309: Chapter 307 A Long-Awaited Reunion

Yun Ming walked out from behind the branch. He dispelled the Fuli Heaven-Concealing Record, and his moon-white robes revealed their silhouette in the gloom. His footsteps were very light, but on the quiet platform, every step was clearly audible.

Jiu Jiu turned around abruptly, its amber eyes suddenly contracting. Five-colored spiritual light exploded around its body, and a fierce Spiritual Pressure surged toward Yun Ming. Its wings spread slightly, its tail feathers stood up, and a low cry issued from its throat—a warning before an attack.

Then, it saw the face of the person who had arrived.

Its wings froze in mid-air, its tail feathers slowly drooped, and the cry in its throat turned into a short, almost disbelieving syllable. It stood there, stunned like a sculpture, its amber eyes reflecting Yun Ming's figure.

Yun Ming stood before it, looking up at this five-colored divine bird that was three people tall, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"Blazing Sun Sea-Swallowing Green Emperor Mountain-Suppressing Spirit Venerable."

Jiu Jiu's body trembled violently. It was too familiar with this name. It was the name Yun Ming had given it in the small courtyard in Qingyao City—long and smelly, and every time it was called out, it felt like reciting a spell. It thought it would never hear anyone call it that again in this lifetime.

Jiu Jiu lunged forward. The giant bird, three people tall, streaked through the gloom with its five-colored feathers, carrying the sound of wind breaking, and slammed heavily into Yun Ming. Yun Ming did not dodge, did not retreat, and did not even use his cultivation to resist. He opened his arms and let Jiu Jiu crash into his embrace. The force was astonishing, like being hit head-on by a small mountain. Yun Ming let out a muffled groan and retreated several steps, his back hitting the branch and causing cracks to appear on the thick wood. His Qi and blood churned, and even his Early Nascent Soul Stage Physical Body found the impact hard to bear.

But the corners of his mouth remained curled upward.

Jiu Jiu rested its head on Yun Ming's shoulder, rubbing against him with its colorful feathers, chirping happily and nuzzling affectionately in his arms; at this moment, it was just a happy little bird.

Yun Ming reached out and patted Jiu Jiu's back; the feathers were smooth and soft. "Alright, alright, any more rubbing and you'll knock me to pieces."

Jiu Jiu rubbed a few more times before reluctantly pulling away from Yun Ming's embrace. It tilted its head to look at Yun Ming, its amber eyes full of brightness, its tail feathers held high, and its spiritual beads clinking in a series.

"Master! Why are you here!" Its voice was filled with undisguised excitement, and its wings flapped twice, stirring up a gust of wind.

Yun Ming did not rush to answer. He released Jiu Jiu and stepped back, looking it up and down. Its three-person-tall physique, five-colored feathers shimmering with flowing light, five colors interweaving, emitted a soft glow in the gloom. Its aura was thick and restrained, countless times stronger than it had been back in Qingyao City.

"Reached Golden Core Perfection? One step away from Nascent Soul?" Yun Ming asked.

Jiu Jiu nodded vigorously and flapped its wings twice. "Almost there, almost there! Master, what Realm are you at? I can feel the aura on you; it's so much stronger than before! It's Nascent Soul! Master, you achieved a Breakthrough to Nascent Soul!"

"Mm. Early Nascent Soul Stage," Yun Ming said. Jiu Jiu's eyes brightened even further, its tail feathers lifted high, its spiritual beads clinked in a series, and the spiritual light on its five-colored feathers shone a bit brighter.

Yun Ming did not continue the pleasantries and changed the subject: "Where is Yun Xi? Why isn't she with you?"

Jiu Jiu landed back on the platform and folded its wings. Its voice was lower than before, but its eyes did not dim; they only gained a bit of seriousness.

"She is with the Nine Nether Roc," Jiu Jiu turned around and pointed with its wing toward the area deep in the bird's nest illuminated by spiritual light, "It is the owner of this nest."

Yun Ming frowned. "Nine Nether Roc?"

Jiu Jiu nodded. "Middle Stage Soul Transformation. This nest, this big tree—they are all its handiwork. I personally saw it take a sapling from its sleeve, only palm-high, and then inject it with Yao power. In just one day, the sapling grew into what you see now. Its roots dig ten thousand feet deep, and its canopy covers a hundred miles. Those branches, those nesting chambers, those formation patterns—all of them were forced to grow by its Yao power. The Yao Race in this nest are all its subordinates and descendants. Three Nascent Soul Perfection, over a dozen Mid-Nascent Soul Stage and Early Nascent Soul Stage, are all surrounding its lair in the center."

Yun Ming was silent for a moment. "How did you and Yun Xi get here?"

Jiu Jiu began to narrate, its speed not fast, its logic clear. "Back then, when Yun Xi and I went out for training, not long after we left, a war broke out between the demonic Cultivators and the Righteous Path. Everywhere, there were Cultivators fighting, everywhere there were corpses. I was flying back with Yun Xi when we were captured by demonic Cultivators halfway. Surprisingly, they didn't want to kill us; they wanted to capture us to build fortifications. A huge array required thousands upon thousands of Cultivators to build together. We weren't the only ones captured; there were millions of us. It was guarded day and night; we couldn't escape at all. At first, Yun Xi and I tried to figure out how to escape, but the supervision was too strict, so we had to put the escape plan on hold."

It paused, then continued: "It wasn't until a few years ago that a large number of Yao Race suddenly appeared and attacked the fortifications, and we managed to escape in the chaos. After escaping, Yun Xi and I ran south, but before long, we were caught by the Yao Race. They didn't kill us. The leader, that Yao Cultivator, which is the Nine Nether Roc, took a liking to my Bloodline and wanted to take me as its mount. It said I was a Five-Light Heavenly Sparrow, an ancient alien species, and worth nurturing. I was only Early Golden Core Stage at the time and was no match for it at all. Yun Xi also followed me into the Yao Race. Her cultivation was too low, only Foundation Establishment, so those Yao Cultivators didn't originally pay her any mind. But she had a small green bottle on her, which caught the Nine Nether Roc's eye. That great Yao studied it for a long time, couldn't figure out any secrets, but wasn't willing to throw it away, so it kept Yun Xi by its side and made her responsible for keeping it. Now Yun Xi is near the Nine Nether Roc's lair, locked in a stone room, with guards."

Yun Ming's fingers curled slightly. The small green bottle. He had obtained it from Yun Xi's grandfather back then, and later returned it to its rightful owner. He didn't know what mysteries the bottle held, and neither did that great Yao. But it wouldn't let go. Because it felt it might be a treasure.

"Master, where have you been all these years? After I escaped, I asked everywhere about you. Some said you were dead, some said you were missing, and some said you went to the Zifu Immortal Dynasty."

Yun Ming gave a bitter smile and leaned against the branch. "Wandering everywhere. Couldn't stay in the Qingxuan Sect, so I went to the Zifu Immortal Dynasty. Couldn't stay in the Zifu Immortal Dynasty either, so I ran out again. Feels like I can't stay anywhere for long." He didn't go into details, nor did he mention the matter of Tianyuan City. Those things were too long and couldn't be finished in a few words. Jiu Jiu didn't press him either; it knew Yun Ming's temper. If he didn't want to talk about something, asking would be useless.

After a moment of silence, Yun Ming asked. "Is the Nine Nether Roc here right now?"

"No," Jiu Jiu shook its head. "It went out a few days ago, and I don't know when it will return. That's why I've dared to move around the nest these past few days, hoping to rescue Yun Xi while it's away. But I've searched for days and haven't found exactly where she is locked up. This place is too big, and I don't dare to search openly; each patrol window is only half a cup of tea in duration."

"Let's go," Yun Ming straightened up. "Let's rescue Yun Xi first. We can talk about other things later."