Chapter 76: The Howler Bird’s Provocation

Description

For Shen Zhi and Chu Yao, this secret realm was far too familiar.

Whenever the North County Immortal Alliance held even the slightest activity, they would send disciples like them here for competitions.

Over time, they had come to know the terrain extremely well; what existed in which region was practically second nature.

Su Zhan internally complained that the North County Immortal Alliance was truly fair and utterly ordinary, then learned from Shen Zhi that northwest of the Stone Forest lived a demon beast called the Howler Bird.

It nested upon cliff faces and could emit a demonic sound that disturbed the mind.

Because it could amplify a sound cultivator’s strength, this demon beast had been captured and sold in great numbers, leaving it scarce.

Shen Zhi said that if Su Zhan could kill one and bring it back, she could try to craft an artifact.

After arranging for the three of them to hide in a stone crevice, Su Zhan left the Stone Forest alone and flew toward the distance.

Su Zhan flew on her sword across a valley, her gaze sweeping left and right as she inspected the surroundings, yet she found nothing; it seemed she had not gone far enough.

Just as she prepared to leave, she spotted two figures far off beside a mountain wall, limping and staggering forward.

The two hunched over and picked their way ahead with extreme caution, their bodies ragged in every place, faces filthy with dust and dirt.

Most importantly, their waists were completely empty as well.

Oh ho, the Victim Alliance plus one again.

“Damn Zuo Lan Sect, once I leave the secret realm I’ll make her pay!”

Su Zhan could faintly hear one of the two ahead cursing at the top of their lungs.

Reputation in this area, huh… After a moment of reflection, Su Zhan simply flew away on her sword and did nothing extra.

The time until Yun Li’s method of attracting the demon beasts took effect had roughly less than one shichen left; she had to hurry.

Howler Birds loved to cry out most of all, especially in valleys or other places that produced echoes.

To find one, heading toward the noisiest place was the way.

Su Zhan flew on her sword to yet another valley and at last heard a sharp, bizarre cry resembling “gu-ga” approaching from far to near.

As she listened, she could faintly make out that the sound somewhat resembled provocative phrases like ‘Hit me~’.

Su Zhan hovered above the valley yet could not see the source of the sound.

Looking down, she discovered that both sides of the valley seemed to have interconnected caves, and the Howler Bird was hiding in who-knew-which cave, howling strangely.

It seemed to have noticed someone approaching; the Howler Bird’s strange cries grew louder, the tones gained more distinction, and it produced even more phrases that sounded like homophones for “Hello there~,” “Come chase me~,” “Hurry up and hit me~,” and the like.

Not very lethal, but extremely annoying.

Su Zhan frowned and slashed sword qi toward one of the caves; a boom of tremendous noise echoed through the valley.

A long, massive sword cry covered the entire valley, the sword cries ringing without end; Su Zhan listened until she grew irritated and her eyelids twitched.

After roughly a moment, the valley finally fell quiet, then bursts of “ga-ga” strange laughter exploded from who-knew-where, as if continuing to mock her for missing.

“Ga-ga~”

“Min-hai-ya~~”

“Ga-ga~” “Gu-hai-ya~~”

Su Zhan’s expression darkened slightly; she truly could not distinguish the direction, so she simply slashed several more times with her sword, yet still failed to hit.

The strange cries accompanied by ga-ga laughter kept drilling into Su Zhan’s ears.

For the next short while, Su Zhan fell into a vicious cycle of hearing the strange cries, swinging her sword wildly, hearing even more strange cries, and swinging even more angrily.

“I’ll make you ga-ga! Aren’t you good at calling? Call, then!”

Su Zhan focused her gaze; fluorescent light gathered once more on the long sword in her hand.

Just as she was about to slash down, a voice transmission suddenly reached her mind.

A boom sounded, and another cave collapsed, dust flying.

“Senior Sister, how is the situation on your side?”

The girl’s voice was ethereal, carrying a trace of worry, as if she had dimly sensed that something was off with her.

Su Zhan’s eyes shifted slightly; the irritability in their depths vanished in an instant, and clarity returned.

She had actually been influenced by this demonic sound without even noticing…

Coming back to herself, she shook her head, replied “Nothing’s wrong” to her junior sister, and paid it no further mind.

She followed the broken walls and rubble downward, flew on her sword to the edge of the stone wall where she had just chopped out a large pit, and jumped down.

She had slashed out several streams of sword qi and consumed quite a bit of spiritual power; she stuffed a pill into her mouth and began to explore.

This space was now a picture of ruin; stone walls had collapsed, and within the cave full of rubble and cracks there was still a tunnel, winding in a U-shape that connected every cave on both sides of the valley walls.

No wonder the echoes never stopped, Su Zhan thought.

“Hao!” “Ga-ga!”

A piece of already-broken rubble rolled down and smashed straight toward Su Zhan without the slightest deviation.

Su Zhan raised her hand and slashed out another stream of sword qi; the rubble shattered into fragments that clattered down beside her feet.

She looked up, focused her gaze, and captured a gray, dust-colored back behind a stone pillar; just then she heard that punchable strange cry again.

“Found it.”

Su Zhan lightly pinched a sword seal with her fingers and suddenly flung her long sword.

The long sword tore through the air, its surface gleaming with flowing blue light, darting forward like a snake; in the blink of an eye it caught up to that figure and pinned it to the stone wall with a single thrust.

Ga!? Ga-ming-ga…

From behind the stone wall came the sound of wings flapping wildly; the ga-ga cries now carried panic and misery and instantly changed their tune.

Su Zhan approached slowly with a cold face and saw a strange bird with a pointed beak, wide wings, a bloated body, and a tuft of gray feathers on its head displayed before her.

She had finally seen this thing’s true appearance.

The Howler Bird struggled even more fiercely, yet Su Zhan’s long sword had pierced through its body; even though its wings were uninjured, a few flaps were not enough to escape.

What’s more… even if it could fly, it would not be faster than Su Zhan.

“Ga! Ga-ga!”

“I told you to ga-ga.”

Su Zhan raised her hand expressionlessly, swung her arm in a full circle, and delivered a direct slap to the huge demon beast’s face.

The Howler Bird froze, as if stunned by the blow.

The next second, the demon beast, full of shame and fury, was about to let out another strange cry, but before it could make a sound it was fiercely interrupted by another of Su Zhan’s slaps and had the cry slapped back into its mouth.

“You dare ambush me? Don’t you know that right now the thing I hate most is sneak attacks from things like you.

A sneak attack is one thing, but you even dare to provoke me.

I’ll let you provoke—”

As if she still found it insufficient, she later simply used both hands; the smack smack smack sounds were endless.

Su Zhan added no spiritual power at all and simply used her own physical strength to slap it again and again.

Only when the demon beast no longer dared to make a sound did Su Zhan reluctantly stop, not quite satisfied.

She let out a long breath; the depression and irritation of these past few days were finally swept away.

Cultivation was simply a matter of following one’s heart.

She looked down.

Oh, it was not that it dared not make a sound; she had slapped it unconscious.

Everything had gone smoothly.

Su Zhan took out her storage pouch, stored the demon beast, then fished out a voice-transmission jade slip and inquired of Yun Li.

“Junior Sister, I’ve already captured the demon beast.

How are things on your side?”

She waited a long time, yet Yun Li gave no reply.

Su Zhan’s brows furrowed slightly; something felt off.

They had just been in contact; how could she suddenly stop answering?

The demon beasts… had the time limit arrived?

Su Zhan made a rough estimate, immediately jumped onto her natal spiritual sword, and swiftly urged her sword-flying art.

The surrounding scenery receded rapidly; unwilling to give up, Su Zhan sent Yun Li another voice transmission.

“Junior Sister, don’t panic.

Wait for me no matter what.”