The Kunpeng Clan's old ancestor moved at astonishing speed—so fast that none of them could make out their surroundings at all.
Scenery shifted in a flash of lightning and flint. A single glance outside was enough to make their heads spin.
Suddenly, they felt empty air beneath their feet. The sphere of water that had bound them vanished, and they tumbled out onto the ground like dumplings dropping into boiling water.
Fortunately, the fall was not from very high up, so none of them were injured, though they ended up strewn about in rather ungainly heaps.
"Why is the ground so rough?" Man Gu asked, rubbing his buttocks.
"No, this isn't the ground. It's a bird's nest," Li Haoran said, his expression solemn. Beneath their feet lay a crisscrossing tangle of branches, each as thick as two men put together, harvested from trees of unknown origin.
The nest itself stretched out endlessly, easily spanning a thousand li. Even if Lu Yang and the others flew at full throttle, it would take them quite a while to reach the far edge.
Li Haoran's face darkened as an ominous rumor sprang to mind. "I've heard that during ancient times, ferocious birds of prey would venture out to hunt prey to feed their chicks. Cultivators of exceptional talent who train year-round have spiritual energy so remarkably refined and concentrated that they make top-grade nourishment, perfect for feeding fledglings!"
Man Gu took a fright. Recalling his clan's records, he confirmed Li Haoran's claim. "Our Barbarian clan has similar records! In ancient times, when the barbarians raised their young, they would hunt food outside to feed them. The best food of all was ancient ferocious beasts brimming with exceptionally concentrated, peerlessly refined spiritual energy."
Everyone shot Man Gu bizarre looks and silently took a few steps away from him.
Seeing how heavy the atmosphere had become, Li Haoran hurriedly added, "Still, things haven't reached a hopeless dead end yet. I've also heard that in ancient times, to train their fledglings, ferocious birds would make them fight captured cultivators to hone their skills. Usually, the chicks and the cultivators were comparable in cultivation. As long as we defeat the young bird, we might have a chance to escape."
A gust of black wind whipped past, sending a shiver through the group with a bone-chilling cold.
They looked up. The shadowy figure finally revealed its true form: a colossal roc. With its wings spread wide, it measured over a thousand li across, feathers as pitch-black as ink, casting the entire nest in shadow. Its body then shrank, transforming into human shape. He appeared to be a man past fifty, with deep-set, slitted eyes gleaming with a ruthless, cold light.
The old ancestor of the Kunpeng Clan, Venerable Black Feather!
"This Venerable has invited you here to question you on an important matter. You are not to utter a single lie!"
"Are you disciples of the Five Elements Sect? How has Shangguan Yu been doing lately?"
Shangguan Yu, Qiu Jin'an's mother, a cultivator at the Tribulation Transcendence stage.
Everyone: "..."
It seemed that posing as disciples of the Five Elements Sect wasn't quite as safe as they had imagined.
Seeing them fall silent, Venerable Black Feather slightly furrowed his brows. "You aren't disciples of the Five Elements Sect? That shouldn't be. Aren't you able to execute the Five Elements Battle Method?"
"Don't you know Shangguan Yu? No, that's not right either. I heard she often mingles with you young cultivators. Besides, you carry wooden protective talismans. Those must have been given to you by Shangguan Yu."
The wooden talismans Venerable Black Feather referred to were the ones from their exchange visit to the Five Elements Sect. Upon seeing the Jianmu, Shangguan Yu had made Lu Yang and the others call her 'Sister,' and as a reward, she had broken off small twigs to fashion wooden pendants for them.
To this day, Lu Yang and the rest still wore those wooden pendants around their necks.
Lu Yang asked cautiously, "Senior... are you very close with Sister Shangguan?"
Venerable Black Feather broke into a matter-of-fact smile. "Back when Shangguan Yu and I were still early in our cultivation, we met in the East Sea. I was the one who guided her through the East Sea. We explored secret realms together, searched for immortal herbs, overcame hardships, and weathered crises. If Qiu Duanya hadn't sweet-talked his way into her heart, the two of us would have tied the knot long ago!"
"If not for Qiu Duanya, Qiu Jin'an would have been my son!"
Qiu Duanya was Qiu Jin'an's father and the previous sect master of the Five Elements Sect.
"What, has she never told you about me?" Venerable Black Feather asked in displeasure, seeing the dumbfounded looks on their faces.
Venerable Black Feather had harbored an unrequited love for Shangguan Yu for a very long time, but he had never dared to travel to Great Xia to see her. Hearing that disciples of the Five Elements Sect were in the East Sea, he had stepped in personally to 'invite' Lu Yang and the others back so he could ask about her well-being.
To save face, he had masked his features when seizing Lu Yang and the others, worried about being recognized by outsiders.
Venerable Black Feather had seen through their disguises at a single glance, but that hardly mattered to him. Since they knew the Five Elements Battle Method and carried those wooden talismans, they had to be disciples of the Five Elements Sect.
"Uh, actually... we're disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect," Lu Yang braced himself and explained awkwardly.
"Dao Seeking Sect? Tang Shengyi's grand-disciples?"
Seeing Venerable Black Feather's expression about to sour like gathering storm clouds, Lu Yang hurriedly added, "However, we're on very good terms with Sister Shangguan! She even visited our Dao Seeking Sect as a guest, and I was the one who hosted her!"
Hearing this, Venerable Black Feather's expression softened considerably. "Then how has she been lately?"
Lu Yang thought for a moment and said, "From what I saw, she seems to be living very happily."
This was the honest truth. Among all the Tribulation Transcendence experts Lu Yang had met, Shangguan Yu was easily the liveliest and most cheerful.
"Does she have any intention of remarrying?" Venerable Black Feather asked, cutting straight to the core question.
Lu Yang recalled Old Ba's unrequited longing and figured that Shangguan Yu probably had no interest in Old Ba either.
"Probably not."
Hearing that, Venerable Black Feather hung his head, looking utterly dejected and disappointed.
"So be it. It seems fate has not yet aligned between us. What happened here must not be spoken to outsiders. If I learn that word of this has leaked, you will certainly face punishment!"
"Yes, of course!" everyone replied in haste, not daring to argue.
"Still, my Kunpeng Clan is not without manners. Since you have come to our lands, you shall be properly entertained."
Venerable Black Feather enveloped the group in a sphere of water once again. Transforming into a black-winged great roc, he whistled past, soared out of the nest, and swooped downward.
In the northern reaches of the East Sea lay a forest growing right out of the water. These colossal trees towered into the clouds, reaching as high as the sky itself. Venerable Black Feather's nest was built atop the highest of them all.
Beneath the nest was the Kunpeng Clan's settlement. The group saw a massive giant fish—a kun—churning the sea into roaring waves. In an instant, it broke through the ocean's surface, rising like a drifting island. Its fish scales shimmered with strange light before gradually melting away, replaced by strong, dense feathers as it transformed into a great roc, wheeling into the sky.
Venerable Black Feather brought the group before the clan head of the Kunpeng Clan.
Seeing their old ancestor suddenly appear with six people in tow, the Kunpeng Clan Head bowed hastily. "Greetings, Old Ancestor."
"These six are distinguished guests of our clan. Treat them with utmost hospitality."
"Yes, yes, of course." The Kunpeng Clan Head nodded repeatedly. Whatever the old ancestor instructed, he had always carried out with absolute dedication.
"Clan Head Xiao?" Meng Jingzhou blurted out upon seeing the Kunpeng Clan Head.
Wasn't this the very Clan Head Xiao who had visited the Meng Family to pay New Year's greetings and given him lucky money?
Clan Head Xiao was taken aback. Peering through Meng Jingzhou's disguise, he looked even more astonished than Meng Jingzhou himself. "Young Master Meng?!"
"Did your Meng Family go straight to our Old Ancestor just to collect a debt?!"
Chapter 827