Chapter 510 - The One Path (IV)

Chapter 510

The One Path (IV)

The flames began to fade, like the end of a song.

Within seconds, the white haze cleared, and I was staring at the vast, blue skies crowning the sect's peaks. Not a second later, I saw Long Tao standing some twenty feet to my right, but my sight immediately drew further to the right, where I saw... two birds.

Two identical birds.

One was proud, chest puffed out, amber feathers perfect and almost glowing. It'd be the most majestic sight I'd ever seen in my life had it not been for a very simple, but very important fact: it was smaller than a sparrow.

So, rather than majestic, it just... it looked kinda fat?

And then, next to it, was a twin--except it was made of black obsidian. It was like someone took the first bird and doused it in the century-old chimney fumes.

While I'm pretty sure the first one is the phoenix that I'd helped and who helped me, the second was undoubtedly Eternity. Was it with me in there? I don't know. Even if it was, I was hardly in the state of mind to notice it.

"I can't believe you're looking at an ugly bird when your favorite disciple is standing right here, Master," Long Tao's playful voice caused me to roll my eyes silently before responding.

"What do you mean? Neither Light nor Feng'er is here."

"... welcome back."

"Good to be back."

"And congratulations on breaking through. I knew you could do it."

"Right. Me too, of course."

"Of course." Just then, as though annoyed that it was being ignored, the amber-feathered bird gawked and flew over toward me, landing on top of my head.

Oh no.

Please, no.

I can't. Not--

[Congratulations, Host, on gaining a new Disciple]

[Phoenix Lu Naǒ has accepted you as her Master. She swears undying fealty and promises to catch as many worms for you as you'd like. All she asks in turn is that you pet her twice a day and write a daily poem about how grand, mesmerizing, and unique she is]

[...]

[Your Disciple's Status Window becomes available to you]

[Target: Lu Naǒ]

[Age: 3 (Mental), ??? (Physical)]

[Talent: Dao]

[Cultivation Realm: None]

[Cultivation Method: Eternal Song Sutra (???)]

[Cultivation Arts: None]

[...]

[Traits]

[Immortal (Dao) -- can never die]

[Divine Beast (Divine) -- a direct descendant of the Divine Beast lineage]

[Curious (Legendary) -- as she is very young, she is curious about everything]

[Bearer of Fire (Dao) -- holder of the Dao of Fire]

[First Adolescence (Divine) -- as her first life was cut short, this is her first true one following a rebirth. Divine Phoenixes grow in stages, which is how they cultivate]

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[...]

[Assessing Suitability...]

[Innumerable Anomalies Detected]

[The system has filtered only the ones relevant for Host]

[...]

[Divine Beast Bloodline (Dao) -- contains a considerable trace of the Primordial Phoenix Beast Race. Is a direct descendant of the Divine Beast]

[Sovereign of Fire Physique (Dao) -- an unnatural Physique that has emerged through the combination of the Phoenix's innate physique and the consumption of Dao of Fire. One-of-a-kind physique grants complete and total immunity to any and all fires]

[Crownless Empress (???) -- though destined and designed to enshrine herself as an Empress of the Phoenix Race, she lacks the crown to don]

[...]

[Recommendation: Host is recommended to carefully and patiently raise her, though direct interference is unnecessary since, as a direct descendent of the Divine Phoenix, her path is fully laid out already]

[Final Assessment: if properly raised, has a chance to fulfill the ultimate potential of any bearer of the Divine Beast Bloodline--reaching the apex of Divinity]

... cool. Pretty cool.

Not at all another thing I'll have to be wary about.

[Phoenix urges you to give her the promised method]

"You look good, Master," Long Tao's words dripping with sarcasm merely made me sigh.

"Yeah, meet your new Junior Sister."

"H-huh?"

"Oh, you didn't know? Yeah. This is your Junior Sister, little Naǒ. Say hi."

"..." Long Tao looked at me weirdly as I watched the weird twin phoenix grow ten times its original size and pose dramatically behind Long Tao's back, as though the latter had grown the wings.

Eternity is really, really, really trying to make me burst into laughter at the most inopportune times. Somehow, its mental age might just be about Naǒ's. Speaking of her... she can't see Eternity, either.

If a Divine Beast, or, well, a direct descendent of one can't see it... is there actually anyone who can see Eternity besides me? So far, nobody's even sniffed it—no, wait, there's that guy I met after burning out like a candle, but he doesn't count because he's not 'anyone'. He's anything.

In fact, they can't even properly perceive its interaction with the world. I'd worried that Eternity's rather casual relation with the concept of time and space would lead to something insane, but so far... nothing's happened.

"Do you think they'll let you snatch the bird?" Long Tao asked.

"Do you think they'll be able to keep her here?" I asked back with a shrug. I mean, I'm not gonna take her openly--I'm not that stupid--but she will follow me. I think she's sort of like Eternity, in that she's grown curious about me and won't stop until she's fully understood me.

"Hm. Fair enough."

"Anyway, we should probably leave."

"Yes. You have a place to be, after all."

"... I do?" I do?

"Yes. A guy who was sent from the Upper Realm to investigate that little mess we participated in has arrived."

"--oh shit! We have to leave! Gather everyone else and--"

"No, no, you're going to meet him, now."

"... is this one of your jokes that I always laugh at because I feel bad for you but that I don't really understand, and which then causes me to worry that someone had hit you in the head just a bit too hard?"

"... that might be the meanest thing anyone's ever said to me, Master," he said. "And no. He's a kid who needs help. And I'm sorry to inform you, but it's not something you can say no to."

"Why?"

"Because it was a request from an Empress. The one who guards this sect."

"..."

"..."

"Let's go meet this young fella who needs our help right this instant!" I declared, trying my best to hide the treble of my voice. "We can't let innocent young kids suffer when we have a chance to help them, no sir. Come on, come on. Don't lag behind." Though he looked at me oddly, I ignored it. However, just as I passed him, his arm grabbed me and stopped me for a moment.

"I'm glad you're alright, Master," he said. "Next time, though, tell me when you're about to undergo a breakthrough."

"... I'm glad I'm alright, too," I said, breaking free and, by instinct, tousling his hair.

Shit.

I mean, hell, he looks like he's seventeen! He reminds me of that kid that would always annoy me when I visited my parents and asked me stuff about girls and shit! Oh my God, I did not just tousle the hair of someone who is probably thousands of years older than me at minimum!

"L-let's go," I said, coughing awkwardly. "There's a kid to save. We can't dilly-dally..." Oh, if you value my ability to give you shit at all, you will let it slide, Long Tao, and not snap my neck in my sleep.