Futile Devices Scans

Wenren Li was still searching across the boundless sea when his mind suddenly stirred—he sensed Chen Yixin’s thoughts. His brows furrowed, and his tone grew slightly impatient.

“Speak. Besides your Spirit Sea Sect, what other forces are nearby?”

The two guards of the forbidden ground from the Spirit Sea Sect, along with the elder who had rushed over, were all kneeling on the ground, trembling. As for the low-grade water-attributed sacred object they had been guarding, Wenren Li did not even spare it a glance.

“We—we don’t know why that pit is there. We’ve never heard of anyone falling into it and disappearing. You’ve already searched the forbidden ground—no one entered at all.”

After speaking, the elder swallowed hard before continuing with Wenren Li’s question.

“Aside from our Spirit Sea Sect, the nearby human sects include Watermoon Pavilion. Further out in the sea, there are also the Merfolk Clan and the Roc Clan.”

“These are the locations of their territories…” The elder tremblingly handed over a sea map stored in his jade slip. Wenren Li took it. They kept their heads lowered, awaiting judgment—but after a long while, when they looked up again, Wenren Li had already disappeared.

“Elder… just now, I felt like I was about to die…”

“I feel like I died several times already…”

The two guards collapsed onto the ground, utterly devoid of the dignity of Golden Core cultivators. The elder was not much better—after sitting for a while, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he said,

“You two keep watch. I’ll return to the sect to report to the Sect Master.”

A figure as unfathomable as Wenren Li appearing in this sea region could stir unknown storms. Their Spirit Sea Sect, which already survived in the cracks, should avoid involvement if possible.

Of course, if there was a chance to reap benefits, they could still play the fisherman—but only if they didn’t offend such a terrifyingly powerful figure.

While Wenren Li continued searching region after region, Chen Yixin was also struggling to adapt to the strange power within his body.

With a “thump,” he tripped over his own wings, face-planting onto the ground and even rolling once.

“Ha ha ha…” The two youths responsible for delivering food had found their entertainment—watching Chen Yixin fall in various ways every day. From their conversations, Chen Yixin learned their names and that this place was called the Nineteenth Cave.

The cheerful one was named Peng San, and the quieter one Peng Si. They were brothers, tasked with caring for newly hatched and about-to-hatch young demons.

“Little guy, hurry up and transform. If you can’t, you’ll be sent off like the previous batch to become food for human cultivators. Seeing your baby form doesn’t count.”

Peng Si, the less cheerful one, spoke in a low voice, unsure whether Chen Yixin could understand.

Chen Yixin shakily got up, flapping his tiny wings. He managed to fly a short distance before dropping straight back into his eggshell.

He wasn’t afraid of pain—but being this weak made him deeply uncomfortable.

Still, he had heard Peng Si’s words. Being sent off as food was not an option.

He closed his eyes, focusing more carefully on sensing the strange energy within him—more accurately, demon power.

After repeated attempts, his demon power flowed into his limbs. His consciousness stirred, and he finally transformed from bird form back into a small child clad in blue feathered garments. His black hair fell over his shoulders, half his face hidden—but his bright, lively eyes could not be concealed.

What a beautiful little demon.

Peng San and Peng Si thought the same. They rarely felt sympathy, but after only four or five days, they had begun to like this stubborn little creature.

“Eat. Only by eating can you maintain your form.”

Chen Yixin leaned forward and sniffed the food in Peng Si’s hand. He was indeed hungry—but this food held less appeal to him than the dirt on the ground. It wasn’t that he was picky—it was simply unbearable to eat.

He withdrew into his eggshell, his gaze flickering slightly as he remembered the jade pendant he always wore, and the jade clasp storage space given by Wenren Li. Had he lost them as well?

The jade clasp could be lost—but the jade pendant wouldn’t leave him unless he willingly gave it up.

“My consciousness… my sea of consciousness…”

His lips moved slightly before he closed his eyes again. Peng San and Peng Si assumed he had gone to sleep. They left the food, checked the other eggs, and exited the cave.

Chen Yixin resumed exploring his newly transformed sea of consciousness. Aside from a cluster of icy-blue flames at its center, there was nothing else.

Unwilling to give up, he searched for a long time before finally discovering his jade pendant within the flames, along with the jade clasp space anchored to it. As for his original storage space, he hadn’t used it since coming to the Northern Sea and hadn’t kept it on him.

Finding the jade pendant and jade clasp, he let out a sigh of relief. He tried retrieving items from the jade clasp—but failed. And as his demon power ran out, his body with a “poof” reverted back into a small blue bird.

“Chirp!” Chen Yixin was irritated—at himself.

If he had known, he wouldn’t have gone looking for treasure. He hadn’t even succeeded, and instead lost himself.

“Chirp!” Angry!

His spiritual sense was too weak to even open his storage space, which meant his connection with Wenren Li had weakened as well. And the distance between him and where he disappeared spanned nearly half the Southern Domain—finding him quickly through that connection would not be easy.

Chen Yixin wasn’t worried that Wenren Li would never find him. But they had always been inseparable, and now they were suddenly apart—this unexpected separation made him uneasy and longing.

Still, before anything else, he had to adapt to this demon body. As for how he had transformed from human to demon—such a complicated question could wait until Wenren Li found him.

“Little guy, you’re moving to a new place.”

Peng Si picked up Chen Yixin’s eggshell and carried it out. He had tried removing Chen Yixin from the shell before, but the little creature was attached to it and wary of others—touch him once, and he would bristle for a long time.

To avoid the trouble, Peng Si simply moved the entire shell.

Chen Yixin had spent the previous night continuing to adapt to his power. Today, he only maintained human form for an hour before reverting again. The feathers on his forehead trembled slightly, leaving only his eyes visible as he curiously looked around.

“This is the Nineteenth Cave. Now I’ll take you to the Nine Residences. In seven days, there will be a Bloodline Awakening Ceremony. After that, your aptitude will be assessed, and elders will personally teach you.”

Among this batch of newly born little demons in the Nineteenth Cave, aside from Chen Yixin, there were also two fledglings—one white and one red. In their original forms, they were slightly larger than Chen Yixin, but far less spirited. They had hatched several days earlier than him, and aside from eating, they only slept. Even when being moved, they slept the entire way.

“Elder, these are the three.”

Peng Si and Peng San bowed slightly. A long-bearded elder stepped forward and tapped with his finger. Light flickered on the foreheads of the two sleeping fledglings, and they transformed from demon forms into human forms.

Chen Yixin tilted his head to glance at them. Before the long-bearded elder could examine him, he also transformed into human form. His gaze lowered slightly, appearing innocent and ignorant of the world. But the demon power he had just gathered was insufficient to sustain his form—almost the moment the elder turned his eyes away, he “poofed” back into his original form again.

Peng Si explained at the right moment, “This one is rather lively. He doesn’t like to sleep and is picky with food. That little bit of demon power he had was all used up by his own antics.”

“Mm,” the elder responded. As long as he had seen Chen Yixin’s transformed appearance, that was enough. With a wave of his hand, three maidservants stepped forward and carried them to three separate courtyards in the Nine Residences. As for Peng San and Peng Si, unless by chance, they would likely never meet again.

Chen Yixin remained curled inside his eggshell as he was carried. He remembered the route—but only the parts he had been carried through. As for where exactly the Nine Residences and the Nineteenth Cave were located within the Abysswind Territory, he had no idea.

“Chirp…” Chen Yixin called softly, his eyelids drooping. Since waking up, he had not slept at all. This newborn demon body, which had not yet undergone Bloodline Awakening, simply could not withstand such strain.

Chen Yixin’s treatment in the Nine Residences was slightly better than in the Nineteenth Cave. Instead of supplementary food mixed with spiritual herbs, he now had a small nest made of spirit stones. Slowly absorbing spiritual energy, he slept—this sleep lasted until three days later, the day he was taken from the Nine Residences. The true awakening did not take place here, but in the Azure Feather Palace of the Roc Clan above the Nine Residences.

The Roc Clan had a Roc Demon Emperor with Soul Transformation cultivation, making them the strongest demon force in this sea region. Many bird-type demon clans and smaller races depended on them. Across the region were Nine Residences and Seventy-Two Caves, forming a vast hierarchy and network of interests.

These demon races maintained trade relations with the Merfolk Clan and Watermoon Pavilion, forming a three-way balance. The Spirit Sea Sect, once the strongest force, had long declined.

The Roc Clan held a Bloodline Awakening Ceremony once every three years. Many subordinate forces, especially bird-type demon clans, would even use special means to accelerate the birth of a batch of young ones just to participate. If they could catch the eye of a Roc Clan elder during the ceremony and remain in Azure Feather Palace, their entire clan would gain immense benefits.

It could be said that for this Bloodline Awakening, every race spared no effort.

Chen Yixin sat in a small cart, being transported toward Azure Feather Palace along with eighteen other birds of varying sizes and colors.

“Chirp!” Chen Yixin gave a soft cry, and the other seventeen little demons immediately shrank into the farthest corner away from him.

He glanced at the trembling birds and restrained his aura slightly. He wasn’t trying to scare them—it was just that their constant chirping made it impossible for him to hear anything outside.

Now that it was quiet enough to listen, the elder driving the cart outside stopped speaking altogether.

“Chirp…” Chen Yixin called again, feeling a bit depressed. At this point, all he could do was wait for Wenren Li to find him. Hopefully, it would be before he starved to death.

Suddenly, his gaze lifted and swept across them. The two strongest-looking chicks, likely from the eagle clan, were so frightened they wet themselves.

“Report from the Nine Residences!” a voice called from outside. After three days of travel, they had finally arrived before Azure Feather Palace.

“Human Watermoon Pavilion arrives to offer congratulations…”

Various voices rang out from outside, all from factions Chen Yixin had never heard of. With so many people gathering at Azure Feather Palace, A-Li would come too, right?

Thinking this, Chen Yixin carefully sensed the connection between himself and Wenren Li—but just like in the Nineteenth Cave and Nine Residences, there was nothing.

He had thought someone might at least open the cart curtain to inspect them, but after a sweep of spiritual sense, they were allowed directly into Azure Feather Palace, where he was placed together with even more young creatures.

“Chirp!” Chen Yixin still occupied a spacious corner by himself. The other young ones would rather squeeze together until deformed than move even a little closer to him. His chirp this time expressed approval of their awareness.

Of course, when someone came in to inspect, Chen Yixin would call a few trembling, unsteady little creatures over to stand loosely around him so as not to attract too much attention. He had no interest in standing out.

Meanwhile, after obtaining the sea map, Wenren Li’s first destination was Watermoon Pavilion, the strongest human force in this region. With their help, he searched the seas above and below thoroughly. Nan Ke and the others also joined in the search.

But Chen Yixin seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace at all.

“Perhaps you might try Azure Feather Palace. The Sky Clan there has excellent intelligence networks—perhaps they know something about your Dao companion,” said the master of Watermoon Pavilion, a human cultivator at the early stage of Soul Transformation, over a thousand years old, and considered the strongest human cultivator in this region. Yet before Wenren Li, he did not dare show the slightest disrespect.

This attitude came only after he had fought Wenren Li once—and lost. After that, he agreed to help search, but now that they had found nothing, he was worried that this expressionless Demon Lord might want another fight.

“You will come with me,” Wenren Li said. As his words fell, his figure vanished from Watermoon Pavilion. Chen Yixin’s desperate cry for help still echoed in his mind—he did not know what Chen Yixin had encountered, nor what he was currently enduring.

The two Soul Transformation experts traveled at full speed. Covering half the Southern Domain, they finally arrived before the ceremony began. Of course, a key reason was that Ze Fang, the master of Watermoon Pavilion, knew the routes, avoiding unnecessary delays.

“Your Excellency, why have you come?” The elder sent to deliver gifts was surprised. The Roc Clan’s Bloodline Awakening happened every three years—it was a major event for smaller factions, but to humans, it was merely a routine courtesy exchange.

Ze Fang rarely even attended the Roc Emperor’s birthday, let alone this ceremony. Yet now, he had come in person.

“I had nothing better to do, so I came to speak with the Roc Demon Emperor,” Ze Fang said as he stepped forward. Then he paused and added to the Roc Clan attendants, “This is my friend. He will accompany me to meet your emperor.”

Anyone treated as a friend by a Soul Transformation cultivator must be powerful. The attendants did not dare show any negligence and immediately arranged an additional seat for Wenren Li.

“Lord Li, please be at ease. Even if you want the Roc Clan to help you find someone, you’ll have to wait until their ceremony is over before speaking.”

Ze Fang glanced at Wenren Li, his curiosity about this missing Dao companion deepening. What kind of person could make someone as cold and almost emotionless as Wenren Li care this much and go to such lengths?

“Alright,” Wenren Li nodded. The divine sense he had been preparing to sweep across the entire Azure Feather Palace quietly withdrew. He only wanted their help, not to become enemies with Azure Feather Palace. Causing alarm to the Roc Demon Emperor was not advisable.

The ceremony began almost immediately after they took their seats. Under the blazing sun, eighteen feather-robed demon cultivators danced and chanted upon the altar. At the center was a massive blood-colored jade—this was the key to the Bloodline Awakening Ceremony.

The Roc Demon Emperor did not preside personally. Instead, it was hosted by the Young Palace Master, Little Roc Lord, who had risen through the ranks of Azure Feather Palace.

After the Golden Core demon cultivators finished their performance, he stepped onto the altar, reverted to his true form, and soared into the sky, circling above. Demonic energy surged upward through the jade, forming a spectacular scene. Before the crowd could hear Little Roc Lord’s sharp cry, they instead heard a faint, questioning chirp of a young bird.

“Chirp?”

In the next instant, Wenren Li appeared on the altar. With a flick of his hand, several restriction seals were cast into the air. Hundreds of young birds that had been confined within the jade’s space tumbled out like dumplings, scattering across the altar.

“Who dares disrupt the Roc Clan’s grand ceremony!”

Little Roc Lord descended onto the altar, accidentally stepping on two chirping hatchlings. He awkwardly lifted his foot before regaining his imposing stance.

But Wenren Li didn’t even spare him a glance. His divine sense swept continuously across the area. Suddenly, he paused, reached out, and caught a small blue-feathered chick the size of his palm.

“Chirp chirp!” The little bird hopped happily, rubbing its tiny head vigorously against Wenren Li’s hand. It was joyful—yet after that joy came a trace of worry. Having suddenly disappeared, it wondered whether Wenren Li had been terribly anxious.

“Chirp…”

Before Chen Yixin could finish his soft, pleading, almost coquettish call, Wenren Li lifted him gently and pressed a kiss onto his fluffy little head.

“A-Rong, don’t worry. I’m here.”

“Chirp!” Chen Yixin responded happily, continuing to nuzzle against Wenren Li’s lips, his tiny wings spreading as if trying to cling to his face.

“Fellow Daoist, who are you, to disturb the Roc Clan’s grand event?”

Little Roc Lord’s words failed to draw Wenren Li’s attention. Instead, the Roc Demon Emperor, who had been in secluded cultivation within the palace, appeared. Clad in dazzling golden attire, his presence was overwhelming. The already frightened hatchlings became even more panicked, some rolling off the edge of the altar.

“Roc Demon Emperor, this is Wenren Li, the Demon Lord from the Taixuan continent. He has come in search of his Dao companion.”

Ze Fang, who had already stood up, spoke to explain. As for why Wenren Li was holding onto a little chick so closely, even he had no idea.

The Roc Demon Emperor’s gaze shifted from Wenren Li to the chick that was clearly unusually intimate with him. His expression twisted slightly, barely restrained.

“Is this something you raised?”

“This is my Dao companion,” Wenren Li replied, holding Chen Yixin protectively against his chest. Then he stepped down from the altar, looking down at everyone. “You captured my Dao companion. Should you not give me an explanation?”

Before the Roc Demon Emperor could question him, Wenren Li had already turned the tables—and his tone was far from polite.

Ze Fang’s expression stiffened slightly. He secretly transmitted his experience of fighting Wenren Li to the Roc Demon Emperor.

From what he knew, the Roc Demon Emperor was not someone easily angered. Yet now he clearly seemed intent on confronting Wenren Li. His tone carried a sharp edge—but Wenren Li was even more direct, making no effort to conceal his hostility.

“You refused my loyalty, yet you take a chick that hasn’t even grown its feathers as your Dao companion?”

The Roc Demon Emperor seemed not to hear Wenren Li’s accusation, nor Ze Fang’s warning. His eyes reddened slightly, clearly furious.

Wenren Li finally gave him a proper look. His tone remained unchanged.

“So it’s you…”

Demon races generally lived longer than humans, especially those with cultivation. Ten thousand years ago, when Wenren Li had come to the sea, he had encountered this Roc Demon Emperor shortly after he first took human form. Back then, he had sought to follow Wenren Li—but Wenren Li had refused.

He had not expected that the young Roc demon of that time would become a Roc Demon Emperor.

“And yes,” Wenren Li continued, “he is my Dao companion.”

“Chirp!”

Chen Yixin fluttered in Wenren Li’s palm, his feathers puffing up slightly.

Did he somehow end up in his rival’s stronghold?

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