Chapter 454: Chapter 454: Absorbing the Heaven Phoenix Blood Pool
Word Count: 3,147 Words
******
"Excellent."
Xiao Yan stretched out his hands as the Heaven Phoenix blood fire showered over his entire body. Though its temperature rivaled molten magma, he was completely enveloped in the crimson flames within moments.
Far from discomfort, Xiao Yan felt only exhilaration. For an ordinary person, tempering one’s body in the Heaven Phoenix Blood Pool would be excruciating, but he was different. Protected by the Three Thousand Burning Flame and the Yin-Yang Twin Flame, along with the Life Transforming Flame, the blood fire’s pain diminished significantly.
The sensation resembled acupuncture or cupping therapy; it was a productive discomfort rather than unbearable agony.
Most fascinating were the bone wings on his back. Originally just ordinary peak Rank 7 Heaven Demon Phoenix wings that had absorbed some Ancient Phoenix essence blood, they now began to shimmer under the blood fire’s tempering, pulsing as if they had come alive.
However, the greatest beneficiary was neither Xiao Yan nor his bone wings, and certainly not Feng Qing Er—it was Mao Wu.
From the beginning, Xiao Yan had planned to plunder this inheritance realm of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe, intending to feed Mao Wu in the hopes it would evolve into a Heaven Seed Flame!
The energy required for a Heaven Seed Flame was simply too staggering. Even after devouring the massive amounts of Heavenly Flame energy in the Three Thousand Burning Flame’s space, there had been no signs of evolution. This was why Xiao Yan had set his sights on the Heaven Phoenix Blood Pool.
Since it was not his to begin with, why not drain it ruthlessly!
Before long, Xiao Yan resembled a figure of pure fire with wings of flame, his entire body wrapped in burning glory.
He had not lied to Little Fairy Doctor; even his inner garments had burned to ash, which was precisely why he had stored away his Soul Robe.
Feng Qing Er’s clothes were her own feathers. Standing in a corner, she was only sprinkled with a little blood fire and recovered quickly.
Normally, when Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe members entered the blood pool, their feathers would burn away completely. The sign of successful body tempering was when their ’clothes’ could withstand the flames, proving their physique had reached a higher level.
When Feng Qing Er saw Xiao Yan’s fair-white butt, she neither screamed nor blushed. Instead, witnessing the formidable strength of his physique only deepened her despair, her face paling further.
Is he even human?!
Xiao Yan glanced at Feng Qing Er hiding in the corner but paid her no mind. Whether she was watching him ’bathe’ was irrelevant. She was merely a tool.
The fountain of blood fire ceased, and the small pool was now completely full. Though not vast, it had been condensed from Ancient Heaven Phoenix essence blood left from ancient times, and Xiao Yan had just excavated its very foundation.
The concentration of essence blood was more than sufficient for tempering his body and refining his bone wings.
Xiao Yan stepped into the blood pool and withdrew numerous medicinal ingredients. Using the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, he refined them into spiritual liquids that would aid in body tempering and cultivation, then mixed them into the pool.
Since this blood pool was for his own use, how could he be stingy? Among the ingredients were quite a few tier 8 medicinal herbs.
A humming sound arose as the medicinal liquid merged with the blood pool. Wisps of blood-red light seeped outward, emanating an immense life force that all magical beasts would covet intensely!
The energy contained in this pool of blood fire probably rivaled that of a tier 8 pill that had attracted eight-colored Pill Lightning!
This was a pool of priceless blood!
Xiao Yan completely submerged his body and bone wings. The Ten Thousand Beast Flame surged from his Acceptance Soul, enveloping the wings and using its unique power, along with the Heaven Phoenix essence blood, to reforge them.
He closed his eyes, sitting cross-legged and floating in the pool as the Flame Mantra circulated frantically. This fire-attributed blood pool seemed tailor-made for him.
The entire basin began to sway as the liquid rotated, with Xiao Yan’s body at the center of the vortex, continuously absorbing its power.
The energy required for a Dou Venerate was extraordinarily vast, countless times more than a 9-star Dou Ancestor needed. Just as Spiritual Strength became incredibly difficult to advance after reaching the Soul State, cultivation beyond the Dou Venerate rank represented a complete transformation, a transcendence of mortality that required an exponential increase in energy.
But Xiao Yan was not worried. He had truly bled the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe dry this time, cutting straight into a major artery. Combined with the medicinal liquids, he estimated that within half a year, he could advance two stars to reach 3-star Dou Venerate!
And this was just the scraps. The real prize was with Mao Wu. Even after emptying the Heaven Phoenix Blood Pool’s foundation, Xiao Yan was still uncertain whether Mao Wu could evolve into a Heaven Seed Flame.
The might of such a flame could rank among the top ten Heavenly Flames, perhaps not even inferior to the Three Thousand Burning Flame itself. The energy required was truly terrifying.
Meanwhile, Feng Qing Er squatted in the corner hugging her knees, her teeth lightly biting her red lips as her beautiful eyes gazed covetously at Xiao Yan. She was, of course, not coveting Xiao Yan the person, but craved that incomparable blood pool with every fiber of her being.
Though she did not know what Xiao Yan had done, she guessed he must have released all the remaining Heaven Phoenix essence blood. Having already entered the Heaven Phoenix Blood Pool, this was her only chance for blood pool body tempering.
If she missed this opportunity, she would never have another.
Xiao Yan opened his eyes, sensing her fervent gaze, and glanced at her with a hint of helplessness. At his look, her body trembled. She quickly lowered her head and buried it in her knees, not daring to meet those deep eyes.
Splash!
Xiao Yan sent a small amount of blood water splashing toward Feng Qing Er like a charitable handout.
A ladle of blood water drenched her body.
"Ah!"
A ball of blood fire instantly enveloped her. Even with a physique tempered by wind and lightning, she felt a searing pain. Her body was actually inferior to Xiao Yan’s, which had been forged by the Three Thousand Burning Flame.
"Be quiet," Xiao Yan said deeply.
Feng Qing Er immediately clamped her mouth shut. No matter how much it hurt, she dared not make another sound. She quickly sat cross-legged and began refining the incomparably dense blood fire, using the Heaven Phoenix essence blood within to strengthen her bloodline.
She was once again naked, but she had no mind for such concerns. He had already been looking for two days. What was left that he had not seen?
There was nothing left to feel ashamed about.
Xiao Yan gave the flame-wreathed Feng Qing Er a brief glance before composing himself and continuing to refine his wings and absorb the blood fire.
However, Feng Qing Er’s portion of blood fire was merely a splash’s worth. Within a few days, she had completely absorbed it. Feeling the benefits, her craving naturally grew even more intense.
She even crouched down to lick the few drops scattered on the ground until they were spotlessly clean.
Xiao Yan could not help but roll his eyes. Even with his heart of steel, he wondered if he was being too excessive.
"Come in," he said slowly, his eyes still closed. This Feng Qing Er had, after all, rendered meritorious service and completed her assigned task.
The Hall of Souls Tianzun operated by clear rewards and punishments! Completing a mission naturally warranted some reward.
Feng Qing Er’s purple eyes flashed with surprise and joy upon hearing his permission, but she remembered his warning against noise. Keeping her mouth tightly shut and covering her body, she approached the blood pool inch by inch. Her eyes held a mixture of greed and excitement, but also fear and apprehension.
Though she understood she could not escape this Yan Tianzun’s clutches, she did not want to become a slave used to resolve his physical needs. She feared what he might do.
She tiptoed to the edge of the pool and glanced at Xiao Yan. Seeing he was still cultivating, she gently dipped her toe in. After looking again and seeing no sign of disgust, she finally dared immerse herself into the blood pool.
The basin wasn’t large to begin with. Afraid to touch Xiao Yan, she dared only to occupy the farthest corner. She curled up and slowly began to refine the pool’s energy.
Given her bloodline strength and cultivation, her refining speed was naturally far inferior to Xiao Yan’s, who possessed a Tian Class Qi Method. She could only consume the ’scraps and leftovers’ he left behind.
While he absorbed energy like a vortex, she could only refine it bit by bit.
Unfortunately, her Heaven Phoenix bloodline was extremely weak. Otherwise, Xiao Yan might have absorbed some Heaven Phoenix aura, which could have potentially strengthened his meridians as the dragon aura had.
He paid her no mind and focused on accelerating his own cultivation. The Heaven Phoenix Blood Pool was not an unlimited resource. He estimated that once he reached the 3-star Dou Venerate stage, his body would develop a resistance and the tempering would become ineffective.
Time passed steadily. With just over a month remaining before the Hall of Souls ceremony, an uninvited guest approached the blood pool’s barrier.
Outside Heaven Phoenix Mountain, Huang Pei, having spent over three months refining his own blood pool, gazed at a distant dome-shaped barrier. There were ten such barriers on the mountain, each containing a blood pool.
A wicked expression crossed his handsome face, and a strange light flashed in his eyes as he licked his lips. "I wonder what it feels like to play in the water with that Wind-Lightning Physique."
Huang Pei retrieved a token identical to Feng Qing Er’s Feng clan token from his storage ring. He bit his finger, condensing a drop of essence blood radiating Heaven Demon Phoenix might on his fingertip. With a light tap on the token, a hum sounded as blood light shot toward the dome barrier.
A small gap appeared before him.
"Hehe." Huang Pei rubbed his hands together like a fly and slipped through the gap.
But upon entering Feng Qing Er’s blood pool, the scene before him left him frozen in shock.
There was a third person here!
What was he seeing?!
In what should have been the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe’s sacred realm stood a human male!
This man was absorbing the incomparably dense blood fire with his eyes closed, while the tribe’s own prodigy, Feng Qing Er, was curled up in a corner of the pool.
It was clear that the human was absorbing the vast majority of the pool’s energy!
Feng Qing Er’s eyes snapped open when she sensed someone’s arrival. She stared in surprise at Huang Pei, who had entered the barrier unnoticed. She could not understand what was happening. Given Xiao Yan’s capabilities, how could he possibly have allowed a newly advanced Dou Venerate like Huang Pei to enter?!
"Feng Qing Er! You colluded with an outsider to destroy our tribe’s sacred realm!" Huang Pei’s expression turned extremely ugly. He had already considered Feng Qing Er his forbidden possession, yet now he found her bathing with a strange human man.
How could he possibly tolerate this?!
Feng Qing Er’s mind reeled in turmoil and her brain went completely blank. She feared Huang Pei would report this matter. If the tribe learned she had opened the barrier to let Xiao Yan enter the Heaven Phoenix Blood Pool—even draining all the essence blood beneath—her death would be extremely miserable!
In an instant, a sharp, cold killing intent flashed in her eyes. She could not let Huang Pei live. He had to die!
Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes from his meditative state. His gaze held neither joy nor sorrow as he glanced at Huang Pei and said quietly, "Too slow."
Whoosh!
A pair of enormous wings unfurled from the blood pool. After nearly four months of tempering, they had undergone a massive transformation.
Bone had grown flesh.
The bone wings had actually sprouted flesh and blood. Gnarled blood vessels writhed visibly, with blood clearly flowing through them!
Feng Qing Er was utterly astonished by this transformation. These wings seemed alive. Apart from lacking feathers, they completely resembled a pair of Heaven Demon Phoenix wings. No—perhaps they had already surpassed demon phoenix wings, reaching the level of an Ancient Heaven Phoenix!
The moment she met his gaze, Feng Qing Er started. She suddenly recalled that during their battle at the Wind Lightning Pavilion, Xiao Yan had mentioned his bone wings lacked a Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe soul! Her strength and bloodline had been too weak to suit his needs.
"Could it be... he planned this intentionally?!" Feng Qing Er regarded Xiao Yan with beautiful eyes filled with horror and wariness.
Xiao Yan’s eyes sized up Huang Pei, and he nodded secretly in satisfaction.
’Rank 8 strength, dense Heaven Demon Phoenix bloodline containing a trace of Ancient Heaven Phoenix lineage. Not bad, not bad.’ A smile touched his lips as he assessed this material with approval.
Having lurked in the shadows, he had long known Huang Pei had designs on Feng Qing Er. With his methods, there were countless ways to prevent entry if he had wished.
This Huang Pei thought himself the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware that the true hunter had merely placed the cicada in a cage and opened a crack for him to walk through.
After all, they were in Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe territory. Xiao Yan couldn’t really take the initiative.
But if you walk into the barrier yourself—well, I can’t be blamed for that!
Feng Qing Er understood everything, and her gaze changed as she looked at Huang Pei with pity. No prey targeted by this man could escape. She was living proof.
"Feng Qing Er, you colluded with humans. I will definitely report this to the elders. As for you, human! Not only did you refine our tribe members’ corpses, you’ve also destroyed our secret realm. I’ll break your limbs right now and make your life worse than death!" Huang Pei’s expression twisted savagely, vicious light gleaming in his eyes.
A cry rang out, and a black phoenix manifestation appeared behind him. This illusory figure far surpassed Feng Qing Er’s or Huang Bao Er’s in clarity and substance, showing Huang Pei’s high status within the tribe.
Terrifying Dou Venerate power swept outward, overturning everything nearby with its fearsome might. The barrier shattered, and the ground around the blood pool melted under the demon phoenix black flames.
Though only a 1-star Dou Venerate, Huang Pei’s bloodline strength was extremely powerful, his aura considerably stronger than an ordinary 1-star Dou Venerate.
"Sigh, your Spiritual Strength is so weak, I’m starting to doubt if I chose correctly." Xiao Yan was still soaking in the blood pool. He shook his head, completely motionless. Despite the black flames burning his body, he remained as steady as Mount Tai, seemingly feeling no pain.
Glancing at Huang Pei unleashing his bloodline strength, Xiao Yan thought, ’This fellow doesn’t actually believe you can casually step into someone else’s barrier without them leaving countermeasures, does he?’
Whoosh.
Xiao Yan blew a breath toward Huang Pei. That single breath extinguished the black flames on Huang Pei’s body and the black phoenix manifestation!
"How is this possible?!" Feng Qing Er cried out in shock. Extinguishing a Dou Venerate’s might with one breath! Even a Dou Saint couldn’t do that!
Seeing her shocked expression, Xiao Yan shot her a speechless glance, the kind one gives to a fool.
Feng Qing Er’s pupils contracted. Was this a soul illusion?! When had she fallen for it?!
She hurriedly sat properly, withdrawing her mind, then slowly opened her eyes. When she opened them again, everything had changed.
The barrier, blood pool, and surroundings had returned to their original state. Only Huang Pei stood vacant-eyed and motionless, like a puppet without a soul.
Xiao Yan slowly walked toward the pool’s edge. His physical strength now nearly matched that of a newly-advanced Rank 8 Ancient Void Dragon. The blood fire in the Heaven Phoenix Blood Pool was mostly depleted, the vast majority of Heaven Phoenix essence blood absorbed by him.
With a Tian Class Qi Method plus the Heaven Phoenix Blood Pool, his cultivation had rocketed upward, reaching the terrifying level of 3-star Dou Venerate.
This was why Xiao Yan said Huang Pei came too late. If you hadn’t come, I really would have let you go!
He only had about a month left before the Hall of Souls ceremony began.
Fortunately, you arrived just in time.
Splash!
Xiao Yan emerged from the blood pool. Blood water dripped from the flesh-covered Ancient Phoenix demon wings behind him. These featherless, flesh-covered wings appeared extremely sinister, yet powerful!
After the Sky Demon Puppet evolved, Xiao Yan had conceived the idea of evolving the bone wings here as well. If the wings could simultaneously bear the power of Ten Thousand Beast Flame, Wind and Thunder Fury Flame, and Nine Dragon Lightning Flame, perhaps they could recreate the might of the once-dominant Ancient Heaven Phoenix and Heaven Demon Phoenix!
They might even recreate the legendary Rank 10 Phoenix’s might!
Xiao Yan believed that with fully developed demon wings combined with three Heavenly Flames’ power, his speed would reach an unbelievable level. Even encountering peak Dou Venerates or Half-Saints, he could escape if he could not win.
Feng Qing Er saw Xiao Yan emerge from the blood pool and immediately lowered her head, not daring to look directly for fear of his displeasure.
Splash!
Soul chains shot from Xiao Yan’s shadow. Though Huang Pei’s strength was decent, compared to Xiao Yan the gap was vast. Moreover, Abyss Submersion was a Soul Technique, and magical beasts’ Spiritual Strength had always been their weakness.
Once pulled into Abyss Submersion, Huang Pei was no different from a corpse. His soul was extracted immediately.
Huang Pei’s soul took a magical beast form, resembling a giant black bird. A very faint wisp of black flame burned on the soul body, especially on those wings, which were beautiful as obsidian.
The soul chain yanked fiercely, pulling Huang Pei’s soul into the bone wings!
Buzz! Whoosh!
At the moment of fusion, Ancient Phoenix black flames seeped from the bone wings’ flesh, bones, and blood vessels. Piece by piece, feathers as black as ink began to sprout from the living tissue!