Chapter 35: Shadows of the Past

"Alright." Meng Jiao nodded, a flash of spiritual light in her hand, and a phoenix-tailed chicken slipped free from its restraints.

The phoenix-tailed chicken had no intention of fleeing; its gaze locked onto Ji Jiuxuan, whom Meng Jiao had just sent down from the treetop.

"The books say you creatures are petty and vengeful—looks like that's true." Seeing the phoenix-tailed chicken charging at her, Ji Jiuxuan was wary, not underestimating it in the slightest. She swung her sword at the beast.

The books described phoenix-tailed chickens as not only possessing tender, delicious meat, but also as creatures of great loyalty. Unless slain in battle, they would always rush to aid their companions in distress.

Spiritual energy burst forth, and the chicken's sharp beak changed from earthy yellow to a steely gray, gleaming coldly as it lunged at Ji Jiuxuan.

Ji Jiuxuan met it head-on with her Child's Sword.

With a ringing clang, the Child's Sword vibrated violently in her hand; Ji Jiuxuan's grip trembled. Had Wen Ying not taught her to steady her hold when learning swordsmanship, her weapon might have been knocked aside altogether.

The phoenix-tailed chicken landed without pause, immediately launching another attack at Ji Jiuxuan.

Armed with the experience from the previous encounter, Ji Jiuxuan handled the beast more smoothly. To avoid roasting it outright, she switched to the Profound Clear Sword Technique, combined with the Shadow Step she’d learned in the library. Her speed became astonishingly swift, leaving the aggressive spirit beast at a loss, until finally, Ji Jiuxuan slit its throat.

She pulled out a pot, grabbed the still twitching chicken, and let its blood drip into the vessel.

Sprinkling salt and adding washed spirit rice, she cooked the chicken blood into rice blood.

She placed the pot and the chicken into her storage bag, and said to Meng Jiao, "Senior Sister, you can release two more now."

She had only practiced Shadow Step roughly before; still unfamiliar with it, this was an ideal opportunity to hone her skill.

The other phoenix-tailed chickens trapped in the formation had witnessed Ji Jiuxuan slaughter their companion. Once freed, they threw themselves at her with reckless abandon.

With her previous experience, Ji Jiuxuan realized the chickens were fierce attackers but slow of foot. She planned to win with speed again, catching them off guard and slitting their throats.

When she saw a chicken leap straight at her face, she dodged awkwardly.

"It can actually fly!"

And both of them could!

Though it was more troublesome, she managed to cope.

"Don't worry, Junior Sister, they can't fly high or for long," Meng Jiao explained soothingly after Ji Jiuxuan's startled cry.

Practicing swordsmanship before was simply for the sake of practice; now, wielding her blade felt entirely different.

The sword followed her will, the technique seeming almost alive in her hands.

At that moment, she thought of the Light Fire Shadow Sword, which she had only practiced superficially before. Now, using her sword, it felt as if she could link her current technique to the Shadow Sword.

She didn't bother draining more chicken blood, simply stored them away in her bag. "Senior Sister, release more."

Following their agreement, Meng Jiao let out three phoenix-tailed chickens. Ji Jiuxuan gradually immersed herself in her swordsmanship, a sense of ethereality so strong even Meng Jiao could sense it.

She no longer waited for Ji Jiuxuan to call out; each time a chicken fell, she released another. Once her junior adapted, she increased the number, finally raising it to six.

Soon, Ji Jiuxuan had cut down the entire flock, leaving the ground littered with chickens and stained red.

After catching her breath, Ji Jiuxuan realized her swordsmanship had advanced a level!

"Junior Sister, hurry and collect them before other spirit beasts are attracted," Meng Jiao reminded her.

Ji Jiuxuan quickly gathered all the chickens into her storage space.

As the formation dissipated, the scent of chicken blood still spread.

A rhythmic thumping sounded on the ground, followed by a series of clucks.

What was that? Ji Jiuxuan instinctively looked toward the noise.

When she saw a massive phoenix-tailed chicken flying toward her, she was stunned, quickly activating her Shadow Step and fleeing.

The giant chicken seemed tired of flying, landing to chase her on foot, its huge beak stabbing at her from time to time.

"Ah! Why is there such a huge rooster!" Ji Jiuxuan screamed as she ran faster, "Senior Sister, help!"

With memories from her past life, she instinctively believed chickens were smaller than humans.

The sudden appearance of a chicken larger than herself left her bewildered.

Meng Jiao watched her little junior being chased by a bird bigger than herself and couldn't help but laugh, "Junior Sister, it's just like the ones you killed earlier, only bigger."

Their strength was not much different.

She had just managed to take on six at once, yet now she was being chased by one. It was rather amusing.

"Senior Sister, what are you saying?" Ji Jiuxuan shouted as she ran, the damned giant chicken's beak stabbing holes in the ground behind her.

"The one behind you is about the same as those you just killed." This time, Meng Jiao used a voice transmission, and Ji Jiuxuan heard her clearly.

"About the same?" she muttered.

She glanced back at the giant chicken, recalling information she’d read.

The giant phoenix-tailed chicken, also known as the Silver-Beaked Chicken, was larger and meatier than its smaller kin, with a similarly delicious flavor. Its temper was more violent, its beak sharper, but its strength was comparable.

Understanding this, Ji Jiuxuan gripped her Child's Sword, quelling her fear until nothing remained.

Suddenly, her cultivation, which had been stagnant, broke through; the surrounding spiritual energy surged, gathering around her.

Ordinarily, advancing to the fourth layer of Qi Refining would be a cause for celebration, but if news spread that she broke through while being chased by a chicken, it would surely become an inerasable black mark on her record.

Thinking this, Ji Jiuxuan gritted her teeth and attacked the Silver-Beaked Chicken with her sword.

Indeed, anger lent her boundless strength; where before it took several blows to kill, now she slayed it in a single strike.

Everything happened so quickly that Meng Jiao was caught off guard.

Watching her junior angrily collect the Silver-Beaked Chicken into her space, Meng Jiao found it amusing.

"Junior Sister, there are plenty of Silver-Beaked Chickens nearby—do you want more?"

Even Meng Jiao could sense the playful tone in her own words.

Ji Jiuxuan, biting back her indignation, transformed her grief into appetite, deciding to slaughter and bring back all the Silver-Beaked Chickens as ingredients.

"Yes," she replied firmly.

Meng Jiao laughed heartily. She had always wondered why she felt indifferent toward the other little disciples, yet liked this one from the bottom of her heart right from the start!

Such an uninhibited personality could not be wrong.

"Let's go!" She scooped Ji Jiuxuan into her arms and flew toward the nearby valley. On the grass there, Silver-Beaked Chickens scattered everywhere, pecking at food.

Not long after Ji Jiuxuan and Meng Jiao departed, the figure who had appeared during the hunt for the Fire Spirit Fox returned.

He glanced at the bloodstained ground and sneered, "Such merriment in killing—now let’s see how much more you can slaughter."

His voice was cold and sinister, his expression warped with ferocity. It was none other than Yu Heng, recently released from the Hall of Discipline.