Chapter 66 Why do monsters organize such group activities...?
The first night of incubation has passed.
Zhong Jiuli woke up early. She looked up at the foot of the bed and saw the little tiger that had said it would hatch eggs last night, now sleeping soundly on its back.
Its round little belly rose and fell with its breath, making one's hands itch to give it a squeeze. Its four paws went their separate ways, but only its fluffy tail remembered its mission, firmly encircling the Vermilion Bird egg.
If it weren't for this tail circling around her, Liu Xianyue might have been kicked off the bed by the sleepless little tiger long ago.
Zhong Jiuli carefully lifted her foot to avoid the still unhealed wound, and gently kicked the soft little belly.
"What's wrong?" Bai opened his eyes groggily, his voice still heavy with sleep.
"Time to get up." Zhong Jiuli leaned closer, resting her chin on her hand, and looked at her with a smile. "If Tiger Mom doesn't get up soon, your little sparrow will go hungry."
"Hmm~" Bai responded vaguely, slowly sat up, and transformed back into human form.
She rubbed her eyes sleepily, clearly not fully awake yet. Yesterday was her first time incubating the eggs, and she couldn't find a good sleeping position no matter how hard she tried, lying on the round eggshells, and it took her most of the night to finally fall asleep.
Zhong Jiuli's eyes flickered slightly as he slowly swept his gaze over her body, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. He then raised his hand and gave her bare bottom a light pat.
*Smack!*
A crisp sound echoed faintly from inside the cave.
Bai was jolted awake by the slap, and she quickly scurried into bed, clutching her bottom. She secretly made a mental note: Zhong Jiuli had spanked her again. One day, she would definitely get her revenge fair and square, and give her ten slaps.
When she finally got dressed and crawled out of bed, Zhong Jiuli had already changed into a light blue robe and was standing at the entrance of the cave.
In the morning light, she became ethereal, like a goddess about to take flight at any moment.
Upon seeing this, Bai's anger vanished. His wife was so beautiful; why should he be angry with her?
She put the bed and eggs into her storage ring, then happily walked over to Zhong Jiuli's side. "Let's go, let's set off."
Full of confidence, the two wandered around the forest all day and only found a few low-grade spiritual herbs, probably leftovers from the ghost vines. Bai didn't mind and picked them all.
Inside the cave, Bai sat by the campfire, gnawing on sizzling roasted meat, and muttered, "I'm not going out tomorrow. I didn't find anything good, and I ran around all day. I'm exhausted. I might as well stay in the cave and sleep to recover."
Zhong Jiuli chuckled upon hearing this: "We can't just sleep all the time, the tiger mother still has to incubate the eggs."
"I know, I will hatch the little Vermilion Bird." Bai was full of confidence. She felt that her belly was so warm that she would definitely be able to hatch Liu Xianyue soon.
For the next few days, Bai spent her days either incubating eggs or eating spiritual herbs and medicines. She devoured all the spiritual herbs that the Chu sisters and A-Lian had picked.
Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye, and the two people's external injuries have basically healed.
That evening, after dinner, the two men and the egg sat together at the entrance of the cave to watch the moon.
These days, Little Vermilion Bird has been eating good food every day without fail, and all the good things that Bai had saved in his pocket were fed to this silly bird.
She even fed all the dragon marrow she collected to the silly bird, but she wouldn't tell Liu Xianyue how she collected it.
The little red pheasant is in much better spirits now, and she often pecks at the eggshells with her tender yellow beak.
As long as no one is holding her, she keeps pecking at the eggshell. Bai even suspects that this creature is not a Vermilion Bird, but actually a woodpecker.
Even during his moon-viewing date with his wife, she could only hold this light bulb together.
“It’s a full moon today.” Bai also looked at the bright moon hanging high above the sea. “It looks just like the moon when you first took me to the trial. It’s the same size as the moon, so beautiful it doesn’t seem real.”
Zhong Jiuli glanced at her sideways, "You watch it every day, don't you get tired of it?"
"That depends on who you watch it with." Bai turned his head, his eyes filled with starlight. "Watching it with you, I definitely won't get tired of it."
"Knock knock...knock knock..."
The rapid tapping sound coming from inside the eggshell interrupted their conversation. Bai looked down and saw several small cracks on the eggshell.
"Zhong Jiuli, look! She's about to hatch!" Bai Ye shouted excitedly. It was worth all the hard work she put into incubating the egg for more than half a month.
Zhong Jiuli's gaze fell on the eggshell, where a faint crimson-gold light emanated from the cracks, and a scorching aura rushed towards her, carrying an overbearing aura that seemed to want to incinerate everything.
"Thank you for your hard work, Tiger Mom," Zhong Jiuli praised.
Her praise was very sincere. For the past half month, the two of them had been taking turns feeding Liu Xianyue True Fire, but she only had the Sun True Fire, while Bai had both the Yin and Sun True Fire, so she actually had to work much harder.
The two stared intently at the small egg, the "tap-tap" sound growing more rapid, one after another, like a small hammer chiseling on the eggshell.
With a crisp "crack," a piece of eggshell fell to the ground.
Under the moonlight, a pale yellow beak emerged from the crack in the egg, but it was quickly trapped by the eggshell.
"Chirp!" An angry chirp came from inside the eggshell. The hot-tempered little Vermilion Bird was furious that the eggshell dared to trap her.
"Haha, why is she still so irritable?" Bai was amused by the shout and burst into laughter.
“You know Boss Liu’s temper. Even if he turned into Little Sparrow, he would still be a short-tempered Little Sparrow,” Zhong Jiuli said with a smile.
Bai also reached out and touched the tender beak of the bird. "Silly bird, if you pull your head back a little, you won't get stuck."
The foolish bird didn't retreat; instead, it cried out even more angrily.
"Chirp chirp chirp!" The chirping grew more furious, and blazing flames shone through the cracks in the eggshell.
Then came a loud "bang," and the entire egg shattered into pieces.
Amidst the blazing firelight, a tiny Vermilion Bird chick, no bigger than a palm, trembled with its downy feathers, chirping spiritedly as if announcing to the world, "My mother has finally been born!"
Little Zhuque, having been quite smug, blinked her small, beady eyes and curiously looked at the two large faces in front of her, as if trying to confirm who her mother was.
"Chirp chirp?" The little Vermilion Bird tilted its head and chirped twice.
Bai immediately grinned and made two mock "cheep cheep" sounds, then said with a grin, "Good boy, you have to call me Mom!"
"Chirp chirp chirp?" Little Vermilion Bird asked, somewhat puzzled, its gaze sweeping back and forth between the two faces.
Finally, she fluttered her fiery little wings and wobbled towards Zhong Jiuli's shoulder. Even though she didn't say anything, Liu Xianyue still firmly chose her.
"How come I've developed postpartum anxiety so soon after my baby was born?" White T clutched her chest, feigning heartache. "I worked so hard incubating the egg for half a month, and my baby isn't even close to me?"
Zhong Jiuli couldn't help but chuckle, reaching out to gently pinch her cheek. "Nonsense."
The little Vermilion Bird chirped in agreement at the opportune moment.
"Heh, let's see if you'll call me Mom!" Bai chuckled and plucked a lotus seed from the Creation White Lotus from her small green space.
The Creation White Lotus matured a couple of days ago. The moment it matured, Bai picked the lotus seeds and fed them to the little Vermilion Bird, feeding it one seed a day, which allowed the little Vermilion Bird to hatch so quickly.
Otherwise, Bai would have to incubate the eggs for at least a few more months. She held the jade-like lotus seeds in her palm and deliberately waved them in front of the little Vermilion Bird. "Little glutton, do you want to eat some?"
The little Vermilion Bird paused in its preening, its small eyes widening in surprise. The pure spiritual energy emanating from the lotus seeds was far too tempting for it.
The newly born Vermilion Bird, unaware of the wickedness of human nature, fluttered its wings and flew towards those malicious hands.
Just as the little Vermilion Bird was about to catch the lotus seed, Bai withdrew his hand and simultaneously reached out with his other hand to catch the little bird that had missed its target. The fluffy touch came from his palm.
"Hey, got you?" Bai laughed smugly.
"Chirp!" A long, furious cry pierced the night sky.
In an instant, the entire night sky turned crimson, and a massive, all-encompassing Vermilion Bird appeared in the heavens.
Zhong Jiuli looked up at the illusory image of the ancestor in the sky and said in a low voice, "You can summon the ancestral image right after you are born? It seems that your rebirth from the ashes is not a bad thing after all."
Liu Xianyue has been stuck in the Mahayana stage for a long time, and her cultivation has been difficult to advance. This time, she should be able to take another step forward.
The Vermilion Bird spread its wings, its feathers stretching for miles, each one flowing with crimson flames. A wave of intense heat swept over them, dispelling much of the mist above the island.
Bai was also dumbfounded. What was going on? How could someone be so strong right after birth? Was there no justice in the world? She just wanted to tease Liu Xianyue.
"Hey, hey, I was wrong, I was wrong, don't be angry." Bai hurriedly stuffed the lotus seeds into the little Vermilion Bird's mouth, "Here, have some, have some."
The little red pheasant opened its beak, caught the lotus seed, and swallowed it whole with a gulp.
After the lotus seeds entered its belly, the little Vermilion Bird emitted a red glow all over its body, and the glow only faded after a long time.
Bai looked down and saw that the little Vermilion Bird's feathers seemed to have grown a bit, but there were no other changes. However, the little guy was still smacking his lips in her hand after finishing his food.
"Hey, you've eaten your food, so put away your supernatural powers. We're still hiding our tracks, or we'll attract the Ghost Vine." Bai poked Little Vermilion Bird's head irritably. She wanted to bully Little Vermilion Bird as much as possible before Liu Xianyue regained consciousness.
The little Vermilion Bird rolled its eyes at her, raised its head, and chirped softly. The terrifying phantom of the Vermilion Bird in the sky vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.
Zhong Jiuli smiled as she gently massaged Bai Ye's neck with her fingertips. "No need to incubate the eggs tonight, I can finally get a good night's sleep."
"Hmm." Bai responded and got up to return to the cave with Zhong Jiuli. They had only taken a few steps when they suddenly heard a dense rustling sound coming from the forest behind them.
She stopped and turned to look in the direction from which the noise came. "Isn't something... a little off?"
Bai also assumed that the commotion caused by Liu Xianyue had attracted the Ghost Vine. She activated her Golden Eye of Truth and looked into the depths of the dense forest.
To this surprise, many strange beasts that had never been seen before appeared in the forest. Vines twisted and wriggled as they broke through the soil, and hideous man-eating flowers ran wildly through the dense forest with their huge mouths open.
Many strange and unusual creatures that inhabit the deep sea have now crawled ashore. As if on a pilgrimage, they all surged toward a certain location deep within the dense forest.
"What's going on? Were they all attracted by Liu Xianyue's Vermilion Bird Dharma Image? But why are they running deeper into the forest?" Bai muttered to himself.
Zhong Jiuli withdrew her outward-extended divine sense and shook her head, saying, "No matter what the situation is, we'll find out by going and investigating. If it's a beast tide, we can prepare in advance."
"Mm." Bai nodded in response. She glanced at the little Vermilion Bird in her hand that was dozing off after eating its fill. "Little thing, you should go back to Sister Green's space. Mommy is going out hunting. Oh, and don't bite the Creation White Lotus. One a day is enough for you."
The little Vermilion Bird blinked its eyes and chirped twice before transforming into a beam of red light and flying into the space created by the little green bird.
Bai touched her stomach and said, "How did she manage to enter my space all by herself?"
Zhong Jiuli chuckled, "The Vermilion Bird clan is also skilled in spatial laws. She once resided within you, perhaps she sensed her presence."
"Oh well, it's nothing serious anyway." Bai wasn't too concerned about it either, and he grabbed Zhong Jiuli and flew out of the cave.
On this island, her wings were the most energy-efficient mode of transportation. Compared to flying, which requires spiritual energy, flying with wings consumes almost no spiritual energy, making it the best choice at the moment.
Bai carefully controlled the altitude, concealing the two of them among the treetops and clouds. This altitude would neither disturb the Ghost Vine nor be noticed by the beasts gathered below.
Along the way, sea beasts from all directions flocked to join them. In just over an hour, the number of monsters had increased several times, almost forming a beast tide.
"Don't you think they all look very excited? Does the Misty Island hold a monster tournament every time the moon is full?" Bai whispered in Zhong Jiuli's ear.
Of course, what she was thinking about was the Paw Patrol holding a general meeting.
"Don't speak." Zhong Jiuli covered Bai Ye's mouth without blinking. This guy had recently taken to whispering in her ear. His warm breath on her earlobe made her a little uncomfortable.
"Waaah." Bai also sobbed and pointed forward.
The herd of beasts they had been following surged into a valley like a tide. Strange pink mist rose from the valley entrance, and strange sounds were mixed in with the roars of the beasts.
Zhong Jiuli's ears instantly burned; she vaguely understood why those demonic beasts' eyes were gleaming with excitement.
Bai also embraced Zhong Jiuli, hiding in the thick fog. When they were still dozens of feet away from the valley, she stopped approaching.
The pink mist looked strange, and there was a faint, sweet scent in the air.
Even the slow-witted Bai realized at this moment that the demonic beasts had gathered...
"Why do the monsters have to organize these kinds of group activities..." Bai asked, blinking. "Can't they usually deal with things on their own? Why do they have to gather together? Is it because there are more monsters, and more choices?"
This was a tricky question, and Zhong Jiuli didn't know how to answer it. She could only gently twist Bai Ye's arm and say shyly, "Don't look at what you shouldn't see!"
"Ouch!" Bai cried out in pain, "Zhong Jiuli, you're up to no good! I never said I wanted to go in and watch them do this kind of thing."
"No wonder I saw so many strange-looking creatures earlier. Could they all be hybrids produced this way?"
Zhong Jiuli quickly covered Bai Ye's eyes, "Don't look, let's go."
"Who wants to watch this?" Bai protested softly. "I'm not crazy. Who wants to appreciate those strange and unusual interactions? I'm a good kid with impeccable morals."
The two of them had just turned around when they were startled.
Unbeknownst to them, a large, pink serpent with horns on its head, poised to transform into a dragon, silently appeared behind them.
It stood upright, its pink-glowing serpentine eyes scrutinizing them with interest, as if wondering why these two humans didn't join the revelry in the valley.
Bai Ye's back instantly broke out in a cold sweat. This giant snake's cultivation level was far beyond his imagination, and it was able to approach silently, bypassing Zhong Jiuli's senses.
In the thick fog, the two people and the snake stood silently facing each other, and the sweet fragrance in the air grew stronger.
Zhong Jiuli transmitted her voice to Bai Ye, "This pink mist can paralyze perception. I'll hold it off, you go first."
Bai didn't let go; instead, he hugged Zhong Jiuli even tighter. "This island isn't suitable for splitting up. Zhong Jiuli, don't even think about separating from me."
"Hiss~" The pink snake raised its head and opened its mouth to spew out a large cloud of scarlet mist.
This fog was many times thicker than the light pink fog in the valley, and it made people dizzy as soon as it appeared.
"Go!" Bai was prepared. The black lightning ball in his palm shot out and pierced straight into the depths of the pink snake's throat.
"Boom!" The lightning ball exploded, and the giant snake cried out in pain, its body twisting violently and emitting a sharp hiss.
A flash of silver light appeared in Zhong Jiuli's palm, and an invisible domain appeared, completely isolating the poisonous fog that was rushing towards them.
The fog enveloped the two of them, like waves crashing against rocks, preventing them from advancing an inch.
"Let's go, don't get entangled with it," Zhong Jiuli transmitted her voice.
Bai understood immediately, wrapped her arms around Zhong Jiuli's waist, and with a sudden flap of her wings, she soared into the air like an arrow. She flapped her wings without reservation, wanting only to leave this place as quickly as possible.
However, just as they took off, a series of sharp, piercing sounds came from the air.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Dozens of brownish-red ghost vine roots emerged from the mist, swarming towards them like venomous snakes.
"Oh no! The roar of that giant snake has attracted the Ghost Vine!" Bai was also somewhat annoyed; she shouldn't have thrown that lightning ball.
They had no intention of fighting the Ghost Vine today, and now they were caught in a pincer movement, which was not a good situation.
"Settle." Zhong Jiuli said softly.
The whistling ghost vines froze in mid-air.
"Hidden." As the second word fell, silver light flowed from her fingertips, and invisible ripples spread out from the two of them.
In an instant, time seemed to freeze. Their presence and figures seemed to vanish from this world.
They were suspended in mid-air, seemingly disappearing into another dimension, leaving no trace.
Having regained its mobility, the Ghost Vine frantically swept through the mist, but still couldn't find its suddenly vanished prey.
Bai held his breath, his gaze fixed on the large pink snake slithering leisurely below. Even though the Ghost Vine was hunting above, it seemed oblivious to the snake so close, letting it move freely among the vines.
"Why doesn't the Ghost Vine attack that pink snake?" Bai asked, and then it dawned on him.
“Because their relationship is mutually beneficial.” Zhong Jiuli’s voice rang in her ears, confirming her guess.
That enormous, almost eerie, serpent coiled on the island, using its unique aura to lure monsters into mating and multiplying, thus creating more food.
The Ghost Vine reaped the benefits, turning these demonic beasts into nourishment for its growth. In return, the Ghost Vine allowed this powerful serpent to live on the island.
"So that giant snake wasn't trying to attack us. It saw that the two of us hadn't entered the valley..." Bai paused here, changing the subject.
"No wonder the Ghost Vine can grow so huge on this food-scarce island. It turns out it has created a food chain for itself. How clever is that?"
Bai Ye's voice was full of emotion. Compared to the Ghost Vine, that little flame that only knew how to hide at the bottom of the lake and whine was simply... incredibly weak.
While the two were hiding in the Time Realm watching the show, outside, Ghost Vine, who had been searching for a long time but still couldn't find the two delicious foods, finally got angry.
It vented its rage on the monsters in the valley, and countless vines surged into the valley. Before the monsters, who were reveling, could react, they were pierced by the sharp vines.
The howls of the monsters echoed throughout the entire island, and the ghost vines greedily devoured the monsters' flesh and blood, causing the vines that had penetrated deep into the valley to grow even thicker.
Even a white person could smell the blood in the air, as well as a faint, sweet, fishy scent.
After a long while, the commotion in the valley finally subsided. The ghost vines, having feasted, withdrew from the valley, leaving behind only withered animal hides and stark white bones.
Zhong Jiuli waved her hand and released the domain. "Let's go back."
Bai nodded, and was about to speak when his gaze suddenly sharpened, and he abruptly turned to the side while holding Zhong Jiuli.
A thin vine flew through the air, grazing past the two of them.
"Damn it." Bai also stared at the vine with gritted teeth. "This thing is too smart. It even knows how to ambush."
Zhong Jiuli's eyes darkened slightly. She had indeed been careless and underestimated the spirituality of this ghost vine.
It wasn't that the two of them were really careless. This inconspicuous vine concealed its presence in the dense forest, and even though they had released their divine senses to investigate beforehand, they hadn't noticed it.
The name "Demon Vine" is not only because it is ugly, but also because of its ability to hide in a way that is almost supernatural.
More importantly, the two have special bloodlines, which are highly beneficial to the Ghost Vine. Now that it has its eye on them, how could it bear to give them up?
Their earlier outburst of anger and retreat were all an act. The moment the two appeared, a multitude of vines burst forth from the dense forest.
"Never mind, since we can't escape, let's fight, let's beat this damn thing to death." Bai Ye flipped his palm and the heavy sword appeared in his hand.
Zhong Jiuli was not one to hesitate. Since they were going to fight sooner or later, they might as well do it now.
"Don't get entangled with these vines, go find its true form." Before she finished speaking, she had already transformed into a streak of light and sped into the depths of the mist.
"Hey, don't leave me behind again, Zhong Jiuli. You're really annoying. Every time there's a fight, you just rush forward by yourself." Bai hurriedly flapped his wings to catch up.
Zhong Jiuli took the lead, and wherever the silver light passed, the vines shattered. Bai followed closely behind, his heavy sword crackling with lightning, cutting down the vines that tried to encircle them.
The vines seemed to realize that the two were flying towards their original location, so they stopped intercepting them and instead trailed behind them, gradually forming an encirclement.
Bai Ye flew to Zhong Jiuli's side, pulled her into his arms, and whispered, "This thing deliberately made way for us because it was certain we couldn't hurt it?"
"Perhaps. It grew up in this endless sea and should not have encountered any formidable adversaries yet," Zhong Jiuli replied.
"Then today, let it know that underestimating human cultivators will lead to disaster." After saying that, Bai slowed down the flight speed and switched to green travel mode.
She is a very frugal and good girl. She knows how to save where she should and spend where she should. There is no need to waste her spiritual energy on trivial matters like traveling.
Unfortunately, the vines behind him weren't so willing. As soon as Bai Ye slowed down, the vines shot out like venomous snakes, whistling through the air.
"What's the rush? Are you in such a hurry to die? It's not like I'm not going, why are you in such a hurry?" Bai cursed and cleaved the attacking vines with his sword, flapping his wings to increase his speed.
She moved fast and slow, playing a cat-and-mouse game with the vines, which angered the vines so much that they frantically whipped everything in their path.
Zhong Jiuli found Bai Ye's playful demeanor amusing. "Does the entire White Tiger clan seem to be as fearless as you?"
"Huh?" Bai looked at Zhong Jiuli in confusion, and said, "No, I'm quite timid."
Zhong Jiuli shook her head and chuckled, "Little liar."
"Don't wrong me. When did I lie to you?" Bai Ye seemed to have realized the key point and asked, "You mean these vines?"
Zhong Jiuli nodded noncommittally.
"Nobody's afraid of vines, right? Even though it can kill me, in my eyes it's just a vine, nothing to be afraid of." Bai said, finding it somewhat amusing.
She wasn't afraid of those deadly ghosts, but rather of those unseen and intangible things.
After chasing each other all the way, the two were soon driven to the area where the Ghost Vine was located.
Bai stared at the enormous ghost vine that blotted out the sky and said in a low voice, "When I last saw it, it was half the size it is now. It's only been about half a month."
Zhong Jiuli's gaze fell on the center of the vines, where a celestial sword was deeply embedded in the trunk. "It seems that the old ghost of the Wang family is indeed dead. Even his natal celestial sword has become nourishment for this ghostly thing."
Bai followed her gaze, his brows furrowing slightly. "This thing even eats swords! The sword light has dimmed."
As the two stopped to observe the Ghost Vine from a distance, the Ghost Vine was also observing them. A scarlet fleshy flower slowly bloomed on its main stem, with petals as thick as blood and a mouth full of sharp teeth at the center of the flower.
"So delicious...so sweet and fragrant." The meat wriggled, making a hoarse, grating sound.
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Author's Note: [Evil laugh][Evil laugh][Evil laugh] By now, everyone should have guessed how the accident happened!
The main package knows what everyone wants to see, so this part was sped up a little [dog head with rose in its mouth][dog head with rose in its mouth][dog head with rose in its mouth]
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