Chapter 493: The Irritable Big Bird

Xu Qing shook his head. Grabbing Ning Yan by the neck, he stepped into the Sword-Holding Palace's teleportation array. As Ning Yan looked on in bewildered uncertainty, the array shimmered, engulfing their figures.

The next moment, in the county capital territory near the desert, inside a Sword-Holding Palace teleportation array built on a plain, Xu Qing and Ning Yan's figures rapidly emerged within a protective glow.

The Sword-Holding Palace had many teleportation arrays in the county capital. Not all were built within cities; some were in the wilderness, requiring special methods to activate and possessing their own protective features.

This particular array was one such example.

Once their figures became completely clear, Xu Qing cautiously scanned the surroundings.

Although he had confirmed the area's safety through the Sword-Holding Palace's array sensing before teleporting, his instinct still prompted him to double-check.

Only after sensing that all was well did Xu Qing step out of the array's protective barrier. Standing on the overgrown stone slab, he looked up at the sky.

It was still deep night. Dark clouds, covering most of the county capital, also enveloped this area. Rain drizzled down onto the dry grass of the plain, emitting a bone-chilling cold.

With no tall buildings to provide shelter, the howling wind blew unimpeded, whirling up the rain and echoing with mournful whispers in their ears.

"Senior Brother Xu Qing, where... where are we going?" Ning Yan asked nervously. He gazed at the desolate plain, filled with unease.

"Ning Yan, when we first arrived at the county capital to report, I saw you around here," Xu Qing said calmly.

"Huh?"

Ning Yan was startled, then quickly nodded.

"At that time, you were in Senior Qing Qin's claws. Now, take me to where you encountered Senior Qing Qin," Xu Qing said softly, his gaze sweeping over the dark clouds in the sky.

"Uh..." Ning Yan trembled. He feared Xu Qing, and also the giant bird. The bird's previous appearance, as if it intended to devour him, had given him nightmares for a long time.

Just as he instinctively tried to find a way to politely refuse, Xu Qing turned and gazed at Ning Yan through the wind and rain, his expression solemn.

"Ning Yan, this matter concerns the lives and safety of a hundred thousand Sword-Holders on the front lines, and millions upon millions of human cultivators in Feng Hai County. If you help me find Senior Qing Qin, I will report this to the Palace Master, and you will be credited with a great achievement!"

"But..." Ning Yan hesitated. Seeing this, Xu Qing spoke faintly.

"Otherwise, I'll have someone send you to Morning Glow State to reunite with the Joyous Flowers."

Hearing this, Ning Yan's expression immediately became solemn. He spoke with gravitas.

"Senior Brother Xu Qing, you underestimate me. Since this concerns Feng Hai County, I, your junior brother, will certainly give it my all."

"Senior Qing Qin, I encountered him while flying not far from here, Senior Brother Xu Qing. I'll lead the way now!" Ning Yan's expression was serious, looking as if he was deeply concerned about Feng Hai County. His body rose into the air in the rain, soaring directly towards the sky.

Xu Qing, expressionless, followed behind.

Thus, the two sped through the sky. Soon, they arrived at the place where Ning Yan claimed to have met Qing Qin. Looking around, it was an empty expanse, with no mountains or forests, not looking like a place where a giant bird would roost.

Xu Qing's expression showed suspicion.

Ning Yan's heart trembled. Fearing Xu Qing would discover the truth, he quickly spoke.

"Senior Brother Xu Qing, it really is here. When I flew past this place, I saw a storm, and then I was grabbed."

Xu Qing glanced at Ning Yan. Under his gaze, Ning Yan instinctively averted his eyes slightly.

Xu Qing was silent. He had indeed brought Ning Yan here to find traces of Qing Qin, with no other intentions towards Ning Yan.

But now, he felt he had been too lenient. So, after withdrawing his gaze, he took a deep breath and suddenly shouted to the surroundings.

"Senior Qing Qin, your junior, Sword-Holder Xu Qing, has come to pay his respects!"

"To express my sincerity, I have specially brought Ning Yan, the Sword-Holder who offended you last time, to apologize to you in person."

As these words left Xu Qing's mouth, Ning Yan's expression instantly changed. He was indeed deceiving Xu Qing, not having brought him to the true location where he met Qing Qin. This was partly because he feared Qing Qin, and partly due to a secret concerning himself.

The last time Qing Qin appeared and grabbed him, his public explanation was that he encountered it out of nowhere, but that wasn't actually the case... However, realizing that this place was extremely far from Qing Qin's true lair, Ning Yan's heart settled, and he began to ponder how to explain himself in a moment.

But before he could formulate an explanation, whether due to his presence or simply a coincidence, an extremely unpleasant and piercing screech suddenly echoed from the black sky.

Upon this sound, the world changed color, and winds surged.

The sky directly erupted. Countless black clouds disintegrated, rumbling outwards in all directions. As rain poured down wildly and violently, a bird's head, a thousand zhang in size, emerged from the collapsing clouds.

Its crimson eyes glowed in the sky. Its gaze seemed to materialize, locking onto Xu Qing and Ning Yan's location.

Immediately after, a second head, then a third, also emerged from the distant black clouds. Each was a thousand zhang in size, incredibly astonishing.

It was indeed the great bird, Qing Qin.

It had actually been nesting within the black clouds.

Because of its violent emergence, the surrounding clouds and mist, in this explosion, formed countless thunderbolts and lightning. As they darted in all directions, they outlined its ten-thousand-zhang belly within the black clouds.

It was enormous.

From Xu Qing's perspective, almost half the sky seemed to be enveloped by it.

Perhaps disturbed from its slumber, the great bird Qing Qin seemed rather irritable. With a hiss, it inhaled. Immediately, the rainwater that had scattered around due to the collapsing clouds flowed backward, forming three long rivers that were sucked into its mouth.

This scene shocked Xu Qing. He realized that this time, Qing Qin seemed to have appeared in its true form, thus it was much larger than he had seen before.

Especially since his cultivation had increased significantly since he first came to the county capital, and he had experienced many things, he could now make judgments about Void Return Realm experts.

At this moment, he witnessed firsthand the great bird Qing Qin emerging from the black clouds. In the eyes of its three ferocious heads, there were countless Dao Mark threads. Its body even had overlapping shadows. And within the lightning around it, small worlds were constantly forming and collapsing.

Although it hadn't yet reached the state of Myriad Phenomena Returning to One, the immense pressure emanating from its colossal body, thousands of zhang in size, was enough to shake heaven and earth.

While Xu Qing's heart was filled with profound shock, Ning Yan, beside him, was already trembling with fear, his eyes filled with disbelief, because this was not the place where he had originally discovered Qing Qin.

Qing Qin's lair was very, very far from here...

"How could it be here? This isn't right. Qing Qin is very lazy; it barely ever leaves its nest on normal days! Could it be... could it be targeting me?!"

Ning Yan shivered, his mind churning. Xu Qing, taking a deep breath and enduring the immense pressure from the sky, took a few steps forward. He cupped his fists and bowed towards the three colossal heads within the lingering clouds above.

"Sword-Holder Xu Qing, greets Senior Qing Qin."

As Xu Qing spoke, the three heads emerging from the black clouds simultaneously let out a screech. This sound was like countless heavenly thunderbolts exploding, roaring in all directions. It also whipped up a violent storm, causing Xu Qing to involuntarily recoil. Ning Yan, meanwhile, quickly wailed.

"We're doomed! What Qing Qin dislikes most is being woken from sleep! We're finished!!"

"Shut up!" Xu Qing roared, barely steadying himself. He bowed to the sky once more.

"Senior Qing Qin, with the Saint Lan Clan's invasion and Feng Hai County in crisis, your junior humbly requests you to emerge. If you do not wish to go to the battlefield, or do not wish to act, simply following me temporarily and allowing me to leverage your presence would suffice."

Xu Qing spoke sincerely, bowing again after finishing.

But Ning Yan, beside him, was on the verge of tears. Ignoring Xu Qing's reprimand, he hastily warned.

"Senior Brother Xu Qing, it's useless. I actually guessed your intention earlier. However, although Qing Qin's ancestors once followed the Ancient Emperor Xuan You and ultimately died fighting for him, that's merely a beautiful description bestowed by later generations."

"The truth is, Qing Qin's ancestor, as a peerless fierce bird of that era, was initially hostile towards the Ancient Emperor. It only fought and died for the Ancient Emperor because of the dire circumstances and the Emperor's promise to protect its descendants."

"When the divine remnant arrived and the Ancient Emperor departed from Wang Gu Continent, he did not fulfill his original promise; the bond of ancestral worship was severed."

"As for Qing Qin, although it was friends with the previous county governor, this was also because that governor had provided significant assistance. After the governor left, their karmic connection was severed, which is why Qing Qin did not follow him."

"I've read the Feng Hai County chronicles for the past eight hundred years. Although Qing Qin has not been hostile towards humans, it hasn't assisted anyone either; everything is based on its personal preferences."

"And Qing Qin's temper has always been short-tempered; this is a known fact. Its ancestor, the source of its ancient desolate beast bloodline, was a notoriously fierce bird in ancient times, known for devouring all races!"

"We disturbed its slumber, which, for Qing Qin, is the source of its wrath."

"Also, the reason you saw me alive in its claws back then wasn't because my physical body was strong. It was because the bloodline within me caused it some apprehension, I..."

Ning Yan, speaking from the side, hastily relayed everything he knew, his voice trembling. He even revealed a few things he shouldn't have, showing the panic in his heart.

Xu Qing's expression was grave. He discerned many issues in Ning Yan's words, but now was not the time to investigate, as an immense oppressive force emanated from the sky.

Qing Qin's three massive, ferocious heads actually lowered themselves outside the clouds and mist, approaching Xu Qing and Ning Yan with a predatory intent.

At such close range, Xu Qing could clearly see that these three hideous heads had few feathers, their wrinkled purplish-red skin was dry and ugly, and their crimson eyes showed obvious annoyance from being disturbed. Their massive, pointed beaks exuded terrifying pressure.

From afar, compared to the ten-thousand-zhang Qing Qin in the sky, Xu Qing and Ning Yan appeared minuscule and insignificant. At the same time, the visual impact of this scene was astounding.

Ning Yan quickly unleashed his bloodline power, attempting to defuse his own crisis. As for Xu Qing, he couldn't spare a thought for him.

Xu Qing's breathing was rapid. He didn't move, but the Purple Moon within his Heavenly Palace had already risen. Just as he was about to speak, Qing Qin's three heads sniffed at him, and the annoyance in their eyes actually dissipated.

Moreover, its rightmost head suddenly lowered, then, coming beneath Xu Qing, it gently nudged upwards, carrying Xu Qing's body onto its head.

Xu Qing was stunned.

Ning Yan's eyes widened completely, and his heart was engulfed by towering waves of disbelief and incredulity. He gasped in astonishment.

"This... this..."

Ning Yan's mind was completely overturned, utterly dumbfounded. He stood there, frozen, feeling his mind go blank at the scene before him.

It seemed even his ability to think had ceased at that moment.

The sight before him was simply too shocking, even to the point of being incredible.

His origins were mysterious, which was why he recognized most of the items Captain produced when they were at the Ten-Intestine Tree, and he knew many things Xu Qing did not. Moreover, he understood Qing Qin's ferocity and its complex relationship with humanity.

That was why he had told Xu Qing all that earlier. In his understanding, for the transcendent Qing Qin, it made no difference whether Feng Hai County was controlled by humans or not.

Even if the Saint Lan Clan occupied this place, they wouldn't easily do anything to it; things would essentially remain as they were.

Therefore, he was well aware that Qing Qin would neither help nor participate in battle.

But now...

He saw the proud Qing Qin actually using its rightmost head to lift Xu Qing, actively allowing Xu Qing to stand upon it.