As the phantom of the Kunpeng—neither bird nor fish—ascended, a staggering bloodline pressure began to emanate from Qi Ping's body. This was not the power of a human cultivator, but the pure, specialized bloodline force of a demon beast!
In almost an instant, the traces of Qi Ping's human identity began to dissolve, replaced by a mystical power woven from threads of deep cerulean and celestial gold. This energy spiraled through every corner of his being, intertwining with the purest natural power to wash over and refine every inch of his flesh.
Under the influence of this force, Qi Ping began to curl inward. His entire body slowly shrank into the likeness of an infant, and then his flesh and blood seemed to meld together. His human physical form vanished. At this moment, Qi Ping was little more than an irregular, bizarre sphere of flesh!
However, this state did not last long. The strange fleshy sphere soon underwent a new change. Mysterious patterns of interlaced cerulean and gold began to appear on its surface, and the vast, pure aura of a Kunpeng erupted in a single, sudden burst!
As this aura grew in strength, the gold and blue energy surrounding the sphere became increasingly dense, eventually reaching a point of solidification. By the time the aura reached its zenith, Qi Ping had transformed into a giant egg inscribed with dense, golden-blue runes.
A magnificent phenomenon descended from the heavens! The Great Dao trembled and omens appeared; boundless spiritual energy surged like an unceasing tide, centering itself around this mystical egg. Simultaneously, a powerful heartbeat thudded from within the golden-blue shell, sounding as if a primordial beast were being nurtured and was about to awaken!
These rhythmic, thunderous heartbeats startled the bald Golden Crow from its specialized state.
'This aura... what is happening?'
It had been maintaining its form as a blazing sun, pushing its perception and power to the limit to capture any trace of the bizarre altar's lingering energy. The power of that altar was far too terrifying; if even a sliver escaped, the time required for its resurrection would be significantly shortened. Should the altar and Zhou Tianqi successfully recover, the Forest Sea Demon Realm would undoubtedly face another tragic catastrophe.
Yet, when the Golden Crow saw the scene before it, its heart was tossed by a stormy sea of shock.
"Is that... a Kunpeng egg?"
"This level of bloodline power, the congratulations of Heaven and Earth, the continuous birth of omens..."
"How can a divine beast cub with such terrifying talent and potential be born? And this level of spiritual pressure—don't tell me it's already at the seventh grade at the moment of birth?"
The bald Golden Crow stood frozen in place. It had been untold ages since such a monstrously talented divine beast cub had appeared in the Forest Sea Demon Realm. Given its current strength and status, it had never witnessed the birth of a cub of this caliber.
It withdrew from its solar state, transforming back into the muscular bald man. Rubbing his hairless head, he circled the egg, his eyes filled with shock and curiosity.
"Wait, that's not right! Why is there a Kunpeng egg here?"
The bald Golden Crow's confusion deepened. "Could it be that the Kunpeng Ancestor has successfully reincarnated?"
If it were the reincarnation of the Ancestral Beast, such a phenomenon would be perfectly plausible. "But the aura inside is clearly that of a cub; it doesn't match the Ancestor's aura..."
"Furthermore, the Kunpeng Ancestor clearly merged his body with the world. He shouldn't have any chance of reincarnation. But if that's not it, how can this situation be explained?"
To possess such omens at birth, along with the blessing of Heaven and Earth—this level of talent made even an existence as powerful as the bald Golden Crow feel a twinge of envy. On the path of the demon beast, the further one cultivated, the more difficult it became to break through, with the difficulty even exceeding that of humans. With this level of bloodline power, as long as the intent and soul were up to par and could fully control the bloodline, the future ceiling of its achievements would be extraordinarily high.
"Wait, where did Brother Qi go? Shouldn't he have been sent out?"
The bald Golden Crow soon noticed another anomaly. "Could Brother Qi have met with some accident inside the bizarre altar?"
Now that the altar was destroyed, if Qi Ping were still inside, the consequences were obvious. A trace of worry rose in the Golden Crow's heart. Although they hadn't known each other long, it genuinely liked this straightforward friend.
"But it shouldn't be..."
Not long after the worry arose, it caught a scent of a different aura.
"No way!?"
"Don't tell me this Kunpeng egg is actually Brother Qi!"
An absurd thought formed in the Golden Crow's mind. Yet, no matter how ridiculous it seemed, it was the only thing that could explain the current situation. Then, the Golden Crow perceived that the place where Qi Ping's aura had vanished was exactly where the egg sat!
"Holy shit, he really did change!"
The Golden Crow's eyes nearly bulged out of its head.
At the same time, while the Golden Crow was wondering about the egg's origins, several gazes were fixed on this spot from hundreds of thousands of miles away. These gazes watched everything as it unfolded, yet they did not intervene. They simply watched silently as Qi Ping transformed into the Kunpeng egg, their own auras fluctuating only slightly.
Qi Ping, however, was unaware of these external events. At the moment he fully transformed into the egg, his consciousness entered the Kunpeng's bloodline inheritance space.
There were no scriptures or stone tablets here; there was only the pure pulsation of life. In this space, he became a Kunpeng completely—sometimes a Kun (TN: the fish form), roaming the endless vast seas; at other times a Peng (TN: the bird form), covering ten million miles with a single flap of his wings.
At this moment, he didn't need to learn any techniques or spells. Spatial power was like his own limbs; he could drive it naturally, and it was no more difficult than walking. With just a bit of focus, he could traverse Heaven and Earth!
Suddenly, a fierce and peerless primordial beast, large enough to swallow the sky, charged from nowhere, lunging straight at him! This was undoubtedly a super-beast capable of causing a catastrophic slaughter; with one bite, it could swallow countless living beings as a meal.
Faced with such a terrifying beast, Qi Ping felt no fear. His emotions didn't even flicker. He naturally transformed into his Kun form and dove into the deep sea. Then, with a gentle flick of his tail accompanied by a towering wave, Solar and Taiyin powers naturally converged. In an instant, he appeared above the primordial beast's head, and terrifying power poured down!
With just such a natural strike, the world-ending beast that could have caused a sea of blood was instantly torn asunder, its aura vanishing completely.