Invincible Snake Emperor

Chapter 565: Chapter 547: Refusing a Toast, Drinking a Forfeit

What does ”so ugly” mean?

The Saint Peng King was utterly baffled. ’Did she mean it literally?’

He was the magnificent Dapeng Divine Bird, the King of Hundred Birds! A being who could stir the waters for three thousand leagues and soar ninety thousand leagues into the sky. He was the number one Divine Bird in the world—the very picture of divine majesty.

’It must be an illusion. I must have misheard.’

”Child, I am the King of Hundred Birds. I have come to take you home. You have no need to be a snake’s Battle Companion. You are of noble birth, second to no other creature in this world.”

For the sake of the Hundred Bird Race’s grand ambitions, the Saint Peng King coaxed her as if she were a toddler.

He knew full well that this Super Celestial Peacock had the potential to one day become a Demon King. If a single lineage produced two Demon Kings, what would that mean? They would dominate all other races.

From the moment he saw this Peacock, the Saint Peng King was resolved. He had to bring this bird back and nurture her.

At the very least, she could not remain a snake’s Battle Companion. Otherwise, how would the other Demons of the Yaoling Mountain Range view the Hundred Bird Race?

”You’re so ugly, I don’t wanna go back with you,” the Azure Owl’s voice was exceptionally ethereal and pleasant, yet her words dripped with contempt, showing the Saint Peng King no respect whatsoever.

The Saint Peng King was once again completely baffled. He had to admit, he simply could not comprehend this Peacock’s sense of aesthetics.

’Me, the Dapeng Divine Bird, ugly? Snakes are the ugly ones, all right.’

’This Immortal Spirit Peacock must have been brainwashed by that snake,’ the Saint Peng King thought, trying to be understanding. ’The child hasn’t had it easy. She’s clearly of noble blood, yet she’s been reduced to a snake’s Battle Companion.’

’It must be like living in the Abyssal Hell.’

A change suddenly came over the Saint Peng King. His avian face transformed into that of a human, and the black wings on his back vanished.

He had become an upright, middle-aged man brimming with masculine vigor.

’Surely she can’t call me ugly now.’

”Child, you are a part of the Hundred Birds Lineage, a Divine Bird. This King will take you back to the Hundred Bird Race, and you will never have to suffer mistreatment from anyone again.”

The Saint Peng King had never been known for his good temper, but for the sake of the Immortal Spirit Peacock, he was suppressing his explosive rage to the absolute limit.

There were countless birds in the world, but a Divine Bird was unspeakably precious—less than one in a million.

What’s more, this was a Divine Bird that had successfully passed its Tribulation.

No matter what, he had to get her back. How could he let some snake benefit so easily?

He wanted to make the Peacock understand the meaning of racial pride.

Tu Xiao’an was off to the side, holding back a laugh. The Saint Peng King clearly had no idea what the Azure Owl was really like. That little one was not easy to please, and even harder to placate.

Besides, Tu Xiao’an wasn’t the least bit worried that the Azure Owl would agree to leave with someone else. As for why? It was a man’s confidence.

Leaving aside the system’s limitations, there was their emotional bond. Tu Xiao’an had raised her for so long, nurturing her from a Rank One High Rank Creature into a Rank 3 Super Demon Spirit.

Without him, Tu Xiao’an, the Azure Owl would be nothing more than a High Rank Green Peacock.

Furthermore, Tu Xiao’an treated the Azure Owl like a precious treasure. She might be his Battle Companion in name, but he raised her like a Princess.

Aside from that one time back at his house when his mom fed her rice—a tiny grievance—she had otherwise lived a life of pure bliss.

The bond between the snake and the bird ran deep.

”Why are you so insistent that I go with you? Is it love? Is it responsibility? Or is it because you’re too ugly?” the Azure Owl said, looking at the Saint Peng King with a mocking tone.

Saint Peng King: ”...”

’What the hell?’

The Dapeng Divine Bird was on the verge of a breakdown. He was utterly speechless, completely unable to follow this Peacock’s bizarre train of thought.

’Normally, this Peacock should have been overjoyed to go with me. So why do I feel like she’s just toying with me?’

’Does she have no basic respect for the King of Hundred Birds?’

’After all, he was here to save her.’

’Could she really be so happy as a snake’s Battle Companion that she’s forgotten where she belongs? Has she completely forgotten her own identity?’

”Giggle...”

Just then, a burst of showy, silver-bell-like laughter rang out, causing the Saint Peng King’s expression to darken even further. An irrepressible fury flickered in his eyes.

He shot a murderous glare in the direction of the sound. It was the bride, clad in a phoenix crown and wedding dress upon the Immortal Spirit Peacock’s back, who was laughing. Her laughter infuriated the Saint Peng King.

’If she weren’t the White Demon King’s bride, I’d slap her right now.’

’And now a mere human dares to laugh at me?’

Su Rushi couldn’t help but laugh, amused by the Azure Owl’s words. Seated on the bird’s back, she was surrounded by feathers that shimmered with nine different colors, an absolutely magnificent sight. She stroked the splendid plumage; it felt wonderful.

She looked at the beautiful Divine Bird beneath her, whose head had somehow transformed into the face of a young girl—an exquisitely beautiful one at that. Astonished, she marveled, ”What an amazing bird, even more interesting than my Xiaoleng.”

Hearing this, the Azure Owl swiveled her head a full one hundred and eighty degrees to face Su Rushi. ”I am an Immortal Spirit Peacock, and one day I’m going to become a Phoenix.”

”I’m only reluctantly letting you sit on me because you’re that scoundrel’s girlfriend. Good thing you’re not ugly.”

Su Rushi was taken aback. ”Whose girlfriend did you say I was?”

”My scoundrel master.”

Su Rushi glanced at Tu Xiao’an, her cheeks instantly flushing red. She retorted peevishly, ”Don’t talk nonsense! I’m not his girlfriend. I’m his master! He’s my pet snake, and even though he’s become human, he still is! Hmph.”

Just as haughty.

”You’re bluffing. Can you make him call you ’Master’?” the Azure Owl said, unconvinced. ”That scoundrel is always forcing *me* to call him ’Master’.”

On that point... Su Rushi wasn’t so sure.

Ever since the exquisite little snake had learned to speak, he’d taken to calling her ”girl” in an infuriatingly patronizing tone.

”I knew you were bluffing! How could that scoundrel ever be someone else’s pet? If that were true, wouldn’t that make me the pet of a pet?”

’That sounds like an even lower status.’

Su Rushi grew flustered. ”It’s true! Back when Xiaoleng was injured, I was the one who found him in the Purple Bamboo Forest and took him in! He is my pet snake!”

”So what’s the real story? You have to tell this Peacock!” the Azure Owl said, her face a mask of curiosity, her desire for gossip practically exploding.

One hovering in the air, the other on her back—the two of them, both with the dispositions of young girls, completely ignored the tense situation and the powerful figures around them. They began to chatter away, their conversation growing more and more animated.

Tu Xiao’an shrugged. He was at a loss for words seeing how quickly they’d hit it off. The Saint Peng King, on the other hand, looked about ready to explode with rage. ’Could they please stop treating him like he was invisible?’

”Immortal Spirit Peacock!” the Saint Peng King suddenly roared, his entire being radiating majestic power. ”This King, in my capacity as the Supreme Monarch of the Hundred Birds Lineage, now asks you: are you willing to return with me?”

The Azure Owl stared blankly at the Saint Peng King’s solemn face. ’He still hasn’t given up?’

”You still haven’t answered my question. Why do you want to take me back? Is it love? Is it responsibility? Or is it because you’re ugly?”

”Enough!”

The Saint Peng King’s eyes flew wide. His eyebrows shot up, and veins bulged on his forehead. His explosive temper could no longer be contained.

’To hell with it,’ he wanted to scream. ’I don’t even want this damn bird anymore!’

’Her words are infuriating.’

”Hmph. You yelled at me. Now I’m definitely not going back with you,” the Azure Owl said with a haughty sniff.

The Saint Peng King flew into a rage. ”I am the King of Hundred Birds, ruler of all avian kind! This King now commands you: return with me!”

The moment he finished speaking, the majestic aura of a Supreme Monarch surged forth, crashing down upon the Azure Owl. She froze, then began to tremble uncontrollably.

The aura of a Monarch from her own lineage was too much for the Azure Owl to bear. A tremor ran through the depths of her soul, and she wavered in the air, looking as if she might fall.

The majesty of the Bird King, combined with the terrifying aura of a Demon King, made the Azure Owl lose control of her body.

”Birdman, you’ve gone too far.” Tu Xiao’an suddenly appeared in front of the Immortal Spirit Peacock. With a shudder that rippled and distorted the very space around him, he dispersed the oppressive majesty of the Bird King’s aura.

”The answer is clear. My Immortal Spirit Peacock is unwilling to return to your Hundred Bird Race. Give it up.”

”Outrageous!” Uncontainable fury blazed in the Saint Peng King’s eyes as he stared at Tu Xiao’an. ”Was this your doing? Otherwise, how could the Immortal Spirit Peacock refuse this King? She is a bird! How could she be unwilling for her fallen leaves to return to their roots? Did you force her to refuse?”

Tu Xiao’an rolled his eyes and said nonchalantly, ”Am I the one pulling tricks, or are you the one who’s refusing to be reasonable? I came here today to crash the White Demon King’s wedding. This has nothing to do with you. If you have a problem with it, wait until today is over, then come to my She Mountain and ask for her.”

”Release the Immortal Spirit Peacock from her Soul Contract. This King is taking her back right now.” After all the trouble he’d gone through, the Saint Peng King wasn’t about to return empty-handed.

”And if I refuse?”

”Then this King will not be finished with you.”

Tu Xiao’an laughed. His cold gaze swept over the pestering Saint Peng King, and the surrounding temperature seemed to drop. ”Birdman,” he said icily, ”I’ve tried to be reasonable, but you’re shameless, aren’t you? You’d better know what’s good for you and scram. Otherwise, I’ll see to it that the Hundred Bird Race gets a new king.”

GASP...!

The moment he spoke, a tremor ran through the air. Such arrogant, domineering words! The crowd of Demons below were as stunned as if they’d been struck by the Five Thunders, their faces twisting into bizarre, unreadable masks of shock.

’It’s only been a few days, but this snake has gotten even more arrogant. How dare he say something like that?’

Not even the Deep Mountain Demon King would dare utter such brazen words, especially not when the Hundred Bird Race was a major power and the Saint Peng King was a Demon King himself.

He wasn’t just some Shrimp Soldier or Crab General; he was one of the supreme experts standing at the very pinnacle of the Yaoling Mountain Range.

Down below, that single sentence caused an uproar. The crowd erupted, pointing at the sky as a wave of discussion swept through them.

’It seems this King won’t have to kill the snake myself after all,’ the White Demon King thought, suddenly feeling like the oriole watching the mantis stalk the cicada.

That damned snake was impossibly arrogant, daring to make such a boast. If the Saint Peng King had any sense of pride left, he would have to fight him to the death.

To be honest, in a one-on-one fight, the White Demon King wasn’t one hundred percent confident he could kill the snake, having witnessed its battle against the Gray Demon King.

But now, with the Saint Peng King here, killing the snake would be a certainty if they joined forces.

Of course, joining forces would be too great a loss of face. But if he let the Saint Peng King fight a fierce battle first... if the Peng King won, that would be for the best. If he couldn’t win, he could at least wear down the snake’s strength.

The White Demon King’s wedding procession was already ruined anyway; he didn’t mind wasting a little more time. But if this snake managed to leave the Azure Bamboo Forest safely, then he, just like the Gray Demon King, would become the laughingstock of the entire Yaoling Mountain Range.