Chen Wentian emerged from the carriage with a cheerful smile. Long Yifei followed behind him with an unhappy frown. The cultivators that protected the lord's carriage saw these two different expressions and wondered what had happened inside. Of course, they could only let their imaginations run wild since they would never know the truth.
Chen Wentian stretched his waist and then took to the sky. Teasing his disciples was his favorite pastime. They would each have different reactions that were always entertaining.
He flew ahead of their small army and scouted the path to Three Clouds City. They could reach it in another two days without pushing themselves too hard. No obstacles were blocking their way.
He also went to Three Clouds City to take a look. It was an impressive city, with fortress-like construction and a large population. His arrival set off message talismans that flew in many directions. A far more powerful shield array activated, preventing him from getting too close.
He observed the city from the sky for a few hours, waiting to see if the three cloud siblings would come out and fight him again. He was disappointed as they acted like turtles and did not come out of their shell. He didn't mind it too much as his mere presence and the activation of the shield array cost them a small fortune in spiritual crystals with every passing moment.
Eventually, he got bored and flew away to explore the surrounding territory. The vast forest was bordered by mountain ranges to the east and the west. Strange spirit beasts resided within the mountains but they all hid underground when they sensed his presence. There was nothing interesting for thousands of kilometers in either direction. This land that lay between the central region and the southern region was relatively uninteresting. Otherwise, it would not be the border.
Even Three Clouds City wasn't that useful. Although it was large, it didn't have a teleportation array. The three cloud siblings weren't that rich.
With nothing else to discover, Chen Wentian turned his attention further north. He made a detour around Three Clouds City and explored the lands to the north. There were more forests, more rivers, more mountains and valleys. He found small towns dotted here and there, ordinary people going about their day-to-day lives. To them, the surrounding landscape would have names such as Bear Claw Valley, Five Sisters Peak, the Red River, and Baldy Knob. These would sound unique and impressive to the locals. But in reality, across the vast and endless world, there were countless Red Rivers and Bear Claw Valleys.
After flying north for several thousand kilometers, Chen Wentian finally discovered something interesting.
Actually… two interesting things came to find him.
The first was a hunchbacked old daoist. Beside him was a large, slender bird that looked like a crane. The beast had sky-blue feathers, a bright red crown, and a single leg. The pair of man and beast flew up and stopped a short distance from Chen Wentian. The two sides studied each other in silence for a while before the old man coughed to clear his throat.
"Little friend, your character is quite interesting. You aren't nervous after seeing the two of us?"
Chen Wentian smiled lightly, "Senior, should I be nervous?"
The old fart in front of him had a wrinkled face covered in age spots. His hunchbacked figure was frail and thin. However, his cultivation was so powerful that it was unfathomable. It was at least the Spirit Emperor Realm.
As for the beast, it was none other than a divine shangyang bird. It looked exactly like the paintings. Its cultivation was the same as the old man's, deep and profound.
Chen Wentian didn't expect such big figures to go out of their way to find him. But now that they did, it wasn't like he could run.
The old daoist chuckled, "No, no need to be nervous. Brother Blue and I were just passing through when we noticed you. So, we came by for a little chat. I heard something interesting happened at the Virtuous Order recently. I am sure you know all about that?"
Chen Wentian bowed respectfully, "Senior, yes, I know about it. It was my disciple and sacred daughter, Long Yifei, who experienced a lucky moment of inspiration during a difficult battle. But her dance was just something she did due to desperation; it cannot be compared to the real thing. I hope senior and senior shangyang won't take offense."
The old man chuckled and looked at his companion. The shangyang bird let out a soft, sharp cry. In the blink of an eye, the beast transformed, taking the shape of a tall, handsome young man. He had a pale face, bright black eyes, and a mane of flowing red hair. His clothes were made of his blue feathers, an elegant robe that could compete with the outfits of emperors and overlords.
Chen Wentian wasn't surprised by the transformation. After all, shangyang were divine beasts and all divine beasts could take human form. However, he was more annoyed than he expected by the beast's human appearance. It was just a beast, why did it have to be so handsome? Ridiculous!
"Immortal Blue Dragon Chen Wentian…" The shangyang said with a mellow, melodic voice, "Your name is quite ostentatious. But you managed to find a good sacred daughter so I suppose you can be a little proud. Being able to perform the Dance of Rain and Fortune without our gift is certainly something. Our divine dance is not something ordinary humans can understand."
The shangyang swept his hand over his robe and retrieved a single feather, "Here, a reward for your sacred daughter's performance. These are given to women who I have deemed worthy. Since she has already proven that…"
The shangyang feather floated over. It was a special feather that contained the beast's divine aura. Chen Wentian caught it and quickly put it away inside his spatial bag.
"Many thanks to senior shangyang."
"Hmph. Tell your sacred daughter to continue to work hard and practice the Dance of Rain and Fortune. I hope to see her perform the full dance one day."
"Many thanks," Chen Wentian replied.
"Oh, one more thing. Have you heard of the name Long Tao before?"
As the shangyang asked this question, his spiritual aura became as sharp as blades and he examined Chen Wentian's reaction from head to toe.
Chen Wentian instantly felt the pressure but remained calm with a slightly confused expression, "Senior, I have never heard of that name before. Should I have?"
The shangyang snorted and turned back into its original form, "Never mind, let's go."
"Good fortunes, little friend," The old man said cheerfully.
With that, the two flew away and quickly disappeared.
Chen Wentian stared after them while deep in thought. If he wasn't mistaken, that old daoist should be the one responsible for crafting Shangyang Sky Slippers. That shangyang, obviously, was the famous divine beast that resided in the Martial Brilliance Continent.
But what did the bird mean when it said it wanted to see Long Yifei perform the full dance? What did it mean when it said it handed out feathers to women it deemed worthy? And why did it ask about Long Yifei's mother?
He felt that this divine beast was full of problems. After all, there was nothing free in this world. Giving out its special tail feather just like that, it surely wasn't because it was feeling charitable.
Chen Wentian scowled.
It was just a little bird yet it dared to act so arrogantly in front of him. Within the world of divine beasts, shangyang birds weren't anything special. They had trashy talents and were as weak as fart which is why this adult shangyang was merely at the Spirit Emperor Realm.
"Interested in my Fei'er? Dream on! I'll turn you into a roast chicken," Chen Wentian muttered as he flew back towards the south, "Does she need your shitty feather to dance? She can dance however she wants to!"
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