The sword light from Xu Linyun naturally couldn’t block off all the attacks converging from all over the sky—even just the forces rippling outward were enough to place her in great danger.

　　Power wasn’t something that became strong or weak based on a person’s thoughts, it had always been the most unbiased force within the realm of cultivation. However, even as the spells covered every inch of the area, Xu Linyun didn’t get torn into pieces as she’d expected, as though something peculiar was about to occur.

　　Just as the cultivators tried to fight their way into the formation, it actually opened up on its own. Golden rays of light with an endless gust of wind swept out with nearly enough power to cut down everything in its path.

　　What rushed out had power that defied description and it gleamed like a small sun. Within only a few breaths, it covered Xu Linyun before sweeping like a tidal wave in all directions and spreading like a wildfire to burn away all the spells and force the cultivators to retreat.

　　“Oh my god, are you hurt? If that little bastard knew I wounded you, he’d definitely roast me…” an anxious voice rose up near Xu Linyun’s ears.

　　Xu Linyun’s mind blanked out before she realized she was actually on top of a giant crow’s back. The crow flew in the air with an intimidatingly wide wingspan and a body covered in golden feathers that shined as though gold was flowing beneath. This natural flow of Qi was terrifying to the core, but the most shocking thing of all for Xu Linyun was that she heard a voice coming from the golden crow’s mouth. Wasn’t this a spirit beast? How could a spirit beast speak? And why did that voice sound so familiar?

　　“You… you’re Shidi Fang’s mount….” Xu Linyun finally recognized this golden crow as Fang Xing’s mount, although it was clearly much larger than before.

　　The golden crow was rather annoyed by this and cursed, “What mount? How rude, I’m his sworn brother!”

　　Xu Linyun was dazed for a moment but didn’t have time to ask in detail. “Where’s Shidi Fang?”

　　“How the hell would I know where he is…?” the golden crow sighed.

　　“…”

　　Although Xu Linyun had many questions, she didn’t have time to ask. Everyone who’d been guarding the swamp looked up towards the golden crow in surprise, and it didn’t take long before the crow was recognized as the little demon’s mount. The little demon had ridden on this golden crow while covered in a golden cloud to kill the four Huangfu clan ambassadors.

　　Ye Gu’yin’s gaze chilled when she saw the golden crow. She’d seen this crow during the shouting match she had with the little demon who was hidden within the cloud of gold. After the person inside the cloud mentioned how he’d stolen her undergarments, his identity had been confirmed and she’d been trying to capture and kill him at all costs ever since.

　　The sight of the golden crow filled some people with joy and someone shouted out, “The golden crow has come out alone! The little demon must still be inside the formation!”

　　The little demon and this sneaky bird didn’t leave each other’s side, and the others were even more certain the little demon was inside the formation now. The little demon was always covered in a golden cloud that hid him away and allowed only his voice to be heard, but this golden crow was so large the cloud couldn’t cover it completely and it had been spotted upon occasion. Since the golden crow was here, it meant the little demon had to be nearby as well.

　　The golden crow was rather sly. After seeing people make their own assumptions and guesses, he played along and yelled into the formation, “You’ve made yourself an enemy of the Huangfu clan, little demon, and I’m not going to stay with you anymore; go solve it all yourself! I’m going to cut all ties with you….” He then flew off with Xu Linyun on his back, as though he was discarding loyalty for the sake of righteousness.

　　“Hehe, this little demon is at his path’s end. Even his mount has betrayed him…” someone laughed while raising their weapons, still trying to get inside the formation to capture the little demon inside.

　　The golden crow was overjoyed to see this and continued flying away. ‘Human cultivators, heh. Aside from that clever bandit of a little bastard, all the others are stupid and foolish….’

　　Before he could finish his thoughts, a golden shadow flashed in front of his path. It was a young man with an overbearing demeanor, brows as sharp as swords, beaming eyes, and a golden robe upon his body. It was naturally Prince Chu Huang, and his gaze was a bit peculiar as he looked to the golden crow with a half smile. “Beast brother, what might your cultivation level be?”

　　This left the golden crow feeling quite bitter. The other cultivators had started going inside the formation and they’d see through his deception soon, yet someone just had to block his path of escape. “Why do you care about whatever cultivation I—your grandpa—have? Hurry and get out of my way!”

　　Prince Chu Huang coldly smiled. “From the looks of it, you’re only in Spirit Stage. I’m just curious… how can you speak despite being only in Spirit Stage?”

　　The golden crow was surprised at this and only just realized he’d exposed himself. “Damn your uncle’s golden turtle egg bastard, are you so bored you’re worried about whether I can speak human or not? I—your grandpa—have already cut all ties with that little bastard. Hurry and go kill him, he’s the one who killed the Huangfu clan’s ambassadors. It has nothing to do with me; all I’ve done is keep watch….” As he spoke, his wings fluttered and he violently threw himself towards Prince Chu Huang.

　　“There’s nothing wrong with you staying until after we’ve found the little demon!” Prince Chu Huang yelled while curving his fingers into a claw. Golden flames floated up like golden tornados to push towards the crow and try to force him to retreat. When the golden crow saw this, he toughened himself up, shook his body to cause a dozen or so feathers to rise up and cover Xu Linyun, and then thrust himself directly towards the golden flames in the air.

　　BOOM !

　　The crow’s body straightened to a point and a huge gust of wind followed, actually scattering Prince Chu Huang’s golden flames all over the place. Some of the flames had fallen onto the crow’s body, but they only slipped off his golden feathers without causing any damage.

　　This left Prince Chu Huang surprised. ‘What a powerful body this crow beast must have!’ He didn’t spend much time thinking about it before dodging the attack—he had a feeling it would be quite unpleasant for him if such an attack merely grazed him. After dodging to the side, he used his hands to create the image of a golden dragon to entangle the crow while loudly shouting out, “The golden crow is the little demon, the little demon is the golden crow!”

　　Prince Chu Huang had realized this well in advance. Chu Taishang had sent him a message earlier telling him Fang Xiaojiu was Fang Xing, and the Snowy Mountain group had later ended up coming across “Fang Xing” with a mountain separating them. It was during the quarrel between Fang Xing and Ye Gu’yin that he noticed something peculiar: nobody saw the little demon in person and only heard him speak, with only this giant golden crow showing itself from time to time.

　　Ye Gu’yin had been so furious when the secret of her stolen undergarments was publicly exposed that she formed a firm belief the little monster had to be hiding inside the golden mist. She’d unintentionally confirmed the identity of the fake Fang Xing, but Prince Chu Huang wouldn’t make such a mistake. He knew from the beginning this Fang Xing was a fake and had always paid extra attention to try to figure out who this fake Fang Xing truly was.

　　After this back and forth with the golden crow, Prince Chu Huang finally determined it was this crow who’d been faking Fang Xing all along. Although he didn’t know why this strange bird was able to speak, if someone were to pay a little more attention to the tone of his words, they’d be able to confirm this bird was closely mimicking the little demon with a rude and bastardly tone that was very similar.

　　After realizing how tough the crow’s body was, Prince Chu Huang no longer wished to fight it head-on and instead tried to incite the other cultivators into attacking it instead. Once the bird’s Qi and energy had been worn down enough, he’d simply go and snatch up the final gain at the end.

　　This golden crow was still very valuable, after all. It was the one who’d killed the four ambassadors, and once he captured and handed it over to the Nine Songs Tribe, he’d surely be granted another summons for the Sword Mound. After that, all he’d need to do is sort out the real Fang Xing to get another Sword Embryo, and then he’d try for the God’s Bridge again to enter the Mysterious Domain’s depths and leave his name behind on the list.

　　“What? The golden crow is the little demon?” All the cultivators below were surprised and a little confused by Prince Chu Huang’s words, but those who were a bit quicker on their feet began to understand and flew upwards to block the golden crow’s path.

　　Prince Chu Huang rested both of his hands behind his back and sneered. “This golden crow was faking at being the little demon. This bird is the real culprit.” He wasn’t planning on attacking anymore; he was planning going on being the fisherman who profited from the sandpiper grappling with the clam. His battle prowess was large enough he’d be able to snatch the golden crow from everyone else with a simple movement, after all, and since he had to contend with the real Fang Xing, it wouldn’t be a good idea to waste too much strength here.

　　“The golden crow was faking the little demon? Is this some kind of joke?”

　　“If you’re uncertain, why not go into the formation and see if there’s anybody inside?”

　　The cultivators all became unsettled. Some believed Prince Chu Huang and flew up to stop the golden crow, and a few others went for the formation instead. There was still a final unbroken formation flag remaining on the path leading into the formation that kept the cultivators from going inside, but how long could a single formation flag last under such force? A few mere breaths at best.

　　‘Sh*t, sh*t, I’m all done for…’ the golden crow desperately cried to himself while looking at the cultivators scattered about. Once the cultivators go inside, they’d naturally see no one was within the formation and his deception would be revealed. This golden-robed bastard had been sharp enough to focus on him and hadn’t allowed him to escape.

　　BOOM !

　　Many of the present cultivators had gone for the formation. Just as they arrived close to the entrance, however, a low explosive noise rang out and a terrifying black smog rushed over, turning into a terrifying beastly cloud. Within the cloud was a countless number of beast spirits that dipped in and out of view while scattering out in all directions like an army.

　　Someone let out an arrogant laugh, although the source couldn’t be seen amidst the black smog surrounding the formation. “Hahaha, Fang Xing is here! Who dares bully my bird… and Shijie Linyun!”