336: Chapter 336 Ducks Know First When the River Warms

"One hundred billion," Chen You said, resting his blade against Old Mo's neck. "And all that hatched was a duck?"

"It's not an ordinary duck!" Old Mo screamed, feeling the chill against his throat.

"It's a divine object! Look at its plumage—that's called 'Nine Nether Profound Yellow Qi'! Listen to its cry—that's the 'Heavenly Sound of the Great Dao'! Look at its webbed feet..."

"I'm going to kill you."

"Sir! Look closely first! Look at its attributes!" Old Mo howled with his eyes squeezed shut.

"The system doesn't lie! This is absolutely a variant of the Netherworld Guide Beast!"

Chen You huffed coldly. He didn't retract his sword, but he diverted a sliver of his attention to check the little duckling's attributes.

A pale blue light screen expanded before Chen You's eyes.

[Name: ??? (Unique/mythological-grade Mutated Hatchling)]

[Level: 1]

[HP: 10/10]

[Status: Extremely Hungry.]

[Innate Skill 1: Underworld Guide (Passive). This creature is naturally extremely sensitive to the laws of the Underworld and can scent the location of the Yellow Springs in any desperate situation.]

[Innate Skill 2: Devouring Gold to Transform Qi (Active). As a mythological-grade variant, it refuses to eat conventional feed.]

[Only by devouring items containing high concentrations of Law energy (e.g., Gold Coins, Divine Stones, High-tier Artifacts) can it convert them into energy.]

[Evaluation: You think it's a duck, but it's actually a heartless money-shredding machine. Take it with you, and your wallet will experience the meaning of true hell.]

After reading the panel, Chen You fell into a long silence.

He put away the yuhuang sword and rubbed his aching temples.

Did the developers of this game system have holes in their brains?

A mythological-grade mutated hatchling? With 10 HP? Any random chicken from a starter village could probably rub it into the ground, right?

The most ridiculous part was that [Devouring Gold to Transform Qi] skill.

Did that mean it was just a bottomless pit?

"Sir, you saw it, right!" Seeing Chen You retract his sword, Old Mo immediately scrambled up from the ground like a loach and patted the dust off his clothes.

"I told you, anything hatched from my 'cradle of life' is no ordinary product! This is a unique-tier divine pet!"

"Quack!"

The little yellow duck seemed to understand Old Mo's praise. It cooperatively puffed out its chest, flapped its two featherless little fleshy wings, and then...

*Splat.*

A puddle of yellowish-green, indescribable matter landed precisely on the top of Chen You's shoe.

Old Mo's expression froze instantly.

Chen You: "..."

"I'll do it!" Old Mo hurriedly knelt back down to wipe Chen You's shoe clean.

Chen You sighed.

"Fine, stop the nonsense." Chen You grabbed a handful of gold coins from his backpack.

The moment the glittering golden light appeared, the little yellow duck, which had been wandering around on the ground, snapped its head around.

In those clear yet foolish black-bean eyes, a green light like that of a hungry wolf actually erupted.

*Whoosh!*

Chen You felt a blur before his eyes, and his palm was suddenly empty.

He looked down and saw the little yellow duck already perched on his foot. Its flat beak was bulging, making a tooth-aching "crunch, crunch" chewing sound.

A few seconds later, it looked up at Chen You again with a face full of unsatisfied desire.

Handful after handful of gold coins followed.

The little yellow duck accepted all comers, its flat beak acting like a bottomless pit.

The faster it ate, the more vibrant its downy feathers became.

The original bright yellow color gradually took on a layer of dark golden luster.

After eating about five thousand gold coins, the little yellow duck finally let out a satisfied burp.

A cloud of black-purple mist puffed out of its mouth, and the surrounding temperature plummeted.

"Quack!"

The little yellow duck's body grew a size larger, and a cowlick sprouted on top of its head.

That cowlick was a ghostly blue, looking like an antenna as it wobbled slightly in the air.

Chen You stopped his movements. "Is that it?"

Old Mo stammered, "Sir, it seems... it's not full yet."

Chen You remained expressionless.

He opened the top-up panel and recharged another two hundred thousand gold coins.

Then he waved his hand.

*Clatter, clatter.*

Gold coins poured down like a waterfall, piling into a mountain of gold in front of the little yellow duck.

"Eat your fill. If you can't lead the way to the Yellow Springs today, I'll turn you into roast duck," Chen You said coldly.

The little yellow duck seemed to understand the threat and shuddered.

It suddenly opened its flat beak, and a powerful suction force erupted.

Ten thousand gold coins at a time turned into a golden torrent, continuously surging into its mouth.

When the last gold coin was swallowed, the little yellow duck's body suddenly expanded.

*Boom!*

A pillar of dark golden light shot into the sky, piercing the clouds.

Within the light pillar, the little yellow duck's form underwent a drastic transformation.

Its wings spread out, its feathers turning into sharp, dark-golden scales.

Its legs became thick and powerful, and its claws glinted with a cold light.

Its beak was still flat, but a row of fine serrated teeth grew along the edges.

The most striking part was the cowlick on its head, which had now turned into a crown burning with ghostly blue flames.

A system notification sounded:

[Ding! Your pet has absorbed a massive amount of energy and has entered the Growth Stage.]

[Unlocked Exclusive Title: Duck Prophet.]

The light pillar dissipated.

A... giant yellow duck, radiating mythological-grade pressure, appeared before Chen You.

"QUACK—!"

The giant yellow duck let out a long cry toward the sky. The sound was like a great bell, making one's head buzz.

Chen You covered his ears. "Old Mo, you call this a 'Duck Prophet'?"

Old Mo scrambled up from the ground, his eyes gleaming. "Sir! A divine pet! A true divine pet! Look at that gaze—it's filled with great wisdom!"

The giant yellow duck lowered its head, looking at Chen You with those same clear yet foolish black-bean eyes.

Then, it extended its serrated flat beak and rubbed it against Chen You's combat boots in a fawning manner.

Chen You kicked it away in disgust. "Get to work. Where is the entrance to the Yellow Springs?"

The giant yellow duck gave a "quack," turned around, and walked toward the West Gate with heavy steps.

Chen You and Old Mo followed behind.

The man, the duck, and the old man arrived at a dried-up moat outside Cangxing City.

The riverbed was cracked and filled with weathered bones and rubble.

The giant yellow duck walked to the edge of the riverbed and stopped.

The ghostly blue crown on its head began to flash violently.

"What is it doing?" Chen You asked.

Old Mo stroked his beard, looking profound. "Sir, haven't you heard that poem?"

"What poem?"

"The duck is the first to know when the spring river water warms up," Old Mo said solemnly.

"This water of the Yellow Springs is the most Yin and cold substance in the world. It is formless and shadowless, hidden deep underground."

"Ordinary means cannot detect it at all. Only this Netherworld Guide Beast has an absolute natural perception of the Yellow Springs water!"

Chen You's mouth twitched. "You mean it's going into the river to swim?"

As soon as he spoke, the giant yellow duck leaped and jumped into the dried riverbed.

*Thud!*

A muffled sound.

The giant yellow duck didn't fall onto the rubble; instead, it hovered in mid-air.

Its pair of large webbed feet began to paddle back and forth in the air, as if it were truly swimming in water.

As it paddled, the surrounding space began to distort.

Wisps of black water vapor seeped from the bottom of the dried riverbed, gathering around the giant yellow duck.

"Quack, quack, quack!"

The giant yellow duck swam with increasing vigor, its two wings flapping along with it.

The black water vapor grew thicker, gradually forming a massive whirlpool.

From the center of the whirlpool, the faint sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling could be heard.

The system notification sounded again:

[Ding! The Duck Prophet has locked onto the entrance to the Yellow Springs.]

[Hidden Map: Nine Nether Yellow Springs has been opened.]