In a previously quiet part of the forest, a sudden tiger's roar erupted—so powerful and soul-stirring that all the small animals fled at lightning speed.
Accompanying this roar, a majestic tiger burst from the woods and lunged at a young man walking through the forest.
To the tiger, a fresh piece of at delivered to its doorstep was never sothing to be treated politely.
The young man was dressed completely unlike soone engaging in outdoor activity. He looked more like a student from the city, especially considering that this place was Quan Jing Mountain—a desolate, uninhabited area.
Ordinarily, the tiger should've pounced on the youth, knocked him down, and enjoyed a satisfying al. However, the youth showed no trace of fear upon hearing the tiger's roar. On the contrary, as the tiger approached, he flicked his finger in response.
A burst of visible energy shot out from his fingertips, striking the tiger mid-air, instantly reducing it to a mangled ss of flesh and causing it to explode.
This youth was none other than Hikigaya Hachiman, who had now arrived in a place known as Quan Jing Mountain.
Jusenkyo was located on the eastern side of Quan Jing Mountain, surrounded by the mountain range. To its south lay Hachiman's destination—Phoenix Mountain.
After learning the exact location of Phoenix Mountain from the Pu family (father and daughter), Hachiman entered Quan Jing Mountain.
He had already indulged himself as a tourist. Now, it was ti to handle proper business.
He had been wandering in this vast mountain for quite so ti.
It was a mystical place.
The sa environnt as Jusenkyo existed here, though not as intensely—it was still present.
This had no particular effect on Hachiman, but it did prolong his search for Phoenix Mountain.
But for a god slayer, ti was never a concern.
At Hachiman's current level, as long as he consud enough light, he had no need for food or water. Thus, he carried none. However, sleep was still necessary, so whenever he needed rest, he would bury himself into the earth.
During this journey, he began to understand why Phoenix Mountain could remain independent of the authority of the Chinese God slayers.
It could be said that unless a god slayer a god personally descended, the people of Phoenix Mountain—living in such an environnt—indeed had the qualifications to ignore such intimidation.
For anyone below that level, this place was likely too restrictive.
Even locating Phoenix Mountain was a major hassle.
Moreover, the air here seed to have the effect of decomposing and absorbing magic energy. In the Jusenkyo region, this effect was at its strongest.
While such decomposition was nothing compared to the scale of a God slayer's magic energy, it was a different matter entirely for ordinary humans.
Also, the animals in the forest seed to possess a certain intelligence—one could even say they were perceptive.
According to various xianxia novels, this place should be full of spiritual energy. But Hachiman knew that in this world, such claims were utter nonsense.
Here, so-called "spiritual energy" was just another na for magic energy, just like mana or qi.
Every living being had this energy. Whether one could develop it was another story, but it had absolutely nothing to do with intelligence.
So Hachiman preferred to believe that soone had been communicating regularly with these wild animals over many years, resulting in this state of affairs.
And the only people who could be responsible, in Hachiman's mind, were those from Phoenix Mountain.
According to that eccentric tour guide, the Phoenix clan's activity range included Quan Jing Mountain, and their newborns had to be brought by their parents to Jusenkyo, to soak in the Spring of Drowned Man or Woman, in order to take on human form.
Even if there were no gods involved, Hachiman was increasingly intrigued by this tribe. He really wanted to see what kind of creatures they had beco, now that they could no longer be considered human.
With this in mind, Hachiman continued eagerly searching for Phoenix Mountain.
The tour guide had described it clearly: Phoenix Mountain was easy to recognize. Just keep heading south. When you see a mountain shaped like a chimney—so oddly shaped it makes you want to tear it down—that's Phoenix Mountain.
At its summit was a single spring, the only water source for the Phoenix tribe, used for generations. After all that ti, even if they were originally human, they definitely couldn't be considered human anymore.
Sounded pretty comical...
Hachiman continued walking happily. Unknowingly, even the animals around him had begun to thin out.
Yet he seed completely oblivious to it.
Eventually, there were no more signs of life around him except for plants.
At that mont, Hachiman stopped walking.
Because in front of him appeared a bird-man.
By bird-man, it ant soone with a human head and body, but with wings on his back, and hands and feet transford into talon-like claws.
The bird-man flapped his wings, hovering mid-air. Since his face was human, his expression was easy to read—he looked quite annoyed—and he chattered at Hachiman in a string of incomprehensible sounds. Unfortunately, Hachiman couldn't understand a word.
Not understanding ant he didn't need to listen.
Apparently, the bird-man had the sa thought. He suddenly dove down from the sky and stretched his claws toward Hachiman.
Then Hachiman simply stomped him into the mud with one kick...
There was no helping it. Given the overwhelming difference in strength, Hachiman couldn't make the scene of the enemy being defeated look any more stylish.
Then he lifted his foot, grabbed the guy with his right hand, and began slapping him repeatedly with his left.
In primitive societies, violence is beauty. Since this place was primitive, Hachiman's actions were beautiful.
The bird-man also woke up beautifully.
"Can you speak human language?" Hachiman asked.
It was obvious—this guy had to be a resident of Phoenix Mountain.
Though Hachiman had knocked him out with a single stomp, based on the feeling of impact, he could tell this bird-man's physical strength far surpassed that of people from the outside world.
Considering the local environnt and the warm welco just now, Hachiman concluded that it was unwise for untrained people to casually enter this place.
So this was what the Phoenix clan looked like. Hachiman didn't rember Ranma very well and couldn't recall whether there had been such a group—he was a kid back then, after all.
"Cough, cough... You brazen scoundrel..." the bird-man said in human language.
That was more like it. The Phoenix clan understood external languages; otherwise, they wouldn't have used Jusenkyo to turn themselves into humans.
Clearly, even though they looked bird-like, they still retained the pure desire of humans—to look cool!
"You brazen scou—ow, puhh..."
As the bird-man groaned in pain, Hachiman withdrew his hand and reminded him, "Don't repeat the sa line. That's important. It could get you killed. Thanks."
"…" The bird-man's eyes filled with tears, but he held them back and switched back to a fierce expression, shouting angrily, "The Heavenly God—no, the Ancestral God will punish you!"
"You're being naughty again," Hachiman sighed. He raised his left hand once more, looking like a disappointed teacher. "So, is it the Heavenly God or the Ancestral God? You seem very troubled. But it's okay, I'll help you rember—free of charge."
In the forest, a new round of slapping echoed once again.
And thus began the first "friendly" contact between the god slayer from the East and the people of Phoenix Mountain...
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