The daily life of the crew of "Beasts".

Chapter 200 (Extra Chapter - End of Ancient Era, The Death of Dijiang)

"My name is Jin Shi, and I am the three-legged golden crow! I govern the growth of all things and shine upon all living beings!"

"That day, I fought that pink-haired monster for 300 rounds! In the end, I was narrowly defeated by her... So, I was captured and brought here, and I've been here ever since..."

Jin Shi sighed deeply, looking up at the sky and talking to himself sorrowfully at the top of the rock, as if conversing with someone. Outside, it was already late at night, the sky ablaze with stars, the Milky Way seemingly reversed, a breathtaking sight. Jin Wu gazed at the world outside, his eyes suddenly sharpening.

"But I will not give up!"

He looked around; the red-haired monster, the pink-haired monster, and the three little ones were all asleep. With no one watching them, it was the perfect opportunity to escape!

He tugged at the vine binding the bird's claws, tightening them. The next second, the bird's beak pecked fiercely, its sharp tip snapping the claws in less than three strokes.

"Hmph, you think you can trap me with such a trivial trick?"

Jin Shi proudly spread his wings and leisurely flew out of the cave, but behind him, a pink claw quietly appeared.

"Gah!"

A sharp, agonizing scream, as if someone had been choked, echoed from the dark cave.

The first attempt to escape ended in failure.

……

During his second escape, he was released out of the cave to get some fresh air, and taking advantage of the fact that the mythical beasts were not paying attention, he suddenly flapped his wings and flew high into the sky!

"Hahaha! I'm self-sufficient, ga!"

Before he could finish speaking, Chaos grabbed his foot, and in his haste, he unconsciously exerted force, causing the bone to crack under the strain.

……

For his third escape attempt, he planned to sneak away when the capital city was about to leave. He watched as the five bastards emerged from the cave. A smile involuntarily spread across his face as the sunlight streamed in.

"Boom!"

A huge rock blocked the entrance to the cave, the sunlight on his face disappeared, and his smile froze instantly.

"You bunch of bastards!!"

……

Finally, after one failure after another, he left the dark cave and, as he wished, soared once again into the vast sky.

"Ah~ I'm free~"

Facing the gentle breeze, Jin Shi spread his wings and soared, savoring the fresh air and the warm sunshine from his brothers and sisters. This long-lost feeling brought tears to his eyes.

Brothers... Sisters... I will never slack off again!

"What are you thinking about? Let's go!"

Jin Shi felt a tugging sensation on his feet. He looked down and saw a familiar vine tied to the bird's claw, the end of which was being held by Tianlu below.

His illusions shattered, and his face fell instantly. But he still had no choice but to flap his wings and catch up with the family of mythical beasts who had come out for a stroll.

The sun shines brightly in the sky, while he is like a kite, bound to the low sky.

"Alas~ How carefree I was when my brothers and sisters and I soared through the sky!" Jin Shi sighed again, looking up at the sky with sorrowful eyes.

"It's a pity that now, alas~ I imagine my brothers and sisters must be heartbroken to find out I'm missing." He gazed longingly at the sky.

Nine golden crows shone brightly, emitting high-pitched cries as they flew! But in the next instant, an arrow suddenly pierced the throat of one of them, and the golden crow lost its strength with a "ga" and fell from the sky!

"Third Brother!!!" Jin Shi cried out in shock and grief.

Then a series of arrows shot straight into the sky, piercing the vital points of the remaining Golden Crows. Jin Shi stared wide-eyed as his brothers and sisters fell one after another.

"Sixth Sister! Fifth Brother! Seventh Brother!! Ughhhhh!"

……

In ancient times, nine out of ten suns fell, and one disappeared. Without the sun's rays, the sky became dark and gloomy, and the temperature of the earth plummeted. Yesterday was summer, but now snow is falling everywhere.

In just a few days, the ground was frozen solid for thousands of miles, and the vegetation was almost completely dead. Looking out from Claw Claw Cave, all one could see was desolation.

Jin Shi stood on the boulder and watched all this. After a moment, he turned back and looked seriously at Chaos, Dijiang, and the three brothers. "You should let me go. My brothers and sisters are all dead. Without the sun's rays, all living things will soon perish."

"No way!" Tianlu was the first to object, throwing himself at Jin Shi and grabbing him tightly. "What will happen to Big Red if you leave?!"

"Yes, don't leave!" Bai Jie pounced on him, followed closely by Bi Xie and Hun Dun. In the blink of an eye, Jin Shi was pinned to the ground.

"Ugh! Without the sun, everyone will die! Can't you tell which is more important?!"

The sound reached Dijiang's ears, and she turned her head in a daze. In the dark world, only the myriad living things could display their vibrant colors.

But now… those colors are fading one by one. That vibrant world… is irresistibly sinking into darkness…

That night... or perhaps it was nighttime.

The mythical beasts all fell into a deep sleep, and Jin Shi closed his eyes to rest, the faint starlight illuminating the cave.

Suddenly, he felt his feet loosen. Opening his eyes, he saw that Dijiang had appeared beside him and untied the vines. Her face, devoid of features, was facing him, her fur flying in the wind and snow.

"Are you really sure? If I leave, I won't be coming back." Jin Shi's feelings were complicated.

"Buzz." Dijiang nodded seriously, waved his small oval hand, and said goodbye to the companion who had been forcibly pulled in.

Seeing this, Jin Shi gave her a deep look, then resolutely turned and flew into the sky! Di Jiang couldn't help but look up as well. The wind and snow were howling, and her figure grew smaller and smaller as Jin Shi ascended into the sky, until it turned into a red dot and disappeared.

"Oh no! The golden bird has escaped!!"

A faint cry of surprise came from behind, but Jin Shi did not turn around. He continued to flap his wings and fly towards a higher sky.

As he climbed higher, the wind and snow intensified, feeling like steel knives slicing across his body. He gritted his teeth and desperately flapped his wings, finally reaching the deep sky that usually illuminated the earth.

"Hoo ho ho ho ho!"

In the endless cold wind, a few creatures that had barely survived suddenly raised their heads.

The sky seemed to have brightened a little. Although it was still swallowed by endless darkness, and the light was woefully inadequate, it was indeed... a little brighter.

"Still not enough?" Jin Shi stretched out his wings with all his might, his whole body radiating a vast golden light, but it could only illuminate a small area. "Even if I shine with all my might, it will take a long time for the world to return to normal, and most of the living beings will still die..."

He looked down, a hint of guilt flashing in his eyes.

……

Several days passed on the ground, and the family of divine beasts, now without the Golden Crow, were starving and freezing. They had no choice but to huddle together for warmth.

Tianlu raised a paw and placed it on Dijiang, feeling the other's body temperature. His voice trembled slightly as he asked, "Big Red Guy... are you cold?"

The snowy landscape vanished... In the pitch-black world, a warm smile appeared on Dijiang's face, radiating a soft light.

It's not cold at all. As long as I'm with you all, every day is warm.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, and a fierce whirlwind swept it up... engulfing Dijiang...

A touch of gray... spread across the crimson fur.

……

I don't know how much time passed, but the wind and snow gradually stopped... As dawn broke, a sliver of white appeared on the horizon.

Inside the Claw Claw Cave, a beam of sunlight shone on Tianlu's closed eyes. His eyelids fluttered slightly, and he groggily opened them.

"Hmm... Is it dawn yet? It's... dawn?!"

His groggy mind suddenly cleared, and Tianlu, startled, looked at the bright light outside. Without thinking of anything else, he rushed out!

The ground was still covered with a layer of silver, but the seemingly endless snowstorm had stopped, and the gray sky was now illuminated by sunlight.

Tianlu watched all this, jumping and shouting with excitement, "The snow has stopped! It's dawn!! Big Red Guy..." He grinned and turned around, but his smile froze...

"Red...Big Guy?"

The crimson Emperor Jiang was gone, leaving only a greyish-white body. The three beasts that hadn't left the cave stood dumbfounded around it, while Bai Jie raised a paw and gently pressed...

There was no warmth, no softness... only coldness... and hardness...

"Awoo...?" Not smelling the familiar scent for a long time, Chaos felt uneasy and subconsciously began to search around.

No, no, still no...

"Big Pink, what's wrong?" Pixie noticed his companion's unusual behavior and asked anxiously.

Chaos could not hear, nor did it care.

She was still frantically searching for any trace of her friend, but even the last vestige of their scent had been blown away by the previous snowstorm...

"boom!"

With a loud crash, in her frustration, she slammed her hand down on a nearby boulder, shattering it! The flying debris startled the three Pixiu that had gathered around, their faces filled with worry.

The familiar taste...it still hasn't appeared...

"Awooo—!" A heart-wrenching scream pierced the sky!

"Hey big guy, where are you going?!"

Chaos rushed out of the cave in a frenzy. Tianlu rushed to stop her, but she flung him away!

"Ugh!!"

Sharp claws accidentally grazed their companion's body, blood and chaotic tears splattering into the air at the same time...

"Tianlu!!"

Bai Jie and Bi Xie rushed forward in alarm to catch Tian Lu as he fell.

Chaos didn't look back... She left it all behind! She ran wildly! Towards the sun!

……

Let's be friends.

The red berries drew near. They smelled wonderful, so sweet. I couldn't help but press myself against them…

How warm it is...

……

"Om..."

The red berry was hungry; it turned sour...

I caught a big bird for her. She ate her fill, and it was sweet.

……

I wish you could see this.

Red Fruit seemed very happy, but why? Suddenly, Red Fruit grabbed her. Had she flown away?

It's so bright, what is this?

I'm so happy. Is this what laughter is?

……

The pink wings stretched to their limit. Chaos, with tears in its eyes, flapped its wings with all its might. For the first time, it flew alone into the sky...

If we can catch the big bird... she can come back... she can come back!

The surrounding air grew increasingly hot, but she ignored it and charged headlong into the sun, wanting to pull it back to the ground.

As they drew closer, the intense heat reached a critical point, and a burst of golden flame erupted!

"Ouch——!"

A terrifying burning pain swept over his entire body. Chaos stretched out its claws in resentment, but was ultimately burned and severely injured, falling helplessly from the sky.

"Big Pink Guy!!"

On the ground... Tianlu ran, crying and staggering. Blood was still flowing from his body.

"Tianlu! Tianlu, stop chasing!"

The voice of the demon-slaying beast sounded behind him, tinged with sobs. Tianlu stopped and turned around blankly. His two brothers ran up, tears glistening in their eyes. Baijie silently walked over and began to lick his wounds... as he licked... tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

Tears fell onto his wound, stinging slightly... but Tianlu couldn't care less. He choked back tears as he asked Bixie, "What about that big pink one?"

"Tianlu, you've lost so much blood, so much... Let's... go home." Bixie's voice trembled... but he still managed to finish saying those words.

Bai Jie could no longer hold back and hugged Tian Lu, bursting into tears. Tian Lu tried not to cry and wanted to comfort his younger brother, but he just couldn't stop himself.

Bixie wiped his face and went forward to hug his two brothers tightly.

"It's okay...it's okay...everything will be fine after a good night's sleep. Big Red will wake up, and Big Pink will come back..."