I Have a Golden Crow

"Hrrr~" Jing Chen gave a soft snort, feeling a faint chill.

Its snowy hooves tapped lightly as it curiously looked around.

This was a world draped in silver and white, with frosty mist filling the sky, veiling the not-so-warm winter sun.

Yes, the spatial rift Du Yu tore open did not lead into his home on the 16th floor, but to the highest point of a building in Ancient Pine Tower City—the Emperor Mansion in the central business district.

This building was nearly 160 meters tall; standing on its top floor, one could easily overlook this lonely city.

Ever since the entire Ancient Pine Tower City relocated, this empty city had become Du Yu’s private paradise.

He had gone to many places he’d never seen before, familiarizing himself with every inch of land and every brick and tile of this city.

From desolation and loneliness, to adaptation, and then to peacefully enjoying it.

Humans really are a strange species; they always find ways to deceive themselves, to resign themselves to adversity and accept their fate.

"Where is this?" A sentence suddenly imprinted itself in Du Yu’s mind.

This was the first time Jing Chen had transmitted words; the voice sounded like that of a young man in his twenties, clear and pure.

Just like the meaning contained in its name: untouched by the slightest speck of dust.

"This is my hometown, the place that raised me." Du Yu urged the horse forward.

Although he had arrived in this Demon Taming World later on, by now, Ancient Pine Tower, to Du Yu, was worthy of the word "raised."

"Where are the people?" Jing Chen moved its hooves with some difficulty, coming to the edge of the top floor and looking down at the silent city.

Du Yu said softly, "The people have all moved away."

Jing Chen was a bit curious: "They don’t like it here?"

"No, people like it here, they’re just afraid to live here."

"Why?"

"Because... I live here."

Jing Chen fell silent, as its mind received scenes transmitted from Du Yu.

They were scenes from when the Bottomless Abyss opened: the city collapsing, buildings crumbling, despairing, freezing people everywhere.

The Cold Tree rose from the ground, cold mist shrouding the city.

In that swath of gray images, only the eyes of the Cold Beasts and the people’s blood were red.

Jing Chen was silent for a long time before sending a thought: "I know this big tree. When I was little, I saw it once."

"It’s my enemy." Du Yu sighed softly. "Just like you, I have my own dreams."

Dreams, huh?

Jing Chen said quietly, "Now, it’s my enemy too."

Du Yu lowered his head with a smile, reaching out to stroke the horse’s silvery mane. "You, saying things like that... it’s actually kind of moving."

"Hrrr~" Jing Chen snorted.

"Come on, I’ll take you to see my world." Du Yu flipped his palm over, and a Bell Shadow flickered into view.

"Your world?" Electric currents quickly wound around Jing Chen’s four hooves, allowing it to stand steadily beneath the dark clouds.

"Kid, I’m heading back." Kui Chou’s voice suddenly sounded.

Du Yu opened his mouth, but in the end only said, "Oh."

Kui Chou clearly sensed something and said, "That Zhongli fellow was right."

Du Yu: "Huh?"

Kui Chou: "You’re too weak. Your physical fitness is too poor, and the Demon Skills you use are too low in Grade.

On a normal battlefield, you can slaughter your way through all four directions, but against the Cold Tree, you’re still a bit green, kid.

Forget the Cold Tree, even that Zhongli can track your movements; otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to say what he said."

Du Yu pressed his lips together and didn’t respond.

Kui Chou: "Just be honest and advance to Emperor Level first. Get your physical fitness and overall level up.

At least then I’ll be able to help you use Emperor Grade·Rapid Lightning Flash, and we’ll talk about the future after that."

In a place Du Yu didn’t know about, Little Fen Yang was nervously twisting her fingers. Hearing Kui Chou’s words, she let out a huge sigh of relief in her heart.

Du Yu: "Mm... mm."

Kui Chou’s brows shot up: "What’s with that ’mm’? Not willing?"

Du Yu: "..."

"Damn, my temper’s already bad enough." Kui Chou cursed under his breath. "Even I’m telling you to keep your cool. Think about that yourself."

As he spoke, Kui Chou burst out of Du Yu’s body.

Jing Chen’s expression changed drastically; its snowy hooves flailed wildly as it backed away again and again.

"Whoosh~"

Electric currents wrapped around Kui Chou’s whole body as his figure merged into the dark clouds in the sky.

"Moo~~~" A bovine bellow came from the distant heavens, as if proclaiming to all living beings under the sky that the God of the Mountain Realm had returned.

Jing Chen: "It... it is?"

"It’s my Demon Pet, named Kui Chou, and also one of the gods of this world." Du Yu patted Jing Chen’s back. "My Instantaneous Movement Demon Skill is cast with Kui Chou’s help."

Little Fen Yang: "Du Yu."

"Mm?"

Rarely serious, Little Fen Yang spoke solemnly: "Playing it safe is the right choice. Du Yu, you’re my only hope. Nothing can happen to you."

"Got it." Du Yu shook his head with a wry smile.

Whether it was the Seven Saints of Great Xia or the two Supreme beings, their views were almost identical, which already said a lot.

Maybe... he really was a bit impatient.

It’s just that every time he saw that lonely empty city, Du Yu couldn’t help wanting to fill it up again, to make it once more bustling with people and traffic.

"Flap flap flap~"

The Little Golden Crow fluttered her wings and quietly landed on Du Yu’s shoulder.

She hopped a bit on his shoulder, craning her little head crowned with a beautiful "tiara," gently rubbing against Du Yu’s earlobe.

"Du Yu, Du Yu..."

"Don’t worry." Du Yu comforted her softly. "I understand."

"Mm, I like Du Yu." Little Fen Yang was overjoyed. She stretched her beak forward and lightly pecked Du Yu’s earlobe.

"Let’s go." Du Yu lightly squeezed the horse’s flanks with his legs, shifting his attention as he explained to Jing Chen, "This place is called the Mountain Realm."

Jing Chen: "You just said this was your world."

"Yeah, this place belongs to me." Du Yu looked down at the mountains and forests, at the Demon Beasts roaming among the trees.

"Including those Demon Beasts."

"Demonic Plants, Demon Beasts... everything you see here belongs to me."

Jing Chen forced down the shock in his heart and didn’t speak again.

Du Yu: "You like running, right?"

"Yes."

Du Yu looked into the distance: "Up to now, I still haven’t found the boundary of this Mountain Realm. It feels infinitely vast, like it has no end."

Jing Chen’s interest was piqued at once: "Really?"

Du Yu nodded: "I need to stay by the Demonic Plant and cultivate hard, improve my strength as fast as possible. If you want to challenge the Mountain Realm, I’ll assign you a companion to go with you."

Jing Chen’s reply was crisp and decisive: "Okay."

Du Yu was quite satisfied, but then he immediately realized a problem.

What if Jing Chen gets lost?

Even if he doesn’t get lost, if they call Jing Chen back to join a battle, it’ll take him ages and ages to make his way back...

For a moment, many thoughts flashed through Du Yu’s mind.

But no matter how many misgivings he had, all he could do was look for solutions and overcome them one by one.

He couldn’t suppress Jing Chen’s nature, couldn’t cage him in and make him run circles only within the Peak of All Mountains area.

If he did that, how would it be any different in essence from keeping Jing Chen penned up in the Flying Horse Ranch?

Du Yu pondered silently, one man and one steed slowly approaching the Twin Tree Area.

Under the towering Twin Trees, Emperor Qing and the two Generals Nan and Wei were sitting in quiet meditation.

Perhaps they’d heard Kui Chou’s roar earlier and had already learned of Du Yu’s return.

And when Du Yu appeared high in the sky astride Jade Tiger Roar, smiles spread across their faces.

As for Du Yu going to ask for Jade Tiger Roar, the three of them had long known how that would turn out.

Given Du Yu’s contribution to Great Xia, the Seven Saints of Great Xia should be willing to part with it. What’s more, they had fought side by side with Zhongli Chen.

"What a beautiful horse!" Li Mengnan looked up, gazing at the fine steed whose hooves were wreathed in thunder.

Jade Tiger Roar’s body was a full six meters long, with a shoulder height of three meters—a solid, true high-headed warhorse, radiating majesty.

Its whole body was snow-white, with a silvery mane and tail. Only here and there were a few stains, like it had just gone through a battle.

As Du Yu urged the horse down, Li Mengnan stepped forward: "Is it injured?"

Du Yu nodded.

Lin Shiwei immediately summoned Heaven Returning Wood, tilting her head toward Jing Chen as a sign: "Mumu."

"Swish~"

Heaven Returning Wood stretched out a mass of branches, reaching toward Jing Chen.

"Let it heal you a bit." Du Yu patted the horse’s back, then swung himself down.

Jing Chen didn’t refuse the kindness. His tall figure was wrapped up inside a Leaf Cocoon.

Li Mengnan asked, "What’s its name? What Level is it? How did it get hurt?"

Good lord~

This little mouth, firing off like a machine gun.

Using Li Mengnan’s barrage of questions as a lead-in, Du Yu recounted his experiences in Fengyang City–Zhongli Village.

The story, told slowly and steadily, let everyone understand Jing Chen better, and they couldn’t help but feel a bit wistful.

Afterwards, Du Yu also shared the insight he’d gained at the ranch with them.

Their hearts had still been tinged with wistfulness, but once they heard about Du Yu’s shift in battle philosophy, their expressions changed on the spot.

Du Yu was right: chopping down the Cold Trees had never been a safe job.

Precisely because of that, they all had to be doubly cautious and careful.

Whereas Du Yu’s "brute-force bowing"—forcing his way through—only pushed this nine-deaths-one-life mission ever closer to "ten deaths, no life."

In an instant, Li Mengnan and Lin Shiwei both started rebutting and trying to talk him out of it, reacting more intensely than ever before.

As for Yang Qingqing...

Her expression was complicated as she let out a deep sigh.

From the way the women responded, Du Yu had a faint hunch—she must have thought of this approach long ago!

Maybe on the day Du Yu contracted the Void Axe, maybe on the day he contracted Kui Chou.

Whatever the exact point in time, Master Qing had surely anticipated this tree-cutting plan; she just never said a word, burying the idea deep in her heart.

As for why she did that... the answer was obvious.

"Alright, alright, don’t worry." Du Yu looked at the two Generals Nan and Wei, their faces full of concern. "Elder Zhongli, Kui Chou, and even the Golden Crow Saint have all tried to talk me out of it."

Du Yu shook his head with a smile: "I know what I should do."

Yang Qingqing watched her dejected disciple. After a long moment, she said softly, "You can try a test run."

"Huh?"

"Master Qing?" Nan and Wei looked stunned, turning to the woman seated on the ground.

Yang Qingqing said lightly, "You can try it on the Kunlun Divine Tree. The Divine Tree may be weaker than the Youhan Tree, but the two are existences of the same Level."

Du Yu silently looked at Master Qing, while the woman slowly closed her eyes: "Just treat it as rehearsing in advance."

She knew her own disciple far too well.

With just persuasion, he’d never truly give up.

Let the Kunlun Divine Tree whip him a few times, hammer him into the dirt and grind him down, and he’d remember the lesson in his bones.

That way, he could settle down and cultivate more steadily.

"Neighhh~" Just then, Jing Chen’s treatment finished.

As the Leaf Cocoon peeled away, the snow-white steed raised its head high and let out a ringing neigh.

Lin Shiwei didn’t care much about the horse; her gaze, complicated, was fixed on Du Yu. But in the next second, her expression suddenly shifted.

"Hmm?" The girl turned her eyes to Jing Chen. "What?"

Du Yu looked at Lin Shiwei in curiosity—only to see a set of golden Battle Armor drape itself over her body.

This awe-inspiring Celestial General, usually stern and solemn, now wore an emotional expression as he looked at the loudly neighing Jade Tiger Roar.

Du Yu frowned slightly, watching Lin Shiwei step forward and gently stroke Jing Chen’s cheek.

He asked, "What’s wrong?"

Lin Shiwei was silent for a moment, then said softly, "The Celestial General says that in his homeland, this kind of Demon Beast·White Lightning Steed is everywhere."

Strictly speaking, this wasn’t Lin Shiwei’s first time seeing Jade Tiger Roar; as early as on the Asa Battlefield, she’d already seen the White Horse Silver General.

It seemed the Celestial General had stayed very quiet all along. Ever since telling Lin Shiwei to cultivate diligently, he hadn’t appeared again.

Until today, when the Celestial General clearly heard the horse’s neigh and, by a stroke of fate, saw a "trace" of his homeland.

So... could the Celestial General’s homeland be in the Fengyang City region of the Otherworld?

Right there on the Wanhui Land, south of the Huai River?

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!