A giant black egg descended from the sky, landing right where Han Zhiyuan had just been lying. Truly, misfortune never comes alone; had he not been quick, he might have met his end.
Climbing to his feet, Han Zhiyuan circled the giant egg three times, then looked at the crater it had created. His heart was still pounding with fear; he had narrowly avoided being crushed into a pulp by this thing.
The reason he called it an egg was entirely due to its shape, resembling an oversized chicken egg, except this one was black, very black. It was about 1.67 meters tall, oval, and as hard as iron when knocked on, producing a heavy thudding sound. The surface wasn’t smooth either. Living in this kind of world, it might indeed be some creature’s egg, but what kind of creature would lay an egg that falls from the sky? The original owner’s memory had no clue.
What on earth was this? Han Zhiyuan decided to reach out and touch it. If it was freshly laid, it should be warm.
“Stop.” A voice as cold as ice.
Han Zhiyuan turned his head and saw a silver-haired beauty frowning in this direction. Raising an eyebrow, the silver-haired man appeared beside the egg in less than a second.
Was that teleportation? Han Zhiyuan stared in amazement, but the silver-haired man ignored him, his pale red eyes fixed on the black egg, a hint of joy flashing in his cold eyes, even his pale face seemed to relax a bit.
Just as the silver-haired man was about to touch the egg with his slender, straight hand, the egg suddenly wobbled. Then Han Zhiyuan felt a strong force on his buttocks and stumbled forward.
“What the hell?” Han Zhiyuan was perplexed, but before he could steady himself, the egg jumped out of the crater and bounced towards him. Then it bounced again…
Han Zhiyuan stumbled and was pushed aside again, almost falling face-first into the dirt.
Then it was one stumble after another, countless times. No matter where Han Zhiyuan tried to hide or how fast he was, the egg would bounce over and push him aside.
“Enough!” Han Zhiyuan couldn’t take it anymore. He assumed a Tai Chi master stance, “Come on, let’s fight!”
“Crack,” the egg bounced over and landed in Han Zhiyuan’s hands. It wobbled and then steadied. Strangely, Han Zhiyuan felt the egg snuggling against his warm palms, as if it was happy.
“What does this mean?” Han Zhiyuan muttered.
“It wants to be close to you.” The silver-haired man, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. Although his voice was cold, it carried a hint of weakness. He continued to focus on the black egg, not even glancing at Han Zhiyuan.
Han Zhiyuan was stunned. Suddenly, it seemed like the egg was trying to get close to him, and its earlier mischievous behavior was just playful but heavy-handed.
Han Zhiyuan: …
Could it be due to his higher than average body temperature? Han Zhiyuan tried touching the egg again. Sure enough, the egg wobbled happily.
But he didn’t lay the egg, so “why is it like this?” Han Zhiyuan turned to the silver-haired man, who ignored him and continued studying the egg.
In the distance, faint voices could be heard. Han Zhiyuan was happy, thinking of asking for directions or companionship. But the silver-haired man showed a hint of alertness in his eyes, clutching his chest in pain. Han Zhiyuan was puzzled.
“What’s wrong?” Han Zhiyuan reached out to support the seemingly unsteady silver-haired man, who coldly replied with a single word.
“Go!”
Seeing the urgency on his face, Han Zhiyuan had a guess. Just as he was about to carry him and run, it was too late.
“Well, well,” a slightly effeminate voice with a mocking tone said, “look what we have here.”
Han Zhiyuan turned towards the voice and saw five young men in matching purple robes walking towards them. They first looked at Han Zhiyuan as if they were watching a joke, then their eyes flashed with amazement when they saw the silver-haired man behind him, quickly turning to disdain upon realizing he was male.
“A mere warrior dares to venture into the Royal Broken Mountain Range? Must be a fool,” one of them mocked, eyes full of ridicule. “Don’t tell me you’re here for the Peacock King.” He laughed, clearly not believing it. In the presence of strong ones, the weak are like transparent people, their strength evident at a glance.
Han Zhiyuan knew about the Peacock King but had no knowledge of the Royal Broken Mountain Range from the original owner’s memory. He kept quiet, letting them laugh, aware that they were much stronger than him. But their attention soon focused on the black egg, examining it with curiosity and admiration.
“Kid,” the slightly older one addressed Han Zhiyuan, “we’re taking this black egg.”
Han Zhiyuan felt the silver-haired man’s brow twitch and a cold aura emanate. He had to change his words, “No.”
The young men laughed, looking at Han Zhiyuan like he was a fool. The silver-haired man’s cold eyes slightly twitched.
The first young man sneered, “Kid, do you really think this is some treasure? It’s just an ugly black egg, useful only for feeding our beasts.”
They laughed, but the older one observed the silver-haired man closely. The man’s striking silver hair and pale red eyes exuded an otherworldly aura, his noble air and stunning appearance adding to his mysterious pressure. Even with their martial strength, they couldn’t gauge his power, making them wary. But the blood at his mouth and the lack of strong aura reassured them.
Han Zhiyuan knew the silver-haired man wanted the egg but was seriously injured, and the young men were far stronger. He had to sacrifice it.
However, before he could speak, the egg suddenly moved. In the blink of an eye, it leaped to Han Zhiyuan’s side and leaned against him.
Han Zhiyuan: …
“The egg has… intelligence!”
“A heavenly-grade beast!”
The young men were shocked, pointing at the egg in disbelief, their eyes gleaming as if they’d found a great treasure.
There are ranks among humans and beasts. Generally, beasts are ranked from one to ten levels. An eighth-level beast can take human form. However, different types of beasts have strict hierarchical differences, with the same-level strength, cultivation speed, innate abilities, and rarity varying greatly. A heavenly-grade beast is exceptionally rare and powerful.
In an instant, their eyes turned red. Han Zhiyuan was also surprised. He knew about the ranks of beasts from the original owner’s memory but had never seen one higher than a mysterious grade.
Before Han Zhiyuan could respond, the five young men exchanged glances, “Every man for himself!” and lunged at them, targeting the black egg.
Han Zhiyuan grabbed the silver-haired man and ran, but after a few steps, he felt the grip tightening. Looking back, he saw the silver-haired man’s face paler than ever, his hair disheveled, looking like he could collapse any moment. Han Zhiyuan was alarmed, but before he could stop, the egg bumped into them, pushing them out.
Han Zhiyuan: … Where did this troublesome thing come from!
Han Zhiyuan felt the silver-haired man fall against his chest, his silver hair covering his face, a faint fragrance wafting. His back seemed to hit a stone, the pain almost bringing tears. When he opened his eyes, he saw the silver-haired man trembling in front of him, with five young men surrounding them.
“Are you… the Peacock King?” Sensing the aura, the young men trembled with excitement, realizing they were facing the legendary Peacock King, a figure feared across the continent.
“It’s him, the Peacock King!” Few could emit such a powerful aura even when gravely injured.
“Wow, did we strike it rich?” Their eyes gleamed with greed.
Another one drooled, “The Peacock King with a shattered spirit. What a fortune to find him here in the Royal Broken Mountain Range.”
Peacock King? Han Zhiyuan was stunned, looking at the cold-faced silver-haired man. Before he could speak, the man exuded a chilling aura.
“Fools!” The silver-haired man’s pale red eyes flashed, his cold aura forcing the martial masters to step back.
Several people immediately felt a flash of fear in their hearts, but seeing the state of the silver-haired person, coupled with the rumors outside, they steeled themselves. Each brought out their own life-bound magic tools, determined that even if they had to risk their lives, it was worth it for the treasure-laden Peacock King and the Heavenly-level demon beast egg.
“It’s just a bluff!” one of them sneered. With that, the five simultaneously attacked the silver-haired beauty.
“Damn!” Han Zhiyuan was startled and decisively hid behind the black egg, but his eyes were fixed on the silver hair. Is this really the Peacock King? How is he going to deal with such a powerful being?
The silver-haired person’s face grew paler, and their gaze became increasingly cold. Han Zhiyuan was anxious, but his original self was too weak to be of any help.
At that moment, a bright white light suddenly erupted, and Han Zhiyuan was sent flying by a tremendous force, along with the black egg and the five youths. They were flung more than ten meters before crashing down, the pain making their eyes roll back.
When they looked up, they were dumbfounded. In the place where the light had erupted, a giant white bird, as large as a modern airplane, floated in the air like a celestial being. Its crystal-clear wings sparkled brilliantly, especially its long, stunningly beautiful tail feathers, which shimmered with divine light. The small fan-like colorful feathers on its head were dazzling and regal, compelling worship.
“White Peacock?” Han Zhiyuan swallowed involuntarily. It really was the “Peacock King!” Up close, the Peacock King was breathtakingly beautiful.
With a sweep of its divine tail, a colorful divine light flashed through the air. Then, all they heard were a few blood-curdling screams. Han Zhiyuan looked over in a hurry and saw that the five arrogant youths were now crying and kneeling on the ground. However, with another sweep of the divine light, they were gone.
Gone? Turned to ashes! Han Zhiyuan was shocked, a cold sweat instantly breaking out on his back. If that had hit him earlier, would he still be alive?
“Ah~”
While Han Zhiyuan was still in shock, the majestic Peacock King in the air suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Its enormous body deflated like a punctured balloon, shrinking in the blink of an eye to the size of a normal white peacock. The divine light vanished, and its crystal-clear feathers became dull.
Han Zhiyuan was startled and rushed over, only to see the Peacock King with its eyes half-closed, looking weak and on the verge of death.
“Run!” The white peacock opened its beak and managed to utter two words with difficulty before closing its eyes and fainting. Startled again, Han Zhiyuan didn’t have time to check if it was alive or dead. He bent down, picked up the white peacock, and ran for his life, with the black giant egg hopping and bouncing closely behind.
Damn it, what’s all this? Why do we keep running and running?
