Chapter 145
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Chapter 145: Title
"If you refuse, so be it." Kirin’s tone carried indulgent tolerance, as though granting Di Yan the illusion of control.
Di Yan bristled at this patronizing manner. With an irritated flap of his wings, he rose into the air. "For your sake alone, this lord shall seek them out."
Bai Ze observed Kirin nearby, wearing the satisfied look of one whose prediction had come true.
The Moon-eating Celestial Dog rolled her eyes as the golden figure receded into the distance. "Daft as ever, that bird. Rotting his brain daily in the sun’s glare."
Kirin and Bai Ze exchanged knowing glances, neither remarking on Yue Xi’s choice of "daft bird." Their silence held mutual understanding—after all, Di Yan’s preferred epithet for the celestial hound was "mangy mutt" when her back was turned.
The live stream’s camera ascended moments after the Golden Crow’s departure, racing across forested slopes in pursuit of the dwindling golden speck.
——Motion sickness alert! That speed’s brutal!
——Since when does "daft bird" sound endearing? Am I broken?
——Classic otaku logic – slap moe labels on anything!
——Kirin’s got the sun-god wrapped around his claw! _(:3」∠)_
——Xiao Tianji! Show us Dragon Lord’s vulnerable side!
——Convenient mystic, inconvenient charlatan. Typical fickle fangirls →_→
——Enough whimper-porn! Give us battle-hardened hunks! White fox beauty NOW!!!
——Stabilizing… stabilization complete.
——No mortal fowl compares to the Crow’s aerial grace. Perfection!
——FLOOF ARMADA APPROACHING
——Wait – isn’t that Captain Di’s squad?
——They’re… negotiating with fox spirits?
The lens gradually settled at optimal elevation, framing the interaction between Di Yun’s team and vulpine delegates. Mr. Bai, having resumed his cherubic human form, mediated with dulcet tones that could soften granite.
A silver-furred speaker abruptly halted mid-sentence, amber eyes tracking the descending solar deity. The fox inclined its neck respectfully. "Your Highness Golden Crow, to what do we owe this honor?"
At his current raven-sized manifestation, even untransformed kitsune stood taller. Di Yan’s feathers ruffled in displeasure. Maintaining full celestial proportions felt excessive for this trivial errand, yet this diminished state wounded his pride. With a derisive snort, golden light enveloped his form.
Unlike Mountain and Sea Realm spirit cultivators still bound by transformation rituals, he’d long since endured the Transformation Lightning Tribulation. Human guise came effortlessly, though he preferred solar plumage’s uncomplicated majesty.
Emerging radiance revealed a figure draped in auric splendor – hair crown blazing with celestial metals, robes shimmering with woven sunlight. Yet where mortal excess might crassly dazzle, his bearing transformed opulence into natural regalia.
Few among spirit or human cultivators had witnessed demon lords’ human visages. The collective gasp resonated through both groups when gold-rimmed eyes unveiled aristocratic features – sword-sharp brows framing starburst irises, limbs combining predatory grace with latent power.
Di Yun’s team stood transfixed. Where the Dragon Lord embodied restrained majesty, here stood wildfire given human shape – all smoldering impatience and untamed beauty. Female and male observers alike forgot breathing, united in awe before this incarnation of solar fury.
“Are you all done staring?”
——Ahhh! Mom, this man is totally hitting on me!
——I’m here for this! Sisters, I’m so here for this!!!
——Holy crap, this is the domineering young CEO of my dreams—now the male lead finally has a face!
——Unfair! Even transformed spirit cultivators are this gorgeous? Save some charm for the rest of us!
——Dragon Lord, forgive me! My heart is yours, but my soul belongs to Your Highness Golden Crow! qaq
——Did the henhouse break open? Back to your cages, cluckers! (ˉ▽￣～)
——If a man looked like this, I’d consider switching teams! (⊙o⊙)
——When will spirit marriages be legal? Don’t you dare stop me from marrying my Golden Crow!
——Puh-lease, he’s just a pretty spirit. Must you drool so pathetically? =-=
——Hey, beauty appreciation is universal. Got a problem with that? ╭(╯╰)╮
As Team Leader, Di Yun retained enough composure to wrench his wandering thoughts back after hearing the Golden Crow Demon Lord’s words.
He offered an awkward smile, about to apologize, when he noticed his teammates still spellbound. Swiftly, he snapped them back to reality with firm pats.
The group flushed with embarrassment, their eyes darting everywhere except toward the Golden Crow Demon Lord. The fox spirits fared worse—terrified, they pressed their foreheads to the ground.
“We beg Your Highness Golden Crow’s forgiveness.”
Di Yan’s brow furrowed at the groveling fox spirits. His gaze shifted to the human cultivators, and upon noting they all stood shorter than him, he waved a magnanimous hand.
“Enough. This lord understands his magnificence is… distracting.”
“Rise.”
While all transformed beings took human form, this didn’t elevate human cultivators’ status. The human shape was simply the innate Dao body—legend stated only the Emperor of Heaven had been born thus, embodiment of the world’s laws.
Neither Empress Nuwa nor Your Highness Qingdi possessed human forms originally. All spirits seeking advancement must endure the Transformation Lightning Tribulation.
When Empress Nuwa shaped human cultivators after the Emperor of Heaven’s image, their pre-birth purity earned them the “innate Dao body” title. But birth tainted them with mortal dross, scattering that primordial energy.
Yet Dao bodies remained ideal for cultivation. Hence human cultivators progressed fastest—while spirits spent millennia merely attaining human form, gifted humans could achieve Ascension in equal time.
Di Yan addressed the lead silver fox. “Where’s your ancestor?”
“And Qiongqi with Taotie—do you know their whereabouts? This lord requires them.”
The fox bent low. “Our ancestor journeyed to Falling Moon Valley, commanding us to host the demon lords and human guests.”
“As for Lords Qiongqi and Taotie—they quarreled at dawn. Now they spar a thousand miles beyond Qingqiu.”
Di Yun’s group stood baffled. Spirit cultivators’ tongue differed utterly from mortal languages, and their hasty departure left Mr. Bai as sole translator.
“Mr. Bai? What are the Golden Crow Demon Lords discussing?”
Already curious about the exchange, Mr. Bai promptly interpreted.
The silver fox hesitated awkwardly, “Your Highness Golden Crow, does Your Lordship wish to see our ancestor?”
“This Lord has no desire for such meetings. I’m merely fulfilling my promise to Kirin by summoning them. Fetch your ancestor immediately – inform her that Kirin, Bai Ze, and their company await her presence.”
“Should any delay hinder my affairs…” Di Yan’s gaze pierced through the silver fox with ominous weight.
The silver fox’s ears flattened in realization. “We’d never dare impede Your Lordship’s business. Yet our ancestor gave strict orders against disturbance upon entering the valley.”
Di Yun listened to Mr. Bai’s whispered translation, grimly recalling his own fruitless negotiations with the stubborn fox earlier.
Di Yan’s eyebrow arched dangerously. “I shall now seek Lords Qiongqi and Taotie. Should your ancestor remain absent upon my return,” his voice dropped to molten gold menace, “Qingqiu shall taste my flames anew.”
Golden light flared as the demon lord vanished in a blazing arc across the sky.
“Burning Qingqiu twice?” Yun Han whistled through his teeth. “Now that’s imperial swagger.”
Xiao Chen adjusted her sword harness. “His very aura warns against foolish challenges.”
The once-haughty silver fox now cowered, tail tucked between trembling legs. Yun Han nudged Di Yun. “Captain, the poor creature looks ready to weep.”
While the fox could play coy with human cultivators, defiance against a demon lord equal to their ancestor? Unthinkable. The memory of scorched earth still haunted Qingqiu’s elders.
A rust-hued vixen crept forward. “Let us consult the elders about approaching Falling Moon Valley.”
“Wisdom speaks,” the silver fox’s ears flicked in agreement. He shot the humans a warning glance. “I’ll petition the elders. You keep these wanderers from mischief.”
As the foxes departed, Di Yun’s team exchanged bemused glances.
“Elders?” Yun Han leaned forward eagerly. “More powerful fox spirits?”
Mr. Bai inclined his head. “Naturally. The fox tribe thrives under demonic patronage in the Southern Wilderness. High-tier members are inevitable.”
Xiao Chen’s fingers traced protective sigils in the air. “How formidable would these elders be?”
Di Yun pondered their previous encounters – the ancient ancestor’s cryptic words, the playful kits swarming Qingqiu’s slopes, the tier four silver fox as their strongest visible guardian.
“At minimum… tier six.” The snake spirit tilted his head thoughtfully. “Our serpent elders reach such heights, and the Nine-Tailed Demon Lord’s lineage demands no less.”
The Great Wilderness encompassing the Mountain and Sea Realm teemed with ancient hierarchies – fox and bird tribes, snake and wolf clans, each maintaining ancestral traditions within demarcated territories. Only legacy-holding spirit clans preserved these structures; common beasts knew nothing of elder councils or inherited titles.
Since the Great Migration decimated their numbers, clans desperately adopted any promising spirit to sustain their lineages. Even noble blood didn’t guarantee true spirit birth – many degenerated into mere Demonic Beasts.
“Why wasn’t this explained before?” Yun Han spluttered.
Mr. Bai’s reptilian eyes slitted in amusement. “You never inquired. Common spirit migrants lack such knowledge, and wise clans conceal their strength abroad.” His forked tongue flickered. “Why reveal hidden fangs when demon lords already shield us in your realm?”
Yun Han’s cheek twitched at the irrefutable logic.
