Chapter 141: Fire Phoenix

Half a month later, within the normally peaceful Yuntian City of the Xia Clan Tribe, people suddenly noticed a beam of fiery light shooting rapidly across the distant sky. In the blink of an eye, it arrived above Yuntian City, descending from the heavens like a massive fireball and crashing directly into the central square of the city, not far from the estate belonging to Yuntian and his family.

Boom... Searing flames surged violently. Fortunately, being midday under the blazing sun, the square was largely deserted. However, the stone-paved ground of the square was melted almost into liquid by the terrifying power of the flames, forming a massive crater.

Such a tremendous commotion instantly brought many Xiantian lifeforms of the Xia Clan Tribe rushing to the scene. Over the years, the Xia Clan Tribe had developed quite well; together with the Xiantian spirit beasts they had subdued, their numbers totaled forty to fifty. However, giving birth to a Zifu Disciple was far more difficult. To this day, apart from Yuntian, the Xia Clan Tribe had only three Zifu Disciples: Xia Qing, Xia Yunhu, and Xia Yunling.

Xia Qing, Xia Yunhu, and Xia Yunling were likewise alarmed and rushed to the central plaza. In the crater where the flames were gradually subsiding, a massive, flame-engulfed, crimson bird several zhang in length lay sprawled.

"A Fire Phoenix?" Xia Qing was the first to recognize the identity of the crimson bird, her beautiful eyes widening in involuntary exclamation.

Chirp... Amidst a slightly weak yet formidably majestic phoenix cry, the bird raised its head, its eyes blazing like fire as it swept its gaze over Xia Qing and the others. Looking down upon them as if they were mere ants, the Fire Phoenix opened its beak and spat out a torrent of flames, sweeping toward Xia Qing and the other high-ranking powerhouses of the Xia Clan Tribe.

"Watch out, retreat quickly!" Sensing the terrifying might of the flames, Xia Qing's expression changed drastically. She produced a defensive magic treasure while hurriedly shouting a warning to her clansmen.

At that very moment, however, a terrifyingly cold aura suddenly descended. Frost and mist flooded the plaza, effortlessly extinguishing the flame and suppressing the fire raging over the Phoenix's body. Startled, the Fire Phoenix jerked its head up and looked in disbelief and slight terror at the cold youth who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere in mid-air, overlooking it with indifference.

"Oh? It's actually a Fire Phoenix!" Amidst a clear, melodious exclamation of surprise, Yuqiu, draped in black robes, arrived beside Yuntian, looking with mild astonishment at the Fire Phoenix sprawled in the crater below. "Only at the Wanxiang realm—far too weak! And severely injured at that."

"A Fire Phoenix? That should be a rather powerful divine beast, right?" Yuntian asked with mild curiosity.

Yuqiu nodded slightly with a smile, then shook his head. "A Fire Phoenix is indeed a divine beast, and a relatively powerful one at that. It needs to reach the Yuanshen stage to take human form. Still, compared to my Yuqiu clan, it is far inferior. We divine beasts of the Yuqiu clan must undergo the heavenly tribulation and become Celestial Immortals before we can transform. If I hadn't consumed a transformation celestial pill in my youth, it would have been impossible for me to take human form so easily."

"You... you are a divine beast of the Yuqiu clan?" The Fire Phoenix spoke in the human tongue, its crisp, melodious voice tinged with deep astonishment.

Yuqiu, watching the Fire Phoenix, did not answer verbally, but instead released a trace of his aura. It instantly caused the Fire Phoenix's eyes to brighten intensely. "Lord Yuqiu, I beg you to save me! I am being hunted by detestable humans. If you do not save me, I fear that unless I wish to become a human's spirit beast, my only remaining choice is death."

"Oh? You mean you were injured by human cultivators? And the reason those human cultivators attacked you is because they want you as a spirit beast?" Yuqiu asked, raising an eyebrow.

The Fire Phoenix nodded repeatedly. "Precisely! Lord Yuqiu, those detestable human cultivators have been chasing me for a long time. Had it not been for my speed and fire-escape techniques, I would have been caught and captured by them long ago. I sincerely hope Lord Yuqiu can save me!"

"To force you into such a wretched state of flight—did the other party include a Yuanshen Daoist?" Yuqiu asked noncommittally.

"Yes, not only is there a Yuanshen Daoist, but they also have immortal soldier arrays capable of forming formations with terrifying power. If I hadn't fled quickly earlier, I would have been trapped by them," the Fire Phoenix replied hastily.

Nodding slightly, Yuqiu turned his head to look at Yuntian. "Yuntian, what do you think? Should we save her or not? A faction capable of dispatching a Yuanshen Daoist is likely no ordinary power; they probably possess immortals, and perhaps even a more formidable background."

"Putting that aside for a moment, why should we save her? And what reason do we have to do so?" Yuntian glanced at the Fire Phoenix and spoke calmly.

Yuqiu was momentarily taken aback, and the Fire Phoenix couldn't help but look at Yuntian as well. "What will it take for you to save me?"

"Simple! Just agree to become my spirit beast," Yuntian said casually.

Become a spirit beast? The flames surging over the Fire Phoenix's body flared up as she grew somewhat angry. "Detestable human, are you trying to take advantage of my plight? What difference is there between becoming your spirit beast and becoming the spirit beast of those cultivators hunting me?"

"The difference is that they beat you until you fled in disarray, whereas I am the one stepping in to save you," Yuntian replied, still calm.

The Fire Phoenix froze, the flames on her body fluctuating violently. After a long while, she finally nodded and said, "Alright, I agree to become your spirit beast."

"Fire Phoenix, you have made a wise and clever choice," Yuqiu said with a smile. "Following Yuntian from now on, you will definitely not regret it. Under his protection, you won't need to worry about other cultivators coming to cause trouble for you."

"My name is Huoling," the Fire Phoenix said, lowering her head slightly as if acting aggrieved and depressed.

Huoling? Yuntian's eyebrows twitched slightly upon hearing this name, which instantly reminded him of Our Lady of Fire Spirit, the disciple of Duobao in the primordial legends. I wonder what the background of that Lady of Fire Spirit was? Surely she wasn't also a Fire Phoenix, right?

"Hmm? They've arrived quite quickly indeed!" Frowning as if sensing something, Yuntian looked up into the distance and vanished in an instant of teleportation.

Seeing this, Yuqiu instructed the Fire Phoenix to stay put honestly, exchanged a few words with Xia Qing, and then his figure flickered as he flew off into the distance.

Several thousand miles away from the Xia Clan Tribe, a massive, golden ship was radiating a surging aura, crushing the airwaves as it sped forward. Aboard the ship were numerous figures clad in golden armor inscribed with intricate runes, all possessing cultivation levels at the Wanxiang realm. At the forefront, standing at the bow, were a proud, cold youth in golden robes and a baleful middle-aged man in black robes with a hooked nose. The youth was only at the perfection of the Wanxiang realm, while the elder had reached the Yuanshen stage.

"That Fire Phoenix spared no effort to burn her vital essence to execute her escape technique, but she was struck by my secret art. No matter how far she flees, I can still sense her location, unless she suddenly escapes this entire major world," the hooked-nose middle-aged man sneered and said. "She should currently be too weak to flee further and is hiding to heal her wounds. Her location should only be a few thousand miles from here; we will arrive in a moment."

The proud, golden-robed youth also nodded and smiled. "Heh, let's see how she escapes from my grasp this time. We've spent a great deal of effort to capture this Fire Phoenix, and now we can finally succeed. I believe we will be able to return shortly."

"I suggest you turn back right now!" A calm and breezy voice rang out as Yuntian suddenly appeared in the void ahead.

The expression of the proud, golden-robed youth shifted slightly. He hurriedly controlled the golden ship to decelerate and halt, then glared sharply at Yuntian. "A mere Wanxiang Adept dares to block my path?"

"Young Master, this kid was actually able to execute spatial teleportation. It seems he has quite a profound comprehension of the Dao of Qiankun. He must be a genius figure, likely that Yuntian from the Yun clan who entered the Black-White Academy," the hooked-nose middle-aged man beside him transmitted his voice to the golden-robed youth. "We should still exercise some caution!"

The golden-robed youth frowned, unable to help replying via voice transmission, "He's just a Wanxiang Adept. Even among Black-White Academy disciples, those at the Wanxiang level who can rival Yuanshen Daoists can be counted on one hand. Even if he can fight ordinary Yuanshen Daoists, Uncle Ying, you are no ordinary weak Yuanshen Daoist. Furthermore, I've brought immortal soldiers along. Once they form the battle array, even a Yuanshen Daoist could perish, let alone a mere Wanxiang Adept."