Chapter 257: Yin-Yang Saint Crane(2)

Bi Ji led Huo Yuhao, who rode on Qiu'er's back, northwest from the Lake of Life for an hour—completely leaving behind both Zi Ji and Scarlet King, as they were too immersed in brawling with each other.

In just an hour they had covered ten kilometers of distance, which would've taken a soul sage at least triple the amount of time because of the rough terrain and countless dangerous soul beasts lurking in the Star Dou Forest.

However, with the presence of both Qiu'er and Bi Ji, high level soul beasts of great status to the entire forest, no soul beast dared to block their path.

Huo Yuhao would've ran alongside them, wanting to get a warm up after taking a long recovery, if Qiu'er wasn't so insistent to have him ride her on the way.

[Yuhao, are you alright?] Qiu'er asked through Spiritual Sharing, running through the forest at high speed—with the agility and nimbleness of a panther.

Before going to whatever place Bi Ji was leading them towards, Huo Yuhao had used both his skill Spiritual Detection and Spiritual Sharing with the them both.

[Yeah, I'm fine. I've experienced extreme speed many times, so if you like, you can speed up.] Huo Yuhao calmly replied, his long white hair billowing against the wind resistance.

'I seriously need a haircut... Actually, would a haircut even work? My hair, all my hair on my entire body, was completely burnt to ashes by the Heavenly Tribulation. Yet after waking up to Di Tian, my long white hair somehow grew back to the same length as before.'

'It doesn't make any sense! I should ask either Ancestor or Teacher Electrolux about it... Which would take at least several months before they return.' Huo Yuhao sighed deeply.

He looked up towards Bi Ji, who was peacefully flying through the sky with her feathered wings exuding an emerald glow. She had a calm and serene look on her face, even after Qiu'er increased her speed, she easily adjusted her flight without the slightest difficulty.

She might not be as strong as the other Great Beasts, but that didn't mean she was weak and fragile. She had reached 580,000 years old, she might've reached it by healing others, but she had dealt five Heavenly Tribulations on her own!

That goes to show that by just her physical strength, she could face a Transcendent Douluo of rank 97 and probably even win.

[Bi Ji,] Huo Yuhao called out through Spiritual Sharing, his mind still partially occupied by his hair dilemma. [You still haven't told me where exactly we're going.]

Bi Ji glanced back at him, her emerald eyes glimmering with mystery. [Patience, Huo Yuhao. You'll know soon enough.]

Qiu'er huffed. [Why so secretive, auntie Bi Ji? Aren't we just visiting auntie Jianxin?]

Bi Ji's lips twitched. [I was trying to keep it as a surprise for Huo Yuhao here, Qiu'er.]

[Oh... Sorry.]

[It's fine. Huo Yuhao, save your questions for later. It's much easier to answer your questions when we get there.]

Huo Yuhao nodded and decided to wait.

They continued on their journey until they were at the middle part of the core region of the forest, in which they entered a mist-filled valley. Huo Yuhao quickly notices how the energy of Yin and Yang was much richer here, almost tangible in its purity.

The mist carried traces of Yin Qi and Yang Qi, both opposing energies that wouldn't help someone's cultivation unless they practiced a rare cultivation method that uses both energies or they were born with the unique constitution called the Yin-Yang Body.

For Huo Yuhao, the mist was like a tonic to him because of his Ultimate Ice-Fire Physique. His body was the closest to the fabled Yin-Yang Body. Fortunately he didn't have the latter, or his gender would be uncertain.

Of course, most soul masters and soul beasts would be fine within the mist as long as they don't absorb the energies of the mist. Which meant high level soul masters couldn't easily walk around in the mist, as their body would draw in the energies of their surroundings.

Both Bi Ji and Qiu'er traversed through the misty valley with practiced ease, having gone through the misty filled valley numerous times.

It was called the Mysterious Yin-Yang Valley, located in the middle area of the core region of the Great Star Dou Forest, it is known for the dense mist surrounding the entire area carrying dense Yin Qi and Yang Qi, as well as the strange soul beasts living inside it.

Five minutes later, they came out of the mist and Huo Yuhao's eyes widened as he got down from Qiu'er.

What appeared before them was a serene pond with a breathtaking view. It looked like any normal pond, about 30 diameters in size, with multiple water lilies floating on its surface, their petals swaying gently with the ripples in the water. The air was filled with a faint, calming fragrance, the sky was clear blue, small hills from afar, and a lone wooden pavilion stood at the center of the pond a sense of tranquility settled over the area.

"Oh? I didn't expect visitors this day," A soft and gentle voice echoed from the pavilion.

Huo Yuhao squinted his eyes and saw the person sitting calmly in the pavilion.

It was a beautiful woman with black and white long hair, dressed in form fitting clothing of similar contrasting colors as her hair, with a little bit of green mixed in. Interestingly she had Yin-Yang earrings on both ears. The contrasting colors, paired with her gentle looking demeanor, made her appear quite approachable and easygoing. A pair of tight pants accentuated her slender, long legs, showcasing her curves.

Her eyes meet with his, cyan meet blue.

The woman raised an eyebrow and said loudly, "Well, well. I didn't expect to see you both accompany a human into my territory."

'Wait, that's Jianxin? But she's in human form! Either she reincarnated as a human, or she's another Great Beast!' Huo Yuhao guessed, astonished.

But thinking about it for a while, it shouldn't be a surprise. The forest has existed for thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years. And humanity has only explored probably less than 30% of the Great Star Dou Forest, which has thousands of kilometers of dense, untamed wilderness.

Who knew how many ancient soul beasts resided in the unexplored depths?

Which made the Top Ten Great Beasts ranking a huge fraud.

Bi Ji's smile softened further and less forced upon seeing Jianxin. "Hello, little Jianxin. It's been a while. I, Auspicious Emperor and...Huo Yuhao here would like to have a chat with you, if you have the time."

Jianxin's face brightened, and with high speed that Huo Yuhao almost couldn't follow, she appeared before the group.

She clasped her right fist against her left palm, and she excitedly said. "Auntie Bi Ji, Auspicious Emperor, and Huo Yuhao, please take a seat. You don't need to be so formal with me."

She gestured toward the pavilion with a warm smile.

Bi Ji nodded and gracefully stepped forward, while Qiu'er excitedly followed, Huo Yuhao respectfully nodded and followed after the rest.

"Apologies. I wouldn't be able to provide much in drinks or food. All my supplies of tea had dried up about a decade ago in my last trip to the outside. And I haven't seen any Soft Bone Rabbits in the area for me to hunt, I'm guessing that they were all hunted down in the forest?" Jianxin said.

Bi Ji nodded, a saddened expression on her face. "Yes... After thousands of years, all of the Soft Bone Rabbits in the forest area have completely been hunted."

Qiu'er snorted. "They wouldn't have been hunted down if that traitor Xiao Wu had kept her promise to us. Those rabbits would've died in just a few years if it weren't for their monstrous reproductive rate."

"Qiu'er! They... Even if Xiao Wu hadn't kept her promise, there shouldn't have been a genocide of the Soft Bone Rabbits."

"....We were angry, Auntie Bi Ji. We had a clear path of salvation for us all with Xiao Wu and that half-blood, if they had done something to help us after they ascended! But did they? No! They did nothing!"

"...."

'Xiao Wu? Is she talking about the same Xiao Wu from ten thousand years ago? If I remember correctly, it was stated in an ancient book that she and the rest of the original Shrek Seven Monsters had become Gods.

If Xiao Wu, a hundred thousand year old Soft Bone Rabbit who reincarnated into a human, became a God...' Huo Yuhao listened attentively, staying quiet.

Thinking about it further and knowing that Gods are real, Huo Yuhao pondered about the widely known Gods in the continent — the original Shrek Seven Monsters and the ones who eradicated Spirit Hall.

Did his ancestors, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, really become Gods? If so, were they watching him and the rest of their descendants right now?

When Huo Yuhao becomes a God and he meets them, what sort of reaction would he have?

Well, he didn't have any hostility to any of the seven except blood relations. They'd likely welcome him with open arms and even support him to divinity.

It wasn't like one of them just decided on fucking with his life because he had a great fortune and would become a great pawn.

Once they all settled inside the pavilion, Jianxin's gaze landed on Huo Yuhao. Her cyan eyes gleamed with curiosity.

"Auntie Jianxin, he's my partner!" Qiu'er calmly said, her tail wagging around excitedly. "Also, I have a name now. My name is Qiu'er! Remember that!"

'Phrasing,' Huo Yuhao kept a straight face when Jianxin stared at him incredulously.

Jianxin turned towards Bi Ji and raised an eyebrow, "What? How much did I miss in just a few days?!"

Bi Ji wryly smiled. "A lot, surprisingly." She then explained to Jianxin of the numerous events of the last several days that had happened.

"....So the Lord themselves is supporting a human, huh." Jianxin muttered, a contemplating look on her face.

Bi Ji nodded. "That's right. Jianxin, I'm sure you know why I came here with Huo Yuhao."

Jianxin closed her eyes and faintly smiled, her shoulders sagged in resignation. "I understand."

Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow in confusion, Qiu'er shared the same sentiment before her eyes widened in realization. Tears in the corner of her eyes.

Jianxin faintly smiled at Qiu'er before turning towards Huo Yuhao and said. "I'm sure you already know who I am, but let me introduce myself still."

"I am Jianxin, a 299,999 years old Yin-Yang Saint Crane and the master of the Mysterious Yin-Yang Valley."

"....My name is Huo Yuhao, 13 years old. Twin martial souls, and a friend of Qiu'er. Rank 50, half-step Soul King."

Huo Yuhao introduced a little bit of himself to her as well and hesitantly said, "Miss Jianxin, I came here because miss Bi Ji said I was going to get a soul ring. And according to your age—"

Qiu'er interrupted him, hitting his shoulder and sending him a death glare. Both Bi Ji and Jianxin smiled at him, though, there was a chilling glint flickered across their eyes.

No matter what they are, women never liked their age being discussed by anyone. Especially by men.

"—According to your cultivation, you're about to undergo your Heavenly Tribulation. I assume that, you're not confident in your success."

Jianxin softly smiled, a melancholic look in her eyes. "Yes, that's right."

"Around ten thousand years ago, I sustained a terrible injury when I fought against the Dark Devilgod Tiger. I fought him off of my territory, only it injured my origin essence so much that even with the help of Auntie Bi Ji and thousands of years of recovery, I have only been able to stabilize my condition, not heal completely."

Bi Ji sighed. "Despite our best efforts and her own abilities, her chances of surviving the next tribulation are slim. That's why we brought you here, Huo Yuhao."

Qiu'er's eyes were teary, whimpering on the side.

Huo Yuhao's eyes widened.

"Is it... Sacrifice?"

Jianxin nodded.

Sacrifice is an act soul beasts can take to bestow a soul master, someone they had acknowledged or are close to, with their soul bone and soul ring. If they choose to do so, all their years of cultivation will be used up, their life force, and there's a small chance that they will revert to an infant—but Jianxin knew that she wouldn't be able to cheat like that.

Only 100,000 year old soul beasts can use sacrifice.

"Huo Yuhao, will you accept my everything?"

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3/5 chapters of the week