"Brother Xiao Hua, are we returning to the Inner Academy?"
Xun Er's soft voice broke the silence, her curiosity piqued after hearing everything Li Mei had passed on through the message. Her clear eyes now rested on Xiao Hua, waiting for his response.
Xiao Hua hesitated for a moment before offering a troubled smile. "To be honest... I'm not planning to return just yet."
"Why? Is there some kind of problem?" Xun Er tilted her head slightly, her confusion evident. Her innocent curiosity and adorable expression made Xiao Hua's fingers itch to ruffle her hair, but now wasn't the right time.
"There is indeed a problem." Xiao Hua cleared his throat before continuing. "No one from the major forces saw me enter the ancient forest... Not a single person glimpsed my shadow."
He paused, watching as Xun Er's expression shifted to surprise. Xiao Hua then proceeded to reveal everything about the ancient ruin, leaving her momentarily stunned. But understanding soon dawned, revealing to her the deeper reason for his reluctance to return to the Inner Academy.
The upheaval caused by the ancient ruin had undoubtedly sent shockwaves throughout the region, with news surely reaching the ears of the First Elder by now. Yet, Xiao Hua's presence remained an enigma—no trace of him could be found in the vicinity of the ruin.
Even with Xun Er's formidable abilities, she had failed to detect the slightest hint of Xiao Hua's involvement. It was as if he had never ventured near the cities around the ancient ruin at all, leaving the world oblivious to the fact that he had entered the heart of the ruin itself.
"I see now... so that's why you're hesitant to return." Xun Er sighed softly, a helpless smile gracing her lips as she fully grasped the dilemma he faced.
If Xiao Hua returned as a 6-Star Dou Wang, his sudden leap in power would raise too many questions. The First Elder and his master would undoubtedly demand an explanation. He could claim he participated in the expedition, but how could he explain surviving a catastrophe that even seasoned experts perished in? There would be no answer—unless he revealed the existence of Lady Azure. But Xun Er knew such a revelation was impossible; Lady Azure's identity was far too unique and dangerous to expose.
"Then... is Brother Xiao Hua planning to wander the Black-Corner Region?" Xun Er asked, concern flickering in her gaze. She knew the chaos currently engulfing the region and couldn't help but worry for his safety.
Xiao Hua shook his head gently, his eyes turning toward the dark cave ahead. "No, I have no intention of wandering aimlessly. Instead, I want to uncover the secrets of this cave. A formation this powerful guarding its entrance... there must be something extraordinary inside."
Xun Er nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. Lady Xue Yue mentioned that this formation was already here when Brother Xiao Hua arrived. I, too, am curious if the cave holds some treasure... perhaps something we could use for the Chaos Gate."
"What are your thoughts, Sister Xue Yue? Have you sensed anything unusual about this cave?"
Xiao Hua turned his gaze to Xue Yue, his curiosity piqued. Although she hadn't ventured deep inside the cave due to his need for recovery, her heightened perception made her the best judge of the cave's mysteries. He hoped she might have sensed something beyond the obvious.
Xue Yue waved her hand gracefully, her expression calm. "There's no need to enter the cave to gain insight. Simply observing the formation array tells us much."
As she spoke, a faint glow flickered across the ground, revealing a vast formation spanning over ten meters around the cave's entrance. The air seemed to hum with power as the light gradually faded.
"This formation bears the aura of a Magical Beast," Xue Yue explained, her voice carrying an undercurrent of intrigue. "And from what I can sense... there's a faint trace of a phoenix's aura woven into it."
Her words hung in the air, and Xiao Hua's eyes sharpened at the mention of a phoenix—a beast of immense power.
"However," Xue Yue continued, a slight frown crossing her features, "unlike my sister, my understanding of this lower plane is limited. I cannot precisely identify which Magical Beast left this formation."
Xun Er placed a delicate finger on her chin, her sharp eyes scanning the formation array in silence. She could feel the powerful aura emanating from it.
"From what I can sense, this formation was crafted by a member of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe," she said thoughtfully. "One of the three great ancient tribes of the Magical Beasts in the Central Plains."
The Gu Clan, one of the esteemed Eight Ancient Clans, stands among the pinnacle of power, rivaled only by the Hun Clan. Dominating the eastern reaches of the Central Plains, the Gu Clan holds dominion over the mysterious Gu Realm, where most of their formidable clan members reside.
Though her time within the clan was brief, it was more than enough to acquaint her with the intricate balance of power. She learned of the remaining seven Ancient Clans, the towering human factions spread across the Central Plains, and the awe-inspiring Three Great Tribes of the Magical Beasts, whose ancient bloodlines still reverberate through the world.
"Heaven Demon Phoenix..." Xiao Hua's brow furrowed slightly at the mention.
While others remained oblivious, he knew them all too well. The Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe, by far the most troublesome among the Magical Beast clans, was notorious for its unshakable arrogance. Their disdain for other races ran deep, carved into their very bones.
They cared little for other beings, whether human or magical beast, and regarded them with utmost contempt. Not even the Ancient Void Dragon—another member of the Three Great Ancient Tribes—could escape their scorn, despite being weaker in comparison.
Yet, he could not deny the flicker of intrigue burning within him. What treasure could the Heaven Demon Phoenix be guarding with such ferocity? Could it be a rare medicinal herb or a precious artifact?
"It's not treasures or medicinal ingredients," Xue Yue's voice interrupted his thoughts, her gaze reading his excitement. "What lies within… is merely its corpse. Nothing more."
"A corpse of a Heaven Demon Phoenix!"
Xiao Hua and Xun Er exclaimed in unison, their voices laced with disbelief. Both understood the extreme rarity of encountering such a thing. The death of a Heaven Demon Phoenix was almost unheard of—whenever they sensed their end approaching, they would return to the tribe's sacred altar, awaiting death in isolation.
For outsiders, stumbling upon the corpse of a Heaven Demon Phoenix was nearly impossible, let alone acquiring anything from it.
And if the tribe discovered that someone dared to refine the remains of one of their own… The consequences would be unimaginable. His fate would be sealed in a calamity none could escape.
Xue Yue nodded, her gaze shifting toward the cave's entrance. "Judging from the aura left behind, this one had reached the Dou Zun realm in life."
"This truly has become a headache…" Xiao Hua sighed helplessly, rubbing his temples in annoyance.
A Magical Beast with the strength of Dou Zun meant this corpse had once been a Rank 8 Magical Beast—an elite Dou Zun in its prime.
'This must be the corpse of the Heaven Demon Phoenix that Xiao Yan will acquire at the Great Auction Fair in Black Emperor City in the future…' Xiao Hua mused silently to himself.
It was exceedingly rare for another Heaven Demon Phoenix, one that had reached Rank 8 in life, to appear within the Black-Corner Region. The recognition was immediate and undeniable.
Yet, he had always believed the Black Emperor Sect discovered it by the mountain stream, not in a secluded cave like this one…
'Could it be that another Magical Beast stumbled upon it and moved the corpse?' Xiao Hua pondered, but finding no answers, he shook his head, dismissing the thought.
Despite the overwhelming danger, Xiao Hua's yearning for the Heaven Demon Phoenix's corpse only intensified. His ambitions were clear—to use the wings of the beast to craft a pair of wings for himself, utilizing the Flying Dou Technique manufacturing method, the Sky Bird Nine Flying Wings.
The problem, however, was twofold. First, he had yet to acquire the technique. And second, he lacked the knowledge of how to properly preserve the corpse without damaging its quality.
As for the inevitable wrath of the Heaven Demon Phoenix clan… he wasn't overly concerned. He would deal with them when the time came. He was no fool—he would never flaunt the wings unless absolutely necessary. Only if he found himself in grave peril would he reveal such a treasure to the world.
"Are you interested in this corpse, Brother Xiao Hua?"
Xun Er's soft voice pulled him from his thoughts. She had noticed the flicker of interest in his eyes. While she was well aware of the Heaven Demon Phoenix's pride and merciless pursuit of those who dared offend them, she wasn't overly worried. She knew Xiao Hua's potential. He would one day reach heights where not even the Heaven Demon Phoenix would dare provoke him.
Her only concern lay in the corpse itself. Once a Rank 8 Magical Beast, its lingering aura alone was enough to make acquisition difficult. Even in death, the remnant aura within its body would not be easily subdued, and there was no doubt that its strength, even now, was beyond question.
Xiao Hua glanced at the cave and nodded thoughtfully. He couldn't deny the speed boost the wings could provide him would be invaluable—not only for escaping from an elite Dou Zong but also for launching surprise attacks.
"Brother Xiao Hua, can you remove its remnant aura?" Xun Er asked, her curiosity piqued.
Withdrawing his gaze from the cave, Xiao Hua turned toward Xun Er, his expression calm but thoughtful.
"Dispelling the remnant aura is simple enough for me," he said, his voice steady. "But the real issue is that I don't possess the Sky Bird Nine Flying Wings technique… Without the proper method, this corpse would be useless to me."
"The manufacturing method of a Flying Dou Technique…" Xun Er murmured, rubbing her chin in thought. It would indeed be a waste to leave such a valuable corpse untouched, especially since none of them could predict when such a technique might come into their possession.
"Child, if your greatest concern is the method for crafting the Flying Dou Technique, you should check your Storage Ring." Xue Yue's voice broke the silence, her eyes glinting as she pointed toward one of Xiao Hua's Storage Rings. "My sister created countless scrolls of Dou Techniques and Qi Methods when she was bored, waiting for you to awaken after your slumber during the Fire Energy Hunting Competition."
Xiao Hua's eyes widened slightly. The ring she pointed to was one he rarely checked, assuming it was nearly empty. Yet, it seemed it held far more than he expected.
"What…?" Xiao Hua was stunned by Xue Yue's revelation.
He had never heard a word about this from Lady Azure, but after a brief moment of disbelief, he calmed himself and sent his consciousness into his Storage Ring. His curiosity burned as he began searching through its contents, eager to uncover the Dou Techniques and Qi Methods she had supposedly created.
What he saw left him speechless. From Huang Class to Di Class, low-level to high-level, there were scrolls upon scrolls. Qi Methods, rare Sonic-Type Dou Techniques, and more. Each one varied in class and grade, yet all seemed meticulously crafted.
But what truly caught his attention was a particular scroll—a Flying Dou Technique manufacturing method. It wasn't the Sky Bird Nine Flying Wings that he had been seeking, but another entirely different one.
"How did Sister Azure create a Dou Technique she had never seen before?"
Xiao Hua withdrew his consciousness from the Storage Ring, turning his gaze to Xue Yue with lingering bewilderment. He could still understand how Lady Azure might have crafted Sonic-Type Dou Techniques, having witnessed them firsthand. But a Flying Dou Technique manufacturing method—something that should be unknown to her—was beyond his comprehension.
"Your Lower Plane specializes in Alchemy, so naturally, she has been watching this plane for a long time due to her interest in it," Xue Yue casually responded to Xiao Hua's question. "Her insights far surpass those of normal cultivators. Even the techniques of that little girl's clan, however mysterious they may seem, were already within her grasp."
"Does that mean… she's been observing this Lower Plane for a very long time?" Xun Er's eyes widened in shock, her delicate hand covering her mouth in an elegant gesture of disbelief.
Xue Yue nodded. "She has been watching both Lower and Upper Planes that hold high-level alchemy techniques and recipes, eager to comprehend them. Naturally, in the process, she learned much more—Dou Techniques and Qi Methods being just a part of it."
Xiao Hua furrowed his brow, recalling a memory. "Then, what was the point of me giving her the Sonic-Type Dou Technique before…?"
"It's not as if she remembers everything perfectly," Xue Yue replied with a slight shake of her head. "Her knowledge is vast, but even she requires a jolt to her memory from time to time. It's not like she spent all her time just teaching you Alchemy—you know that better than anyone."
Xiao Hua's lips curled into a resigned smile as he recalled how Lady Azure had used the Sonic-Type Dou Technique to jog her memory. Even so, he felt an immense gratitude toward her. She had gone beyond mere assistance—creating countless Dou Techniques and Qi Methods tailored for him.
Xiao Hua shook his head, and with a flick of his finger, a scroll materialized, suspended above his palm.
The scroll gleamed with a translucent golden hue, its surface entwined by four distinct threads of energy—fiery-red, regal-gold, elegant-blue, and graceful-silver. These energies danced around the scroll, giving it an aura of majesty and beauty, as if it were a treasure from the heavens.
Upon closer inspection, the energies converged into the forms of four ancient phoenixes. They flew in graceful arcs, intertwining with one another before separating and soaring freely around the scroll, their movements fluid and otherworldly.
A melodious, ethereal cry echoed through the air, emanating from the phoenixes themselves. The sound was like a divine hymn, and as it spread, it touched the spirits of those nearby, leaving them momentarily entranced by the beauty and elegance of the scene.
Xiao Hua could sense a powerful spiritual imprint embedded within the scroll—one that unmistakably belonged to Lady Azure. It was a protective measure, a warning that no one but him could access the contents without her permission. Anyone foolish enough to attempt to forcefully unlock its secrets would suffer severe backlash, and should they persist, the scroll itself would be destroyed by her design.
As Xiao Hua's eyes closed, the faint hum of his Spiritual Strength surged from the space between his brows, weaving itself into the ancient scroll. The air around him grew still, as if the world held its breath, waiting for the unveiling of the mystical realm sealed within.
The moment his Spiritual Strength made contact with the scroll, his spiritual sight was enveloped by an extraordinary vision—a vast, endless void stretched before him, adorned with countless shimmering stars. Each one glittered like a polished gem upon the fabric of a night-sky tapestry.
A luminous, silken river of starlight—the celestial Milky Way—gracefully spiraled across the heavens, winding through the vast expanse like a divine ribbon of pure light. Its radiant glow interwove with the profound stillness of the cosmos, crafting a scene so ethereal it seemed to transcend both time and space.
Delicate stardust drifted like celestial snowflakes, shimmering as they floated gently, as though the universe itself whispered ancient secrets, tales of forgotten eons. Just as Xiao Hua marveled at the sight, four radiant glows emerged from behind him, casting their warm, vibrant hues across the boundless horizon.
Turning his gaze upward, his breath caught in awe. Four phoenixes, resplendent in their divine majesty, watched him with eyes that shimmered with wisdom and grace.
Each phoenix bore its own unique brilliance: the first, a fiery red, blazed like a flame reborn; the second, clad in regal gold, radiated an aura of imperial authority; the third, wrapped in elegant emerald feathers, exuded the essence of life and growth; and the last, a graceful silver phoenix, shimmered like moonlight on a calm river, its presence serene and timeless.
The four phoenixes hovered in the air, their forms both majestic and transcendent, as if they were the guardians of the stars, silently waiting to impart their celestial secrets.
"—!"
The four phoenixes lifted their heads and let out a cry that resonated through the vast expanse of the heavens—a sound both divine and transcendent.
It began as a soft, lilting trill, like the gentle whisper of dawn breaking over the horizon, rising steadily into a clear, crystalline tone. Each note shimmered with an ancient power, as though the song carried within it the weight of forgotten eons, echoing the stories of lost ages.
The melody soared higher and higher, swelling into a breathtaking crescendo, sharp yet elegant, like the pure, ringing chime of a celestial bell resonating through the cosmos.
Their cry was more than just sound—it was the very symphony of the heavens, filled with a grace that seemed to flow from the heart of creation itself, entwined with an indomitable spirit that stirred the soul.
Xiao Hua stood frozen in awe, his heart moved by the beauty of the sound, as if the essence of the universe had woven itself into this heavenly song.
Suddenly, the forms of the four phoenixes began to shimmer with a faint glow, their majestic bodies dissolving into radiant streams of light that danced across the night sky. They soared freely through the stars, unbound by the laws of heaven and earth, their movements filled with an elegance and grace that defied all mortal understanding.
The sight of their flight, as they intertwined with the stars, was like a living painting, so breathtaking that it seemed to blur the line between dream and reality.
Without warning, the four streaks of light rushed toward Xiao Hua, their brilliance converging at his brow. In that instant, a sharp tremor rippled through his mind, shaking his consciousness and wrenching him back to the present.
His spirit jolted violently as it was forcibly returned to his body, causing his mind to shudder. The overwhelming force made him stumble backward, his body wavering as he tried to steady himself, still reeling from the impact of what he had just witnessed.
"Brother Xiao Hua!" Xun Er exclaimed in worry, rushing forward to support his unsteady form. Her eyes darted to the golden, translucent scroll in his hand, immediately sensing that it was the source of his condition.
"Xun Er, I'm fine."
A faint smile flickered across Xiao Hua's face as he gently reassured her, his eyes softening despite the lingering grogginess in his mind. He reached out and patted her head with a comforting gesture, then slowly steadied himself, though his expression betrayed a trace of annoyance and weariness.
In the moment when the four phoenixes had entered his mind, a majestic voice echoed in the depths of his consciousness, uttering eight words that reverberated with ancient power: "Four Divine Phoenixes, Fly and Dance Across Heaven!"
He had quickly understood the meaning of those words. The Dou Flying Technique manufacturing method, Four Divine Phoenixes, Fly And Dance Across Heaven, was an extraordinary and rare technique, unlike anything he had seen before.
Though it shared some similarities with the renowned Sky Bird Nine Flying Wings, it was far more unique—particularly in how it relied on the refinement of rare materials to manifest its true power.
Upon refining the necessary materials, Xiao Hua could form wings on his back, much like Sky Bird Nine Flying Wings. But unlike the typical methods that created only a single pair, this one held the astonishing potential to forge four pairs of wings, giving him a level of speed and control unmatched by any other.
However, the creation of these wings required not only immense resources but also a rare Magical Beasts. To form a pair of wings, one needed to extract the Blood Essence and wings from a Magical Beast bearing the Phoenix Bloodline. The purer the bloodline, the more formidable the wings would become—granting unmatched power to those who could harness it.
Yet, this process came with strict limitations. The Blood Essence and wings had to come from the same beast. Once refined into a pair of wings, the blood essence and wings could not be used again to form another set. For every new pair, a different magical beast and its blood essence were needed.
The materials required for the creation of these wings were indeed troublesome—headache-inducing even. Xiao Hua sighed inwardly, knowing the rarity and difficulty of obtaining such treasures.
Thankfully, he had the System on his side. His only prayer now was that the upcoming Gacha Event would bless him with the very things he needed. A stroke of luck, and perhaps he could avoid the arduous search for such rare materials.
Even with the challenges ahead, Xiao Hua couldn't help but marvel at the Four Divine Phoenixes, Fly And Dance Across Heaven. This Flying Dou Technique's manufacturing method was nothing short of extraordinary.
If he succeeded in forming the fourth pair of wings, even an elite Dou Sheng would struggle to confine him by sealing the space around him. The sheer freedom this technique promised was exhilarating.
With the full potential of the technique unlocked, Xiao Hua would gain the ability to traverse realms unhindered. Whether it be the Gu Realm or the Hun Realm, no barrier could stand in his way. More astonishingly, his very presence would go undetected unless he willed it otherwise, granting him a level of stealth and mobility that few could match.
The more he thought about it, the more his excitement grew. Even while still weak, Xiao Hua realized that with these wings, he could face elite Dou Zuns or even Ban Shengs without fear. Should the battle turn dire, retreat would always be within his grasp, ensuring his survival in the most perilous of situations.