Chapter 77 – Unease

The creature Youying chose to replace Zhuzhao turned out to be a mushroom!

He had expected Youying to create something similar to the terrifying beasts from Lovecraftian mythos. He had braced himself to see an abominable, indescribable horror that would chill the marrow of one’s bones, but never did he expect it to just be a mushroom.

Wasn’t this looking down on Chi Qiong a bit too much?

At the very least, pick a creature capable of movement. Mushrooms were inherently sedentary beings that thrived in dark and damp environments. They couldn’t move; how could they possibly serve as a replacement for Zhuzhao?

Yun Xiguang suddenly felt a twinge of sympathy for Chi Qiong.

Chi Qiong, however, remained composed. He met Yun Xiguang’s affectionate gaze and let out a puzzled “chirp,” wondering why Yun Xiguang’s face seemed to say, “I want to hug you.”

“Chirp.” In response to Yun Xiguang’s look, Chi Qiong chirped with a hint of seriousness, conveying the message, “There are so many people here, and we have important matters to attend to. If you want to cuddle, wait until we’re back home.”

After making his protest known, Chi Qiong spread his wings and flew up, hooking his small claws onto Yun Xiguang’s clothing. He chirped again.

Chi Qiong: There’s no choice, I can only allow a hug, but we still need to discuss business after.

Yun Xiguang didn’t understand what Chi Qiong meant, but thinking about how he, as the Supreme Deity Zhuzhao, had fallen on hard times — bullied even by dogs, and every demon and ghost wanted to exploit his phoenix feathers — he couldn’t help feeling heartache. With both hands, he embraced the little yellow chick, tenderly stroking him from head to tail feather.

The Mirage clanged its giant clamshell shut, using its action to indicate that it hadn’t seen anything.

Golden-Winged Xiaopeng wanted to berate Yun Xiguang for being too despicable, but then he remembered that he and Li Zheng had been rescued by Yun Xiguang. Instantly, he shut his mouth, and his expression turned stern.

Azure Dragon appeared indifferent, clearly having grown accustomed to the situation.

Bai Ze pounded its chest with a hoof. It had long realized that between Yun Xiguang and the Supreme Deity, it was the Supreme Deity who had fallen for human emotions, while Yun Xiguang harbored admiration, respect, and brotherly affection. What if the Supreme Deity confessed, and Yun Xiguang acted clueless? How were they, the divine beasts in the know, supposed to live with that?

It truly regretted having eyes that could see through everything!

Fortunately, Chi Qiong was a bird who kept his word. Saying he would allow a hug meant just that — one hug. Soon, he reluctantly flew out of Yun Xiguang’s embrace, perching on his shoulder in an understanding manner, signaling that they could now proceed with discussing business.

Yun Xiguang refocused his attention on the giant mushroom and looked at Bai Ze. “Are those three phoenix feathers all inside this mushroom?”

With a clear direction this time, Bai Ze carefully calculated before nodding. “Indeed.”

Azure Dragon spoke somewhat ruthlessly. “There are no living humans left within Youying Academy; everyone there is an enemy. Although it pains us to think of the innocent victims, for us, this is actually a good thing.”

No living humans meant no hostages, and they wouldn’t have to risk rescuing people from under the giant mushroom’s control.

Yun Xiguang and Li Zheng simultaneously thought of the vibrant students within Youying Academy. Admissions began from elementary school, or even kindergarten, meaning there were still many children within the academy. They had died senselessly, perhaps without even leaving behind a complete corpse. It was truly heart-wrenching.

But just as Azure Dragon said, they had no time now to mourn for the dead. All they could do was eliminate this giant mushroom and assist Chi Qiong in retrieving the remaining three phoenix feathers.

Yun Xiguang looked at Chi Qiong. “Once we enter Youying Academy, can you transform back into your true form like yesterday?”

Chi Qiong thought seriously and nodded solemnly.

Everyone wore expressions of delight.

With four phoenix feathers, if Chi Qiong could unleash his strength, defeating the giant mushroom with only three phoenix feathers would be an easy task. Their mission would surely be a smashing success.

Li Zheng suggested, “Even though the Supreme Deity can defeat that mushroom monster, we should still proceed with caution. It would be best to weaken the mushroom monster first. We have a total of fifteen fighter jets here, each equipped with a super-class weapon. Just one missile could level Youying Academy.

“I propose that we first employ the tactic of carpet bombing, dropping missiles from high altitudes. After all heavy weaponry has been deployed, we can then enter Youying Academy to retrieve the phoenix feathers.”

Yun Xiguang agreed.

Judging solely by the number of phoenix feathers, Chi Qiong’s victory was undoubted. However, since there was a way to weaken the mushroom monster’s strength beforehand, using thermal weapons was a safer bet.

Their enemies were complex. Not only was there the mushroom monster, but also the motiveless Youying lurking behind it, along with the hidden Zhulong and the law manipulating everything.

Now that seven phoenix feathers had gathered at Youying Academy, if the two from Zhulong were added, their side would have more phoenix feathers than Chi Qiong.

And their opponents were Youying, on par with Chi Qiong, and Zhulong, whose strength was not to be underestimated. Even if Yun Xiguang had utmost confidence in Chi Qiong, he worried that he might fall victim to a sneak attack.

Therefore, if they could conserve any strength, they should.

Yun Xiguang asked, “Can the fighter jets fly above the giant mushroom? Will the giant mushroom harm our pilots?”

This was Yun Xiguang’s greatest concern.

Li Zheng explained, “The mushroom monster is approximately 1000 meters tall, so flying above it poses no problem for the fighter jets. The fighter jets dispatched this time have autonomous flight capabilities, enabling remote operation within ten kilometers. As long as the pilots leave one command fighter jet, which we’ll protect, the rest of the fighter jets can fly to the mushroom with the assistance of the Snow Wolves and drop their missiles.”

Even if detected by the mushroom monster, it wouldn’t result in total destruction. While losing the fighter jets was inevitable, it would be the least severe outcome.

After finalizing the plan, the pilots from the other fourteen fighter jets disembarked and gathered aboard the main command plane, each responsible for operating their own unmanned fighter jet.

The process of deploying the missiles was simple. All that was needed was to confirm the coordinates, ascend to an altitude of 1500 meters, and have the fourteen planes position themselves at different locations around Youying Academy. They would simultaneously drop the missiles and immediately retreat.

If they dropped them separately, it might trigger a counterattack from the mushroom monster after just one missile, making it uncertain whether the other missiles would successfully hit their target.

Fortunately, Youying Academy covered a vast area, and the size of the giant mushroom was equally substantial, enough to withstand the impact of fourteen missiles simultaneously.

After confirming the aerial drop points, the fourteen fighter jets took off simultaneously.

Each fighter jet was equipped with the Snow Wolves’ cloaking abilities and protected by Chi Qiong’s downy feathers. As they watched the fourteen planes’ blips on the monitor inch closer to Youying’s territory, everyone swallowed nervously.

Everyone was worried about encountering unexpected mishaps upon entering Youying’s domain.

Fortunately, the fighter jets encountered no obstructions and smoothly reached their designated positions within Youying’s territory.

Relieved, Li Zheng said, “We can deploy the missiles now. It seems our luck is really on our side this time.”

Yun Xiguang, however, frowned. “Isn’t it a bit too smooth? Even with multiple disguises on the fighter jets, shouldn’t it be harder to reach the destination?”

Over the years, Yun Xiguang had encountered numerous obstacles. Rarely had things gone so smoothly.

Li Zheng responded, “Didn’t Bai Ze say you have good luck? Perhaps due to Xiaopeng and me intruding into Youying Academy, their vigilance is focused on the ground, inadvertently overlooking the airspace.”

Despite Li Zheng’s reassurances, Yun Xiguang still felt uneasy. He glanced at Bai Ze.

Bai Ze shook his head, indicating that he couldn’t see through the situation.

As events unfolded, the players in this game of wits evolved into entities on the level of rules, such as Zhuzhao, Youying, Zhulong, and Law. Apart from serving as a phoenix feather detector, Bai Ze was no longer of much use.

Yun Xiguang knew that even if he felt anxious, he had to continue forward.

The fourteen pilots simultaneously pressed the button to deploy the weapons, and upon successful deployment, promptly steered the fighter jets along predetermined routes back to base.

As they watched, the blips representing the missiles plummeted continuously, exploding roughly one kilometer above the ground.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” Explosions echoed in rapid succession from afar, enveloping Youying Academy in a shroud of smoke that lingered for a long time.

“It worked! At least these fourteen missiles struck the mushroom monster solidly!” Li Zheng exclaimed excitedly.

They saw the fighter jets ascend to higher altitudes and return to base.

The explosions had been successful, but Yun Xiguang rubbed his chest; the unease within him did not dissipate.

Perhaps the giant mushroom was simply too sturdy, and the missiles had no significant effect. Yun Xiguang consoled himself.

Soon, the fourteen fighter jets returned safely, without even a scratch on them.

Golden-Winged Xiaopeng meticulously inspected the fighter jets with his Divine Eye, finding nothing had hitched a ride back with them. With the mission accomplished, Chi Qiong retracted his downy feathers.

Smoke drifted from Youying Academy, affecting visibility even where they stood.

Fortunately, South Province was vast, and a large area surrounding Youying Academy was uninhabited. This pollution likely wouldn’t affect ordinary residents.

A strong aroma of grilled mushrooms wafted through the air, somewhat appetizing.

Worried about the potential toxicity of the mushroom monster, Azure Dragon created a water barrier over everyone’s noses, helping to filter out the smoke.

Finally able to relax and not focus entirely on coordinating with Wu Ailang’s movements, Wu Ailang sniffed and drooled. “This mushroom smells delicious. I wonder if we can cut some slices to cook and eat.”

Li Zheng gave the carefree Wu Ailang a disapproving glance. “Aren’t you afraid of mushroom poisoning?”

“That’s when the mushroom isn’t cooked properly,” Wu Ailang retorted stubbornly. “With such high temperatures frying the mushroom, it must be cooked now.”

Although Wu Ailang was merely indulging in a fleeting craving, he informed everyone that once they retrieved the three spiritual energies, he would treat them to authentic South Province mushroom hotpot.

“Let’s not think about eating yet. Keep watch over the fighter jets, and we’ll talk when we return,” Yun Xiguang told Wu Ailang.

They decided to split into two groups. Yun Xiguang and Chi Qiong, Qin Shu and Bai Ze would travel to Youying Academy on Azure Dragon. Bai Ze would assist them in avoiding potential dangers, while Azure Dragon would handle minor crises. These two divine beasts would escort Yun Xiguang and Chi Qiong to the location of the phoenix feathers.

Li Zheng and Golden-Winged Xiaopeng, Wu Ailang and Snow Wolf, along with The Mirage who was feigning-death, would remain here to protect the fighter jets and pilots until their return.

Golden-Winged Xiaopeng was highly dissatisfied with being left behind, but since it couldn’t act as a radar like Bai Ze to locate phoenix feathers, nor could it move freely like Azure Dragon without a Spiritbond Master, it had no choice but to stay put.

The figures of Yun Xiguang and company soon vanished into the smoke, and unnoticed by everyone in the higher altitudes, a massive snake tail silently merged into the smoke.