Chapter Thirty-Three: Riding the Tailwind Bird

Demon mosquito? Not only that, it possesses intelligence and might be the descendant of some primordial creature—its value is incalculable.

No wonder, upon entering the city, the Lord spared no expense to activate the city’s grand defensive formation, and numerous cultivators from the City Lord’s residence were searching everywhere. It seems they’ve yet to discover the demon mosquito’s whereabouts, which means my sibling and I still have a chance. Zhou Yunjun and Zhou Yunru exchanged glances and threw themselves into the search with renewed determination.

“No, still nothing. Could it be that the little creature has already escaped?” Zhao Fan, who had ordered the defensive formation to be activated from the outset, was confident he could root out the so-called demon mosquito. Yet, after searching for dozens of hours and thoroughly scouring every corner of Nanshan City, not even the faintest clue was found—his confidence began to waver.

Thus, while he instructed his men to continue searching, he and a few experts, including Elder You, flew out of Nanshan City, fanning out in all directions. He didn’t simply pursue a single direction because of his own cleverness; he reasoned that since the intelligent demon mosquito was so cunning, it would not necessarily head for the Tiannan Mountain Range again. Only by considering all directions could he ensure nothing was overlooked.

When Xiao Wenzi saw the familiar Kaoshan Town once more, he breathed a long sigh of relief. Yet every moment he remained outside the depths of the vast mountains, he risked discovery and death. Without hesitation, he left the carriage and unfurled his wings, flying straight toward the Tiannan Mountain Range.

The divine sense of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator could probe a radius of several hundred yards, but the terrain outside Nanshan City was complex and teeming with insects. As Zhao Fan searched, by the time he reached Kaoshan Town, it was already deep into the night.

After such exhaustive effort, not even a shadow of the so-called demon mosquito appeared. Zhao Fan was left speechless, but unwilling to give up, he decided to investigate the edge of the Tiannan Mountain Range once more. If still nothing turned up, he would have to return to Nanshan City and see what Elder You and the others had achieved.

Xiao Wenzi flew into the rolling mountains, avoiding the dense forest where he had once sheltered. That place’s Purple Swallow Grass and Cloud-Lover Flower had nearly all been drained, their essence now of little use for his cultivation; and the venomous-scaled python that guarded the area, whose poison aided his recovery, was enough to keep him at bay.

Moreover, this time he had offended a formidable enemy—one powerful enough to activate the city’s grand formation and hunt him down. The foe might not immediately search the Tiannan Mountain Range, but as time passed, the outskirts would become unsafe. Only by venturing deeper, to where high-level demon beasts dwelled, could he truly evade pursuit.

What Xiao Wenzi didn’t know was that his cautious choice to take another direction had allowed him to narrowly escape disaster.

Zhao Fan paused beside a pile of bees, their bodies sliced by tiny blades and nearly weathered to decay. Careful observation revealed their wounds bore a resemblance to the fatal blade marks on Zhou Liang’s throat.

Soon after, Zhao Fan discovered nearby Purple Swallow Grass and Cloud-Lover Flower whose essence had been drained. He was certain this was where the demon mosquito had hidden and grown, though he wondered why it had ventured to Nanshan City at all.

Could it be that, at intervals, it needed to feed on human blood, like a queen bee among mosquitoes? If so, where were its offspring?

As Zhao Fan pondered these mysteries, the venomous-scaled python’s hiss echoed from the valley’s pool. Mistaking him for another provocateur, it charged out and attacked.

It couldn’t be blamed; its intelligence was low, it hated cultivators, and Zhao Fan’s late Foundation Establishment aura hadn’t been released. The python’s fate was sealed.

With a single sword strike, Zhao Fan slew the python and cleaned up the battlefield. He decided to wait here for the demon mosquito’s return, as searching without a clue was fruitless.

He held his breath and hid behind a large tree, waiting for hours. By the next morning, nothing had appeared, and his brow furrowed in frustration.

At that moment, Xiao Wenzi, clinging to the feathers on the back of a wild goose, finally let out a long breath. By his reckoning, after crossing the high peak ahead, he was hundreds of miles from Nanshan City—truly safe at last.

Autumn had arrived, and the geese were clearly migrating south for the winter. Xiao Wenzi could easily follow them, escaping the turmoil for good.

He was indeed fortunate. Last night, exhausted and spent after flying dozens of miles into the Tiannan Mountain Range, he had discovered a flock of geese by a stream in a valley.

He wondered if this world’s winters would be bitterly cold, but after cultivating the Blood Spirit Method, even under heavy snow, he, as a tiny mosquito, shouldn’t freeze to death.

Still, he couldn’t hibernate. He needed a warm place to better feed and cultivate. Following the migrating geese south was only advantageous.

On a whim, Xiao Wenzi found a safe spot to restore his strength, then quietly approached a goose and slipped onto its back.

He was, after all, at the peak of the second heavenly layer—equivalent to a fourth-level Qi Refining cultivator among demon beasts. His body was so light and small that, clinging to the tip of a feather, the goose had no idea it carried an unexpected passenger, nor would it object to giving him a “free ride.”

The geese were indeed migrating south, but as ordinary birds, they needed to feed and rest frequently, covering only five or six hundred miles a day.

Fortunately, they crossed the Tiannan Mountain Range every year and had established safe routes, never venturing into the dangerous territory of high-level demon beasts. As a stowaway, Xiao Wenzi benefited from their caution.

“All right, time to exchange for a new cultivation method.”

By day, in order not to fall behind, wherever the geese searched for food or paused to rest, Xiao Wenzi clung tightly to their backs, leaving no time for other concerns.

At night, when the flock rested for ten hours or more, he finally had time to contemplate his next steps in cultivation.

The past two days had depleted his nearly two hundred second-layer system coins, leaving fewer than sixty. Fortunately, as with previous layers, exchanging for the Blood Spirit Method of the third heavenly layer required only five coins.

He pressed the exchange button; five coins vanished, and a stream of text etched itself into his soul.

The Blood Spirit Method for the demon aura realm third heavenly layer was directly descended from the second layer, so Xiao Wenzi found it easy to understand. To his delight, the third-layer technique included a minor secret art.

Swift Demon Technique, whose effect was similar to the human cultivators’ Gale Technique, rapidly increased one’s speed for a short time.

Though not an attack spell, and of limited use in ordinary flight, its sudden speed boost could prove invaluable in escaping danger or surprising foes.

With the new heart method in hand, and second-layer system coins still available to exchange for lower-grade Demon Gathering Pills, given enough time, he should have no trouble breaking through to the third heavenly layer.