All Things Are Contracts

Chapter 241: The Winged Tribe Arrives

Outside the Heavenly Book world, life continued as usual. Due to the Goddess becoming a star, the Nightmare Disaster had ended. However, those with strong abilities who looked directly at the red moon in the night sky noticed it seemed to be getting larger, giving them an ominous feeling.

As the first person eliminated from the Heavenly Book trial, Liu Zhaoran didn’t leave. Instead, he stayed, kneeling and begging Thunder Lord for guidance. After all, this opportunity wouldn’t come again. Seeing his sincerity, Thunder Lord had no choice but to spend more time and effort on him. Coming out of the Heavenly Book world, Liu Zhaoran’s cultivation progressed rapidly under Thunder Lord’s guidance.

On this day, the academy was as usual – students attending classes, assessments being conducted. However, everyone saw two white figures flying in the sky, descending into the academy.

“Who are they? What beautiful wings,” was all they could discern.

Thunder Lord and Alchemy Daoist were waiting on the rooftop of a tall building in the academy. They had long sensed the arrival of these visitors.

A middle-aged man and a young man descended from the sky. Both had enormous white wings on their backs, similar to Yunyao’s but even larger.

They had golden hair and extremely beautiful features that could make all the world’s handsome men sigh in admiration. They didn’t seem like mortals, with a hint of divine aura between their brows. These two were clearly members of the Bird Clan.

“Bird Clan Grand Elder Tianyu greets Elders Alchemy Daoist and Thunder Lord,” the older Bird Clan member said. Then, pointing to the young man beside him, he added, “This is our Bird Clan’s young master, Tianxian. I’ve brought him along this time to broaden his horizons. I hope you don’t mind.”

Elder Tianyu spoke with a neither humble nor arrogant tone.

“Not at all, you are honored guests. We are the ones who have been remiss,” Thunder Lord said politely, secretly marveling at the Bird Clan’s bloodline. They were all like this – the men handsome, the women stunningly beautiful. The Bird Clan was the world’s third-largest race, with strength nearly equal to the second-ranked Dragon Clan. But they were incredibly proud, rarely interacting with the mortal world, even more conservative and extreme than the Dragon Clan.

“I guess the Elder has come because of the growing moon?” Thunder Lord asked.

“Correct, this is a prophecy of impending disaster. Although our Bird Clan seldom concerns itself with worldly affairs, when it comes to a calamity affecting all living beings, we cannot stand idly by,” Elder Tianyu said.

“Oh? It seems you know quite a bit,” Thunder Lord became interested and invited the two down. Beside him, Alchemy Daoist secretly thought these visitors weren’t here with good intentions. Even though he and Thunder Lord were extremely powerful and he could easily overpower this Grand Elder, there was no trace of fear in the eyes of these two Bird Clan members. In fact… there was even a hint of disdain?

“Let’s wait for Dragon Lord’s people to arrive before discussing important matters. I heard that the human race recently held a grand competition, producing many outstanding talents and exciting the world?” Tianyu asked.

“Indeed, those children are currently participating in the Heavenly Book trial,” Thunder Lord explained. The previous competition was an internal human affair, so naturally, they hadn’t invited the Bird Clan.

The Bird Clan’s young master Tianxian suddenly interjected: “Was there a mixed-blood named Yunyao who also participated in the competition? Where is she now? Is she still in the Heavenly Book realm?”

Thunder Lord’s brow furrowed slightly at this young one’s rudeness. But he patiently explained, “Yunyao also has half human bloodline. After discussing with Sword Lord, we allowed her to participate in the competition. She is indeed still in the Heavenly Book realm.”

Tianxian pouted, “That girl is quite lucky. Her father actually defied the ancestral teachings and mated with a human woman, letting our Bird Clan bloodline flow out. But it gave her a body full of Bird Clan talents for free.”

“Tianxian, watch your words,” Elder Tianyu reprimanded, then explained, “We’ve come here firstly for the moon issue, and secondly for this girl named Yunyao. Our Bird Clan has ancestral teachings that our bloodline must not flow out. She’s an accidental product, but it’s not her fault, so we won’t kill her. However, she now possesses part of the Bird Clan bloodline. If she were to unite with other humans, it would inevitably cause our bloodline to continue spreading. This is not allowed by our Clan. So… another reason for our visit is that we want to take her back to the Bird Clan.”

“?” Thunder Lord asked, puzzled, “If you care so much about this matter, why did you drive her away when she went to your tribal lands seeking her roots? And why do you suddenly want to take her back now?” The Bird Clan’s contradictory actions made Thunder Lord feel this matter wasn’t simple.

“She’s a forbidden child. At that time, we were all very wary. We dared not let her stay in our lands, but we were unwilling to kill her and damage our Clan’s reputation. So we left her to fend for herself. But after our Clan’s ancestor came out of seclusion, he scolded us severely. Only then did we realize our previous decision was wrong. Although she can’t be considered a Bird Clan member, since she has our bloodline, we must take responsibility for her. When she comes out, I will take her back to meet our ancestor,” Elder Tianyu explained.

“The Bird Clan ancestor has come out of seclusion?” Alchemy Daoist was shocked. The Bird Clan ancestor’s strength was no weaker than Dragon Lord’s before entering seclusion. What level could he have reached after coming out?

“That’s right, he came out not long ago,” Elder Tianyu smiled. With their ancestor’s greatly increased strength, the Bird Clan’s status would naturally rise.

“I cannot make decisions for Yunyao. Whether she wants to go with you or not will be up to her,” Thunder Lord thought for a moment before answering.

Tianxian scoffed, “Returning to the tribal lands is our ancestor’s mercy. How dare she refuse? She carries the Bird Clan bloodline. If she bears a child of another race, causing our bloodline to spread outside, it would be a great sin. I’ve heard she’s still unmarried, so I came specifically to see. If suitable, I could take her as a concubine. I’m not as conservative as other Bird Clan members. With my care, her treatment in the Clan would naturally be extraordinary, and no one would dare speak ill of her.”

Alchemy Daoist thought to himself that the Bird Clan was still as arrogant as ever. But who could blame them for having reasons to be proud? The Bird Clan’s ancestors had once stolen heavenly fire for the mortal world, continuing the civilization of all races. They could be said to have great merits.