When Golden Finger Meets Salted Fish

Jiang Mo stared at the enormous white bird, unable to confirm its identity for a moment, but one thing was certain—her Senior Sister truly wasn't the furry creature she had hoped for. Her beautiful wish of hugging a fluffy companion and petting it in return seemed destined to shatter completely. Looking at this magnificent bird, she wouldn't want it to lose even a single feather, and would probably need to treat it with the utmost care.

Despite her thoughts and disappointment, Jiang Mo's primary feeling was confusion. "What kind of bird is that?"

Golden Peng, who was carrying her through the air, heard this question and looked down at her with puzzlement, though their current position made it difficult for him to see her properly. After thinking for a moment, he remembered that this little tiger's cultivation level was somewhat lacking, though she had reached the Fusion realm and should be able to fly on her own.

Golden Peng released his claws, and Jiang Mo immediately dropped straight down, flailing her arms a few times like someone who couldn't fly.

Of course, Jiang Mo wasn't truly unable to fly. She had just helped her Senior Sister filter and absorb the spiritual power from the dragon bones. Not only was her remaining spiritual energy scarce, but what little remained was chaotic and temporarily beyond her control. After several failed attempts to mobilize her spiritual energy to fly, she finally closed her eyes and played dead—at worst, she would fall. With her physical strength, she couldn't possibly die from the impact.

Golden Peng hadn't expected her to actually fall like this and was genuinely startled. He quickly flapped his wings and flew down to catch her. Finally, he placed her on the ridge of a great hall's roof and transformed back into his human form, standing beside her.

"Little tiger cub, what's wrong with you?" Golden Peng asked while examining Jiang Mo.

For the sake of his timely assistance, Jiang Mo didn't take issue with Golden Peng's abrupt change in address. She shook her head to indicate there was no problem: "It's nothing, just a minor mishap during cultivation. I temporarily can't use my spiritual energy, but I'll adjust and recover soon."

Hearing this, Golden Peng skeptically examined her again. Having lived for five thousand years, he felt that cultivation for divine beasts was as natural as eating and drinking; he had never heard of anyone experiencing a "mishap" during cultivation. However, after thoroughly examining her and confirming she hadn't suddenly been injured or harmed on Buddha Sect territory, he reluctantly accepted her explanation.

Nevertheless, as a mature elder, he earnestly advised: "You're still young, and there's no rush in cultivation. Don't leave any hidden injuries that might hinder your future path."

Jiang Mo knew he meant well and didn't argue, obediently nodding to acknowledge his advice.

As they spoke, the lightning tribulation in the sky grew increasingly oppressive and dangerous, attracting not only Jiang Mo's attention but also quickly shifting Golden Peng's focus to the tribulation above. His brows furrowed in dissatisfaction and confusion: "Where did this demon come from? When did they enter the Buddha Sect without my knowledge? And this lightning tribulation—isn't it brewing for too long?"

As everyone knew, the longer a lightning tribulation brewed, the more formidable its power. For instance, when cultivators established their Foundation, the time from the appearance of the tribulation to its completion and dispersal might not even take half a cup of tea. But for Grand Achievement tribulation, and especially ascension, the tribulation could last three to seven days.

This was common knowledge in the cultivation world. Though Jiang Mo herself wasn't struck by lightning tribulations, she had witnessed many over the years and was well aware of this.

Already worried about her Senior Sister's situation, after hearing Golden Peng's words, she felt momentarily guilty before worry took over again. She looked up at the white giant bird in the sky and turned to ask Golden Peng: "What's going on with this lightning tribulation? Is it very dangerous?"

Having lived thousands of years longer, Golden Peng's experience far surpassed that of the tiger cub who wasn't even a hundred years old. Though he had never seen such a scene before, it didn't prevent him from making an educated guess: "She must have undergone atavism, which is why the heavenly tribulation has descended to test her."

Hearing this, Jiang Mo looked up at the giant bird again: "Atavism?"

Golden Peng nodded, suddenly remembering that the little tiger before him lacked experience and didn't even recognize the bird. So he explained: "That's a Swan Goose. In today's world, swan geese are no longer born."

Swan Goose? A swan? Or a wild goose?

In Jiang Mo's understanding, "Swan Goose" referred to these two birds, but the giant white bird before her clearly had nothing in common with either. It was far more beautiful than those two species. If she had to compare, aside from the color, this bird more closely resembled the Vermilion Bird or a phoenix.

Her genuine confusion inadvertently escaped her lips, earning her a look from Golden Peng that suggested she was illiterate. Feeling inexplicably guilty under his gaze, she was about to ask what she had said wrong when Golden Peng solemnly educated her: "'The phoenix has five manifestations, of the five colors, the red one is the phoenix; the yellow one is the yuan-chu; the blue one is the luan; the purple one is the zhu-jiu; the white one is the Swan Goose.'"

Jiang Mo was stunned. Seeing her expression, Golden Peng thought she hadn't understood and added an explanation: "The Swan Goose is the white phoenix."

Perhaps because his tone was too exasperated, Jiang Mo quickly came to her senses, nodding repeatedly to show she understood. But immediately, she became even more confused, pointing to the sky: "But if it's a phoenix, shouldn't it be of the divine beast race? How is it related to the demon race?"

Golden Peng crossed his arms and looked up briefly, his tone indifferent: "Because the bloodline isn't pure. This Swan Goose's ancestors were likely a mix of phoenix and demon race. She just happened to undergo atavism and became a Swan Goose... This is truly rare. I've heard of demons undergoing atavism, but never one reverting to a divine beast. No wonder the heavenly lightning is striking her."

When Jiang Mo heard the words "mixed blood," her feelings were somewhat complex—she had no prejudice against mixed bloodlines, as many mixed-race individuals she had seen before her transmigration were extremely attractive, genuinely increasing her favorable impression. But mixed bloodlines in the cultivation world weren't just about nationality and race; they mixed everything.

Divine beasts and demons, demons and demons, demons and humans...

At this point, Jiang Mo's thoughts became somewhat distracted because she and her Senior Sister were also a cross-species relationship. Whether divine beast and human, divine beast and demon, or even if her Senior Sister had also become a divine beast, they were still a cross-species relationship between felines and birds.

Her distraction lasted only a moment before Golden Peng's mention of heavenly lightning reclaimed her attention, making her heart clench again: "This lightning tribulation, is it difficult to overcome?"

Golden Peng didn't look at her, responding matter-of-factly: "Naturally, it's difficult. We divine beasts are born of heaven and earth; it's not so easy for another one to appear."

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Golden Peng's words were reasonable, even representing the consensus of the cultivation world—today's cultivation world was not what it once was. In ancient times, dragons and phoenixes were everywhere; that was the active period for divine beasts. But now, under the control of the Heavenly Dao, divine beasts had declined. Major sects struggled to find divine beasts as guardians, which explained why divine beasts were so protective of other sects' young ones.

However, while Jiang Mo listened with concern, she couldn't fully agree with his assessment, as she herself was a variable in the equation.

Just as this thought crossed Jiang Mo's mind, the tribulation clouds that had been brewing above the Buddha Sect finally struck down the first tribulation lightning. This first bolt was extraordinary—though only as thick as an arm, it glowed purple, its imposing might palpable even from a distance.

"Tsk, purple lightning right from the start. The Heavenly Dao truly cannot tolerate her," Golden Peng remarked, detached and somewhat cold in tone, as the matter didn't concern him.

Jiang Mo's brow twitched upon hearing this, but she had no time to say more. Her eyes unconsciously returned to their golden color, fixed intently on the descending purple lightning. Where the purple lightning passed, crackling sounds of tiny explosions rang out continuously. Even the air seemed to be shattered by the thunder, momentarily distorting... She couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath, unconsciously gripping the corner of her clothes, her palms damp with cold sweat.

Finally, the lightning tore through the sky and struck the enormous white bird. From a distance, the lightning resembled a sword descending from heaven, directly piercing the beautiful white giant bird, as if to impale it and nail it in place!

Fortunately, the Swan Goose clearly had no intention of submitting to slaughter. Its broad wings flapped once, and a layer of soft white light immediately surged around its body. The light wasn't dazzling—in fact, it appeared somewhat weak compared to the ferocious lightning—yet it acted like the world's hardest shield, firmly blocking the lightning outside its body while slowly consuming it.

For a moment, the white bird and purple lightning reached a stalemate.

Jiang Mo held her breath for a while before finally exhaling slowly, her eyes filling with amazement—the white phoenix might not be as eye-catching as the red phoenix, but it was equally stunning. Now, with a layer of soft white light enveloping its body, it appeared even more beautiful.

Golden Peng seemed to notice her emotional shift and turned to look at her: "Why are you so tense?"

Jiang Mo temporarily had no mind to consider how to explain and simply shook her head randomly before pointing skyward: "They're deadlocked. This Swan Goose seems quite formidable; it might not necessarily succumb to the tribulation lightning."

Golden Peng didn't press for answers and likewise looked up at the sky, appearing unsurprised: "The phoenix is also a great race with considerable power. This Little Swan Goose who underwent atavism must have inherited some abilities from her bloodline. The heavenly lightning also increases in strength with each bolt; it wouldn't kill her with the first strike. We divine beasts have our pride too, you know."

Jiang Mo paused oddly at his last remark but had no mind to quip about it. She was more concerned about another matter: "How many lightning bolts will there be in this tribulation?"

The number of lightning bolts cultivators endured during each advancement varied, from one bolt when advancing to Foundation Establishment, to eighty-one when ascending. Both the quantity and power were incomparable. She had been present when her Senior Sister advanced to Nascent Soul, which required enduring nine bolts. Now, with her Senior Sister's identity and cultivation level so drastically changed, plus the Heavenly Dao's targeting, who knew how much more difficult it would be?

Golden Peng seemed to know everything and immediately answered: "Nine bolts. Nine is the ultimate number."

Hearing this, Jiang Mo first breathed a sigh of relief—at least the number of tribulation lightning bolts wasn't too extreme. But on second thought, if there were only nine bolts, wouldn't each one be especially dangerous?

Just then, the first purple lightning was finally completely consumed by the white light, and the second tribulation lightning followed immediately—this was still a purple lightning bolt, but its scale had doubled, and its color was much deeper than the previous one.

Under the tribulation, the Swan Goose looked up, seemingly unmoved, still relying on the white light surrounding its body to contend with the lightning.

Seeing this, Golden Peng couldn't help but praise: "What good composure. But this atavism tribulation is different from ordinary ones. Trying to use heavenly lightning to temper the body at this point, tsk tsk..."

Jiang Mo caught his unspoken implication—tsk tsk, she's practically asking for death!