Chapter 519: A Pity for the Qingtong Forest
Tonight was the sixteenth night of the lunar month—the time of the full moon.
Beneath the moonlight, the undulating mountains stretched far and wide. Among them, the tallest and grandest ancient parasol tree stood ahead of the Daoist, its towering form outlined against the distant horizon.
In this world, naturally formed mist was sparse. Some gathered in the valleys, some lay crawling beneath the ancient trees, while others floated in tufts between the towering branches. Under the moonlight, they appeared in soft shades of gray and white.
Suddenly, a cool breeze stirred through the mountains.
In the past, when the miasma was thick, such a breeze would have swept it all away, restoring clarity to the heavens and earth. But now, it merely dispersed a small portion of the mist lingering near the ground.
Leaning on his staff, the Daoist stood still, gazing high into the sky.
“Look quickly!” It was Yan An’s voice that called out the warning.
The calico cat abruptly lifted its head, its round eyes gleaming like gemstones or a piece of amber as it reflected the bright moon and the drifting clouds. And in the midst of those clouds, a streak of red light had appeared.
The glow shimmered between crimson and flame, forming the ethereal figure of a divine bird, soaring in from the north.
It looked nearly identical to the one they had seen years ago.
Its slender neck arched gracefully, crowned with delicate plumage. Its entire form seemed to be woven from pure light, radiating nobility and divinity. It barely needed to flap its wings, yet it glided forward effortlessly, trailing its long, flowing tail as it approached from the distant sky. Its massive figure nearly filled half the heavens as it passed overhead.