bookbashuk Chapter 8 Forming a Bond with a Spirit Bird
Chapter 8 Forming a Bond with a Spirit Bird
Xuan Yao carefully put away the Jade Dew Blessing and the Heart-Soothing Scepter, without lingering there for even a moment.
He always acted decisively and was well aware of the principle that "a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime."
The fact that this place could attract that gray-robed Taoist means that the sliver of precious light that leaked out when the restriction was broken, as well as the Xuanxian aura that erupted during the brief battle between the two, has most likely already attracted the attention of other wandering cultivators in the vicinity.
Having already obtained the innate fortune that truly aligns with one's own Dao, if one continues to linger with insatiable greed, attempting to plunder petty gains, then one is only inviting calamity upon oneself needlessly.
Therefore, Xuan Yao immediately used Xi Kunlun's secret technique of concealing his breath to suppress all the bloodthirsty energy around him that had just experienced the carnage.
With a flicker of his body, he vanished tens of thousands of miles in a single breath.
Only after completely leaving that place of trouble did Xuan Yao slightly slow down the speed of his escape light.
Instead of rushing on his way, he began to walk and admire the scenery above the clouds, using the fierce winds blowing in his face and the magnificent and majestic mountains and rivers along the way to calm the still restless black tiger instincts within him after the life-and-death battle.
Cultivating the Tao and cultivating the mind.
The core of "The True Explanation of the Golden Palace Mysterious Evil" lies in controlling evil rather than releasing it.
Killing and violence are merely means to protect the Way.
If one indulges solely in the thrill of tearing apart powerful enemies, then one has fallen into the inferior trap of a ferocious beast.
On his way back, Xuan Yao passed through a cold stream canyon that was shrouded in thick fog all year round.
The canyon was bottomless, the stream was icy cold, and it faintly exuded a chilling, murky underground atmosphere.
Just as he was about to fly over this place on a cloud, he suddenly heard a sharp and piercing screech and several desperate and mournful crane cries.
Xuan Yao stared intently.
In the air above the Cold Creek Canyon, seven or eight earth-fiend bats, each the size of a calf, were flapping their fleshy wings and frantically attacking two elegant spirit cranes.
The two cranes had snow-white feathers and crimson hair on their heads.
At this moment, however, they were covered in wounds, and their white wings were stained with shocking bloodstains, clearly indicating that they had gone through a fierce battle.
Meanwhile, the earth-fiend bats grew increasingly rampant, continuously spewing out gray-black earth-fiend poisonous gas from their mouths, attempting to completely poison the two spirit cranes so they could feast on their spiritually rich flesh and blood.
Xuan Yao sensed them briefly and immediately saw through their true nature.
They are nothing more than a group of demons who have been absorbing the turbid air from the ground for many years and have barely reached the level of Earth Immortals.
Such creatures were like ants to Xuan Yao, who was now at the Xuanxian realm and possessed an incomparably powerful physical body; they couldn't even withstand a casual swipe of his claw.
Given the cold-hearted nature of most demon cultivators in the prehistoric world, they would mostly ignore such a battle that had nothing to do with them and simply turn their backs and leave.
After all, the law of the jungle is the law of nature, and no one has the time to meddle in other people's business.
Xuan Yao had originally planned to do the same.
But when his divine sense swept over the two struggling cranes, he keenly detected a very familiar, pure and spiritual aura emanating from them.
"Is this... a sign of the unique pure energy nourishing the Yaochi lineage of Xikunlun?"
Xuan Yao's heart stirred slightly.
These two cranes are clearly exotic birds that inhabit the outer perimeter of Xikunlun or at the foot of Yaochi Mountain.
Although they may not have truly embarked on the path of cultivation, let alone be considered disciples of the Queen Mother of the West.
But since we drink from the sacred spring of West Kunlun and bathe in the pure air of Yaochi.
In this vast and primordial wilderness, it can be said that we have been touched by a trace of cause and effect from the same origin.
"So be it. Since you are all beings of the same lineage from Xikunlun, and you have met today, then consider your fates not to perish."
Xuan Yao did not hesitate any longer.
He leaped into the air, his massive body plunging directly down from the clouds.
"Whoosh—!"
The shadow moved like lightning, incredibly fast.
The earth-fiend bats, who were preparing to enjoy their blood feast, didn't even have time to utter a scream before everything went black.
Immediately afterwards, several sharp claw shadows flashing with black and gold light appeared out of thin air.
"Pfft! Pfft!"
The sounds of flesh tearing apart rang out one after another.
Seven or eight Earth Immortal-level Earth Fiend Bats were instantly killed in mid-air by Xuan Yao's nonchalant attack.
The sudden turn of events left the two startled cranes frozen in mid-air.
When they realized that the one who had saved them was a huge black tiger exuding a terrifying aura, they were shocked.
Their feathers bristled with fear, and they flapped their tattered wings as they retreated, their eyes filled with terror.
In their simple understanding, having just escaped the wolf's den only to fall into the tiger's mouth, this black tiger is probably a thousand times more terrifying than those earthly bats.
Seeing this, Xuan Yao was not angry.
He hovered in the void, actively concealing the Xuan Sha Qi around him, while slightly revealing a wisp of the Qing He magic power belonging to the Yaochi of Xikunlun within his body.
Sensing this harmonious aura of shared origin, the fear in the eyes of the two cranes gradually dissipated.
They seemed to realize that the powerful being before them was not there to prey on them, but was genuinely trying to save them.
The two cranes circled twice in mid-air before carefully landing on the boulder in front of Xuan Yao.
They chirped softly at Xuan Yao a few times, their voices filled with gratitude.
Immediately afterwards, one of the larger cranes lowered its head and carefully plucked a pure white feather, shrouded in a faint glow, from the softest part of its nest on its abdomen with its sharp beak.
It took two steps forward, gently placed the white feather on the ground in front of Xuan Yao, then stepped back and respectfully bowed its head.
Xuan Yao's gaze sharpened, and with a slight sense, he knew the value of this item.
This is not an ordinary bird feather, but a feather that this spirit crane has nurtured within its body over a long period of time by inhaling and exhaling the pure energy of heaven and earth.
Although this item has no innate restrictions and cannot be considered an innate spiritual treasure, it naturally possesses a wisp of pure and peaceful innate energy, which can play an excellent role in harmonizing the evil nature of magical treasures and purifying their spirits.
"It is indeed a spirit bird that understands human nature."
Xuan Yao secretly praised him.
He had just snatched a black flying fork with a strong killing intent from the gray-robed Taoist, and was worried that the foul aura on the flying fork was too vicious to be directly refined and used.
If we have the help of this treasure, which contains the spirit crane and has been nurtured by the pure spirit essence for countless years, it can be used to cleanse the evil and filth on the flying fork and harmonize its fierce nature when it is refined again in the future.
Xuan Yao looked at the white feather on the ground, then at the two grateful cranes, and a strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart.
He traversed hundreds of thousands of years of primordial chaos, witnessing countless acts of deceit and treachery along the way.
He studied the "True Explanation of the Golden Palace Mysterious Demon," and killing, seizing treasures, and scheming against people's hearts were all commonplace for him.
He had just killed the gray-robed Taoist and obtained the Jade Dew Blessing and the Heart-Soothing Jade Ornament; these were opportunities he had fought for with his life.
But this magical feather before me contained no trace of conspiracy or scheme, nor any coercion or enticement.
Simply because he followed his heart and performed a small act of kindness.
Such pure gratitude, born of nature, fell into his hands without hindrance, like spring rain nourishing all things.
"Fortune, fortune..."
Xuan Yao muttered to himself, when suddenly a thought struck him.
It was as if a tightly closed door in his mind had been quietly pushed open.
He finally grasped the true meaning of the four characters "福德御煞" more directly.
Killing and fighting are the "techniques" for obtaining the creations of heaven and earth.
Following the natural order and accumulating good karma is the "way" to stabilize one's own fortune.
Techniques can protect the Way, and the Way can control techniques.
Only by emphasizing both can one grasp the true essence of the path to warding off evil and bringing good fortune.
Having figured this out, Xuan Yao felt a sense of peace and contentment, and the last trace of resentment left from the battle vanished.
He smiled slightly, without any pretense or refusal, and with a wave of his hand, he put the innate feather into his sleeve.
"Since we've accepted your gifts as a token of our gratitude, we can't just take them for nothing."
With a flick of his sleeve, Xuan Yao pocketed the white feather wreathed in rosy clouds.
Then, with a flick of his finger, two strands of soul-nourishing liquid that he had plundered from the gray-robed Taoist transformed into two soft blue lights and were injected into the bodies of the two spirit cranes.
As the spiritual liquid entered their bodies, the deep, bone-revealing wounds on the two cranes began to heal at a visible speed, and their previously listless aura gradually returned to normal.
"Go on, and don't run around playing around like that again."
Xuan Yao left behind a sentence, then turned and transformed into a streak of light, continuing his journey home.
Only two cranes remained, uttering two clear and long cries of gratitude in the direction he had left.