Covering the Sky: I Prove the Great Dao Through the Gate of Immortality

Shi Yunfeng and the others couldn't help but feel a little worried as they watched the little one squatting under the four hanging beasts, chattering incessantly.

After all, they had witnessed the divine power of these four ferocious beasts: their sky-covering demonic wings, their flames that burned the eight wastelands, and their terrifying aura that made the entire wilderness tremble for more than two years. Even from tens of thousands of miles away, they could make people breathless.

But the little one was quite the opposite, squatting down and chatting enthusiastically with the little red bird, asking it if it was in pain one minute and if it was a beast that had committed bestiality the next, as if it wasn't some ferocious beast at the Venerable Realm, but just an ordinary sparrow by the roadside.

Shi Yunfeng opened his mouth, wanting to tell the little one to move away, but he swallowed the words back.

He glanced at the four ferocious beasts bound by chains of light, unable to move, and then at Li Chenzhou, who stood calmly at the village entrance. Suddenly, he realized he might be overthinking things.

The little one's great-grandfather was completely petrified.

He stood at the village entrance, his hunched body frozen in place, like a weathered stone statue.

His eyes were wide open, his mouth slightly agape, but he couldn't utter a single word.

In his old eyes, he saw the four ferocious beasts hanging from the Gate of Immortality, the wings of the Devouring Sky Sparrow that had been torn off, and the blood still dripping from the scales of the Qiongqi.

He wanted to say something, but his throat felt like it was blocked by something, and he couldn't make a sound.

In Shicun, besides Li Chenzhou and Xiaobudian, he was the most knowledgeable.

He had worked in the Prince Wu's mansion when he was young, and had seen great people and grand occasions.

He knew what a ferocious beast at the Venerable Realm meant. It was an existence comparable to the supreme Human Emperor, standing at the very top of the Eight Domains, and any one of them could make an ancient kingdom tremble.

He had once sensed the aura of King Wu from afar, and the oppressive feeling he experienced there remains unforgettable to this day.

Even the Martial King was only at the Venerable Realm.

But now, how come these four great beings, comparable to the Human Emperor, are hanging like cured meat under Li Chenzhou's Gate of Immortality?

He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things.

But when he opened his eyes, the four ferocious beasts were still hanging there, the Sky-Swallowing Sparrow was still dripping blood, and the little red bird was still rolling its eyes.

He rubbed it again, but it didn't change. He pinched his thigh hard, wincing in pain, but the four ferocious beasts still hung on the door frame, swaying back and forth like dried-out cured meat.

He took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

"I think my life has been worthwhile."

He muttered to himself, his voice so soft that only he could hear it.

He had lived most of his life, witnessing the glory of the Wu King's Mansion, the desolation of the Second Ancestral Land, the warmth and coldness of human relationships, and the fickleness of the world.

He thought he had seen everything and nothing could shock him anymore.

But today, he realized he was wrong, terribly wrong.

Four revered beings, comparable to the Human Emperor, were hung on the door, like cured meat.

If this were told to others, who would believe it?

Looking at the innocent and childlike little boy, Li Chenzhou was very satisfied with his teaching.

This child was not blinded by hatred, nor was he overwhelmed by anger; he retained his pure kindness.

Even when facing a ferocious beast at the Venerable Realm, he could squat down in front of it and ask it all sorts of questions as if chatting with an old friend.

This mindset is more valuable than any talent.

He whispered something to the little one.

The little one turned his head, glanced at Li Chenzhou, and then shouted towards the Gate of Immortality floating at the village entrance, "Uncle Li, Little Red is a good bird, let's release it!"

The little red bird rolled its eyes again.

That's a terrible adjective.

A good bird...

It is a dignified spirit of the Fire Kingdom, a descendant of the Vermilion Bird, and a great being of the Venerable Realm, yet in this brat's mouth it has become a "good bird"?

How is this any different from praising someone as "a good person"?

No, it's even worse than that.

Good people are still human at least, but what about good birds?

To the little red bird's surprise, the chains of light emerging from the Gate of Immortality had actually loosened.

The silvery-white chains of light slowly receded from its body, like the ebb tide, clean and neat, leaving no trace.

The little red bird fell from mid-air, flapped its wings a few times, and barely managed to steady itself.

It landed on the ground, staring blankly at Li Chenzhou, then at the little one, a feeling it couldn't quite describe welling up inside it.

Does this kid's word really carry any weight?

It recalled how it had just felt sad, realizing that as the dignified spirit of the Fire Kingdom, it could only survive by relying on its friendship with a mere child.

Now it no longer feels sad; it feels fortunate.

I'm glad that when I stood on the willow tree, I wasn't as arrogant as the Sky-Swallowing Sparrow.

I'm glad I didn't impatiently throw this little brat off when I was playing with him; I'm glad I didn't poop too much on his head when I was pooping on him.

The little red bird shook its feathers, walked over to the little guy, and rubbed its head against his leg.

The little one squatted down, reached out and patted its head, and said with a grin, "Little Red, don't run around anymore, just stay in the village and play with me."

The little red bird neither nodded nor shook its head.

It just stood there quietly, enjoying the little brat's clumsy stroking.

"Thanks."

The little red bird spoke in a human voice, not loud, but with a sense of relief at surviving a disaster.

It nodded to the little one, then bowed slightly in the direction where the chain of light had retracted.

It remembered that feeling.

It wasn't out of fear of Li Chenzhou's power, but because she genuinely appreciated the little brat's kindness.

It secretly vowed in its heart that it would repay the debt if it had the chance in the future.

Li Chenzhou stood not far away, watching this scene, and nodded secretly.

After all, this little red bird is a sacrificial spirit of the Fire Kingdom, and in the future, it can be considered part of the little one's maternal family.

It's never a bad thing to establish this relationship in advance.

"Little friend, I'm a good bird too!"

When the Sky-Devouring Sparrow saw the little red bird being released, its blood-red eyes suddenly flashed with light.

It twisted its body desperately, and black blood seeped out again from the bloody wounds caused by the chains of light.

Ignoring the pain, it shouted at the little one with all its might, its voice filled with an almost frantic urgency.

"I'm a good bird too! Me too! If you get that being to release me, I'll play with you from now on, I'll be your mount, and I'll do whatever you say!"

Its voice was sharp and piercing, yet its will to survive was terrifyingly intense.

It no longer cared about dignity or the pride of a ferocious beast. Wings can regenerate, dignity can be regained, but once life is gone, nothing remains.

The little one turned around and looked at the Sky-Swallowing Sparrow.

Those big, dark eyes met the blood-red pupils of the Sky-Devouring Sparrow.

The lingering ferocity in its pupils, even as it pleaded for mercy, couldn't conceal the primal savagery ingrained in its bones. Its body was jet black, its feathers stained with its own blood, drool dripping from its mouth, and its teeth sharp as rows of steel blades. Its massive form, even suspended, was several times larger than the largest house in Stone Village.

The little one fell silent.

He didn't speak, but just quietly watched the Sky-Swallowing Sparrow.

There was no fear, no disgust, and no joy on that little face when the little red bird was released.

He remained silent, as if he were thinking about something.

Seeing that he didn't speak, the Sky-Devouring Sparrow became even more anxious.

"Little friend, I'm telling the truth! I'm much stronger than that red bird! I can take you flying, take you anywhere you want to go! I can fight for you, and I'll devour anyone who dares to bully you! Let me go, and I'll give you anything you want!"

It spoke faster and faster, its voice growing increasingly shrill, and even managed to squeeze out a few tears from its bloodshot eyes.

The tears were black, sliding down its cheeks and dripping onto the ground, corroding small pits.

The little one remained silent.

He stared at the Sky-Devouring Sparrow for a long time, until its voice gradually faded and the light in its blood-red eyes dimmed little by little.

Then, the little one spoke.

"You're no good."

"Little Red is a good bird because it won't harm the innocent. But you will. You want to massacre the wilderness, to kill everyone. You're not a good bird, you're a bad bird."

The Sky-Devouring Sparrow was stunned.

A flicker of panic flashed in those blood-red eyes. It opened its mouth, wanting to explain, but the little one didn't give it a chance.

"Uncle Li once said that when facing a good ferocious beast, we should reason with it. But when facing a bad ferocious beast, we should use its life to prove some truths."

He paused, his gaze towards the Sky-Swallowing Sparrow calmer than that of a four-year-old child.

"You don't understand reason, that's why Uncle Li tore off your wings. You only understand this one kind of reasoning."

"You're shameless."

The little one said those words and then turned and ran away.

He ran incredibly fast, his short legs making a thumping sound as he kicked the ground, as if something terrifying was chasing him.

He ran to Li Chenzhou's side in one breath before stopping, tilting his head back with a face full of resentment.

"Uncle Li, this little bird thinks I'm stupid!" he complained loudly, his voice clear and resonant.

"It said it was a good bird too, and wanted me to release it. Does it think I'm a three-year-old? I'm four!"

Li Chenzhou bent down and scooped the little guy up.

The little one nestled onto his shoulder, its tiny arms wrapped around his neck, muttering, "It looks like that, with those red eyes, it's obviously not a good thing. Even Little Red's eye-rolling is cuter."

Li Chenzhou pinched his little nose, not too hard, just enough to make the little guy wrinkle his face.

"It doesn't think you're stupid," Li Chenzhou said leisurely, his gaze passing over the little one's shoulder and landing on the Sky-Devouring Sparrow suspended by chains of light. "It's just insidious."

This Sky-Swallowing Sparrow is fierce, treacherous, cunning, and extremely shrewd.

It wasn't originally like this.

Many years ago, it was just an ordinary magical bird, following a deity in its cultivation.

The deity treated it well, imparting its skills, bestowing opportunities upon it, and even regarding it as half a disciple.

But it never felt grateful.

It has waited for many years.

When that deity entered old age, when the divine fire began to flicker and become unstable, when that once high and mighty being finally showed signs of fatigue.

Then it took action.

Taking advantage of the god's weakness, it opened its huge mouth and swallowed the aging god along with his remaining divinity.

It seized the inheritance of the gods and devoured their cultivation, transforming itself from an ordinary demonic bird into a fearsome being in the Great Wilderness.

Later, it became the famous Sky-Swallowing Sparrow, renowned throughout the mortal realm.

How could something like that genuinely beg for mercy from a four-year-old child?

Its current submissive demeanor is merely a temporary expedient.

Every word it utters is a lie, every promise it makes is a falsehood. Once it escapes its predicament, it turns its back on you faster than turning the pages of a book.

What good bird, what mount, what it will obey you for everything—it's all just nonsense it made up.

The little one perched on Li Chenzhou's shoulder and glanced back at the Sky-Swallowing Sparrow. The large bird had its head down, its blood-red eyes dim, and it was impossible to tell what it was thinking.

"Uncle Li," the little one whispered in Li Chenzhou's ear, "I don't like it."

Li Chenzhou patted him on the back.

"If you don't like it, that's fine," he said.

The Venerable One represents the ultimate state of the mortal realm, the highest peak that ordinary beings can reach.

Those cultivators who can reach the Venerable Realm are all exceptionally talented individuals. They have gone through numerous trials and tribulations, such as Blood Transformation, Spirit Transformation, Inscription, and Formation, overcoming all obstacles to finally stand at the pinnacle of the mortal world.

Above the Venerable Ones lies another entirely different realm—the realm of the gods.

Deities, as the name suggests, have transcended the realm of the mortal world.

They ignited the divine fire, condensed their divinity, and every move they made carried an aura of power that transcended the mortal realm.

However, there are differences in strength among the gods, and not all beings who ignite the divine fire stand at the same level.

Some cultivators, after going through countless hardships, finally ignited the divine fire, ascended to godhood, and became beings that the world looked up to.

However, this divine fire is not eternal. As one ages and one's vital energy declines, the divine fire will gradually flicker and become unstable, eventually extinguishing completely at some point.

In their later years, their divine fire has extinguished and their vital energy has declined. In terms of pure power, such a deity is no different from a Venerable.

Of course, they had once stepped into the realm of gods, and the experience and skills engraved deep in their souls were certainly more than those of ordinary Venerables.

Such deities reside in a realm known as the Divine Fire Realm, and are sometimes referred to as false gods.

They only truly possess divine power during their prime, when their divine fire is at its peak. Once they enter old age and their divine fire extinguishes, they fall to the mortal realm, becoming no different from the Venerable Ones.

However, if one can advance further in the Divine Fire Realm and cultivate into a True God, then things will be different. The transformation from false to true—these simple four words represent a qualitative leap.

Besides experiencing a surge in power, the divine fire of a true god also only goes out after death. In other words, from the moment a true god ignites their divine fire until their death, the divine fire will never be extinguished.

Whether in their prime or old age, a true god maintains formidable combat power and is unlikely to fall to a state inferior to even a false god. Of course, exceptions exist, such as being severely injured, having their divine fire damaged, or encountering certain uncontrollable factors.

In the hearts of the little red birds, that being must be a false god.

However, he was a false god at his peak.

The lower realm's capacity to contain things has its limits, and the Divine Fire Realm is the limit that this world can accommodate. Any being that surpasses this realm will either be rejected by heaven and earth or forced to ascend to the upper realm; it is impossible for them to remain in the lower realm for long.

However, as the little red bird looked at the figure hanging above the Gate of Immortality and felt its unfathomable aura, a thought gradually welled up in its mind.

This being, it vaguely felt, might not stop at being a false god.

Perhaps he can break through some kind of constraint and become a true god.

The moment the thought crossed the little red bird's mind, it was startled. A true god? How many years had it been since such a being had appeared in the lower realms?

If this being truly takes that step, the entire landscape of the eight lower realms will be shaken.