Chapter 7. Hatching the Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast)

Eldrin's eyes widened slightly as he recalled the name of this demonic beast.

The Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) is a first-tier demonic avian that, much like the Azure-Scale Spirit Fish, stands as an exceptionally rare breed known for its remarkably docile temperament.

This breed of spirit beast is considered a rare species in the cultivation world, as its docile nature and weak combat prowess make it easy prey for other monstrous creatures.

Little did he expect to encounter such a demonic avian here today.

However, upon careful reflection, it made perfect sense. With the presence of a spiritual vein in Spirit Lake Region, the Chen Clan had thoroughly eradicated all the ferocious demon beasts in the lake. The environment was also most suitable for such aquatic demon birds to thrive, making it natural for the Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) to migrate here.

"Finally got you."

Eldrin suppressed the urge to strike, quietly awaiting the perfect moment to act.

The Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) closely resembled an untamed wild duck, innately timid and vigilant, vanishing at the slightest rustle of disturbance.

Although the Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) before him was merely a mid-grade rank 1 creature, it was a flying demon beast. If he failed to strike it down in 1 blow, he would likely miss this crucial opportunity to slay it.

This Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) was innately cautious, stealthily circling the school of spirit fish in the lake for a long while.

The Spirit Fish King also spotted it and charged over with menacing ferocity—exactly what the Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) had hoped for. With lightning speed, it darted toward the distant waters, luring the Spirit Fish King farther and farther away.

Gradually, the young fish in the school began to fall behind. With a sudden beat of its wings, it soared upward and charged toward the straggling fry.

"Now."

The moment the demonic bird plunged into the water, Eldrin burst forth from the depths, propelling the Verdant Leaf Sword through the air to deliver a sweeping slash.

The Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) reacted swiftly. It immediately conjured a spiritual energy shield and took to the skies in frantic escape, yet how could its speed compare to the piercing swiftness of the flying sword?

Eldrin summoned the Verdant Leaf Sword, wielding it within a 100 yards as if it were an extension of his own arm. A cyan blade-light arced through the air, pursuing the Purple-Striped Wild Goose. With a resonant clang, it pierced through the creature's spiritual energy shield, pinning the beast lifeless in the void.

"Good."

With a single strike that slew the Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast), Eldrin (Person Name) couldn't help but reveal a look of exhilaration.

Not only was the Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) delicious, but consuming it could also enhance 1's cultivation. This particular specimen was worth at least 30 spirit stones, equivalent to 6 fully grown Azure-Scale Spirit Fish.

However, ordinary Cyan-Scale Spirit Fish typically reach only the lower first rank upon adulthood, whereas this Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) possesses a middle first-rank cultivation base. Such disparity is only to be expected.

Slaying this Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) not only compensated for the loss of the 4 spirit fish, but also earned him a modest profit, lifting Eldrin's (Person Name) spirits considerably.

The only regret was that he had never learned any binding spells, nor did he possess any binding-type magical tools. Otherwise, he would have considered capturing the Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) alive.

This docile demonic beast, much like the Cyan-Scale Spirit Fish, held a sliver of potential to be tamed into a spirit creature. Once domesticated, the spiritual eggs it produced would become a considerable source of income.

"If only I had bought a binding magical tool."

He felt a pang of regret, knowing that practicing binding spells would hinder his cultivation progress. However, a low-grade, first-tier binding artifact cost merely a few dozen spirit stones at most. If it could be used to capture the Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) and compel it to lay spiritual eggs, the payoff would be an absolute windfall.

"Right, the spirit egg."

Eldrin's eyes suddenly lit up. He stored away the Purple-Striped Wild Goose and immediately headed toward the reed marshes where the demon beast had emerged.

After searching for another half an hour, he unexpectedly discovered another Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) deep within the reed marshes.

Contrary to expectations, the Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) did not flee. Instead, it channeled its magic to engage Eldrin (Person Name) in combat. Yet it was no match for him—within a few moves, it was slain amidst the reeds.

After slaying the second Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast), Eldrin (Person Name) searched the vicinity and indeed discovered a nest of Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) eggs.

Struck gold.

Gazing at the Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) egg, his heart swelled with exhilaration.

This spirit egg is rich in spiritual energy and free of impurities, making it even more precious than spirit rice. Each egg can fetch 1 spirit stone.

Before him lay a full dozen spirit eggs, and more astonishingly, each 1 pulsed with vital energy. The young spirit geese inside had already taken form, their nascent shapes visible within the shells.

"It has already gestated halfway."

"It seems this pair of Purple-Striped Wild Geese (Demon Beast) has been at Linghu Zhou for quite some time."

Eldrin gazed at the spirit egg, unable to suppress a blossoming smile.

The reality aligned closely with his conjecture. This pair of spirit geese had arrived at Linghu Zhou a year ago. Coincidentally, during that period, his uncle—a cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refinement—had been reassigned to escort the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object). Both Nian Qian and Nian Yuan’s cultivation bases were still shallow at the time, and they seldom ventured beyond the lake’s central isle. Thus, they had completely failed to detect the geese’s presence.

Seeing that the Spirit Lake was safe and secure, the pair of Purple-Striped Wild Geese (Demon Beast) simply settled in the lake, building a nest to raise their brood of offspring.

The Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast), inherently timid and cautious, had spent an entire year in meticulous vigilance. Yet, ultimately, complacency eroded its wariness, and it boldly set its sights on the spirit fish.

Who would have thought that after just 2 days of action, they encountered Eldrin. The male goose was slain, while the female, driven by maternal instinct to protect her young, refused to flee. In the end, they became a pair of ill-fated lovers united in death.

The remaining clutch of Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) eggs had already reached the midpoint of incubation, expected to hatch within a month.

Returning to the Lakeheart Isle with this clutch of Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) eggs, Eldrin (Person Name) immediately began constructing incubation nests for them.

As a youth raised in the information-explosion era, though his previous life had been utterly unremarkable, he had some passing knowledge about poultry egg incubation.

Though the Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) is classified as a wild goose, it could more accurately be described as a type of spiritual duck—1 endowed with even greater vitality than ordinary spirit ducks.

Following the general knowledge from his past life, he used his magic power to establish an incubation nest with a suitable environment. He then meticulously tended to the spirit egg each day, taking on the role of a mother goose.

Thus, a month passed, and at last, the day when the spirit duck was about to hatch drew near.

On this day, Eldrin stood guard before the spirit egg, gazing with exhilaration at the Purple-Striped Wild Goose egg, his face etched with profound anxiety.

"Crack—"

He waited for half a day before finally hearing a series of crackling sounds. Then, he watched as a dusty gray duckling pecked its way through the eggshell and came waddling eagerly toward him.

Eldrin was momentarily stunned before he realized—the Yan creature would imprint on the first living being it saw after birth, considering it its mother.

"So it turns out I've become the mother goose?"

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, yet he felt a wave of relief wash over him.

There is but a single character's difference between demonic beasts and spirit beasts—it is merely that spirit beasts have been tamed by cultivators, stripped of their fierce and untamed nature.

Without a unique beast taming technique, it was extremely difficult to subdue spirit beasts. The Chen family naturally possessed no such methods. Their so-called domestication of the Cyanscale Spirit Fish was essentially semi-free ranging—after all, these spirit fish could never escape the confines of Spirit Isle Lake (Location).

However, the Purple-Striped Wild Goose (Demon Beast) is a demonic avian creature. Flying demon beasts are exceptionally difficult to domesticate. While adult Purple-Striped Wild Geese (Demon Beast) are innately docile by nature and possess minimal aggression, without exclusive beast-taming methods, the slightest mishap may cause them to fly away, never to return.

Fortunately, the newly hatched eaglet mistook Eldrin for its parent, effectively bypassing the need for domestication. As long as it was raised to adulthood, it would naturally become a spiritual bird.

Having grasped this point, Eldrin grew exhilarated. He simply stationed himself before the incubation nest, awaiting each hatchling goose as they broke through their shells 1 by 1.