This bird was brimming with extraordinary spiritual awareness. Though scarcely a foot and a half in length, its entire body shimmered with radiant silver light. So young, yet capable of understanding everything—it was a little unnerving. Its large eyes, like black gemstones, were bright and lustrous, teeming with lively expression.
Shi Hao held it up, turning it over in his hands as he examined every detail. He even tugged on the stunning, Rainbow-like tail feathers, provoking a fierce reaction—the bird’s entire array of precious feathers flared outward like quills on a startled hedgehog, every single one standing on end as it attempted to attack Shi Hao.
“Why are you so hot-tempered? Don’t struggle,” Shi Hao scolded, giving the bird a light tap on the forehead. The beautiful young bird glared angrily with wide, furious eyes, clearly humiliated.
Finding this amusing, Shi Hao continuously teased it—gently pressing down its head, straightening its lustrous silver wings, and observing its indignant expression with great amusement.
Could it truly be a young Silver Phoenix? Beings of such rarity were scarcely recorded in ancient times. If real, the repercussions might be enormous—enough to provoke great upheaval, with all the great sects unable to remain idle.
After all, it directly related to an ultimate treasure technique—the Divine Secret of the True Phoenix!
Such a level of divine skill could rightly be termed forbidden arts, coveted by the great powers of the upper realms, sufficient to cause widespread calamity and plunge entire regions into chaos.
Shi Hao’s gaze burned brightly with excitement. He wiped the drool from his mouth. If it was indeed a Silver Phoenix, it would be a blessing of fate so great, it could only be described as defying the heavens!
“Let me see what’s so strange about you,” he murmured. Merely observing its outward appearance was insufficient for an accurate conclusion, so he retrieved his divine double-pupiled eye, attempting to peer into the bird’s sacred bones.
With a low hum, the divine eye trembled and emitted scattered rays of light, but was unable to penetrate the young bird. Within its body, a silver flame was burning, creating a luminous barrier resisting any outside intrusion.
Shi Hao’s brows knitted with surprise. The bird was proving even more extraordinary than he imagined. If even his divine eye could not penetrate it, that alone was a testament to its profound mystery.
“Could it actually possess a naturally-born divine treasure within its body, automatically providing protection against all intrusions?” Holding the bird tightly, he began to ponder and analyze.
“Open!”
With a chant, Shi Hao unleashed divine resonance, a sharp spiritual cry seeking to enter the bird’s consciousness. Yet, unexpectedly, his attempt was once again thwarted—the mark between its brows gleamed, emitting a blazing silver flame forged from sacred runes, flickering and dancing.
To forcibly probe further might very well cause this young bird to disintegrate!
Rubbing his chin, Shi Hao muttered, “It possesses potent sacred runes and latent potential, capable of forming passive defenses—but it is not yet able to actively wield divine techniques?”
“Well then, I suppose I’ll have to keep you by my side,” he chuckled to himself. If it truly was a Silver Phoenix… the implications were staggering.
The young bird appeared dejected, sulking in a huff.
“Hungry, huh? Let me get you something to eat.” Shi Hao fetched a basin and placed some fresh meat in it, setting it before the young bird.
“Clang!”
To everyone’s astonishment, with a fluid, graceful motion, the bird delivered a powerful flying kick, launching the copper basin straight toward Shi Hao’s face.
“Rebelling, huh?” Shi Hao caught the basin midair and gave the bird a light rap on the head in response. The bird’s eyes welled up with tears while it began clacking its beak in fury, glaring defiantly.
“Hey, you’re a bird! What else are you supposed to eat if not this? Stop staring at me like that. Besides, you don’t even have teeth—so stop grinding that beak!” Shi Hao remarked.
Puffed up and brimming with anger, the young bird’s wide, expressive eyes burned with fury, cheeks puffed to the point of looking like a combative rooster, ready to lunge.
“You don’t even have a name. Let me think of one for you,” Shi Hao mused. Since he had decided to keep it, he was determined to exercise his renowned “expertise” in naming divine beasts.
“In the past, I’ve had several divine beasts and sacred birds by my side. I gave them the finest names imaginable. What name would you prefer?” Shi Hao asked, peering at the bird with curiosity.
The silver-white young bird sensed an ominous foreboding, glaring at him intensely.
“I had a Great Red Bird, Second Baldy, Third Black… You come next. What should your name be?” Shi Hao muttered.
The silver-white bird nearly fainted. What terrible names! Now it was to be included as well—its ominous premonition had indeed come true!
“Mmm, how about ‘Fourth White’? Join the ranks,” Shi Hao said to himself. Repeating it, he became increasingly satisfied, laughing heartily. “Perfect! That’s your new name from now on.”
The bird’s eyes widened in horror. It shivered involuntarily, overcome with revulsion at the dreadful name, feeling as if its feathers had all risen in shock.
“What kind of look is that? Are you too happy or just stunned? Why are your eyes so wide?” Shi Hao grumbled, for he realized—this bird was looking at him with disdain.
Shi Hao persisted in calling it “Fourth White,” but the bird resisted completely, ignoring his calls with intense indignation. Its every facial expression and motion screamed, “That name is terrible!”
“Alright, I’ll make an exception this once. Among the divine beasts I’ve known, there were two special ones whom I also gave unique names. I shall do the same for you,” Shi Hao declared.
The silver-white bird cast a sidelong gaze, deeply skeptical that he could possibly come up with a decent name.
“One was named ‘Fluffy Ball,’ the other ‘Little Red.’ Both were quite fitting,” Shi Hao proudly boasted.
The bird stumbled backward in shock. Such dreadful names! Absolutely unbearable!
“From now on, you shall be called ‘Silver Coin.'” Shi Hao nodded with satisfaction, feeling the name perfectly suited the shimmering silver bird.
Predictably, the bird rejected it outright. The name enraged it so much it chose to completely ignore it. Yet for the following days, Shi Hao continued calling it that, turning it into a torment.
Across this land, many cultivators roamed. Figures such as Yue Chan, Shan Dian Zi, Teng Yi, and Zhen Gu had all engaged in formidable battles, leaving behind terrifying feats and stirring the region into chaos.
Yet, no matter how hard they searched, no one could locate that silver-haired woman.
To address this, people summoned a famous diviner, renowned far and wide, who performed omens and ultimately concluded that the silver-haired woman still remained in the area, having not yet fled.
For several days, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
During this time, “Silver Coin” made several escape attempts, only to be dragged back each time by Shi Hao—struggles proving wholly futile.
On its final attempt, it fled past the boundaries of Zhu Village, coincidentally encountering a violent clash between Shan Dian Zi and another cultivator. Terrifying lightning crackled across the mountain skies, shaking the land. Frightened, the bird slinked back home on its own.
Shi Hao’s eyes gleamed with suspicion as he pondered, circling the bird repeatedly, inspecting it in detail, making the little bird increasingly uneasy. It glared at him with large, defiant eyes.
“Looking like this, you’re far too conspicuous. What if someone discovers you? Let me help you disguise yourself, to avoid any disaster,” Shi Hao murmured.
At first, “Silver Coin” blinked thoughtfully, feeling the idea was quite agreeable. It put on a slightly reluctant expression, feigning reluctant cooperation.
But then it began to struggle violently as Shi Hao produced a bone shears and went to work trimming its feathers. Silvery plumes drifted down like snow.
It fought with all its might, but to no avail. This was no disguise—it was outright destruction. “Silver Coin” glared with burning eyes, every one of its feathers bristling in rage.
“Quite good! What do you think—satisfactory?” Soon, Shi Hao paused, holding up a bronze mirror and placing it before the bird for it to see itself.
Upon casting its eyes on its own reflection, “Silver Coin” reeled in shock, nearly collapsing. Then, with a furious cry, it dove at Shi Hao, ready to tear him apart.
Its once-glorious plumage had been mutilated into a grotesque mess. In its eyes, it was now an eyesore of the highest order!
“I’ll kill you!”
Faintly, Shi Hao seemed to hear a melodious yet enraged female voice. Tilting his head, his expression became even more intrigued as he stared at “Silver Coin.”
Its fury was palpable—feathers fully extended, eyes ablaze with silver flame, glaring daggers.
“Not quite good enough though. You’re still a bit noticeable. Let me help you out a bit more,” Shi Hao said dismissively, lifting the bird and grabbing the bone shears again with a series of “snip-snip” sounds.
“Perfect!” Finally, he looked delighted, throwing the shears aside and setting the bird down, yet again holding up the mirror.
“Silver Coin” hesitated to even look, sensing that this time it was even worse. It could definitely feel that its radiant tail feathers and the most dazzling crests atop its head were now gone.
“Rest assured, this time it’s absolutely perfect! I guarantee you’ll be satisfied. Even if someone sees you, they will never recognize you as a Silver Phoenix,” Shi Hao declared proudly.
But to “Silver Coin,” these words were like thunder from the heavens, unbearable and crushing. How had it come to suffer at the hands of such a cruel, eccentric monster—so smug and self-admiring!
“Quick, take a look! My craftsmanship is practically divine. This disguise is flawless!” Shi Hao urged enthusiastically.
With trepidation, “Silver Coin” cautiously opened one eye but couldn’t resist looking further.
In that instant, the other eye flew open, wide with horror. With a heart-wrenching scream, it flung itself into the mirror, collapsing in a dead faint.
The beautiful silver feathers had been nearly entirely shorn—its body now almost bare and pitiful. To a creature naturally obsessed with beauty, it felt as though it had been cast into the depths of hell itself.
“No taste at all. Simply no appreciation for artistry,” Shi Hao shook his head disappointedly, waking the bird with a shake. “Don’t you see? It’s completely transformed—nearly unrecognizable. No one will ever know what you truly are.”
Indeed, it now resembled a pigeon—or rather, a severely maimed, patchy-feathered pigeon, so drastically altered in appearance.
“A masterpiece of divine craftsmanship! I can’t help but admire myself,” Shi Hao chuckled, feigning modesty. “A rare touch of genius, truly.”
“Silver Coin” seethed, its eyes aflame with fury. If only it could activate its divine arts, it would unleash a blazing inferno upon that cursed bastard, forcing him into pitiful howls, putting an end to his smugness once and for all.
“How’s this? Pretty impressive, huh?” Shi Hao asked.
“Utterly catastrophic!” Faintly, a voice like celestial music, filled with grief and rage, seemed to whisper from the air.
“No worries. In a few days, you’ll regrow some silver feathers and look just like a regular dove. Then I’ll take you away from here, and no one will ever recognize you,” Shi Hao confidently added. “Practice makes perfect; next time, I’ll have you looking perfect in one go!”
Next time?!
“Silver Coin” burned with fury, its deep black eyes flaring with silver fire. Vowing silently, it promised itself that once it regained its true form, it would cast this damnable brute straight into a volcano, sealing him there for five centuries without mercy!
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