Chapter Twenty-Six: The Guardian Divine Beast

“Girl, are you a descendant of the Feng clan?” Feng Jiu raised his head and asked.

Indeed, she did bear the surname Feng, so naturally, she was a Feng family descendant. However, this “Feng” was not the same as that “Feng.” You’ve got the wrong person! Feng Ke’er furrowed her brows. “Featherless chicken…”

To hell with “winning people over with virtue”! Even gods have their limits!

“You rotten girl, this is my final warning—do not call me ‘featherless chicken’!” Feng Jiu bristled, spreading his wings and letting out a shrill cry. “I am a Feng, a Fire Feng! The supreme divine beast of the Heavenly Realm!”

But he didn’t breathe fire. First, even if he tried, nothing would happen. The flames simply wouldn’t ignite on this wretched girl, at best giving her a fright; second, he had already exposed himself, which was trouble enough. So, the priority right now was not to teach this brat a lesson, but to appease her quickly and help him escape the public eye.

Feng Ke’er shot a sidelong glance at the “Feng’s” two bare, fleshy wings, swallowed hard, and snorted, “Hmph, but you’re still a beast! No different from a chicken—they’re both birds and beasts.” Because of this plucked bird, her precious millet rice balls were gone, and she was truly starving—perhaps a “phoenix’s” wings would taste even better than a wild pheasant king’s?

“You!” Feng Jiu opened and closed his beak, unable to refute. She wasn’t wrong; he was, after all, a beast.

This was not the time for verbal sparring! The so-called beast took a deep breath and switched tactics. “If I were you, facing imminent death, I wouldn’t waste time on these trivial matters.”

Feng Ke’er exploded, standing over the barely one-foot-tall “Feng,” one hand on her hip, jabbing an angry finger. “Trivial matters? Is forming a contract a small thing? I was treated like a spirit beast and forced into some kind of equal contract for no reason, and you call that trivial—” Suddenly, realization dawned, and she shrieked, “Imminent death? What do you mean? Who’s facing death?”

At least she had her wits about her. Feng Jiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and pointed at her with a wing. “Of course it’s you! Who else could it be? The Feng clan is the supreme divine beast of the heavens, possessing the noblest bloodline and boundless power. For millions of years, we have been the guardian beasts most coveted by cultivators of all three realms. Unfortunately, we reside in the Divine Realm and rarely form contracts with mortals. However, just now, so many people witnessed with their own eyes that I, the most noble Fire Feng of the Feng clan, made a contract with you. So, when word gets out, how do you think cultivators of the lower realm will treat you?”

Naturally—an innocent person is envied for their treasure! Guardian beast, my foot; more like a harbinger of doom! Feng Ke’er felt a chill deep in her bones and drew a finger across her throat. “Murder and robbery?”

Feng Jiu nodded slightly. “Murder is quite likely. You’re a novice cultivator who got incredibly lucky—imagine how many will be jealous and unwilling to accept it! Besides, my current power has dropped to the peak of the second stage, my cultivation is limited, so if they resent you and want to kill you out of envy, it’s not impossible.

But as for stealing the beast? Hah, they can forget about it! Rest assured, girl. Everyone knows that our Feng clan is innately loyal. If we don’t form a contract, fine; but if we do, we only ever form one in our lifetime. So, even if you die, I won’t make a contract with anyone else. No one would dare force me, either. Also, my powers are limited now, so I can’t fully protect you. However,” his gaze sharpened, raising a wing solemnly, “before Pangu himself, I swear—I will avenge you one day!”

Why did that sound so odd? Bah! Remembering the deep resentment in those people’s eyes just now, Feng Ke’er shivered. After a moment’s thought, she finally pieced things together and nearly ground her teeth to dust. “So, you used me as a shield because you were afraid of getting caught by them?”

This damn bird—out of all the advanced cultivators in the Core Formation stage, you just had to pick me, a mere novice. Are you blind, or just brainless?

“‘Shield’?” Feng Jiu pressed his forehead, quickly catching on. He chuckled. “Clever girl. That’s a fitting term—I like it. Since we’ve already formed the contract, I won’t hide it from you. That’s exactly what I was thinking at the time.”

“Screw you, you pretentious bird!” She was hopping mad. “Break the contract—I want out!”

But the bird could only spread his wings helplessly, glancing back anxiously. “Sorry, our Feng clan rarely forms contracts with mortals, and once we do, we never go back on our word. So, I won’t break it. And don’t get too cocky—if you weren’t a Feng clan descendant, I wouldn’t have chosen you. There’s a long story behind this. Are you sure you want to hear it now?”

It seemed there was more to this, but Feng Ke’er, seeing his nervous expression, suppressed her questions for now and looked around. “Are they coming after us?”

Perfect—she valued her life, just as he thought. Feng Jiu quickly hid his smugness and nodded seriously. “Very soon.”

“So what now?” Feng Ke’er fumed. “My cultivation is low, and you’re not much better. There are plenty of high-level cultivators in the sect—even if we run, where can we go?” Her carefully laid plans for a low-key life had been completely upended by this wretched bird!

“Wild Pheasant Slope,” Feng Jiu said without hesitation. “They’ve probably already realized I’m currently too weak to protect myself, and because your aura is hidden by a Concealment Talisman, to them you’re just a postnatal cultivator. Wild Pheasant Slope is full of low-grade, fire-type beasts, and first-stage monsters often lurk there. They’ll assume you have no spiritual power for protection and wouldn’t dare hide there.”

It sounded reasonable enough. Whatever—safety first! Of the thirty-six strategies, running away is the best. Feng Ke’er snorted, “Then what are we waiting for?” With that, she gathered her energy, preparing to use her swift travel and water-skimming techniques.

“Much obliged,” Feng Jiu flapped his wings and, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, hopped onto her shoulder.

“Hey—” she protested. “You’ve got legs, two of them, and wings—even if they’re bald, they’re still wings! Don’t you know it’s important to be self-reliant?”

“My shell broke a bit early this time, so I have to trouble you,” Feng Jiu explained sheepishly. “Of course, you don’t have to take me. But since we’re contracted, you now carry the unique scent of our Feng clan. If they catch me, they can track you down wherever you hide using the Feng-tailed Bird.”

A stunted, premature bird—what a mess! She was thoroughly stuck with him now. Grinding her teeth, she spat, “Fine. But if you stay with me, can’t they still track you with the Feng-tailed Bird?”

“Not so,” Feng Jiu shook his head proudly. “The Feng-tailed Bird hasn’t tasted my blood, so its ability to track a Feng’s scent is weak. And now, with your Concealment Talisman masking us, even if there’s only a thin veil, it won’t sense me.”

“So that’s your main reason for sticking to me?” Damn guardian beast—who’s guarding whom, exactly? She wanted nothing more than to wring his scrawny neck, then toss him in boiling water—wait, he’s already bald, so straight into the pot with star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, rock sugar, and a heap of red chilies for a spicy “phoenix stew”—perfect with wine!

“They’re almost upon us,” the bird cleared his throat and threw her own words back at her. “What are you waiting for?”

“We’ll settle this later!” Feng Ke’er stomped her foot, cut the chatter, and hurried off.

In truth, Feng Jiu was only trying to scare her. He meant no harm. He’d risked breaking his shell early to search for someone and didn’t want to get entangled with the Qingyun Sect and delay his quest.

As for the Qingyun Sect, a new disciple, only three days in, had miraculously formed a contract with a divine beast from the upper realm—this was like a box of gold falling from the sky.

The Feng clan was the king of divine beasts; the Fire Feng, king among Fengs. Where else could one find such an extraordinary guardian beast? Not only would they never harm a hair on Feng Ke’er’s head, but they’d treat her as the sect’s greatest treasure, worshipping her like a living deity.

They’d never allow anyone to harm her. Because a Feng forms only one contract in its life; if anything happened to Feng Ke’er, the Qingyun Sect would lose the Fire Feng forever.

So, how could the sect’s leaders allow any internal conflict?

The sect master, upon receiving the transmission talisman, rushed to the dining hall and swiftly took decisive action: first, everyone present was ordered into seclusion for three months, and the contract’s existence was forbidden to be mentioned—on pain of death. Second, she publicly announced that Feng Ke’er was an outstanding talent, a rare prodigy, and would be taken as a personal disciple, effective immediately, and moved to the main peak, Sacred Sunset Peak.

Since its founding, no inner disciple had ever worn a blue robe. Feng Ke’er was the first.

News of her acceptance spread, and both inner and outer disciples were thrown into an uproar—some envious, some skeptical, some amazed, some simply curious.

The most frustrated were the sect master’s beloved youngest daughter, Master Huilan, and her chief disciple, Fairy Mo Xue. A talentless nobody they’d both dismissed, now, after only three days, had suddenly soared to become their junior sister and junior aunt. According to sect rules, status was determined by cultivation, but prodigies could be promoted exceptionally. Until their rank and cultivation matched, however, the title “junior” would be prefixed.

Unaware of all this, Feng Ke’er, misled by a certain bird, hurried back to her little courtyard, packed up all her belongings, and, filled with anxiety, plunged into Wild Pheasant Slope. On the way, feeling her energy waning, she even took a Spirit-Nurturing Pill.

But the bird was extremely picky: the foot of the mountain was too damp, he refused to stay; the slope was too noisy with pheasants, also unacceptable.

Feng Ke’er agreed that both places were unsafe—one too close to people, the other too close to beasts—so she gritted her teeth and climbed much higher toward the main peak.

The higher she went, the thinner and sparser the shrubs became, while jagged, exposed boulders grew more abundant and imposing.

After a long trek, they finally reached a bare cliff near the summit. Feng Jiu, at last satisfied, called out, “Stop! Up there will do. We can carve out a cave dwelling.”

Feng Ke’er looked up, set down her cooking pot and gear, wiped the sweat from her brow, and huffed, “Do it yourself if you want to be well fed and clothed.”

Carve a cave dwelling? As if! She wasn’t a mole—how was she supposed to dig a cave with a pair of daggers in that rocky peak?

No way—whoever wants to dig can dig!

She’d already picked her spot: a slope below, facing east, basking in sunlight, shaded by trees, with a stream running nearby—hidden, safe, a perfect temporary home. She planned to rest a bit, then chop some wood and build a simple shelter by the stream.

The Supreme Treasure Tome, Chapter 26—The Guardian Divine Beast—end of update!