Chapter 61 – Youying

Zhuzhao – these were two characters Yun Xiguang and Chi Qiong were incredibly familiar with. However, the meanings behind these characters differed for each of them.

To Yun Xiguang, Zhuzhao was his school, the place where he had lived for over a decade, and one of the foundations of the entire Spiritbond World.

On the other hand, to Chi Qiong, “Zhuzhao” referred to the legendary Sun Zhuzhao.

This sun was not the celestial star in the sky; the star had always existed, but it wasn’t originally called the sun. Instead, there was the Sun Zhuzhao first, and then people named the star in the sky after it.

After Pangu split the heavens and earth and his body perished, his eyes combined with the Yin and Yang energies from the Taiji, and transformed into the Sun Zhuzhao and the Moon Youying, respectively.

Following that, the Taiji split into the Four Symbols, the Four Symbols into the Eight Trigrams, and the Eight Trigrams evolved into sixty-four variations, giving rise to all the creatures and phenomena in heaven and earth.

Pangu’s body transformed into flying birds and beasts, while the Sun Zhuzhao and the Moon Youying bestowed spirit upon these naive and savage beasts, thus creating the spirit beasts.

It was due to this reason that the two major academies in the Spiritbond World were named Zhuzhao and Youying, to commemorate the ancestors of all beasts.

Zhuzhao was the most powerful and noble sacred beast among all the myriad phenomena in the heavens, revered by the spirit beasts as a Supreme Deity.

Yun Xiguang suddenly recalled how all the spirit beasts respected Chi Qiong, and remembered Azure Dragon mentioning that there were three divine beasts in the world that were not subject to the laws of nature. The third of these was the Zhulong, but unlike the Zhulong who didn’t entirely ignore the laws, but was actually an embodiment of them, the identities of the other two great divine beasts were unknown to Azure Dragon despite their power far surpassing that of the Zhulong.

Actually, Yun Xiguang was well-versed in ancient legends and should have guessed that these two divine beasts were none other than the Sun Zhuzhao and the Moon Youying. But at the time, he seemed to have lost his mind, turning a blind eye to the truth and completely unable to think about this matter.

It wasn’t until Chi Qiong muttered the call that echoed in his dreams that Yun Xiguang came to his senses, guessing that the divine beast above the Zhulong was precisely the name he had been muttering every day during his school days — Zhuzhao and Youying.

When combined with Chi Qiong’s identity, the fact that divine beasts bowed down to him, and the laws needing his phoenix feather to accomplish their deeds, Yun Xiguang finally understood at this moment. How could Chi Qiong be just a phoenix? He was fundamentally the divine beast formed from Pangu’s eyes — the Sun Zhuzhao!

After realizing this, Yun Xiguang stared at Chi Qiong in astonishment, utterly at a loss for how to express his complicated emotions.

If Chi Qiong was merely the master of spiritual birds, Yun Xiguang could still muster up courage. He could grow stronger, work hard, and continue to be Chi Qiong’s Spiritbond Master.

But now, Chi Qiong’s true identity was too shocking and sensational. How could he possibly strive to become bonded with the sun in the nine heavens?

That was much more difficult than going to the moon and causing trouble.

Seeing Yun Xiguang’s complex expression, Chi Qiong said somewhat displeasedly, “This Exalted One dislikes that look in your eyes.”

Yun Xiguang was slightly taken aback and prepared to shift his gaze away, but then he saw Chi Qiong extend his hands and place them on both sides of Yun Xiguang’s cheeks, not allowing him to turn his head.

Chi Qiong continued, “This Exalted One is exceedingly wise and capable of seeing through everything in the world, yet every time you display that expression, this Exalted One can’t fathom your thoughts. You’re clearly this Exalted One’s Spiritbond Master, so why do you make this Exalted One guess your thoughts? Shouldn’t your thoughts be displayed clearly before this Exalted One through your soul?”

Was he angry about this? Yun Xiguang recalled how the little spirit bird would always wear his feelings openly on his face, in his expressions, and in his proud little black-bean eyes. He also remembered how he himself would never show his joy or anger. It was only then that he realized hiding his emotions was also a form of disrespect to his bonded spirit beast.

However, concealing emotions had become his survival instinct; it wasn’t something he could change overnight.

Other Spiritbond Masters also had such personalities, but they had their spirit roots. No matter how much they disguised themselves, their emotions wouldn’t be hidden from the spirit beasts.

Yun Xiguang said somewhat sorrowfully and apologetically, “I’m sorry, I don’t have a spirit root and neglected this matter, but you…”

Yun Xiguang was about to say, ‘but you won’t need a Spiritbond Master once you’ve regained your strength.’

However, before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Chi Qiong.

Chi Qiong nodded and said, “That’s true, you can’t release energy from the luminous spot between your brows. Would you like this Exalted One to extract that four-legged snake’s tendons and dig out the spirit root to return it to you?”

Yun Xiguang: “…”

Was he referring to the Crimson Chi?

He hurriedly replied, “No, let’s not. The Crimson Chi is my mother’s spirit beast and has saved our lives. It needs my spirit root to escape the constraints of the Spirit Beast Codex. Moreover, spilled water cannot be retrieved; once lost, things can’t return to their original positions. Even if I reclaimed the spirit root, it would only be the spirit root from when I was eight years old. It hasn’t grown with me and is no longer suitable for my identity and soul. It might as well remain within the Crimson Chi and fulfill its final purpose.”

Chi Qiong stared at Yun Xiguang, his face, which couldn’t hide his thoughts, was filled with unhidden notions such as “I really want to extract its tendons,” “Giving me the spirit root to play with would be fine too,” and “Alright, I’ll spare its life for now.”

Yun Xiguang: “…”

As a bird, Chi Qiong’s thoughts were already easy to understand. A single “chirp” could convey many messages. After transforming into a human, his expressions became even richer, making him easier to read.

After deciding to spare the Crimson Chi’s life, Chi Qiong said, “No problem, this Exalted One has its own methods.”

With that, Yun Xiguang saw Chi Qiong’s face drawing closer to his own. In Yun Xiguang’s astonished gaze, Chi Qiong pressed his lips against Yun Xiguang’s forehead.

Since the age of eight, Yun Xiguang had never had physical contact with another human being. He froze, momentarily forgetting to resist. A series of domineering “chirps” drilled into his mind from the point of contact on his brow.

Using the contact on the brow as a bridge, Chi Qiong used his own power to temporarily replace Yun Xiguang’s spirit root.

Soon, the “chirping” sounds flooding Yun Xiguang’s mind transformed into Chi Qiong’s voice.

“What are you thinking?” Chi Qiong asked.

Yun Xiguang’s thoughts flickered, turning into words that flooded into Chi Qiong’s mind: “I’m thinking that you’re so powerful, you may not need a Spiritbond Master.”

Essentially, a Spiritbond Master was a medium for spirit beasts — a necessary existence because spirit beasts couldn’t exert their power in the world or survive independently.

However, Chi Qiong didn’t suffer from such troubles. As he grew stronger, he no longer needed Yun Xiguang.

“Chirp! You’re quite smart, you know this Exalted One is strong enough. Since you clearly know this Exalted One is so powerful that it won’t be harmed by the swamp, why did you still expend your strength to protect this Exalted One?” Chi Qiong asked.

He was referring to earlier when Yun Xiguang, despite his severe injuries from the Carnivorous Tree’s sonic attack, still used a ball of flames to shield the little spirit bird, preventing Chi Qiong from falling into the swamp.

Yun Xiguang didn’t really want to answer this question, but soul communication couldn’t conceal inner thoughts. His thoughts involuntarily flooded into Chi Qiong’s sea of consciousness.

“I certainly knew you wouldn’t be injured, but wouldn’t you get dirty?” Yun Xiguang revealed his true thoughts. “Last time, when my kitchen exploded, although you weren’t hurt at all, you turned black and covered in soot. This time, you won’t be corroded by the strong acid, but getting your feathers stuck in the strong acid and mud would make them sticky and uncomfortable, right? You’re my little spirit bird, whom I clean meticulously every day, making your feathers soft and fluffy. Every time I see your fluffy appearance, I want to kiss you. If you got dirty, I’d be reluctant to kiss you for a long time.”

Yun Xiguang: “…”

Wait, was a Spirit Contract supposed to be such an unreserved contract? These thoughts he kept secret were really unsuitable for Chi Qiong to know!

He thought Chi Qiong would be very angry, but unexpectedly, a series of joyful “chirps” echoed in his mind, like a skylark singing.

“This Exalted One knew it, you’ve been coveting this Exalted One’s body for a long time. How audacious.” Chi Qiong spoke in an abnormally satisfied tone, saying seemingly displeased words.

Yun Xiguang desperately wanted to explain that it wasn’t like that, but his soul betrayed him, honestly conveying his thoughts through the brow contact: “Yeah, I always wish you weren’t such a powerful divine beast. If you were really just a little yellow chick, that would be great. Then I could properly protect you, love you, comb your feathers every day, mess with your silly hair every day, and then kiss you bald…”

No, they couldn’t continue communicating like this!

Struggling, Yun Xiguang broke free from Chi Qiong’s lips, raising his hand to cover his forehead. “Supreme Deity Zhuzhao, since we can both speak now, there’s no need to communicate in this manner! Let’s leave some space for each other!”

Chi Qiong uttered an “oh,” his joy almost lifting his nose to the sky. He suppressed his happy mood as much as possible, saying, “Why call me Supreme Deity Zhuzhao? Didn’t you call me Little Yellow Chick chirp?”

Don’t add that “chirp” at the end of your sentences; it would make him involuntarily merge the image of the handsome man before him with that of a little yellow chick. That would lead to a huge disaster! Yun Xiguang thought, covering his forehead in despair.

“Let’s not discuss such trivial matters for now. You said that the words ‘Zhuzhao’ have been echoing in your ears, as if someone is calling you. Who has been calling you?” Yun Xiguang tried to change the topic.

At the mention of this, Chi Qiong’s interested tone suddenly turned cold. He said indifferently, “Having reclaimed four phoenix feathers and having the reminder of the words ‘Zhuzhao,’ this Exalted One has vaguely recalled a bit. Apart from Youying, who else could summon this Exalted One?”

“Youying is the second source of power for the demon beasts?” Yun Xiguang asked.

Chi Qiong nodded.

Yun Xiguang suddenly realized that Chi Qiong had awakened on Two Principles Mountain, which backed the Zhuzhao Spiritbond Academy. In other words, by fate, the Sun Zhuzhao was precisely at the Zhuzhao Spiritbond Academy.

If that was the case, could the Moon Youying also coincidentally be at the Youying Spiritbond Academy? Although it was a coincidence, it was possible that the two major academies had unknowingly taken their names from the influence of Zhuzhao and Youying’s powers.

Yun Xiguang said, “The last person to possess a phoenix feather, Ruan Shu, was a student at the Youying Spiritbond Academy. The spirit beasts at the Youying Spiritbond Academy mainly consisted of underwater and underground creatures. This time, the Weaver Ants were also underground creatures, and we saw demon beasts here, and you heard Youying’s call, meaning that this phoenix feather was also obtained by Youying.

“Nine parts of your spirit energy have been divided, with at least two parts falling into Youying’s hands. The demon beasts created by Youying have the ability to devour spirit energy… Could your division of spirit energy have something to do with Youying? Or perhaps, Youying is collecting your phoenix feathers?”

“My memory isn’t clear, but I believe that the laws of the world alone could at most divide the spirit energy into nine parts, but they couldn’t prevent me from reclaiming my power.” Chi Qiong said solemnly.

In this world, only the Moon Youying, whose power was both complementary and contradictory to that of the Sun Zhuzhao, had the capability to prevent Chi Qiong from reclaiming his power, forcefully suppressing the nine phoenix feathers across the world.

The enemy wasn’t just Heavenly Law.

Yun Xiguang suddenly realized that Hai Ruobo’s mirage belonged to underwater creatures, and Hai Ruobo himself hailed from the Youying Spiritbond Academy.

In other words, wanting to eliminate Bai Ze was Youying’s intention.