Chapter 6: Slaying the White Crane

The long path of immortality is not merely about slaughter; it also requires moments of relaxation. For Yu Qiye, admiring the moon, gazing at the lake, and watching the fox were all forms of relaxation.

Time always slips away unnoticed. In the blink of an eye, nearly an hour had passed. The graceful figure in the lake slowly rose, revealing a smooth, fair back. With a flick of her right hand, light gauze draped over her shoulders.

"Are you not coming out yet?" Suddenly, a cold, emotionless voice echoed through the air.

"Uh..." Yu Qiye was stunned. Had he been discovered? He looked left and right; confirming there was no one else, he gave a dry cough, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Then, flapping his wings, he slowly flew out.

"How did you discover me?"
"As expected of you, Qingqiu Xue, to actually be able to detect me?"

Two voices rang out in the air simultaneously. Yu Qiye instinctively looked up. A white crane was descending leisurely from the night sky. However, not only he, but the white crane also stared in astonishment, gazing at Yu Qiye. One crane and one crow looked at each other, both appearing utterly bewildered.

"You... you are actually a demon?" Qingqiu Xue’s beautiful eyes flickered, staring intently at the black crow unfurling its wings nearby. She had noticed this crow long ago, always perched on the tree branches by the lake. She had assumed it was merely a common, mortal bird. But now... it could speak human language? This meant she had been bathing under someone’s nose for two years... and it was a male demon at that. Other demons might not care about gender, but she was of the Fox clan, and they were extremely sensitive to the opposite sex.

Thinking of this, a look of shame and anger appeared on Qingqiu Xue’s face. Silently, silver-white fur sprouted on her arms, and a pair of silver claws unsheathed.

"She didn't discover me; she only discovered this white crane." Yu Qiye was still confused. He knew he couldn't have been found. He was a Destiny Holder with a colored trait that could mask heavenly secrets, and he possessed the blue trait "Spirit of the Mountains," which concealed his aura and hid his demonic nature. Even immortals and Buddhas would find it hard to detect him, let alone this little silver fox.

Just then, noticing Yu Qiye’s presence, the white crane in the distance suddenly flared its wings like a startled cat and shouted angrily, "How dare you, Blood Crow, spy on the Great King’s woman?"

"The Great King’s woman?" Yu Qiye’s eyes flickered.

"Qingqiu Xue is the woman our Great King Tiger of Tianqing Mountain has set his eyes on, and he intends to make her his concubine. How dare you peek at her?" the white crane screeched in a sharp, crone-like voice.

"I don't think the Qingqiu Xue you speak of wants to marry him, does she?" Yu Qiye caught a glimpse of Qingqiu Xue’s expression. Her face had clearly darkened when the white crane mentioned the "Great King Tiger."

"Whether she marries or not is not up to her. It is her blessing that our Great King has taken a fancy to her..." With an increasingly shrill tone, thick demonic energy erupted from the crane. "You dare to spy on the Great King’s woman; death is not enough to atone for your sin."

With another shriek, the white crane spread its wings and shot toward Yu Qiye. Its wings surged with white light, shimmering with sharp edges.

[Race: White Crane Clan.]
[Rank: Mid-stage Great Demon.]
[Traits: Loyal (Purple), Wings Like Blades (Blue), Swift as the Wind (Blue), Ten Thousand Feathers (Purple).]

Yu Qiye’s eyes narrowed as he read the crane's traits. Not bad—two purples and two blues; stronger than most Great Demons. But, unfortunately, it had encountered Yu Qiye.

"In your next life, remember to be born into a better family." The ethereal voice echoed in the air.

"What?" The crane was stunned. The next moment, it noticed countless black feathers drifting through the night sky. "Black feathers falling? Wait, you are... you are...?"

The white crane’s face turned pale with terror. It frantically flapped its wings, trying to halt its charge. In the past two years, a terrifying demon had appeared in the vicinity. No one had seen his true face because every demon who had seen him was dead. But whenever he appeared, black feathers would fall. It was said, "When black feathers fall, the killing blow has arrived." The feathers were the extension of his murderous intent.

The crane feared the black feathers because several demons stronger than itself from Tianqing Mountain had already died at their hands. Though it wasn't weak, it was far inferior to those demons, let alone the one who hunted them. It had to run. But no matter how fast it fled, it could not outpace Yu Qiye’s "Flash."

Yu Qiye focused his gaze on a black feather drifting near the crane. The air rippled, and his entire body vanished. The next instant, a lean figure with wings on his back appeared right in front of the crane. No one had seen how he appeared—not even Qingqiu Xue, who had been staring directly at him. Her pupils constricted in shock.

Yu Qiye raised his right hand and locked it around the crane’s slender throat.

"If you kill me, my Great King Tiger will never let you go!" the white crane shrieked in its sharp, crone-like voice.

"If nothing goes wrong, your Great King Tiger will be my next prey." The Great King Tiger was famous nearby. Though he called himself a Demon King, Yu Qiye estimated he only possessed the strength of a Demon General. Once Yu Qiye’s strength improved further, the tiger would certainly perish and become nourishment for his growth.

With a crisp *crack*, the crane’s head slumped, and its life was extinguished.

[Ding, you have slain the White Crane. Randomly plundered trait: Wings Like Blades (Blue). Merge?]
[Wings Like Blades (Blue) — Channels demonic energy into wings, sharp as blades; can be used for both attacking and defending.]

A good trait, and it suited him well. "Merge."

With a smile, Yu Qiye flapped his wings. An inexplicable power surged through them, strengthening them bit by bit.

Yu Qiye then looked toward Qingqiu Xue, who had finished dressing by the lake. She had long, silver-white hair dancing in the wind, and her white robes were as pure as clouds.

"Are you not going to make a move?" Yu Qiye asked curiously.

"You want to kill the Great King Tiger?" Qingqiu Xue ignored his question and stared at him.

"Him?" Yu Qiye stretched lazily. "You could say he’s my next prey."

"If you kill him, I can treat what happened before as a misunderstanding," Qingqiu Xue said.

"Before?" Yu Qiye paused, then realized what she meant. He laughed, "Don't misunderstand. I wasn't specifically spying on you; I just wanted to spar."

Yes, a spar. Yu Qiye didn't just plunder traits through slaughter; he could also gain them by defeating others. He had long wanted to spar with this extraordinary Great Demon fox to plunder her powerful traits. But before, he had only been at the early stage of the Great Demon rank. Although he possessed the ability to "fight above his rank," he didn't want to gamble his life. One only had one life; a single failure could mean death. Therefore, Yu Qiye preferred to fight opponents of equal rank. If he could, he wouldn't mind bullying the weak, but as for fighting above his rank... he would leave that to the so-called "geniuses." One day, they would eventually hit a real wall. Yu Qiye preferred stability. Steady victories and steady progress—wasn't that better?

"A spar?" Qingqiu Xue frowned, appearing puzzled. But thinking of Yu Qiye’s intention to kill the Great King Tiger, she bit her lip and said, "Fine, I will spar with you."

As she spoke, she assumed a stance. Her hands transformed into glowing, pale white claws, and a fluffy, silver-white tail emerged from behind her, swaying gently. "I might as well see if you have the strength to challenge the Great King Tiger."