The essence of the peacock remained motionless, simply floating above the Dragon Turtle's head.
As the formation operated, Su He let go of everything, opened his heart, and forgot his identity as the Dragon Turtle. He dredged up memories from the depths of his mind, as if he were once again amidst the wild geese.
Forgetting all else, he remembered only that he was the wild goose.
Flying, foraging, swimming, fleeing in terror…
Heart, intent, divine sense, soul—all were wholly that of a wild goose.
At that moment, as the formation activated, the essence of the peacock fell onto Su He's forehead, seeping into the center between the two dragon horns, yet it did not enter the Sense Realm.
Once it touched his forehead, it disappeared completely, leaving no trace.
Su He's vision plunged into darkness, and he could no longer see anything.
After an indeterminate amount of time, a loud and clear phoenix cry echoed in his mind.
The scene before his eyes changed in an instant, as if he had entered the legacy Dao Palace, but it was not an ocean that lay before him, but rather a plain with sparse woods, and a phoenix soaring in the sky.
In the woods, a peacock called out.
"Ah~!"
Unlike the unpleasant cries of ordinary peacocks, this one's call was clear and melodious, like that of a phoenix, leaving a lasting impression.
The peacock, a subspecies of the phoenix, was indistinguishable from its kin. Their legacies were interconnected.
The calling ceased.
A peacock took flight, soaring among the treetops of the mountain forest, trailing its splendid feathers, elegant and handsome.
It was the same peacock Su He had seen in the Ghost Prison Space, the one that had already perished.
The peacock flew, not very high, but contentedly, suddenly pausing, diving, lingering, as if dancing.
With each lingering moment, the light of rivers and mountains, the morning sun, and the bright moon reflected on the peacock's tail feathers.
With the radiance, the peacock became more leisurely, flying back and forth through the woods, indifferent to the rising and setting of the sun.
Inside the Dust-Free Cover, at some point, the Dragon Turtle gradually became ethereal and vanished, leaving behind an egg in its place.
It was nothing extraordinary, just an ordinary peacock egg, lying there quietly.
Listening closely, one could hear the faint chirping of a chick inside the shell.
At the Flying Boat, the Toad was drawing his bow and readying an arrow. Su Huanian's Fairy Sword circled, facing three slightly ethereal monks. These were the three Traverse Heaven monks from Taibai Temple, who had perished three hundred years ago, legends of the Dongyun Mountains.
When they were alive, Su Huanian had just descended the mountain and was not yet qualified to meet them. Now, facing three on her own, she held the upper hand.
Feng Yiju hid behind the three, desperately operating the pill furnace. Lightning coursed over Feng Yaya's body, who could no longer stand.
Su Huanian's Fairy Sword grew increasingly cold, bolts of lightning striking down from the sky, targeting the monks.
The monks fled in disarray. But at that moment, Feng Yiju suddenly opened his eyes, his expression changing for the first time—the presence of the Dragon Turtle within the Dust-Free Cover had vanished!
Without a word, Feng Yiju stepped forward and pressed his palm forward, summoning a great demonic image of a Ming King that hurtled through the air, aiming a punch at Su Huanian.
The pressure surged, and danger loomed, but Su Huanian was not frightened; instead, she was delighted.
Feng Yiju was restless. It was either the Dragon Turtle breaking free or other Dao friends arriving.
***
Deep within a sea of clouds, a middle-aged man covered in colorful paint lay carelessly on a cloud. Opposite him, another Feng Yiju shook his head and sighed, "What else does Sect Leader Yin wish to inquire? Please, speak frankly."
The Xuantian Sect Leader had been toying with him like a cat with a mouse for over half a month, yet he had not brought up any serious matters—not the eradication of Qing Yuan, nor any talk of imprisonment or execution, nor probing his secrets. It seemed as if he was simply playing.
Yin Yuan sighed, seemingly disappointed, "Alright, alright! Sect Leader Feng is not an interesting person."
In terms of being interesting, in this world, it had to be his daughter. Not only did she dare to elope with bandits, but she had also recently struck it rich somewhere and was now issuing a bounty for her own father across all the worlds.
The bounty was temptingly high; he even considered tying himself up to claim it.
He looked at Feng Yiju and asked nonchalantly, "First matter, why did Sect Leader Feng have secret communications with Fenghuang Palace? As a Sect Leader, you should know that the only taboo among the sects of the Mysterious Wasteland is this."
Feng Yiju smiled and shook his head, not offering excuses. Looking at the Xuantian Sect Leader, he said, "My surname is Feng, after all!"
Yin Yuan nodded, seemingly agreeing with this explanation, "Second matter, how did you manage to entrust your life to multiple stars?"
On the path of cultivation, the second step of Traverse Heaven is the Star Destiny Realm, entrusting one's life to the stars. As long as the root is not severed, one can be reborn even after death.
But it is a fixed rule that each person has only one life star.
Yet Yin Yuan had severed Feng Yiju's root twice, extinguishing two life stars, but the man had been resurrected again.
Feng Yiju was silent for a moment, then shook his head, "This is probably a talent. With such a talent, it's like how Divine Beasts are naturally endowed with longevity."
"Pah! Not being honest. With your little cultivation level, you compare yourself to Divine Beasts?" Feng Yiju remained silent, so Yin Yuan didn't press further, choosing to observe for himself. He pointed a finger, manifesting Feng Yiju's divine spirit.
The so-called entrusting of life by cultivators is essentially a matter of the divine spirit.
Feng Yiju's divine spirit appeared, identical to his physical body.
Yin Yuan looked him up and down, then a breeze swept by, and Feng Yiju's divine spirit changed appearance. His looks remained the same, but the scholarly aura intensified, his face was beardless, and atop his head sprouted a single horn.
"Tsks!" Yin Yuan flicked the clouds with his finger, making a sound, "What is this thing?"
He poked Feng Yiju, "Hey! Is this your original form, or have you been possessed by something? Need help?"
Feng Yiju actually bowed in gratitude, "If Sect Leader Yin would not kill me, could you perhaps grant me some peace and quiet?"
Hiss!
Yin Yuan took a sharp breath. Was he implying that he was annoying? In the whole world, aside from his wife and daughter, no one dared to find him bothersome!
Yin Yuan nodded, "Of course not!"
Feng Yiju's divine spirit returned to its place, and he frowned.
But he saw Yin Yuan already smiling, "What's the matter? Want some peace and quiet without being disturbed by me? Want to return your intelligence to another body?" He looked up and down at Feng Yiju, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Feng Yiju's ability to split his consciousness intrigued him; both bodies were the original, but intelligence was only one part—if one side gained more, the other naturally had less.
The Orient Loong God had contacted him, asking him to send someone to Dongyun Mountains to help the little Dragon Turtle prince in a fight.
The details were not elaborated, but it was related to Feng Yiju.
Now, should he let your intelligence return and cause trouble? Wait for the ancestor to come back and give him special training?
Stop joking! You could't trick me!
Not only did the Orient Loong God contact Yin Yuan, but he also reached out to the Phoenix Clan. Doing someone a favor was a matter of loyalty. It wasn't just Gu Luo's request. The little Dragon Turtle was only three to five years old, with a promising future. If not now, when else to invest in favors?
***
Inside the Dust-Free Cover, the peacock egg cracked with a snap, the fissure wriggling and widening, and a chubby bird's bottom pushed out first, followed by two legs flapping out, trying to stand on the ground, before stretching its wings and pulling its head out.
Su He was experienced with hatching; this was already his third time in this life.
Rolling out of the shell, a sweep of his divine sense left him somewhat dumbfounded.
In response to the divine sense, a quail-like chick sat on the ground. His second form was starting from a hatchling!
Normally, in the Subdue Demons section, after successful transformation, there is the ordeal of getting lost. If everyone started as a hatchling, how many could survive?
After transformation, the beast form corresponds to one's own age. Generally, those who transform are adults, and so the transformed beast is also in an adult state.
Something went wrong with his transformation; he had actually hatched from an egg!
Su He fell silent. Even if a peacock hatchling was born a Divine Beast, what could it do? How would it break the Dust-Free Cover?
The battle on Su Huanian's side had already begun!
Su He's mind went blank, unsure of what to do, when a sense of crisis struck, rapidly intensifying.
It felt as if the whole world wanted to kill him.
This feeling was all too familiar!
Su He looked up to see the sky filled with Tribulation clouds.
Su He: "…"
Damn it! You're going to strike me again! This time I'm a naturally born Divine Beast, and you're going to strike me as I hatch?
No reason at all!
Su He stomped his feet in frustration!
In the Mysterious Wasteland, the powerful beings looked up, recognizing the familiar aura. A Divine Beast was about to undergo Tribulation! It was the same sensation they had felt just a year and a half ago.
Another fellow Daoist was about to undergo Tribulation and prove themselves as a Divine Beast. Another immortal being was about to be born.
A cause for celebration!
This time, the Tribulation clouds gathered instantly without interference from the Fenghuang Great World. Without giving Su He time to react, a bolt of lightning struck down! Before it even hit, Su He could sense the intensity of the Tribulation.
A newly hatched chick couldn't possibly survive!
Crack!
The lightning struck the Dust-Free Cover, scattering in all directions.
Thick smoke rose from the Dust-Free Cover.
This strike was a warning from the Tribulation, not very powerful, a signal for the one undergoing Tribulation to prepare. But this Tribulation seemed to be naturally effective against the Dust-Free Cover, and the barrier between the iron chains and fishing net cracked.
Su He blinked, suddenly overjoyed.
He leaped up, and the quail-like chick suddenly transformed into a dark jade Dragon Turtle, its body causing waves as it rammed into the Dust-Free Cover.
Crack!
The sound of breaking echoed, and the crack in the Dust-Free Cover grew larger.
It worked!
The lightning strike had weakened the Dust-Free Cover's ability to absorb True Blood. Su He retreated and charged again at full speed. Meanwhile, he lightly stamped the ground with the Mountain God Seal several times, and with a roar, the sixfold Mountain God Seal slammed into the Dust-Free Cover alongside Su He.
Bang!
A crisp sound, like shattering a window, the barrier fragments scattered, and a Dragon Turtle burst free, charging wildly and letting out a long cry.
Above, the Tribulation clouds churned, but no new Tribulation struck.
It couldn't find the one undergoing Tribulation!
The Subdue Demons section was peculiar; only one body could be manifested at a time, with the other existing in the unseen, unheard of.
Su He stood still, quietly watching the Tribulation clouds above.
Cultivators who practiced the Subdue Demons section rarely failed their Tribulation, and this was why. They could take a mid-game break.
The way of Heaven is to give and take; with the ordeal of getting lost, there is compensation during the lightning Tribulation.
But the Tribulation clouds above were different from the ordinary cultivator's lightning Tribulation; this was a Divine Beast's Tribulation, the direct formation of the essence of heaven and earth.
Su He didn't know if his transformation could evade it.
The Tribulation clouds churned, thunder roared within, and after a long silence, the clouds, unable to find the one undergoing Tribulation, slowly dissipated.
Vanishing without a trace.
The watching beings were dumbfounded. The Tribulation had just formed and then dispersed. Had the Divine Beast undergoing Tribulation not even passed the first probing strike?
Where did they get the courage to summon the Tribulation?
Everyone turned their gaze in that direction, only to see a Dragon Turtle rising with the waves, heading southwest at great speed, difficult to capture—the Dragon Turtle wasn't fast, but it was teleporting in mid-air, appearing and disappearing in rapid succession.
Was it that Dragon Turtle? Had he slain the Divine Beast undergoing Tribulation?
Su He, of course, was unaware of the malicious speculation. He focused on hurrying. In the past three months, he had contemplated the Barbarian King's Refinement of Realms, and his understanding of space had soared. Using the divine machine for long-distance travel was almost as fast as the Flying Boat.
Racing along, in half an hour, he saw lightning and sword energy wreaking havoc in the distance.
Eight great Ming King demonic images danced wildly in the sky, surrounding a woman in the center.
Su Huanian's white clothes were soaked with blood.
Behind her, Feng Yiju's hands were pressed against the pill furnace, recklessly pouring in True Blood. Feng Yaya floated in the air, her form ethereal.
The essence of life, the soul, and the body were torn in half, and even her physical form was fading.
A shadow shaped like lightning overlapped with Feng Yaya.
Proofreader&Editor: Lotas