Free Web NovelChapter 308: Chapter 42: Divine Bird Peacock
The Chongming Bird, an Ancient Divine Bird, had eyes with double pupils and a cry like a Phoenix. It could drive out Demons and Evils, banish ghosts, quell calamitous beasts, and strike fear into all manner of wicked spirits.
Li Hanshan’s line, the Chongming Li Family, had inherited the bloodline of this Divine Bird, which they carried to this day.
Just as Yara’s Blood within Su Zhou allowed him to easily sense nearby Dragon Species, Li Hanshan’s Divine Bird Blood could feel the distant bloodline of the Golden-winged Roc calling out in response. Though ancient rivals, they were both part of the Nine Young Ones, ruled and guided by the Ancient Phoenix.
However, the Zhengguo Government had already suspected a Great Roc Golden-winged Bird might be in the ruins before they entered. For this reason, Li Hanshan said nothing when he sensed its presence. It was his habit not to speak idly unless it was absolutely necessary.
But now, from the distant Central Five Mountains, a wave of energy washed over him, powerful enough to trigger his bloodline’s Awakening and convey an ancestral memory that screamed ’warning’!
It was the aura of the Five-Colored Divine Light!
"There’s a Peacock... not an ordinary Peacock, but a ’Divine Bird Peacock’!"
Breaking his long-held silence, Li Hanshan stared grimly toward the heart of the Kunlun Secret Realm. "It’s incredibly strong," he said, a rare solemnity in his voice. "We need to regroup, now!"
「Meanwhile, in the Central Region of the Kunlun Secret Realm.」
Within the Sealing Hall, perched on a rocky ridge at the foot of the Central Five Mountains, a Ghost Light began to dimly glow.
The Tiger Claw Seal, already darkened and overlaid with strange, wispy Runes, had lost most of its efficacy. From the far side of the increasingly active black abyss, a faint sigh drifted out.
"Garuda, oh, Garuda, you truly are useless."
The emotion in the voice was one of genuine pity, furious at its subordinate’s failure, like hating iron for not becoming steel. "When did a Golden-winged Bird who shares my name become so pathetic as to lose to the Dragon Race? Garuda, is your title of Divine Bird a complete sham?"
As the voice sounded, the Seal—which Garuda had previously opened to release a pack of Evil Beasts—began to crumble. Following the original fissures, it cracked inch by inch under a spreading, dark Spiritual Light. The voice, as if from a distant realm, grew increasingly clear and resonant, like the song of a Phoenix.
"The method you used to crack the Kunlun Secret Realm’s permissions, I taught you. The knowledge of Arrays and the basics of Runes you used to open the Seal, I also taught you. If not for the suppressive power left behind by the Nine Spirits Golden Mother, we would have broken the Seal and come to this Realm long ago."
"And now, the time has come." freewebnovёl.ƈom
As the words fell, a deep rumbling emanated from the depths of the hitherto silent hall. It seemed to rise from a secret place deep within the Nine Netherworld, shaking the very earth of the Divine Mountain. "The Kunlun Realm, one of the three thousand Grotto Heavens with a direct path to the Immortal Realm, the ancestral land of those damned Demon Gods... Today, it shall finally belong to us!"
"RUMBLE!"
Whether it was Su Zhou’s group hurrying toward the Divine Mountain, Tang Yuan’s party closing in on Su Zhou, the Qinxing Academy team, or even the Spirit Beasts, insects, and birds living in every corner of this vast Secret Realm—all of them heard the drone that seemed to emanate from the very depths of the world.
And at that exact moment, a brilliant, black-and-red pillar of light erupted from the massive black hole. It pierced through the hall and shot straight into the sky!
The jet-black night sky was split in two. The black-and-red pillar of light, filled with Blood Qi, stood between heaven and earth!
Even outside the Kunlun Secret Realm, up on the Zhengguo Kunlun Mountain Range, the Secret Realm Gate—which had been sealed and was now being hurriedly reopened by Daoist Discipline Bureau technicians—began to shake violently, causing the clouds to roil.
All the Spirit Beasts and birds gathered in the camp instantly shed their previous anxiety and restlessness. Instead, they lowered their heads in fear, instinctively abandoning all resistance and submitting to the Suppression of a true king. Unlike the fierce might of the Great Roc Golden-winged Bird, which was made for hunting dragons, the bloodline of the ’Divine Bird Peacock’ carried the Majesty inherited from the King of Divine Birds, the Phoenix!
One of the most powerful Divine Birds, the King of Flying Beasts from the Ancient Beast God Realm, had finally seized its chance after a long wait. It had shattered the seals of the Ancient Immortal Gods and obtained the key to a wider world—and so it let out a long, shrill cry, wantonly venting its delight!
"The fluctuations are a lot like when the Secret Realm first opened... This is a sign of two realms connecting!"
Within the Secret Realm, Su Zhou crested a hill and exhaled as a corner of the Sealing Hall came into view. He was the most sensitive to these strange spacetime fluctuations; the only one more sensitive would be Garuda, who dealt with Seals all the time.
Noticing the slowly rising black-and-red pillar of light, its expression changed drastically. "Impossible! I made sure the Seal remained intact! How did it break through?!"
"Just as I thought," Su Zhou said with a click of his tongue. "Those Evil Beasts you brought with you were the ones you let out when you opened the Seal, weren’t they? See, this is what happens when you give them an opening. When you find something sealed away, you can’t leave even the slightest crack, or it’ll find a way out. You can’t stop a cockroach with a gap under the door."
This wasn’t the time to scold Garuda for being too young and naive. As Yara furiously rebuked him in his mind, ’What are you trying to imply with that, you little bastard?!’, Su Zhou narrowed his eyes and sensed the distant aura. ’Its strength is only at the Extraordinary High-tier. This pillar of light is just for a ritual. It’s powerful, but it can’t be used for fighting. Man, why can’t any of these guys be idiots? It would be so much better if they were a little dumber.’
With that, he shrugged and turned to the two beside him who were still staring at the black-and-red pillar of light. "Let’s go," he said. "Since they opened the door, we’ll just have to shut it again."
