials nodded repeatedly, sending someone back with the news while escorting everyone to the prince consorts' residence.
Before long, three graceful princesses arrived with a large group of maids to offer their regards.
After looking over the ten people, the eldest princess directed her gaze straight at the two youngest among them and could not look away for a long time.
The officials had already reported Ao Ding and the others' actions.
Now, seeing that one of the two was handsome and radiant, the other valiant and good-looking, her heart burned all the hotter.
These two have a future affinity with the immortal path. If I could bind myself to one in marriage, I too would have my good fortune in the days to come!
But she suddenly noticed that the two girls beside her were also staring straight at those two, and her heart jolted. The eldest princess hurried forward and bowed to Ao Ding and Lu Xiu.
"I hear that you brave warriors have a way to defeat the enemy. Please accept my thanks."
Ao Ding swiftly dodged aside and deliberately put some distance between them.
Though he was not using his "left eye" at present, the image of the Beauty Ants remained imprinted on his mind, refusing to fade.
Imagining an enormous ant the size of an ox or horse slowly crawling up to him, its mouthparts opening and closing, then gradually lowering its head until those mouthparts slowly touched his own head...
No, thank you!
"Rest assured, Princess. We have a way, and we are willing to help. But there are certain matters concerning afterward that need to be settled beforehand. Of the ten of us, three are willing to marry princesses, three wish to take their payment and leave, and the four of us..."
As Ao Ding spoke, everyone quietly separated according to what they had discussed on the way back.
He Wenchang, his friend Wang Mao, and the hunter were willing to marry princesses.
The woodcutter and hunter were paternal cousins. The woodcutter had no intention of marrying and planned to take the money.
The fisherman and farmer had wives and children at home and wanted to take the money and leave.
As for He Wenchang's other friend, Lin Bai, he stood with Sun Chen, Ao Ding, and Lu Xiu.
"Brother Lin Bai and Senior Sun need the longevity medicine, while we wish to borrow the Innate Divine Spring."
Sun Chen had originally wanted nothing, but when Ao Ding heard He Wenchang, Lin Bai, and the others say that the Jiaxia Kingdom had longevity medicine, he too had begun considering it.
Perhaps this medicine could extend Sun Chen's life?
Failing that, even one more day would be good.
The eldest princess showed no unusual reaction to the earlier requests. Only upon hearing about the longevity medicine did her brows knit slightly.
And when she heard the startling words "Innate Divine Spring," her expression abruptly changed.
The princess hesitated. "Opening the hidden treasury's divine spring is not something my household alone can decide. We must send a state letter to the Jiashang Kingdom and discuss it together..."
Sun Chen burst out laughing. "Is the Jiashang Kingdom still the same household as three thousand years ago? If it is that swarm of bee women, then you fear the Golden-Peng Pheasant, but do they not fear it too?"
The Jiaxia Kingdom consisted of Beauty Ants, while the Jiashang Kingdom consisted of Jade Dew Black Bees. The two kingdoms were usually enemies, but regarding the Golden-Peng Pheasant, they were allies.
Until the Golden-Peng Pheasant was eliminated, neither kingdom would ever know a day of peace.
The princess said no more, merely instructing a maid to go to the palace and report to her mother.
Soon, someone sent by the sovereign returned and whispered into the eldest princess's ear for a while.
The eldest princess's expression relaxed, and she said with a lovely smile.
"Our kingdom agrees to your requests. May I ask when you will eliminate the demon?"
Ao Ding felt reassured. "Tomorrow will do. But to be safe, we still need to put it in writing."
Before you continue