Chapter 868: Demon Saint Egg
The Eastern Wasteland, as its name suggests, lies in the eastern region, vast and boundless, renowned for its great wilderness, which is the origin of its name. It is subdivided into the Southern Domain, Central Domain, and other areas.
This was a great wilderness in the Southern Domain, a land without borders, with majestic mountains and dense primeval forests stretching for hundreds of thousands of miles without a trace of human habitation, rarely visited by anyone.
Ye Fan and his group ventured deep into the desolate mountains, traveling an unknown distance. Following a regional map obtained from the Ji Family, they sought the Feather Transformation Immortal Valley.
In these places, untouched by humans for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, many rare medicinal herbs grew. With luck, they might dig up extremely ancient and precious rare medicines.
Ahead, a mushroom cloud rose, followed by streaks of black heavenly tribulation that submerged a swamp. There, a massive black crocodile appeared, covering the sky like a dark cloud.
"What, that's the Severing Dao Tribulation!" Black Emperor exclaimed in shock. Ahead was an extraordinary crocodile, pitch-black all over, severing its own shackles, about to enter the King realm.
No one expected to encounter such an existence so soon after entering the great wilderness. A strange beast was about to cross a height that many sect leaders could not achieve in their entire lifetimes.
The group did not approach but watched from afar. The black divine crocodile roared at the sky, spewing radiance as it struggled fiercely. The surrounding mountain ranges collapsed, and the swamp was evaporated into hard ground.
An hour later, the heavenly tribulation grew increasingly terrifying. Finally, with a thunderous boom, a black waterfall descended. The great crocodile let out a miserable shriek before its body exploded.
"What a pity. In just a moment, the tribulation would have ended. It failed, ending in utter annihilation of body and spirit." The Monkey sighed.
The heavenly tribulation pressed down on the sky. The black crocodile exploded, flesh and blood splattering. From within its forehead bone, a small crocodile flew out—its transformed divine consciousness—but it shattered in the black heavens.
In the great wilderness, such events were not uncommon. Ancient beasts often died failing to cross their tribulation, especially in secret lands untouched for tens of thousands of years.
In truth, the same applied to humans. Every cultivator faced this. Many fell on the path to higher realms, becoming scattered white bones, just as unknown as this black divine crocodile.
They followed an ancient path into the primeval forest, crossing ridges and valleys until they reached the heart of the great wilderness. With a "whoosh," a flash of golden light vanished in an instant.
"What was that?" Ye Fan's expression froze. He felt a chill run down his spine, sensing something ominous.
"Looks like a small dragon," Li Tian said, chasing it for a long distance but finding nothing.
"It should be a Lightning Bird. They possess ultimate speed. If it were a Lightning King, Little Leaf, unless your Stride Art advances further, you might not even catch up," Li Heishui said.
"Let's hope so." Ye Fan said nothing more, and they continued forward.
"Crackle, pop"
In the distance, lightning shot into the sky, a terrifying sight. The clouds were dyed gold, accompanied by rumbling sounds. They rushed forward quickly, crossing a great canyon and flying over two mountains that pierced the clouds, finally arriving at the scene.
Ahead, a stone mountain stood barren of vegetation, entwined with streaks of golden lightning. The scene was mysterious, blazing and dazzling.
At the mountain's peak was a massive bird's nest. Countless lightning bolts cascaded from it, thousands upon thousands of strands, like golden waterfalls pouring down.
"What kind of nest is this? Looks like a divine bird's nest. Could there be immortal treasures inside, given such an unusual phenomenon?" Black Emperor couldn't restrain himself. If Pang Bo hadn't held it down firmly, it might have already dashed up to seize the treasure.
"Something's wrong!"
There was a living creature in the nest. They sensed life force and flew up high to observe, immediately startled.
A being resembling a phoenix was undergoing Dao Dissolution. All the lightning bolts originated from it. Dao patterns densely covered the nest, and golden lightning wrapped around the mountain.
Its form was not large, only about three meters long, entirely golden. Of course, counting its beautiful tail feathers, it was about ten meters long, dazzling and brilliant.
"Could it really be a Demon Saint with phoenix bloodline? It's undergoing Dao Dissolution!" The group was stunned.
"This is a Lightning Phoenix Bird, with an extremely high concentration of phoenix blood," Black Emperor said after observing for a long time, being well-traveled.
The Lightning Bird was a powerful exotic bird with extreme flight speed, built as if from gold, its body wreathed in lightning. Many cultivators wanted to tame it as a battle pet, but it was very difficult. Some among them had special bloodlines with even more terrifying talents, growing phoenix crowns on their heads, called Crowned Lightning Birds. Most cultivators would retreat upon seeing them. The king among them was even more unique, called the Lightning Phoenix Bird, undergoing atavism, possessing part of the phoenix bloodline, the pinnacle of its kind. Legend said that once it matured, even the Immortal Third Realm would struggle to stop it.
"Rare exotic beasts and birds refer to beings like this," Black Emperor marveled, then brazenly declared it would take it as a pet.
In this world, immortals were unseen. True Dragons, Immortal Phoenixes, and the like were only legendary existences, the rarest in millennia. Without accidents, in the future, it could at least grow into a Demon Saint," the big black dog said.
The golden egg emitted waves of Dao patterns, naturally resonating with the Dao, autonomously absorbing essence from all directions, very mysterious.
"Mine!" The big black dog lunged, relying on its bull-like sturdy body to shove aside the competitor Pang Bo.
Of course, Pang Bo wouldn't give up so easily. He was naturally gifted, a full head or two taller than ordinary people. With a shake of his arms, he lifted the big black dog.
"Stop fighting. Be careful not to damage the Demon Saint egg," Ye Fan warned. This golden egg was indeed extraordinary and must not be lost.
In the end, they decided to let Ji Ziyue store it first, keeping the big black dog away. Its desire to take it as a pet was minor; the real concern was that it might eat it. This dead dog had accidentally let slip that eating such a divine egg would be a great tonic, adding considerable cultivation.
"Damn it, this emperor was just speaking casually. Do you have to guard against me like this?" It was very unwilling.
At the foot of this stone mountain, they found several Lightning Phoenix feathers, all stained with blood. Clearly, this king bird undergoing Dao Dissolution had shed them while struggling back to die.
"How pitiful. I think it only struggled back to pass on its dissolving Dao power to this egg, all to complete its child," Ji Ziyue said.
The group sighed. That was likely the case. But what creature had killed it? Ye Fan picked up a feather from the ground and examined it closely for a long time.
"Let's go. We're already deep in the great wilderness, still ten to twenty thousand miles from the Feather Transformation Immortal Valley."
Following the map, they crossed mountain ranges. Some peaks soared into the clouds, capped with snow; others were shrouded in mist, evergreen through the seasons.
The wilds stretched endlessly, lush with vegetation, echoing with the cries of apes and roars of tigers. Ahead, a stone forest appeared, jagged and interlaced, forming a strange landscape.
"We've arrived. According to the map, it's just a few dozen miles ahead of the stone forest. We've finally found it," Yan Yixi said.
This place was filled with various spirit birds and rare beasts, appearing very peaceful. Fragrance wafted from within the stone forest, where ginseng, orchids, and other herbs grew. Before even reaching the Immortal Valley, they saw all kinds of auspicious energy.
"No wonder we haven't heard news of Lin Jia all these years. She must be hiding in a pure land, having gained much from the Immortal Palace and cultivating in seclusion," Pang Bo said.
They advanced through the stone forest for about thirty miles before finally seeing a magnificent land. Auspicious energy swirled, immortal cranes danced, and various rare beasts appeared and disappeared, a scene of boundless grandeur.
Inside the valley, it was like a fairyland, wreathed in colorful clouds. The valley entrance connected to this stone forest, and within grew all kinds of spirit trees and ancient herbs. At the entrance stood a stone tablet engraved with four ancient characters: Feather Transformation Immortal Valley.
This was a peaceful and tranquil place, radiant with auspicious light, fragrant with medicinal herbs. Living creatures were unafraid of humans, undisturbed, serene and harmonious.
"Indeed, a rare Dao land. It calms the heart and aids enlightenment. This is why many cultivators choose to live in seclusion," even Black Emperor praised. Here, one could merge with the Dao, achieving a clear state of mind.
"So fragrant." Ji Ziyue blinked her big eyes, showing an intoxicated expression.
"It's the Qilin Orchid Ancient Tree, and a whole grove of them!" The Monkey was surprised, looking into the valley.
There, a grove of ancient trees stood, from which the fragrance spread. Each tree was like a coiled dragon, its branches intertwining, resembling carefully cultivated exotic trees.
Most notably, the flowers of these ancient trees were wondrous, crystal-clear and dripping, shaped like little purple qilins, very unique.
"Such ancient trees were rare even in the Primeval Era. Cultivating a dozen or so is beneficial for cultivators, calming the mind and making it easier to resonate with the Dao," the Monkey explained.
The fragrance of these Qilin Orchid trees was very special. Once it clung to one's body, it was hard to wash off for days, leaving the whole body fragrant. It was a favorite of women in the Primeval Era.
"What a wonderful place!" The group praised, about to enter.
But Ye Fan reached out to stop them. "Wait a moment."
His expression was serious as he took out the blood-stained Lightning Phoenix feather, brought it to his nose, and gently fanned it. The fragrance was faint, but it was indeed tainted with a trace.
[First update of the first day of 2012. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year once again, and asking for *** support. The first day is the most important. Refuse to fall behind, strive for progress. There will be two more chapters tonight. Please, brothers and sisters, cast your most precious vote of this year. Thank you.]