Chapter Forty-Three
Seeing Hua Shu’s slight hesitation, Hua Mo continued, “Besides, although Gu Jin is still young, I’ve just observed him—his immortal root is pure and profound. He is undoubtedly a promising talent who may ascend to the rank of High Lord in less than a millennium. Great Marsh Mountain is a major power in the Immortal Realm. Forming a marriage alliance with them would bring countless benefits to our Hundred Birds Island, with no drawbacks.”
Although Lan Feng currently presided over the Heavenly Palace on behalf of Celestial Emperor Feng Ran, Hua Mo, in order to conceal the fact that Hua Shu had refined and absorbed the Sky-Shielding Umbrella, considered Gu Jin an excellent candidate for a son-in-law.
Hua Shu shook her head, still firmly refusing without hesitation. “Father, although I’ve only met Gu Jin a few times briefly, I can discern his character. It’s true that his immortal root is pure and profound, but his temperament is too carefree and leisurely. He has no urgent desire to advance his immortal rank. Moreover, Great Marsh Mountain has always remained aloof from worldly affairs in the Immortal Realm, maintaining its independence. I suspect that even if we form a marriage alliance with them, they won’t help us strengthen Hundred Birds Island or counterbalance the Phoenix Clan in the future.”
Hua Shu walked to the window. Outside the Tranquil Pavilion, Lan Feng’s figure disappeared at the end of the path. “But Lan Feng is different. He already governs the Emperor Star Constellation, and now the Phoenix Sovereign has entrusted him with overseeing the Heavenly Palace, clearly intending to groom him as the next Celestial Emperor. Once the Phoenix Sovereign ascends to the Divine Realm, Lan Feng’s succession to the position of Celestial Emperor is imminent. By then, I will be the Celestial Empress, second only to one person in the entire Immortal Realm, revered by all. Even Phoenix Tree Island will have to treat our Hundred Birds Island with courtesy. We are both immortal birds—why must our Peacock Clan be born to revere the phoenixes as sovereigns? I no longer wish for my clan to live such a life. Father, I will not marry a mere Elder of Great Marsh Mountain. The husband of Hua Shu must be the master of the Nine-Layered Heavenly Palace, the Emperor of the Immortal Realm!”
Throughout the tens of thousands of years of Immortal Realm history, the Peacock Clan had always been subordinate to the Phoenix Clan. Hua Shu and the Peacock King had long wished for Hundred Birds Island to stand on equal footing with Phoenix Tree Island. This marriage of Hua Shu’s was the best bargaining chip for Hundred Birds Island.
Hua Mo also valued Lan Feng’s future potential to rule the Heavenly Palace. After hesitating for a while, he said, “Gu Jin will come to retrieve the Sky-Shielding Umbrella in three days. How do you plan to refuse him then? With Sect Leaders from various factions gathering for the birthday banquet, if we don’t devise a perfect strategy, Hundred Birds Island may lose face over this matter.”
Hua Shu nodded. “You’re right, Father. Don’t worry, I will persuade Gu Jin and resolve this matter before the banquet begins.” Recalling her earlier discussion with Lan Feng, a hint of shyness colored her face. “Father, High Lord Lan Feng will formally visit you tomorrow to present the betrothal letter. Please agree to it then, and don’t make things difficult for him.”
Hua Mo laughed heartily, waving his hand repeatedly. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. I certainly won’t make things difficult for your beloved.”
The laughter in the Tranquil Pavilion gradually subsided. Moonlight enveloped Hundred Birds Island, but Gu Jin remained unaware of all that had transpired. He slept peacefully in the quiet night, awaiting the Peacock King’s birthday celebration three days later.
As for Ayin, she had chased after Gu Jin from Great Marsh Mountain all the way to the North Sea. Although she had set out only half an hour later, her cloud-riding skills were so pitifully poor that she stumbled and staggered along the way, arriving at the North Sea half a day late.
As for that shamelessly clinging rogue fox—if he didn’t cause trouble to prevent Ayin from reaching the North Sea, it would already be a blessing. How could he possibly be kind enough to take human form and exert effort to ride the clouds in pursuit of Gu Jin?Ayin arrived after night had fallen, and the immortal ship sent to welcome the Immortal Lord had long since returned to the island. The sea was pitch black all around. This was the first time Ayin had traveled far on her own, and her sense of direction was astonishingly poor. Driven by sheer determination, she flew northward, completely unaware that she was moving farther and farther away from Hundred Birds Island. The little fox dozed lazily in her arms, and by the time Ayin realized something was wrong, she was already trapped beside a cluster of strange rocks surrounded by towering sea cliffs.
These peculiar rocks were located deep in the North Sea. Ayin wandered among them until she was drenched in sweat, finding no way out. Finally, the little fox could no longer stand by and watch, and kindly reminded her, "You fool, these rocks are arranged in a Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams formation array. If you keep wandering around like this, you'll never get out, not even in a hundred years."
Hearing this, Ayin grew furious. She grabbed A Jiu by the scruff of his neck and held him up to her face, her phoenix eyes glaring. "You sly fox! If you knew how to get out, why did you just watch me stumble around like a headless fly for so long?"
Seeing Ayin's anger, A Jiu knew she was truly anxious. Immediately, his ears perked up, and his little paws clutched at Ayin's sleeve. "Ayin, that's a huge injustice! You're Dong Hua's disciple, after all. How was I supposed to know you couldn't even solve a simple formation array like the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams?"
Ayin's face flushed red, and she coughed awkwardly. "Well, the old High God only became my master a few days before his Ascension. At most, I'm just a nominal disciple, so of course I didn't have time to learn things like formation arrays." Without a hint of shame, she shifted all the blame for her own incompetence onto Dong Hua.
Ayin blinked at A Jiu. "Hurry, A Jiu, take me out of here! I still need to get to Hundred Birds Island to find A Jin. What if I'm too late and he really proposes to Hua Shu?"
A Jiu looked reluctant, but his heart softened at Ayin's urgency. With a resigned expression, he pointed a paw toward the southeast. "There, walk three hundred meters in that direction first..."
Hearing there was a way out, Ayin rubbed the little fox's head and smiled, following his directions.
"It's strange, though. Why would there be a stone formation guarding these cliffs in the North Sea? Could there be some treasure hidden here?"
As A Jiu guided the way and muttered to himself, the two had only turned a couple of corners when they saw, several yards ahead, surges of immortal power and flashes of golden light—clear signs of an Immortal Lord engaged in battle.
Ayin was not one to meddle in others' affairs, and as a Water Condensation Beast with the weakest immortal power among the Immortal Tribe, she had no desire to get involved in such trouble. However, the path A Jiu indicated happened to pass right through the area ahead. With no other choice, she steeled herself and approached, holding the little fox close. Only when she drew nearer did she realize that the golden light was not the result of Immortal Lords clashing with their immortal power, but rather a massive golden eagle attempting to force its way to the peak of the strange rocks, only to be repeatedly blocked halfway up the cliff by a formation array generated by the rocks.
The spiritual power emanating from the formation array struck the golden eagle again and again, the thunderous sounds echoing around. Even Ayin, watching from the side, winced in sympathy for the eagle's pain. Yet, the golden eagle showed no intention of giving up, persistently lunging toward the cliff's peak time after time.
"A Jiu, why is that eagle so determined to reach the cliff peak, even though it's being struck so harshly by the formation array?"
A Jiu glanced up at the cliff peak. "Wherever spiritual treasures grow between heaven and earth, there are always guardians born alongside them. I can see a red glow shining from the cliff peak, and the immortal qi there is incredibly dense. There must be a spiritual treasure growing up there. That golden eagle is probably after the treasure on the cliff peak."Ayin followed A Jiu's gaze and indeed saw a flicker of red light at the edge of the cliff top. Just then, another surge of spiritual power struck down. The golden eagle cried out in pain, spun in mid-air, and landed dejectedly on a rock not far from the two of them. Its gilded feathers were scattered in disarray, and it stared pitifully at the cliff top, anxiously waving its claws.
Ayin's eyes shifted as she glanced at A Jiu, who was yawning lazily in her arms, completely unconcerned. Since A Jiu could spot the way out of the formation array at a glance, dealing with the attacks from these strange rocks shouldn't be a problem.
Well, it was the middle of the night, and since they had crossed paths, it was fate. If she could help, she would.
She picked up a small stone and tossed it toward the golden eagle. With a thud, the stone landed at its feet.
The golden eagle turned its head alertly, saw Ayin, and paused in surprise. "Huh, how strange," it muttered, sounding rather astonished. "In this day and age, there are still Water Condensation Beasts daring to wander the Three Realms alone."
A clear, lively female voice came from the golden eagle: "Hey, Water Condensation Beast, what are you doing here? Aren't you afraid of being swallowed by sea beasts to nourish their bodies?"
Ayin was taken aback, truly not expecting this tough, fearless, and fierce golden eagle to be a young woman.
Glancing at the eagle's dark, ruffled feathers, Ayin couldn't help but think, She's really resilient. However, being able to recognize her true form at a glance meant this golden eagle possessed at least the strength of a High Lord.
"I came to the North Sea to find someone but got lost and ended up here," Ayin replied frankly. "Judging by your true form, you're from the Eagle Clan, right? My name is Ayin. What's yours?"
"Yan Shuang," the golden eagle replied, transforming into human form. A girl of about seventeen or eighteen appeared before them. Her features were sharp and distinct, her pupils a striking gold, giving her an exotic charm. She clearly had a bold and straightforward personality.
"You say you're lost?" Yan Shuang eyed Ayin suspiciously. "Who are you trying to fool, little girl? You look clever and completely unharmed—nothing like someone who's lost."
"I'm not coveting anyone's treasure, so the formation array naturally doesn't harm me," Ayin replied, amused by Yan Shuang's patronizing tone and deliberately teasing her.
Sure enough, Yan Shuang immediately grew wary. "So you do know about the Crimson Blood Lingzhi here. You're after this treasure too?"
Ayin pointed toward the cliff. "The spiritual power up there is so dense—I have eyes, I can see it myself."
A Jiu silently rolled his eyes. If it weren't for my reminder, she wouldn't have noticed at all.
"Why are you gathering the Crimson Blood Lingzhi? You're risking your life for this thing."
Seeing that Ayin didn't seem to be lying, and knowing that Water Condensation Beasts were notoriously weak in immortal power and combat ability—a fact well-known throughout the Three Realms—Yan Shuang didn't hold back. "My father was seriously injured recently and needs the Crimson Blood Lingzhi as a medicinal catalyst. That's why I came here to find it. I didn't expect it to be protected by a formation array. I know nothing about formations, so I had no choice but to force my way through."
Ayin, clever as she was, guessed Yan Shuang's identity from this. "You're the princess of the Eagle Clan? Eagle King Yan Qiu is your father?"Yan Shuang frowned, as if greatly disliking the title, and waved her hand. "Don't call me princess, princess. There's just a family on the island, a few hundred eagles. Why be so pretentious? It's only those peacocks who love showing off all day long. Just call me Yan Shuang. And, Water Condensation Beast, my father is tens of thousands of years old. You, a mere child, dare to call him by his name directly? In our Eagle Clan's territory, you're really not afraid of death, are you?"
"Hahahaha..." Ayin was amused by Yan Shuang's disgusted expression and burst into laughter, the gloom that had weighed on her chest for days vanishing in an instant. For a moment, she found Yan Shuang particularly pleasing.
This princess of the Eagle Clan was truly a mudslide among the princesses of the Immortal Realm—impossible not to like.
Even the usually lazy A Jiu curled the corners of his mouth, looking at Yan Shuang with a hint of a smile and appreciation.
"Alright, Yan Shuang. Just for those words, I, Ayin, have decided to befriend you. I'll help you get the Crimson Blood Lingzhi."
Yan Shuang automatically filtered out Ayin's "befriending" as insincere chatter, her attention entirely focused on the words "help her get the Crimson Blood Lingzhi."
Her expression turned serious, and she snorted. "Water Condensation Beast, don't boast. With your meager Immortal Power, I could shatter it with a single slap. What can you do? Go on, get out of the way, lest the Spiritual Power strikes down and accidentally injures you."
"You barged your way in by brute force, didn't you?" Ayin glanced at the eagle-claw weapon in Yan Shuang's hand and blinked. "I walked in."
Only then did Yan Shuang remember that this Water Condensation Beast before her was completely unharmed. Joy flickered in her eyes, and she asked suspiciously, "Do you understand formation arrays?"
Ayin shook her head cheerfully. "I don't." Seeing Yan Shuang's eyes widen, she lifted A Jiu and said with a smile, "But he does."
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