“Could it be... that Cui family?” the maid exclaimed softly.
She knew that her young lady had once lived for four years in a well-known city, where she had met some very powerful individuals.
Beside them, two men clad in golden armor exchanged glances, their eyes widening as they directed their attention to Jinji Ridge under the night sky.
“We can’t be sure it’s him. After all, it’s been over two years since we last saw him. He raced past on a Purple Lightning Beast, and the eyes and mouth visible under his face guard did resemble him. Also, there was that habitual motion of riding a strange beast, gripping the mane with one hand while using a sword like a whip…”
“My lady, you truly are impressive. In such thick darkness, you caught a glimpse of him, and while I thought he seemed hazy, you discerned him so clearly. Is this the ability of those from outside the world?” the maid chattered vibrantly.
She even whispered about whether this Cui Chong was someone the young lady knew well, perhaps a close friend, and if they would recognize each other later.
The young lady, dressed in robes of feathers with dark hair flowing like a waterfall, her bright eyes shimmering with radiant light, spoke softly, “If it is him, why is he here? Time has passed, and it would not be wise to meet again. Let’s wait in the dense forest. I just want to confirm if it’s indeed that old acquaintance.”
“Not wise to meet? Does he have... issues?” the maid’s mouth opened slightly in shock.
One of the golden-armored men spoke up, “My lady, we should move further away. Lord Meng has entered the depths of the mountain to retrieve the remnants of the Black and White Ancient Trees for you. What if the negotiation fails…”
…
In the mountains behind Jinji Ridge, Qin Ming sat upon the back of a Purple Lightning Beast, gazing at a cluster of sycamore trees, where he spotted a large bird’s nest. Inside rested a strange bird, not massive but about three meters long, quietly lying there.
The nest, built from the branches of sycamore trees, rested on the ground. The strange bird had only a few golden feathers on its body, much of it bald, and it looked quite frail, almost elderly.
“Come feel, is this a mutated beast that has evolved five times?” Qin Ming tapped the beast's head with his long spear.
When it came to sensing strange creatures, mutated beasts understood each other best. He asked the Purple Lightning Beast, wanting confirmation.
The Purple Lightning Beast, brimming with intelligence, understood him perfectly. Though it seemed reluctant to respond, it eventually nodded.
“So this is the heritage of Jinji Ridge. No wonder it bears such a name, there lies an old Gold Chicken that has mutated five times,” Qin Ming muttered, noticing the old bird didn’t look very well, feathers nearly all gone.
Earlier, four mountain bandits had escaped and were now anxiously standing near the sycamore nest, visibly trembling at the sight of the old Gold Chicken.
The surviving bandit stood before the nest, saying, “Though you’ve warned us, great elder, not to disturb you, our lives are at stake. Jinji Ridge is about to be wiped out, so we had no choice but to come here for assistance.”
He seemed uneasy, fearing the old Gold Chicken would take aim at him.
Now in its old age, the ferocious bird had lost all control, unwilling to listen to them. Offering tributes was useless now.
It was wholly fixated on imitating the legendary phoenix’s blood creature’s rebirth, planning one last attempt here. Success would transform it into a creature that had evolved six times; failure would mean it perished here.
The bandit chief of Jinji Ridge understood that it was certain to fail; it had no real understanding of rebirth. The thin phoenix blood could not allow it to advance further.
The old Gold Chicken glared furiously at the bandit, then looked at one man and his steed, feathers made of what little golden color left standing on end.
Anyone who blocked its “rebirth” would be torn to pieces. It had little hope left, and the disturbance only fueled its wrath.
“Are you going to lay an egg?” Qin Ming asked hoarsely.
He quickly whispered to the Purple Lightning Beast, “In case I can’t win, you can at least run away, right?”
From within the sycamore nest, the old Gold Chicken erupted with rage, standing up covered in goosebumps and letting out a loud crow.
“Prepare to die! You dare insult the great elder, a male phoenix…” one of the surviving bandits spoke, seemingly trying to flatter the old bird.
However, this flattery fell flat as the old Gold Chicken, now unpredictable in mood, turned its fury on everyone.
It burst forth, legs spread wide, while its powerful leg kicked sideways, sending the four bandits flying.
This was no mere kick; its sharp claws pierced through the four men, blood staining the ground. Some were left with open wounds in their bellies, while others clutched at their chests, collapsing with cries, with one bandit dying right then and there.
Even the remaining bandit turned pale, hurriedly retreating, but it was too late. The old Gold Chicken, like a phoenix spreading its wings, flew toward him. Though it didn’t exactly strike him, it did leave a huge gash in his armor, blood pouring out.
The old Gold Chicken was cruel by nature; anyone who dared disturb its ended years of life would be killed by it.
It was as fast as lightning, slashing at the bandit again, sending him flying several meters, piercing through his thigh, leaving bloody, mangled messes and breaking a bone.
The bandit, having been severely injured by Qin Ming previously, had little strength left to resist.
Qin Ming watched in shock, feeling as if this old Gold Chicken was a fierce fighter. Its attacks were precise and systematic, resembling human combat techniques.
The bandit lay on the ground, anger bubbling within him, but he dared not speak, knowing that even if the Golden Thief were present, this old Gold Chicken wouldn’t heed anyone’s pleas.
In the next moment, the old Gold Chicken sprinted forward, its claws cracking stones in the snowy ground as it thundered towards Qin Ming, swirls of snow flying around like a blizzard, almost appearing to teleport right before him.
The Purple Lightning Beast was tensed, nearly turning to flee.
Qin Ming tightened his grip on his long spear and thrust it forward, projecting several spear shadows as if a dragon was spiraling, claws tearing toward the fierce bird.
The old Gold Chicken caught the spear’s tip in its massive golden beak, then violently shook its head, snapping the spear in two.
At the same time, one of its bald wings came down, looking as though it was executing a slicing technique aimed at Qin Ming and his steed.
The Purple Lightning Beast wasted no time, charging forward, using Qin Ming as a shield; it was deeply wary of the old Gold Chicken and did not want to be struck.
Qin Ming had intended to block the offence of the old chicken, testing its strength; however, with the Purple Lightning Beast using him as a shield, he felt furious. He slapped the beast’s back, causing it to cry out in anguish, becoming dispirited. With his other hand, he faced the incoming wing.
Both his palm and the old Gold Chicken's wing glowed with celestial light; when they clashed, it was like two massive beasts colliding.
The Purple Lightning Beast couldn’t withstand this immense force, forcing it to crash into a giant ancient tree, staggering as it stumbled unsteadily.
Qin Ming jumped off and threatened, “See this? I’ll save this half-broken spear for you. If you dare to run, I promise I can still hurl it and pin you down.”
He looked carefully at the old Gold Chicken; its wing bore a mark where blood seeped out.
Qin Ming felt assured. He could stand against the old Gold Chicken.
Normally, aside from rare beasts, beings that had mutated five times were on par with humans who had also evolved five times.
The old Gold Chicken packed over three thousand jin of strength, making it roughly equal to Qin Ming.
The bandits sprawled on the ground couldn’t believe how this seemingly young mysterious figure could contend with the old Gold Chicken!
After the bloody mark appeared on the featherless wing, the old Gold Chicken erupted in fury, sprinting forward with its great legs and raising its fleshy wings like two large swords aimed directly at Qin Ming.
“So it turns out you’ve actually trained!” Qin Ming confirmed.
The bandit lying on the ground understood that the old Gold Chicken had been taught by a Golden Thief, possessing respectable combat skills.
In a heartbeat, the old Gold Chicken wielded its wings, generating tremendous celestial light that sliced through the air, crackling with booming sounds.
Qin Ming remained calm, unleashing celestial powers, meeting the wing like a blade.
Though both were two-legged beasts swinging their arms, the old Gold Chicken showcased the skills it had learned from the Golden Thief brilliantly.
Yet, it was still a beast, and the celestial light exploding from its kind couldn’t withstand the multiple celestial forces that Qin Ming had fused.
With a loud pop, the old Gold Chicken’s wing was pierced, blood gushing from the injury.
Then, Qin Ming executed a fusion technique, his hand sliding like a blade, abruptly kicking the attacking claw and severing part of it.
The old Gold Chicken screamed, flapping its wings erratically, and its golden beak lunged at Qin Ming's forehead. Should a normal person be struck, their skull would surely shatter.
While Qin Ming had celestial defense, he did not wish to be pecked on the head by an old Gold Chicken. His right palm moved like lightning to block, fingers glowing, merging with various celestial techniques. With a clang, his palm left five puncture marks on the old Gold Chicken's beak.
Following this, he unleashed a binding technique, grabbing half of the old Gold Chicken’s beak, wrenching it away.
At this juncture, the bandits on the ground were filled with despair. Even a five-time mutated Gold Chicken was no match for this mysterious figure. Their extinction was all but certain.
The bandit chief sighed. The old Gold Chicken was, after all, a “mortal breed,” lacking the profound celestial methods of powerful races. Despite its accumulated celestial power, it stood no chance against that man.
In the end, the old Gold Chicken did not fight to the death; instead, it leaped back into the sycamore nest, its body bursting with blinding light, emitting a resounding crow.
Not ready to give up, it attempted one last effort, its blood boiling as it aimed for a sixth mutation, hoping to elevate its existence.
Ultimately, its final golden feathers burned to ash, its body shattered, blood flowing abundantly, and it met its end in the sycamore nest.
Qin Ming was taken aback. He did not expect such decisiveness. “Not human, not beast; an old Gold Chicken is so hard-headed.”
However, as he passed by the sycamore nest, he felt little sympathy, spotting a human arm still in the large iron basin meant for its food, untouched.
To honor its fierce spirit, he initially wished to “gastrically bury” it since he had never consumed such a high-grade ingredient from a being that had mutated five times.
Now, he merely waved for the Purple Lightning Beast to come over. “You eat it; consider it a reward. Although the old Gold Chicken isn’t an intelligent creature, consuming it would benefit you somewhat.”
The Purple Lightning Beast raised its head proudly, looking disdainful and even snubbed the meal.
“Suit yourself!” Qin Ming turned back, gripping his broken long spear, and ended the bandits one by one amidst their unwilling howls.
“Who are you? Are you sent by the new city lord, or are you a ranger recruited by those from outside the city?” With its last breath, the bandit chief shouted with all his might.
Qin Ming ignored him, seeing him as mere weeds, and cleaved off his head with the spear, then swiftly tidied the battlefield.
He was quite displeased because he had discovered a stack of armor, weapons, and bows in the bandit hideout’s storeroom, clearly meant for new recruits.
This signified that Jinji Ridge had spent a large fortune, yet these were spoils he could not carry with him.
“My shimmering gold!” Qin Ming sighed.
Ultimately, he searched every corner of the place, arranging the deceased’s remains. In total, he gathered forty-seven shining gold pieces and some silver.
This was undoubtedly a large sum, exceeding what he had found on people like Wang Nian Zhu and Huang Jing De, yet in Jinji Ridge, where the bandits held the ground, it did seem a bit meager.
Fortunately, he found three books, one of which contained the crystallization of past efforts, radiating strong emotional waves.
Qin Ming smiled; this secret book was far more precious than gold!
As he rummaged for spoils atop the mountain, two bandits returning from the nearby town, tipsy and bustling, were shocked pale by the sight. They vaguely heard the desperate shouts of the bandit chief.
Instantly sober, they dove into the dense forest and found a small wooden shed that was supposed to be guarded to monitor the movements on the road. However, due to the severe lack of manpower, it had been empty for several days.
Every day, someone would come to feed the fierce birds here, and should Jinji Ridge come under attack, they would release them for help.
“Sending word to the Golden Thief will surely be too late. They won’t quench immediate thirst from distant water; let’s seek aid from the Three-Eyed Sect instead!”
Not long later, twenty miles away in Qing Song Town, the higher-ups of the Three-Eyed Sect looked grim. They had received news of a night raid on Jinji Ridge, prompting the people to seek their help.
“Something big has happened, get ready quickly!”
They moved swiftly into action.
Qin Ming had spent too long on the mountain, fully searching each corner but finding nothing else of value. Only then did he ride the Purple Lightning Beast down.
“Take me one more stretch to Qing Song Town!” He believed that since he’d begun, it would be better to eradicate the Three-Eyed Sect, which also posed significant harm to the place.
After all, he single-handedly trampled Jinji Ridge and hadn’t felt much effort.
“I assure you, I’ll let you return to the mountains tonight. Make haste, take that small path; speed is of the essence!” Qin Ming had already done his research on this area.
However, when he arrived at Qing Song Town, the Three-Eyed Sect’s base was eerily quiet—abandoned, with all members evacuated.
In the distant forest, some sect members discussed, “I thought we were meant to support Jinji Ridge. Didn’t expect the leaders to make us retreat!”
Qin Ming felt disappointment surge as he departed from the main road. At the town’s exit, he spotted four approaching figures, two armored men, and among the two women, one wore feathered attire, unmistakably a person from outside the world.
“Miss!” the maid called out.
“It seems it truly is him,” the feather-clad woman murmured.