Absolute Destiny Game.

Chapter 574 The Divine Bird 'Golden Crow'

With the professional support of a sorcerer, the theoretical guidance of the "Thousand Illusions Transformation Technique," and the transformation experience from her previous life, An Ran quickly restored two new transformation spells.

The snow owl and the giant bear could transform, but unfortunately, perhaps due to insufficient spiritual power, the transformation of these two demonic beasts could not be unlocked.

Xiao Jie closed his eyes and focused his mind, slowly spreading his divine sense to perceive the two life forces deep in the basin that were gradually awakening and becoming increasingly scorching and powerful.

Just then, high in the sky, a clear and melodious cry suddenly rang out! The cry pierced through metal and split rocks, yet it carried an ancient and sacred charm, as if it were not the song of an ordinary bird, but a tremor from the core of the sun, containing unparalleled light and heat, instantly overwhelming all the noise in the basin.

"It's here!" Xiao Jie's heart skipped a beat. He whispered to An Ran, "Hide well and don't show yourself easily." The Golden Crow was a true divine beast, incredibly powerful, probably no weaker than an ordinary dragon. Even as an immortal, Xiao Jie couldn't say he could completely control the situation. If a disagreement or a mishap caused the Golden Crow to go berserk, he was confident he could protect himself, but the devastating aftershocks of its attack could easily put An Ran, whose level was still low, in mortal danger.

He quickly made a hand seal and used an invisibility spell to completely conceal the figures and auras of the two of them.

In the largest lava lake at the center of the basin, boiling magma surged violently like scalding golden-red liquid. Then, an incredibly dazzling, blinding golden sphere slowly rose from the magma, as if a miniature sun was being born! It hovered in mid-air, its light gradually dimming to reveal its true form.

It was a gigantic and magnificent bird! Its size far surpassed any raptor on earth, with a wingspan of twenty or thirty meters. Its entire body was covered in pure, shimmering gold, as if formed from liquid sunlight. Tiny golden flames danced along the edge of each feather.

Its beak, sharp and gleaming like the purest gold, and its eyes, two burning, incandescent orbs of light, exuded majesty and wisdom. Three claws, seemingly composed of pure flame, gracefully tucked beneath its belly. Its entire body radiated terrifying heat and boundless light, as if it were the embodiment of the sun; its mere presence caused the surrounding space to distort slightly, and light to bend and submit to it.

What a magnificent sunbird! Xiao Jie couldn't help but admire it.

Xihuang (Golden Crow Divine Bird): Level 65 Ancient Divine Beast. HP 35000/35000.

Looking at the golden crow that seemed to be the embodiment of flames, its majestic power hanging in the sky, Xiao Jie couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. Its appearance and aura were indeed worthy of his status, making his special trip of thousands of miles to observe it worthwhile.

Of all the divine beasts that the Mystic Sovereign provided him with, each had its own strengths, but the Golden Crow was undoubtedly the one that suited Xiao Jie's tastes best. Firstly, it was incredibly prestigious, being a mythical sun bird; secondly, the Great War of the Underworld was just two days away, and what spell could be more damaging to the undead and ghosts than the supremely yang and powerful [Blazing Sun Heavenly Fire]? If he could successfully visualize it and obtain its innate divine power, he could certainly put it to good use on the battlefield and wreak havoc.

Although Xiao Jie was determined to cling to the coattails of the three veteran immortals, Lin Xuance, Wu Qingyue, and Su Zhiqing, it was still good that he could perform well, which would better demonstrate the value of "variables".

The golden crow—Xihuang—circled once in the air, like a miniature sun surveying its territory; its light seemed to invigorate even the magma. But then it let out a cry tinged with discontent and anger.

Xiao Jie wasn't surprised. This thing also needed to "eat," and the Golden Crow's food consisted of fire elemental materials dropped by the various fire-type monsters that died on Crimson Flame Peak. He had just devoured all the "snacks" that had spawned today, and if nothing unexpected happened, the Golden Crow Xihuang would be going hungry today.

Seeing the golden crow circling erratically in the low sky, releasing light and heat, Xiao Jie knew his chance had come! Seizing the opportunity, Xiao Jie suddenly used the [Feed] skill, common to the [Beast Tamer] class, and threw a piece of [Flame Essence] he had just obtained from fighting a monster towards the open ground to the side of the golden crow.

The Golden Crow Xihuang's keen eyes immediately caught sight of the crystal radiating pure fire spirit power. It let out a cry of surprise and joy, folded its wings, and transformed into a golden streak of light as it swooped down!
Instantly, a wave of air, far hotter and more terrifying than before, rushed towards him! Xiao Jie was shocked; this thing was truly fierce! Just the passive high-temperature aura effect it brought with it as it swooped down made him feel a stinging pain all over his body, and his health began to slowly and steadily decrease! Although the primordial spirit of an immortal is immortal and indestructible, this newly reconstructed flesh and blood body is not invincible, especially when facing such extreme high temperatures.

He hurriedly activated his spiritual power again to cast the Fire Avoidance Technique. A layer of cool, azure light enveloped the two of them, barely resisting the impact of the heat wave. However, Xiao Jie could clearly sense that if the Golden Crow attacked with all its might and spewed out its natal fire, his hastily cast Fire Avoidance Technique would be completely ineffective. He would inevitably need to transform into a white dragon and rely on the dragon race's powerful physique and icy breath to have any chance of fighting it.

Ultimately, immortals are not invincible in this world, especially newly ascended immortals like Xiao Jie. Their advantages lie more in their high status, future potential, and the characteristic of "immortality," rather than in absolute strength that makes them invincible in the world.

Fortunately, the Golden Crow Xihuang showed no intention of attacking. It accurately caught the essence of flame in its mouth and swallowed it like a candy. The flames on its body, which had been somewhat restless due to hunger, also became gentler.

Seeing this, Xiao Jie continued to use the [Feeding] skill, throwing out more than a dozen fire-type materials of varying quality: [Flame Essence], [Flame Crystal Core], and [Undying Elemental Fire]. Finally, he changed the name status above the Golden Crow Xihuang's head from bright red, representing hostility, to yellow, representing neutrality.

Seeing that the Golden Crow was no longer hostile, but merely curiously tilting its huge, burning head to examine the direction where they had hidden, Xiao Jie finally boldly deactivated his invisibility and revealed himself. As he slowly approached, he greeted the Golden Crow, while simultaneously activating his full divine sense. His eyes, like the most precise scanners, frantically recorded every inch of the Golden Crow's outline, every detail, and every flow of energy into his mind.

"Hey, hello there, Big Bird! Don't be nervous, I'm just passing by, I mean no harm..." Xiao Jie tried his best to make his tone sound friendly and harmless.

The Golden Crow Xihuang looked at the suddenly appearing little creature, a hint of doubt flashing in its burning eyes. It seemed to sense an aura (celestial energy) emanating from the other being that was different from ordinary beings. It hesitated for a moment, then spoke haltingly in a peculiar, ancient tone, with a metallic quality:

"You...can...our...language?" Its voice was like sunlight shining through glass, crisp and scorching.

"I know a little bit about it." Xiao Jie smiled and continued to approach. "I have long admired the Golden Crow Divine Bird and came to pay my respects. I wanted to see your magnificent appearance. I have no ill intentions." As he spoke, he carefully tossed out a fragment of the Lava Heart.

Xi Huang caught it in one bite, crunching loudly, seemingly quite satisfied. It tilted its head, sizing up Xiao Jie for a moment. Although it didn't quite understand why this strange creature insisted on "looking," it finally nodded, chirping, "Look...okay. Quiet. No, don't make noise."

Seeing that Jinwu agreed, Xiao Jie was completely relieved and called for An Ran to come out of stealth mode. Because the two were in a party and shared reputation, Jinwu's attitude towards An Ran was neutral.

"Wow!" An Ran was completely stunned by the divine bird before her, which looked as if it had been forged from gold and flames, as soon as she came out. She couldn't help but exclaim, "This bird is so magnificent! So cool! So beautiful!"

Xi Huang seemed to understand the praise, and happily shook its iridescent feathers, scattering a shower of fine golden sparks. It looked at An Ran and cried out, "Your...wife...has...good...taste." Its animal vocabulary seemed somewhat limited, or perhaps their social relationships were rather simple.

"What is it saying?" An Ran asked Xiao Jie curiously.

Xiao Jie, suppressing a laugh, translated: "It's praising your good taste."

An Ran burst into laughter and waved at Xi Huang: "Haha, thank you, Mr. Big Bird! I'm just telling the truth, you really are the most beautiful and majestic bird I've ever seen!"

Xi Huang seemed even happier, and looked at Xiao Jie again: "Hehe. You should... tell my... wife... too." It seemed to think that good things should be shared, especially praise.

Xiao Jie, both amused and exasperated, tossed out a few more of the last remaining materials and then fell silent, focusing intently on his visualization. Holding his breath, Xiao Jie's divine sense, like invisible tendrils, slowly enveloped Xi Huang. He no longer merely observed with his eyes, but mobilized all his sensory abilities to "feel." He recorded the arrangement of each of Xi Huang's feathers and the fiery aura beneath them; analyzed the rhythm of its breathing and its resonance with the surrounding fire elemental energy; calculated the energy fluctuation frequency of the core solar true fire within its body; and even attempted to decipher the meaning of the laws represented by the incandescent light in its eyes. Within his sea of ​​consciousness, an extremely complex 3D model, composed of countless golden rays and fiery runes, was rapidly constructing, every detail constantly being perfected.

After a while, Xiao Jie felt that he had recorded the appearance and static energy characteristics of the Golden Crow Xihuang. However, when he opened the [Myriad Phenomena Record], he found that the visualization progress was only 37%.

"What the hell is this?" Xiao Jie was somewhat taken aback. This only changed the form; it couldn't gain any power from the Golden Crow, making it practically useless. One needed to reach at least the second realm of the three realms of visualization—the realm of "manipulating its power"—to use this form's innate divine ability.

But don't worry, just like visualizing the rabbit before, the next part probably can't be completed by just "looking" at it. It requires experiencing and observing its different activity habits.

However, compared to visualizing a rabbit, this is significantly more difficult. At least you can catch a rabbit and pet or hug it, but who would dare to touch a golden crow covered in the true fire of the sun?

“Anran,” Xiao Jie turned his head and said, “I may need to stay here for a relatively long time to engage in deep meditation. The environment here is harsh, and there might be other dangers. Do you want to leave first and go back to Ginkgo Village or somewhere else to level up?”

“No need,” An Ran shook her head, her eyes resolute. “I’ll stay with you. I don’t have anything urgent anyway. Let’s enjoy the scenery here… well, there’s not much scenery to see, but observing the divine beasts can broaden my horizons! Maybe it will even help my cultivation? I also want to try to see if I can restore those two types of demonic beast transformations. Besides, what if you need a helper?”

Looking at her serious expression, Xiao Jie felt a warmth in his heart and nodded: "Alright. Then be careful and stay far away. Don't come out from behind the giant rock where we were resting."

"Okay!" An Ran replied obediently, and quickly ran back to her previous hiding place.

Xiao Jie turned around and once again immersed himself in the visualization of the Golden Crow Xihuang.

For the next two days, Xiao Jie devoted himself almost entirely to visualizing the Golden Crow, neglecting sleep and meals. This visualization process was indeed difficult and fraught with risks. Every move the Golden Crow made attracted immense fire elemental power, creating tremendous disturbances; a moment's carelessness could lead to collateral damage. Although the Golden Crow, Xi Huang, no longer harbored any hostility towards him, the occasional fiery whirlwinds created by its flapping wings, or the unintentional scattering of golden sunlight, were enough to cause enormous damage and sustained burning in the surrounding environment.

Xiao Jie carefully maintained a safe distance, meticulously observing and recording every behavioral pattern of Xi Huang: how it gracefully swooped down, precisely pecking at some luminous mineral from the boiling magma; how it preened its iridescent feathers, each preen igniting a string of leaping flames; how it sometimes tilted its head back, emitting a long cry towards the sun in the sky, as if performing some mysterious ritual, absorbing the sun's essence; how it mostly hovered in the air, burning quietly like a real sun, radiating light and heat; how it would even return to the magma lake at specific times to bathe, allowing its body to absorb even purer earth fire power. Xiao Jie's divine sense, like the most precise holographic scanner, continuously recorded, analyzed, and simulated all of this. His visualization progressed slowly but steadily…

By noon on the second day, the visualization progress had finally reached 64%.

Just a little bit more! I'm just a little bit away from breaking through to 66% and entering the second stage of visualization. At that time, I will be able to initially simulate and use the Golden Crow's innate supernatural power!

To do this, one must obviously witness firsthand and record in detail the entire process of the Golden Crow unleashing its powerful supernatural magic!

Xiao Jie took a deep breath and called out to Xi Huang, who seemed somewhat languid in the air, "Brother Jinwu! I've heard that your Jinwu clan is born with the ability to unleash the [Blazing Sun Heavenly Fire], which can incinerate all things and possesses boundless power. Would you be so kind as to let me see it for myself?"

Xi Huang lowered its head, its burning eyes glancing at Xiao Jie, seemingly finding the little creature that stared at it all day too demanding. It tilted its head and chirped in a bargaining tone, "You... talk... quite nicely. That's fine... but using the Blazing Sun Fire... is very tiring for a bird. Give me some more of your... snacks... to try." It even remembered the delicious fire-type ingredients Xiao Jie had fed it before.

Helpless, Xiao Jie had no choice but to take out the last few high-quality [Undying Elemental Fire] and [Heart of Lava] pieces he had originally intended to keep for himself from his backpack and throw them all at Xi Huang.

Xi Huang happily swallowed them one by one, as if it had taken a powerful tonic, and the light emanating from its body instantly brightened. It let out a satisfied cry, its voice booming: "Watch closely! I'll only... use it once!"

Having said that, it suddenly spread its enormous wings, and endless light and heat converged on them! It soared into the air, rising to the highest point in the center of the basin, as if it had transformed into a second sun!
Xi Huang raised its long neck and let out a long, piercing cry towards the blazing sun in the sky, as if resonating with the real sun! The light around it instantly became incredibly dazzling, almost blinding, just like a blazing sun.

The real sun in the sky seemed to dim slightly for a moment, and for a brief instant, it was as if the golden crow in front of us was the real sun.

As the light shone, countless ancient and complex flame runes lit up one by one on its wings, frantically drawing in all the fire elemental energy within a radius of several miles! The lava lake in the basin boiled and roared! It suddenly lowered its head, aimed its beak, which was filled with terrifying energy, at a huge, hard black basalt rock below, and then opened its mouth to spew!
That wasn't ordinary flame; it was a pillar of fire, condensed to its ultimate form, pure white-gold in color, resembling a stream of liquid light! Wherever the pillar passed, space itself was scorched, distorted, and blurred, emitting a sizzling sound that made one's teeth ache. That white-gold pillar of fire instantly struck the massive basalt rock below!

There was no deafening explosion, only an extreme, silent annihilation!

The massive, hard rock, strong enough to withstand the impact of a battering ram, vanished almost entirely the moment it was touched by the platinum pillar of fire, like ice and snow under the sun, or rather, as if it had been "erased" from the world! The remaining portion was instantly melted and vaporized, leaving behind only a huge crater with smooth, mirror-like edges and a glassy texture. The rocks inside the crater were still emitting a dark red glow, continuing to melt!

Even from a distance, the terrifyingly high-temperature airwaves made Xiao Jie's clothes flutter and his skin sting, forcing him to strengthen the power of his fire-avoidance technique once again.

Xiao Jie was very close (within a relatively safe distance), and he could see clearly and meticulously. With his divine sense fully open, he recorded almost everything about Xi Huang's spellcasting process, including the starting posture, the way energy was gathered, the order in which the runes lit up, and the law fluctuations when he finally exhaled.
"So cool! So powerful!" Xiao Jie's eyes lit up. This skill was incredibly powerful! It was practically a god-tier skill for clearing out enemies! And it definitely had a damage bonus against undead and ghost-like monsters!

He couldn't wait to check his visualization progress.

83%!

That's strange, why did it stop at 83%? I seemed to get stuck at 83% when visualizing the rabbit before. How can I continue to increase it?

He subconsciously glanced at the visualization progress of [Rabbit Transformation] in the skill list and suddenly realized that, without him noticing, the visualization progress of the rabbit had increased from 83% to 87%!

Huh? When did it go up? He clearly hasn't been visualizing the rabbit these past two days.
He carefully recalled the last time he used the rabbit avatar... and suddenly it dawned on him! It was that time! After transforming into a rabbit, he was ambushed by Anran (a lynx), and at the last moment, he sensed something thanks to his [Alert Reflex]! He escaped the attack.

"Ah! I see!" Xiao Jie suddenly realized. "It seems that this final visualization part cannot be completed simply by external observation; it must include some personal experience of the 'essence' of the target! For a rabbit, one of its essential characteristics is that of a 'prey,' so the experience of 'being attacked and being alert' is also an important part of the visualization!"

But what is the "essential" experience of a powerful divine beast like the Golden Crow? Is it the power to control destruction? Is it the freedom to soar through the nine heavens? Or... the unique "loneliness" of being the embodiment of the sun?
Looking at Xi Huang, who had regained his leisurely posture in the air, Xiao Jie thought to himself: I hope I can find an opportunity to complete the final visualization within a day. If not, I'll just have to make do for now. With 83% visualization progress, I should at least be able to initially simulate and use my innate divine power, [Blazing Sun Heavenly Fire]. However, its power, consumption, or control might be somewhat reduced, and I certainly won't be able to obtain all of the Golden Crow's characteristics and power bonuses.

Playing the role of a golden crow might be quite challenging.

Never mind, time is of the essence, let's go!
Immortal Technique - Golden Crow Transformation!
(End of this chapter)