"Hmph! Humans are all cunning and deceitful creatures. I don't care where you've seen me before. In the future, you'd better cut the clever tricks!" The Venomous Flood Dragon had been idly toying with an enormous, lustrous pearl in his palm, but his five fingers suddenly clenched, and the pearl instantly crumbled into a pile of powder. Then, a flicker of murderous intent crossed his hideous face.
Han Li felt a slight chill in his heart, but on the surface he only managed a bitter smile and said nothing.
"Alright. Fellow Daoist Li has already met with the two of you. I need the help of all three of you. If even one is missing, I, Feng, will have quite the headache." Feng Xi noticed the tense atmosphere and quickly stepped in to smooth things over. Then he gestured for Han Li to take a seat on the other side of the table, farther from the two across from them.
"Brother Feng, we've known each other for quite a few years now. What exactly is this all about? You've kept it so mysterious and still haven't told us the full picture. And you even need a human cultivator to help. What can a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator do?" The Venomous Flood Dragon drained the large cup of wine before him in one gulp, speaking in a characteristically brash manner.
"Exactly! When you insisted that the two of us come along, I was curious too. Could it be that whatever you're planning is dangerous?" The green-faced turtle demon, whose back bore a thick, rough shell, also furrowed his brow, a hint of apprehension crossing his features.
Despite his imposing height, the turtle demon was clearly a worrisome sort.
"There's no need to worry, Fellow Daoist Gui. The reason I invited the two of you here is not to deal with any enemies, nor is it to venture into some dangerous place. I merely wish for you to assist me in refining a certain magic treasure," Feng Xi said with a smile, waving his hand dismissively.
"Refining a magic treasure?" The turtle demon and the Venomous Flood Dragon stared at each other in blank surprise.
Han Li, listening from the side, was equally astonished, a look of surprise flashing across his face.
"That's right. I intend to refine a magic treasure custom-made for myself," Feng Xi said slowly, a hint of fervor showing on his face.
"I hope I didn't mishear that! Brother Feng wants to refine an external tool? Has Brother Feng forgotten that for us demon cultivators, our bodies are the finest magic treasures there are? What material could possibly be better suited for refinement and strengthening than our own demon forms?" The Venomous Flood Dragon looked skeptical, shaking his head as he spoke.
"Brother Wu is absolutely right. No magic treasure can compare to utilizing our innate demonic abilities. Rather than waste time on external tools, it would be far better to cultivate our body's innate powers. For example, Brother Wu's flood dragon spirit body grants him a near-intuitive mastery of all water-attribute techniques — with just a little cultivation, he can surpass other races a hundredfold. And Brother Feng's spirit bird body possesses exceptional wind-attribute talent. Once the Wind Fire Wings are cultivated to their ultimate level, one can traverse ten thousand li in an instant, soaring across the four seas. As for my Dark Turtle body, while it may not match the extraordinary abilities of you two brothers, if I cultivate this hard shell to the level of spiritual transcendence and divine transformation, it would be virtually an indestructible diamond body. Why would we need to follow the humans' way of refining magic treasures?" The turtle demon nodded vigorously in agreement, voicing the same sentiment.
Feng Xi listened to the two demons without any trace of anger. Instead, he burst into hearty laughter.
"What you two have said is perfectly logical. After cultivating for so many years, how could I not know this? But the magic treasure I intend to refine is of a different nature entirely — another pair of transcendent wings. However, they will no longer be Wind Fire Wings, but Wind Thunder Wings. With this second pair of spirit wings complementing the first, I am confident that there will be nowhere under heaven I cannot go!" The ninth-level Rending Wind Beast suppressed his excitement as he delivered words that left the two demons across from him utterly stunned.
"Wind Thunder Wings?" The turtle demon blinked, completely bewildered.
"That's right. Some years ago, while roaming the deep seas for cultivation, I discovered the broken remains of an ancient giant bird at a relic site on a remote island. Though only the silver skeleton remained, those surviving bone wings still contained astonishing lightning power. They belonged to a Thunder Roc that had nearly reached the final stage of form transformation. As you know, the flight speed of a Thunder Roc — this heavenly spirit bird — ranks among the top ten of all high-level spirit bird demon beasts. Its lightning-propelled flight speed is virtually indistinguishable from a bolt of lightning itself. Our Rending Wind Clan openly admits we fall far short. So, struck by sudden inspiration, I brought these bone wings back to my cave dwelling. I plan to attach these thunder wings to my body using the same principles as human magic treasures, supplemented with materials from other spirit birds." As Feng Xi spoke, his eyes shone with brilliant light, as though he could no longer contain the excitement surging within him.
"After being refined, the wings will naturally no longer be purely lightning-attributed. Wind-attribute spiritual energy will need to be incorporated as well, so that I can control them more easily," he added.
"Can this really work?" The Venomous Flood Dragon's face held a mixture of belief and doubt, as though he still couldn't quite accept it.
The turtle demon sitting beside him wore an equally skeptical expression.
"Rest assured. For the sake of these wings, I have spent many years in dedicated research. I even went so far as to change my appearance and seek out human cultivators to obtain numerous texts on artifact refining. I also had several human cultivators teach me the relevant knowledge. Then, combining all of this with our Rending Wind Clan's Wind Fire Wing cultivation method, I arrived at today's plan. I won't claim absolute certainty — but at least a seventy or eighty percent chance of success. And of course, I wouldn't let the two of you help for nothing. Regardless of whether the treasure is successfully refined, I will..." The Rending Wind Beast Feng Xi spoke with supreme confidence, but suddenly his voice trailed off. His lips began to move silently as he transmitted his voice to the others, apparently unwilling to let Han Li hear the contents of their conversation.