Chapter Seventy: The Ferocious Qiongqi of Evil
The habitat of the Andean condor appeared on the system's navigation cursor, directly beyond the forest. Even though that area was still shrouded in mist, Wu You was certain it was a mountain range—if not, at least a cluster of peaks. Judging by the scale of the forest as it revealed itself, it might take more than a week to traverse at his current pace. Although he'd already determined that time flowed much faster within the Mountain of Beasts, so spending a few days inside would hardly affect the outside world, Wu You had a more convenient method.
He found a relatively safe, sturdy tree, climbed to a high branch, and left Little Black to guard below, while the Velvet Spider Scorpion watched over him above. Entering observation mode, he guided the White Eagle toward the location marked by the cursor. The Ghost Leech Mosquito, slower than the White Eagle, simply attached itself to the eagle’s talons with its suction pads. With the eagle’s speed, it would reach the destination within a few hours at most.
Periodically, Wu You switched to observation mode to adjust their course; in the meantime, he pulled out his sketchpad from his backpack and idly drew some sketches. Some depicted creatures reminiscent of legendary monsters and divine beasts; others were grotesque or bizarre, some even bordering on science fiction, and of course, some were downright terrifying.
As the White Eagle progressed, the system’s three-dimensional map kept “lighting up” along its route. He'd discovered during this expedition into the Mountain of Beasts that even alchemical creatures could illuminate the mist-shrouded regions, which inspired his current plan. As long as he reached and illuminated that area, Wu You could return to reality, then use the teleportation function upon re-entry to “jump” directly to the Andean condor’s habitat.
The Ghost Leech Mosquito accompanied them as a side experiment. By the time he finished his second sketch, the White Eagle had already arrived at the designated location. Wu You checked his watch: two and a half hours had passed. With the eagle’s flight speed, they had probably covered more than three hundred kilometers in a straight line.
From observation mode, the Andean condors nearby were not numerous, but two appeared within his field of vision—one perched on the ridge, the other soaring in the air. The Ghost Leech Mosquito slipped off the eagle’s talons and, in its usual silent manner, quickly approached the condor on the ridge. Before long, the ground was strewn with the limp body of a large bird.
Wu You glanced around, then recalled all his alchemical creatures into the beast enclosure. He dared not leave them alone in the Mountain of Beasts; given the accelerated flow of time, who knew what might happen to Little Black and the others, or how long the alchemical creatures' lifespans really were. If only he could remotely deploy them from the beast enclosure—Wu You mused idly once again.
He chose to return to reality. The moment he reappeared in his room, he immediately re-entered the Mountain of Beasts, opened the three-dimensional map, and teleported to the ridge where the condor had fallen. Upon arrival, Wu You released several Iron-Black lifeforms from the enclosure. It was night, the starlit sky bright enough. After confirming the surroundings were safe, he looked toward the gap between two nearby rocks.
There, the night winds swirled a tangle of scattered feathers. Bloodstains lingered on the rocks. Clearly, the Andean condor had been devoured by something. As expected, in just that brief interval, enough time had passed for some lucky beast or beasts to feast on the fresh carcass.
He had little interest in further investigation. Using the White Eagle, he found a condor nest and swiftly solved the capture problem by his usual method. Then he returned to reality.
***
The system had recently upgraded to level three, but Wu You had yet to attempt third-level alchemy. Now, having found some promising materials, he decided to try it—and conduct another experiment.
He was certain now that his consciousness played a significant role in the alchemical creation; otherwise, Ao Guang would never have manifested water-manipulation abilities. But Wu You wanted to test just how deeply his mind influenced the process—whether it could realize those wild ideas he harbored.
Though he’d only eaten lunch a short while ago, Wu You had already spent several hours on these tasks. He grabbed a small snack, then lay down to rest, conserving energy for what he planned to do that night.
Apart from going downstairs for dinner and a phone call from Xiang Biao reporting company news and asking when Wu You would release some mountain wildlife, nothing else interrupted him. He slept until ten at night before finally rising, refreshed and alert.
He washed his face, feeling fully awake. Opening the system, he selected third-level alchemy. In the materials warehouse, he chose a male Bengal tiger, a male North African wild bull, a female hedgehog, and an Andean condor. Some of these animals were savage, others fierce, some solitary.
The tiger had always borne the reputation for ferocity, with legends of man-eaters and other sinister tales; the condor, among certain indigenous peoples, was revered as a death-bringing divine bird. Though such beliefs were steeped in superstition, they subtly influenced Wu You’s subconscious.
Previously, he often tried to dilute his subconscious influence during alchemy, but this time, he intended to amplify it.
Prompt: Select male Bengal tiger, male North African wild bull, female hedgehog, and Andean condor. Confirm?
After reviewing his thoughts, Wu You confirmed. The next moment, the alchemy drawing board with its black-flowing background appeared again. He applied a small dab of Reviving Salve to his forehead.
He focused his entire attention on the alchemy board, knowing from past experience that this attempt would consume tremendous energy.
A savage tiger’s head merged with the explosively muscular body of a bull. Beneath the body stretched exaggeratedly powerful limbs, the tiger’s claws bent into eagle-like hooks at their tips.
At the rear, a whip-like tiger tail ended in a tuft of soft fur. Upon its sturdy back, two enormous wings unfurled, each outstretched to one side. Steel needles, drawn by Wu You’s hand, covered the creature’s body everywhere except the wings.
No! It was still not enough!
The legends of the Classic of Mountains and Seas and other folklore entwined with Wu You’s mind, like a syringe injecting ink furiously into the creature on the alchemy board.
His head suddenly throbbed with tearing pain. Fortunately, the earlier application of Reviving Salve took effect, soothing his headache and replenishing his fading energy.
The creature on the alchemy board began to manifest a bizarre, unprecedented aura as time passed.
He couldn’t hold out any longer—he had to stop.
System evaluation: Physical configuration rationality 12%. Alchemy success rate increased by 1.2%.
Current success rate: 50% + 10% (will resonance) + 1.2%.
Proceed with alchemy?
Though the physical configuration’s rationality was extremely low, comparable to his earlier plant-animal hybrid experiments, Wu You stared intently at the alchemy board, filled with confidence for this attempt.
Even before the materials were infused, the creature on the board already seemed “alive.”
Confirm alchemy.
The four animals in the materials warehouse transformed into streams of light, pouring into the alchemy board.
A sound like chewing echoed from within the board. Black smoke-like substance rapidly enveloped the creature’s body, then dissipated just as quickly.
Seconds later, the creature closed its eyes, its wings’ blade-like feathers unfurling in a metallic shimmer.
Prompt: Alchemy successful. Please name.
As expected.
Though a name was just a code, and naming didn’t guarantee the creature would match its legendary counterpart, Ao Guang could just as easily have been called a Thunder Lizard instead of a Thunder Dragon, but the name itself embodied Wu You’s intention.
He chose the name: Qiongqi, Demon Thorn.