Journey to the West: I am the fiercest bird under Bodhi's seat

That was a fear etched deep in the soul, one that has never faded.

Suddenly, a cry resounded through the heavens, piercing through clouds and splitting rocks, shaking the universe.

Immediately afterwards, a pair of golden wings unfolded, stretching for tens of thousands of miles, so vast that it surpassed all cognition and imagination.

The real sun has descended—two suns appear in the sky!

Only then did the demon kings finally see the figure in the center of the golden light.

It was a divine bird that shone with dazzling golden light, noble beyond compare, and possessed boundless power.

"Golden...Crow..."

The Demon King of the Flood Dragon suddenly went limp and collapsed onto his seat, his face deathly pale, almost kneeling down.

Fortunately, at the last moment he suddenly realized: this golden crow was Ye Feng, not the supreme emperor who had long since perished in ancient times in his memory.

That person perished along with the ancient Heavenly Court countless years ago, becoming a legend.

The other demon kings all gasped, their faces filled with horror and disbelief.

They never knew Ye Feng's true form because his transformation was too perfect, without any flaws.

Although I have now seen it, I still can't believe it.

How could there possibly be another golden crow? How could this world possibly accommodate a second golden crow?

After Hou Yi shot down the suns, Donghuang Taiyi, Tiandi Dijun, and Xihe all perished, leaving only one golden crow to continue the bloodline.

During the Investiture of the Gods, Daoist Lu Ya appeared.

In Buddhism today, Vairocana Buddha sits serenely on a lotus throne.

There is no other one besides these.

But now, another golden crow has suddenly descended.

As his true form was revealed, Ye Feng spread his wings. He had not shown his true form for a long time, especially after completely absorbing the essence of the sun.

Even he himself never expected that when he fully revealed his true form, he would reach such an astonishing level.

Its radiance was so great that it illuminated the three realms and traversed the void.

High above the heavens, at the very top of the sky, a golden light shot up and pierced straight into the South Heavenly Gate.

It was not a day for court assembly, and all the gods were performing their duties, so the Heavenly Court was in good order.

Suddenly, a bright sun appeared in the sky, its golden light dazzling even the gods and immortals.

The Jade Emperor was enjoying a song and dance performance in the Hall of Fragrant Breeze when he suddenly noticed a golden light emanating from the hall, as if the entire palace was gilded with divine radiance.

"What happened?"

Inside the hall, there was originally light singing and dancing, with melodious music playing, and fairies draped in thin veils dancing gracefully.

Upon hearing the music, the celestial music abruptly stopped, and the dancers gracefully withdrew outside the hall, their sleeves folded and heads bowed.

An old Taoist priest with white hair and a youthful face strode in, holding a whisk, exuding an aura of otherworldly grace.

Approaching the beaded curtain, he bowed and kowtowed, saying, "This old minister pays respects to the Great Heavenly Venerable."

The Jade Emperor nodded slightly: "No need for formalities. Venus, why is there such a golden light shining into the sky outside?"

This person is none other than Chang Geng Xing Jun, also known as the Morning Star, or as commonly known as Tai Bai Jin Xing.

He straightened up and replied, "This old minister was also startled by the golden light and came to report. I have already summoned the Thousand-Mile Eye and the Wind-Following Ear, who should arrive soon."

Before the words were finished, footsteps sounded again outside the hall. In a moment, two divine generals entered, with peculiar appearances, and knelt down in worship.

The Jade Emperor ordered him to rise and then asked a question.

The two immediately reported, "Your Majesty, we have ascertained that the Bull Demon King and the newly emerged Demon King were fighting in the skies above Flower Fruit Mountain in Aolai Kingdom of Dongsheng Shenzhou. During the fierce battle, they both revealed their true forms. The Demon King's true form was actually a golden crow, which is why it shone brightly throughout the Three Realms and shook the heavens and earth."

"Oh?" Venus, standing to the side, narrowed his eyes slightly, his face showing surprise.

The three-legged golden crow is an extremely rare divine beast in the Three Realms. It once ruled over the demon race and was awe-inspiring throughout the primordial era.

However, since the end of the primordial era, only one golden crow remains in the Three Realms, guarding the position of the sun.

After the establishment of the new Heavenly Court, the position of Sun Star Lord remained vacant for a long time because a second Golden Crow could not be found. In the end, a rooster of a different species was found to temporarily take over the position and barely maintain the order of sunrise.

Now that a second golden crow has appeared in the world, Venus's heart stirred slightly, and his thoughts surged.

He remained silent, having spent many years navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom, and was well-versed in the art of keeping quiet. He merely glanced at the Jade Emperor's expression out of the corner of his eye.

The Jade Emperor's expression remained unchanged, showing neither sorrow nor joy. He simply said, "I understand. You may leave."

Thousand-Mile Eye and Wind-Following Ear bowed and slowly withdrew from the Hall of Fragrant Breeze.

Venus paused briefly, then bowed respectfully and left silently without uttering a word.

At this moment, the entire Heavenly Palace was bathed in golden light, so bright that it was dazzling. All the immortals noticed the strange phenomenon and searched around to find its source.

Not only did the Heavenly Court tremble—when Ye Feng revealed his true form, his radiance was as intense as fire, illuminating all directions. In all four continents, a new sun rose into the sky, recreating the spectacular sight of "two suns shining together."

This phenomenon has never reappeared in the Three Realms since the end of the primordial era.

The last time ten suns appeared in the sky, it was not an auspicious sign, but a calamity.

At that time, a great sorcerer named Hou Yi appeared and killed nine golden crows, nearly wiping out the already rare golden crow race and ultimately becoming the fuse for the war between the sorcerer and the demon.

As the light spread, many powerful beings across the four continents sensed it and looked eastward.

Deep within Xiniu Hezhou lies a place resembling a giant nest.

A Zen master was sitting in meditation in the lotus position when he suddenly had an epiphany. He opened his eyes and looked eastward, where he was met with a dazzling beam of light that seemed to pierce through the sky.

Snapped--

The prayer beads in her hand fell to the ground and scattered everywhere.

His expression froze, and his lips trembled slightly.

"Impossible... Absolutely impossible..."

He whispered repeatedly, unable to believe what he was seeing, his expression shifting constantly.

Suddenly, auspicious clouds appeared behind his head. However, the light was not the golden lotus of Buddhism, but rather golden flames surging. In the center of the auspicious clouds, a three-legged golden crow with outstretched wings appeared!

The golden crow flaps its wings, seemingly about to fly straight towards the Eastern Divine Land.

However, after a moment, Qingyun calmed down, the golden crow disappeared, and he slowly bent down, picked up the Buddhist beads, and strung them back together one by one.

"Amitabha."

With a single Buddhist chant, he closed his eyes tightly, as if an ancient Buddha had entered into meditation, and never looked eastward again.

Meanwhile, further west, atop Mount Ling.

As Shakyamuni was expounding the wondrous Dharma to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, at the most subtle point, heavenly flowers fell in profusion, and golden lotuses sprang from the ground, filling the air with fragrance.

The Buddhas were immersed in the Dharma sounds, their minds and spirits completely captivated.

Suddenly, a golden light broke through the sky from the east, piercing through layers of Buddhist light and shining directly on the sacred mountain.

The sermon stopped.

Shakyamuni lowered his eyes and looked eastward, a strange expression appearing between his brows.

The Buddhas noticed the silence, looked up, and saw the golden pillar in the sky, filled with astonishment and uncertainty.

Immediately, a Buddha asked, "World Honored One, this light transcends all worlds and shines upon my Vulture Peak. What omen is this?"

Shakyamuni Buddha clasped his hands and whispered, "The descent of the Golden Crow is beyond words, beyond words."

All the Buddhas were astonished upon hearing this. They immediately thought of Vairocana Buddha—the supreme being of Esoteric Buddhism—who, though not residing on Mount Sumeru, was associated with light.

Then he immediately felt something was amiss: if it were truly the manifestation of Vairocana Buddha, why would he be so ostentatious? And the World-Honored One would not be so secretive about it.

Therefore, it is known that this is a newly born golden crow, not the Buddha of the past.

And in the far north of the world, deep within the continent of Beiju Luzhou.

This place is the coldest in the four continents, covered in ice and snow all year round, rarely visited by humans, and only ancient ferocious beasts and great demons lurk within.

Further north, it feels like reaching the end of the world, with endless ice fields stretching for thousands of miles, where even the sunlight seems frozen.

The land of the Northern Sea is located here.

In the vast snow-covered land, an ancient palace stands out, its simple and ancient design exuding the breath of time.

Today, the golden light shines brightly, even brightening this eternally silent land.

The palace is filled with towering buildings and pavilions, and countless disciples dressed in Taoist robes move about among the celestial mountains and jade terraces.

Suddenly, a long-closed door opened silently.

A young man in a green robe walked out slowly. He looked like a twelve or thirteen-year-old child, with delicate features and a gentle beauty that was hard to distinguish between male and female.

The disciples guarding the gate were greatly alarmed and immediately knelt down, calling out in trembling voices, "Master!"

They had been disciples for ten thousand years, yet they had never seen the true face of their ancestor, who had been in seclusion the entire time.

What has caused this disturbance today that has brought out the reappearance of the Northern Darkness Ancestor, who has been silent for countless years?

The boy remained expressionless, not even glancing at the kneeling person, his gaze fixed on the distant Eastern Continent.

Despite the endless void, he clearly saw in his eyes the figure of a three-legged golden crow that reached the heavens and the earth, with wings burning with fire.

"Taiyi..."

He murmured softly, a complex emotion flashing across his eyes, as if recalling long-forgotten events.

A moment later, he turned and stepped inside.

The portal closed silently, as if it had never been opened.

Throughout the Three Realms, not only ordinary beings but also many beings with extraordinary magical powers turned their gazes toward the newborn Golden Crow, reacting in various ways.

Above Flower Fruit Mountain, when the Bull Demon King saw Ye Feng reveal his true form, his hair stood on end, and an overwhelming fear welled up in his heart.

Both sides revealed their true forms, making the difference in their strength immediately apparent.

His enormous bull-like body was as majestic as a mountain, and ordinary demon cultivators would tremble with fear at the sight of him.

Compared to the golden crow before them, they were like ants facing the vast sky.

His body was barely equivalent to one of Ye Feng's sharp claws.

Ye Feng had three of those giant claws.

With a flap of its wings, the world loses its color, as if the clouds have collapsed and the sun and moon have lost their light.

Ye Feng's eyes flashed like lightning, instantly locking onto the Bull Demon King below.

Without the slightest hesitation, it flapped its wings and swooped down, as if tearing the heavens and earth apart. A claw swooped down from the air, its momentum like the destruction of the world.

The Bull Demon King roared to the sky, turned around and fled, not wanting to fight any longer.

Although he revealed his true form and his strength was close to the peak of Taiyi Golden Immortal, Ye Feng's aura was as vast as the sea, already approaching the realm of an ordinary Daluo Golden Immortal.

His speed was quite fast, but it was still far too slow compared to Ye Feng's true form.

With a mere flap of his wings, Ye Feng's sharp claws firmly seized the Bull Demon King. Golden flames instantly enveloped his body, burning fiercely.

The Bull Demon King struggled in agony, letting out a mournful howl.

It emitted billowing white smoke from its body, the temperature soared rapidly, its hair turned black inch by inch, and its flesh sizzled.

Immediately afterwards, Ye Feng swooped down from the sky.

The demons of Huaguo Mountain were utterly annihilated—the scene before them was like the sun falling, carrying a scorching heat wave, transforming into an ever-expanding crimson fireball that hurtled straight towards them; mortals rarely experienced such a visual impact.

Fortunately, Ye Feng still had some sense of propriety and did not actually smash Flower Fruit Mountain with his own weight.

He simply pressed down the giant claw that was holding the Bull Demon King, slamming it heavily onto the mountainside.

Even so, the claw shadow fell as if the earth were collapsing.

A white ox, as large as the main peak, crashed to the ground, causing the entire Flower Fruit Mountain to tremble violently, cracks to appear on the ground, and magma to emerge.

The surrounding seawater was churning and boiling, with countless dead fish and shrimp floating on the surface, belly up, and the air was filled with the smell of burnt seafood.

The Bull Demon King was already powerless to fight back, and no matter how much he struggled, he could not budge Ye Feng in the slightest.

The Golden Crow True Fire continued to heat up, turning his skin from red to purple. If he delayed any longer, he would probably turn into roasted meat.