The news of Ji Xia mastering divine powers was not deliberately concealed by him or the royal court. Even amidst the cold and darkness of the sunless days, the people of Tai Cang were elated.
Unlike the breakthroughs of Ji Qianqing and Po Xian, Ji Xia's achievement bore exceptional significance for the 600,000 people of Tai Cang, as he was not only their king but also their pillar and singular leader.
In this wild and untamed world that revered strength, a powerful ruler elevated the pride of the people. A prime example was Fu Sheng, the King of Da Fu, who became a Spirit Palace powerhouse over a century ago, dominating an entire era.
In the eyes of his people, Fu Sheng transcended the role of a monarch; he was a living deity, the spirit and soul of Da Fu. If he were to perish, even if Da Fu's strength remained intact, the people's morale would crumble.
For the citizens of Tai Cang, however, Ji Xia's breakthrough also brought tangible benefits. To celebrate, the royal court distributed precious meat to every household.
In the eyes of Tai Cang's people, meat was an almost unattainable luxury and represented the most generous reward they could imagine. The distributed meat was simmered in stone pots in every household, bringing warmth to the cold, dark sunless days.
Although lacking seasoning, the taste of the meat was secondary. Many felt immense gratitude and joy as they consumed it, while elders, some with tears in their eyes, reflected on how their ancestors had toiled their entire lives without tasting such tender meat.
Those fortunate enough to have eaten wild or beast meat in the past now realized that the dried, hay-like substance they once consumed barely deserved to be called meat.
While the people of Tai Cang celebrated, Ji Xia had no time to bask in their gratitude.
In the royal palace, he gazed at a massive crow standing before him, a perplexed expression on his face.
"Are you saying that the sovereign of the Southern Forbidden Forest wishes to meet me?"
The crow was unremarkable save for its deep blue eyes and an elephant-sized body. Standing with its wings folded, it replied, "Your Majesty of Tai Cang, yesterday, my lord sensed a magnificent power emanating from your palace. After investigating, we discovered this morning that it was the wave of spiritual energy caused by your breakthrough into the divine powers realm.
"My lord is typically uninterested in such matters. After all, the mere divine powers realm is beneath his notice. However, your breakthrough seems extraordinary, far surpassing others at the same level. Thus, my lord has instructed me to deliver a message: he will personally visit the royal palace at midday to meet with you."
The crow concluded its message and waved a wing, producing a green feather about three meters long in front of Ji Xia.
"To demonstrate goodwill, my lord has sent this feather as a gift. It is one of his tail feathers, incredibly sharp—capable of slicing even powerful divine artifacts in two. Additionally, it contains an innate divine martial art that is exceptionally potent and ideal for forging a sword."
Ji Xia nodded lightly.
This crow, capable of speech, was likely a divine-power-level beast. Considering that it referred to another being as its sovereign, the master of the Southern Forbidden Forest was probably at least of Spirit Taming cultivation.
The Southern Forbidden Forest had existed long before Tai Cang's founding. A mysterious woodland teeming with beasts that rarely ventured out, it was known as a place of no return for those who dared to enter. Consequently, no one truly knew what lay within.
"Regardless, it is only proper to meet such a courteous sovereign," Ji Xia thought. "Offending such a powerful being over a trivial matter would be unwise."
He resolved to respond respectfully. Picking up a blank jade slip, he carefully inscribed several characters before stamping it with his seal.
Jing Ye, a loyal servant, received the slip with both hands, descended from the dais, and presented it to the crow.
Ji Xia said, "Since the sovereign of the Southern Forbidden Forest has announced his arrival, Tai Cang must reciprocate with proper courtesy. Please deliver this invitation to your lord, expressing Tai Cang's sincere request for his esteemed presence at our court."
The crow waved a wing over the jade slip, which disappeared into thin air.
With a bow, it said, "I will promptly deliver this invitation to my lord. Farewell, Your Majesty."
Ji Xia smiled. "Safe travels."
The crow spread its wings, nodded its head, and stepped back a few paces before turning to leave the palace.
Once outside, its body expanded to an enormous size, growing to over 15 meters in height with wings spanning more than 30 meters.
A surge of spiritual energy enveloped it, and it transformed into a beam of light, soaring into the sky.
Ji Xia was stunned. He had refrained from using his Great Sun Spirit Eyes to avoid appearing disrespectful, and the crow's deference had led him to assume it was merely at the first or second stage of the divine powers realm.
However, the strength it displayed surpassed that of Zhang Yi, Shi Yu, and even the shrine guardians inscribed with five spirit marks.
"The sovereign of the Southern Forbidden Forest must be an extraordinary creature. It's remarkable that it has coexisted so peacefully with Tai Cang. If it had been more aggressive, it could have devoured our ancestors when we migrated here two centuries ago."
Curious about the sovereign's identity, Ji Xia resolved to meet him. He was not concerned about any malicious intent; such a powerful being, commanding legions of beasts, could have already destroyed Tai Cang if it wished.
The crow sped toward the Southern Forbidden Forest, landing soon on a massive tree.
This colossal tree bore numerous large white cocoons, each roughly the size of a person, with faint movements visible within.
On one of its broad branches stood a magnificent bird.
This avian creature was extraordinary, covered in vibrant indigo-purple feathers, with a long, elegant tail. Most strikingly, it had seven heads, each crowned with a differently colored feather: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
The crow alighted on a lower branch, bowed respectfully, and released the jade slip, which floated before the seven-headed bird.
After reading the slip, the green-headed bird remarked, "This human king is quite polite. Despite our announcement, he went out of his way to send an invitation and plans to host a banquet in our honor."
The red-headed bird was less impressed. Addressing the violet head, it said, "Elder Brother, placing our hopes on this newly ascended human king seems reckless."
The violet head remained silent, but the blue head sternly replied, "What other choice do we have? We've spent six centuries here, collecting countless forbidden techniques, yet we've made no progress. If we don't try something new, we will remain stagnant, forever without hope."
The other heads, save for the violet one, nodded in agreement.
Finally, the violet head spoke. "I have a feeling this young human will bring us an extraordinary surprise."
Hearing this, a spark of excitement flickered in the eyes of the other six heads.