The White Crane

Qin Sang traveled steadily south, keeping a very low profile. Along the way, he refrained from fighting any further, wary that the demon race might pick up his trail and pursue him. Traveling like this took several months. Qin Sang arrived at an unfamiliar stretch of the sea, where he finally felt he should be safe. He found a deserted island to rest and recuperate. Once restored, he began wandering everywhere in search of an opponent. He flew aimlessly for several days without finding a single target. Right then, Qin Sang's ears twitched slightly. He turned his head toward the distance, and in the next instant, his figure vanished in a flash. A sheer cliff looked out over the sea. High upon the precipice was a cave. At that moment, two figures were nuzzling each other intimately at the entrance. Their identities, however, were utterly dumbfounding. One was a kite with vividly variegated plumage, looking from afar like a colorful phoenix, while the other was a white crane clad in snow-white feathers. The crane was quite magnificent and unblemished by a single speck of dust. Standing upright on one leg, it was taller than the kite. With head lowered, it gently groomed the kite's feathers with its pointed beak, while its other claw lightly caressed the kite's wing, nudging the bird slowly toward the cave's interior. The kite pressed tightly against the white crane, completely languid and intoxicated. Though not of the same species, the affectionate bond between the two demon beasts was rather touching. Yet just then, a jarring note disrupted the scene. A shrill, piercing cry startled the lovebirds. A teal blur plummeted from the sky and darted toward the cave like a streak of lightning. It was also a kite, only a size larger than the first, with feathers of teal green. Though it was also rather magnificent, it still fell a bit short of the white crane. Catching sight of the tender romance unfolding in the cave, the teal kite shrieked with mounting fury, its cries brimming with towering rage. The two demon birds in the cave were startled awake. Chaos erupted instantly. Seeing the aggressive momentum of the teal kite, the white crane showed a flicker of panic in its eyes. With a shake of its wings, it ruthlessly kicked away the still-dazed kite and flapped its wings to scramble outside without once looking back. Caught off guard by the narrow entrance, the crane stumbled and nearly tumbled over. Just then, the teal kite arrived, screeching in fury as its sharp talons raked viciously toward the crane's eyes. Though flustered, the white crane reacted with remarkable speed. It drew its long neck in and snapped its wings shut, evading the strike by a hair's breadth. *Bang!* A flurry of white feathers scattered into the air. Nearly half the long plumes on the crane's wing were torn away by the teal kite's claw. Screeching in pain, the crane curled into a white ball, slammed hard against the cliff face, and bounced outward. Fortunately, the crane's feathers were exceptionally tough. Though its wings were battered and ragged, its body had suffered no real harm. The crane shook its wings, preparing to steady itself. But how could the teal kite, burning with the rage of a stolen mate, let it off easily? *Whoosh!* A streak of teal light struck. The crane had no choice but to scurry off with its head tucked in once again. This fellow's defensive capabilities were truly remarkable. Using its pair of wings, it repeatedly deflected the teal kite's attacks and shielded its demon sea with consummate skill. Despite being chased and battered by the teal kite for so long without being able to strike back, it had sustained nothing more than superficial scrapes. However, its once sleek, snow-white plumage was now in utter disarray. Nearly half of it had been shredded by the teal kite, missing a patch here and a clump there. The feathers on its wings had been completely plucked bare, turning it into a bald-winged crane. Finally, the white crane found an opportunity to retaliate. Its fleshy wings struck like blades, blocking the teal kite's sharp talons. Immediately after, it flapped those bare wings, spun around, and fled. The teal kite gave hot pursuit, but the crane proved astonishingly adept at evasion techniques. Its featherless, fleshy wings beat up and down with blistering speed, and the distance between them gradually widened until all hope of catching up was lost. Having fled some distance and seeing it was safe, the crane abruptly stopped, turned around, and began dancing, letting out crane cries at the teal kite with an expression of immense smugness. When it saw the enraged teal kite surge after it again, the crane shrank its neck and bolted once more. "Too shameless!" Having watched almost the entire spectacle from the shadows behind the two demons, Qin Sang could not help but sigh with amazement at the crane's repeated provocations. He had never expected to witness such a farce in the Demon Sea. The trip was truly not in vain. By this point, the teal kite returned, having failed in its pursuit of its enemy. It was a great demon at the Demon Core stage as well. Qin Sang hesitated for a moment. Feeling a bit sorry for the fellow, he did not strike, choosing instead to follow the direction in which the crane had fled. Having shaken off the kite, the crane flapped its stubby, bare wings, flew for a while, and landed on a rocky reef. Following behind, Qin Sang noticed the fellow actually lowering its head to gaze into the water. The crane meticulously groomed its feathers, not overlooking a single strand of fine down, and even carefully preened the few remaining long plumes on its fleshy wings. Then, it stood upright on one leg, spinning in circles to admire its own dashing figure, its eyes brimming with vanity. Of course, its current state bore not the slightest resemblance to anything remotely handsome. A moment later, the crane spread its wings and took to the sky. Watching its retreating figure, Qin Sang grew curious about what the fellow intended to do. From the look of things, the crane had never ingested Emperor Flowing Dew, yet its spiritual intelligence was clearly not low, and it was at the mid Demon Core stage. Spurred by a whim and having nothing else to do, Qin Sang did not reveal himself immediately. Instead, he continued trailing the crane. The crane was entirely oblivious to the human cultivator following behind it. Its objective was clearly defined. It flew straight in one direction for several days until it reached a fairly vast island. Creeping stealthily before a mountain, the crane craned its neck, peering this way and that with a shifty, furtive gaze for quite a while before letting out a series of cooing calls toward the mountain woods. Moments later, a beautiful demon bird less than half the crane's size flew out. The beautiful bird acted rather demure, settling onto a tree branch. The crane spread its wretched, bare wings and rushed before the beautiful bird to dance gracefully, letting out flattering calls. Ugly though it looked, its dance was surprisingly elegant and remarkably well executed. Far from turning away in disgust, the beautiful bird joined the crane in its dance. The crane took the opportunity to draw closer, and the previous scene looked poised to repeat itself. *Another one! Wait, just like that earlier kite, this beautiful demon bird also has phoenix bloodline. Just how many lovers does this fellow have?* Hidden in the shadows, Qin Sang was rendered speechless. Then, a thought struck him. *Could this one also be...* The moment the thought crossed his mind, a rush of breaking air echoed from the distance. Like two startled lovers jolted by lightning, the pair sprang apart. The beautiful bird scurried back to its nest, while the crane fled along the ground with practiced ease. "Late Demon Core stage!" Qin Sang looked up at the approaching demon beast, his expression turning solemn. This island was far from ordinary. For such a powerful beast to roam its outer perimeter, it was clearly a perilous place. After escaping, the crane began wandering all over the outer fringes of the demon island, not even sparing those at the Demon Spirit stage. Qin Sang noticed that although the fellow was vain and flirtatious, it was extraordinarily picky. Cultivation realm did not matter, but the target had to possess phoenix bloodline. When an ordinary demon bird was captivated by its dance and threw herself at it, the crane had actually kicked her away. Unfortunately, its carefree days had come to an end. Taking advantage of the white crane leaving the demon island, Qin Sang revealed himself and blocked its path.