Chapter 120: Spirit Bird of Heaven and Earth

Chapter 120: Chapter 120: Spirit Bird of Heaven and Earth

Around the middle of the year.

Li Ping received a letter from Qi Hanmo, sent from Jixia Immortal City.

After nearly a year, there was finally news from him.

According to Qi Hanmo’s letter, he had followed a merchant caravan across several kingdoms before finally reaching the Qi Kingdom.

The journey had been quite perilous. While in the Qi Kingdom, the caravan had even encountered robber cultivators. Fortunately, cultivators from Jixia Immortal City arrived just in time, allowing him to escape with his life.

After arriving at Jixia Immortal City, he successfully became a disciple of Mr. Yan and was now a student of the Academy Palace.

Under the Academy Palace’s training system, his cultivation was now on the right track.

He also mentioned in the letter that the situation in the Qi Kingdom was not stable.

Over the past few years, the Daoist Guardian Alliance and the Four Sects of the Demon Dao had fought several major battles. With wins and losses on both sides, neither was willing to back down. Now, their grand armies of cultivators were locked in a standoff in the Yuan Kingdom.

The war would likely drag on, and there was no telling when it might end.

Qi Hanmo’s words held an undercurrent of worry about the war between the Righteous and Demonic factions.

...

After reading the entire letter, Li Ping couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.

He hadn’t expected the war between the Daoist Guardian Alliance and the Four Sects of the Demon Dao to last this long. ’From my perspective,’ he thought, ’since the Four Sects of the Demon Dao failed to gain an advantage with their surprise attack, they should have retreated on their own initiative.’

’After all, the overall strength of the Western Wilderness’s Cultivation Realm should be greater than that of the Four Sects of the Demon Dao.’

’The only reason they’re evenly matched is because the war broke out so suddenly that the other kingdoms haven’t had time to send support.’

’If powers like the Yue Kingdom and Fenglan Immortal City negotiated their terms and sent cultivators to support the Qi Kingdom...’

’...then the Four Sects of the Demon Dao would surely be at a disadvantage.’

Li Ping couldn’t help but wonder. ’Could it be that the Four Sects of the Demon Dao have some sort of hidden ace?’

’Of course, the Daoist Guardian Alliance is composed of over a dozen kingdoms. It’s internally divided and bogged down by petty squabbles, so it’s definitely not as unified as the Four Sects of the Demon Dao.’

’Moreover, they have to defend against the Tuluo People in the north and prevent beast tides in the west, so they can’t focus all their power on dealing with the Four Sects of the Demon Dao.’

"Fortunately, Fenglan Immortal City is deep within the Cloud Mist Mountain Range. It would be very difficult for an army of Demon Cultivators to reach us here." Li Ping shook his head and immediately wrote a reply to Qi Hanmo.

The main content of the letter was to encourage him to cultivate diligently at the Academy, and also to tell him that if there were any changes in the war between the Daoist Guardian Alliance and the Four Sects of the Demon Dao, he must write back immediately to inform him.

...

Less than half a month after replying to Qi Hanmo’s letter,

Zhang Tie rushed to Immortal Peach Mountain in high spirits to tell Li Ping that his wife had given birth to a son.

Li Ping smiled and congratulated him, then asked if he had already chosen a name.

Zhang Tie nodded, saying his master had already chosen a name for the newborn: Zhang He.

In fact, his master had even established the generation names for the family line: "Verdant and far-reaching as a long-flowing mountain stream; good virtue, the family’s heirloom."

However, according to the customs of the Cultivation Realm, mortals without a Spiritual Root are not entered into the family registry. Therefore, his son could only be called Zhang He for now. If the young Zhang He was found to possess a Spiritual Root in the future, the character ’Qing’ would be added to the middle of his name.

Li Ping nodded with a smile, indicating that he understood.

Judging from Zhang Tie’s demeanor,

It was clear that after reaching Foundation Establishment, he had already shifted most of his energy to managing his family and would no longer spend much effort on cultivation.

Li Ping was not in a position to judge whether his choice was right or wrong.

’After all, for someone like Zhang Tie, with his Three Spirit Roots aptitude, succeeding in Foundation Establishment was likely the end of his cultivation path unless he encountered a great opportunity.’

’Under such circumstances, continuing to cultivate arduously was obviously meaningless.’

’It was better to focus his energy on his family and enjoy the comforts of domestic life.’

’A Foundation Establishment Cultivator can only live for 240 years, but a Foundation Establishment Immortal Race can be passed down for a thousand years.’

’To be revered by his descendants as an Old Ancestor, his deeds remembered for generations—isn’t that another form of attaining the Dao and achieving immortality?’

’If he were unwilling to remain at the Foundation Establishment Stage and went adventuring everywhere in search of opportunities to advance, he might very well suffer an untimely death. It just wouldn’t be worth it.’

’If I didn’t have my own cheat, perhaps I would have made the same choice as him.’

Zhang Tie scratched his head again and brought up another matter. "By the way, Big Brother, Man’Er wants me to take her twin mortal cousins as concubines. Is that... not a good idea?"

Li Ping was stunned to hear this. He never thought that the simple and honest-looking Zhang Tie would one day have the chance to enjoy such a polygamous blessing.

"Well, do you like the twins?" Li Ping asked with a knowing smile after a moment of thought.

Zhang Tie couldn’t help but blush, but he still answered honestly, "I do."

Li Ping gave him a meaningful look. "Since your wife agrees and you like them, all you need to do is ask the twins for their opinion. If they are willing, there’s no harm in you marrying them."

"I understand, Big Brother." Zhang Tie nodded.

It had to be said, Zhang Tie worked fast.

Less than ten days after their conversation, Li Ping learned that he had already taken the twin sisters as his concubines.

Li Ping wasn’t surprised by this outcome.

Compared to mortals, the status of a cultivator was lofty and supreme.

The mortal twins from the Meng family would be overjoyed at the prospect of marrying a Foundation Establishment Cultivator as concubines; there was no reason for them to refuse.

As for the Meng family and Zhang Tie’s wife, they hoped this matter would bring Zhang Tie and the Meng family closer, so they wouldn’t obstruct it either.

One could say Zhang Tie taking concubines was an outcome that pleased everyone.

...

While Zhang Tie was busy with his new concubines, the Fierce Arrowhead Eagle egg in Li Ping’s possession reached its final moments of incubation.

Inside the training room, Li Ping stood quietly, his gaze fixed on the person-sized egg placed in the center of the room.

For nearly two years, he had continuously infused the small life within the egg with his Magical Power to replenish its Origin. Now, the life force inside the egg was flourishing to its peak, and it was time for it to hatch.

At this moment, astonishing waves of scorching heat radiated from the egg, raising the temperature inside the entire training room to an alarming level.

A mortal would not be able to last even a moment in here. However, as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Li Ping naturally paid no mind to such a temperature.

His gaze remained fixed on the egg.

Within the crimson, almost translucent egg, he could clearly see the silhouette of a Spirit Bird struggling continuously, trying to shatter the hard shell that had once protected it but now confined it in order to welcome its new life.

THUMP! THUMP!...

A series of faint, continuous impacts came from within the egg, revealing the little creature’s eagerness.

Li Ping just watched calmly, with no intention of interfering.

Breaking through the shell and emerging from it was also part of the little creature’s incubation process.

During this process, it could better stimulate the power of its own bloodline and would possess greater potential after birth.

If he were to crack the shell from the outside to help it escape, he would actually be harming it.

’It’s undergone an ancestral awakening, and it’s devoured so much of my Nourishing Life Skill Power. Just what kind of potential will you have?’ Li Ping thought with anticipation.

At the same time, he wondered what kind of Spirit Bird would hatch from the egg.

For a Tier Three Demon Beast like the Fierce Arrowhead Eagle, its bloodline was mostly a mixture of various True Spirits.

This included top-tier True Spirits like the Celestial Phoenix and the Three-legged Golden Crow, as well as lesser True Spirits like the Nine-headed Bird, the Peacock, and the Profound Bird.

Li Ping naturally hoped the little one would awaken the bloodline of a Celestial Phoenix. After all, the more high-end the True Spirit Bloodline it obtained, the smoother its future growth would be.

But such things were not up to him; it all depended on the little creature’s luck.

CRACK!

Just as Li Ping was lost in thought, a crack suddenly appeared on the person-sized egg.

And then—

CRACK! CRACK!...

More and more cracks appeared on the egg, gradually forming a web-like pattern across its surface until—BOOM! The entire person-sized egg shattered, turning into a floor full of fragments.

And in the center of the scattered fragments stood a foot-tall Spirit Bird, surrounded by a crimson cloud mist.

Its entire body was covered in crimson feathers that shimmered like constantly burning flames. It held its head high, revealing a long, sharp beak and pale golden eyes. Behind it, its long tail feathers fanned out, neat and wide like a giant fan.

Its wings were broad and powerful. When it beat them, faint flames seemed to rise. Its golden talons were as sharp as hooks, and the ground beneath them was charred black.

Magnificent, elegant, and noble!

...

SKREE!

The newly hatched creature let out a joyous cry, flapped its wings, and transformed into a streak of fire, landing instantly on Li Ping’s shoulder.

It was so fast that even Li Ping, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, was caught off guard and couldn’t dodge in time.

"CHIRP! CHIRP!" The little creature stood on Li Ping’s shoulder, repeatedly nuzzling his head with its beak in an extremely affectionate manner.

During its incubation, Li Ping had not only infused it with a massive amount of his Nourishing Life Skill Power but had also placed several contracts and Restrictions on it.

After its birth, it naturally regarded Li Ping as the person closest to it.

Cupping the little creature in one hand and raising it to his face, Li Ping examined the foot-tall Spirit Bird with some uncertainty.

After observing it for a moment, the knowledge he had gained from the Meng family’s library finally came into play.

Li Ping finally recognized what kind of Heavenly Spirit Bird this little creature was, and upon recognizing it, a look of shock and delight appeared on his face.

’If I’m not mistaken,’ he thought, ’what I’m holding in my hand is a Desolate Fire Sparrow!’

Although the Desolate Fire Sparrow was a type of Heavenly Spirit Bird, it did not possess the True Spirit Bloodlines Li Ping had previously considered.

In fact, it possessed a trace of the bloodline of the True Spirit, the Vermilion Bird.

As a top-tier Fire Element True Spirit, the Vermilion Bird’s bloodline was among the most powerful of all True Spirits.

All in all, Li Ping was quite satisfied with the result.

If he nurtured it well, once the Desolate Fire Sparrow reached adulthood, he would have a combatant equivalent to the Nascent Soul Stage.

At this thought, Li Ping pointed to the broken eggshells on the ground and ordered the Desolate Fire Sparrow to eat them.

SKREE!

With a cry like a cheer, the Desolate Fire Sparrow again flapped its wings, streaking through the air like a line of fire and landing among the scattered eggshells.

CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

It began to rapidly devour the shells.