Chapter 3: The Interdependence of Humans and Beasts

Su Mingyan could not help but feel worried. After the fierce battle between the purple beast and the gray wolf, both were severely injured and, despite giving birth to a cub, were in an extremely weakened state. They lacked even the strength to raise their heads to look at the cub in Su Mingyan's hands, uncertain if they would ever regain their vitality.

On this day, under the instruction of Su Mingyan, Zi Suan unearthed many tubers from the ground. Su Mingyan piled the withered vines on top of the tubers, ignited them with a fire talisman, and observed the blue smoke rising from the damp withered vines, with flickering flames hidden within the smoke

Along the ancient path of the Chubu River, a person and a beast journeyed towards Yujia, encountering far fewer dangers than anticipated. Aside from a few feathered serpents with blue wings, only a solitary dragon-winged bird posed a challenge for Sumin Yan.

Before the Chu Bu River ceased to flow, several river systems also developed from the southeastern foothills of Yu Jia Mountain or Yan Yun Mountain, flowing through the Yan Yu Plateau and converging into the Chu Bu River, which meandered around the Yan Yu Plateau

However, it seemed that Zisuan could discern the thoughts of Sumin Yan. It stepped forward, extended its front paw, and gently prodded, flipping a feathered snake onto its back, revealing its white belly. Lacking resilient scales, the snake's belly was cut in multiple places by the sharp stones on the ground, oozing azure blood. The edges of Zisuan's paws extended sharp claws, slicing through the snake's belly, and it extracted a deep brown gallbladder, larger than a fist, swallowing it whole.

The exuberance of the Chubu River will not last long, as it winds around the foothills of Mount Yujia, entering what was once the Yujia Gorge Plain, now more appropriately referred to as the Yujia Desert, where the clear river water disappears into the quicksand.

Since moving into the stone cave, Zi Suan has stopped eating, only drinking some clear water each day. At this moment, Su Mingyan forced the beast meat into her mouth, which Zi Suan spat out, causing Su Mingyan to feel anxious and unable to bear it any longer. She could not help but pry open Zi Suan's bloody giant mouth and directly shove the beast meat into her throat.

However, recently, the appetite of the purple beast has been growing increasingly large, yet it refuses to eat raw meat, which has left Su Mingyan in great distress. Su Mingyan understands that the consumption of the purple beast during labor is significantly greater than usual, and coupled with the fact that its injuries have not yet healed, this is the reason for its current state. The purple beast will be even weaker during labor, making it inadvisable to recklessly venture into unfamiliar places; should it encounter ferocious beasts like the feathered serpent, the purple beast would be in grave danger.

Su Mingyan thought to himself: When the little one grows teeth, it will be just right for him to use them to grind.

For thousands of years, only the divine Mahā has revealed the vast and boundless power of the gods before the world

The Wind Blade struggled to penetrate Su Mingyan's azure energy shield. Su Mingyan extended his left hand to support the shield and used fire talisman techniques to condense the chaotic elemental power into a flame arrow, shooting it towards the Feathered Serpent. The flame arrow momentarily failed to pierce the Feathered Serpent's white scales. Although Su Mingyan knew that the weakness of the Feathered Serpent lay in its pair of blue, eerie compound eyes, the Feathered Serpent was swift and not inferior to Su Mingyan, making it difficult for him to deal with it in that moment

Mount Yujia, oriented east-west, is flanked by the Yan Yun Mountains, which stretch from the northwest to the southeast, forming a sharp angle with two massive highlands that enclose the southwestern part of the Yan Yun Plateau. For the sparsely populated Yan Yun Plateau, place names seem to lose their significance in comparison to literary opinions; that highland was once referred to as the Yan Yu Plateau a thousand years ago.

These rivers still exist, but their flow cannot be compared to the mighty rivers of a thousand years ago. The Chubu River has gathered several tributaries, significantly increasing its water flow. Su Mingyan, sitting far away on the high ground by the riverbank, can still hear the river water, which seems to crouch like a wild beast in the night, emitting a mournful roar.

What? Su Mingyan lowered his head and glanced. It had been nearly three months since he left the academy, and his clothes were already tattered and unable to keep him warm. He had hunted a Siamese raccoon, skinned its glossy, brownish fur, and roughly tanned it before draping it over himself. Just now, sitting there with his head bowed to his chest, he was meticulously peeling the skin off a plant tuber. From behind, didn’t he resemble a Siamese raccoon standing with its forelimbs bent?

With the conclusion of the life process of nurturing the young, the instinct of the purple beast, which extracts the life force from the fruit of the Adonai flower, gradually fades away

The legendary feathered serpent is a variant of the dragon beast. The dragon beast is a character that appears alongside deities in creation myths

The purple beast suddenly opened its eyes and let out a low growl. Su Mingyan was startled to see a hint of resentment in the beast's eyes, thinking to himself: Is it not permissible to think this way? This little creature has grown to such a size, who knows how many years it took? Skinning it for clothing is no different from skinning you. Grasping the little beast by the nape, he used a bone knife made from the wing bones of a dragon-winged bird to cut off the excess umbilical cord beneath the little beast's abdomen

Although the purple beast was weak and feeble, the aura of a ruler that she exuded instilled a primal fear in the wild beasts that approached her

Su Mingyan sat beside the pile of smoldering plant tubers, with the majestic Yujia Mountain clearly visible in the distance. Towering into the clouds and stretching for thousands of miles, Yujia Mountain is a vast mountain range formed by the Yan Yun branch, lying across the southern edge of the Yan Yun wilderness, serving as the boundary mountain between Yan Yun and Canaan.

The giant stomach of the purple beast, capable of melting gold, was unable to digest the fruit of the Adonai divine flower. After giving birth to a cub last night, it regurgitated it from its belly

At this moment, Su Mingyan realized that the rapid recovery of the purple beast and the gray wolf after their fierce battle, as well as their ability to successfully give birth to offspring, depended entirely on this green fruit. However, he was unaware whether this wrinkled green fruit still possessed such miraculous powers

The Chubu River's ancient channel, with its gently flowing shallow waters, is one of the few water sources in the central region of Yanyun. Most wild beasts come here to drink. Su Mingyan is uncertain whether other wild beasts, like the feathered serpent, will come to test the reality of the purple beast. Staying a little farther from the riverbank reduces the danger.

The purple beast lay in place, its four legs limply sprawled. Su Mingyan felt a pang in his heart, thinking that the purple beast had not endured the events of the previous night. He picked up the young creature and placed it on the purple beast, only to discover that the beast's mouth was slightly ajar, from which emanated a faint bluish glow. It was then that Su Mingyan noticed the purple beast's eyes, resembling bronze bells, were slightly open, still holding a glimmer of light. The bluish light emanating from its mouth was, in fact, the Adonai flower fruit that he had thought the purple beast had already consumed.

The dragon-winged bird, gluttonous and foolish, came over to snatch the second piece of snake meat. Su Mingyan used a fire talisman technique to shoot a flame arrow, piercing through the meat wing, causing it to fall headlong. The purple wolf eagerly leaped up and tore the dragon-winged bird into countless pieces.

Su Mingyan was astonished: This beast is with me every day, on all fours, where could it possibly hide the green fruit?

The three feathered serpents, struck in the eyes by the flaming arrows, did not die immediately; instead, they fell into a state of madness, wreaking havoc in the riverside thicket. The immense pain caused the feathered serpents to unleash tremendous force, leaving Su Mingyan astounded. The serpent's tail, over one zhang in length, struck against a boulder taller than a person, producing a thunderous sound as the boulder shattered into countless fragments, scattering in all directions

The fruit of the Adonai Divine Flower, which does not decay for a thousand years, contains the breath of life. The purple beast can instinctively extract the life energy needed to nurture its young by consuming it. Had it not been for the fierce battle with the Azure Wolf, resulting in severe injuries before obtaining the Adonai Divine Flower's fruit, the purple beast would not only have maintained its strength without any detriment from nurturing its young but would also have gained even more vigorous vitality from the fruit, thereby enhancing its power significantly. Had it not been for the fierce battle with the Azure Wolf, resulting in severe injuries before obtaining the Adonai Divine Flower's fruit, the purple beast would not only have maintained its strength without any detriment from nurturing its young but would also have gained even more vigorous vitality from the fruit, thereby enhancing its power significantly

The young beast is nurtured by the life essence contained within the fruit of the Adonai flower. Although the life essence within the green fruit is very faint, the young beast is quite familiar with its scent. Pausing for a moment, it burrows into Su Mingyan's embrace, using its fluffy little mouth to nuzzle the green fruit tucked inside the inner pocket of her clothing

Emerging from the dense forest, a steep mountain ridge suddenly loomed before them, home to a multitude of relatively non-aggressive wild beasts such as the unicorn goat, the golden monkey, and the ornate-bellied bird. These creatures, startled by the arrival of Zisuan and Sumingyan, fled in fear. Suminyan stepped in front of Zisuan, feeling quite pleased with himself as he observed the chaos his presence had caused throughout the entire mountain ridge.

The skin of the feathered serpent is remarkably tough; despite the tremendous force exerted against the thicket, there are hardly any places where it has ruptured

The dragon-winged bird was attracted by the enticing aroma of roasted snake meat. Its slender body was adorned with a pair of black membranous wings. Su Mingyan had seen in the scriptures and illustrations that dragon beasts also possessed similar membranous wings, which, when spread, measured the length of two arms. It swooped down towards the roasted snake meat, its dark long beak piercing into the flesh before it flew away. As its steel-hook-like claws brushed past Su Mingyan's shoulder, it swiftly dove down and snatched a piece. Although Su Mingyan instinctively shrank his shoulder in alertness, a chunk of flesh was still taken, leaving his shoulder bloodied and painful, a searing agony piercing through him.

The purple fox's body has not fully recovered, making it impossible to nurse the young purple fox. As winter arrives, it is extremely difficult to find berries in the wilderness. Su Mingyan can only mash the beast meat into pieces each day, cooking it into a meat porridge to feed the young purple fox, and has no time to roast over a hundred pounds of beast meat daily to fill the giant stomach of the purple fox.

A thousand years ago, the Xi people diverted the source of the Chubu River. Although this did not completely cut off the river's flow, the water volume was reduced to less than one hundred, leaving only the areas close to the river suitable for habitation. In the initial hundred years of the *Book of Changes*, countless Yanyun people lived along both banks of the river. However, as the Yanyun population dwindled, various wild beasts emerged from the Yanyun Mountains, thriving and multiplying across the Yanyun land, ultimately driving the last of the Yanyun inhabitants from this territory, rendering it a complete wasteland.

On the third day, the young beast opened its eyes, its pale purple eyes resembling a pair of translucent jade stones. The bright purple fur appeared like a mass of dark purple chaotic flames, resting on the broad head of the purple beast. The purple beast's ears stood upright, completely concealing the young beast; alternatively, it lay in the large pocket of Su Mingyan's garment, its small head poking out from the torn opening, hanging down.

After staying in the cave for two days, Zi Suan regained some strength, and the three of them headed back to the old course of the Chubu River, making their way south towards Yu Jia

A delicate call echoed from afar

Although there are less than thirty days left until the agreed deadline, Su Mingyan has decided to wait until Zisan gives birth to the cubs before setting off

Su Mingyan presented the green fruit before the little purple beast, which opened its mouth to take it. However, the green fruit no longer emitted the faint blue smoke-like halo as it had when in the mouth of the purple beast.

A large pool of filthy blood flowed beneath the purple beast's belly, where a small purple creature wriggled in the blood, its head burrowing chaotically against the purple beast's abdomen. The umbilical cord had already been bitten off, leaving a small segment trailing behind. In comparison to the massive body of the purple beast, the small creature appeared exceedingly insignificant. Su Mingyan opened his palm, and the creature was roughly the size of his hand, wriggling in the filthy blood yet remaining untainted by the stains, its purple fur remarkably peculiar.

After much struggle, the three feathered serpents gradually exhausted their strength, convulsing as they lay across the riverside. Su Mingyan did not dare to take risks, allowing the serpent's tail to strike back once; losing half of his life was not worth it. Once the feathered serpents were completely dead, Su Mingyan and Zi Suan approached.

The next morning, he felt something damp, sticky, and warm licking his hand. Su Mingyan suddenly woke up, pushed away the young beast that was licking his hand, and leaned forward to look at the purple monkey, feeling angry with himself for being able to fall asleep.

After three days, Zisan's energy had somewhat recovered, and he expelled the fruit of the Adonai divine flower, beginning to eat. Sumin picked up the Adonai divine flower fruit, feeling a faint pain in his heart. The green skin of the fruit was wrinkled and lacked any luster, and he could hardly sense any flow of life within it.

Uncle Er, that seems to be a person

After a prolonged struggle, Zi San lost patience and directly unleashed a mass of chaotic fire essence, incinerating the massive tail of a feathered serpent into char. Taking advantage of the moment when the other feathered serpents were momentarily stunned, Su Mingyan shot forth arrows of flame, hitting the eyes of three feathered serpents in quick succession, causing the remaining feathered serpents to scatter in disarray

The savage beasts that feed on these lowly wild beasts, Su Mingyan questioned whether he could abandon the purple beast and escape alone. He searched for a stone cave, inserting dozens of feathered snake bones into the open space in front of the cave, leaving only a winding path; he also arranged the interior of the cave to prevent fierce wild beasts from breaking in.

A person and a beast left the wide, pebble-strewn riverbed of the Chubu River, where only the sound of flowing water and the rustling of aquatic plants could be heard, and walked towards the depths of the dense forest to the west

The momentum was astonishing, and Su Mingyan and Zi Suan cautiously moved aside. Su Mingyan thought to himself: If that nest of feathered serpents were to come up and unleash such incredible force, the only option would be to flee in panic, with no other path available.

Although it pains the heart, I still put the green fruit into my pocket. The breath of life within the green fruit is so weak that it should not evoke any response from Mo Jiebo Cen and Wu Mi Sheng

The servants in the academy had extremely poor meals, and Su Mingge could not openly allow Su Mingyan to enter his room for dining. As a martial artist, the energy expenditure was significant, so Su Mingyan developed the habit of foraging for food in the wilderness. He became adept at identifying edible plants, preparing spices, seasoning with rock salt, and smoking meat from beasts.

The dragon beast mated with the giant python, resulting in the birth of the feathered serpent, which possesses the extraordinary ability to exhale dragon breath.

Su Mingyan turned his head to look at the purple beast, feeling that the existence of this creature in the world made revering the divine a wise choice. In the creation myth, the dragon beast is the servant of the God of Stellar Light. Could it be that the God of Stellar Light uses his enormous tail to wrap around the body of the dragon beast while flying on the battlefield?

Su Mingyan had never considered that the entire coat of the purple beast could remain unblemished, impervious to fire. Under the sunlight, it was indeed resplendent and brilliant. Once the little creature grew up and its coat was shed to make a grand fur garment, the selling price would surely be astonishingly high

Only when there was one left did he remember to give it to me. Su Mingyan knew that the feathered serpent's gallbladder was a valuable item, but unfortunately, it did not possess the fiery stomach capable of melting gold like Zisuan. Heartbroken, Su Mingyan tossed the feathered serpent's gallbladder into Zisuan's mouth, then turned around to cut open the white skin beneath the feathered serpent's belly, slicing off a dozen pieces of white flesh, before heading out to search for any fragrant herbs.

The young purple beast was born with immense strength, and although it had not yet grown teeth, the biting force between its upper and lower jaws was remarkably powerful. However, it could not break the green fruit. At that moment, Su Mingyan realized that although the green fruit appeared to be no different from ordinary fruits, it possessed unimaginable toughness. The green skin of the fruit resembled the old skin of a feathered serpent that had shed its scales. Su Mingyan held the green fruit in his palm and exerted all his strength, yet he still could not crush the green fruit.

The feathered serpent encountered by Su Mingyan and Zi Suan is vastly different from the legendary ancestor. If one were to overlook the fierce snake head and the massive body of the giant python, the white scales and blue feathers are quite beautiful, as it raises its serpent head and moves, lacking the height of Su Mingyan. Unlike the ancestor that breathes dragon fire, these feathered serpents can only exhale blades of wind.

Su Mingyan grasped the bone arrow in his hand with a backhand motion, his left hand supporting a shield of air as he leaped back onto the high ground; the purple beast let out a roar, echoing like thunder, regaining some of the majesty of a kingly wild beast, yet did not charge forward with righteous indignation.

Sometimes, without realizing it, the young beast would wriggle its entire small body out of the hole in the pocket and fall to the ground. The soft body of the young beast would land silently on the pile of decaying leaves, which was quite strange. Fortunately, the purple marten was very sensitive to the young beast's scent, so it would not return to search for the young beast only to find it had already become prey in the belly of other wild beasts.

Daring to disregard the intimidation of the Purple Serpent King and the wild beast aura, the Feathered Serpent's rank is unlikely to be much lower than that of the Purple Serpent. A group of nearly ten Feathered Serpents could easily challenge the majesty of the Purple Serpent, especially since this particular Purple Serpent is currently in a weakened state, having expelled a breath of chaotic fire essence, leaving Su Mingyan devoid of any hope in her confidence.

In the vast valley of the Chubu River, dense forests cover the area, with the ruins of the ancient capital of Yanyun and the remnants of broken fortifications scattered intermittently throughout the thick woods, evoking a sense of endless desolation

High-level wild beasts, such as the feathered serpent, purple beast, and azure wolf, accumulate demonic power in their brains, forming crystal cores as they age, which are extremely precious materials. Su Mingyan is reluctant to smash the feathered serpent's head with a boulder in front of the purple beast to search for the crystal core, as wild beasts regard each other as kin. The purple beast has already developed a sense of spirituality, and it is uncertain how she would perceive this action

Su Mingyan felt a surge of joy in his heart. As he raised his left hand, a small ball of pale purple flame leaped into his palm at the moment his thoughts stirred. The stalactites in the cave reflected a shimmering purple glow, creating a truly beautiful sight

Su Mingyan used a hazel stick to dig out a well-cooked plant tuber from the ash pile, allowing the wind to cool it down. He inserted a sharpened hazel branch into the scorched and cracked skin of the tuber, bringing it to his mouth. As he pursed his lips, he blew away the steam rising from the cracked skin, just as he was about to bite into the fragrant, charred surface, a sudden movement from the purple guardian beast's front paw brushed against his shoulder.

Su Mingyan gazed at the traces of the people who once lived on this land a thousand years ago, feeling an endless sense of emotion within. He thought to himself: One day, I will do my utmost to restore this place to its former glory

The bone-chilling aura of killing intent; Su Mingyan had lived in the wilderness for fifteen years, possessing the keen instincts of a wild beast, yet still falling short compared to the innate abilities of the purple beast. Without the strength of the purple beast, Su Mingyan could not be certain of completely evading the impending lethal strike

On the night five days later, Su Mingyan was awakened by the low growl of the purple beast. Upon opening his eyes, he saw the dark silhouette of the purple beast glowing with a faint red light beneath its shadowy form. In the dim light, a small dark shape was writhing within the blood glow.

With a rustling sound, three bone arrows pierced through the air, emitting sharp noises as they embedded themselves into the ground right behind Su Mingyan's heels. Had he not instinctively lunged forward, those three bone arrows would have struck directly into his back.

At this moment, one can only rely on the power of the fruit of the Adonai flower to slightly alleviate the body's excessive weakness

How can the regal beast, the Purple Suan, maintain its dignity when a dragon-winged bird successfully ambushes it from behind? Su Mingyan observed the glistening drool hanging from the giant beak of the Purple Suan, feeling a surge of anger. Just moments ago, this creature had allowed the enticing aroma of snake meat to distract it, completely losing the keen instincts expected of a regal beast.

The purple serpent swallowed three feathered snake hearts and placed the fourth feathered snake heart at Su Mingyan's feet

The young beast was thrown under the belly of the purple beast, and Su Mingyan fetched clean water to wash away the bloodstains. He then tore the roasted beast meat from the night before into small strips and stuffed them into the mouth of the purple beast