Chapter 1218: 妖精

Winds Rise Across the Nine Provinces

"So the Wood Spirit isn't a Wood Spirit after all; it's just an illusion!" Lu Ye understood. If this was their innate ability, then it made perfect sense that even his Insight Spirit Mark couldn't detect any flaws.

The vast starry sky was home to countless races. While humans had no particular innate abilities, almost every other race possessed one or two unique talents. Ironically, it was the human race, the least distinctive, that occupied the most territories in the starry sky, making them the true and undisputed overlords among all races.

A great powerful being once asserted that if the human race in the starry sky didn't engage in internal strife, no other race would have room to survive; all would eventually become human vassals. However, internal strife among humans was fundamentally unstoppable and unchangeable. "The Pixie race has many peculiar traits, not just this shapeshifting ability. But if there's any race in the Reincarnation Tree's Tree Realm that can shapeshift to such a realistic degree, it's only the Pixie race!" As Yu Yaorao spoke, she retracted her thread-like spirit treasure. Standing before the remains of Chief Wood Sparkle, a bright ball of fire ignited in her hand. Staring at the scattered body parts on the ground, she demanded, "Aren't you going to show yourselves? Do I have to set you on fire?"

When her thin-line spirit treasure sliced through Wood Sparkle's body, it appeared to be carving him up. However, Yu Yaorao felt no resistance throughout the process. In other words, the moment the line passed through, Wood Sparkle's entire body had already disintegrated, and even the spurting emerald blood was merely an outward manifestation of the technique.

A scene that astonished Lu Ye unfolded. After Yu Yaorao issued her threat, the scattered fragments on the ground suddenly came alive, twisting and shifting to form beings roughly a foot tall! At first glance, they looked like humans shrunk many times over. However, unlike humans, each of them had a pair of wings on their back, not fleshy wings, but translucent ones, similar to a dragonfly's.

They wore brightly colored clothes, and each pixie was surrounded by a different hue, making the scene burst with vibrant colors, like a hundred flowers blooming all at once. Physically, the males were exceptionally handsome and the females incredibly beautiful; all of them appeared young and full of vitality. Only the pixie that had materialized from Wood Sparkle's head had a full head of white hair, appearing as an old man. However, his attire was remarkably flashy. Unlike the colorful clothes of the other pixies, this old fellow was clad in shimmering gold, making him the most dazzling among all of them.

Recalling Wood Sparkle's initial introduction of himself, Lu Ye suddenly realized that this fellow wasn't "Wood Sparkle" at all; he was clearly "Gold Sparkle"! He had simply almost blurted out the wrong name when introducing himself.

So these were pixies! Lu Ye observed them with great interest. Such fascinating beings were unheard of in the Nine Provinces, where, apart from humans, only ugly and detestable insects existed. Later, he had encountered the Blood Race and Corpse Race, but none of them could compare to the Pixie race.

When the pixies revealed their true forms, there were over a hundred of them. They flapped their wings and, under the astonished gaze of Lu Ye and Yu Yaorao, began stacking themselves one on top of another to form a human pyramid. It was evident they were very skilled at this, having done it more than once. In the blink of an eye, they had formed a perfect pyramid. The sole white-haired Gold Sparkle stood at the very top of the pyramid, striking a formidable pose like a golden rooster standing on one leg, glaring fiercely at the two humans.

Immediately after, the pixies began to speak."Since you've seen through us!""Then we won't conceal it any longer!""That's right! We are the beings who embody wisdom and beauty in this void!""Talent and virtue united!""The greatest, the most sagacious, the most valiant!""The Pixie race!"

The pixies spoke in a very layered manner: the bottom layer spoke first, followed by each layer above, until the topmost Gold Sparkle delivered the finale. Lu Ye's eye twitched. Yu Yaorao also raised a hand to cover her face. Even though she had read about pixies in her elders' travelogues and knew their temperament, she still found the scene rather cringeworthy at the moment.

She quietly sent a message to Lu Ye: "No matter their age, pixies are inherently childlike. They're essentially like human children." Lu Ye nodded in profound agreement. "I can see that!"

"Oh dear..." Gold Sparkle suddenly exclaimed. Nothing else happened, the pyramid... it collapsed! The group of pixies tumbled every which way. Despite having wings, each pixie fell in a disorganized heap. Immediately, the pixies began to argue. One pixie accused another of not standing steady, while that pixie blamed others for making him fall. And this wasn't an ordinary argument; every single pixie was bickering, turning the scene into utter chaos. Lu Ye felt as if hundreds of ducks were quacking wildly in his ears.

Before they could reach a conclusion about the collapsed pyramid, the topic inexplicably shifted. The pixies started arguing about why they had been exposed. Some said Gold Sparkle was too clumsy, others argued they shouldn't have shapeshifted into Wood Spirits. The topics of argument varied endlessly. "I forgot to tell you, junior brother," Yu Yaorao sent another message to Lu Ye, "Pixies... are chatterboxes! But this doesn't mean they aren't united; it's just their characteristic."

Lu Ye also noticed this. Despite their arguments, none of the pixies showed any intention of resorting to violence. Gold Sparkle, in particular, despite being the chief of the Pixie race, was relentlessly chastised by his fellow tribesmen, blushing and red-faced, completely lacking the authority and dignity befitting a chief.

While the pixies continued their bickering, the two humans stood quietly observing from the side. At one point, the clamor suddenly subsided without warning. Then, the group of pixies all gazed expectantly at Yu Yaorao and Lu Ye.

Gold Sparkle pushed through the crowd, fluttered his small wings, and stepped forward. He gave a feigned cough and began, "First, on behalf of the Pixie race, I wish to apologize to our two esteemed guests. We deceived you, and for us, who are upright and kind, this is an unforgivable mistake. However, we also ask for your understanding, as our Pixie race is truly not suited to appear before others."

Yu Yaorao offered a slight smile. "We understand. The Pixie race holds immense appeal for any other race, and this is also your way of self-preservation."

Gold Sparkle nodded, adopting a solemn and mature demeanor. "It's certainly for the best that both of you can understand. Of course, if you can't, it doesn't matter. Let's put that small unpleasantness behind us and get down to business!"

Yu Yaorao said, "My stance remains the same: we have no problem helping. That's why we're here. But we require detailed information."

Chief Gold Sparkle replied, "We will naturally inform both of you." He then proceeded to explain the current situation in the Pixie Tree Realm in detail. The situation wasn't particularly complicated: the Insect Race had invaded, built a large insect nest in their Pixie Tree Realm, and sought to occupy their territory and abduct members of the Pixie race. What Yu Yaorao and Lu Ye needed to do was eradicate the insect nest, eliminate all the Insect Race members, and restore peace and order to the Pixie Tree Realm.

Lu Ye noticed a problem. "Are there really only this many of your people? Or were some killed by the Insect Race?" Gold Sparkle looked proud. "There are only this many of us! That's why we are the rarest race in the starry sky!" as if this were something to boast about.

Lu Ye raised an eyebrow. "So, when it comes to dealing with the Insect Race, it's just us?" Gold Sparkle's expression became serious. "That's incorrect, young friend. It's not 'us'; it's 'you'!"

Lu Ye was stunned. "What about you then?"

"We will cheer you on!" Gold Sparkle replied earnestly, and the other pixies all nodded in agreement. Lu Ye suddenly felt that there was a reason for this race's small population. Their own home had been invaded, yet they showed no intention of fighting back, instead relying on outsiders. Such a mindset was truly unacceptable. To be honest, if this weren't a test from the Reincarnation Tree, Lu Ye wouldn't have offered any help. People must be self-reliant to be worth saving. If they can't even help themselves, extinction is perhaps inevitable. In the starry sky, more than just one or two races had gone extinct over the years.

Yu Yaorao said, "We can help, but you can't just cheer us on. We need your blessings!"

Lu Ye didn't know what "blessings" were, but Yu Yaorao had some understanding of the Pixie race. Since she brought it up now, there had to be a good reason, suggesting these "blessings" could provide significant assistance. "Well... uh..." Gold Sparkle rubbed his hands, looking somewhat troubled. Yu Yaorao's expression was firm. "If your esteemed race cannot even provide blessings, then I'm afraid we two cannot help!"

"We need to discuss this!" Gold Sparkle quickly said. "Then hurry up; time waits for no one!"

The group of pixies immediately huddled together, heads inward, bottoms outward, forming a large circle. They began to chatter and discuss amongst themselves. Lu Ye couldn't understand them, as they were speaking the Pixie language. He turned to Yu Yaorao. Yu Yaorao gave a wry smile. "I don't understand the Pixie language either." "What are these 'blessings'?" Lu Ye asked.

Yu Yaorao explained, "The Pixie race itself doesn't possess strong combat power and isn't accustomed to fighting. So, when faced with an Insect Race invasion, they actually have very little ability to resist. On this point, Junior Brother Lu, you might have misunderstood them. It's not that they aren't self-reliant; it's simply their inherent nature. Although they don't like to fight, every single one of them has an innate auxiliary ability. These are their 'blessings.' Any cultivator who carries a pixie with them can boost their strength by at least twenty percent. They can bestow special blessings upon cultivators in various fields."

"Such an amazing thing exists?" Lu Ye's eyes lit up. He gazed at the group of pixies huddled in a circle before him, as if he were looking at a trove of treasures!