The legendary Peng bird has been mentioned in many ancient texts, such as the Shen Yi Jing and Shui Jing Zhu, with one of the most famous references being in Zhuangzi's Xiaoyao You.
"In the Northern Ocean, there is a fish called Kun. The Kun is so large that no one knows how many thousands of miles it spans. It transforms into a bird, called Peng. The back of the Peng is so large that no one knows how many thousands of miles it measures. When it flies in anger, its wings are like clouds hanging from the sky."
Zhuangzi uses a grand and bold writing style to describe a divine bird that can soar to 90,000 miles, leaving readers in awe. Clearly, this description defies the laws of nature, as no matter how large a divine bird may be, it could never actually have such a colossal size. This is an exaggerated depiction by ancient people. However, what is puzzling is that many other ancient texts also record the existence of the Peng bird, with some even asserting confidently that the Peng bird does exist, though not as enormous as described in legend.
This raises intriguing questions: Did such a divine bird named "Peng" truly exist in the ancient world, far beyond the realm of myth?
Zhou Yi and the others stared in shock as the golden silhouette, like it had been forged from gold, disappeared behind a mountain cliff.
"The legendary divine bird!" Many people exclaimed, their voices filled with awe. The bird was so large that it could easily tear apart a giant elephant with a single strike, and when it took off, the prey it grabbed seemed to be no more than a rat or rabbit. Its immense size and strength were astonishing.
Cade, who was always serious, stammered, "That giant bird... belongs to the Falconiformes, it's a... new species, a... great discovery."
"Get lost!" Pang Bo, irritated, could barely hold his frustration with this stubborn foreigner who was still evaluating things with a scientific mindset, without considering how they had even arrived here.
"Be a bit more polite, Pang Bo," Li Xiaoman said with a displeased expression, her long eyelashes fluttering as she shot him a quick glance.
"I wasn't talking about you..." Pang Bo mumbled under his breath.
"Where exactly are we?" After everyone calmed down, they all had to consider this question.
Having traveled through the desolate universe, arriving in this star system where the Big Dipper resides, entering such a mysterious world—could this really be the dwelling place of the gods?
How would they survive here? That was the question on everyone's mind, as the future was uncertain and they had to think carefully.
Many people were clutching the relics of the gods in their hands, but at this moment, all these sacred items had dimmed, and some had even cracked with visible fissures. It seemed that they had been completely destroyed. The last traces of divine energy had been absorbed by the ancient bronze coffin, and now, these relics no longer shone with divine radiance. Holding them in their hands felt like holding useless copper. Still, no one discarded them, hoping that the relics might one day gather divine energy again for future use. If they could be restored, they would become their greatest asset.
"Gurgle..."
A sound came from someone's stomach, breaking the silence. Many people felt awkward as they moved to find a private place to relieve themselves.
"Trying to save face while suffering..." Pang Bo scoffed, looking smug. "I left my great mark at the Temple of the Heavens on Mars. I believe that even in a few hundred years, it will still stand as one of the greatest testimonies of humanity's exploration of the stars!"
"Pfft!"
Ye Fan, who had just taken a sip of water, suddenly sprayed it out, nearly throwing his bottle in the process.
"Bro, don't say things like that while I'm drinking! You'll kill someone."
The others, unable to tolerate the exchange between the two, took the opportunity to move away, feeling awkward as they dealt with their own issues.
Seeing the reactions of others, Pang Bo laughed heartily and then pretended to cough loudly as if he were going to walk toward a certain spot, causing a group of people hiding behind a tree to tremble as they struggled to finish their business.
Pang Bo chuckled, then squatted down, picked up two stones, and threw them. Immediately, they heard Li Changqing's angry shout from the distance: "Who did that? Who's so wicked?" followed by Liu Yunzhi's cold grunt.
Seeing this, Ye Fan hurriedly stepped in to stop him as Pang Bo picked up another stone and seemed about to throw it in Li Xiaoman's direction.
After most people had dealt with their business, Pang Bo and Ye Fan began to wander around the mountaintop, hoping to find something edible.
Although Ye Fan had collected a large bag of divine crocodile meat from the Five-Color Altar on Mars, they didn't want to eat it unless absolutely necessary, as the thought of consuming something so repulsive made them both feel queasy.
"Hey, there's a spring pool over there," Pang Bo suddenly pointed out.
Ahead, about a dozen meters away, several thick vines surrounded a patch of open ground. In the center of the area was a spring pool, about a meter square, bubbling with fresh water, resembling a divine nectar spring.
Around the pool grew a dozen or so small trees about half a meter tall, with broad, lush green leaves resembling the shape of human hands. At the top of each tree hung a red fruit, similar to cherries, but each was about the size of a chicken egg.
Ye Fan and Pang Bo hurried over, their mouths watering at the rich fruity fragrance that wafted toward them from a distance. They had been without food for a day and a night, and if they didn't find something to eat soon, they were prepared to eat the divine crocodile meat.
"It smells so good! I've never encountered such a strong fragrance before."
As they got closer, the scent became even more intense. It was so fragrant that even the aroma of an ancient wine cellar would be overshadowed.
"It smells like heaven, but could it be poisonous?" they both wondered, as the more vibrant and attractive something looked, the more likely it was to be dangerous.
"Who cares? With this kind of fragrance, even if it's poisonous, I'll try it. I'm not going to eat that disgusting croc meat again," Ye Fan said with determination.
"Why don't you try first? Your constitution is strong, so if it's poisonous, you'll be able to handle it."
"I think you're the one who's tough and immune to poison. You're perfect for testing it."
Both of them laughed cheerfully. Even though they were in an unfamiliar world, they remained optimistic.
Ye Fan picked a bright red fruit from the tree. It looked so tempting, crystal clear, like a piece of red jade carved into shape.
Pang Bo also picked one of the brilliant red fruits and said, "I can't take it anymore. This fruit smells too good. I have to try it."
"Let me try first," Ye Fan said.
They both bit into their fruits at almost the same time. The moment the shiny red peel broke, they were hit with a wave of fragrant aroma that seemed to rush through their bodies.
"Delicious!" Pang Bo couldn't help but gulp down the juice, his face lighting up with pleasure. The fruit was so sweet, it was as if the taste had saturated his very being.
"I've never eaten anything this good. Am I really that hungry?" Ye Fan said after finishing his first fruit. They waited for a moment and didn't feel any discomfort.
"It's not poisonous."
"Then let's eat some more!" Pang Bo said enthusiastically.
The two sat by the spring pool, devouring the fruit greedily. They hadn't eaten in so long that they almost wanted to eat their own tongues. After consuming a few fruits, they stopped.
"We should bring some back for Yi Yi and Zhang Ziling," Ye Fan suggested.
"Of course. They must be starving by now."
The small trees around the pool were lush and green, each with only one fruit on top. There were only thirteen trees in total. After picking some fruits, only five remained.
Pang Bo took a deep breath and leaned down to sniff the spring water. "Strange, the spring water seems to have a fragrance too."
Ye Fan dipped his hand into the spring water and sniffed. It had a faint but noticeable scent. "These trees must be linked to this spring in some way," he said.
Pang Bo took a few big gulps of the water. "It has a faint sweetness. Too bad it's just a unique flavor. There's nothing else special about it." He emptied his bottles of water and began filling them with the fragrant spring water.
After resting for a while, eating fruit and drinking some spring water, they grabbed the remaining five fruits and began heading back.
As they walked back, Pang Bo whispered, "Do you feel it? After eating the fruit, my fatigue is completely gone. I feel full of energy now."
Ye Fan, who was also feeling the same, nodded. "These red fruits are really something."
At that moment, everyone else had finished their business. Some were looking around, surveying the terrain, while others were gathering to discuss their next steps.
As Ye Fan and Pang Bo approached, the irresistible fragrance of the fruits drew everyone's attention. Many people instinctively swallowed, their stomachs growling from hunger.
"Yi Yi, here you go. Eat up," Pang Bo handed two of the red fruits to Liu Yi, who was nearby. The fruits gleamed like precious gems in the sunlight.
Li Changqing, standing not far away, couldn't help but ask, "Pang Bo, where did you get those fruits? Quickly share them with everyone, we're all starving!"
As he spoke, he walked toward Pang Bo, ignoring the fact that just a short while ago, he had nearly killed Ye Fan with ill intentions. Reaching for the remaining three fruits in Pang Bo's hands without hesitation.