Pretending To Be A Boss

"So this Lost Bird died somewhere, and you don't know where? Is it possible that the Myriad Beasts Court has been searching for hundreds of years and still hasn't found it? Also, the Myriad Beasts Court's attitude toward the Sea God seems completely different from that towards other gods?"

Tang Xian had hit the nail on the head with his questions.

The Undying Xuan Bird snorted coldly and said:

"The fall of each beast god is this world's greatest secret, and within the Judgment Chief, only I am privy to it. Access to the Myriad Beasts Codex is privileged, and under the judge's direction, ordinary ancient apes can only browse some trivial official histories, but those secrets are known only to me."

"So you easily betrayed the court?"

"That's because of the feather in your hand! Eden Tribe! I've told you everything I know, isn't it your turn to tell me now?"

"What's the rush? You've answered something I've always wanted to know, so your life is spared for now. But I can't tell you the origin of this feather yet."

The Xuan Bird was at a loss for what expression to make. Surviving was always good, and it felt that Tang Xian truly no longer harbored a desire to kill it.

The reason Tang Xian didn't kill the Xuan Bird was that he vaguely felt that the Xuan Bird might have been used. That judge, perhaps, had hidden something.

"I will tell you the past of this feather, and I can even take you to meet that person."

"Really?" The Xuan Bird became excited.

This excitement wasn't feigned; Tang Xian was sure of the Xuan Bird's loyalty to its master. It now served the judge not because it betrayed the Nether Phoenix, but perhaps the judge had simply redefined the concept of loyalty.

For example, helping me is equivalent to helping your master. Once the Xuan Bird realized this, it wouldn't be hard to use it.

If he could use the feather to this end... Although he couldn't eat the bird's meat, it would mean planting a traitor within the Myriad Beasts Court.

"Of course, you are much more honest than that fox Qi Jiuye. I am always polite to those I cooperate with. You've mentioned the gods' twilight battle several times; tell me now, what role did the master of Eden of the Eden Tribe play in this battle, how did it start, and how did it end?"

"This... is a long story."

"Keep it short. And this desolate wilderness is perfect for listening to a story."

Tang Xian looked at the sky, which had darkened a bit, and urged Tang Xiaojiu and Yuanwu to start a fire.

Bai Mansheng naturally couldn't be sent to do the task. Because this little white snake was essentially a story enthusiast at heart.

"First, tell me the time of the fall of the gods' battle. Was it before humanity settled in the Pyramid, or after?"

"Before." The Xuan Bird didn't intend to conceal anything, seeing as the six beast gods had spoken, it wouldn't hurt to add this bit, and it was too eager to know the origin of this feather.

For it, this meant that its master's remains had been found.

Tang Xian's pupils contracted slightly.

"Before... that is to say, the emergence of the order machinery units and the invasion of myriad beasts in the world of humans were after the gods' twilight?"

The Xuan Bird knew about that battle; both it and the Endless Turtle had lived through that era.

Tang Xian also suddenly realized that if all this happened before the great catastrophe, then Bai Shuang's age would be well over five hundred years, perhaps even a thousand-year-old deer?

The ages of both the Xuan Bird and the Endless Turtle were also far greater than he had anticipated.

This... suddenly, he was a bit reluctant to kill the Endless Turtle, who might also know some secrets.

Tang Xian said nothing, signaling with his eyes for the Xuan Bird to continue. Accordingly, the Xuan Bird began to speak about the Eden Tribe.

"The Eden Tribe has always been an oddity; their life forms are myriad and bizarre—snakes, deer, birds, humans, and so on—all kinds, yet they assuredly exist within the Myriad Beasts Realm and are of the same lineage. This is hard to comprehend for the myriad beasts, but the Eden Tribe themselves don't care at all. To a certain extent, the Eden Tribe believes that the definition of life isn't in its form, but in its core."

"You mean the Soul Crystal?"

"Yes, they can transform not just into humans... they can become any creature. The Lord of Eden, also known as the seventh beast god, is revered as the god of life, able to absorb a variety of characteristics from other beings. These characteristics allow them to become immune to the damage from creatures they have absorbed, to break through their defenses, and even to hear the voice of all things."

Tang Xian fell silent... this explanation was indeed more reliable than the mechanical god's theories about consciousness and world viruses.

"Continue."

[They were among the earliest creatures to exist in this world, but also the most mysterious. Since they lack a fixed form, they've always been considered oddities in the Myriad Beasts Realm and not treated as beasts. The Eden Tribe was also the first to discover the invaders.]

"What invaders?"

Tang Xian felt the conversation was reaching a crucial point.

[Creatures from another world.]

"Those four words are too broad."

[Because they, like the Eden Tribe, do not have a unified life form, but they all possess powerful destructive and learning capabilities. Already overwhelmingly strong, they yet possess some weapons we are unable to counter.]

Tang Xian raised an eyebrow but didn't interrupt the Undying Xuan Bird.

He just faintly thought... could these weapons be... technological products?

[These weapons have terrifying destructive power and can even suppress our ability to regenerate. The strongest among these otherworldly creatures have even completely merged with these machines.]

In an instant, Tang Xian thought of Constantine that day.

He felt a headache coming on and it seemed that the weapons mentioned by the Undying Xuan Bird were indeed technological products.

The situation suddenly became complicated.

[Moreover, they are extremely numerous. Those steel-cold fellows, like emotionless monsters... once they arrive in a place, they immediately build their nests and then crazily produce more of their kind. And the material they use for creating their own, shockingly, is the corpses of our fallen comrades from this world.]

"Judgment Knights..."

Tang Xian suddenly thought of this.

But if it really were the Judgment Knights, truly the forces of the Order, then why isn't the Myriad Beasts Realm thinking of using portable transport rifts to attack humans?

Tang Xian clenched his teeth unconsciously.

A sense of a massive scam washed over him.

This was an unprecedented, highly disruptive scam.

He suddenly felt a tinge of confusion.

But some of the things that Tang Xian couldn't make sense of were now beginning to connect.

"I see... so that's how it is..."

Although the Undying Xuan Bird hadn't finished speaking, Tang Xian believed he already knew most of it.

"Keep going, did the six great beast gods, except the Destroyer, start to join forces to deal with these otherworldly creatures?"

[Yes, the invasion of the otherworldly creatures posed unimaginable threats. The dispersed realm of the Myriad Beasts was unable to resist, and that's when the Judgment Chief officially established the Myriad Beasts Court, and all his followers joined the court. Along with my master, Lord Nether Phoenix, and the Lost God, they all joined the alliance to fight the otherworldly creatures.]

"The Destroyer didn't join you because he likes solo acts, and the Sea God joined the Eden Tribe?"

[You...are very astute.] The Undying Xuan Bird seemed surprised.

[Lord Sea God has always longed to become human, and the ruler of Eden could make that happen. The ruler of Eden is among the earliest creatures in this world, and many creatures have been able to take on human forms because their ancestors were influenced by the ruler of Eden years ago. The ruler of Eden believed that choosing a common identity—human—would facilitate communication among all beings because in this form, the barrier of language can be set aside.]

"But for that reason, the Judgment Chief thinks these beasts are no longer pure? So when the Sea God chose to serve the ruler of Eden, there was friction between them?"

[Yes, the Sea God's power stems from its colossal body; saying the sea is but its swimming pool is no exaggeration. But its immense size also brought about the Sea God's trouble.]

(There's more to come, but I might not finish by midnight. If it's not completed, I'll continue writing after midnight and post it once done, counting it for today. Tomorrow's update will still happen as scheduled.)