Chapter 209: Vajra Feather

The Tree Universe accommodated an infinite number of worlds. Every world humans had ever imagined could be found somewhere in the Tree Universe, either as envisioned or in a similar form.

There could be a world where Journey to the West, Shakespearean tragedies, The Walking Dead, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, or even Dragon Ball was the reality.[1] Moreover, there were even countless worlds that followed no logic whatsoever, where reality was governed entirely by thought and perception.

Little Nora was very much like a child who had spent all their time at home watching television and believed they already understood the world, only to step outside and discover that reality was nothing like what they had imagined. It was like being forced out of one's comfort zone, leaving behind nothing but uncertainty and unease. When all was said and done, Little Nora was still only an eight-year-old juvenile.

Although Yu Xian did not fully understand why Little Nora was crying so bitterly, he gently comforted him and stroked his head. "All right, don't cry. With your Big Bro here, you'll definitely grow up safe and sound. If your knowledge is outdated, then you can simply learn it all again. I don't know much about the outside world either, so we can work hard together!"

Eternal Purity smiled. "Countless worlds are born and destroyed every second. Little Nora's questions may be outdated, but at the same time, they will never truly become outdated. There will always be a Tang Sanzang somewhere still journeying in search of the scriptures, just as there will always be a Romeo and Juliet who are still in love. Across infinite worlds, there will also be infinite coincidences and inevitabilities.

"The sixty-four Primordial Forces make up all things in existence. Their arrangements are infinite, yet finite. Many people and events are endlessly repeating themselves in cycles, so Little Nora, you do not need to be so sad."

Yu Xian and Little Nora exchanged a glance. Both felt as though they could see a question mark hovering over the other's head. In the end, they unanimously decided to ignore what Eternal Purity had just said.

Yu Xian smiled. "All right, Little Nora. I'm going to activate the power of the bloodline within you now, so get ready."

The greatest strength of the Primordial Blood Pact was that once the two parties became one, Yu Xian could use the energy he gained from basking in the sun to strengthen his companions, allowing their bloodlines to awaken more quickly.

Little Nora repeatedly nodded and looked at him with anticipation. After confirming that Little Nora was ready, Yu Xian drew upon the energy stored within his primordial sac and slowly channeled it into Little Nora.

Little Nora felt as though his blood was boiling. His feathers on Yu Xian's body gradually took on a metallic quality, and their edges became even sharper. This was Garuda's innate ability, Vajra Feather, which granted his feathers a hardness approaching that of a Star Divine Artifact.

Yu Xian was not genuinely a Star-rank powerhouse. Only his Power had reached Star rank. His cultivation method did not belong to the cultivation system of this era, so he was unable to enjoy many of the benefits that came with advancing through the normal cultivation path.

For example, when a supernatural being following the standard cultivation path broke through to Star rank, they could focus on strengthening a particular organ, granting it defensive power comparable to that of a Star Divine Artifact. Most human powerhouses chose either their skin or bones.

Moreover, those who advanced normally had access to a wider range of abilities, so during the early stages, they were inevitably stronger than Star-rank supernatural beings who had advanced using a Star Divine Artifact. This advantage continued until the latter refined more Star Divine Artifacts. Only then could they gradually catch up to their counterparts or even surpass them.

All the energy accumulated in Yu Xian's primordial sac was exhausted in the blink of an eye, yet all it accomplished was upgrading his feathers. "A whole year's worth of accumulated energy was only enough to activate a single ability."

Although he had never dared to imagine that he could unlock every ability of the Garuda bloodline in one go, unlocking just one was still far below his expectations. Nevertheless, Vajra Feather was undeniably powerful.

Yu Xian gently ran his hand over the feathers on his wings. He could clearly sense their hardness. According to his estimations, any weapon below Star rank would be as soft as tofu against them.

He spread his wings and immediately flew forward. Wherever he passed, the Vajra Feathers sliced apart the trees. He also discovered that he could launch the feathers outward, and they would automatically return to him. With just a thought, he could command the feathers to effortlessly cut through distant rocks and trees before circling back and reattaching themselves to his wings.

Just then, a massive horned dragon appeared ahead. Yu Xian immediately fired three feathers at it. Before the dragon could even react, its head was severed. As Yu Xian flew past, he casually drained all the blood from its body.

Basking in the sun was only one way of obtaining this special energy. A vampire's original method of drinking blood could also produce the special energy needed to unlock bloodline abilities.

Yu Xian was now desperately, desperately, desperately short of this energy. As a result, he completely drained the blood of every creature he encountered from then on.

To Huaxia, this place was extremely dangerous. Many of the dragons here had reached Dragon rank, and their bodies alone were terrifyingly powerful. However, to Yu Xian, they posed no threat. He could kill them instantly as he flew past and drain all their blood in a single second.

That evening, Yu Xian and Little Nora sat beside a campfire while Yu Xian roasted a dragon tail. Although neither of them needed regular meals anymore, they were quite fond of eating, and especially so when the ingredient in question was dragon meat.

Yu Xian sprinkled some salt over the meat and breathed in its aroma. "Auntie, do you think this dragon meat will taste more like chicken or lizard?"

Sitting on a rock nearby, Eternal Purity calmly replied, "It actually tastes more like crocodile meat."

Yu Xian's expectations dropped considerably. "All right."

He handed one piece of meat to Little Nora, then took a bite from the roasted meat on his skewer. His eyebrows rose. It tasted much better than he had expected. Although it did resemble crocodile meat, it was also chewier.

Little Nora swallowed it in a single bite, then expectantly looked at Yu Xian. "It's delicious! Big Bro, I want more."

Yu Xian had already used the Art of Vast Within, Small Without to shrink Nora. Yet the bird still had an enormous appetite, so he had no choice but to give Little Nora the meat roasting on another skewer. However, before he had even finished his own portion, Little Nora had already devoured his and was once again staring at him expectantly.

"Are you Zhu Bajie or something?" Yu Xian complained. [2]

Each piece of meat they roasted was as large as half a cow. Even after being shrunk, Little Nora was still about the size of a calf, but he was eating far too quickly.

Far from feeling ashamed, Little Nora seemed proud of himself. He smiled sheepishly. "Zhu Bajie can't eat nearly as much as I can. Even a hundred Zhu Bajies can't out-eat me."

Yu Xian was speechless. In the end, he sighed and decisively went to cut more dragon meat for the grill. Little Nora was his subordinate, after all. If he did not spoil Little Nora, who would?

However, while he was cutting meat beside the carcass of a three-horned dragon, lights appeared among the trees in the distance. A group of people slowly approached, all of them equipped with numerous pieces of gear. Had he not seen their lights, they probably could have come very close before Yu Xian noticed them.

Yu Xian stopped what he was doing and looked toward the forest, prepared for a fight.

1. 聊斋志异(Liao Zhai Zhi Yi) or "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" is a classic 17th-century Chinese collection of nearly 500 supernatural tales written by Pu Songling during the Qing Dynasty, featuring stories of fox spirits, ghosts, scholars, and Taoist exorcists. ☜

2. 猪八戒 (Zhū Bājiè) is a central character in the Journey to the West. Originally a high-ranking deity named Marshal Tianpeng, he was exiled to Earth after a drunken attempt to seduce the Moon Maiden, Chang'e, which resulted in his reincarnation with a pig-like appearance. Accompanied by Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing, he serves as the monk Tang Sanzang's disciple, personifying earthly desires, comedic laziness, and gluttony. ☜