Tai Yi's magical power flowed through his body, awakening him from his daze.
"What did you give me to eat?"
Qing Ling showed him the wound on his pulse, saying, "Naturally, it's my blood!"
Tai Yi was taken aback. His bloodline was noble, and he never imagined he would one day drink the blood of what he considered an ant. Anger flared in his eyes.
Seeing the look in Tai Yi's eyes, Qing Ling guessed his thoughts but said helplessly, "Tai Yi, you are the God of the Sun. Even as a mere wisp of your primordial spirit, you have such a narrow view.
All living beings, all creatures under heaven, are they not all transformed from the Great God Pangu? Are they not nurtured and born by heaven and earth?
Heaven and earth are one, and bloodlines originate from the same source. The only difference is the height of one's origin. Today, I fed you my blood to save my own life, and in doing so, I saved yours. Instead of showing gratitude, you fret about noble bloodlines? What kind of magnanimity do you possess?"
With that, Qing Ling rose and soared into the sky. He grabbed Tai Yi, who was still recovering, and fled for their lives.
Even though his escape technique was inferior to Tai Yi's, he could at least prolong the time until they were caught.
Not only was Tai Yi severely injured, with his essence and blood depleted and his magical power gone, but Qing Ling was only slightly stronger. He even had trouble fully activating the Mi Tian Suo.
Qing Ling's feet sprouted verdant cloud-like formations, and he ascended to the first heaven, then into the fiery expanse of the third heaven, allowing Tai Yi to absorb the power of the divine flames to recover.
Even though Tai Yi was powerful, this was merely a wisp of his primordial spirit. Furthermore, he had been suppressed by a great formation for countless years. To break free from a formation that could trap a Da Luo, he had used all his might, depleted his essence and blood, and risked his life using the Hua Hong technique to fly such a great distance.
At this moment, even a Golden Immortal could take his life.
Tai Yi looked at the fiery expanse of the third heaven and at Qing Ling, who was desperately carrying him and fleeing. His divine sense flickered as he said, "No need to run anymore!"
Upon hearing this, Qing Ling's face broke into a smile. "Can you, Senior, borrow power from these flames to kill all the pursuers behind us?"
Tai Yi replied, "No."
Qing Ling secretly rolled his eyes. "Then why do you want to stop?"
Tai Yi's mind reeled. One moment he was being called "Senior," and the next, he had lost Qing Ling's interest. If anyone had dared to speak to him like that before, he would have crushed them with a single punch!
He suppressed his anger and said, "However, this physical body I possess is that of the Phoenix Clan's sacred son, possessing the ability of Nirvana. I was cursed, and no matter where I flee, I will be sensed.
Therefore, I can now use these flames to undergo Nirvana, not only to recover my strength but also to erase the mark on me."
Qing Ling's heart skipped a beat. He thought, 'No wonder I couldn't shake off those Tai Yi pursuers. The problem lies here.' Should he abandon this burden?
He looked up and saw Tai Yi also looking at him, as if he had seen through his thoughts.
"Rest assured, once you enter the center of the Nine Extremes Star Kun Formation, a mark will be placed upon you. This mark is formless and undetectable, and only a Da Luo can perceive it. Otherwise, I would have removed it long ago! It will not disappear for twelve years!" Tai Yi said calmly. "Therefore, neither of us can escape now!"
Qing Ling's heart burned with anger. He realized he had been tricked all along.
"Very well, speak. I'm listening," Qing Ling gradually calmed himself. The more critical the situation, the less he could afford to lose his temper, lest he lose his composure and fall further into the trap.
Tai Yi nodded with satisfaction and said, "Therefore, I will now be reborn through the flames of Nirvana, and I will revert to my primordial form. I will require protection, and you will need to shield me for a while."
Qing Ling asked indifferently, "For how long?"
"It could be very long, or it could be very short. I am not entirely sure."
Qing Ling pondered for a moment and said, "Alright! I will do my best to try!" At worst, if they were caught, he would hand Tai Yi over to buy himself time. As long as he could enter the Primordial Land, he should be able to use the inherent energy to shield this so-called mark.
Upon hearing this, Tai Yi struggled to his feet and threw himself into the fiery expanse.
Endless flames converged, and the divine flames filling the third heaven gradually coalesced into a fire phoenix millions of feet tall. It unfurled its magnificent wings before Qing Ling. The phoenix soared, its fiery plumes divine, absorbing all the power of the flames.
Then, to Qing Ling's astonishment, the flames receded, creating a momentary vacuum in the third heaven.
A red phoenix egg, the size of a human head, appeared before him.
Qing Ling couldn't help but laugh. 'It's just an egg! Isn't it at my mercy?'
He waved his hand and collected the phoenix egg, then shot into the sky, desperately rushing towards the Primordial Land.
Meanwhile, several Tai Yi cultivators, millions of miles away, were startled. The Cave Master Xu Mu exclaimed, "Why has the mark on that villain vanished?"
"What is going on? I can't sense it either!"
"Quick! Head to where the mark last appeared!"
"Hurry and chase after it!"
The Tai Yi cultivators sped towards the third heaven, but found nothing in the fiery expanse.
The Tai Yi cultivators were enraged. After toiling for so many years, they still hadn't recovered their precious treasure! They had ultimately let the perpetrator escape!
At this moment, Qing Ling, who was fleeing for his life, was unaware that he had no mark on him at all, and had been tricked once again.
If Tai Yi hadn't plotted, Qing Ling might have abandoned the phoenix egg and fled on his own. But by tricking Qing Ling, he forced him to rely on his own strength and protect the now-weakened Tai Yi.
Qing Ling flew onward, even depleting his essence and blood to forcefully pilot the Mi Tian Suo towards the Primordial Land!
He traveled at lightning speed. Even though there were some dangers, he evaded them, driven by his sole desire to escape. However, after flying for hundreds of millions of miles, he realized that the pursuers were long gone.
It was then that he realized Tai Yi might have lied to him!
Back then, Tai Yi had said the mark was formless and undetectable. Although Qing Ling couldn't find it on himself, he had believed him, as it was understandable that he couldn't sense a mark that even Tai Yi couldn't deal with.
But thinking back now, he had indeed been tricked again!
Qing Ling let out a cold laugh. 'A trick is a trick. It doesn't matter, I have already arrived.'
The ultimate destination of his journey, after all sorts of tribulations, was finally reached!
Once he entered the Primordial Land, with its innate shielding abilities, even if there were a mark, it would not be detected.
Before entering the Primordial Land, Qing Ling took out the phoenix egg. He stared at the shell for a long time, his eyes flickering with murderous intent, then coldness, then helplessness.
He truly wanted to kill it, no, smash the egg and crush it to death.
But he, Qing Ling, did not dare. Not only was he afraid of Tai Yi's primordial spirit on the Sun Star sensing it, as this was a part of Tai Yi's primordial spirit.
He was even more worried that if this Phoenix Clan's sacred son's physical body died, would the supreme being in the Undying Volcano sense it?
He dared not gamble. If there was even a slight possibility, it would bring him eternal damnation.
Therefore, Qing Ling had to find a good solution.
He placed the phoenix egg into the Shi Kurong Realm within his primordial spirit, specifically in the Dead Realm. The dense death energy suppressed its vitality, not enough to kill it, but enough to halt its growth and keep it sealed within, preventing it from hatching!
After Qing Ling finished this, he descended from the clouds and walked into the Chi Mei Forest within this chaotic region.