I Have a Golden Crow

”Naisi! Ghost Firefly Blow!” In the woods, Du Yu’s excited voice rang out, not a hint of sleepiness to be heard.

Du Yu and the Ghost Firefly Torch in his hand were simply a walking source of pollution!

Wherever ”Du Haodu” passed by, all kinds of birds and beasts scattered in all directions, afraid that if they ran a little slower, they’d be choked to death on the spot.

”Whoosh~” Du Yu swung the Ghost Firefly Torch above his head, and sparks of firefly green scattered and fell, mesmerizing and beautiful.

A ”bang” exploded out.

The firefly green fireball at the torch’s tip erupted with a boom, causing the Demon Breath Battle Robe on Du Yu’s hand to tremble lightly.

Obviously, the Ghost Firefly Torch hadn’t gone all out, or else Du Yu, standing so close to the blast, would have taken a hard hit himself.

”Blow!” Du Yu suddenly stepped back, torch pointing directly at where Little You Ying had just exploded.

Unyielding Silver·Ghost Firefly Blow!

In an instant, a firefly green Wind-Fire Pillar blasted out, spiraling lines of flame tracing circle after circle, drawing a ”spring” shaped trajectory.

And the strong scent of sulfur, propelled by the Wind-Fire Pillar, blew into the dense upper branches off to the side.

The Wind-Fire Pillar could shoot as far as 10 meters, with a full meter of diameter—a considerable scale.

Besides, even past 10 meters, the wind blast still had momentum, blowing much farther, just without the rotating firefly flame lines.

”Chirp! Chirp~Chirp!”

The dense branches rustled, and then, several tiny birds fell down into the grass below.

”Emmm...” Du Yu spun the Ghost Firefly Torch in his hand.

Little You Ying also wore an innocent expression, blinking its big firefly-green eyes at Du Yu.

Unexpected bonus?

Du Yu strode forward, pulled out his phone, and aimed it to scan the little birds writhing and retching on the grass.

”Little Grey Sparrow, Wind Demonic Beast.

Named for its grey body and sparrow-like appearance. The Little Grey Sparrow clan is naturally lively and playful, not aggressive, and has low growth potential. Demon Tamers should contract and raise with caution.

Power Level Assessment in Progress...

Mortal Level·Initial Stage, actual power to be judged by real circumstances; bestiary scan is for reference only.

Common Demon Skills of the Little Grey Sparrow: 1, Chirp Chirp Call...”

”Du Yu, Du Yu~ Hurry and put the birdies back in their nest.” Little Fen Yang sounded a little upset, ”You’re so mean!”

Du Yu scratched his head awkwardly, squatted down, scooped up the newly hatched chicks, stuffed them into his hood, and quickly walked toward the nearby big tree.

After hanging around in this Demon Spirit Realm for so long, Du Yu hadn’t gotten much more skilled, but climbing trees—he was a master.

Especially after becoming a Demon Tamer Journeyman, his physical abilities had jumped even higher. With a light leap almost two meters high, he gripped the tree and scrambled up the bark with ease.

Little Fen Yang’s stance was firm: if you mess with birds, you’re a bad guy.

But scratch tree bark?

Then you’re seriously a great guy!

Du Yu carefully placed the chicks back in the nest, then hugged the tree and slid back down: ”I really should contract a Fire and Wood Dual Element demon pet. If I had vines, this’d be way easier.”

”Hmmm.” Little Fen Yang seemed to ponder this seriously, muttering quietly, ”I once had a teammate...”

Du Yu: ”...”

No matter who Little Fen Yang’s previous Demon Tamer was, Du Yu always felt that if he let Little Fen Yang keep recommending, he’d end up owning all the same demon pets as that Great Demon Tamer.

Going for the classic remake?

Chatting idly with Little Fen Yang, Du Yu also made his way to the very center of the Demon Spirit Realm.

As the Mother of the Demon Spirit Realm, Twin Trees had its own territory: an open stretch of grass, with no other trees growing nearby.

At a glance, there were plenty of clustered tents—clearly a camp for Demon Tamers.

Du Yu couldn’t help but recall the Battalion Commander in the South Suburb Newbie Realm, that middle-aged man in a shirt.

After that experience, Du Yu’s impression of Demon Tamers’ camps was pretty bad. This time, he decided to steer well clear, circled around Twin Trees for a half lap, and after getting away from the human camp, he finally saw signs of demon beast activity.

Du Yu was no rookie anymore and had zero fear of the demon beasts nearby. He wasn’t even on guard against Twin Trees.

Whether in the South Suburb Newbie Realm or the Illusion Realm in the Shadow Gu Tower, Twin Trees’ actions put Du Yu totally at ease.

So, watched cautiously by the demon beasts, Du Yu walked step by step to stand beneath Twin Trees.

Here, in the shade, thick hanging branches naturally dangling down, and clusters of little white flowers twinkled like diamonds, looking like a waterfall of blossoms framing Du Yu’s figure.

Suddenly, a branch stretched lower.

Du Yu stopped in his tracks, not daring to move.

If you considered the hanging branches of Twin Trees as boundaries, then all humans and demon beasts usually stayed outside their range.

Someone like Du Yu going straight to the roots was definitely rare.

Du Yu also noticed that this branch was different—it was withered!?

No leaves, no twin flowers, just a brittle-looking, seemingly fragile withered branch.

”Gulp.” Du Yu’s Adam’s apple bobbed nervously. He obviously couldn’t fight Twin Trees; he just trusted in its reputation as Guardian to dare come this far.

The withered branch softly tapped Du Yu’s forehead, far gentler than he’d imagined.

It slowly swept over Du Yu’s face, down over his nose, lips, chin...

Finally, the withered branch tapped on the left side of Du Yu’s chest.

”Do you... want me to step back?” Du Yu asked cautiously, thoughts racing!

His greatest confidence stemmed from Master Qing.

Master Qing had specifically told him to cultivate beneath Twin Trees!

And even before Du Yu got the spiritual qi reward from Shadow Gu Tower, several others had succeeded in climbing the tower and been gifted spiritual qi too.

Which meant Master Qing had the right information; he knew other Demon Tamers had fused spiritual qi under Twin Trees to become Spirit Masters, so he gave Du Yu this mission.

Therefore...

Twin Trees shouldn’t harm me, right?

Outside the flowery branches, demon beasts at play all paused, watching Du Yu’s back curiously.

”Tap.”

The withered branch tapped Du Yu’s chest again, and the spiritual qi resting quietly in his Spirit Ruins Acupoint suddenly spread out, like ink blooming on paper...

Du Yu’s eyes widened slightly!

He actually didn’t know that, hundreds of years ago, before the Divine Tree withered, human ancestors would also step beneath Twin Trees to receive its guidance.

Once, Twin Trees was the spiritual faith of the Human Race—and the sole totem of Great Xia!

Those of great talent would awaken by themselves, but would still come to kneel reverently beneath the tree, expressing gratitude for the strength Twin Trees gave them to survive.

Those less gifted would come and pray, hoping Twin Trees would help them awaken their spirit-controlling bloodline, to withstand the harsh world.

Different people have different talents and constitutions.

Not everyone’s body could accept and fuse spiritual qi, but that didn’t stop common folk from devoutly praying here day and night.

How long has this Divine Tree been standing, enough centuries to count by the hundred... how long since it’s encountered anyone from the Human Race...

The ancient ritual, crossing centuries of time, was once again enacted.

In that moment, Du Yu saw his inner world.

As if guided by fate, the strand of spiritual qi, blooming out inside him, fully lit up Du Yu’s Spirit Ruins Acupoint and slowly flowed outward.

Days ago, Master Qing had warned Du Yu to guard that spiritual qi, lest it be snuffed out by the Fire Demon Breath within him.

But now, that spiritual qi seemed blessed by divine protection. As it moved through Du Yu’s body, even the fiery demon breaths in his meridians made way for it.

It even slid into Du Yu’s Ren Meridian, disturbing Xiaoyan resting in the Sea of Qi, who was roused by the passing spiritual qi.

Around and around it went, looping endlessly.

At last, the spiritual qi returned to Du Yu’s Spirit Ruins Acupoint, now ablaze in fiery red, like a little flame burning inside him.

Spirit Master—Fire Spirit Master!

Du Yu lowered his head, clenching and unclenching his fists, feeling even the slight increase in his physical stats like a priceless treasure.

The scary thing was, he found that his perception of Fire Demon Breath within him had become even clearer. Why, after becoming a Fire Spirit Master, am I even more sensitive to Fire Demon Breath?

Could the Divine Spiritual Qi released by Twin Trees and the Demon Beast Breath be related at their root?

The withered branch moved a half inch away from Du Yu’s chest; the ancient ritual seemed to have ended.

Even with the Divine Tree withered, it still guided Du Yu, opening the door to a brand new world.

This... doesn’t seem quite logical?

Feeling the fiery spiritual qi burning in his Spirit Ruins Acupoint, Du Yu couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

Master Qing once said, it was Twin Trees that abandoned humanity, choosing to let the Divine Tree within it wither, dispersing spiritual qi from the world and dooming Spirit Masters to extinction.

If so, then centuries later, why would this withered Divine Tree guide me?

Why help me become a Spirit Master?

Those few who succeeded in climbing the tower before, were they also guided by different regional Twin Trees to become Spirit Masters?

Deep in thought, Du Yu watched as the withered Divine Spirit Branch slowly drew back.

Du Yu quickly reached out and grabbed the withered branch, raising his eyes in earnest. ”Thank you... huh?”

The withered branch paused, and Du Yu’s heart gave a jolt: ”What did you say? Were you just speaking to me telepathically?”

The withered branch shook free of Du Yu’s grip, reached out again, and gently tapped his chest:

The remaining spiritual qi,

burns in the left of your chest.

Will it be extinguished?

Or will it burn away your shackles.