Chapter 81 Female-Dominant Cultivation World (II) Dual Cultivation

Above the dark green pool, mist lingered.

In the haze, shrubs and thorns intertwined, withered vines climbed up the natural hot spring pool walls, surrounding the entire spring.

Above, towering trees blocked out the sky and moon, with moonlight slanting down through layers of leaves.

It fell on a small black bird, which fluttered its sparse-feathered wings, not only ugly but also balding. Its only redeeming feature was its pair of pea-sized eyes, which were initially closed, but opened again, gleaming with intelligence (and humiliation).

Liu Changning was amused by this ugly bird’s human-like expression, her brow relaxing.

Beast cultivation is not easy; it takes thousands or even tens of thousands of years for a beast to cultivate spiritual consciousness.

After developing spiritual awareness, it takes tens of thousands of years of arduous cultivation to transform into human form and become a demon cultivator.

The bird before her, looking much like a crow, had just managed to hide its presence and evade her spiritual search, estimating at least ten thousand years of cultivation.

With such cultivation, it should not be far from transforming into human form. Although quite ugly, it was a hardworking bird. Seeing its current embarrassment, Liu Changning didn’t want to quibble with a demon beast, and the hand restraining its wings loosened slightly, about to release it.

Unexpectedly, a sudden change occurred.

The black bird, with eyes half-closed feigning shyness, suddenly turned its head and viciously pecked her fingertip with its long beak.

Drops of blood instantly appeared on Liu Changning’s jade-like fingertip.

The small black bird had clearly used all its strength, its pea-sized eyes filled with a cold glint.

Fortunately, it didn’t use spiritual power to attack, so the finger injury wasn’t serious. Liu Changning quickly withdrew her finger, blood seeping from where the small black bird’s beak had pierced.

Droplets of blood fell onto its black feathers, adding a touch of eerie color to this otherwise ordinary-looking bird.

Liu Changning narrowed her eyes, looking down to meet the black bird’s pea-sized eyes, all playfulness gone from her gaze.

This bird was apparently not stupid, but rather a biting creature.

Her thin lips suddenly curved, and her slender fingers dangled the black bird by its legs, suddenly releasing it mid-air.

The arrogant black crow’s eyes, proud and cold one moment, froze in all their sharpness the next.

Its entire body fell headfirst into the warm water, its head submerging first, followed by its whole body sinking.

The black bird flapped for a moment, nearly drowning in the hot spring pool, its right wing entangled by vines, leaving it almost unable to move.

Its pea-sized eyes were filled with a crimson color. Its nostrils flared as warm water rushed in, and its flapping black wings fell limp, seemingly about to lose all strength.

Pei Yuanzhao was forced to release his suppressed spiritual power. Above the misty spring water, centered on him, the spiritual power of a Mahayana period demon beast spread out, causing the vines entangling him to burst and shatter.

He quickly surfaced, black feathers falling off in clumps, soon covering the water surface around him with a layer of black plumage.

Liu Changning’s expression showed slight surprise, her hands cupping her cheeks, a flash of confusion passing through her tea-colored eyes. This demon beast’s condition was unusual; it seemed to have been suppressing its internal spiritual power since their first encounter.

It was meant to be a minor punishment, yet it had nearly drowned just now. This shouldn’t be…

Liu Changning pondered internally, raising her head to carefully examine the strange bird that seemed suspicious in every way. Suddenly, the previously silent sky became covered with dense thunderclouds.

Both human and bird looked up.

In the sky, dark clouds filled with lightning quickly gathered above the valley, covering the entire sky in an instant.

The moon was obscured by the clouds, letting no light through. From within the pitch-black cloud mass in mid-air came a series of loud, muffled thunder.

The mountain wind grew stronger, blowing snow off the tree branches, creating a series of “pitter-patter” sounds as it fell to the ground. From the depths of the previously silent forest came the terrified cries of wild beasts.

Liu Changning frowned as she looked at the sinister demon beast in the pool before her, then glanced at the tribulation clouds in the sky.

A look of understanding crossed her face; this demon beast was about to undergo its tribulation.

The veteran couldn’t help but curse inwardly. The tribulation clouds above were getting heavier, and her spiritual sense could almost discern that this was the pressure of a demon beast’s tribulation clouds beyond the Crossing Tribulation period. Although not as severe as a cultivator’s Three-Nine Heavenly Thunder, it was equivalent to the tribulation lightning of a cultivator’s Nascent Soul stage.

She couldn’t stay here any longer and needed to leave quickly.

Her current Foundation Establishment stage body couldn’t withstand accidental damage from the tribulation lightning, and forcefully resisting would be very troublesome.

Liu Changning narrowed her eyes, glanced at the sky heavy with dark clouds, quickly stood up from the pool, and with a slight movement of spiritual power, her discarded clothes returned to her body. She circulated her internal spiritual power, preparing to flee.

Yet as she turned, she met the gaze of the dull-looking black bird floating on the water surface not far away, glaring at her viciously.

Unable to resist, she added a word of reminder: “What are you staring at, you beast? The tribulation lightning is coming, quickly summon your spiritual power to resist… I can’t linger here… until we meet again.”

Old Ancestor Pei choked on a mouthful of blood. The word “beast” echoed in his ears, nearly causing smoke to billow from his seven orifices in anger. His pea-sized eyes glared venomously at the woman not far away.

If it weren’t for this damned junior… the Yuan Extinguishing Light Array would have been activated long ago.

Just now, he was forced to prematurely release his deliberately suppressed cultivation, and now with the lightning tribulation arriving and the array not yet activated, he simply couldn’t withstand a second lightning tribulation.

His long beak opened wide, spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva.

Struggling to lift his head, the sky was now completely covered by tribulation clouds, with flashes of white light flickering within the black layer, casting an eerie white glow over the entire ravine.

Estimating that the lightning tribulation would strike in less than half an incense stick’s time, the cunning and vicious Old Ancestor Pei narrowed his eyes, casting a malevolent glance at the troublemaker nearby, his hatred boundless.

Moving as fast as lightning, he transformed into a streak of light, quickly diving into Liu Changning’s half-open embrace.

Without even looking up at her, his beak swiftly latched onto her bleeding finger, muttering incomprehensible words that Liu Changning couldn’t understand, reciting a contract spell.

Pei Yuanzhao had no other choice at this moment. Apart from forming a spirit beast contract with the woman before him, forcing her to shield him from the lightning tribulation, he had no time to set up a defensive array.

The ancient divine beast Vermilion Bird ancestors evolved from the phoenix. After millions of years of bloodline transmission, by his father’s generation, it had already become very diluted.

But he was an anomaly, with signs of atavism in his bloodline, possessing the pure bloodline of the phoenix, and should have been a celestial beast of the Vermilion Bird clan.

But how could things in this world be so good? He also had half of his mother’s human bloodline.

His constitution was special, half ancient celestial beast bloodline, half human bloodline.

This destined him to a difficult path in cultivation, having to experience two lightning tribulations for every major realm breakthrough.

Yesterday, he had already passed through the first lightning tribulation in his human form.

If it were other old ancestors at this point, they would have already started to meditate to consolidate their internal true qi, but he couldn’t.

The transition from the Mahayana realm to the Crossing Tribulation realm was the final stage of the cultivation path, with dangerous lightning tribulations. Yesterday, he had already used all his strength to resist, barely withstanding the Three-Nine Heavenly Thunder.

But this wasn’t the end; he still had to undergo another lightning tribulation, the one belonging to the celestial beast Vermilion Bird.

Pei Yuanzhao had originally made thorough preparations. After passing through the tribulation in human form, with his body weakened, he had specifically used a teleportation scroll to transport himself to this desolate mountain.

Wu Jun Mountain was a good place he had found fifty years ago. To deal with the lightning tribulation that would come when he reached the peak of the Mahayana realm and broke through to the Crossing Tribulation realm, he had spent a full thirty years setting up the Yuan Extinguishing Light Array at this spring eye location, intending to block the lightning tribulation that would come when he was in beast form.

He never expected that the spring eye, enhanced by the surrounding Mirage Array, would be accidentally stumbled upon by a junior, not only ruining his array but also nearly causing him to drown in the spring water.

He had no choice but to give up suppressing his spiritual power and undergo the tribulation prematurely.

With his current depleted spiritual power, without the enhancement of the array, it would surely result in his death and the destruction of his dao.

At this moment, he had no other option but to…

Old Ancestor Pei was so angry that his two black wings kept trembling. With his crimson eyes wide open, he spat out the last contract spell.

This was a secret technique of the Vermilion Bird clan, used for… for dual… dual cultivation contract. Once the contract was formed, they would share life and death.

If both were willing, cultivating the secret technique together would allow for dual cultivation of spiritual power, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

Now there was no other way but to drag this Foundation Establishment stage little cultivator to block part of the lightning tribulation for him.

As for future dual cultivation… that was almost impossible.

Old Ancestor Pei had known since he became conscious that he was different from others. Born with the Heartless Dao method, cold and indifferent, he didn’t understand what familial affection was even towards his own father, let alone willingly dual cultivating with someone.

This was just an expedient measure; in the future, he only needed to keep her alive to continue without worries.

Snow fell from the surrounding bare tree trunks, creating deep indentations in the snow on the ground.

By the time Liu Changning reacted, it was too late. The blood from her finger stopped flowing as the small black bird’s cry ceased, seeming to gain a life of its own as it flowed back into her body.

A sudden sinking feeling deep in her soul, as if an invisible karmic bond had been established. Liu Changning frowned as she lifted the black bird from her embrace.

“It’s useless, the contract is already formed. That was a secret technique of my clan. From now on, our lives are connected. You live, I live; I die, you die. Little girl, be good and help the old ancestor block the lightning tribulation, otherwise… we die together.”

Old Daoist Liu, having lived several lifetimes, had never been ambushed like this before. She narrowed her eyes and threw the ugly bird in her hand.

The small black bird once again fell into the hot spring pool, causing ripples on the water surface.

He straightened his neck and made two hoarse chirps, saying hatefully, “Heh… don’t believe it?”

He looked up at the tribulation clouds above, blood at the edges of his long beak: “Ruining the old ancestor’s plans, then let’s die together.”

At this moment, thunder suddenly erupted in the sky. The tribulation clouds parted, and a thunderous roar descended, almost enveloping the entire hot spring pool. The lightning from the sky arrived in an instant.

The Old Ancestor Pei, who had just been making threats, closed his eyes. That Foundation Establishment stage junior in the distance was clueless, standing still, making no attempt to resist.

It was also his wishful thinking; how could a mere Foundation Establishment stage female disciple withstand his lightning tribulation? He had originally considered that her deep spiritual sense might offer a glimmer of hope.

Who knew she would be… a greenhorn fresh out of training.

However, even if he died, this greenhorn who had ruined all his plans must also perish with him. Old Ancestor Pei had always been vengeful.

He closed his eyes, secretly gathering his last bit of spiritual power. Dying in such a place could not satisfy him.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths…

The small black bird held his breath, gathering strength, but the lightning tribulation from the sky still hadn’t fallen on him.

He opened his eyes in surprise…

Above the misty vapors, a woman in white clothes floated in mid-air, her black hair flying in the mountain wind, making her face appear even more cold and otherworldly, standing aloof from the world. Her white dress fluttered, her graceful figure captivating. Even Old Ancestor Pei, who had seen many beauties in the cultivation world, was stunned for a moment.

At this moment, she was forming hand seals, her palms fluttering in the air.

The lightning tribulation seemed to fear her, hiding in the black clouds, hesitating to descend.

Her movements didn’t stop as she continued to form hand seals.

Upon closer inspection, she was actually setting up an array, using spells as a guide without spirit stones.

Old Ancestor Pei’s pea-sized eyes widened into circles…