Volume 1, Chapter 32

Eastern Deepwinter Forest

The previously silent habitat of the magical beast Windbell Birds suddenly erupted with shrill, miserable screams!

“Screeeech squawk squawk~!!”

The next moment

“BOOM!!”

Accompanied by a deafening roar like a mountain collapsing, the king of the Windbell Bird tribe, abbreviated as Bird King, was abruptly struck by a crimson beam of light! Its imposing ultimate move was instantly shattered by the red light! Simultaneously, this seemingly unstoppable death ray pierced through the Bird King’s protective aura and continued unabated, tearing through its wing,

Causing this giant bird magical beast, with a wingspan of several dozen meters, to plummet from the sky and crash headfirst into a pile of rocks.

A moment later,

The massive rocks exploded and scattered in all directions. Buried beneath them, the Bird King crawled out in a wretched state, head bloodied and battered.

Although,

In front of its watching tribe members, it had suffered such a humiliating disgrace! Yet, the Bird King’s heart held not a single thought of revenge, only endless fear and a continuous tremor emanating from the depths of its soul.

Looking towards the black-haired girl not far away who had brought it down with just a snap of her fingers,

Meeting those crimson eyes and sensing the familiar yet oppressive aura of Shadow Essence surrounding the girl, the Windbell Bird King immediately abandoned all dignity as the tribe’s ruler, acting just like a lapdog,

It scurried obsequiously to the black-haired girl’s feet.

Not a trace of fighting spirit remained in its eyes,

Its face full of fawning flattery,

“Sorry, sorry!! Lady Yumo!! I didn’t know you had taken human form?! I thought it was just some clueless adventurer trespassing into my territory! I’m so sorry, so sorry!! Please, you must spare me!! I have elders to care for and young ones to raise…”

Facing the Bird King’s pleas for mercy, Yumo couldn’t help but roll her eyes,

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Her tone still icy cold,

“I believe I told you before, didn’t I? If you see someone in human form, don’t just attack for no reason, you little bird brat? Did you just let my words go in one ear and out the other?”

“Sorry, sorry!! I absolutely won’t dare next time!!”

“Heh. If there’s a next time, I’ll just replace the king of your Windbell Bird tribe~”

Yumo said leisurely,

However, her words carried an immense surge of Shadow Essence that directly pressed the Bird King flat against the ground, rendering it immobile. Upon hearing Yumo’s warning, the Bird King hurriedly nodded,

“Won’t happen, won’t happen! Absolutely no next time!”

“That’s for the best.”

Yumo retracted her increasingly ‘kind’ smile and simultaneously released the Shadow Essence pressure bearing down on the Bird King and the flock of Windbell Birds. Instantly, the magical beasts collectively let out sighs of relief, collapsing to the ground as if a great weight had been lifted.

After narrowly escaping death, the Bird King hastily scrambled up and fawningly sidled up to Yumo,

“Lady Yumo? So, what brings you to our Windbell Bird habitat today?”

“I need something from you.”

Yumo got straight to the point,

“From me?”

“Yes. Since I’ve taken human form, I can’t exactly sleep rough anymore.”

“Huh? You mean, you want us to help build a house?”

“No, the house is already built.”

“Huh? Built? Then… then what do you need us for?”

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“I’m currently missing a bed. I want a comfortable one, soft and fluffy preferably~”

As she spoke, Yumo’s slightly dangerous gaze locked onto the Bird King, specifically onto the large patches of pristine white feathers covering it. This immediately sent a chill down the Bird King’s spine, and a sense of foreboding arose in its heart.

“And well, I think your feathers are quite nice~”

Yumo grinned sinisterly,

…

…

Several minutes later, the once rather handsome Windbell Bird King was publicly stripped bare of all its feathers by Yumo right in front of everyone. The entire bird now resembled a plucked chicken, looking utterly ridiculous and pathetic,

Causing the surrounding Windbell Birds to struggle to hold back their laughter.

The dignity of this seventh tier magical beast, the Bird King, was now completely lost. Its talons clenched tightly, eyes filled with anger born from humiliation.

But,

What could it do?

To survive within Deepwinter Forest, it had to submit to the Abyssal Demons and obey the directives of the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons. Otherwise, its entire tribe would become food for the Abyssal Demons.

All it could do was forcibly suppress its rage and watch as the black-haired girl walked away, cradling its feathers.

‘Revenge is a dish best served cold!!’

One day! I will have my revenge!!

The Bird King glared venomously at Yumo’s retreating figure.

However,

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What the Windbell Bird King didn’t know at this moment was that although the black-haired girl had her back turned and was already far away, she could still clearly sense the hostility and hatred in its gaze.

Fortunately though,

Yumo had no intention of holding a grudge over such a minor matter.

Or rather,

Ensuring the Windbell Bird tribe harbored immense hostility towards her was precisely Yumo’s goal. Otherwise, she wouldn’t bother sending a few Abyssal Demons over every now and then to pressure the Windbell Birds.

At the climax of the trial,

The Main Character Group would need to lead an army into Deepwinter Forest.

To ensure everything went smoothly,

Yumo believed it was necessary to arrange an ‘inside agent’ for the Main Character Group. Of course, this ‘inside agent’ couldn’t be an Abyssal Demon; it had to be a magical beast tribe within the forest that had been ‘persecuted’. These magical beasts would not only deeply resent the Abyssal Demons but also understand their habits and the general location of the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons.

They could legitimately guide the Main Character Group, hehe~

By then, the difficulty of destroying her should decrease quite a bit, right?

Thinking this, Yumo, strolling through the snowy landscape, couldn’t help but reveal a smug smile. The surrounding Blood Butterflies also began to dance gracefully, reflecting their master’s delight.

Ah,

Yumo sometimes truly admired her own good intentions.

After a brief internal sigh of self-praise, Yumo refocused her attention on the large bundle of feathers compressed in her hands. Although this trip to the Windbell Bird territory did serve to pick a fight, she genuinely needed these feathers,

And she needed exactly this many!

In the past, before she had taken human form, Li Mo, Li Yu, and those other girls would rest inside her body,

Well,

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Meaning inside the Hall.

Now that she had completed her transformation, she needed to prepare a new dwelling for them. She didn’t like the idea of those children sleeping rough. With Saibok’s help, they had managed to build a countryside villa first. Next, Yumo needed these feathers to make bedding~

Although Li Yu and the others kept insisting on sleeping together with her,

Considering the children’s independence,

And to prevent them from becoming too dependent on her.

Yumo still planned to make each of them a comfortable bed! Not just for Li Mo and Li Yu, but also for those children who were temporarily not in the forest~

When they returned, they needed a place to sleep too, right?

They couldn’t all just squeeze in with her, could they?

And so,

Yumo continued her leisurely stroll through the forest as if taking a walk,

Enjoying the snowy scenery of the forest while pondering the room allocation in the new house.

But right at that moment,

Yumo suddenly halted her steps, her brow slightly furrowing.

Then,

The girl thoughtfully turned her head to look in the direction of the forest’s southern region. Relying on her extraordinary perception, Yumo detected some peculiar auras.

Hmm?

‘Did someone else enter the forest?’