A Wish

Passing out of the northern mountain gate, Wei Yuan released his aircraft and climbed inside. The little rooster flew straight onto the nose of the craft, landed firmly, and asked, "What kind of bizarre contraption is this? You actually plan to ride this hunk of junk back? Isn't that a bit shabby? Besides, how long is this journey going to take us—a month, or two? The Palace of Grand Beginning is such a grand sect, so why didn't you get a flying boat?" Wei Yuan mounted thrusters onto the craft and replied, "This is faster." "How fast could it possibly be?" The little rooster wore a look of disdain. "You'll find out in a moment. Are you sure you want to stand there? Grip tight, then." Thoughtful as ever, Wei Yuan had even installed two gripping rings especially for it. Seeing Wei Yuan act with such grave solemnity, the little rooster remained skeptical in words, yet its two claws gripped the rings tightly. Wei Yuan then started up the aircraft. Twelve thrusters spewed blazing flame simultaneously, and with a booming blast, the aircraft vanished without a trace! All that remained echoing in the air was the little rooster's bloodcurdling screech, along with a few chicken feathers drifting slowly downward. Suddenly, the sound of tearing air rang out. Wei Yuan wheeled the aircraft around, scooped up the drifting feathers with a quick reach, and sped off into the distance once more. Below, several rogue cultivators stamped their feet in frustration, inwardly cursing the man in the sky for being such an utter skinflint, unwilling to spare even a single feather. Propelled by the immense power of twelve thrusters, the craft sliced through the sky at speeds far surpassing ordinary Scenery Command. Midair, the little rooster was pulled almost into a straight line, shrieking at Wei Yuan, "Why... don't... you... use... the... Wind... Repelling... Art?!" The oncoming gale was so fierce that every time the rooster opened its beak, it puffed up like a balloon, unable to speak in anything more than halting gasps. Sitting calmly behind the windshield, Wei Yuan said placidly, "I applied a touch of Wind Repelling Art to the nose—just enough. Any more would slow down our speed. You're standing right in the slipstream split by the art, which is why the wind feels so strong to you." "Let me... in... too..." Wei Yuan didn't make things difficult for it any longer. He eased the speed, let the little rooster into the cockpit, and sped away. Within half a day, Qingming was already visible in the distance. The little rooster craned its neck to look and said, "This karmic luck is passable, barely worthy of my status. Hey, you've heard the saying 'A fine bird chooses a fine tree to roost,' right? You have to find me a nice place to live—at least on par with a mutated spiritual plant. And besides reality, you also need to find me a cozy nest inside your mindscape world. Only when I'm well-rested will I have the strength to deal with those gu insects." Wei Yuan touched down in the immortal city. After giving a few brief instructions, he prepared to enter seclusion to focus on dealing with the Mirage Demons inside the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World. A moment later, the little rooster appeared within the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World. Sweeping its divine sense across a hundred li, it remarked, "To have a mindscape world already taking shape at such a young age is genuinely impressive. This domain must span fifty or sixty li..." Its divine sense completed a full circle, yet found no edge. The little rooster grew a bit embarrassed and hastily expanded its divine sense to cover three hundred li. "Oh, so it's two to three hundred li. No wonder you strut around as proud as a little hen..." That sweep finished, yet it still found no boundary. Now its composure began to crumble. Its neck feathers bristled, and it drove its divine sense with all its might, covering five hundred li in one breath! Yet east, west, south, and north, no end could be seen in any direction. Mortified, the little rooster scratched at the ground with its claws. Fortunately, when it was embarrassed, its comb simply turned redder—and since it was already crimson, no one could tell the difference. Wei Yuan sensed the movements of the Mirage Demons, then said, "The battle isn't urgent yet. Let's find you a nest first." "Let's get this straight beforehand: this venerable one does not perch on mundane wood... cluck?!" The next instant, man and rooster appeared before the Jianmu sapling, and the little rooster was struck dumb with shock! "Th-th-this..." It suddenly transformed into a streak of brilliant lightning, darting straight into the young Jianmu tree. A speck of red radiance flitted wildly through the branches, its restless soul with nowhere to settle. The Jianmu sapling's trunk shuddered, instantly rippling out a ring of shockwaves. The little rooster was flung backward, shooting into the sea like a bullet. Wei Yuan was torn between laughter and exasperation. Reaching out with a large hand, he scooped the little rooster from the ocean and said, "Show some respect. This immortal tree was bestowed by a senior when he passed away; it simply doesn't like to speak." The little rooster nodded repeatedly, like a bird pecking grain. "I understand, I understand!" Wei Yuan said, "You settle in here for now. I'll drive the Mirage Demons toward these nearby waters, and you'll be responsible for exterminating their gu insects. Are you certain you can suppress and kill gu insects within a thousand li?" "Of course!" "Then why did your divine sense only reach five hundred li?" The little rooster felt guilty and replied, "Divine sense isn't my forte, but suppressing venomous insects is my natal divine ability. It's different." Wei Yuan nodded. "Let us test it first. Once this battle is over, if you aren't accustomed to living here, I can find you another spot." The little rooster was shocked once more. "You have other immortal wood?" "I do, and immortal grass as well." Now the little rooster grew deeply torn. "Grass... grass... Aiya! How could you use such things to test me? You're not a good person!" Having inadvertently discovered the little rooster's soft spot, Wei Yuan was rather pleased. "Settle in here. I'm going off to fight." "Suit yourself! Hurry up!" The little rooster had completely lost interest in lingering with Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan arrived at the center of the ocean. The mortal fleets were divided into three groups, positioned at different bearings. The fleets operated primarily through tactical arrays, with every ship serving as an array node. In this manner, the three grand arrays combined their strength, firmly confining hundreds of thousands of Mirage Demons to the center of the sea. The two Mirage Demons suppressed to the dharma idol realm had already been defeated by Han Li and Jun Weizhi respectively. The only one capable of maintaining Scenery Command strength had been intercepted by Wei Yuan personally; the two sides had fought several pitched battles, each ending in a draw. Wei Yuan was in no hurry to claim victory, choosing instead to wear his opponent down. Trapped inside the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World where heaven and earth were severed, the enemy's Dao power was expended without replenishment. It was unlike Wei Yuan, whose Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World could naturally breathe in the essence of heaven and earth, allowing his Dao power to steadily recover after a brief rest. Wei Yuan flew over the front line again and saw a small island emerge in the sea ahead. Mirage Demons crowded the land, lying or sitting about. Each demon's aura was feeble and their expressions vacant, showing not the slightest reaction to Wei Yuan's arrival. A single Mirage Demon flew up before Wei Yuan, pale golden hair drifting behind him, eyes practically spitting fire as he snarled, "Today, we fight to the death!" Wei Yuan took a step back instead and said, "If you want to leave, then leave. The door is right over there." The Mirage Demon followed the direction of Wei Yuan's finger. Sure enough, a gateway had opened in the vault of heaven, leading out into the void. Stunned for a moment, he instinctively flew toward the portal, while Wei Yuan simply watched without moving an inch. Just one step shy of escape, the Mirage Demon halted and asked, "What about my kin?" Wei Yuan let out a cold sneer. "Fighting you takes time and effort, which is the only reason I'm letting you go. Don't entertain thoughts about the rest." "I will take them with me!" Wei Yuan said flatly, "Defeating you is merely a matter of time. Letting you go is only because I'd rather you didn't self-detonate your grotto-heaven here. If you don't leave now, you won't be leaving at all." The Mirage Demon said in a deep voice, "I will take them with me!" "Even if you could take them, they wouldn't survive. Leaving them here gives them a slim chance of survival." "Where does that chance lie?" "In my mood." The Mirage Demon fell silent again, lingering by the gateway, turning to leave several times only to turn back. Just then, thunder abruptly cracked across the sky, and a torrential downpour of black-red blood rain began to fall from thin air! The blood rain was exceedingly fertile, nourishing the entire Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World as its vitality steadily rose. Yet within the rain also drifted a thick stench of bloodlust and decay, filling living beings with restlessness and agitation. Wei Yuan caught several drops of blood rain in his hand and sighed inwardly. This was another wave of heaven and earth bestowal received after the strike on the Star Forest Grotto-Heaven. Such was the cruelty of an immortal war. The harder an enemy grotto-heaven was struck, the more bountiful the bestowal of heaven and earth that immortals could channel through karmic ties. The bitter fighting in the grotto-heaven had merely inflicted a wound; the immortal's channeling tore that wound wide open, ruthlessly bleeding it dry. Such a lavish shower of blood rain indicated that Star Forest Grotto-Heaven had suffered catastrophic damage and would likely drop in tier. And the blood rain revealed a terrifying karmic debt—under the strike of the genetic weapon, very few Mirage Demons could possibly remain in that grotto-heaven. Such karmic debt would inevitably exert an irreversible influence on Wei Yuan's path to immortality, a slight blemish on fine jade. Yet Wei Yuan did not care; so long as he could strike his enemies and rapidly bolster his strength, he was willing to pay the price. Yanshi had known this as well, yet had still channeled the bestowal. The overarching situation gave them no luxury of slow advancement. Yanshi's immortal path had suffered deficiencies, and Wei Yuan knew his own would as well in the future. Among all the past Palace Masters of the Palace of Grand Beginning, not one had ever been truly flawless. Predecessors planted the trees so descendants could enjoy the shade. Generation after generation of forebears had become towering trees sheltering against wind and rain, granting later generations the breathing room to grow with ever-greater composure. The ancestors' blood had dyed the skies, buying Wei Yuan the opportunity to polish his foundation with twenty million taels of immortal silver. Wei Yuan wished only that once he attained the Dao, those who came after could cultivate at their own pace and pursue what they loved—whether polishing their foundation or enjoying their immortal lives—never again forced by the pressure of external enemies to rush their breakthroughs and march to the front lines.