Chapter 524: Big Wind and Manman

Gazing into the distance, the horizon blurred, and the sea and sky merged seamlessly.

A thunderous dragon's roar seemed to emanate from the clouds high above. Through the gaps in the clouds, glimpses of the green dragon's scales and claws were faintly visible. Its body stretched interminably, seeming to extend all the way to the horizon. Its tail, revealed almost incidentally, appeared as massive as a mountain in their eyes.

Xu Ke stared, dumbfounded, his body swaying slightly as he craned his neck. "How is that dragon so immense?"

"I've seen green dragons within the sect before. But compared to this one..."

"Those can barely be called dragons. They're more like little mudskippers!"

Xu Ke, not foolish, knew the Southern Nether was beast territory, and whispered to Li Fan.

"A divine dragon is rarely seen in full..." Li Fan didn't acknowledge him. Instead, he fixed his gaze on the green dragon in the sky, drawing on memories from his Xuanwu bloodline.

This green dragon's existence spanned an age comparable to that of Emperor San Mo, the Longevity Emperor. Unlike Emperor San Mo, who served as a tribal prophet guiding the beast race, the Azure God Dragon never intervened in the internal affairs of the beast tribes. It primarily served as a 'guardian deity,' rarely revealing itself to the world. Only at critical junctures, when the beast race faced an extinction crisis, would it emerge to offer aid.

"The Azure God Dragon typically remains hidden, concealed within waves and mist. I wonder why it suddenly roared like that today."

"It seems something significant might be unfolding in the Southern Nether."

"To stumble upon this right after arriving, he truly is someone favored by destiny."

As Li Fan mused inwardly, he gave Xu Ke another playful swipe. Xu Ke felt a sudden inexplicable urge to retaliate but was mercilessly subdued by Li Fan. Meanwhile, the Green Luan bird carrying Xu Ke seemed to let out a resigned sigh. Its speed undiminished, it continued to streak southwards.

The Southern Nether Sea stretched vast and boundless. As far as the eye could see, beyond the sky above, there was only an endless expanse of cerulean seawater. For over ten consecutive days of flight, the scenery remained utterly unchanged. Forget the beast mountain; they hadn't even spotted a single ordinary beast. Instead, they occasionally saw schools of peculiar fish frolicking as they broke the surface. Some even chased the shadows of Xu Ke and his companions as they passed over the water, following them for long stretches. However, these fish, driven purely by instinct and lacking sapience, were clearly not true beasts.

"Little Hei, where exactly is that so-called beast mountain?" Xu Ke asked, resting his chin in his hands, looking utterly dispirited. "Senior Brother Lu Ya wasn't very clear; he just told me to head south until we got there."

"And I actually believed him. What a headache."

Li Fan was about to reply when his expression suddenly shifted. He suddenly sensed a murderous aura, coupled with a strong scent of blood, assailing them from behind. He instantly whirled around, spitting out a beam of black light that directly met the incoming murderous aura.

"Oh?" A sound of surprise and doubt came from the other party.

"Boom!"

Amidst the explosion, the Green Luan bird finally reacted. It let out an angry cry, spreading its wings to shield Xu Ke behind it. Li Fan, meanwhile, soared into mid-air, observing the perpetrator of the sudden attack from a distance.

It was a two-headed monstrous bird. Its feathers were pure white. One head's eyes were wide, constantly darting back and forth between Xu Ke and his companions. The other head, however, appeared to be deep in slumber, its eyes tightly closed and its head comically bobbing.

"Oh, it's from the Xuanwu clan. How did it end up looking like this after all these years?"

"It's truly too hideous to behold directly." The two-headed monstrous bird cackled mockingly in a high-pitched voice.

"Manman..." Li Fan instantly recognized the origin of the two-headed bird. Incidentally, it shared a distant kinship with the Heavenly Mandate Xuanwu clan. Named Manman, while not the most pleasant name, it actually boasted a significant lineage. Its left head was said to perceive the causes and effects of all worldly matters, while its right head remained perpetually asleep. It would only awaken inexplicably when it sensed impending calamity.

However, Manman birds were typically bluish with reddish hues; being entirely pure white like this was exceedingly rare. No wonder it found Li Fan ugly; it was the complete antithesis of the entirely black Li Fan. Though, by the beast tribe's hierarchy, the other party was likely Li Fan's 'elder.' Nevertheless, facing the white Manman bird's sudden attack and verbal taunts, Li Fan certainly wasn't going to be polite.

"Odd, do I hear a duck quacking somewhere?"

"It's so raucous and annoying!" Li Fan, feigning complete ignorance of the Manman bird's presence, looked around with a hint of disdain and asked Xu Ke below, as if perplexed.

Xu Ke paused for a moment, then clapped his hands, chuckling uncontrollably. "You're right, I heard it too!"

"They say the Southern Nether Beast Mountain is a sacred land for beasts. How could an ill-mannered duck get in? Truly strange, truly strange!"

Hearing their synchronized mockery, the Manman bird instantly flew into a rage. "You two little wretches, who are you calling a duck?"

"I am the immensely noble Manman bird! A pure white variant, rarely seen in a millennium, and you..."

However, no matter what it said, Li Fan and Xu Ke simply continued to shake their heads, their faces etched with disdain. The white Manman bird was seething with rage. Seeing how despicable they were, it prepared to attack again. However, for some unknown reason, it suddenly restrained itself.

"Xuanwu clan, I'll remember this!" It glared fiercely at Li Fan, flapped its wings, and flew onward.

Li Fan and Xu Ke, human and bird, exchanged a look, then promptly urged Little Green to follow closely. Before long, the Manman bird noticed them still trailing behind.

"Why are you always following me? Do you think I'm easy to push around?"

Li Fan wore an expression of disdain. "How strange. The sky is vast and the earth is wide; all beasts are free to roam. Are you suggesting that no other creature is allowed to traverse the skies once a Manman bird has passed through? Aren't you being a bit too controlling?"

Before the white Manman bird could retort, a strange cackle suddenly echoed from the horizon, arriving in an instant.

"Hahahaha!"

"Indeed, this young one makes a lot of sense! It seems your Manman bird clan has had it too good for too long and is losing all sense of propriety!"

The white Manman bird's eyes flashed with fierce, overflowing murderous intent. However, once it clearly saw the approaching creature, its demeanor instantly deflated. The newcomer, though a bird, was shaped like a dog and possessed a human-like face. Its movements in flight were accompanied by whistling winds. It was none other than a member of the renowned 'Great Wind' clan.

"Hahahaha!"

After settling, the Great Wind bird let out another hearty laugh. Its gaze then lingered on Li Fan for a moment before finally settling on Xu Ke. A flicker of surprise instantly crossed its eyes.

"You, a human child, what are you doing in our beast territory?"