Chapter 405: Fat Chicken

Since he began cultivating the "Soul-Nourishing Sword Chapter," Qin Sang's sole focus had been to gather as much spiritual wood as possible, just enough to ensure the Ebony Sword wouldn't limit his progress in the cultivation method. He was content with that.

When Cloud Wanderer spoke of these secrets, Qin Sang always treated them as mere legends, never daring to hope for their reality. The Ten Divine Woods indeed only existed in legends, and certainly weren't something a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like him was qualified to covet. Perhaps only after forming a Golden Core would he dare to even consider them.

Life was unpredictable; now, a piece of the Ten Divine Woods lay right before him!

Qin Sang gazed at the blood-red wood with fascination, feeling the potent aura emanating from the Interminable Blood Mulberry. Four words echoed in his mind: "Living up to its name!" This piece of Interminable Blood Mulberry was clearly unrefined. If the Ebony Sword could absorb this wood, there was no doubt it would be completely transformed, instantly ascending to the ranks of magic treasures and gaining a powerful divine ability.

Qin Sang suppressed the urgency in his heart, reluctantly tearing his gaze away from the Interminable Blood Mulberry, and turned to the other half of the jade pool. There, amidst the crimson 'pool water' that resembled molten lava, a stark white root grew out. The slender root was as pure white as jade, clearly no ordinary item. However, the stem and leaves above the root had vanished, leaving only a section of the main root standing alone in the pool. The broken end showed clear signs of being gnawed!

Upon seeing this, Qin Sang's gaze sharpened. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly took a step forward. Then, sensing something, he abruptly looked up at the lightning sphere. Just then, he saw lightning surge within the sphere, and several tiny bolts of lightning actually broke through its containment!

After escaping the lightning sphere, the hair-thin lightning bolts instantly expanded to the thickness of an arm, and amidst deafening thunderclaps, they fiercely struck towards Qin Sang's hiding place. The cave dwelling shook, and the lightning was blinding.

Qin Sang seemed to have been alerted early; he stomped his foot heavily and retreated explosively. Unexpectedly, just as he moved, a strong gust of wind suddenly rose from his right. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a sudden, silver, rotund shadow approaching. The shadow was also like a bolt of lightning, seemingly familiar.

Lightning Escape!

Qin Sang immediately recalled the scene he had just witnessed: the Thunder-Swallowing Falcon performing Lightning Escape, using only its physical body to forcibly knock the black-robed man out of the shadows.

"As expected!" Qin Sang thought to himself. When he had seen the jade pool and the lightning sphere, as well as the white fragments within the sphere, he had felt that this arrangement was very strange, like some kind of nest nurturing something. Coupled with the gnawed, unknown spiritual herb... Qin Sang was almost certain that a Thunder-Swallowing Falcon chick was hidden in the cave dwelling!

Qin Sang already knew that the Thunder-Swallowing Falcon's lightning eyes could see through invisibility. No wonder the Thunder-Swallowing Falcon fought desperately, risking its life to block two Nascent Soul experts; it was nurturing its young. Fragments still remained in the lightning sphere, indicating the chick might have just hatched. Therefore, Qin Sang wasn't afraid.

However, what Qin Sang hadn't expected was that the Thunder-Swallowing Falcon chick could actually control the lightning within the sphere, and its strength far surpassed his expectations!

"Rise!"

At this moment, Qin Sang had just evaded the lightning sphere's attack, his momentum spent. He had no time to continue dodging and could only fight head-on. Qin Sang roared, and activated the Ten Directions Yama Formation he had prepared earlier. Facing the Thunder-Swallowing Falcon's Lightning Escape, he dared not be careless in the slightest. The black-robed man's encounter was still vivid in his mind: even a Nascent Soul cultivator couldn't withstand the power of the Thunder-Swallowing Falcon's Lightning Escape and had fallen into peril.

As the formation just unfolded, with the banners protecting Qin Sang within, the Thunder-Swallowing Falcon, controlling its Lightning Escape, crashed into it, narrowly being blocked.

Boom!

The Yin energy of the Ten Directions Yama Formation collided with the Lightning Escape. Yin energy and lightning devoured each other, and the formation subtly showed signs of collapsing. Within the grand formation, the ghostly banners trembled incessantly, their surfaces flapping violently. The main spirit roared, its cry shaking the cave dwelling, as it fully resisted the impact of the Lightning Escape.

Qin Sang, situated within the formation, let out a muffled groan. His blood and qi surged, and he staggered back several steps before barely regaining his footing. He hurriedly stabilized the formation and couldn't help but feel secretly appalled.

As the aftermath dissipated, Qin Sang remained hidden within the Ten Directions Yama Formation, not daring to show his face. Through a gap in the Yin energy, he saw a falcon that had appeared sometime earlier, standing on one leg at the edge of the jade pool. This falcon was far from majestic; it resembled a plump chicken. Its feathers had no bright sheen; they were merely clusters of yellowish downy feathers. Even its pointed little beak was tender yellow, and it held a small piece of white eggshell in its mouth.

The plump chicken's entire body of downy feathers puffed up, making its furry body resemble a yellow sphere. It looked not at all terrifying, but rather somewhat cute.

Crack, crack...

Its tiny, pointed beak moved. A crisp chewing sound echoed in the cave dwelling. The eggshell, which had been unharmed in the lightning sphere, was incredibly fragile in the plump chicken's mouth, and it easily chewed it to pieces.

Cheep, cheep...

As the plump chicken chewed the eggshell, its eyes suddenly widened, its two claws tightly gripped the jade pool, and it let out a sharp cry. Qin Sang's expression subtly changed, and he secretly became alert. He then saw it turn its head and peck at the spiritual spring behind it, then raise its neck high, hopping on its feet, and diligently flapping its disproportionately small, fleshy wings up and down. Its throat then pulsed as it swallowed the eggshell in its mouth along with the spring water. Its chirping became noticeably cheerful.

Qin Sang was dumbfounded. Was it choking? Eating with spiritual spring water, wasn't that a bit too luxurious?

After swallowing the eggshell, the plump chicken looked relieved. It leisurely tilted its small head, its round eyes filled with a trace of naivety and curiosity, openly sizing up Qin Sang. Qin Sang had a feeling that it regarded him as an amusing toy. Seeing its clumsy and endearing appearance, who would have thought that it would eventually grow into a majestic Thunder-Swallowing Falcon, fighting fiercely against two Nascent Soul cultivators and displaying great power.

Qin Sang's mouth twitched. The Thunder-Swallowing Falcon's chick actually looked like this! From its appearance, it had clearly just hatched. Anyone else might have had their heart melted by the plump chicken's innocent big eyes, but Qin Sang didn't find this plump chicken cute at all. Instead, he found it terrifying.

Although this plump chicken had just hatched, it already possessed cultivation at the peak of the Demonic Spirit stage, no weaker than Yu Hua! This was normal. Demonic beasts with powerful bloodlines were uniquely blessed, possessing terrifying strength from birth. Furthermore, the spiritual herb that the Thunder-Swallowing Falcon could plant in the cave dwelling was certainly not simple. It was likely carefully prepared for its chick. For the plump chicken to have eaten the spiritual herb and instantly broken through to the peak of the Demonic Spirit stage was not surprising.

The peak of the Demonic Spirit stage wasn't terrifying in itself. The plump chicken was clearly very naive and inexperienced; in actual combat, it might not be able to unleash its full strength. What was most terrifying was that it could control the power of the lightning sphere! The lightning sphere must have been left by the adult Thunder-Swallowing Falcon to hatch and protect its chick. With the plump chicken controlling the lightning sphere, even Golden Core cultivators would need to be cautious in its presence.

Qin Sang's gaze bypassed the plump chicken and fell upon the Interminable Blood Mulberry lying in the spiritual spring. He clenched his hand. The demonic flame in the Crimson Core was already nearly half consumed, and he didn't have much time left. He had to leave before the demonic flame was extinguished; otherwise, he would be trapped in the cave dwelling forever. He didn't know how the adult Thunder-Swallowing Falcon would deal with him when it returned and found him. Whether becoming food for the plump chicken or becoming a toy, neither was an outcome Qin Sang desired.