Chapter 35: The Golden-Winged Roc

Qu Yi arrived at the spatial teleportation array on Desert Star. In Ping’an Bao, countless cultivators all stayed at a distance from him, fearing that he might start killing indiscriminately if he was displeased.
“My reputation has apparently spread,” Qu Yi said with a shake of his head as he stepped into the spatial teleportation array.
Soon, a flash of white light appeared from the array, and Qu Yi left Desert Star.
“That Killing God is finally gone. I can breathe easy now.”
“Is he Li Mu? He seems quite friendly. How could he be called the Killing God?”
“I wonder where Li Mu is being teleported to. I really hope it’s not my cultivation planet. The strongest cultivators there are only at the early stage of fusion, and they can’t withstand his attacks.”
“No, I must inform my family to stop tracking Li Mu and avoid any further contact with him.”
“A true cultivator should be like Li Mu—calm and confident amidst crowds, able to fight his way in and out with ease. I’ve decided that from now on, Li Mu will be my idol.”
…
As soon as Qu Yi left, the many cultivators in Ping’an Bao began to discuss him fervently. Some came from various sects, some from cultivation families, and some were independent cultivators—people of all kinds who had firmly remembered Qu Yi.
With Qu Yi’s departure, various messages also spread.
After leaving Desert Star, Qu Yi arrived at a medium-sized planet called Fragrant Wind Star. Unnoticed by others, he pulled Xiao Jicang out of the Dimensional Sphere and ordered him to take it to Liupan Star.
Indeed, when leaving the Xiao family’s home, Qu Yi had already placed Xiao Jicang, Xiao Jiling, and Xiao Jiru inside the Dimensional Sphere. Now he released Xiao Jicang. After all, he had only lived in the Xiao family’s home before, and no outsiders had seen him. Even the Xiao family members might not know about him.
Sure enough, when Xiao Jicang transported himself from one planet to another with the Dimensional Sphere, no one noticed at all.
The factions in the cultivation world that were tracking Qu Yi only knew that he had gone to Fragrant Wind Star and hadn’t left since. As for where he was hiding now, none of them had any idea.
Half a year later, Xiao Jicang arrived at Taiqian Star. On an island there, as soon as Xiao Jicang landed, Qu Yi emerged from the Dimensional Sphere.
“Xiao Jicang, thank you for your hard work over these six months,” Qu Yi said with a smile.

“Master, it’s not hard at all. This is my first time exploring the cultivation world. I’ve been to so many planets, which has really broadened my horizons,” said Xiao Jicang excitedly. Indeed, there was no sign of fatigue on his face.
Qu Yi nodded, then sent Xiao Jicang back to the Dimension Ball. He immediately changed his appearance to that of a middle-aged man, and his vital energy transformed into Wood-type vital energy, leaving no trace of ‘Li Mu’ at all.
After completing the disguise, Qu Yi flew back to Yingxian Island on Taiqian Star, then headed to the Transportation Hall.
This time, Qu Yi wanted to go to Baishou Peak on Liupan Star, the leader of the three major demon cultivators’ factions. It was because Qu Yi had received a hint from the Artifact God that Baishou Peak must have found a Poison-Eating Fruit Tree, and he intended to seize it.
So, Qu Yi decided to disguise himself and enter Baishou Peak to explore.
Previously, on Baiyin Star, in order to plant an informant among the ten major sects, Qu Yi captured a Red-Eyed White Snake, a demon beast belonging to Baishou Peak.
Thus, Qu Yi was quite familiar with the layout of Baishou Peak.
Liupan Star consisted of six continents: Qianhua Continent, Houyuan Continent, Zuoyou Continent, Youxian Continent, Shanghan Continent, and Xiahuo Continent. Baishou Peak and Lanyang Palace jointly governed the Houyuan Continent.
At this moment, Qu Yi appeared on the Houyuan Continent.
In the Transportation Hall of Taiqian Star, one could only be transported to Bailan City, a large city in the central part of the Houyuan Continent. From there, cultivators had to head in their respective directions—northward to Baishou Peak, and southward to Lanyang Palace.
Qu Yi rode a Golden Boat and flew northward.
……
The territory of Baishou Peak was mostly ancient forests, with towering primeval trees reaching the clouds. In each of these forests, there was a demon beast lord guarding that area, and these lords were all demon beasts at the Fusion stage. In total, there were a hundred such lords in Baishou Peak’s territory, meaning the territory was divided into a hundred sections.
Every hundred years, these hundred lords would gather at a multicolored mountain, an event known as the “Baishou Mountain Worship,” and this multicolored mountain was none other than Baishou Peak itself.
From the peak to the base of Baishou Peak, there were seven distinctly different color zones: white, gray, red, blue, green, purple, and yellow. It seemed as though the entire mountain was built from seven enormous stones.
The demon cultivators of Baishou Peak lived in different color zones depending on their cultivation levels. The white peak top was where the sect leader and those at the Great Vehicle stage practiced. The gray zone was where those at the Tribulation stage practiced… And the lowest yellow zone was the territory inhabited by demon beasts below the Golden Core stage.

After arriving above the territory of Bai Shou Peak, Qu Yi, based on the information obtained from the Red-Eyed White Snake, steered his Flowing Gold Boat to the skies above a forest. This forest was under the jurisdiction of the Golden-Winged Roc, which was the dominant demon cultivator in that area. Qu Yi already knew that this Golden-Winged Roc was a descendant of an elder from Bai Shou Peak who had reached the late stage of tribulation cultivation, and it held great influence within the peak, enjoying the favor of most of the elders. Therefore, Qu Yi intended to subdue this Golden-Winged Roc and use it to infiltrate Bai Shou Peak in order to uncover the secrets of the Poison-Devouring Fruit Tree.

When Qu Yi arrived above the forest in his Flowing Gold Boat, suddenly a majestic demon cultivator emerged from the forest. Its eyes shone with terrifying intensity, and its overwhelming aura made one feel compelled to bow in submission. Its spiritual energy fluctuations indicated that it was at the late stage of the Fusion cultivation phase. This demon cultivator was none other than the incarnation of the Golden-Winged Roc.

“Human cultivator, you’ve actually come to my Golden Roc’s territory. What good luck! Perfect—I haven’t tasted the spiritual embryo of a human cultivator at the Fusion stage in a year. Today, you’ll serve as my food,” the Golden-Winged Roc said with a smile.

Qu Yi was both amused and frustrated. How could he run into the main culprit right away? Normally, a lower-level demon cultivator should have challenged him first. Only after he defeated that cultivator would the Golden-Winged Roc emerge to demand an explanation. But the Golden-Winged Roc was so carefree that it appeared directly.

“You must be the Golden-Winged Roc, right?” Qu Yi replied with a smile, showing no fear.

Hearing Qu Yi’s words, the Golden-Winged Roc was shocked. Qu Yi actually knew its true form—clearly, it had come prepared, otherwise it wouldn’t have faced him so calmly.

“Do you come from one of the other nine major sects?” the Golden-Winged Roc asked tentatively, its aura slightly subdued.

Qu Yi shook his head and laughed. He had already taken out a top-tier wood-type spiritual weapon, a Green Bodhi, and pointed it at the Golden-Winged Roc, saying, “I’m here to challenge you. I want to defeat you.”

This Green Bodhi was something Qu Yi had seized from an elder of the Qingyun Sect during the fierce battle between the cultivation sects and the demon cultivation sects over the Six-Directions Blade while he was in the Tianhuo Star Region.

Upon hearing Qu Yi’s mocking smile, the Golden-Winged Roc’s eyes hardened, and it harbored murderous intent. How dare a human cultivator at the mid-stage of Fusion cultivation look down on it? That was an insult to its status as a sacred beast.

In the realm of cultivation, from the Qi Attraction stage to the Golden Pill stage, demon beasts cannot take human form and can only be called such. From the Nascent Soul stage to the Divided Spirit stage, these demon beasts can take human form and possess intelligence, and at this point they can be called spiritual beasts. From the Combined Body stage to the Great Vehicle stage, the cultivators among them possess immense magical power and can rule the world, hence they can be called sacred beasts.

“Human, your words have brought about your own doom,” said the Golden-Winged Roc angrily. Suddenly, it transformed back to its true form—a creature tens of thousands of meters long—floating in the air.

Qu Yi suddenly disappeared and appeared atop the Golden-Winged Roc, then swung the Green Bodhi fruit down at it.

Earlier, Qu Yi had used a secret wood-type attack technique called “Death,” which was based on the wood-type speed technique “Silent Wind,” combining a lethal move with his vital energy to create a highly destructive technique.

As the Green Bodhi fruit struck, its fragrant scent spread like mist across the sky, carrying with it an aura of despair that seemed to cause all plants to wither.

Just as Qu Yi thought he could knock out the Golden-Winged Roc with a surprise attack, it suddenly disappeared. Its massive body moved swiftly, leaping high into the air, casting a shadow that covered Qu Yi entirely.

“Human, your speed is truly remarkable. With your cultivation at the mid-Combined Body stage, your speed is almost on par with that of ordinary cultivators at the mid-Catastrophe stage. You’re indeed a formidable cultivator. But your speed cannot surpass mine, for I am a natural king of speed,” said the Golden-Winged Roc proudly, its cold eyes gleaming with malice.

Qu Yi had to admit the Golden-Winged Roc’s speed—its rapid evasion was so fast that even his spiritual sense couldn’t detect it. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation since beginning his cultivation.

“Golden-Winged Roc, now I’m sure your speed is slightly faster than mine. I won’t compete with you in speed. But you won’t be able to hurt me,” Qu Yi said with a sudden smile.

After speaking, he vanished into the forest and began using the Green Bodhi fruit to fight against the ordinary demon beasts at the Combined Body stage there.

It turned out that the Artifact God had warned Qu Yi that once the Golden-Winged Roc reverted to its beast form, its speed would indeed be faster than his. But once it returned to human form, its speed would be comparable to Qu Yi’s.

So, Qu Yi decided to wreak havoc in the forest, forcing the Golden-Winged Roc to revert to its human form.

As expected, as soon as Qu Yi entered the forest, those demon beasts in the early stages of fusion couldn’t compare to his speed. Moreover, this Qing Puti was a magical artifact of top-tier quality. With a surge of his Wood Element energy, it exerted the power of the early stage of tribulation. One by one, ten demon beasts in the fusion stage were killed by Qu Yi in no time.
“Human, I’ll kill you!” The Golden-Winged Roc, enraged by Qu Yi’s cunning, cursed from the sky.
Qu Yi ignored the roc’s insults, fully immersed in the battle. He rushed around the forest, killing demon beasts left and right. Any beast that appeared in front of him, whether it was in the fusion stage or not, was killed—either individually or in groups. The demon beasts in the Golden-Winged Roc’s territory were so terrified that they flew into the air, watching Qu Yi in the forest in horror.
“I’ll kill you!” The Golden-Winged Roc shouted in fury, quickly transforming back into human form and flying into the forest.