Super Gene

The beast that had died on the ground after it had reached the top step suddenly moved. Although it still looked old, it moved very quickly. It spryly ran up toward the old woman’s feet. The transparent fire ravaged the step, but heat could not be felt from it, and it began to rise high into the air.

Han Sen, Bai Wei, and the animal were shrouded in the transparent fire. It eventually all started to drift up high into the air. As the fire burned them, their bodies started to recover. It took away the added years and returned their original form from before they started to ascend the stairs.

The transparent fire then took on the shape of a transparent bird in the air. The bird looked something like a phoenix. It screamed and nodded to Han Sen. It then flew away from the steam bun mountain, flew to another mountain, and disappeared.

“Young man, you win.” The old woman looked at Han Sen with a look of seriousness. “But I must say I am curious; why were you so certain you would not die?”

Han Sen pointed at the animal next to the old woman. “You did not allow Bai Wei to leave the Way of Life and Death, but you did not stop us from using an animal to test this. That proved that it would not be bad for you. Plus, its acting was quite terrible. I only kicked it, and it ran straight up the stairs like mad. It didn’t even think to look back. That was so very strange, and so it made me think that you owned the creature.”

“Just because of that you dared to come all the way up?” The old woman looked at Han Sen strangely.

The prediction had been correct, but that was a moment that could have decided life and death. Even if Han Sen judged it that way, he should have been wary. Very few would dare to go all the way up.

Han Sen shook his head. “That guessing doesn’t matter in the end. What was most important was that I could see that it was not dead. Its acting was good, and it knew how to hide its life force. It could not hide from my vision, of course.”

Bai Wei, who now looked like a young girl, came the rest of the way up. She looked at the old woman’s animal and thought of something.

“I see. I should not have done that.” The old woman reached her hand out, and then the creature leapt into her chest. After giving it a stroke, she said, “Since you two have walked the Way of Life and Death, you can consider yourself approved in the eyes of Undying Bird’s will. You guys win. Therefore, you can now proceed and claim the item.” The old woman said that, but she did not move. She just smiled at them.

“Where is the item?” Bai Wei asked with a frown.

The old woman continued to smile. “The item is right there in front of you. You two have been seeing it for a while.”

“This mountain?” Bai Wei was shocked. She realized that now, and then she looked around at the mountain.

The old woman nodded and said, “This mountain is called Extreme Dead. It is a deified treasure of the universe. Undying Bird and King Bai discovered this mountain, and they both fought for its ownership. Neither won, and so they kept the mountain where it lay. Undying Bird was the one who managed it, but she eventually died, and she was buried here on the mountain. The mountain is useless to creatures. Perhaps King Bai knew this, and so he didn’t come here himself. On his behalf, perhaps he sent you.”

“If things were like that, why would father want me to come here?” Bai Wei asked.

The old woman said coldly, “Undying Bird died early. She took over Extreme Dead mountain, but she would not claim everything. She still has a few items leftover for you, but it is down to you whether or not you can take them away.”

After that, the old woman pointed at the old tower behind her with her cane. A fireball came out of her cane and landed against it. The tower was set on fire, and it was quickly incinerated. After a short while, the construction was reduced to dust. The wind scattered it all around, but where it had once been now remained an item.

They all looked at the item, and they felt weird when seeing it. The item was built from dry grass. In many ways, it looked like a bird nest. It did not look particularly pretty, and it actually looked quite rough. But it was big and a few meters wide. A few people could definitely sleep in there.

“Undying Bird left this item behind?” Han Sen asked with curiosity.

The old woman looked at the bird nest and with much fascination said, “Do not underestimate it. This was where Undying Bird was born. The dry grass is very special, and it is called Evergrass. If you can take it away, then you will swiftly learn what boon and benefit it can provide you.”

Bai Wei did not say anything. She simply walked in front of it. She reached out her hand with a desire to pick up the nest, but the bird nest, which appeared to have been made from dry grass, had the weight of a mountain. Bai Wei tried to lift it a few times, but it would not budge. She could not pull out any of the dry grass, either.

The old woman smiled. “Undying Bird was born there, and that is where it lived for a million years. Undying’s power is all over that Undying Bird bird nest. Even deified weaponry cannot compare to this, so it will be very difficult to move.”

Bai Wei frowned. She glowed with the color of gold. A gold shadow overtook her and made her appear far stronger than she usually did.

Han Sen was shocked. He did not know she had this in her. Even if Bai Wei did have that big power boost, it mattered not, though. She was still unable to move the Undying Bird bird nest an inch. Nothing seemed to work. Deified items weren’t something a Marquise could just come into ownership of. It did not seem possible that Bai Wei would be able to take it away.

“Undying Bird left behind the most precious thing to you. If you cannot take it away, then you cannot blame anyone else for your inability to do this.” The old woman smiled.

Bai Wei frowned and did not speak. She looked at the nest, but she still had no clue about how to take the bird nest away with her.

Han Sen looked at the old woman and asked, “Does the person need to finish the Way of Life and Death to get approved by the Undying Bird? Is it only then that the person can take the Undying Bird bird nest away with them?”

Bai Wei, upon hearing that, turned to look at the old woman. Her face changed. She did not need her to answer, though. They knew the answer deep inside already.

Han Sen walked in front of the Undying Bird bird nest and touched its edge. As soon as he touched it, the bird nest started to fly, and then it became smaller. It became something as small as a hand, and it flew to land and sit upon Han Sen’s hand.

“I see.” Han Sen handed the bird nest over to Bai Wei.

Bai Wei grabbed the bird nest, but as soon as Han Sen let go, the bird nest dropped to the ground like a giant rock. Bai Wei could not stop it from falling, and she fell down with it.

The bird nest was on the floor. No matter how hard she tried, she could not pick it up.