79: Chapter 79 Teaching the Dharma

Wu Li landed on a stone pillar opposite the Iron-Backed Bear King, cackling with a hoarse yet hearty voice.

"Brother Bear, your nose is quite sharp."

"Just in time, I just whipped this up. Have a taste."

He spat out a jar of strong liquor and a small pile of red fruits from his Stomach Storage, pushing them toward the Iron-Backed Bear King with his claw.

The Iron-Backed Bear King's eyes went wide. He grabbed the wine jar with both bear paws and took a huge gulp.

As the liquid slid down his throat, his eyes suddenly widened, his pupils gleaming, and the fat on his face relaxed as he let out a satisfied grunt.

"Good! This is delicious! What is this?"

The Iron-Backed Bear King shouted in his muffled, resonant voice, taking another huge gulp, his mouth stretching wide to his ears.

Wu Li, perched on the stone pillar, waved a wing. His hoarse voice carried a hint of smugness: "This is liquor from the Human Race. I added a few things to it, and it seems the effect is quite good."

The Iron-Backed Bear King held the wine jar, nodding repeatedly, his mouth unable to close. He took another huge gulp, the liquor streaming down the corners of his mouth and dripping onto his belly, but he didn't even bother to wipe it, praising it in his muffled voice.

"Delicious, truly delicious."

"So the Human Race has these things? This is truly great—fragrant and sweet, and it feels warm in my belly after drinking it."

Wu Li cackled, tossing out two more jars of liquor and a handful of red fruits, his voice hearty: "Don't rush, Brother Bear. I still have plenty. We aren't stopping until we've had our fill today."

The Iron-Backed Bear King's eyes shone like two lamps. He caught the flying wine jar, smacked open the mud seal, and tilted his head back to drink.

One bear and one crow—one perched on a stone pillar, the other sitting on a boulder—took turns drinking, enjoying the wine and conversation.

Handful after handful of red fruits were tossed into their mouths. Wine jars were emptied one after another, and the ground became littered with mud seals and fruit pits.

The Iron-Backed Bear King drank until he was in high spirits, exposing his furry chest.

Wu Li didn't mind, cackling with laughter.

After four or five jars of liquor, given his Yao Beast constitution, this amount of alcohol wasn't enough to make him tipsy.

Only then did Wu Li ask, "Brother Bear, what brings you to find me so early in the morning?"

The Iron-Backed Bear King paused, patted his head, and let out a loud, drunken belch. He suddenly sat up straight, the fat on his belly jiggling several times.

"Oh! I almost forgot the important matter!"

He set down the wine jar, wiped his mouth, and spoke seriously.

"Little Brother, Lady Hua is kind-hearted and is teaching the Dao to all the Yao."

"All Yao Race on Taiyue Mountain, as long as they have attained intelligence, can go and listen. I came to notify you."

A flash of surprise crossed Wu Li's eyes.

Teaching the Dao to all the Yao?

Anyone with intelligence can go? This Lady Hua is more generous than he imagined.

Wu Li was silent for a moment, then asked: "Every Yao Race with intelligence can go? There are no other conditions?"

The Iron-Backed Bear King shook his head and said in his simple, honest voice: "None."

"Lady Hua said that cultivation is not easy, and it is even harder for the Yao Race."

"Helping where we can is good. Little Brother, you must come. It is not often that one can hear Lady Hua teaching the Dao."

Wu Li nodded and asked.

"When is it?"

The Iron-Backed Bear King scratched his head, his simple smile freezing for a moment, his voice carrying a hint of panic: "Uh... it seems it's about to start."

"Should we hurry?"

Wu Li's blood-red pupils contracted slightly, and he felt speechless.

It's about to start, and this simple bear still had the mind to drink here.

Wu Li waved his wings and leaped off the stone pillar, his hoarse voice carrying a note of urgency.

"Alright, alright, let's go!"

The black bear stood up.

"Caw, caw, caw~~"

Wu Li opened his beak and let out a low caw; the sound echoed through the Stone Forest, spreading to every corner.

A moment later, the flapping of wings sounded from all directions.

Heiyu, Bai Chi, Heida, Heier, and Heisan—the five Qi Ling Realm crows—flew over first, followed by thousands of ordinary crows that had attained intelligence.

A dark mass circled once above the Stone Forest and then followed right behind Wu Li.

"Brother Bear, lead the way."

Wu Li landed on the Iron-Backed Bear King's shoulder, his claws gripping tightly into his thick fur.

The Iron-Backed Bear King nodded and jumped down from the boulder, creating a shallow pit in the ground.

He took large strides and ran toward the bamboo forest, his four paws hitting the ground, his massive body weaving through the mountain forest at a startling speed.

The Crow Flock behind them followed like a dark, drifting cloud.

Passing through the dense forest and crossing the mountain stream, the outline of the bamboo forest gradually appeared in view.

Before they even got close, Wu Li felt a dense Demonic Qi, mixed with all sorts of scents.

The stench of wolves, the musk of deer, the coldness of snakes, the gamey smell of bears, and countless other scents he couldn't name were intertwined, permeating the bamboo forest.

They were close.

In an open space outside the bamboo forest, it was packed densely with Yao Beasts.

The Rift-Wind Wolf King crouched at the front left, with hundreds of gray wolves behind him, lying in neat rows, not a single one moving.

The Azure-Horned Deer King stood at the front right, his antlers gleaming with a cyan light in the sunlight, with a group of deer Yao behind him, all holding their heads high with proud postures.

The Green-Scaled Python coiled on a boulder, hissing as she flicked her tongue, her gaze cold.

Further back were countless other Yao Beasts.

Foxes, badgers, martens, raccoons, and even a few massive wild boars with protruding tusks and heavy breathing.

On the outermost perimeter were dozens of small Yao whose names he couldn't recognize—some looked like cats, some like rats, some like birds—huddled together and shivering.

The sheer number far exceeded Wu Li's estimates.

"Caw, caw, caw~"

The Crow Flock landed.

Just after Wu Li and the Crow Flock landed.

A petite Oriole Demon with golden feathers suddenly raised its head, its bean-sized eyes full of irritation, and it cried out in a high-pitched, shrill voice: "So noisy! Since when did a flock of crows come to this Taiyue Mountain? Disgusting!"

Oriole Demon, First Stage, Late Stage.

As soon as its words were finished, the rest of the Yao also looked over.

The Iron-Backed Bear King's muffled, resonant voice exploded from the side.

"Huang Ying, what are you squawking about? This is my brother Wu Li, and these are his subordinates. What, do you have a problem with that?"

A flash of displeasure crossed the Oriole Demon's eyes, its feathers bristling slightly. Its voice remained shrill, but it carried a bit more arrogance.

"Iron Bear King, I respect you as a Senior, but this is not your territory."

"Lady Hua is teaching the Dao, which requires quiet. This flock of crows is making such a huge commotion, what's wrong with me saying a few words?"

"A bunch of stinking crows from who knows where; they are truly an eyesore!"

The Oriole Demon's gaze swept over Heiyu and the other First Stage, Early Stage, Middle Stage Yao Beasts, its eyes full of disdain. The corners of its mouth curled up slightly, and its crest stood high, like a victorious rooster.

At the same time, it also spread its wings, its expression as if to say, "Look at my appearance..."

Its gaze shifted.

But when its gaze landed on the crow on the Iron-Backed Bear King's shoulder, its pupils suddenly contracted.

Their eyes met.

Wu Li clearly hadn't shown anything, but the Oriole Demon's throat felt as if it had been grabbed.

Its spirit trembled, and a sharp pain seemed to surge through its Yao body, as if it were about to be dismembered. Fear became reality, even making it subconsciously feel pain all over its body.

"You don't like crows very much."

Wu Li spoke.

His voice was not loud, hoarse and calm.

But as soon as these words were spoken, an invisible pressure radiated from Wu Li. The gathered Yao were instinctively terrified, and even the Azure-Horned Deer King, a Peak of the Second Stage, had his attention drawn to Wu Li.