Who Let Him Cultivate?! (WX)-Chapter 766: The Beating Was Still Too Lenient

The uproarious laughter of Chieftain Xiao Mingli[1] gradually withered, eventually turning into a hollow, forced chuckle.

The Black Feather Venerable Lord extended a claw and clamped it onto Chieftain Xiao’s shoulder, his gaze as frigid as if he were looking at a corpse.

“O-Old Ancestor... we have guests present. Let’s not make ourselves a spectacle.” Chieftain Xiao used Lu Yang and the others as a shield. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Despite usually being conscious about his image, the Black Feather Venerable Lord could no longer be bothered with appearances. He seized Chieftain Xiao by the neck.

Ever eager to learn, Lu Yang was greatly inspired by listening to Chieftain Xiao’s storytelling. He had already taken out a recording orb, hoping to record the final moments of Chieftain Xiao’s life.

Unfortunately, the Black Feather Venerable Lord gave no such opportunity. He directly dragged Chieftain Xiao as he flew off to his nest above.

Soon, a shrill, mournful bird screech echoed above the Kunpeng Tribe. All the Kunpeng tribesmen paused their tasks and looked up at the sky in confusion, unsure where the cry had come from.

Suddenly, the cries ceased.

Chieftain Xiao had died in pursuit of his heart’s desires—a fitting end.

“Ahem ahem, the Old Ancestor is really ruthless. He knocked me out cold in the end.” Chieftain Xiao staggered back moments after the plaintive cries vanished. His face was bruised and swollen, and a golden feather was still embedded in his head. “I wonder how long I was out.”

“Chieftain Xiao, are you alright?” Meng Jingzhou inquired out of courtesy, though he knew the answer. “The Black Feather Venerable Lord was too harsh.”

“Being alive means I’m fine. My luck just wasn’t good this time, and I got caught exposing the Old Ancestor’s secrets. So many people in the tribe know about the Old Ancestor’s embarrassing past; why doesn’t he teach them a lesson?” Chieftain Xiao grumbled indignantly.

“The entire Kunpeng Tribe knows about the Black Feather Venerable Lord’s affairs from his youth?”

“Of course,” Chieftain Xiao asserted confidently. “Whenever I ask whether they know about the Old Ancestor’s affairs, if they say no, I make sure to recount the entire story for them.”

Meng Jingzhou drew a sharp breath, feeling that the Black Feather Venerable Lord’s beating had still been too lenient.

Lu Yang surmised that Chieftain Xiao’s strength likely ranked second within the Kunpeng Tribe. If his ranking were any lower, the Black Feather Venerable Lord likely wouldn’t have left him alive.

Indeed, Lu Yang’s conjecture was correct. Within the Kunpeng Tribe, Chieftain Xiao’s strength was second only to the Black Feather Venerable Lord’s, surpassing even the older generation of kunpeng.

“Originally, I intended to personally show you around the Kunpeng Tribe as a proper host,” Chieftain Xiao said, hissing as he rubbed his face. “But these injuries won’t heal anytime soon. Covering my face while I guide you around would still create a poor impression.”

He transmitted an auditory message to his son. “Xinghai, stop cultivating. Come here.”

Soon, a golden-winged great Peng bird, several dozen zhang tall, descended outside Chieftain Xiao’s home. Seeing his father in human form, he also transformed, revealing himself as a handsome young man with bluish-green eyes and golden hair.

“This is my youngest son, Xiao Xinghai.”[2]

Xiao Xinghai was startled to see his father bruised and swollen. “Dad, what happened to you?”

“It’s nothing. I fell.”

“Fell onto a turtle shell from the Xuanwu Tribe?”

“Shoo shoo shoo! Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t.” Chieftain Xiao fumed, wanting to give the little brat a good spanking. “These six are friends from the Dao-Seeking Sect. They’re around your age. Entertain them on my behalf.”

On the Kunpeng Tribe’s territory, Lu Yang and the others dared not risk offending the Black Feather Venerable Lord by impersonating Five-Elements Sect disciples.

“The Dao-Seeking Sect, one of the Five Great Immortal Sects in Great Xia?” Xiao Xinghai was quite surprised.

Only a week had passed since the Vast Sea Daoist Lord and the Myriad Spells Daoist Lord had clashed. News that the Dao-Seeking Sect housed a half-immortal had not yet reached the Kunpeng Tribe, which was located deep in the northern part of the East Sea.

If Xiao Xinghai were aware, he would have been even more surprised.

“Then do you know Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou?”

“I am Lu Yang, and this is my junior brother, Meng Jingzhou.” Lu Yang rushed to be the first to introduce themselves.

“No, that’s not right. You don’t look like the portraits I’ve seen.”

“We’ve altered our appearances because our Dao-Seeking Sect has many enemies in the East Sea.”

Xiao Xinghai recalled that eight of the Dao-Seeking Nine had bounties on their heads and understood Lu Yang’s meaning.

“Then let’s go. I’ll show you around.”

Xiao Xinghai was extremely excited to encounter such famous talents from Great Xia. He transformed back into a golden-winged great Peng bird to carry Lu Yang and the others. His golden feathers resembled glazed gold, shimmering brilliantly under the sunlight.

After sitting on Xiao Xinghai’s back and leaving Chieftain Xiao’s home, the group finally had the chance to behold the living environment of the Kunpeng Tribe.

Vast groves of Xunmu Trees were rooted in the East Sea, standing thousands or even tens of thousands of zhang tall. Half of their trunks were submerged in the sea, while the other half rose above the water. Their dense, interwoven branches formed a canopy that blocked the sunlight overhead, creating a cool and refreshing shade beneath.

The Kunpeng Tribe had two types of dwellings: some hollowed out sections of the Xunmu Trees, while others built enormous bird nests.

Chieftain Xiao’s home belonged to the former.

Due to the massive size of Kunpeng tribesmen, their dwellings were correspondingly huge. Tree hollow entrances were commonly several dozen zhang high. Standing before such an entrance, Lu Yang and the others felt as if they had stumbled into an ancient nation of titans.

From time to time, great Peng birds would fly past them, casting curious glances their way.

“Prepare to enter the sea!” Xiao Xinghai warned loudly. His feathers transformed into golden scales, reminiscent of a legendary golden dragon.

Riding on the back of the golden great Kun, Lu Yang and the others clung tightly to its dorsal fin. Icy seawater surged from all sides, engulfing them. The Water-Repelling Pearls on their chests took effect, neutralizing the water pressure and allowing them to move freely within the sea.

The underwater world presented a living scene entirely different from the surface. Countless great kun swam through the waters, some even larger than Xiao Xinghai, though none possessed scales as flawless as his.

The number of Kun fish was clearly more than that of the great Peng birds.

“Most of our tribesmen enjoy life in the water,” Xiao Xinghai explained.

Aside from the Kun fish, many other nearby sea tribes were also present, coming to the Kunpeng Tribe’s sea market to trade goods.

The market’s scale was comparable to that of Penglai Island’s sea market. In this regard, the Kunpeng lived up to its reputation as one of the Ten Great Races of the East Sea.

This was a place even Qin Haoran and Su Yiren had never visited. Tao Yaoye couldn’t take her eyes off the ineffably beautiful sights, hoping to adapt them to a scene for a future Dreamlike Bubble Mirage.

I fall from the ship, and Senior Brother Lu Yang jumps into the sea. Seeing that I have stopped breathing, he kisses me to breathe life back into me. What a beautiful scene.

“Senior Brother Lu Yang, if I fall into the sea, would you save me?”

Lu Yang looked Tao Yaoye up and down in surprise. Seeing her move effortlessly in the water, he couldn’t understand why she would ask such a thing.

“Junior Sister, has water gotten into your brain too?”

“...I meant that I want to film a Dreamlike Bubble Mirage with the East Sea as a backdrop. One of the scenes will be me falling into the sea and you rescuing me.”

Realization dawned upon Lu Yang, and he said excitedly, “So that’s how it is. In that case, Junior Sister, you falling into the sea must be the work of the East Sea Dragon Tribe. After I’ve rescued you, I will battle the East Sea Dragon Tribe for three hundred rounds and rip out their tendons. To take revenge on me, the East Sea Dragon Tribe will threaten to flood Penglai Island. I will then heroically appear and sacrifice myself before the Dragon Tribe.

“Afterward, Big Senior Sister will appear, collect my three ethereal souls and seven corporeal souls, and create a lotus root body. I will be reborn through it and wreak havoc upon the Dragon Tribe, returning peace to the East Sea.

“Is that how you want to film it, Junior Sister?”

“...Then what about me?”

Man Gu, listening nearby, was puzzled. “Didn’t you get rescued?”

1. “Mingli” means something like “understands reason.” ☜

2. “Xinghai” literally means stars and sea. ☜