Three days passed, and Han Li stirred awake from meditation.
He raised his head toward the night sky and a moonlight stone appeared in his hand. He flung it into the air and sparkles of moonlight illuminated the nearby peach trees.
Without the slightest noise, he then took out a meter chunk of red coral and tossed it down before planting Rainbow Skirt Grass on top of it.
"This is the method that you've prepared?" Although he had seen Han Li feed the Gold Devouring Beetles with the grass to miraculous effect, he was very baffled to see it used now.
When Han Li heard this question, he smiled and said, "In truth, this grass has another name — the Demonlure Grass. Senior should know what I plan on using it for."
"Demonlure Grass? Could it be..." Monarch Soul Divergence suddenly dawned with realization.
"That's right. In six days, the smaller Vast Yang Bird will be released, and the grass will bloom as well, releasing its bewitching scent. When the time comes..." Han Li coldly snickered.
...
Fang Chu was mid-Foundation Establishment High Sun Palace cultivator. There were nearly a thousand of his kind that could be found in the entirety of the sect. It was reasonable to say that he was an unremarkable character, but in truth, this was quite the opposite. Let alone other Foundation Establishment cultivators, even Core Formation-stage martial seniors had to treat him politely, and even when benefits arose in the palace, he would be the first Foundation Establishment disciple to be considered.
Fang Chu's unusually high standing in the High Sun Palace was something he was rather proud of, though this was all due to his duties as the caretaker for the sect's smaller Vast Yang Bird.
He possessed an innate special ability to communicate with birds, and were it not for this rare and irreplaceable talent, he wouldn't have been assigned this task.
After all, as the bird's caretaker, he had a certain degree of control over it, something that was heavily valued by the sect.
Although this was the weaker of the two sect's Vast Yang Birds, it was still able to easily defeat late-Core Formation cultivators and directly pursue Nascent Soul cultivators. It was no wonder the bird was held with such reverence.
Over the thirty years Fang Chu had cared for the bird, he would stay next to it at all times, even cut his cultivation time to follow after the spirit bird when it would liberate its wings, during which not a single problem arose. As this was only another routine flight, he didn't feel the need to be worried. With the surrounding fifty thousand kilometers of the Heavenpeak Mountain Range were all under the control of the High Sun Palace, what could possibly happen?
With those leisurely thoughts in mind, he distantly followed after the Vast Yang Bird on an early morning.
The Vast Yang Bird was only about three meters long, but its long tail feathers made up over half of its length. From a distance, the bird appeared like a huge peacock, but there wasn't one with such beautiful fire-red feathers.
The bird was ecstatic. After it was released from the restrictions of the High Sun Palace, it flapped its fire-red wings and continuously flew circles in the sky to ensure no one was following it.
With ordinary methods, Fang Chu wouldn't have been able to conceal himself from the bird's spiritual sense, but he was using a Qi Concealment Talisman that the sect had specially refined. As such, he was able to follow after the bird without any fear of being discovered in spite his shallow cultivation.
When the bird let out a clear cry, Fang Chu wore a knowing smile. He had spent a long time with it and knew the Vast Yang Bird was extremely happy at the moment. After this trip, the bird would be docile for the next half month.
As a result, the bird calmly circled the sky above the High Sun Palace for a long while before flying away.
Fang Chu didn't feel the slightest concern. As per its usual habits, the bird would fly a large circle around the sect before turning satisfied. As it was a leisurely flight, he could follow after it.
But after fifteen kilometers, there was a sudden change in course.
The Vast Yang Bird suddenly stopped in its delighted flight with a harsh shriek.
Fang Chu was stunned when he heard this. Before he realized what had happened, he saw the bird quickly spreading out its wings and its body combusted, surrounding itself in a meter layer of scarlet flames. Several blurs later, it was already over a kilometer away.
Fang Chu was shocked to the core when he saw this. By the time he recollected himself, he hastily took out a jade tile and poured all of his spiritual sense into it. It promptly released a strange birdsong in an attempt to call the bird back.
The Vast Yang Bird heard it and hesitated for a moment, only to noisily caw before disappearing off into the horizon.
When Fang Chu saw this, his face turned bloodlessly pale and he simply floated in the air, bewildered at what to do.
But soon, he thought of something and took out a sound transmission talisman from his storage pouch before he hastily shouted something. Then, he flung the charm into the air and it streaked back in fiery light towards the direction of the High Sun Palace.
He gritted his teeth and set off in the direction that the Vast Yang Bird disappeared in. Despite knowing that it was useless for him to pursue it, if he was waiting idly when his Martial Ancestor found him, he would be severely punished.
As Fang Chu hurriedly gave chase, the other spirit beasts in the Heavenpeak Mountain Range let out an uproar.
...
In the northern part of the mountain range, many low-grade High Sun Palace disciples were strenuously attempting to hold down the huge vultures they were riding. The riders had suddenly lost control of these low-grade spirit birds as they attempted to take off in a different direction and soon, all of them were drenched in their own sweat in their efforts to keep control of their mad steeds.
...
In a hidden cave at the edge of the mountain range, there was a masked cultivator in yellow-green robes. He was holding down a black, foot-long spider with a large hand made of green light. He looked at the enraged, snarling spider with complete confusion.
...
On South Heaven Peak, inside a concealed hall in the High Sun Palace, an old woman wearing purple robes was stroking the sect's other Vast Yang Bird, an exact copy of the other bird apart from its larger size.
It had suddenly grown restless without warning. Were it not for her excessive use of spell seals to pacify the bird, it would've flown out from the hall. She couldn't help but wear an odd expression in response.
...
Fang Chu used his magic power without reserve as he gave chase. The Vast Yang Bird had already disappeared without a trace, but the jade medallion in his hand was able to sense the bird's location so long as it was within the Heavenpeak Mountain Range.
But just after he gave pursuit, he discovered something incredibly shocking. He saw a few low-grade demon beasts emerge from well-hidden burrows and flew off in the same direction as the Vast Yang Bird with reckless abandon.
In a short amount of time, it formed a wave of demon beasts, some of which were rarely ever seen. However, Feng Chu had nothing to fear as the sect's high-grade cultivators had already eliminated all high-grade demon beasts from the mountain that could pose a threat to the Vast Yang Birds.
Regardless, Fang Chu felt even more uneasy after seeing that the mountain beasts had also lost control.
...
In a hidden valley, thousands of kilometers away, Han Li was sitting cross-legged on the ground. There was a chunk of coral in front of him along with Rainbow Skirt Grass wrapped in red light.
At that moment, Han Li's attention wasn't focused on the grass, but the situation outside of the peach tree forest inside the valley.
Several tens of low-grade spirit beasts had already gathered near the valley's restrictions, attempting to break through with all their power for the six-leaved Rainbow Skirt Grass inside.
Han Li was truly surprised by the number of low-grade spirit beasts in the Heavenpeak Mountain Range. However, he didn't pay them much regard and instead closed his eyes, facing the direction of the High Sun Palace.
He reckoned the potency of the Rainbow Skirt Grass would be enough to lure that grade seven bird over. Furthermore, its speed should be much faster than ordinary magic treasures. It shouldn't be long before it arrives.
Shortly after, Han Li's calm expression stirred and he opened his eyes. With a hand gesture and a snort, he suddenly released several magic seals from his hands, activating the outermost illusion formation in the valley. A layer of white light promptly emerged from the ground and instantly concealed the forest from view.
At that moment, the wild and savage roars could be heard along with the clear cry of a bird. A huge yellow ball of light and a scarlet fireball simultaneously arrived above the valley, clearly bewitched by the Rainbow Skirt Grass.
When Han Li saw this, he let out a yelp and revealed an astonished expression.