"The scent of the sea." Feifei stood high above the ocean, taking a deep breath.
Although it was a land beast, it had grown up on a small island in the East Sea. To it, the sea was its homeland.
"...Senior Uncle," someone called from below. "What should we do?"
Interrupted from its reminiscence, Feifei was displeased. It dove down and with a series of *thumps*, kicked all thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators into the sea.
"Senior Uncle..." The cultivators, having been kicked into the water, were utterly bewildered, unsure of what this Senior Uncle intended. None of them were adept at swimming, so in the sea, they could only rely on their Light Body Technique to float on the surface.
Feifei glared. "Who told you to use spells? Stay soaked in the seawater!"
With no other choice, the cultivators dispelled their Light Body Technique and *plop, plop, plop*—all fell into the sea.
Feifei nodded with satisfaction. "If you want to fight sea beasts, you must get used to the sea. If you can smoothly practice the Ten Directions Formation in the water without using spells, you'll pass."
"You, you, and you." Feifei pointed at the leaders of the three squads. "Come here."
The three, dragging their drenched robes, flew up. "Senior Uncle."
"I'm going to patrol. You three keep watch. If they slack off... hmph!"
The three replied with trepidation, "Senior Uncle, rest assured, we won't be lazy."
"Good." Feifei glanced around, then waved its hand. A stream of golden energy flew from its sleeve, circled once, and formed a light screen not far away. "If any demon beasts approach, this will give a warning. Then you must hurry back to Bixuan Pavilion."
"Yes!" The Foundation Establishment cultivators felt much more at ease. Their main worry outside Bixuan Pavilion's protective mountain formation was encountering demon beasts.
Feifei said no more. With a flash of golden light, it transformed into its true form—a Feifei—and with each step leaving a Tiger Claw Imprint in the void, it dashed toward the depths of the sea.
The thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators watched, dumbfounded. Finally, one of the three squad leaders said, "This Senior Uncle's Escape Technique is quite peculiar."
The other two nodded in agreement. That's right, it must be an Escape Technique. Indeed, some Escape Techniques involve transforming into an animal to run.
Leaving aside the thirty cultivators struggling to practice the Ten Directions Formation in the seawater, Feifei, now in its true form, dashed across the sea's surface, quickly moving far from the shore.
Feifei's Escape Technique originated from its White Tiger physique. That White Tiger body was still in its storage space, but Feifei had absorbed part of the White Tiger's bloodline, gaining some of its divine abilities. For example, with this Escape Technique, each time its four paws landed, they would generate a Tiger Claw Imprint.
Running and running, an island appeared ahead. On the island stood a Demon City, from which several streaks of Escape Light flew toward it.
Feifei halted its steps, stopping mid-air, and stared wide-eyed at the approaching Escape Light.
The Escape Light stopped before it, revealing their true forms: a flying bird, a dolphin, and a giant fish, all around the sixth or seventh rank.
Facing it, the dolphin was the first to call out. Its calls had a pattern; it was actually speaking the language of demon beasts.
"Fellow demon brother," was what the dolphin said.
Feifei watched them warily and asked in the beast language, "What do you want?"
The dolphin said, "May we ask your origins, fellow demon brother?"
Feifei replied, "What business is that of yours?"
The three demon beasts were taken aback. The giant fish spoke, "Are you not a demon beast from this area?"
Feifei snorted and countered with a question, "And where are you demon beasts from? I don't recall there being such high-ranking demon beasts like you here."
The dolphin said, "We were originally demon beasts from the South Sea. Later, when the heavens and earth changed, the South Sea connected with the Tianji Region, and we arrived here."
"Oh?" Feifei became serious. "So, this is no longer the East Sea?"
"Not exactly," the dolphin said. "The islands connected to the mainland also shifted along with the mainland. So, this can still be considered the East Sea, but further out, it becomes the South Sea."
A weight lifted from Feifei's heart, and its tone became friendlier. "So you're demon beasts from the South Sea. No wonder I didn't remember there being such high-ranking demon beasts here."
The dolphin chuckled, bringing its two fins together in a gesture resembling a bow. "Fellow demon brother, are you a demon beast of the East Sea?"
Feifei nodded its head. "Correct. I grew up on an island in the East Sea as a child. Later, to advance my rank, I left the East Sea. Now that I'm close to Human Transformation, I've returned to the East Sea to prepare for it."
"I see." The dolphin looked Feifei up and down, puzzled. "May I ask what kind of beast you are, fellow demon brother? Why have we never seen a demon beast like you before?"
Feifei lifted its head high. "I am a descendant of the Ancient Divine Beast, the Feifei."
"Feifei?" The other two demon beasts looked at the dolphin. The dolphin pondered deeply, then suddenly remembered something. "Feifei? The Feifei that can coexist peacefully with all ferocious beasts?"
The flying bird and the giant fish asked in unison, "The Feifei really exists?"
They were not yet eighth rank. The bird and fish possessed only low-level intelligence. Only the dolphin, a special type among demon beasts, had its spiritual wisdom awakened early, equivalent to an eighth-rank demon beast that had undergone Human Transformation, not much different from a human.
The dolphin considered a possibility and asked, "Is it because you are a Feifei that we feel no hostility toward you?" Normally, if they encountered an unknown demon beast unwilling to disclose its origins, they would have attacked long ago.
Feifei nodded. "Correct. Even if you developed killing intent, I could make that hostility disappear."
"Oh." The dolphin was already convinced. From the moment it saw Feifei, it hadn't thought of using force to subdue it. This was probably one of the Feifei's special abilities. Furthermore, during their conversation, Feifei's intelligence clearly surpassed that of ordinary demon beasts.
"So it's Brother Feifei. We've long heard of your fame." The dolphin wagged its tail and lowered its head slightly.
Feifei returned the courtesy, its tone still haughty. "What are you doing here?"
Since they were fellow demon beasts, the dolphin spoke frankly. "There are many cultivators by the shore. We are here to hunt humans."
"Hunt humans..." The relationship between humans and demon beasts was inherently one of mutual hunting. Humans hunted demon beasts, and demon beasts, of course, hunted humans. The flesh and Golden Cores of cultivators were also very nourishing for them.
"Yes. Would Brother Feifei be interested in joining us? Our Demon City even has an eighth-rank demon ancestor!"
Feifei shook its head, uninterested. "Our Feifei's cultivation method is different from yours. I won't join the human hunt."
"Oh." The dolphin was somewhat disappointed. The Feifei was one of the Ancient Divine Beasts. Demon beasts revered bloodlines the most, and moreover, it was soon to undergo Human Transformation.
"I'm going to find my clansmen. I hope we do not interfere with each other."
"Of course, of course. Safe travels, Brother Feifei." The dolphin assumed a posture of seeing someone off.
Feifei nodded arrogantly and, still stepping on Tiger Claw Imprints, dashed toward the deep sea.
The dolphin, flying bird, and giant fish watched respectfully as it left.
After running another several thousand li, Feifei looked at a small island in the sea, its excitement surging. Thankfully, this island had shifted along with the Tianji Region; otherwise, it wouldn't even be able to find its hometown.
Composing itself, it descended toward the small island.
On the beach, three or five Feifei were playing. Seeing a golden light fall from the sky, they froze in fright.
Feifei saw these little Feifei and ran toward them. "Where is the clan leader?"
The little Feifei blinked at it, not answering.
Feifei asked patiently, "Where is the clan leader?"
"You... are you a heavenly deity?" one of the little Feifei mustered the courage to ask.
"Heavenly deity?" Feifei blinked.
The little Feifei said, "Your fur is golden."
Feifei shook its golden fur and proudly raised its head. "Of course. I am the most outstanding Feifei."
"So, you're not a heavenly deity?" The little Feifei sounded disappointed.
Feifei glared. "What heavenly deity? Hurry up and take me to the clan leader."
"I'll take you!" another little Feifei called out.
The little Feifei turned and ran toward the other side of the island. Feifei followed.
As they ran, the little Feifei asked, "If you're not a heavenly deity, why is your fur golden?"
"Because I ate a spirit fruit," Feifei answered casually.
"Can I eat one too? I want my fur to turn golden. It's so pretty."
"Hmm... you'd have to ask my master about that."
"Master?" The little Feifei suddenly stopped, turned, and stared at Feifei, all its fur standing on end.
"What's wrong?" Feifei asked.
Hostility flashed in the little Feifei's eyes. "You're a human's spirit beast, not one of our clansmen!"
Seeing its reaction, Feifei found it amusing. "You're so small. Do you even know what a spirit beast is?"
"I do know!" the little Feifei cried. "Those human cultivators come to capture us, and we're separated from our families forever..." At this point, it started sobbing. "I don't want to leave my mother."
Feifei was even more amused. "I'm not capturing you. Why are you crying?"
The little Feifei stopped crying and stared at it with wide eyes. "You're not capturing me?"
"Why would I capture you?"
The little Feifei tilted its head, thought for a moment, and had a flash of insight. "I know! You want to see the clan leader so you can capture all of us!"
Feifei was stunned for a second, then laughed and scolded, "Nonsense! I'm a Feifei too."
"But you're already a spirit beast. That means you're not a Feifei anymore."
"..."
"Xiao Yuan!" a stern voice came from behind the little Feifei.
The little Feifei turned its head. Several adult Feifei were running toward them. The little Feifei jumped up. "Clan Leader!"
One of the Feifei grabbed the little Feifei and pulled it behind them. The group of Feifei approached Feifei, watching it cautiously.
"Are you the clan leader?" Feifei asked the Feifei at the front.
That Feifei lifted a front paw. "Yes, I am the clan leader. You are..."
Feifei said, "My father was called Bai Ya."
"Bai Ya?" The clan leader thought for a moment, then jumped. "You're Bai Ya's little son who went missing?"
Feifei nodded. "Correct. Is my father still...?"
The clan leader sighed and shook its head. "Not long after you disappeared, your father passed away."
Hearing this, the light in Feifei's eyes dimmed.
The clan leader asked, "Where did you go? Why did you become like this? You... ah, you've broken through to the fourth rank?"
Feifei rallied its spirits. "Correct. I'm already seventh rank."
"Seventh rank?" The group of Feifei was astonished, whispering among themselves. In their Feifei clan, adults were generally only second or third rank, the highest being fourth rank. There had never been a seventh-rank Feifei.
Feifei continued answering the clan leader's question. "Back then, I was accidentally captured by humans..."