Chapter 1439: Ten Days Above the Sky

"Tang Valley?" Zu An was taken aback; the name seemed somewhat familiar.

Dafeng explained, "In the Great Eastern Sea, there is a place called Tang Valley. A giant Fusang tree grows there, and the ten Golden Crows perch on it. They emerge one by one, in turn, passing through Mount Qu'a, Zengquan Spring, Sangye, Yuzhong, Mount Kunwu, Mount Niaoci, Bei Valley, Nuji, Yuanyu, Lianshi Mountain, and Beiquan Spring, finally reaching Yuyuan, which is the land of sunset."

"Wait a moment," Zu An asked, stunned and urgent. "Are the Golden Crows still emerging one by one, in order?"

"Yes, of course," Dafeng replied. "If they didn't emerge in order, wouldn't the land be scorched?" Dafeng seemed puzzled as to why he would ask such an obvious question.

Zu An and the others exchanged glances. Their current mission was to retrace Yi's heroic journey, and Yi was most famous for shooting down nine suns when all ten appeared together. Clearly, after passing so many previous challenges, these remaining nine suns were their final hurdle.

Yet, now they learned that the Golden Crows were still appearing in sequence. Didn't that mean they hadn't caused any trouble yet? How then could they complete their mission?

They now finally remembered that they had actually experienced the alternation of day and night in this secret realm these past few days. However, there had never been a scene of ten suns appearing together. They had grown accustomed to this, but now they realized that this very "normalcy" was the greatest abnormality.

Dafeng, unaware of their shock, continued:

"Tang Valley is located in the vast Eastern Sea. And within the Eastern Sea, countless terrifying great demons and fierce beasts reside. With your current strength, I'm afraid you cannot reach there safely."

"What should we do then?" they wondered. The others didn't doubt Dafeng's words. Although Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue had recovered most of their power, they also knew that if they encountered the octopus monster in the deep sea again, their chances of winning would likely be small, as the ocean was its home turf.

And in this vast ocean, clearly, there wasn't just that octopus monster; they didn't know what other terrifying beings might exist.

Zu An, however, looked towards Dafeng. "We'd appreciate your guidance, honored sir."

Dafeng's tone seemed to imply something.

As expected, Dafeng puffed out his chest, a smug expression returning to his face. His demeanor seemed to scream, "Beg me! Beg me!"

Yu Yanluo, skilled at understanding people's intentions, immediately cooperated and pleaded softly.

Although Yun Jianyue was usually proud, the Demonic Cult prioritized practicality. She knew that if they couldn't complete this heroic journey, they would likely be trapped and die here, so she also joined in flattering him.

However, accustomed to her high position, her soft words sounded quite stiff, far from being as smooth and pleasant as Yu Yanluo's.

As for Yan Xuehen, her nature truly prevented her from doing such a thing. She opened her mouth, but in the end, nothing came out.

Dafeng nodded contentedly at Yu Yanluo, then a few feathers on his wing suddenly transformed into finger-like appendages and pulled Zu An aside. "Kid," he whispered, "that snake-girl still has the sweetest mouth. That long-haired human woman sounded insincere; I felt embarrassed for her just listening. And that white-robed woman with the red belt, she's a bit too cold; she seems to look down on me."

Zu An said awkwardly, "You misunderstood; she didn't mean that."

Dafeng said, "Since you have the ancestor's inheritance, you're one of us. I'll tell you something personal: in the future, this snake-girl can be the main wife, that long-haired woman a concubine, and that white-robed woman with the red belt can at most be a maid, to humble her pride."

Zu An broke out in a cold sweat, thinking, 'If you knew about my other confidantes, what positions would you arrange for them?'

"Senior," he asked, exasperated by the creature's gossip, "do you actually have a way to get to Tang Valley?"

"If anyone else asked me, I wouldn't even bother to answer," Dafeng said. "But since you're one of us..." Dafeng pondered for a moment, then pulled a feather from his body. "Hmm, take this feather. The method of use is as follows... It can help you cross the vast sea and reach Tang Valley."

Zu An was overjoyed. He took the feather and immediately felt it filled with the aura of wind and an unparalleled sense of divine wonder. "Thank you, senior!" he exclaimed.

"Never mind, don't call me senior anymore," Dafeng said. "You have the ancestor's inheritance, so perhaps your seniority is even higher than mine. From now on, just call me Little... *cough, cough*." (Dafeng had originally thought of letting him call him "Little Wind," but that seemed too undignified, so he quickly changed the subject.) "Oh, and don't blame me for not warning you: it's fine to go to Tang Valley to broaden your horizons, but whatever you do, don't provoke those ten Golden Crows, or you'll be burned to ashes."

"Thanks for the reminder," Zu An said with an awkward smile, thinking, 'What would its reaction be if it knew I was actually going to deal with the Golden Crows?'

He had originally wanted to inquire about some information regarding the Golden Crows, but then realized that would be too obviously targeted. What if Dafeng, fearing implication, took the feather back? That would be troublesome.

In any case, the Demon Emperor was also a Golden Crow, so he had already learned most of what he needed to know.

With all these concerns, he ultimately didn't ask.

Returning to the three women's side, they curiously asked what Dafeng had just told him.

Zu An took out the feather, and the three women also showed expressions of joy.

However, Yan Xuehen quickly realized something was wrong. "He seemed to be saying something about me just now," she said. "The way he looked at me was a bit off, somewhat... dismissive?"

Yun Jianyue also frowned slightly. "That's right," she added. "His look at me seemed a bit pitying?"

"Uh, you're mistaken," Zu An said, not knowing how to explain. He then let out a surprised sound. "Do you feel it's gotten hotter?"

"It has indeed gotten hotter," Yan Xuehen confirmed. With her icy skin and jade bones, she was most sensitive to temperature. She instinctively raised her head and suddenly froze.

The others also looked up. They found that there seemed to be one more sun in the sky, followed by two, then three... until finally, ten suns spanned the sky.

The ground temperature quickly rose, leaves and plants shriveled and withered, river water began to boil, and various fires ignited everywhere.

Ten suns blazed overhead!

"Have these Golden Crows gone mad?" Dafeng stared, dumbfounded, at everything. Just moments ago, it was saying the Golden Crows abided by the rules; it didn't expect to be proven wrong so quickly.

"Oh my! I can't take this, I can't take this! My feathers are about to catch fire; I need to hide! Kid, I'm off!" No sooner had Dafeng finished speaking than he vanished into the distance. From afar, they could see smoke beginning to rise from his whole body; it seemed that if he had left any later, his feathers would have caught fire.

Zu An and the others were also drenched in sweat. Zu An was even so hot that he directly took off his upper garment. "Why was everything fine just now," he wondered, "and suddenly ten suns are in the sky?"

"Something special must have happened," someone suggested. Except for Yan Xuehen, who practiced ice-element techniques and was slightly better off, Yu Yanluo and Yun Jianyue were also so hot that they couldn't help but loosen their collars and continuously fanned themselves with their hands. Those glimpses of white, however, only made Zu An feel even hotter.

Meanwhile, in some unknown valley far away, the Demon Emperor's face was ashen. If Zu An and the others were to see him now, they would probably be greatly startled.

He, who was usually majestic, had never been so disheveled. Moreover, his left arm was severed!

Golden blood continuously dripped down.