The Immortal Peach Tree was not tall, its silver light shimmering as its gnarled branches coiled like dormant dragons. Two peaches hung from its boughs, their silver-white hue tinged with pale gold, exuding a refreshing fragrance. Little Rascal fled while drooling, nearly taking a bite—the peaches were too enticing, their radiant silver glow enveloping him. Though he had succeeded in obtaining them, he remained vigilant. This was all thanks to that cocoon, which made him uneasy, so he stayed on high alert.
He stashed the Immortal Peach Tree into his Qiankun Bag and fished out the cocoon, fearing it might wreak havoc inside, ruining all his treasured spiritual herbs.
“What are you trying to do?” The luminous cocoon trembled, sensing danger as Little Rascal swiftly pressed the broken sword against it, ready to strike at any moment.
“Are you even a living being?” Little Rascal asked skeptically, though he wasn’t too worried—the creature inside the cocoon was weak, its energy faint. The only reason he had managed to seize the Silver Peach Tree was because the being inside knew of an ancient formation in the Pure Land, which it had awakened to shatter the area, allowing him to succeed.
Half an hour later, Huo Ling’er and the others arrived on the Void Beast Hide, only to find the savage child roasting a massive cocoon over a fire, occasionally zapping it with lightning.
The Great Red Bird immediately scampered over excitedly. “Such a huge pupa, and it glows too! My favorite!” As a bird, it had a natural fondness for snakes and insects. Without hesitation, it began spewing crimson flames, enthusiastically joining the roasting session while drooling profusely.
A pained scream erupted from the cocoon. “Stop burning me! I’ll turn to charcoal! Keep this up, and I swear I’ll fight you to the death!”
The group exchanged puzzled glances. The voice from the cocoon sounded childish, yet its words were oddly archaic and pompous.
“Must be a remnant of an ancient species. What luck! A feast awaits,” the Great Red Bird declared, squatting closer and intensifying the flames to assist Little Rascal in roasting the cocoon.
“Foolish bird! I am a deity! How dare you disrespect me? Kneel at once!” the cocoon bellowed, though its voice remained squeaky and infantile.
“You little worm, still trying to act tough even at death’s door? Let’s see if you can withstand this!” The Great Red Bird flared up, spewing scarlet radiance that melted nearby rocks into magma.
“What is this thing?” the Nine-Headed Lion asked.
Little Rascal scratched his head, interrogating the cocoon repeatedly, but it remained tight-lipped, even trying to pry information from him instead. Frustrated, he decided to roast it further.
The cocoon’s voice boomed, “I have devoured the essence of the heavens and absorbed the immortal energy of the earth, transcending time itself, impervious to calamity, standing above the mortal realm. Why do you disturb my cultivation?”
The group was speechless. This thing really knew how to boast. Too bad it had the misfortune of running into the Bear Child.
Without hesitation, Little Rascal unleashed a barrage of lightning, causing the cocoon to sizzle and emit black smoke, crackling with electricity.
“Ahhh! I’m cooked! Stop tormenting me! What did I ever do to you? I was minding my own business in the mountains, and you sneakily carried me off, only to bury me in a fire! The audacity!”
“Nonsense! I rescued you from that savage beast,” Little Rascal corrected. This was his spoils of war.
“You call *her* a savage beast?” The creature inside the cocoon seemed stunned before bursting into laughter.
“Isn’t she? I couldn’t even bite through her—hard as immortal steel!” Little Rascal grumbled, displeased. He had wrestled with the purple-clad girl for ages without subduing her, only managing to snatch an earring in the end.
“You *bit* her? Wahahaha—” The cocoon’s inhabitant roared with laughter.
“Is this thing insane?” Little Rascal muttered. Biting a savage beast was nothing special—he’d eaten them before. He then urged the Great Red Bird to burn it harder until it confessed.
“Ow! Stop! It hurts! Little bird, if you keep this up, once I break free, I’ll roast *you* into a pigeon!” the cocoon threatened.
“Daring to talk to me like that? You’re dead!” The Great Red Bird darkened its expression, unleashing its strongest divine flames, engulfing the cocoon in a sea of fire as magma surged around them.
Finally, the creature inside relented, begging them to stop, claiming they could negotiate.
“Then come out first,” Little Rascal said, eager to see what kind of being it was.
“I’m exhausted, with no strength left. You’ll have to break the cocoon for me,” it replied.
Just as Little Rascal was about to use the broken sword to slice it open, Huo Ling’er intervened. “This is rare material, no less valuable than Heavenly Silkworm Thread. If made into clothing, it would repel dust, resist fire and water, and offer incredible defense.”
She then had a few Seal Masters carefully unravel the cocoon like spinning silk, forming a radiant, multicolored silk ball.
When the creature finally emerged, everyone was stunned. First came a bald head with large, rolling eyes—a bird’s head, utterly featherless and far from handsome, though it did have a gleaming crimson beak.
Next, its body slithered out—over two meters long, completely bare, without a single feather. It was bizarre beyond words.
“You’re a *bird*?” The Great Red Bird gaped. “Wasn’t this a cocoon? How did a bald bird come out?”
“I have comprehended the supreme mysteries of existence. I can become a Qilin or transform into a Phoenix. My form shifts with my will—whether insect or bird is but a fleeting thought,” it declared pompously. Yet, paired with its ridiculous appearance and squeaky voice, the effect was comical.
*Thunk!*
The Great Red Bird swung its black pot—the same method Little Rascal often used to discipline it—smacking the bald bird on the back of its head. “No respect for your elders, huh? A tiny brat like you, acting all high and mighty?”
The bald bird was dumbstruck. Rubbing the rapidly swelling lump on its head with a featherless wing, it shrieked, “You insolent whelp! I’ll suppress you for five hundred years and refine your soul every day!”
*Thunk!*
The Great Red Bird struck again, right on the same lump, causing it to bulge even more.
“Still not learning your lesson? I’ll teach you some manners!” it sneered, looking down at the ridiculous, featherless creature.
“Argh! You—! Back in my prime, all creatures trembled before me! Even the mightiest clans bowed! And now, a mere bird dares strike me? A single sneeze from me could annihilate a hundred thousand of your kind!”
“Still defiant?” The Great Red Bird puffed up, delivering a thorough beating until the bald bird finally wilted, realizing that further resistance would only bring more suffering.
Little Rascal watched with fascination. “Just what *are* you?”
“I am a deity!” it proclaimed haughtily.
“A deity my foot! Keep talking, and I’ll beat you senseless!” the Great Red Bird snapped.
Just then, a flash of purple light appeared in the distance—the purple-haired girl passed by.
The bald bird immediately ducked and scrambled into Little Rascal’s Qiankun Bag, clearly unwilling to face her, even if it meant imprisoning itself.
“Savage beast, don’t run!” Little Rascal yelled, charging forward.
The purple-clad girl turned, her eyes blazing, nearly attacking—but seeing the group of ancient descendants, she feared being outnumbered and swiftly vanished in a streak of purple light.
“Thief! Just you wait—I’ll catch you sooner or later!”
“Savage beast! Next time, I’ll wrestle you eight hundred rounds and either subdue you, make you my mount, or have you guard my village!” Little Rascal shouted back defiantly.
The girl trembled with rage, glaring at him before disappearing into the horizon.
“Why are you so afraid of her?” Little Rascal pulled the bald bird back out.
“Afraid? I just don’t want to deal with her kind!” it retorted.
The Wily Stone, nestled in Little Rascal’s hair, whispered almost inaudibly, “I think I’ve seen this thing before. It once snuck into the Hundred Herb Garden and stole from the Fountain of Youth.”
“When was that?”
“At least a few centuries ago. It was the Divine Monkey King’s master—and like you, it came from the outside world.”
Little Rascal fell silent, deep in thought. He stopped pressing the bald bird but occasionally glanced at it as if it were a treasure trove of divine techniques.
“You don’t have a name, do you? Since you won’t reveal your origins, I’ll name you myself. You and the Great Red Bird are both avian, so you’ll follow its naming style—you’ll be Second Baldy.”
“Pah! Who do you think I am? The one and only supreme being across heaven and earth! How dare you saddle me with such a wretched name? Save your breath!”
“Second Baldy it is. I think it suits you perfectly,” the Great Red Bird chuckled.
No matter how much it protested, Little Rascal and the others insisted on the name, leaving the bald bird hopping mad but powerless.
Eventually, they boarded the Void Beast Hide once more, vanishing from sight as the ancient hide streaked across the sky.
The golden crow dipped westward as night fell, though darkness never fully claimed the land. A jade rabbit rose, casting silvery moonlight over the earth. Legend said it was the corpse of an ancient savage beast, transformed into a moon that waxed and waned in this primordial realm.
The Void Beast Hide hovered above the clouds as the group admired the moon, eagerly awaiting their feast.
In the black pot, golden light shimmered—chunks of Golden-Winged Roc meat simmered alongside luminous Monkey Head Mushrooms, their fragrant broth brimming with radiant energy. The aroma alone made mouths water.
Other spiritual herbs glowed within the pot, turning this into less of a stew and more of a cauldron refining peerless treasures.
“Chicken stew with mushrooms—my favorite!” Little Rascal stared hungrily, drooling, barely restraining himself from diving in.
One pot wasn’t enough. Others contributed their treasures—the Fire Crow’s bone cauldron boiled Tiger Bone Soup, its shimmering broth rich and fragrant.
Golden lamb legs, purple camel humps—several remnants of ancient species roasted over the fire, their skins crisped to a golden sheen, their aroma irresistible.
Jade tables held crystalline cups brimming with Monkey Wine, its intoxicating fragrance alone enough to make the group lightheaded.
“I can’t wait any longer!” The Great Red Bird gulped.
All eyes gleamed with anticipation. This wasn’t just a meal—it was an opportunity for breakthroughs, given the extraordinary ingredients. They waited eagerly for the feast to be ready.
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