Spirit Plant Entry: Immortality Begins with Farming

Chen Yuan was awakened by the sunlight.

It wasn't the pale light that seeps through a cave; it was real, warm sunlight that felt a little hot on my face.

He opened his eyes and first saw a pale blue shadow.

Those were wings—huge, feathery outlines formed from condensed air currents, fluttering slightly above his head, cutting the sunlight into tiny spots that sprinkled onto him.

Each wave of the fan brings forth a dry breeze carrying the scent of new grass and trees.

"You're finally awake."

Bai Zhi's voice came from the side.

Chen Yuan turned his head and saw her sitting on a huge, pale gold bone—not sitting, but leaning against it, her hand touching the surface of the bone as if confirming something.

Chen Yuan propped himself up and sat up.

Then he stopped.

The Vulture before my eyes has completely changed.

It still had that massive skeleton, with wing bones ten feet wide, thick neck bones, and a sharp beak.

But the color had completely changed—from a lifeless grayish-white to a pale gold, like wheat stalks dried in the autumn sun, warm and substantial, gleaming with a delicate sheen in the sunlight. The surface was so smooth that it reflected one's image.

No, those aren't real feathers.

It was airflow—a bluish, translucent flow of air that condensed around the skeleton into a complete wing shape. Each "feather" was flowing slowly, with tiny specks of light scattering from its edges.

When the vulture adjusts its posture slightly, the airflow and feathers make a very realistic "rustling" sound.

And that energy core now hangs in the center of the chest cavity, like a small sun.

A pale golden light emanated steadily, illuminating every bone.

The most striking feature was his chest—the huge old wound, now scabbed over, a silvery-white, slightly raised mark, like a mountain range on the earth.

The vulture's single eye turned, and a pale blue flame burned quietly.

"...Have you seen enough?" it spoke, its voice resounding directly in Chen Yuan's mind—no longer splitting, no longer trembling, as steady as a mountain.

Chen Yuan stood up, his legs still a little weak, but the burning pain in his meridians had subsided by more than half.

He approached and reached out to touch the vulture's wing bone.

Warm.

"How is it?" Bai Zhi also came over.

"It's doing alright now." Chen Yuan withdrew his hand. "Can you move it now?"

The vulture didn't speak, but slowly raised its right wing.

wow——

The airflow feathers fully unfolded, with blue light surging within them, creating a gust of wind that swept Chen Yuan and Bai Zhi's hair back.

The wind carried a fresh, post-rain scent of the mountains and forests, along with a very faint, sweet, and slightly fishy smell unique to newly formed bones.

"It can move." The vulture lowered its wings. "But whether it can fly or not, we'll have to try."

It turned its head, its single eye fixed on Chen Yuan: "You want me to try?"

Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow: "You're asking me?"

"This is your territory," Lingjiu said matter-of-factly. "The cave is yours, you broke the formation, and you saved my life. By the rules, I'm counting as you getting lucky."

"Found it?" Bai Zhi couldn't help but interject. "It's so big...found it? Ha, ha, ha,"

"Otherwise what?" The vulture lowered its head, its beak almost touching Bai Zhi's face. "Eight hundred years ago, I fell down, and nobody picked me up. Now you two have dug me out of the formation, what else is that but picking me up?"

Chen Yuan looked at it: "You want to fly?"

The vulture's single eye flashed.

"...I've been thinking about it for eight hundred years. I dream about it every single day."

"Then fly." Chen Yuan took two steps back. "But don't crash into a mountain—if it collapses, I'm afraid I won't be able to withstand it."

The vulture stared at him for three breaths.

Then it slowly straightened up.

Boom—

The sound of the skeleton stretching out was like muffled thunder rolling through a cave. The pale golden bone reflected flowing light during the movement, the air currents and feathers suddenly brightened, and the blue light flow accelerated and surged.

It lowered its head, its huge beak pointing towards the broken opening deep inside the cave.

Sunlight streamed down from the cave entrance, revealing a small patch of azure sky outside.

"Name," Lingjiu suddenly said.

Chen Yuan was taken aback: "What?"

"I have no name anymore." The eagle's voice was calm. "The Bone-Eating Eagle is the name of the formation, and the Wind-Patrolling Eagle is what you called it offhand. I need a real one—otherwise, if I fly up and people ask, 'Who's that?', what am I supposed to say? 'Feed'?"

Chen Yuan and Bai Zhi exchanged a glance.

"What was your original name?" Bai Zhi asked.

"...I've forgotten." The eagle's wings drooped slightly. "I only remember coming from the north, flying over a vast snowfield, and seeing what glaciers looked like when they cracked open. Everything else... has been worn away by the formation."

It turned back, its one eye fixed on Chen Yuan: "You. You pulled me out of the formation, so you have to give me a proper title."

Chen Yuan did not respond immediately.

He walked around the vulture, looking at its new skeleton, the flowing air and feathers, and the silvery-white scar on its chest. Finally, he stopped in front of the scar and reached out to press his hand on it.

It feels hard and slightly raised.

"How did you get this injury?" he asked.

Lingjiu remained silent for a while.

"Thunder," it said, "the last time I flew, I crashed into a thundercloud. I tried to rush through, but the lightning struck here, and I fell down."

It paused.

"Before I fell, I saw a crack appear in the cloud, and light shone through and onto my wings... At that moment, I felt that if I could get through it, I could tear the sky apart."

Chen Yuan withdrew his hand.

"Then let's call it 'Cracking Clouds'," he said.

The vulture's single eye suddenly lit up for a moment.

"Crack...clouds..."

"Hmm." Chen Yuan walked back to it. "It was the thundercloud that hurt you, and it was the thundercloud that you wanted to tear open. Remember, next time you see a thundercloud, don't hide—just rush over and tear it open, just like that slit you made back then."

Lieyun remained motionless.

Then it slowly, very slowly, lowered its head, and its huge beak gently touched the ground in front of Chen Yuan's feet.

thump.

A muffled thud, like a pebble thrown into a deep pool.

"Rift Cloud." It repeated the name, something awakening in its voice, "Okay. I want this one."

It raised its head and spread its wings fully.

"Now, test flight."

Before Chen Yuan could respond, it suddenly flapped its wings!

boom--!!!

This wasn't just a rumor; it was a gas explosion.

The rubble, dust, and remaining bone fragments throughout the cave were all blown away by this wing, like a torrential downpour flowing backwards.

Chen Yuan and Bai Zhi were thrown back several steps by the airflow, their robes clinging to their bodies and fluttering in the wind.

The cloud spread its wings, its feathers fully unfurled, and a blue light surged within it like a river.

It turned its head and pointed its beak at Chen Yuan:

"Come up."

Chen Yuan glanced at Bai Zhi.

"Let's go together," he said.

Bai Zhi bit her lip and nodded.

The two climbed onto the back of the Cloud Rift—not its actual back, but a flat area where its neck and sternum meet, where newly formed bone creates a natural depression that is just big enough for a person to sit on.

It feels warm and slightly hot to the touch, like a stone that has been sun-dried all afternoon.

Once they were settled, Lieyun spread its wings fully.

"Hold on tight." It only said four words.

Then it bent its knees, gathering its strength—

pedal!

With a powerful push from its hind legs, its massive body shot upwards! It wasn't a slow, leisurely takeoff; it was like a cannonball hurtling straight towards the cave ceiling!

"Ah—!" Bai Zhi screamed.

Chen Yuan gripped a protruding bone spur on Lie Yun's neck tightly, his eyes stinging from the wind.

Sunlight poured down in a dazzling display.

Dazzling. Warm. Carrying the scent of grass and earth.

They burst out of the cave and soared into the sky.

With its wings fully spread, the air currents and feathers shimmered with a dazzling cyan-gold luster in the sunlight, and each flap of its wings produced a deep, thunderous sound as it cut through the air.

It began to climb, circling the mountain that had confined it for eight hundred years, flying higher and higher.

The wind howled into my ears, making it hard to breathe.

But sitting on the back of the Cloud Rift was surprisingly stable—the airflow feathers not only provided lift, but also formed a soft barrier around the body, keeping out the most turbulent currents.

Chen Yuan barely managed to open his eyes.

Below are continuous gray-black mountain ranges, with a conspicuous hole on the middle peak.

In the distance, low clouds pressed down on the horizon.

The split clouds suddenly accelerated.

It didn't accelerate in a straight line; it spun as it rushed into an updraft.

Its body tilted to the side, its wings adjusted their angle, and the airflow and light stream of its feathers became turbulent, emitting a "whooshing" sound.

Chen Yuan felt an immense pressure pressing down on his skeleton, and the world in his field of vision began to tilt and spin.

Then the cloud suddenly flattened, and its wings flapped—

call out--!

It shot straight ahead like an arrow, towards a thick cloud.

"Splitter Clouds!" Chen Yuan roared.

"Here!" Lieyun's voice resounded directly in his mind, carrying a wildness that had been suppressed for eight hundred years and was finally being released. "Watch closely—"

It neither dodged nor avoided, but crashed straight into the clouds!

puff.

It wasn't a sound of impact, but a sound of penetration.

The clouds were torn apart like cotton wool, and moisture rushed in, instantly soaking my clothes. Everything around me was a white blur; I couldn't see anything except for the howling wind and the booming sound of the clouds flapping their wings.

Three breaths later, they emerged from the clouds.

Suddenly, everything became clear.

Above was a dazzlingly blue sky, and below stretched an endless sea of ​​clouds, shimmering with gold edges in the sunlight.

The cloud hovered in the air, its wings flapping slowly, shaking off the water droplets on its feathers and refracting them into tiny rainbows.

It lowered its head and looked at the silvery-white scar on its chest.

Then it raised its head and let out a long howl towards the endless sky—

"Eh-!!!"

A clear, penetrating cry, the cry of the ruler of the sky. The sound echoed through the sea of ​​clouds, carrying far, far away.

After it finished barking, it quieted down.

Its wings continued to flap steadily, hovering in the sky it had waited eight hundred years for.

Chen Yuan didn't say anything, he just patted its neck.

It felt warm to the touch, rising and falling slightly with each breath.

Lieyun adjusted its direction and glided back towards the mountain peak it had come from.

As it fell, its wings folded at an extremely precise angle, the airflow and the light flow of its feathers gradually slowed down, and it made almost no sound when it landed, only a soft "plop".

Bai Zhi slid off its back, her legs still weak, but her eyes shone like stars.

"It flew up..." she murmured.

"Otherwise what?" Lieyun folded his wings, looked down at her, and said, "Hmph, I am a spirit vulture, not a free-range chicken."

Chen Yuan jumped down as well, and only when his feet touched the ground did he feel his heartbeat gradually slow down.

He looked at Lieyun. Lieyun looked at him too.

His single, azure eye reflected the color of the sky, and also his own shadow.

"Where to next?" Lieyun asked.

"Let's go down the mountain," Chen Yuan said. "You should go somewhere else."

Lieyun shook its wings, and a few feathers drifted down and disappeared into the air.

"I'll carry you down the mountain," it said, "but it's a deal—wherever you go after we get down, I'll follow you. I'll follow you."

Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow: "Why?"

"Because you saved my life," Lieyun said matter-of-factly. "The Lingjiu clan always repays kindness. Besides, you're an interesting person; following you shouldn't be boring."

It paused, then added:

"Besides, with your cultivation levels, how long would it take you to get there by walking the mountain path? I can get there in a blink of an eye."

Bai Zhi couldn't help but laugh.

Chen Yuan stared at Lieyun for a long time.

Then he nodded:

"Okay. But don't cause trouble."

"So what if you provoked them?" Lieyun spread his wings, creating a gust of wind. "If you can beat them, I'll fight for you. If you can't, I'll carry you away—I've tried it, and at that speed, even an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator couldn't catch up."

It lowered its head and gently touched Chen Yuan's shoulder with its beak, as if confirming something.

"That's it," it said. "I'll follow you, and you'll feed me—I'll eat meat, not grass."

Chen Yuan twitched the corner of his mouth:

"Meat? Uh...deal."

Lieyun's single eye curved slightly—although bird eyes don't actually curve, Chen Yuan felt it was smiling.

Then it turned around and its wings unfolded again.

"Come up," it said. "I'll take you down the mountain, and while I'm at it... I want to see what the bottom has become in the last eight hundred years."

Chen Yuan and Bai Zhi climbed onto its back.

Once they were settled, Lieyun flapped its wings and soared into the sky.

This time, it flew very steadily and calmly.

Sunlight spilled onto the pale golden skeleton, onto the blue-green feathers, and onto the figures of the three people and the eagle, casting long shadows onto the sea of ​​clouds below.

The wind whistles in my ears, and the clouds flow beneath my feet.

The sound of clouds parting carried on the wind, tinged with a lazy, contentment, as if finally returning home.

"The sky... is still so wide."

Chen Yuan didn't speak, but just looked at the mountain outlines getting closer and closer.

The sensation of Lieyun's beak touching his shoulder remained.

Not heavy. Not light.