Chapter 18: Demon Bird

Lu Yang's knowledge of the Cultivation Realm was not comprehensive. Before entering the Wendao Sect, his knowledge came from the old storyteller. In the year since entering the Wendao Sect, his knowledge of cultivation had grown at an astonishing speed, but none of the books he read wrote about how to get off a flying boat.

Who writes such things in books?

In terms of common sense for living in the Cultivation Realm, he was still inferior to someone like Tao Yaoye, who grew up in a family of cultivators.

Regarding the flying boat, he only knew it was an industry belonging to the Landing Money Chamber of Commerce, and the way to get off was to jump off, but the specific method was unknown.

Every year, the flying boat brought in huge amounts of wealth, but to the Landing Money Chamber of Commerce, this was just an insignificant small industry.

The Landing Money Chamber of Commerce was the largest chamber of commerce on the Central Continent, with mysterious backing and countless rare treasures. As long as you had enough spirit stones, you could even buy legendary immortal treasures that no one had ever seen, such as the Sarira of the Buddha Kingdom, the Holy Bone of the Demon Domain, or the Dao Fruit of an Immortal.

If anyone dared to owe a debt to the Landing Money Chamber of Commerce, or harbored lucky thoughts and stole things from the chamber, then the several cultivation powerhouses who had disappeared without a trace were the warning to the world.

Legend has it that there was a cultivation powerhouse known as the King of Thieves, who was proficient in the Dao of Space. Taking others' storage spaces was as easy as reaching into a bag. Distance was just a meaningless string of numbers to him; he could cross ten thousand mountains and rivers in one step, traveling from the far west of the Central Continent to the far winter lands.

Even the belongings of Tribulation Transcendence stage powerhouses had been stolen by him.

There was an unspoken rule in the art of stealing: one must not steal things from the Landing Money Chamber of Commerce.

Originally, the King of Thieves followed the ancestor's teachings and did not have any interaction with the Landing Money Chamber of Commerce. As his fame grew, countless long-established experts joined forces to hunt him down, but they couldn't even find a corner of his clothes. He gradually felt that these cultivation powerhouses were nothing special, and that he had already surpassed the ancestor of thieves, so why should he still follow those rigid ancestor teachings?

He arrogantly announced that he would steal a treasure from the Landing Money Chamber of Commerce that night.

Everyone in the world thought that either the King of Thieves' Dao of Space was mysterious and he would steal the treasure silently, or a great battle would break out inside the chamber, with the King of Thieves fighting the powerhouses behind the chamber.

No one expected that nothing happened that night, and from then on, the King of Thieves never appeared again, disappearing without a trace.

Lu Yang's embarrassment only lasted for a short while. When it was time to jump off the boat, the strangers didn't have time to keep looking at Lu Yang.

Everyone opened their paper umbrellas and leaped down, getting off the boat one after another.

Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye also moved.

High in the sky, several strangers opened their umbrellas, looking as small as sesame seeds from afar. Lu Yang was different; he pulled the rope on his back, and the parachute opened with a "bang," making him particularly conspicuous in the high sky.

In normal times, Lu Yang would be very nervous at such a height.

But now, Lu Yang had no mind to think about these things.

It was too embarrassing.

Fortunately, everyone had different destinations, and only Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye were going to Taiping Township.

As soon as they arrived at Taiping Township, the two were warmly welcomed by the township head, who acted as if he had known they would arrive long ago.

"Two Immortal Elders, you have finally arrived. The way you jumped off the flying boat was truly extraordinary."

Lu Yang opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't ask how he knew when they would arrive.

"My name is Lu Yang, and she is Tao Yaoye. We are both disciples of the Wendao Sect. The description of the demon bird in the mission is not very detailed, so please tell us in detail, Township Head."

Originally, the Township Head had prepared a welcome banquet, intending to drink a few rounds first, and after drinking too much, give some local specialties and then talk about the demon bird in detail, asking them to put in some effort. People from above handling errands were always like this.

He didn't expect the two to be so swift and decisive, so he couldn't help but feel happy and secretly praised them, worthy of being disciples of an Immortal Sect.

Tao Yaoye glanced at the Township Head. He had late-stage Qi Condensation cultivation, but his foundation hadn't been laid well in his early years, and there were many impurities in his spiritual power. He had no hope of Foundation Establishment and belonged to the category of ordinary cultivators, with nothing outstanding.

Speaking of the demon bird, the Township Head looked bitter. Taiping Township didn't have many travelers to begin with and was relatively isolated. Now that the matter of the demon bird had spread nearby, even merchants were unwilling to come near here.

He had reported it to Quhe County, but Quhe County was short of manpower, and seeing that the demon bird didn't hurt people, they said to wait a bit longer, and they would send someone to Taiping Township when they were free.

This "waiting" had been twenty days.

"It was about twenty days ago. Tailor Feng ran to the street, shouting that a big demon that eats people had come to their house, and it was very powerful."

"The neighbors were terrified when they heard this. A demon that eats people is no small matter. There are only about thirty cultivators in Taiping Township, and my cultivation is the highest among them, and I am the Township Head, so Tailor Feng brought the neighbors to find me."

"Before eliminating the demon, I had to find out the situation, so I asked Tailor Feng, 'You said the big demon eats people, who did it eat?'"

There is a big difference in danger between a demon that has eaten people and one that hasn't. Humans are the spirits of all things and are born with enlightened minds. Once a demon eats a person, it will linger on this taste and will eat a second, a third person... bringing disaster to the area.

"Tailor Feng said, 'I don't know who the big demon ate, but the demon can speak, so it must be because it has eaten people that it can speak.'"

There is indeed a rumor among the people that if a demon eats people, it can speak human language and turn into a human form, but these are all hearsay.

How could demon cultivation be so simple? To speak human language, one must refine the transverse bone in the throat, which requires at least late-stage Qi Condensation.

"Tailor Feng said the demon was colorful. He initially thought it was a bird lost in the mountains. The demon bird sat behind him watching him sew clothes, motionless, and suddenly started speaking, scaring Tailor Feng into running out of the shop."

"Seeing that Tailor Feng couldn't provide any useful information, I told them to wait in the distance, and I approached secretly alone and saw the demon bird."

"The demon bird's feathers were bright and lustrous, with very distinct red around its eyes. It didn't look like an ordinary bird at all. How would an ordinary bird dare to look so ostentatious?"

"The demon bird spoke, asking me, 'Who are you? Where is Zhang Guanjia?' Its tone was quite urgent."

"I was confused. Zhang Guanjia is a cultivator in our township, 3rd layer of Qi Condensation, with mediocre cultivation. How could he have any connection with a demon beast?"

"At that time, I tried my best to relax, looking like I had no threat, and asked politely, 'I don't know why the Demon King is looking for Zhang Guanjia?'"

"The demon bird didn't answer and flapped its wings, leaving the tailor shop."

"Since then, the demon bird has been flying around Taiping Township, eating grain in the fields and speaking human language. Although it doesn't eat people, how could mortals not be afraid when they see a demon? Therefore, everyone has been living in fear these days, afraid that the demon bird will become ferocious and eat everyone in one bite."

"Have you fought the demon bird? How is its strength?" Lu Yang asked.

The Township Head shook his head: "The demon bird is in the sky all day, elusive and hard to find."

"And I can't see the demon bird's cultivation, which means it is at least 7th layer of Qi Condensation like me. I was worried that the demon bird had no intention of hurting people, and if I fought it rashly, it would be counterproductive and provoke the other party."

Lu Yang nodded. The Township Head's actions were reasonable. ===== CHAPTER 19 =====