The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 896 - 492: The Mortal Who Became an Unexpected Key (Part 2)
Dou Er stood with his head down to one side, feeling a chill in his heart. He had always thought the mistress was too indulgent towards mortals, but now it seemed that when tactics were needed, she could also turn callous and unfeeling, revealing the true nature of a Cultivator.
The team had marched continuously across the snowfield for nearly ten hours, suffering from the harsh cold and snow. Not to mention the elderly, weak, and women were exhausted, even the able-bodied men were beginning to struggle.
At this moment, Tu Jin had transformed into his beast form, assisting several Hidden Guards to maintain order in the group. The fierce appearance of the Qishou triggered a wave of exclamations, yet the Pu clan members realized that the more Great Demons they had around them, the safer they were.
Jiu Mo emerged from the black carriage, first listening to the report from the Bird Demon scouts who returned from the front, then transformed into her True Body, spreading her wings to soar into the sky, and said clearly, "Mortals, listen up. Three miles ahead, there is a mountain pass, sheltered from the wind and snow; we will camp and rest there tonight." She used her Divine Skills, and these words reached everyone’s ears.
The Pu clan, already exhausted, felt rejuvenated upon hearing that the resting place was not far, and their spirits lifted, making them walk with renewed vigor.
Jiu Mo circled twice in the sky before retracting her wings and landing on Tu Jin’s neck and back. The Qishou’s body was massive, but its neck was short, allowing Jiu Mo to fix her body by gripping his hard fur on his neck with her claws. She then smoothed her black feathers—the sky was darkening, and her feathers had also turned black.
Tu Jin said grumpily, "What are you doing?" He felt like a hippo in the mud, a creature that only knew how to eat and sleep, with birds like hornbills always perching on its back, picking parasites.
Jiu Mo replied with a smile, "I’m tired today and can’t go lie on the mistress’s carriage roof, so I must rest my feet on your back. Speaking of which, when the volcano erupted just now, did you cry?"
She saw it! Tu Jin retorted coldly, "What nonsense are you spouting? Bird Demons supposedly have superior eyesight beyond ordinary demons, yet I don’t see it." His expression was awkward, but luckily, the Qishou’s fierce face revealed no emotion.
Having vented the resentment from the injury treatment days earlier, Jiu Mo was in high spirits and did not pursue the matter further, saying with a smile, "The mistress has a task for you, now, immediately!"
"Why didn’t you say so earlier?" He shook his fur angrily, almost causing her to fall off, before striding towards the black carriage and transforming into human form to squeeze inside.
Ning Xiaoxian wanted him to use a soul avatar to search through Mr. Pu’s original memories. The old man was suffering from shock hysteria now, which was ironically better than enduring the pain of Soul Search while awake.
"How is it, any clues?" Seeing him return from Mr. Pu’s mind, retrieving his soul avatar and opening his eyes, Ning Xiaoxian was eager.
Tu Jin said with a peculiar expression, "Indeed, the disappearance of the Nanming Lihuo Sword is somewhat related to him." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
The words shocked everyone in the carriage. Could a Divine Artifact’s connection actually extend to such an insignificant and short-lived mortal?
In even the happiest of worlds, misfortune can happen. Mr. Pu’s childhood was filled with misfortune—he lost his father at three, his mother at five, and for several years afterward, his relatives either encountered disasters or bandits while traveling, leading to one calamity after another. After several of such incidents, people began to realize this little calf was simply a harbinger of misfortune; anyone who befriended him would suffer greatly. From then on, at the age of seven, no one dared to take him in.
Generally, those with a hard Life Chart are resilient. He became the youngest tenant in the clan, tending sheep and cattle for the wealthier members and collecting firewood to live. During heavy snow, he lived in the woodshed, and such a harsh cold place could not kill a young child; instead, he grew stronger. One prominent family, initially afraid of inviting trouble, did not want to keep him, but could not refuse the Clan Leader’s persuasion and let him remain. After a year or two without incident, they realized he brought ruin to relatives but not employers.
This gave Mr. Pu hope for survival. However, there was one thing he never told anyone: on the night of his ninth birthday, he dreamt of the Pu ancestor’s divine mountain, Wuzhier, where clouds were thin, revealing a large red bird flying in circles. The bird’s magnificent plume stained half the sky red, yet did not inspire beauty because it lacked a left foot and right wing, and he knew even as a child that disabled creatures were not beautiful.
Suddenly, Wuzhier Mountain trembled as if a monster would roar out. Just then, the Fire Bird let out a long cry, transforming into a red light and flying into the mountain. Instantly, the divine mountain’s unusual state ceased, returning to the Great Snow Mountain’s majestic and tranquility.
If he only dreamt of this once, a busy Mr. Pu would not give it much thought. But from then on, every few days, he would have this strange dream. The bird in the dream was larger than the clouds, and after hearing its long cry before entering the mountain numerous times, even as a child, he could feel the sorrow and sadness conveyed. This was a pain akin to losing his parents.
Fifty years ago, the peaceful Great Snow Mountain unexpectedly welcomed a visitor. According to the Clan Leader, it was a living god who could ascend and descend to earth. Later, as he lived longer, he realized it was a Cultivator; however, at that time, in his eyes, someone who could wield a treasure sword to fly was a true immortal. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please use m.qidian.com for reading.)
