Mingting didn't have to do anything. The Bloodthirsty Vine woke up directly when it smelled the blood, and immediately opened its mouth to suck all the blood into its mouth.
In fact, it seemed dissatisfied with the meager amount and pressed its leaves against the hole in the eggshell, slurping up the blood with gusto.
Feeling the suction on his hand, Wen Liangyu's heart surged with wild joy.
'Yes, this was it!'
Wen Liangyu imagined a soft, fluffy Little Phoenix, foolishly stumbling into his trap.
'How stupid!'
'No matter how noble its bloodline, a beast is still just a beast!'
"Today I nourish you with my blood. In the future, you must obey me obediently!"
Wen Liangyu drew the golden contract runes in the air with his left hand.
"Stop! Wen Liangyu, I'm going to kill you!" Blocked by the umbrella, Le Yanran screamed hysterically, "I swear I'll kill you! You bastard!"
Le Yanran's eyes were bloodshot, and the look she gave Wen Liangyu was full of hatred.
A gust of wind swept by, and Le Qing appeared.
"Dad, save the Little Phoenix..." Le Yanran's despair turned to hope, and tears of grievance streamed down her face.
Seeing this scene, Le Qing was almost so angry that his lungs exploded. Clenching his fists, he threw a devastating punch at the umbrella.
Crack…
The umbrella trembled, but only a thin crack appeared.
"Brother Le, are you not afraid of hurting the Little Phoenix with such recklessness?" Wen Jin had also arrived at this time.
Seeing that Wen Liangyu had already formed the contract, a weight lifted from his heart.
'It's done!'
Le Qing was indeed afraid of harming the fragile hatchling inside the shell, so he turned and punched Wen Jin squarely in the chest, then followed with another blow to the head, smashing him dozens of meters into the ground.
The others who arrived later quickly grasped the situation.
Many cursed Wen Jin in their hearts, 'What a scheming old fox!'
'The Ancestor of the Wen Family hadn't come, probably because the old man had divined something, realizing the Phoenix was a supreme treasure.'
'That must be why Wen Liangyu had abandoned all decency to force a contract through such underhanded means.'
'Speaking of which, Wen Jin and Le Qing were supposed to be in-laws, yet they had pulled such a stunt.'
'Utterly shameless!'
Everyone cursed in their hearts, and at the same time, they also got to know Wen Liangyu again.
'At such a young age, he was already this cunning, coaxing Le Yanran, deceiving Le Yanran, decisive in forming the contract, and remaining composed even under the gaze of a Divine Transformation Ancestor...'
'This ruthless temperament was perfect for cultivation!'
'Tianji Tower had truly produced a worthy successor!'
"Cough cough…"
Wen Jin spat blood as he crawled out of the crater, and laughing even as blood foam flowed from his mouth.
'Le Qing truly lived up to his reputation as a Divine Transformation powerhouse!'
Wen Jin could feel his organs shattered into pieces. If not for the protective treasure he had worn beforehand, he might have died today.
'Fortunately, I made all the necessary preparations before coming!'
Wen Jin was not worried that Le Qing would really kill him, because would provoke a war between Zhenshan Sect and Tianji Tower, a consequence neither side could afford.
"My son Liangyu reached Foundation Establishment at thirteen. He is extremely talented and will be the successor of my Tianji Tower in the future. His status will not disgrace this Little Phoenix."
"Le Qing, I swear to you, we will take good care of the Little Phoenix."
"Besides, Yanran will marry into our Wen family in the future. We are all one family… whether the Phoenix stays with us or you makes no difference..."
"I won't marry him!"
A childish girl's voice interrupted Wen Jin's words.
"Dad, Wen Liangyu tricked me under the pretense of wanting to see the Phoenix egg. He knew the Little Phoenix was our savior, yet he forced a contract anyway."
"I'd rather stay single for the rest of my life than marry such a deceitful, malicious, despicable villain!"
Le Yanran's eyes were red and swollen, her gaze burning with hatred as she glared at Wen Jin.
'Without Tianji Tower backing him, how could Wen Liangyu have dared to do this?!'
'What 'one family'? Bah! Since when did family stab each other in the back?'
"Yanran, this marriage was arranged by your father and me, a union between two great families..."
How could Wen Jin let Le Yanran slip away now?
Le Qing was now a Divine Transformation Ancestor. With such an in-law, his position in Tianji Tower will be more stable.
After all, while Tianji Tower is different from other sects in that it was family-based, the main bloodline wasn't limited to just him.
Back then, he had chosen Le Yanran precisely because of Le Qing's status in Zhenshan Sect.
"Yanran, you are truly wise and righteous. Good." Le Qing took out the betrothal token, which is something called Stormcaller Zither, and threw it to Wen Jin.
"This engagement is over! Your Wen Family's son is unworthy of my daughter. Hand over the Dragon's Roar Sword."
Seeing Wen Jin hesitate, Le Qing grabbed him by the collar, punched him left and right, and beat him into a pig head. He then took the Dragon's Roar Sword back from Wen Jin's storage bag without any hesitation.
"A fine sword like this doesn't belong in the hands of someone as despicable as you!"
In front of the other sects, Le Qing ruthlessly trampled Wen Jin's dignity into the ground.
When Sect Master Wu saw Wen Liangyu forcibly contracting the Little Phoenix, he immediately contacted Ancestor Du Heng, who was still in seclusion recovering from his injuries.
He didn't know whether the Little Phoenix had been forced to hatch prematurely due to Wen Liangyu's actions or if it was indeed the time for it to come out of the shell.
If it was the former, the Phoenix would undoubtedly be underdeveloped.
Sect Master Wu had no experience with hatchlings forcibly hatched before their time, so Ancestor Du Heng still needed to step in.
Ancestor Du Heng, who rushed over after hearing the news, happened to see the scene of Le Qing beating up Wen Jin.
As he passed by, he let out a cold snort, which made Wen Jin's heart and lungs shatter. When Wen Jin coughed, fragments of his lungs spilled from his mouth.
Du Heng hadn't appeared in public for years, and many had assumed he was on his last legs.
Now, seeing him in high spirits and unafraid to openly humiliate Tianji Tower's master, those with ulterior motives quickly dismissed their schemes.
After all, the disciples of Zhenshan Sect were notoriously hot-tempered, even more belligerent than the Sword Sect.
Having just watched Le Qing pummel Wen Jin with his Mountain-Shattering Fists, no one wanted to provoke him and get into trouble now.