Chapter Seventy-One: The Advancement of the Flesh Bird

What Feng Ke’er hadn’t expected was that Feng Jiu’s emergence from seclusion this time caused quite a stir. Before breakfast, the entire valley was quiet, but shortly after the morning meal, a fiery red cloud suddenly billowed across the sky above the valley. It grew rapidly, swelling and thickening until, within a quarter of an hour, it blanketed the whole valley. The cloud churned violently, spinning at great speed, soon transforming into a crimson vortex.

At the same time, a wind picked up. Sand and stones flew through the valley, visibility plummeted, and the rising dust formed a sandstorm that spread across the open fields. The nearby spirit fields, which had just begun to bloom, suffered greatly—flowers battered to the ground, spirit rice uprooted. It seemed this year’s harvest might be lost.

The first to notice this anomaly was the Grand Elder, who had been stationed at the outer gate. She rushed from her room and gazed toward the valley. Her attendants, along with the stewards and elders of the outer gate, followed in a panic, seeking her guidance.

But the Grand Elder stood with her hands behind her back, facing the wind, her face glowing with excitement. She laughed, “Why the panic? This is the celestial sign of a spirit beast’s advancement. Such a commotion must mean the guardian spirit beast of the outer gate is ascending to a divine beast.”

She had witnessed such an event once within the inner gate, and the scene was identical. Where there is a guardian formation, there must be a guardian beast. Though the outer gate’s formation was not as powerful as the inner gate’s, it had been left by the founding matriarch, so a spirit beast’s existence was certain. None present had seen it, yet all believed. With the Grand Elder’s esteemed word, everyone’s faces lit up, and they congratulated her one by one.

The Grand Elder, in rare high spirits, returned their bows, “The guardian divine beast’s advancement: may we all share in this joy.” She then sent a message talisman to the Sect Master, announcing the good news.

Soon, the Sect Master arrived with the inner gate leaders. The advancement of a divine beast is accompanied by tribulation lightning, and the greater the commotion, the stronger the lightning. No one cared anymore about the ruined spirit fields; the Sect Master immediately appointed several inner gate experts to form a temporary array to shield the guardian divine beast.

Within the great crimson vortex, the rotation sped up. Sparks flashed inside, occasionally crackling. “Ah, the tribulation lightning!” cried the Sect Master, waving to those within the protective array, “Quick, raise the formation!”

The protective array’s purpose was to absorb part of the tribulation lightning’s power for the advancing beast. There would be three bolts in total, each exponentially stronger. The array would bear seventy percent of the first, thirty percent of the second. The third, though the most powerful, would reconstruct the beast’s meridians, benefiting only the one advancing; thus, it must be faced alone.

Unlike spirit beasts, human cultivators face tribulation lightning only when ascending to the spirit realm. Everyone fears being struck by lightning! The experts within the array looked apprehensive, but the Sect Master’s command could not be disobeyed. They had no choice but to steel themselves, trembling as they drew their swords, flying to the valley’s edge to take their places.

Above the valley, the crimson vortex darkened, pressing down like a giant lid upon the place where the meatbird was secluded. Inside, golden sparks grew into dazzling flashes, the crackling replaced by a deep, harsh rumbling.

The animals in the valley had long since fled, leaving only the immobile plants struggling desperately in the wind.

Seeing this, Feng Ke’er couldn’t help but silently worry for the meatbird.

Qin Jun rushed in, excited, inviting her to watch from the courtyard. She yawned, pulled up her quilt, flopped onto her couch, and mumbled, “Isn’t it just thunder and rain? What’s so interesting? I spent all last night studying sword techniques—I need to catch up on sleep.”

Unable to persuade her, Qin Jun tossed out, “A spectacle seen once in a thousand years—don’t regret missing it!” and went off to watch the excitement alone.

Feng Ke’er, hands behind her head, continued monitoring the valley closely.

Another half hour passed, and the massive vortex reverted to a cloud form. But its color had changed dramatically, from crimson to black edged with glowing red.

The Sect Master, tense as if facing an enemy, shouted, “Ah, the tribulation cloud!” The legendary tribulation cloud had finally formed! Everyone clenched their fists, holding their breath.

A golden bolt of lightning tore through the black tribulation cloud.

With a thunderous crash, the first tribulation lightning descended! Like a razor-sharp axe, it struck precisely where the meatbird was secluded, cleaving half the mountaintop away. The valley’s plants burst into flame, crackling and snapping.

The protective array by the valley, however, failed utterly.

“Do you mortals have a death wish? Get out of the way—stop blocking my path!” A childish boy’s voice echoed from the mountain.

The tone was familiar, like the meatbird’s, but the voice was not. The meatbird usually sounded soft, like a toddler of two or three, but this voice was clear, like a boy of seven or eight. Feng Ke’er frowned, wondering: Could it be that for a divine beast’s cub, advancement is akin to growing up?

But, having endured the first lightning bolt and still able to shout with vigor, the meatbird seemed quite at ease, and Feng Ke’er’s worry finally settled.

Those in the protective array were secretly relieved. Hearing the command, they didn’t wait for the Sect Master’s order; each dragged their sword and retreated like arrows loosed from a bow.

The Sect Master showed no embarrassment, turning to the Grand Elder with a smile, “Our divine beast is truly formidable!”

The Grand Elder nodded in agreement, “Indeed, worthy of the name—such presence is extraordinary.”

Everyone cheered.

As they spoke, the second tribulation lightning formed. This one was snow-white, its force far greater than the first. It exploded from the sky, shaking the earth and mountains. The meatbird’s mountaintop was split in two. Where once the valley was lush and green, now not a single blade of grass remained, only scorched earth.

Through the thick dust, Feng Ke’er used her spirit sense to locate a huge red stone egg where the meatbird was secluded. The egg was about five meters tall, over two meters in diameter, an irregular oval.

The meatbird must be hiding inside this giant red egg. Feng Ke’er examined it carefully with her spirit sense. Thankfully, the shell was intact, not a single crack.

Just as she sighed in relief, the red egg began to shake violently.

“Damn it! What kind of tribulation lightning is this? So weak!” A boy’s muttering came from inside the egg.

Immediately, a clatter of banging erupted within. The egg’s shell began to crack and peel away in chunks.

“Oh no!” The Sect Master and others’ faces changed dramatically. Especially the Sect Master, who looked as if she desperately wanted to rush forward and bear the third bolt herself. But the divine beast had spoken, so she dared not act without permission. All she could do was watch anxiously.

This mad creature! Feng Ke’er realized what was happening and sucked in a breath. Unbelievable—the meatbird, dissatisfied with the strength of the tribulation, was breaking open its own protective shell to face the third and most powerful lightning bolt head-on!

With a roar—

The red shell hadn’t fully cracked when the third tribulation lightning descended, fiercer than ever. With it came a howling gale and torrential rain.

From afar, the valley looked like a dense ink blot between heaven and earth. Feng Ke’er’s spirit sense could not penetrate it—she couldn’t see a thing! Moreover, though the wind blew and rain poured, inside the ink cloud the temperature rivaled a steel furnace. Even her immaterial spirit sense felt scorched.

“Hiss—so hot!” Feng Ke’er sensed danger and quickly withdrew her spirit sense.

On the Sect Master’s side, cries broke out. The Sect Master, Grand Elder, and a dozen high-level cultivators managed only to sway, faces pale. Those with slightly lower cultivation suffered greatly; their spirit sense was damaged to varying degrees. Some clutched their heads and staggered back; others spat mouthfuls of blood. As for the Foundation Establishment stewards and elders, their eyes rolled back, collapsing in droves.

Close call! Feng Ke’er wiped cold sweat from her brow. The Celestial Master was right—training truly pays off. If she hadn’t fought for her life in the Ant Forest, she wouldn’t possess reflexes nearly equal to the great cultivators!

Apparently, besides the Ant Forest, the inner gate has a couple of forbidden areas… Now, tasting the benefits, she began planning her next “training session.”

Chastened, everyone no longer dared to use spirit sense for spying, relying only on the most basic methods to observe from afar. But the excitement was shrouded in darkness; no one could see what was happening in the valley. Most were badly wounded and had no heart for spectacle—sitting down to meditate, take pills, regulate their breath, all were busy healing. Only the Sect Master, Grand Elder, and a few others kept watchful eyes.

The chaos in the valley lasted only about a quarter of an hour. Then the tribulation lightning dispersed, wind and rain ceased, and a radiant seven-colored rainbow arched across the clear blue sky.

The Sect Master, overjoyed, waved her fist and announced, “Success!”

Except for those unconscious, the Grand Elder and others applauded and celebrated.

Feng Ke’er immediately received a message from Meatbird, transmitted via spirit sense: “Hey, Feng girl, where are you? Got any demon crystals? I haven’t eaten in ages—my mouth tastes like water!”

Hmph! Feng Ke’er rolled her eyes and replied, “So you advanced successfully—what’s there to brag about? I advanced too!”

Meatbird chuckled, “I’ll come find you.”

“No!” Feng Ke’er hurried to stop him, “I can’t meet you right now.”

“What’s going on?” Meatbird’s tone grew serious. “Someone giving you trouble?”

“Yes and no,” Feng Ke’er explained briefly about the pursuit from the Heaven of Parting and Qin Hanyan’s protection using the blood-scent sachet.

Meatbird snorted dismissively, “Tracking technique? Piece of cake—I can break it, but you’ll need to trade a hundred first-grade fire attribute demon crystals for the method.” His tone was full of teasing.

Apparently, he was in a good mood, joking around.

“Greedy!” Feng Ke’er laughed, “Deal!” Hmph, she had plenty of first-grade fire attribute demon crystals—nothing else, though! (To be continued)

Celestial Codex, Chapter 71: Meatbird’s Advancement, update complete!