A few days passed in the blink of an eye.
Yang Feilong, accompanied by the Hundred Spirits Bird, naturally encountered some minor troubles. For instance, there were bandits who preyed on the nation's hardship, and among them were quite a few powerful individuals.
While few reached the Void Refining realm, those in the Nascent Soul realm were numerous. These individuals, captivated by the Hundred Spirits Bird's beauty and intent on possessing her, were naturally killed on the spot by Yang Feilong!
If not for the situation in the Viran Empire's imperial palace, and the fact that the Hundred Spirits Bird had not yet transformed into her true form, some might have merely seen her as a beautiful woman. They wouldn't have realized she was the Imperial Concubine, the Hundred Spirits Bird.
Besides bandits and outlaws, they also encountered small detachments of the allied forces from the three kingdoms multiple times. If they weren't discovered, Yang Feilong would quietly lead the Hundred Spirits Bird away. However, if they were spotted, Yang Feilong would naturally intervene.
"A beauty that brings disaster!" Yang Feilong lamented after another round of killing.
"Hmph, *you* are the beauty that brings disaster!" the Hundred Spirits Bird huffed.
"I haven't even said anything about you, and you're already putting a hat on yourself?" Yang Feilong said with a hint of amusement.
"You..." The Hundred Spirits Bird's breathing hitched.
"Mumu, we're about to arrive at another woman's home. Although you are also my woman, remember, don't cause any trouble then! Or I'll be angry," Yang Feilong said, stroking the Hundred Spirits Bird's soft, lustrous black hair with a teasing smile.
"Don't call me Mumu, and I'm not your woman!" the Hundred Spirits Bird said irritably.
"Yesterday when we were kissing, Mumu, weren't you calling me good brother, good husband? Why don't you recognize it anymore?" Yang Feilong chuckled.
These past few days, he and the Hundred Spirits Bird had kissed quite a bit. Although she would cry out "no" each time, her body was quite honest. Sometimes, if he didn't initiate a kiss, she would look at him wistfully, as if to say, "Scumbag, why aren't you initiating a kiss today?"
In short, the Hundred Spirits Bird was now soft all over, with only her mouth remaining stubborn.
"You're just a bad guy, I don't want to talk to you!" The Hundred Spirits Bird gave Yang Feilong a sidelong glance and turned away, appearing angry. But when Yang Feilong wrapped his arms around her slender, tender waist, she only struggled tentatively for a moment before adopting a posture of forced helplessness, as if to say, "It's not that I don't want to struggle, but my strength is too weak, and I can't break free."
Seeing the Hundred Spirits Bird's feigned modesty, Yang Feilong wanted to laugh. Of course, he didn't actually laugh out loud; instead, he leaned in and kissed her, lest the Hundred Spirits Bird truly become angry.
The Hundred Spirits Bird, while saying things like "bad man, I'll beat you to death," soon became lost in Yang Feilong's kiss, even wrapping her arms around him and responding passionately.
Yes, the Hundred Spirits Bird absolutely loved these intimate moments.
Moreover, in her opinion, Yang Feilong's kissing skills were superb and incredibly stimulating. Although she would call him "bad" and "a bad thing," her resistance was actually diminishing.
For instance, when Yang Feilong's hands, through her clothes, cupped her shapely buttocks, pressing and molding them into various shapes, she initially moaned and protested softly. But as time passed, as long as Yang Feilong didn't go too far, she became compliant.
Of course, perhaps it wasn't compliance, but enjoyment?
Otherwise, why would her voice grow increasingly sincere when she called him "good brother"? The sound of her calling him "good brother" made Yang Feilong's bones feel as if they were melting.
After holding the Hundred Spirits Bird and kissing her for a while, they set off again.
This had become their recent daily routine: teasing the Hundred Spirits Bird, fighting any interceptors, mainly because Yang Feilong hadn't bothered to conceal their tracks. Otherwise, how could beings in the Nascent Soul realm possibly find their whereabouts?
Even with the Hundred Spirits Bird, their movements weren't easy to conceal, but to be discovered, one would at least need to be in the Void Refining realm.
Being discovered by beings in the Nascent Soul realm was entirely due to his lack of concealment.
This was because sometimes Yang Feilong needed to engage in some killing. Firstly, to add some excitement to their monotonous journey; secondly, to try and gather information about the Seventh Princess and Qing Luan. Unfortunately, since the war broke out, the Seventh Princess seemed to have vanished from public view. It was unclear whether she was hiding from the conflict or for other reasons. Thirdly, it was to give the Hundred Spirits Bird a psychological suggestion: look, if I weren't protecting you, you could be snatched away wherever you went. After all, although the Hundred Spirits Bird was in the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, her combat power was such that even some powerful late-stage Core Formation experts might be able to challenge her across cultivation levels.
This was because the Hundred Spirits Bird's race was not inherently skilled in combat.
If there were a ranking of races not adept at combat, the Hundred Spirits Bird might be among the bottom ten.
And so, another few days passed.
On this day, Yang Feilong, along with the Hundred Spirits Bird Mumu, arrived in the territory of the Qing Luan tribe.
"Fortunately, it seems the Qing Luan tribe hasn't encountered any issues," Yang Feilong observed from afar, looking towards the Qing Luan territory. At least there were no signs of a major battle nearby.
This meant that the Qing Luan tribe had not yet faced the crisis of invasion by the allied forces of the three kingdoms.
Of course, the fighting had only been going on for a mere two to three months. Before Emperor Viran Wu Bing of the Viran Empire died, the Viran Empire was the strongest of the four nations.
It was only after he was jointly killed by the most powerful individuals from the Fei Yun, Mo Yue, and Xing Hai empires that the allied forces of the three kingdoms launched a surprise attack, catching the Viran Empire completely off guard. Otherwise, even without Viran Wu Bing, the Viran Empire's Integration realm experts would still be stronger than any single country among the Fei Yun and the other two empires. They could even sustain a protracted war for decades against the combined forces of two empires.
This was because the enemy could not go all out. There were other nations bordering them in this Demon Realm, and they had to consider those as well!
However, even though the three empires had joined forces and none went all out, with Viran Wu Bing's tragic death and the element of surprise, the gap was still immense, even with the three empires not fighting at their full strength.
But why, with the three empires allied and having the initiative, had they not completely swept through the Viran Empire by now? There were many reasons for this. Firstly, the Viran Empire had vast territory, numerous experts, and a diverse population. Secondly, the three empires were not united. When facing danger or trouble, they would let the other side take the lead, but when vying for benefits, they would rush ahead. In fact, infighting among the strong individuals of the three empires had occurred more than once. Therefore, after several months, although the entire Viran Empire was engulfed in flames of war, it was still barely clinging to existence. If the internal conflicts and discord among the three empires continued, the Viran Empire might even have a chance to turn the tide.
Of course, for a turnaround, the Viran Empire would need a flag-bearer!
This person could be the eldest prince, who previously had the highest prestige and strength, or the Seventh Princess. Oh, wait, the Seventh Princess seemed to be missing; she hadn't appeared in public for months. It could also be the second prince, the third prince...
In short, everyone had a chance and a possibility, provided they could turn the tide.
But for now, the eldest prince had the highest hope, though it was only hope.
Alternatively, another immensely powerful and influential figure could emerge, saving the people from their plight and thereby replacing the Viran lineage as the new ruler of the Viran Empire!