Chapter 321: Cluck-Cluck~ Cluck-Cluck-Cluck~
Luo Wusheng rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
At this moment, the strangely patterned egg was already in his hand, and he had made a new discovery.
The egg had only a thin shell, and inside was completely empty.
To be fair, it seemed reasonable. After all, ordinary roosters don't have the necessary biology to produce fully-formed eggs, let alone complete the whole process…
'But then, what's the point of laying an egg like this?'
Could it be that this mystical rooster was actually a hermaphrodite or some kind of asexual being?
His gaze sharpened as he pondered. Applying a bit more pressure with his fingers, the eggshell cracked effortlessly.
Just as he suspected, there was nothing inside.
Then his eyes shifted to the rooster he held in his other hand.
"It really does seem lifeless now. My examination shows that aside from looking exceptionally delicious, it's not much different from an ordinary spiritual chicken. So how did it manage to trigger a spatial shift using the forces of heaven and earth?"
If there wasn't some hidden anomaly, then this could only be chalked up to the wonders of nature.
Just then, Luo Wusheng's eyebrows rose.
Through his spiritual awareness, he noticed the two little girls he had left outside to avoid potential danger had failed to resist their curiosity. They were now cautiously and slowly moving toward his location.
'I should confirm just a bit more… If there's truly nothing out of the ordinary, maybe I can treat this as a little surprise for them?'
If the rooster in his hand really tasted as divine as the legends claimed, it could be an opportunity to boost his goodwill with them.
How delightful!
<+>
"Cluck-Cluck~ Cluck-Cluck-Cluck~!"
On a mountaintop far from the dense forest where Luo Wusheng stood, a sharp and complex cry resounded.
A completely bald rooster Netherkin, save for a few tail feathers, stood there glaring at the horizon. Its eyes burned with humiliation and rage.
In all its years of cultivation, this was the first time Manager Ji had felt so utterly disgraced.
Faced with an opponent it could have easily crushed, it was forced to employ its most humiliating escape technique.
Indeed, the apparent "death" of the rooster, accompanied by the strange act of laying an egg, was actually part of a secret technique it had mastered for desperate retreats.
This secret technique was one of the reasons it had been selected for this mission, apart from its willingness to volunteer for the task of eliminating the Demon Sect's Holy Saint.
Like the hideous Rat Netherkin that had previously been sent to distract the Immortal Nation, any Netherkin operating in the outside world needed reliable methods of survival.
However, Manager Ji despised having to resort to such measures.
No one could understand the sheer frustration of being a rooster forced to lay an egg.
"Demon Sect's Holy Saint… Heh, Demon Sect's Holy Saint…"
"If it weren't for those bald monks from the Buddhist sect protecting you… if it weren't for our Netherking and that person collaborating with them… I would show you the meaning of terror!"
Its crimson eyes glowed with fury.
"Hmph! Those bald Buddhist fools are useless anyway. I don't even understand why the Netherking is working with them. Do we Netherkins really need their help to execute our plans?"
As it muttered disdainfully, a dark red radiance enveloped its body. Slowly, feathers began to grow again, but only on the lower half of its body. Its upper body remained bald, giving it the odd appearance of wearing feathered pants.
Seeing this, Manager Ji gritted its sharp beak in frustration.
"Damn it… If it weren't for the backlash from the corrupted Ancient Phoenix Essence, my legs wouldn't have suddenly lost control, revealing my presence to them. I wouldn't have been forced to use my secret technique and drop my cultivation to the mid-stage Nascent Soul Realm just to flee…"
Originally, being discovered wasn't a dealbreaker.
If worst came to worst, it could have subdued the Demon Sect Holy Saint quietly, without causing a commotion. Then it could drag him to the Qifeng City and force him to retrieve the rumored thing capable of curing its corruption issues.
But who would have predicted that the Holy Saint had already reached the Nascent Soul Realm?
And on top of that, it just had to happen when the backlash hit, leaving Manager Ji no choice but to escape using its humiliating secret technique.
'No, the backlash wasn't a coincidence. Ever since I encountered that Holy Saint, the Ancient Phoenix Essence inside me has been stirring restlessly, and so has the corrupted. The backlash was inevitable…'
It was becoming increasingly clear that the corrupted Ancient Phoenix Essence was both a hindrance to its cultivation and its greatest vulnerability.
"Patience… That Holy Saint likely knows where the thing in Qifeng City is. He's still useful for now. Through him, I can find what I need to purify the Ancient Phoenix Essence…"
And once it reached Qifeng City, it would have fewer concerns about collateral damage.
As images of the Demon Sect's Holy Saint flashed in its mind, Manager Ji's body trembled slightly. Its bare upper half felt cold, and goosebumps rose along its skin.
There was no doubt about it: the way that Holy Saint had looked at it earlier… it was the gaze of someone who wanted to eat it.
Through those eyes, it had seen itself transformed into various rooster dishes.
Manager Ji knew the reason for this reaction.
Ever since it obtained the corrupted Ancient Phoenix Essence, it had inexplicably developed a strange allure for avian Netherkins. When it was weaker, it had even leveraged this allure to seduce stronger bird Netherkins, from neighboring duck Netherkins to fire geese and even heavy-crest birds.
This allure had helped it secure many cultivation resources and eventually ascend to the Nascent Soul Realm.
But the effect only worked on lesser avian Netherkins or those with inferior bloodlines. High-ranking Netherkins or other species remained unaffected.
Unfortunately, to humans, this allure seemed to manifest as pure appetite.
'Good thing I left behind a Phoenix Essence dummy that burns upon contact with fire. That Holy Saint won't have the chance to sink his teeth into me. Otherwise, it would've been a lifetime of shame… No, even as it stands, this insult cannot be forgiven…'
'Once the Netherking's plan succeeds and we part ways with those bald monks, I will kill that Holy Saint!'
'And if his Ancient Phoenix Essence turns out to be of higher quality or if he retrieves the thing from Qifeng City, I'll grant him a swift death!'
With a fierce stomp, Manager Ji kicked up some dirt, then leapt into the air.
Its form gradually merged with the surrounding landscape, fading into obscurity.
Once it took to the skies, the backlash it had been experiencing subsided slightly, allowing it to fully activate its concealment technique.
Its next destination: Qifeng City.
There, it would ambush the Demon Sect's Holy Saint. Once the thing was found, it would unleash a thunderous fury and claim everything for itself.
"Cluck-Cluck~ Cluck-Cluck-Cluck~!"