Arcane beasts were also divided into the superior, common, and inferior cultivation realms. Once a beast possessed the strength of a titled king, they could take human form.
From the worlds to the chaos and then to the Hongmeng, human form seemed to be an eternal constant. Most Hongmeng cultivators were also in human form; even the lizard-dragon had ultimately taken that shape.
The ruler of the Redbud Region was a king—the Redbud King. Living in the depths of the Redbud Plains, the young girl in purple was the human form of a Hongmeng beast and the aforementioned king.
What puzzled Lu Yun was that it was the matter of a simple thought if she wanted to destroy the tiny city. She didn’t need to mobilize her subjects and set this massive tide in motion. She was likely also the one behind the failure of the transportation formation.
Though cultivators and beasts were partitioned into two different camps, with occasional friction between the two, they weren’t at the stage of being completely unable to tolerate each other. If that’d been the case, the Redbud Plains would’ve long turned into forbidden grounds for cultivators and the city wouldn’t exist.
The Redbud King lowered her head when she heard the question and thought for a moment.
“Sometimes, death is a boon to those who’ve done wrong.” She raised her pale purple eyes and looked at Lu Yun with a piercing look. “To struggle in fear, wallow in regret, and finally die in despair is the true punishment.”
She swept a casual glance at the beads on the little fox’s wrist. It was due to these beads and the power of a king that sparkled on them that she didn’t immediately take action against these two.
Lu Yun couldn’t help a slight frown. He quite agreed with her viewpoint, that sometimes death was a blessing instead.
“I would request a clear indication from the Redbud King. What have the cultivators of Redbud City done so wrong to warrant such punishment?” Lu Yun remained polite, but his expression was neither humble nor overbearing.
“Did a king gift you the beads on her wrist and the moon over your heads?” asked the Redbud King instead of answering.
“How would two inferior realm beings be able to access their full power, if not a gift from a king?” Lu Yun hastened to answer before the little fox could; she sheepishly shut her mouth. He only needed half a brain cell to guess what she’d say if she’d been the one to answer.
“Mm.” The Redbud King inclined her head. “You two are worthy of being the offspring of kings. You’re much better than those bumbling fools currently ruling the realm.”
Zhuo Bufan’s expression darkened in Redbud City. Hadn’t that first been used to describe him?
“My true form is that of a Redbud Spirit Butterfly from the Redbud Mountain deep within the Redbud Plains. I am also the only Redbud Butterfly to ever exist in the Hongmeng, up until now,” the Rebud King easily spoke of her true form. To the Hongmeng beasts, their true form was a source of great pride. There was no need to conceal it.
“Not long ago, the mountain nurtured a second Redbud Butterfly chrysalis. My race will finally continue!” But arctic frostiness blasted from her after speaking of this wonderful news. “Upon its appearance, I announced to the Hongmeng that whoever dares touch it will die the most gruesome death I can think of!
“Even your Enforcer Alliance issued a proclamation to protect the chrysalis, that whoever disturbs it will be hunted down by you cultivators.
“But! Someone from Redbud City intruded not long ago and stole the chrysalis, causing the death of the tiny life form growing inside. My line is ended—is this not worthy of heavy punishment?!”
Plop!
Ashen-faced, Jian Wenhe sagged to the ground, shaking like a leaf and unable to speak. He knew of this matter!
He even knew that it was the king’s domain that’d enveloped the Redbud Plains and destroyed the transportation formation, so that the chrysalis wouldn’t be able to leave. However, it was dead, so nothing could be done about the situation.
“A city full of cultivators and three enforcers as burial goods for me… that… will do,” the city lord murmured.
“Not heavy enough.” Lu Yun swept a glance at Jian Wenhe. He’d naturally heard the meatball’s murmurings. In fact, all of the survivors had heard him and they itched to tear him to pieces. “If it was up to me, I’d levy an even heavier punishment. But, are you so sure that the chrysalis is dead?”
The Redbud King waved gently and lifted Jian Wenhe into the air. A chrysalis the size of a thumb and glittering like a purple crystal floated out of his body. It should’ve been a vibrant, pulsing seed of life. All it emitted now was the dense air of death as all of its vitality had been sucked dry by something.
Plainly, the buffoon that was the city lord should’ve been in the common realm, but he’d used the life force inside the chrysalis to force his way into the superior realm.
What a reckless waste of a priceless treasure! was all that Lu Yun could come up with.
The Redbud King waved again and smashed Jian Wenhe to the ground. After a few struggles, he turned into a large purple rat.
“A Hongmeng Treasurehunter Rat!” Zhuo Bufan gasped when he saw the city lord’s true form. “Treasure seeker, treasure hunter, treasure taker… Once they discover treasure, they can call upon their natural talents to conceal all trace of themselves. Even kings find it difficult to detect them when the rats are right in front of treasure! Aren’t they extinct?!”
A Treasurehunter Rat was a cultivator instead of an arcane beast. It could cultivate and take human form, but its existence was so heaven-defying that the laws of the Hongmeng couldn’t tolerate it. Widespread extermination efforts had taken place in a long distant era until they were completely wiped out.
Who would’ve thought that the Redbud city lord would be a Treasurehunter Rat?! No wonder he could steal the Redbud King’s most precious possession from right beneath her nose.
Having been exposed, he crouched on the ground and shivered, not daring to move. Cowardly and fearful, yet daring to steal a chrysalis of the Redbud Spirit Butterfly… That did indeed fit the profile of a Treasurehunter Rat.
“Since you say that my punishment isn’t heavy enough, then the tide of beasts will continue. It’s up to you two to see if you can survive. And from now on, the Redbud Region is forbidden to cultivators! Any cultivator that dares set half a foot into my domain will die!” The Redbud King declared calmly as she flicked a noncommittal glance at the Treasurehunter Rat quailing in the corner.
“One moment!” Lu Yun shook his head. “If I can bring the chrysalis back to life, will the Redbud King show mercy to the cultivators in the city?”
“Oh?” the king paused. “Can you resurrect beings that have died?”
“No.” Lu Yun shook his head. “But the chrysalis wasn’t a true life form. The life it nurtured hadn’t fully taken shape. It lacked a true spirit and soul—only its vitality was robbed. I can return its life force to it.”
The Redbud King blinked again.
Things were as the cultivator said—the chrysalis wasn’t a true life form. It was just a ball of vitality that would slowly morph into new life, forming a true spirit and soul before breaking out of its shell. Only then would it be in the first stage of a Redbud Spirit Butterfly—a silkworm.
Once the silkworm formed a cocoon from its silk, it would then become a real Redbud Spirit Butterfly. The process would take a very long time.
“It’s dead in your eyes anyway, so why not let me try?” Lu Yun sighed. “You won’t be able to bring the chrysalis back to life even if you butcher everything in the city and mark the region off limits to cultivators, so how about I have a go?”
“…alright, then.” The king nodded and delivered the chrysalis to Lu Yun. “If you cannot save it, I will kill you in addition to destroying the city. Not even the hundred and eight kings of the Enforcer Alliance all arriving at the same time will be able to save you.”
A threatening tone laced her words, but hope burgeoned in her heart. After all, the young man in front of her was a supplemental grandmaster!
Lu Yun nodded. “Someone bring me the rat.”
Zhuo Bufan quickly grabbed the nearly comatose rat on the ground. Though it was in the superior realm, it seemed to be scared senseless and didn’t dare move, much less resist or escape.
In front of the eyes of all, Lu Yun placed the Treasurehunter Rat and chrysalis together.
“Inversion of… Spacetime!”
Lol so that’s not how science and caterpillars and butterflies work but… WE’LL ROLL WITH IT EH.
