Alive

In the dense forest, the golden eagle under Wentesi's control darted from side to side at tremendous speed, swooping up and down, weaving left and right.

Like an exquisitely skilled aerial dancer, it danced gracefully among the trees.

It was the result of Wentesi's years of accumulated flying experience.

Back in the Western fantasy world, Wentesi had been hunted by goblins just after he hatched.

If he hadn't managed to take flight in that desperate situation, the goblins would have caught him and boiled him into soup long ago.

The experience had also taught him a valuable lesson, and he hunted goblins whenever he had the chance.

"What's going on with this demon bird? How did it break my golden threads just now? Most peculiar.

"My golden thread Law Technique is a Metal Virtue Law Technique. By all rights, [Wind Qi] shouldn't counter it.

"Could it have some special innate talent or Law Artifact?"

The old man pursuing them through the air on his golden disc Law Artifact was deeply puzzled. He stared fixedly at the golden eagle weaving back and forth ahead of him.

Up ahead, Wentesi, who was controlling the golden eagle, had already split off half his consciousness to try to control his red dragon body.

"You're Shilongzi, aren't you?"

The Crow Lord, being carried through the air in the golden eagle's great talons, suddenly spoke. He stared at the eagle's eyes, which had become vertical pupils of flowing gold, and asked the question.

He hadn't yet come to his senses after the golden eagle rescued him, then carried him out of the dense forest in its talons.

Now, looking at those flowing golden slit pupils, identical to Shilongzi's, he finally understood.

"I don't have time for you. If you can move on your own, hurry up and get down."

Wentesi's attention was entirely elsewhere, so he gave the Crow Lord only a brief reply.

"No, no, I'm safer sticking with you. Just keep carrying me like this."

The Crow Lord hastily refused. Now that he had confirmed the consciousness in the golden eagle had been replaced by another demon's, he felt at ease.

Somewhere along the way, he had come to rely deeply on Shilongzi, trusting in his strength and wisdom.

After the chase went on for quite some time, the spiritual power in the golden eagle's body showed signs of running dry, and Wentesi's consciousness finally returned.

The fierce, flowing golden slit pupils of the golden eagle's eyes changed back to their normal brownish-black, a sign that Wentesi's consciousness had returned to his own body.

It happened so suddenly that the Field of Merit golden eagle failed to react and froze for a moment.

The golden eagle and the Crow Lord in its talons plunged forward like an arrow.

"A fine opportunity. The demon bird's exhausted itself."

Seeing this, the old man behind them judged that the golden eagle had run out of spiritual power and strength.

He immediately drove his flying golden disc faster and gave chase.

At the same time, the old man moved his hands through a series of gestures, firing several three-inch golden threads at the golden eagle and the Crow Lord.

But just then, the old man inexplicably felt a chill run down his spine and caught a whiff of danger.

Years of battle-honed instinct made him react instantly. He stopped firing the golden thread Law Technique and abandoned the golden disc Law Artifact beneath his feet.

Without hesitation, he leaped to the left, tumbled to the ground, and rolled several times before using the momentum to spring up and dodge.

Sure enough, almost the instant after he fled, his golden disc Law Artifact was swallowed by a golden, blasting pillar of fire.

The pillar of fire was terrifyingly powerful and covered an enormous area.

The golden disc Law Artifact didn't last even a second. The instant it was struck, it shattered and exploded.

"Who's there?"

The old man bellowed in anger. If he hadn't reacted quickly just now, that pillar of fire would have struck him.

Qi Ingestion Realm cultivators were different from mortals: they could fly on Law Artifacts and learn many Law Techniques.

Their lifespans reached three sixty-year cycles, or one hundred and eighty years, but their bodies were still mostly flesh and blood. They couldn't withstand such a terrifying blow.

Another pillar of fire answered him.

Boom!

This time, the old man was prepared. He slapped his chest, and a golden talisman appeared there, emitting several earth-colored rings of light that covered him.

The earth-colored rings of light held firm, keeping the pillar of fire at bay.

The old man's thoughts raced:

Where did that Fire Virtue Law Technique come from? Could it really be as that crow said, that he's a scion of some Demon Race?

Its power is nothing to scoff at either. It's at least at the Middle Stage of Qi Ingestion.

I'll sound him out first. If he really is a Demon Race scion, I'll decide what to do then. I mustn't offend a member of the Demon Race.

The old man left the earthy yellow rings of light in place and used the Sound Amplification Technique from within them, calling out in a clear voice:

"May I ask which fellow Daoist has intervened? Why not come out and meet me? I mean no harm to my young golden eagle and crow friends. Please don't misunderstand, and I ask for your understanding."

His voice echoed through the forest with the Sound Amplification Technique, but no one answered for a long time.

A long while passed, and still there was no response. Unable to contain himself, the old man took out another talisman, ready to activate it at any moment.

The old man slowly withdrew the earthy yellow rings of light and looked around. All was silent.

There was no sign of the golden eagle, the Crow Lord, or the mysterious Fire Virtue enemy.

"They slipped away?"

The old man was bewildered.

Elsewhere.

"Caw, caw! Shilongzi, thanks to you, I wasn't caught by that damned human old man and taken to the market to be sold as a spirit beast.

"Your subordinate wasn't much better off. He was going to be butchered like an ordinary farm animal."

The newly freed Crow Lord circled and flew cheerfully around Shilongzi's body.

"It's nothing, but you two need to be more careful next time. I was lucky this time and happened to see you, so I saved you. There's no telling what will happen next time."

Wentesi furrowed his draconic brows.

"Ah, don't the humans have a saying? Away from home, a person is worth little. It's the same for us demons. When we go somewhere else, we're easily bullied."

The Crow Lord sighed and said helplessly:

"All right, cheer up. Hurry to that market, and if there's a problem, have the golden eagle contact me."

With that, Wentesi spread his dragon wings and flew away.

He couldn't stay here long. Who knew when that bunch of Greater Yin cultivators would come looking to make trouble for him?

Come to think of it, this was far too unsafe.

Was there some kind of foresight Law Technique or divination method that could warn him of danger in advance?

That way, he could know of danger ahead of time and prepare to deal with it.

Wentesi pondered the matter, searching through his various knowledge from both the Western fantasy world and the world of immortal cultivation.

Foreseeing the future and avoiding calamity... I remember that one kind of mage in the Western fantasy world could do that: divination mages, one of the five great schools of magic.

I can look for relevant knowledge when I get back.

Wentesi set that as his goal, then thought of the world of immortal cultivation again.

The world of immortal cultivation here presumably has something like that too. Otherwise, Greater Yin couldn't have found my whereabouts.

Let me think. [Emptiness Sun] among the Greater Yang paths seems to have that ability. It can observe time and trace the unfolding order, discern cycles of rise and fall and calamity, and know the waxing and waning of heaven and earth.

[Star Sun] can also observe the stars, divine fortune and misfortune, and know calamity and blessings.

Hiss! Two paths in Greater Yang can make such predictions, and my Cultivation Method just happens to be neither of them.

Wentesi couldn't help feeling a headache coming on.

Forget it, forget it. I'll go home first. I breathed dragon fire three times today, and now I'm hungry. Time to eat.

The next moment, Wentesi's draconic figure vanished into the horizon.

Emerald Valley territory.

The newly arrived minotaurs were clearing land and making fields along the edge of the planting area.

With more children being born in the territory and more outsiders arriving, the food supply was falling somewhat short.

Although the six granaries held ample reserves, enough to last a long time, the chief steward Kru still ordered his subordinates to clear land and plant crops, just in case.

A young, strong minotaur strained to pull a plow forward through the earth, while an old minotaur held the plow steady behind him.

The two minotaurs labored to plow the land, turning it loose and deep.

After plowing for most of the day, it was finally time to rest.

Father and son silently went to the foreman and each received a dipper of water. Then they returned to the area they were responsible for, sat down to rest, and drank without a word.

The sound of water being gulped down rang out.

"Father, do you think we'll get enough to eat?"

The young minotaur looked at the furrows he had plowed with his own hands as he asked.

He hadn't had his fill in a long time. Under their previous orc lord, their group of minotaurs had been given only the bare minimum of food, just enough to fill their bellies, while being made to do heavy labor and quarry stone.

"I don't know, child. I don't know either."

The elderly minotaur spoke after a moment of silence.

"Father, I heard Steward Kru said one-tenth of the harvest from every field would be ours."

The young minotaur couldn't help speaking up. He had heard another minotaur say it during the preaching that morning.

"Child, don't believe what those important people say. Their words can't be trusted."

The elderly minotaur shook his head, one of its horns broken off, and sighed.

He had seen too many things like this. First, they painted you a picture of a feast.

And then? Then there was nothing.

Those important people were often like that. His half a lifetime of experience had taught him not to believe any important person's promises or assurances.

As long as he stayed alive, that was enough. He shouldn't try to climb higher or ask for anything more.

Just staying alive was enough.

Just then, a gigantic red figure appeared in the sky and swooped down.

The territory immediately erupted in cheers. Their red dragon lord had arrived.

"Father, at least we won't be attacked by Devil Beasts anymore, and other orcs won't bully us anymore."

The young minotaur pointed at the enormous figure in the sky and spoke excitedly.

The elderly minotaur looked at the dragon circling overhead and thought silently.

I hope so.