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--- Chapter 391 ---
Han Yuan was still in a daze. He hadn't fully processed his new gains and weights by contracting Lady Fenghuang as his third Spirit Soul when the Nine Phoenix Lords surrounded him like a group of excited children.
"Young Friend, no, I mean, Young Lord. H-Have you met the God Mother and received her inheritance?" asked the Fire Phoenix Lord, correcting his way of addressing Han Yuan midway.
"Yes, yes! Did she leave a message for us?" the Storm Phoenix Lord asked eagerly.
"How is the Godmother? Is she well? Will she return?" the White-Eyed Phoenix Lord inquired anxiously.
Han Yuan felt troubled and sighed internally because Lady Fenghuang had indeed left him with a headache.
He raised his hands and said coolly, "Seniors, please calm down."
"Let me explain everything from start to finish first."
"Then you can ask your questions."
"Is that okay?"
The Nine Phoenix Lords exchanged solemn glances and nodded, "Yes, please."
Han Yuan smiled helplessly. "The Phoenix God has truly perished. What I've encountered is merely her wisp of Divine Soul, Lady Fenghuang."
"Lady Fenghuang made an agreement with me."
"She wants me to heal and revive her, which led to her becoming a Spirit Soul for my fourth martial soul."
After saying this, Han Yuan summoned his fourth martial soul, which appeared as a mass of formless white clouds revolving above his right palm.
At first glance, the spirit seemed ordinary, but upon closer inspection, a hidden image of a divine phoenix hovered peacefully within the clouds.
The sight of the divine phoenix immediately stirred excitement among the Nine Phoenix Lords, and Han Yuan noticed their eyes shining with delight.
Finally, a lone white-gold spirit ring appeared, hovering above Han Yuan's head.
"There is no mistake..." the Ice Phoenix Lord gasped. "It carries the aura of the God Mother."
"Although unstable, this formless cloud martial soul synchronizes well with the God Mother's origins," the Chaos Phoenix Lord noted, narrowing his eyes. "Space-time affinity, huh?"
"You're right. I also sense strong affinities for space and time from it," the Dark Phoenix Lord agreed.
Meanwhile, the Jade Phoenix Lord and the Holy Phoenix Lord examined the white-gold spirit ring and remarked, "The God Mother's origins are 'actually' contained within this spirit ring."
"Calling it a spirit ring is inappropriate. That is clearly a divine ring!" the Purple Phoenix Lord exclaimed, visibly upset.
Han Yuan watched their emotional reactions and cleared his sore throat, "Ehem, since Lady Fenghuang asked for my help to revive her, she also chose me as her successor."
"This led me to obtain the Ten Cries Phoenix God's Trials."
"As I complete the trials, my fourth martial soul will evolve under the influence of the Phoenix God's True Blood."
"Ah, Lady Fenghuang also mentioned that the Phoenix Clan will be under my management for the time being."
"Then, she left me hanging to rest..." He mumbled helplessly.
"Well, the Spirit Soul transformation consumed a lot of energy."
"Let her rest," the Fire Phoenix Lord suggested. "We shouldn't cause God Mother too much commotion."
"So, Young Lord, Fire Phoenix Lord greets you!"
"Purple Phoenix Lord greets you, Young Lord!" The Purple Phoenix Lord also echoed. Despite the awkwardness, Han Yuan had convinced them with his strength.
The other Phoenix Lords followed suit.
"Storm Phoenix Lord greets you, Young Lord!"
"Holy Phoenix Lord greets you, Young Lord!"
"Dark Phoenix Lord greets you, Young Lord!"
"Ice Phoenix Lord greets you, Young Lord!"
"Jade Phoenix Lord greets you, Young Lord!"
"Chaos Phoenix Lord greets you, Young Lord!"
"White-Eyed Phoenix Lord greets you, Young Lord!"
"We swear our undying loyalty to the Phoenix God's successor!" They all declared.
Han Yuan blinked a few times in awe because he hadn't expected such unwavering determination from the Nine Phoenix Lords. Yet, this undying loyalty was actually what he was envious of not too long ago.
'Sometimes, there are things even I can't predict...' He sighed inwardly.
"Alright, seniors, please stop with the formalities."
"I also prefer if you call me Han Yuan or Young Friend, like earlier."
"Calling me Young Lord feels a bit tacky since we've only known each other for less than a day."
The Fire Phoenix Lord remained steadfast, "That won't do!"
"If the new generation of the Phoenix God is referred to so casually, wouldn't the God Mother lose face?"
"That's simply disrespectful!"
"..." Han Yuan's eyes twitched. It seemed that their rigid loyalty wasn't necessarily a positive trait either.
"Whatever. I've said my piece. It's up to you how to address me, as long as it's not offensive."
Han Yuan rubbed his forehead and then added, "Oh, yes! I will also issue my first order."
"Fire Phoenix Lord is at your service, Young Lord!" the Fire Phoenix Lord saluted promptly.
Seeing Fire Phoenix Lord's reaction reminded Han Yuan of a certain three-headed fire dragon in the Dou Qi Plane. Hadn't that old fellow become a sycophant once Beta tamed him?
"Seniors, please gather all the rare metals and resources," Han Yuan said solemnly. "Even though I have prepared materials to forge a Divine Tool, I fear it may not be enough."
"Yes, Young Lord! I will gather all the treasures from the treasury!" Fire Phoenix Lord vanished immediately.
Han Yuan glanced at the other Phoenix Lords. "Is Senior Fire Phoenix usually this enthusiastic?"
Ice Phoenix Lord shook her head gently. "Eldest Brother is usually the most stable among us. Nevertheless, considering the Young Lord is the successor of the God Mother, his reaction is understandable."
"We have been waiting for too long..."
"And the time for the Phoenix Clan to rise has finally come!"
"Is that so..." Han Yuan understood the abrupt change but still found it difficult to get used to.
"Then, seniors, please help me gather other treasures from your branches."
"The more, the better."
"Understood!" They all replied.
While the Nine Phoenix Lords were busy gathering resources, Han Yuan went to reassure his companions that he was alright.
At the same time, he also examined the gains he had obtained from Lady Fenghuang and was shocked to experience the comfort of being treated by a rich, mature woman.
Previously, Han Yuan had felt somewhat overwhelmed by the favors Beta received in the Dou Qi Plane, whether from the legacy of Misty Mountain Sage, Murong Yun, or the Phantasmal Divine Beast, Venerable Yao—each being a rich, mature lady!
Honestly, Han Yuan envied Beta's luck. Nevertheless, the jealousy didn't last long, as he found it odd to stay jealous of himself.
Yet, who would have thought he would experience the treatment of a rich, mature lady himself?
It feels good, not gonna lie.
First, Han Yuan summoned his fourth martial soul again. He hadn't given it a new name yet because it hadn't fully evolved and merely stabilized under the Phoenix God's origins.
...
[Name: Formless Clouds]
[Type: Formless Spirit (Shapeless)]
[Grade: Quasi-Divine]
[Innate Power: Shifting Star, Ultimate Space, Ultimate Time, Unknown (Locked)]
[Description: Formless Clouds is a Martial Soul with the appearance of uncoordinated white clouds. At first glance, this martial soul seems to lack redeeming qualities, but it possesses a significant secret.
Upon contracting a god-level Spirit Soul, Lady Fenghuang, the Formless Clouds revealed a bit of its true power. This martial soul is actually an unfinished manifestation of space-time fabric, meaning it is a powerful conceptual space-time martial soul!]
...
[Shifting Star]
[Innate Power of Formless Clouds Martial Soul, capable of manipulating the space and time particles in the surroundings, bending the laws of physics and vectors.]
[Note: Shifting Star requires thorough mastery due to its inherent dangers.]
...
[Unknown (Locked)]
[A mysterious force greater than 'Shifting Star' derived from the Formless Clouds Martial Soul. Too bad, due to a lack of origins and nourishment, it remains locked and has not manifested properly.]
...
[Spirit Soul: Phoenix God (Divine-Level)]
[1st Spirit Ring's Spirit Skills: Heavenly Cloud Flame, Heavenly Cloud Divine Phoenix Transformation, Divine Phoenix's Godly Manifestation, Divine Phoenix's Burning Soul]
...
[Heavenly Cloud Flame (Passive)]
[A divine flame born from the fusion of the Phoenix God's origins and Formless Cloud's unique nature, possessing not only Ultimate Fire, Ultimate Space, Ultimate Time, but also a hint of Creation Force.]
...
[Heavenly Cloud Divine Phoenix Transformation (Passive)]
[A divine skill that grants the Divine Phoenix's Constitution, increasing all attributes 1000%, making one completely immune to fire, and extremely resistant to other elements. This skill will become stronger as one absorbs and refines more of the Phoenix God's True Blood.]
[Note: This passive skill also provides "Nirvana," allowing one to rise from the ashes, but it can only be triggered in a near-death situation.]
...
[Divine Phoenix's Godly Manifestation]
[Call upon the Phoenix God into a world, allowing her divine brilliance to shine. This divine skill enables one to summon the Phoenix God's shadow to fight, and with the addition of Spirit Soul, a physical Phoenix God may descend.]
[Note: Divine Phoenix's Godly Manifestation consumes Phoenix God's True Blood to be activated.]
...
[Divine Phoenix's Burning Soul]
[Sacrifice one's very soul to gain extreme, unrivaled power capable of slaying gods. An extremely dangerous divine skill, but it can be offset with Divine Phoenix's Nirvana.
[Note: This Divine Skill brands the enemy's soul irreversibly, weakening and injuring it, even erasing their very existence.]
...
Han Yuan smiled helplessly, "This spirit ring, no, divine ring, provides four Spirit Skills like a standard 1,000,000-year-old spirit ring, but each Spirit Skill is incredibly powerful and extreme."
"And there are still the External Spirit Bones..." He casually glanced at the two floating orbs of light nearby. Lady Fenghuang's grand gifts. "Is this the comfort of a Rich, Mature Lady?"