Word Count: 2,852 Words
******
Like the Demon Phoenix Bell, Heaven Phoenix Light Chasing ranked among the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe's most formidable beast techniques. Though classified as an agility-type Dou Technique, it possessed devastating offensive power. The user's entire body would be enveloped in terrifying black phoenix flames as they hurtled toward their opponent like a meteor.
Magical beasts naturally possessed powerful physiques comparable to weapons of the same rank, and most human cultivators would struggle to even block such an attack.
Yet facing Huang Bao Er's Heaven Phoenix Light Chasing technique, Feng Qing Er stood remarkably still, showing no intention to dodge.
In the past, she would have deployed her Demon Phoenix Bell as a shield or, more likely, would never have dared to challenge Huang Bao Er at all.
With superior bloodline strength and higher cultivation, Huang Bao Er had always been the absolute powerhouse. For someone with a weaker bloodline like Feng Qing Er, the very thought of challenging her would have been inconceivable.
In the world of magical beasts, bloodline was absolute.
But now, everything had changed. Feng Qing Er's worldview had shattered completely.
She was already broken.
In that crucial instant, her Wind-Lightning Physique awakened fully. Wind blades and lightning arcs crackled around her body with a metallic resonance, commanding the terrifying energy of the world.
Advancing to 9-star Dou Ancestor and strengthening her bloodline were merely byproducts of Xiao Yan's casual intervention. His true purpose in using the Heavenly Flames had been to awaken her Wind-Lightning Physique to its absolute fullest potential.
To grant her mastery over wind and lightning!
BANG!
A tremendous crash reverberated as Huang Bao Er slammed into Feng Qing Er. Blood sprayed through the air, but shockingly, it was not Feng Qing Er who was sent flying, nor was it her blood that splattered. It was Huang Bao Er's!
With her Wind-Lightning Physique fully awakened, Feng Qing Er stood like a goddess of wind and thunder. The explosive power radiating from her body surpassed anything the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe members could have imagined. Even the three elders watching from above gaped in astonishment!
Though Huang Bao Er's speed was formidable, colliding with Feng Qing Er's Wind-Lightning Physique was like smashing into a raging tempest or a pool of lightning. Wind blades sliced apart the flames cloaking her body while thunderbolts blasted her backward, forcing blood to gush from her mouth.
Hurled away by the lightning, Huang Bao Er could only stare in shock. That terrifying elemental force had erupted in the blink of an eye, leaving her no time to dodge!
A clap of thunder rang out as Feng Qing Er appeared before her, a strange smile playing on her lips.
SLAP!
Feng Qing Er raised her hand and delivered a resounding slap. Though Huang Bao Er hastily erected a Dou Qi shield, it proved utterly inadequate.
The crisp, clear sound of shattering bone rang out. Huang Bao Er was sent flying and crashed violently into a massive tree. Purple-red blood gushed from her mouth along with two dislodged teeth.
The sound of breaking bones sent chills down every observer's spine. That clear, brittle snap made them feel as though their own skeletons had shattered.
Feng Qing Er's slap had been anything but gentle!
"What Dou Technique is she using?"
"She's not using any technique at all. That's her Wind-Lightning Physique. She's relying on pure physical power!" A talented member of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe noted, his eyes narrowed and fixed intently on the wind and lightning dancing across Feng Qing Er's body.
Crack! Crack!
A series of bone-setting sounds crackled as black flames surged from Huang Bao Er's body. She pushed herself upright, bones snapping back into place while purple-red blood soaked through her clothes.
Under the influence of those black flames, her shattered bones knitted together at an astonishing rate, her wounds healing with impossible speed.
Legend held that the ancestor of the Heaven Phoenix—the Rank 10 magical beast, Phoenix—possessed the power of rebirth through fire and immortal regeneration. Though the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe inherited only a fraction of that might, Huang Bao Er's high-grade bloodline still granted her extraordinary recovery capabilities.
"High-grade bloodline truly is something else…" The watching tribe members' faces dimmed with resignation. Their own bloodlines were vastly inferior.
Though they too possessed rapid healing, nothing could compare to this speed!
"You wretch, you've truly enraged me!" Huang Bao Er roared.
Her bloodline strength fully activated in an instant. Boundless Dou Qi surged from within her, materializing behind her as the massive silhouette of a pitch-black phoenix. This phoenix was entirely jet-black, radiating a demonic aura as an otherworldly pressure descended from above!
The surrounding energy grew chaotic under this might. Beyond the grassland, shocked cries rang out. Some tribe members with bloodlines below intermediate grade fell to their knees, overwhelmed by the primal fear emanating from their very blood.
One of the elders smiled, poorly concealed pride flickering in his expression as he glanced at Feng Qing Er. "To force Bao Er to deploy her bloodline strength... Qing Er must have worked diligently these past two years and encountered excellent opportunities."
His words sounded like praise, but he clearly did not rate Feng Qing Er's Wind-Lightning Physique highly.
His view was understandable. Powerful bloodline strength was itself a special constitution, much like the Dou God Bloodlines of the Yan, Yao, or Lei Clans, whose members advanced at breakneck speed and possessed naturally formidable strength.
Their cultivation speed rivaled even that of Qing Lin or the Little Fairy Doctor.
"Hard to say. I sense something different about Qing Er, though I can't quite place it," Elder Feng Lan said uncertainly.
"You little wretch, die! Saintly Demon Phoenix Bell!" Huang Bao Er's jade hands blurred through a series of dazzling seals before a sharp shout burst from her lips.
As her voice fell, the massive black phoenix behind her seemed to come alive. It threw back its head, releasing a piercing cry as inky radiance blazed forth.
Huang Bao Er spat out a mouthful of essence blood. The churning darkness absorbed it, writhing and condensing within moments into a colossal black bell hundreds of meters tall!
The bell's surface was jet-black, adorned with the intricate carving of a soaring black phoenix. Sinister black flames writhed continuously across it. Though composed of pure energy, the bell appeared more substantial than any physical object—its shifting dark light indistinguishable from true substance.
This Demon Phoenix Bell was even more tangible and terrifying than Feng Qing Er's earlier manifestation. Such was the might of bloodline strength!
"Huang Bao Er is going all out! She even used essence blood to manifest a major level Demon Phoenix Bell!"
"It's as powerful as the ones the elders create!"
"Feng Qing Er is doomed now."
Feng Qing Er's expression grew grave as the massive bell hurtled toward her. Xiao Yan's face flashed through her mind, sending a chill through her entire body.
She couldn't lose!
Her hands flashed through seals as her red lips parted slightly. In her heart, she shouted: 'Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body!'
A burst of blinding lightning erupted from her body. An instant later, a figure identical to Feng Qing Er materialized before her.
"Two Feng Qing Ers?!"
"Look closer, fool! It's a clone... but its strength matches the original exactly."
Seven-colored phoenix wings sprouted from Feng Qing Er's back while her lightning clone crackled with electricity. Thunder generated beneath its feet as it charged straight toward the Demon Phoenix Bell.
BOOM!
The lightning body struck like a thunderbolt piercing the bell. At the moment of impact, 'Feng Qing Er' exploded, unleashing a boundless sea of lightning that engulfed the Demon Phoenix Bell entirely.
Even though the bell's black flames seemed endless and powerful enough to incinerate the earth, the fully awakened Wind-Lightning Physique had dramatically amplified the Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body's power.
"Hahaha! How foolish, Feng Qing Er! As if your trash technique could break my Demon Phoenix Bell!" Though Huang Bao Er's face had paled from blood loss, her voice rang out loud and clear, utterly dismissive of the Wind Lightning Pavilion's technique.
As these words left her mouth, a smile touched Feng Qing Er's lips. Her eyes slowly drifted shut.
The instant her eyes closed, the atmosphere grew taut. A bone-chilling killing intent swept through the air.
Swish!
Her eyes snapped open. Her pupils had transformed into an eerie cyan-silver color.
That sharp, cold killing intent reached its absolute peak!
As her pupils changed color, a storm of deep green Dou Qi erupted with her at its center. Within the massive tempest, silver lightning flashed while thunder boomed, shaking everyone to their core.
The Dou Qi storm stretched nearly ten meters tall, and the energy pressure radiating from it left countless onlookers slack-jawed. To think Feng Qing Er could conjure such a spectacle purely with her internal Dou Qi. Her reserves were truly vast.
"Wind-Lightning Dou Qi?"
"There seems to be some bloodline strength mixed in as well," another elder murmured.
All eyes watched as Feng Qing Er extended a slender finger, wisps of green wind condensing around its tip.
"Wind Killing Finger? Isn't that just an Intermediate Di Class Dou Technique from the Wind Lightning Pavilion?"
"Is she planning to use such a weak technique against the Demon Phoenix Bell? Is she seeking death?!"
"Wind-Lightning Killing Finger."
A magnificent cyan-silver pillar of light rapidly formed at her fingertip, then compressed into a finger-thick beam. With a sharp whistle, it shot forward—aimed precisely at the crack left by the lightning clone's explosion!
The beam moved with terrifying speed, seeming to pierce through space itself. In a flash, under countless gazes, it struck the Demon Phoenix Bell. The next instant, that mountain-like, seemingly indestructible bell shattered completely!
Pfft!
The beam shot clean through Huang Bao Er, piercing her body and leaving a chilling sensation in her core.
In the shadow of a great tree, Xiao Yan smiled faintly and murmured, "Not stupid enough to get herself killed. She finally realized her Wind-Lightning Physique is far stronger than her little bit of bloodline strength."
Feng Qing Er had always focused on cultivating her bloodline, which was clearly misguided. Her Wind-Lightning Physique was far superior, and the Wind Lightning Pavilion's techniques suited her perfectly.
Xiao Yan slowly withdrew his hand into his Soul Robe. Had Feng Qing Er been on the verge of defeat, he would have simply triggered the merged Heavenly Flames hidden within her body, instantly creating a two-colored fire lotus to blast Huang Bao Er.
Whether Feng Qing Er got caught in the explosion was not his concern.
Victory brought no joy to Feng Qing Er's face. She had just felt a chill run through her, and she knew Xiao Yan had been watching from the shadows all along.
She did not know what methods he would have used to ensure her victory, but she was certain it would not have been anything good.
As for the aftermath, Xiao Yan no longer cared. With those old fogeys present, Huang Bao Er would not die. And having defeated her, Feng Qing Er's already considerable status within the tribe would rise even higher. Her entry into the Heaven Phoenix Blood Pool was assured.
…
Half a day later, the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe's selection concluded. Besides five Dou Venerate-level tribe members, the remaining four were all Half-Venerates. Only Feng Qing Er remained at the early 9-star Dou Ancestor stage.
Yet no one dared underestimate her now. Huang Bao Er served as the perfect warning.
The three elders surveyed the ten victors, their gazes lingering on Feng Qing Er for a long moment before Elder Feng Lan waved her hand, opening ten Wormholes.
"Each of you, select a Wormhole and enter. Remember, you have only half a year to cultivate in the blood pool. After that time, you must emerge. Go."
Feng Qing Er did not choose immediately, fearing Xiao Yan might want her to select a specific one.
Without her master's orders, she dared not act independently.
Strangely, no voice came. After waiting briefly, she randomly selected one.
Huang Pei, who had delayed his choice, smiled meaningfully as he watched which Wormhole Feng Qing Er entered. The wicked gleam in his eyes deepened further.
White light flashed. Feng Qing Er slowly opened her eyes to find a small pool, barely a meter in radius, before her. The blood pool was surrounded by a barrier that blocked all view of the outside.
Rather than calling it a blood pool, it was more like blood fire. The blood within burned with wisps of crimson flame, its surface mirror-smooth and clearly reflecting Feng Qing Er's face.
Gazing at this Heaven Phoenix Blood Pool that every tribe member dreamed of, Feng Qing Er felt only bleakness. This did not truly belong to her.
For an instant, the thought of keeping it all for herself flashed through her mind. But a wave of bone-deep dread immediately crushed the notion.
Taking out a jade token, she formed a seal, preparing to open a gap—
"Well done."
Her body trembled violently. She whipped around, her face draining of color.
Xiao Yan had somehow appeared behind her! How had he entered? How had he breached the barrier so silently?!!
Her legs gave out at the sight of him. She dropped to her knees, lowering her head in submission. "T-thank you for your praise, Master. This is what Qing Er should do."
Xiao Yan grunted in acknowledgment and walked to the blood pool's edge. With a wave, his terrifying Spiritual Strength enveloped the entire barrier, preventing any outside observation.
Then, his powerful spiritual perception swept over the blood pool, instantly revealing its nature. Like the blood pool in the Heaven Eye Mountain Range, these burning blood waters were condensed natural energy. The difference was that Ancient Heaven Phoenix essence blood had been mixed in, creating this appearance.
Essentially, it was essence blood diluted with natural energy.
"So little Heaven Phoenix essence blood."
As Xiao Yan expected, the essence blood was laughably scarce. Even for a Half-Venerate, the chances of breaking through using this pool would be twenty percent at best.
"Reporting to Master, Heaven Phoenix Mountain beneath the blood pool has not been irrigated with Heaven Phoenix essence blood for a thousand years. That's why it's so scarce," Feng Qing Er replied, still prostrate.
"Rise. You did well this time," Xiao Yan said after a glance.
"Yes, Master." Feng Qing Er humbly straightened. She was terrified that Xiao Yan, dissatisfied with the lack of essence blood, would draw on her own. After all, she too possessed a weak Heaven Phoenix bloodline.
Xiao Yan knew exactly what she was thinking. Unfortunately, her bloodline was far too weak and mixed—part Heaven Phoenix, part Heaven Demon Phoenix, and a jumble of others.
But how could Xiao Yan ever settle for this!
This was Xiao Yan!
The inheritance thief!!
He could have easily used his Pill Gathering champion status or his Hall of Souls Tianzun title to negotiate access to the blood pool.
But he had not, because he intended to empty this blood pool's entire foundation!
A hidden identity made everything easier!
Meow! ~o(=∩ω∩=)m
Mao Wu leaped from the void with a flourish, making a dazzling entrance!
Xiao Yan and Zi Yan truly were birds of a feather; it was no wonder they worked so well together!
"Go, Mao Wu—I choose you!"
Meow!
After offering what looked like a salute, Mao Wu performed a graceful cat-dive from Xiao Yan's shoulder straight into the blood pool with barely a splash.
Feng Qing Er stood frozen at the black cat's appearance, completely bewildered by Xiao Yan's intentions.
She had not yet grasped the severity of the situation. She had led a big, bad wolf right to the flock!
Soon, a series of faint rumbles shook the area. The small Heaven Phoenix Blood Pool began bubbling like an awakening volcano. With a sudden eruption, blood fire spouted upward like a fountain, but this fire was far denser than before!
"What's happening?!" Feng Qing Er exclaimed in shock. How could such concentrated blood fire suddenly appear?!
This was dozens, perhaps a hundred times more potent!
The entire pool seemed to explode. The once-shallow basin instantly overflowed as endless blood fire gushed forth. Feng Qing Er had no idea that stores of ancient Heaven Phoenix essence blood remained hidden deep below.
Though the amount was small, it was more than sufficient!
SPLASH!
Blood fire rained down like a crimson deluge, drenching both Xiao Yan and the bewildered Feng Qing Er.
Xiao Yan spread his arms, closed his eyes, and savored the searing blood fire. He exhaled deeply in satisfaction. "Excellent, truly excellent. Hahaha, perfectly suited for me!"
A wave of profound comfort suffused his entire body. This blood fire not only tempered physiques but, being fire-attributed, matched him perfectly.
He dismissed his Soul Robe, revealing his muscular frame. With a low hum, bone wings unfurled from his back. Bathed in blood fire, the wings pulsed with shifting radiance as they greedily absorbed the flames, seeming to come alive!