Chapter 27: We're Very Easy to Talk To — Don't Believe Me? Try It.
Chapter 27: We're Very Easy to Talk To — Don't Believe Me? Try It.
For breakfast, he brought out hard-boiled eggs and pure whole milk. Let's see how you handle that.
When Su Ning carried the breakfast out to the field, he found the three fallen creatures sprawled against the edge of the barrier, utterly listless.
Their condition was at rock bottom.
They were wounded, and after going without food for so long, they were barely holding on.
They barely had the strength to stand.
They had come to realize they could no longer roam the world as they once had, and the dreams they had once harbored — of trampling the Immortal Realm underfoot and suppressing its greatest powers — had crumbled to dust.
In this world, they found themselves far weaker than they had ever imagined.
They could only dwell in the outermost reaches of the World Tree, with no right to enter the inner ring.
Last night, they had been attacked by some unknown "terrifying creature" (which was, in fact, just a small lizard), and all three had nearly perished. Fortunately, the Nine Great Saints had stepped in and driven off that fearsome Chaos Creature — otherwise, they would already be wandering ghosts of the Immortal Realm.
In that moment, they finally understood… the Immortal Realm was terrifying.
There were countless beings here more powerful than any ascender.
In this world, they were no better than ants.
A single Chaos Creature of that terrifying caliber had already left them gasping for breath — so what hope did they have against that sky-tall giant of the Immortal Realm?
Come to think of it… just yesterday, they had actually been foolish enough to challenge that giant, even boasting about slaying immortals.
The Black Kylin, the Black Dragon, and the Black Phoenix — all three fallen creatures — suddenly felt like complete clowns.
No wonder Su Ning had been so blunt with them.
He hadn't been rude. He hadn't been slandering them or deliberately insulting them. He had simply been stating facts.
The three fallen creatures had just been far too sensitive.
They had taken it as a wound to their pride.
After a night of hard knocks, they were increasingly coming to terms with the truth: in this world, without the giant's protection, there was simply no way to survive.
Even if the Chaos Creatures didn't hunt them down, they would starve to death.
The Immortal Realm… was just too brutal a place to live.
No wonder the Nine Great Saints had chosen to depend on the giant.
If they stubbornly insisted on going their own way, would the scattered bones of ascenders all around them be their fate too — the fate of every ascender from Qiankun Realm?
The three fallen creatures… were, in truth, already afraid.
They were tough, yes.
But being tough… had to make sense. It had to be smart toughness.
Being tough without a brain was just stupidity — and might even land you in a cage.
Su Ning came over carrying breakfast.
He had no idea, of course, about the psychological shift the three fallen creatures had undergone.
He simply assumed the three demonic beasts were still holding out stubbornly, not yet having come around.
Without so much as a glance at the three fallen creatures, he walked straight toward the Nine Great Saints.
"Everyone, breakfast is ready," Su Ning called out.
Those three fallen creatures… surely wouldn't cave so easily, right?
They were fallen creatures, after all…
Famous for their stubbornness!
There was no way they'd had a change of heart overnight…
That would be completely out of character for fallen creatures.
That was what Su Ning thought.
Little did he know that the three fallen creatures had already surrendered in their hearts and were now trying to figure out what excuse to use to submit to him.
"Thank you, Immortal Senior."
"Fellow Daoists, it's time to eat."
"I haven't eaten all night — I'm genuinely a bit hungry."
"Come, come, everyone dig in."
The Nine Great Saints emerged from their Cultivation Caves in a cheerful group, chatting and laughing.
The whole walk over was filled with lively chatter.
Easy conversation.
A lively atmosphere.
"Today's breakfast is eggs," Su Ning said, deliberately raising his voice. "The chicken was given to me by someone as a token of gratitude. I'm told he raised this laying hen for two and a half years before gifting her to me. The eggs are extraordinarily nutritious — quite different from ordinary ones. Everyone, make sure to savor them."
He was saying it on purpose, for the fallen creatures to hear.
"Now that sounds like something special," Li Qingxuan said with a smile.
"Actually, I'm quite curious — the Chaos Creatures in this world are all so enormous and powerful. How would this chicken's combat strength compare to the Chaos Devil Spider that hunted us?"
"The chicken's combat strength is about a hundred times that spider's?" Su Ning thought it over.
"Probably more than that… a hundred spiders couldn't kill a single chicken."
At that.
The little people were even more astounded.
A chicken that a hundred Chaos Devil Spiders couldn't kill? That one Chaos Devil Spider had already left a massive psychological scar on them — in their minds, it was already terrifyingly powerful. And a Chaos Chicken even more powerful than the Chaos Devil Spider… was beyond imagination.
A Chaos Creature of such power, kept as a domestic bird by the giants of the Immortal Realm?
Laying eggs for immortals to eat?
That was absolutely outrageous…
The Immortal Realm truly was something else!
The little people's wide, bright eyes shone with even deeper awe and reverence for Su Ning.
To possess such power in the Immortal Realm — he had to be a dominant figure, perhaps even… a supreme ruler!
And the reason Su Ning chose to live in peaceful seclusion among nature… was simply a reflection of his tranquil character.
They certainly didn't think that someone who lived in peaceful seclusion couldn't be a great figure.
That was simply the lifestyle a powerful person had chosen.
The lifestyle he preferred.
And the reason Su Ning could choose such a lifestyle was precisely because he was powerful enough!
Only someone sufficiently powerful could afford to live however they pleased…
That was how the little people saw it.
The three fallen creatures, who had been secretly watching from the side all along, held much the same impression of Su Ning as the Nine Great Saints did.
This towering immortal was undoubtedly a dominant figure…
A ruler who dominated his domain!
Su Ning, of course, had no idea about the reverent thoughts swirling through the little people's minds.
He was just an ordinary person.
Though, going by what the little people said, it wasn't entirely wrong either.
Su Ning did indeed dominate his domain.
Well…
He dominated his own rural home and the land surrounding it.
Perfectly reasonable.
A smooth, oval hard-boiled egg sat on the plate, gleaming white and fragrant.
It was far larger than the little people.
All nine of them together couldn't finish a single one.
"Don't let this milk go to waste either, everyone — it was produced by an even more terrifying Bull Demon creature, and it's extremely nourishing!" Su Ning said.
He explained in terms the little people could understand.
The light in the little people's eyes grew even brighter.
Under his introduction, what was an utterly ordinary breakfast in this world had been transformed into an outrageous, heaven-defying tonic.
Munch, munch…
Gulp, gulp…
The Nine Great Saints gnawed heartily at the egg whites and drank deeply of the pure white milk.
After gnawing for quite a while, they had only managed to put a small dent in a single egg.
Revealing the glistening golden yolk within.
On the other side…
The three fallen creatures' stomachs were in open revolt.
Growling and rumbling without stop.
But they couldn't bring themselves to beg Su Ning.
They could only stare with wide, pitiful eyes, drooling as they watched Su Ning and the others feast.
"It smells so good…"
"If only we could have just one bite!"
"Chickens and phoenixes share the same origin… if… if I could consume some of this immortal egg tonic, I could definitely complete my evolution!"
"I want to eat so badly…"
Such were the thoughts of the three fallen creatures.
If eyes could eat, everything on that plate would have been devoured long ago.
Su Ning watched their side with an amused smile…
The three fallen creatures' hearts trembled, and they made up their minds: "If you want us to submit… just say the word. Give us a way out… and we'll back down. We'll give in!"
"Just one word… you… just say something. Give us a little face!"
"Just a single greeting, and we'll follow you…"
The three fallen creatures had already decided: the moment Su Ning said one word, they would immediately change their tune and throw in their lot with him.
But Su Ning said nothing.
He simply watched them with a smile.
What Su Ning was thinking was: "These three fallen creatures must have real backbone — I absolutely can't say anything about submission too easily. Better to let them stew for a while. I need to take this step by step… gradually."
"Let them go hungry for another meal and see how things develop. There's no rush!"
If the three fallen creatures could have heard Su Ning's thoughts, they would have burst into tears: We really don't have that much backbone — it's all an act! Just say the word. You only need to say one word telling us to surrender and we'll surrender. We're very easy to talk to… really. Just say the word.
Don't believe us? Try it.