She Dominates the Immortal Realm with Her HP Bar-Chapter 119

◎Stitching Together the Fire of Crows' Cries◎

Those eighteen burly anglerfish men pummeled the whistling, catcalling demon into a pulp.

The sound effects—clangs, bangs, and thuds—were nothing short of visceral.

The sheer brutality of the scene was akin to a butcher named Zheng, who refused to mince his golden cartilage into fine filling, suddenly finding himself under the wrathful gaze of eighteen Captain Lus—each eager to claim the kill.

Yan Luoyue only managed a couple of glances before squinting and murmuring, "Brutal... utterly brutal..."

Beside her, Ling Shuanghun muttered under his breath, "The wisdom of our ancestors truly does not deceive!"

Even he, a guest residing among the clan, knew that anglerfish were a species best left undisturbed unless absolutely necessary.

For this demon to have committed such a taboo, no wonder he was now being beaten into a state that would "bring tears to the eyes of witnesses and sorrow to the ears of listeners."

The howls of agony were so deafening that, during the commotion, lights flickered on in the houses on either side.

Soon after, a few night-owl demons pushed open their windows, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the spectacle.

The moment the windows creaked open, the eighteen burly men swiftly retreated.

Like fledgling swallows returning to the nest, they converged around the female guard in the blink of an eye, seamlessly merging back into her skin.

The sight... was nothing short of surreal.

The entire process was executed with such precision and synchronization that not a single misstep occurred.

One could only wonder how many times a scene like this had played out before.

Just as the last male anglerfish vanished into her body, the left window swung fully open.

A fox girl, mid-transformation with a pair of crimson ears twitching adorably in the night breeze, poked her head out with a yawn.

"What's going on? What happened?"

The anglerfish guard waved nonchalantly. "Nothing. Just patrolling. Absolutely nothing happened."

"Oh... Oh?!" The fox girl's gaze dropped to the foaming, unconscious demon below her window, her eyes blinking rapidly in disbelief.

"This... he looks like he was just beaten up by a squadron of heavenly soldiers!"

"Impossible," the anglerfish guard replied with unshakable calm. "Aside from our three distinguished guests, I'm the only one here."

Pausing briefly, she turned to Yan Luoyue and the others with a radiant smile:

"Our guests can attest—it was just me, right?"

Ling Shuanghun: "..." Well... he didn't dare say otherwise!

Yan Luoyue chuckled and nodded. "It was too dark to see clearly. I suppose... maybe it was just you?"

Her agreement wasn’t out of fear of being ambushed by nineteen people at once.

Mainly, she didn’t want to risk provoking the guard into summoning eighteen burly men again.

After all, the image of those eighteen men sprouting from her like fruit from a ginseng tree—full-sized, no less—was already seared into Yan Luoyue’s mind.

One detail stood out vividly: Ew—they even left sticky trails!

Once Yan Luoyue spoke up, Wu Manshuang gave a slight nod as well.

With everyone in agreement, the fox girl lost interest in further gossip and shut her window.

The other curious demons gradually dispersed as well.

Once the lights in the neighboring houses dimmed, the anglerfish guard turned back to the trio with a bright grin.

"Thanks."

Perhaps buoyed by her good mood, the glow on her forehead seemed even brighter.

Yan Luoyue barely had time to glance at it before the guard noticed.

In the next moment, the anglerfish demon tapped her faintly luminous forehead—

And then—wait, what?!

Suddenly, her forehead lit up like a flashlight with jagged teeth, projecting a dazzling beam of white light into the distance!

Yan Luoyue: "!!!"

Wow, so convenient! A built-in flashlight? Were your ancestors miners or something?

Taking a quick breath, Yan Luoyue recalled: Oh right, anglerfish have a little bulb on their foreheads.

No wonder her "third eye" had been glowing earlier—it was just her natural trait.

Tugging discreetly at Ling Shuanghun’s sleeve, Yan Luoyue smirked. "Hey, Little Ling, want a new proverb?"

Ling Shuanghun looked at her, puzzled.

Yan Luoyue made a face and whispered, "How about: 'An anglerfish with a glowing forehead will never have bad luck'?"

After their bonding moment over the "sudden appearance of eighteen men," the guard warmed up to them even more.

Noticing their fascination with her luminous forehead, she offered cheerfully:

"You like it? Next time our clan holds a luminescence competition, you should come watch."

"Wait, there’s a luminescence competition?"

The guard laughed. "Of course! Just like you humans have calligraphy contests, painting contests, and essay contests, we demons have glow-offs, pollen-spreading contests, and 'whose fangs are shiniest and longest' competitions..."

Yan Luoyue thought about it and realized she shouldn’t be surprised.

Wherever there are living beings, there will be competition.

A basic glow contest was nothing. Heck, in modern society, people even held competitions for balancing bicycles with their teeth.

Ling Shuanghun pulled out his ever-present bamboo scroll, brush at the ready.

"Are there many participants? Who usually joins? Could you elaborate?"

The anglerfish guard launched into an enthusiastic explanation:

"Lots! Many demons can glow. Like us anglerfish, fireflies, some jellyfish, floating worms, fluorescent sea snails..."

Yan Luoyue peeked at the scroll and was impressed by Ling Shuanghun’s diligence.

For every species the guard listed, he not only recorded the name but also sketched a small illustration beside it.

Catching Yan Luoyue’s gaze, Ling Shuanghun smiled.

"Memorizing the names and traits of various demon clans is part of a historian’s basic training."

The guard continued, "Oh, before the glow contest starts, we usually gang up and ambush the firefly demons to disqualify them."

"Why?" This time, it was Wu Manshuang who asked.

He tried recalling how fireflies glowed and didn’t think they could outshine anglerfish.

The guard answered without hesitation, "Obviously, we have to beat them up! Other contestants either glow from the head like us anglerfish or all over like fluorescent sea snails—at most, they take off their shirts for the contest."

She huffed indignantly, "But fireflies? When it’s time to judge their human-form glow, they have to drop their pants and bare their butts!"

Yan Luoyue: "..."

Right. Fireflies’ light organs are on their rear ends.

At this moment, Yan Luoyue gazed at the female guard with admiration, deeply moved by how the fantastical nature of the demon realm permeated every aspect of life.

Take this luminescence competition, for example. If she hadn’t experienced it firsthand, how could she have imagined such a practical issue!

...

Under the female guard’s lead, Yan Luoyue and her companions arrived at Clan Leader Xiangyun’s chamber.

Clan Leader Xiangyun was still awake. Upon their arrival, he even lit an additional lamp, brightening the room further.

When he heard that the first contraceptive drug had taken effect, Clan Leader Xiangyun’s face lit up with joy.

“Why don’t we seize the moment and feed this medicine to the other Hetero-Mothers, so they’ll only lay eggs?”

As he spoke, Clan Leader Xiangyun cheerfully rose to his feet. “I’ll go fetch the Fly Clan right now.”

“Ah, please wait a moment,” Yan Luoyue called out gently. “I have several other drugs on hand. Why not test them one by one on the remaining Hetero-Mothers?”

“This...”

Clan Leader Xiangyun hesitated visibly.

Compared to slowly testing the drugs, he naturally preferred to wipe out this wave of Hetero-Mothers in one go.

Otherwise, with such monstrous breeding machines lingering near the clan’s territory, how could he rest easy at night?

Seeing his hesitation, Yan Luoyue quickly added, “Once the drug trials are complete, there’s no need for you to trouble yourself. Manshuang, Shuanghun, and I will personally eradicate this demon nest.”

These words tipped the scales in Clan Leader Xiangyun’s mind.

Deep down, he understood the significance of this matter—the reason Yan Luoyue and her team had infiltrated the enemy camp to administer the drugs themselves, rather than delegating the task to the Fly Clan of the Xiangyun territory, was to test the success rate of real-world implementation.

If this method proved successful in the Xiangyun Clan’s territory, the same “pollination-based drug delivery” model could be replicated in other clans.

With this in mind, Clan Leader Xiangyun nodded firmly.

“Very well, we’ll follow our honored guests’ plan!”

The second round of drugging the Hetero-Mothers employed the same pollen-delivery method as before.

The Fly Brigade set out once more, though this time, Yan Luoyue deliberately reduced the dosage, dispatching only a third of the Fly Clan members compared to the previous attempt.

As their allies gathered into a small black cloud and buzzed away, Ling Shuanghun’s eyes gradually filled with concern.

“Though pollination by flies is natural, the sound is hard to conceal. This method still carries some risk. If they’re discovered...”

Hearing this, Clan Leader Xiangyun’s beard twitched.

“Then... then we’ll have no choice but to...”

Ling Shuanghun tightened his grip on his brush, watching the clan leader nervously.

Clan Leader Xiangyun let out a long sigh. “Then we’ll have no choice but to—send the Mite Clan next time!”

Yan Luoyue: “...”

Wu Manshuang: “...”

Ling Shuanghun: “...”

For heaven’s sake, please don’t pause for dramatic effect like that!

Still, switching to mites as pollinators would indeed improve stealth.

After all, their true forms resembled specks of dust—tiny, white, and inconspicuous.

Without a magnifying glass, an ordinary person’s naked eye could barely discern their limbs.

Yan Luoyue couldn’t help but marvel, “The Insect Clans truly hide dragons and tigers among their ranks.”

Who would have thought that in the upcoming battle, the Mite Clan and Fly Clan would play such ingenious roles!

Ling Shuanghun whispered a reminder, “Luoyue, mites aren’t insects. They have eight legs.”

—Bet you didn’t know: strictly speaking, mites are distant relatives of spiders.

Joy lends vigor to the spirit, and the same holds true for demons.

In high spirits, Clan Leader Xiangyun retrieved a wine jug from beneath the windowsill and, despite protests, poured a cup for everyone present.

Gazing at the jade slip displaying the synchronized live feed, he waited patiently for the Fly cultivators to reach the enemy stronghold.

As he sipped his wine, Clan Leader Xiangyun remarked with pride,

“Those demons could never imagine how vast and resourceful our demon realm is, nor the diversity of talents among our clans...”

From past battles, Clan Leader Xiangyun had noticed that most demons, after securing their camps, would drive away insects—especially flying ones.

Yet, few demons ever guarded against mites.

Perhaps it was because mites were simply too small. With the right concealment spells, they became nearly invisible—like flour mites hiding in food or dust mites nesting in damp debris...

By nature, mites bore an uncanny resemblance to particles of dust, blending in seamlessly.

Moreover, these demons seemed utterly unaware of just how many types of demon clans existed in their realm.

Sipping his wine cheerfully, Clan Leader Xiangyun was utterly confident: even if the Fly Special Forces were discovered, the next wave of mite demons would surely succeed!

If there was any danger, it lay only in...

“Ah, if we send mite demons to pollinate, they might get eaten by the Hetero-Mothers before they can retreat.”

After all, as everyone knew, Hetero-Mothers were insatiably gluttonous.

However, when it came to matters of life and death, demons often displayed a far more philosophical attitude than humans.

This might stem from their closer proximity to the harsh realities of nature.

Thus, Clan Leader Xiangyun waved his hand dismissively and said calmly,

“But there’s no need to overthink it. In this world, life and death are constant—nothing to make a fuss about.”

Ever since hearing about the plan to deploy mite demons, Yan Luoyue’s mood had grown somewhat complicated.

“How true,” she said gravely. “Danger lurks everywhere.”

As far as she knew, how many humans, while airing their quilts, had mistaken the smell of roasted mites for the scent of sunshine?

Soon, accompanied by the buzzing of wings, the Fly Brigade carrying the second sterilizing drug reached the demon camp.

Having already completed the same mission once before, the Fly Clan members deftly infiltrated the Hetero-Mothers’ gathering place this time.

Through the jade slip, Yan Luoyue and the others could see that the first batch of test-subject Hetero-Mothers were still laying eggs incessantly.

However, after the initial Hetero-Mother eggs were smashed open, revealing their formless bloody contents, the subsequent eggs were collected into a pit, likely awaiting disposal by higher-ranking demons.

The area housing the Hetero-Mothers reeked of a foul amalgamation of stenches—the sour stench of rotting flesh, the metallic tang of blood, the steaming reek of assorted demons, and the distinctive odor of the slime coating demon fetuses...

This miasma had already attracted swarms of flies, so the Fly Clan’s infiltration went entirely unnoticed by the demons present.

Soon, using the same method, the second drug was administered to over a dozen Hetero-Mothers’ food.

Back in the Xiangyun territory, Yan Luoyue and her two companions held their breaths, observing the drug’s effects alongside Clan Leader Xiangyun.

Before long, one of the Hetero-Mothers reacted.

It gave birth to a bloated, fanged demon with a ghastly green face.

When the small, blood-stained demon creature was seen, the other demon servants in the room appeared delighted.

The Mother Demon used its sickle-shaped claws to push the newborn demon aside, and immediately, another demon scooped it up and fed it a large piece of fresh meat.

Yan Luoyue understood perfectly well why these demons valued the Bloated Demon so much.

—Because the Bloated Demon was the earliest form of the Mother Demon.

Demons were incredibly resilient creatures.

This newly born Bloated Demon didn’t even need meticulous care.

As long as it was fed regularly and survived two or three evolutions, it would smoothly mature into a Mother Demon, adding more strength to the demon army.

Before long, another Mother Demon beside the first one gave birth to a Bloated Demon.

Then came the third, fourth, fifth…

This anomaly was so bizarre that even the dim-witted lower-tier demons sensed something was wrong.

Normally, out of twenty Mother Demons, only one would produce a Bloated Demon every couple of weeks.

This wasn’t just a matter of probability—it was also because birthing different types of demons required the Mother Demons to accumulate specific substances.

But today… why were all the newborns Bloated Demons?

The demons exchanged bewildered glances, their murky eyes filled with confusion.

Still, the birth of Bloated Demons was cause for celebration.

So, each of them was set aside and given a piece of fresh meat.

About half an hour later, the dozen or so Mother Demons that had previously birthed Bloated Demons began a second round of labor.

This time, the offspring were still Bloated Demons.

But unlike before, these newborns looked frail and weak, their skin beneath the slime a sickly grayish-white, lacking the annoyingly tenacious vitality typical of demons.

—This was because the Mother Demons had birthed new Bloated Demons before accumulating enough of the special elements required for their development.

Seeing this, Yan Luoyue had an epiphany: This must be the second effect of the drug Chang Lili had developed.

It was like a beehive—if every bee in the colony was a queen focused on reproduction, with no worker bees to gather nectar, the entire system would inevitably collapse.

Compared to the previous egg-laying method, this was another form of sterilization.

“This is too dangerous. This method is unacceptable,” Clan Leader Xiangyun muttered, staring at the images transmitted by the jade slip.

“Giving birth to so many Bloated Demons is just increasing the demons’ fighting power.”

Yan Luoyue nodded in agreement.

If the sterilization drug lost its effect midway, or if its potency didn’t extend to every generation of the Mother Demons’ offspring, the consequences would be unimaginable.

She made up her mind: Once they returned, she would have Chang Lili seal away this drug—it must never fall into the demons’ hands.

As for this batch of experimental demons…

No matter. They wouldn’t be around much longer.

...

Taking advantage of the demons’ vague sense that something was off—but not yet knowing the source of the anomaly—Yan Luoyue seized the opportunity to test the remaining drugs in quick succession.

Chang Lili was truly a woman of remarkable talent.

Having spent years researching how to replace reproduction with cultivation, her expertise in early-stage growth and development was nothing short of extraordinary.

Thus, every drug she concocted had some bizarre sterilization effect—or something close to it.

And the results of those drugs…

Well, Yan Luoyue had never imagined anything like it.

Take the third sterilization drug, for example. After consuming it, seven or eight Mother Demons in the nest gave birth to deformed half-egg, half-fetus creatures.

The Mother Demons didn’t even need to intervene—the malformed offspring were so weak they seemed boneless, quickly gasping their last breaths.

The observers shared their thoughts.

“This one works.”

“Seems better than the first two.”

Then there was the fourth sterilization drug.

Mother Demons were akin to the “interstellar broodmothers” of human imagination—living war machines with no concept of “pregnancy symptoms” or “morning sickness.”

Which was why it was so shocking when… the Mother Demons that ingested the fourth drug started vomiting!

“The demons seem to have realized the food is tainted,” Yan Luoyue murmured. “They’re inspecting it now.”

Fortunately, Mother Demons were gluttons.

The drugged meat had already been devoured.

Then, Yan Luoyue watched as the swollen bellies of the Mother Demons gradually shifted upward—from their lower abdomens to their chests, then further up to their necks…

“Wait… no way.”

Yan Luoyue sucked in a sharp breath.

The scene before her evoked a horrifying thought—

And sure enough, the first Mother Demon with a wide enough throat promptly vomited out a demon fetus!

The fetus was coated in half-digested filth, making anyone who saw it immediately wish they could gouge their own eyes out.

Yan Luoyue: “!!!”

Everyone else: “!!!”

Damn, what kind of drug could possibly cause this? This was downright grotesque!

A stunned silence filled the room until Wu Manshuang broke it with his usual calm.

“Mother Demons need to eat enough to produce offspring. After taking the fourth drug, every birth is essentially a stomach-pumping session… Hmm, still counts as sterilization from a certain perspective.”

Somehow, that explanation made sense.

Invisible to the others, Yan Luoyue gave Wu Manshuang a thumbs-up.

—The little snake was going to great lengths to preserve Chang Lili’s reputation.

Now, only the fifth and final drug remained to be tested.

Yan Luoyue and the others waited patiently, but there was no sign of the drug taking effect.

It wasn’t until Wu Manshuang, ever observant, suddenly spoke up.

“How long has it been since these Mother Demons last ate?”

“Ah, right.”

Mother Demons were essentially invasive assembly lines for the demon world.

For them, birthing demons was easier than a hen laying eggs.

As long as they consumed enough food, the nutrients, spiritual energy, and other miscellaneous substances would be transformed into demonic weapons of war.

But if the Mother Demons couldn’t eat…

Yan Luoyue and Ling Shuanghun exchanged glances—they’d never heard of a Mother Demon that couldn’t eat.

As the resident demon encyclopedia, Wu Manshuang chimed in helpfully:

“Generally, only dying Mother Demons lose their appetite. So when they stop eating…”

The other creatures in the den would, as they usually did when hunting their own kind, kill these foreign-born demons and divide their flesh and blood among themselves.

Culling the old, weak, and sickly was a survival rule universally practiced among demonic beings.

The problem was, these foreign-born demons were still in their prime—they simply could no longer produce new demon offspring.

So, as the surrounding demons closed in, the foreign-born ones raised their claws in defiance.

In an instant, the foreign-born demons swung their sickle-like, razor-sharp arms, bared their two curved, ghastly blue-purple fangs, and clashed with the opportunistic scavengers in a chaotic brawl.

At the heart of the demon camp, dozens of foreign-born demons fought in a frenzied melee.

Among them were those laying eggs, those swollen with drum-bellied spawn, those actively expelling demon fetuses, and those too weak to eat but still strong enough to fight…

Beyond them, many lower-tier demons lurked, either stealing food from the meat barrels or eyeing the "aged and soon-to-die" foreign-born demons with ravenous hunger.

The scene descended into utter pandemonium.

On the other side of the jade slip’s projected image, Yan Luoyue and the others exchanged amused glances.

"This drug works well."

"Confirmed. We’ll report back to Senior Sister Chang Lili and have her make more of it."

"Marvelous, truly marvelous." Ling Shuanghun marveled as he scribbled notes. "I’ve never seen demons turn on each other so viciously!"

Marking the final drug packet with a fingernail, Yan Luoyue smiled and reached out, taking Wu Manshuang’s hand.

"Manshuang, shall we go now?"

With the demon camp in disarray, now was the perfect time to strike and wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

This would not only clear the path to Birdsong Gorge but also ensure the effects of this special drug remained a secret, allowing them to catch the demons off guard in future battles.

Wu Manshuang stood, her wide sleeves draping over their joined hands.

Beneath the fabric, their fingers intertwined.

Yan Luoyue could feel Wu Manshuang tracing something on her palm.

The pressure was neither too light nor too heavy, and the fingertips seemed to carry a faint, tingling current, making Yan Luoyue’s palm itch with a ticklish sensation. She almost pulled away, but Wu Manshuang caught her hand firmly.

After a moment of concentration, Yan Luoyue realized Wu Manshuang wasn’t writing in their usual coded pinyin.

Focusing harder, she finally discerned it—a tiny snake drawn on her palm.

"...Huh?"

Looking up in surprise, Yan Luoyue met Wu Manshuang’s lowered gaze.

Her eyes brimmed with laughter, like a river stirred by spring breezes—vast, unrestrained, and occasionally rippling with playful waves.

Yan Luoyue arched a brow, unsure if she was being teased.

But the next second, she pressed her own fingertip to Wu Manshuang’s palm and drew a small turtle.

Feeling the rounded shell take shape beneath her touch, Wu Manshuang’s smile deepened.

Once Yan Luoyue finished, Wu Manshuang clasped her hand tightly, pressing their palms together.

And so, the little turtle and the tiny snake on their palms entwined in intimate harmony.

The group took position on the upwind slope of the demon camp, observing the chaos below from their vantage point.

The foreign-born demons occupied only a small section of the camp, so the disturbance quickly subsided once other demons intervened.

If the commanding demon leading this invasion force had been more perceptive, it might have noticed the unusual behavior of the foreign-born demons and ordered an immediate search of the camp.

But alas, Wu Manshuang and the others had already arrived.

Wu Manshuang asked softly, "Have the fly spirits all retreated?"

"They’ve already left."

"Good."

With a slight nod, Wu Manshuang flicked her sleeves.

In an instant, a fierce gust swept downwind, carrying with it an invisible, scentless poison mist that spread from Wu Manshuang’s form.

At the same time, Yan Luoyue plucked the black-and-white hairpin from her bun.

Now, mingled with the lethal mist, were countless minuscule shards of mirrorleaf tree foliage.

Lower-tier demons had almost no resistance to toxins. Before they could even inhale the mist, creatures like mud-burrowers and green-maned fiends collapsed upon mere contact.

Even if the demons cared little for their lesser kin, such a mass collapse was undeniably alarming.

The camp’s commander was among the more quick-witted of its kind.

Noting how the lower demons fell, linking it to his own mild discomfort and the sudden gale—the answer became clear.

Within moments, it acted swiftly:

The high-ranking demon dispatched a squad of elite invaders to flank the cliff and eliminate Yan Luoyue’s group.

Additionally, it commanded nearly a hundred wind demons to blow the poison mist back toward the cliff.

For a demon to devise such countermeasures so quickly was impressive.

Unfortunately for them, they were facing Yan Luoyue.

Stepping forward with an amused shake of her head, Yan Luoyue sighed, "Ah, well, you attacked first."

The mirrorleaf fragments she had crushed earlier were now fine as dust mites.

Silently, they infiltrated with the wind, clinging unnoticed to every invader in the camp.

In other words, their life forces were now bound to Yan Luoyue’s health bar.

When the poison mist blew back up the cliff, Yan Luoyue took a deep breath—thud, a wave of lesser demons dropped.

When the elite squad ambushed the cliff, Yan Luoyue generously offered no resistance—thud, a batch of mid-tier demons fell, the ambush party among them.

Glancing down at the few surviving high-ranking demons, Yan Luoyue decisively extended her hand.

"Manshuang."

Wu Manshuang took Yan Luoyue’s hand but paused, considering something instead of transferring poison immediately.

Noticing her health bar remained unchanged, Yan Luoyue prompted softly, "Hm? Manshuang?"

"It’s nothing," Wu Manshuang replied calmly. "Luoyue, do you like pink ombré?"

As she spoke, she lifted Yan Luoyue’s hand and, like a dragonfly skimming water, pressed her lips to each fingernail in turn.

"!"

Yan Luoyue soon noticed her nails gradually changing color.

One by one, they took on a jelly-like sheen, transforming into a shimmering pink gradient dusted with silver sparkles.

—So, Wu Manshuang had been contemplating the toxin’s formulation.

A simple touch could have achieved this manicure effect, yet Wu Manshuang insisted on kissing each fingertip.

The kicker? Her expression remained utterly earnest.

"How do you like the result?" she asked gently.

Yan Luoyue’s eyes sparkled, and she immediately thrust out her other hand.

"So pretty! Do this one too!"

The health bar above their heads continued to drop. Down at the base of the cliff, the few large demonic creatures in the camp seemed to be collapsing like dominoes, thudding one after another.

However, Yan Luoyue no longer paid them any attention.

Beside the two of them, Ling Shuanghun smiled and averted his gaze, his expression filled with relief.

He tilted his head and thought, Ah, at last, they’ve finally made it official…

Suddenly, the white crane sensed something amiss.

He whipped his head around and discovered that Wu Ti Zhi Huo (Crow’s Crying Fire) was so furious that it was aggressively chewing on its own hair.

Ling Shuanghun: "..."

Ling Shuanghun comforted, "Really, it’s not that bad..."

He added emphatically, "Or, how about I pluck some grass for you to eat instead? Please stop gnawing on my beautiful hair..."

Wu Ti Zhi Huo wailed in frustration, crying out, "This is too much, wuwuwu, just too much..."

—Wu Ti Zhi Huo, a pitiful little bird who had been imprisoned by the Hongtong Palace for three thousand years, during which it had mastered the art of high-level cursing, only to emerge and discover that its two friends were already together—and that it had lost all its feathers in the process.

If others hitting rock bottom could be described as a heavy blow from fate,

then Wu Ti Zhi Huo’s descent was like being crushed by fate’s hydraulic press.

Ling Shuanghun listened patiently as Wu Ti Zhi Huo vented its disjointed grievances, all while Wu Manshuang was intently painting Yan Luoyue’s nails.

When the part about "having no feathers" came up, Ling Shuanghun—being a bird himself—shivered in shared sympathy.

On this matter, Ling Shuanghun had deep personal experience.

After all, though his people, the red-crowned cranes, appeared elegant and immortal-like with their crimson crowns,

that so-called "red crown" was actually just a bald patch on their heads.

If red-crowned cranes were to lose all their feathers… shudder.

One could easily imagine that the ethereal name "red-crowned crane" would no longer suit them.

Instead, Ling Shuanghun’s race would likely be dubbed "blood-skinned flying chickens."

Ling Shuanghun polished this joke a little and shared it with Wu Ti Zhi Huo.

Wu Ti Zhi Huo sniffled, finding his reasoning quite sound.

Wu Ti Zhi Huo murmured, "I may have no feathers, but I still have my crest."

Ling Shuanghun nodded with a smile.

—Perspective determines one’s emotional response to a situation.

So, by using himself as an example, he encouraged Wu Ti Zhi Huo to focus on what it still had.

Wu Ti Zhi Huo then added quietly, "And my feathers… I’ll get them back soon enough."

Ling Shuanghun: "..."

Wait a minute, something feels off here…

Drawing from his years of experience with Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang, Ling Shuanghun’s instincts tingled with suspicion.

Sure enough, the next moment, Wu Ti Zhi Huo suddenly took flight and smacked Ling Shuanghun’s head with its wing—hard enough to knock his neatly arranged hair crown askew.

As Ling Shuanghun scrambled to straighten his crown, Wu Ti Zhi Huo sighed sympathetically:

"Ah, ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌‍well, I suppose you’re the more pitiful one. I’ll get my feathers back, but you’ll never have a crest, will you?"

Ling Shuanghun: "..."

At this moment, Ling Shuanghun slowly revealed a gentle smile.

He asked, "Would you like me to sing you a song?"

Immediately afterward, a soft, soothing melody—dubbed The Song of the Lonely Bird by Wu Ti Zhi Huo—drifted through the hills like the background score of a grand film, perfectly timed with Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang’s tender gaze.

"Stone below, wood on earth,

Fire above, drifting free—

Let it wander, let it be… let it be, oh let it be,

Just don’t you mind its liberty…

Then you and I, entwined we’ll stay~~ ah… forever bound this way~~~"

Wu Ti Zhi Huo: "???"

That’s just cruel, friend!

……

With the demon camp issue resolved, the group no longer needed to take the long way around.

After sending a message via communication stone to Clan Leader Xiangyun, Yan Luoyue and the others pressed onward, soon arriving at Birdsong Gorge.

Birdsong Gorge was a place of endless yellow sand and scorching heat.

Even as cultivators who were supposed to be impervious to temperature extremes, Ling Shuanghun’s first reaction upon stepping inside was—

"What kind of bird-brained place is this? Why is it so blasted hot?!"

The moment the words left his beak, the white crane paused, then burst into laughter along with the others.

Ah, Clan Leader Xiangyun really called it.

When it came to collecting Wu Ti Zhi Huo, Yan Luoyue was the expert.

In that instant, not only Ling Shuanghun and Wu Manshuang, but even Wu Ti Zhi Huo itself turned expectant eyes toward Yan Luoyue.

Ling Shuanghun, holding a brush in one hand and a bamboo scroll in the other, asked respectfully, "What should we do next? Split up and search?"

Yan Luoyue smiled faintly and waved a hand. "No need for that."

Catching Wu Ti Zhi Huo? Easy!

All they needed was the ultimate Wu Ti Zhi Huo trap…

Ling Shuanghun frowned slightly. "Huh?"

No sooner had he spoken than he watched as Yan Luoyue and Wu Manshuang each pulled a woven-grass contraption from their storage pouches.

The two of them moved like hunters setting rabbit snares, placing these grass cages all around the area.

Ling Shuanghun: "..."

Truth be told, the craftsmanship of those grass cages was so uniquely hideous that they were unforgettable. Ling Shuanghun immediately recognized their origin. freewebnøvel.coɱ

"Could these be… Senior Jiang’s work?"

"Mm." Yan Luoyue sighed nostalgically. "In the past two years, Senior Brother Jiang’s weaving skills have improved tremendously."

Rumor had it that Jiang Tingbai could now weave a decent pair of straw sandals.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before even Liu Bei would consider him a business rival!

As for these cages…

"They might become collector’s items soon," Yan Luoyue lamented.

Once the traps were set, the group hid in the shade of a rocky outcrop, silently observing.

Before long, movement stirred in the sand.

In the blink of an eye, a streak of golden light flashed before them.

The next moment, a massive cluster of golden flames burst from deep beneath the sand, darting into one of the grass cages with the glee of a husky finally let off its leash after a week indoors.

Wu Ti Zhi Huo chirped angrily.

"Ugh! How could my feathers be this stupid?! What was it doing buried underground? There aren’t even any saplings or rocks down there!"

Wu Manshuang, ever sharp, caught the implication immediately.

He laughed in realization. "Wu Ti, are you saying it was underground… looking for me and Luoyue?"

Makes sense.

After all, Yan Luoyue’s wood had sprouted from the earth, and Wu Manshuang’s stone was partially buried as well.

Wu Ti Zhi Huo huffed and turned away, almost as if embarrassed.

"Hmph, I never said that. You’re really full of yourself, you know."

Wu Manshuang chuckled and gently patted Wu Ti Zhi Huo’s crest with a single finger, ruffling the little pink flame until it swayed drunkenly.

"Go on now," Wu Manshuang said solemnly. "Just one last fragment of fire, and you'll be that lively, beauty-loving little bird again."

The Crow's Cry Flame flapped its wings, hovering in the air for a moment, as if suddenly overcome with a sense of trepidation upon nearing home.

In the end, it was Yan Luoyue who stepped forward, lifting the woven grass cage.

During this, the golden flame seemed to recognize her. Instead of darting into the ground to escape, it nuzzled insistently into the palm of her hand.

Once released from the cage, the golden flame spun dizzily in the air for a few loops before finally locking onto its target.

Like a traveler who had wandered for three thousand years finally returning home, the golden flame flew toward the Crow's Cry Flame.

And the Crow's Cry Flame, in turn, eagerly reached out to reclaim its own feather.

In an instant, it was as if two suns had appeared in the world.

The sun in the sky had once been a radiant feather plucked from the Crow's Cry Flame's tail.

And the sun on the earth was the Crow's Cry Flame, now cloaked once more in its resplendent plumage.

The blazing golden fire wrapped around it like a magnificent cape, woven with threads of gold and silver, heavy and intricate, fitting snugly around the Crow's Cry Flame.

Before long, the reassembled Crow's Cry Flame regained its spirited demeanor.

Though compared to years past, its stature had grown somewhat petite, and its tail seemed a bit shorter.

Yan Luoyue smiled, stretching out her hands to welcome it. "Crow's Cry, how do you feel now?"

The Crow's Cry Flame opened its beak and let out a clear, melodious chirp: "Chirp-chirp-chee!"

Without hesitation, it flung itself into the crook of Yan Luoyue's shoulder, giving her a warm and enthusiastic hug.

At the same time, its response grew even more fervent, brimming with fiery indignation, perfectly embodying the temper of a little flame.

"—Let's go back to the demon realm and wreck them! Wreck those sons of—! Wreck those inbred bastards who don’t even have the decency to grow a [censored]!"

At this moment, finally recalling the events leading up to its dispersal, the Crow's Cry Flame erupted in fury:

"A bunch of egg-spawned vermin—they actually dared to hit my face!"

As they spoke, Yan Luoyue noticed Ling Shuanghun diligently scribbling away.

She shifted slightly, stealing a glance from the corner of her eye—

Turns out, Ling Shuanghun was composing The Biography of the Crow's Cry Flame.

The contents read as follows:

"—There exists a divine creature, known as the Crow's Cry Flame, whose form is adorned with radiant feathers, resplendent as the golden sun."

"The cry of the Crow's Cry resembles the lament, 'Why am I still single! Why am I still single!' Consuming it may earn you a scolding, the rebuke sounding much like, 'A bunch of egg-spawned vermin—you actually dared to hit my face!'..."

Yan Luoyue: "..."

Good heavens. After all these years, who knows how Ling Shuanghun's unofficial histories have progressed.

But if this keeps up, he might just produce the cultivation world's very first Classic of Mountains and Seas.