Chapter Twelve: Absolute Obedience

“Ding!”

“Descendants of the host clan are in danger and require your assistance!”

“Protect each member of your kin and receive a reward of fifty thousand spirit points per unit!”

Jiang Xuan: ???

He never expected such a windfall.

Earlier, when he had rushed out of the nest to save the Demon Lord, he discovered that on this cliff there were at least a dozen other nests.

Some nests already had hatchlings, while others contained only eggs.

Fifty thousand spirit points for each unit—that was quite generous!

If he managed to save them all, he could easily earn seventy to eighty thousand spirit points!

“System, use one evolution point. No time to sleep now; I’ll save the birds first!”

Jiang Xuan was unwilling to waste this golden opportunity.

Every eaglet lost to the snake demons would mean fifty thousand fewer spirit points for him.

As soon as Jiang Xuan’s voice rang out, he ruffled his wings, and golden light shimmered over the nests, dazzling like stars.

“This... this is the realm of a sixth-tier demon beast! What kind of mighty being has been reincarnated into this one?”

“To possess such innate talent in cultivation is unheard of in my previous life!”

Feeling Jiang Xuan’s sudden transformation, the Demon Lord could not help but feel a pang of envy and jealousy.

Originally just a scruffy bird, Jiang Xuan’s feathers were now clearly black and gold, glossy and lustrous.

Compared to him, both the Demon Lord and the Empress seemed somewhat malnourished.

“The path to enlightenment often includes sudden leaps from insight—I must maintain a calm heart,” the Empress breathed deeply, trying to steady her spirit.

Jiang Xuan, having already broken through, basked in the power coursing through him, feeling invigorated. As he spread his wings, the flow of spiritual energy seemed to form an aura as alluring as a spiritual convergence array.

But now was not the time for self-congratulation.

“Ahem, you two should understand me, right?”

“What! He—he—he can actually speak human language now!”

“No, sixth-tier demon beasts can automatically unlock speech.”

“Breaking through to the sixth tier does indeed grant the ability to speak human words!”

The Empress and Demon Lord, after a brief moment of astonishment, realized they were already aware of this fact.

Reincarnated as eagle demons, their bloodline-engraved memories had made them privy to such knowledge.

Seeing them frozen in place and sensing their mental voices, Jiang Xuan knew they understood him.

After all, they were the Demon Lord and Empress—surely intelligent enough.

“You two, Eagle Mother is injured. Take good care of her. Before I return, dig out some space inside this nest. I’ll bring some of our kin back soon.”

Jiang Xuan issued orders in a commanding tone to the black and white birds.

After a brief moment of confusion, the Demon Lord was the first to flap his wings and shout.

“Hmph! Since my birth, no one has dared to command me like this! Who do you think you are? Scoundrel!”

“My words are imperial edict, divine will itself. How dare you defy the heavens!”

The Empress followed with an angry retort, spreading her wings.

“Hoho! I’ll teach you two a lesson! What’s going on? Can’t tell who’s boss anymore, huh?”

With a slap for each bird, Jiang Xuan sent the Demon Lord and Empress rolling several times in the nest.

They were dizzy and disoriented. By the time they regained their senses, Jiang Xuan was sitting back-to-them.

“Remember, from now on, you must obey Big Brother’s orders!”

“If I return and you haven’t finished your task, or try to shirk it, I’ll pluck every feather from you!”

“Fat bird! Get back here! How dare you threaten me! You’re asking for death!”

“You little whelp! Once I become a great demon and assume human form, you’ll know what true talent is!”

Inside the nest, the Empress and Demon Lord bellowed in fury, but Jiang Xuan no longer heard them.

The urgent matter was to rescue as many of their kin as possible.

Flying out of the nest, Jiang Xuan was shocked by the scene before him.

Good heavens.

A massive spiritual defense array stretched along the cliffside for dozens of yards!

Within the array, many large-bodied eagle demons were locked in fierce combat with snake demons of equal size.

Most of the snake demons were golden-armored, boasting formidable defenses, while others were soaring serpents specializing in illusion magic—powerful but not overwhelming.

The critical issue: about a dozen golden-armored snake demons were breaking through the defense array, swiftly climbing down the cliff face.

“Help! Mother! Save me!”

One golden-armored snake demon had already reached a nest, flicking its tongue at the eaglet inside.

Jiang Xuan’s eyes caught the snake demon shamelessly rubbing against the eaglet and sniffing it repeatedly—the behavior was utterly perverse!

Just as Jiang Xuan was cursing inwardly, the snake demon gaped wide, ready to swallow the eaglet whole.

“Light as a swallow!”

Like a shooting star, Jiang Xuan streaked through the air in a golden line, brilliant and dazzling.

“Ah—!”

“Stop screaming! No one else is coming to save you!”

“Villain! Get lost!”

Just as the snake demon’s tongue touched the eaglet, Jiang Xuan arrived just in time, delivering a powerful blow to its face!

The snake demon was instantly sent flying, stars swirling before its eyes.

“A flying sixth-tier golden-armored snake demon! No wonder it’s so large!”

Seeing the snake demon suspended midair without wings, Jiang Xuan was astonished.

So flight is not unique to birds!

“You... you killed my entire family!”

Regaining composure, the snake demon glared at Jiang Xuan with a murderous look, saliva dripping from its jaws.

“I did. They wanted to eat me, so I killed them. Isn’t that only natural?”

“You! You’re courting death!”

Apparently, the golden-armored snake demon had yet to grasp the gravity of the situation and charged recklessly at Jiang Xuan.

“Stay here. Don’t run off.”

Leaving those words behind, Jiang Xuan shot up into the air.

The snake demon’s massive form crashed down like a centuries-old tree trunk, its speed so fierce that Jiang Xuan was taken aback.

Unable to dodge in time, Jiang Xuan was slammed away violently!

He slammed against the cliff wall, creating a deep crater.

“This... this is impossible! This guy is even tougher than me!”

The sixth-tier golden-armored snake demon had hoped to catch the eagle demon off guard with its speed and was confident of victory.

Yet Jiang Xuan, like a carefree bird, emerged from the hole broken in the cliff behind him without even a feather out of place!

Like the snake demon, Jiang Xuan was also stunned.

“It seems demon beasts, like humans, each have their own strengths. This one’s speed is impressive, but not overwhelming.”

“Steel bones, indeed worthy of its name!”

What surprised Jiang Xuan even more was that his own constitution had already reached a near-immortal level...