“Fine then!”
After some consideration, Feng Xiwu finally nodded and agreed. He truly did not want the little phoenix to be trapped in the tiny phoenix’s nest forever, and remaining by Li Qingshan’s side might have even been safer than remaining on Fire Melt mountain.
The little phoenix cheered and turned back into his original form, flying around Feng Xiwu a few times before throwing himself into his arms. “Thank you, second father!”
“There will be a day when you leave this world, follow your true parents, and find a wutong that belongs to you.” Feng Xiwu hugged him tightly as his smile became slightly sad.
The phoenix had flown away, leaving the wutong empty for a length of ten thousand years.
The little phoenix blanked out. Suddenly, he began to feel sad. They had spent ten thousand years together, so how could he be completely unattached to him? Originally, all he wanted to do was fly further and higher, but only when the time of parting arrived did he realise he still had not grown accustomed to this yet. This was a feeling that the phoenix’s legacy had never taught him. Tears trickled down his cheeks, almost about to change his mind.
“A wutong as great as you is quite difficult to find. If you don’t want to part with him, then cultivate well. You can go to higher worlds and take a look together!” Li Qingshan patted Feng Xiwu on the shoulder.
“That’s reasonable. I should make some progress too!”
Feng Xiwu began to laugh as well. Although he was a plant daemon, his cultivation speed should not have been so slow as a divine tree of nature. He had spent far too much energy and effort in hatching the phoenix’s embryo, which affected his cultivation speed.
“Don’t worry, second father. I’ll never find another wutong tree!” The little phoenix wiped away his tears and balled his fists.
Feng Xiwu chuckled and said to Li Qingshan, “I’ll leave Fengyuan up to you. You’re the first father. If anything happens to him, I’ll-”
“You better stop right there. He has to shoulder his fate himself and take responsibility for whatever he does. Just because his surname is Li doesn’t mean I’ll take care of him for his entire life. Even if he dies outside, he better not grumble or feel regret!” Li Qingshan said resolutely.
The little phoenix was dreaming if he thought he could live a life that was both dangerless and fascinating.
“You-” Feng Xiwu was speechless. His face changed numerous times before shaking his head and sighing in the end. “For the first time, I feel like you are indeed more suited to be a father than me.”
“That goes without saying!” The little phoenix clenched his fists, his gaze resolute. No matter how much difference existed between the phoenix’s legacy and Li Qingshan’s will, there was at least one similarity. Neither of them were cowards!
“Alright, then let’s go!” Li Qingshan leapt up and flew out of the crater with Xiao An close behind. The little phoenix gave Feng Xiwu another hug. “Second father, I’ll come back and visit you if I have time!”
A phoenix’s cry resounded through the surroundings. The cries of younger phoenixes were clearer than the old.
The phoenix spread its wings and rushed into the sky. It also happened to be magnificent.
A few shamans and cultivators gathered at the foot of the mountains. They had all come to Fire Melt mountain to look for treasures before the little phoenix captured them. At this moment, they all gazed at the sky, filled with amazement.
He shone brightly, and his glorious feathers were magnificent, dazzling them all. His head swivelled about gracefully as his feathers drifted through the air, possessing a form of elegance that he was born with. Even Li Qingshan and Xiao An were amazed.
The little phoenix circled through the sky a few times to his heart’s content before perching on Li Qingshan’s shoulder and gently pecking his cheek. “Let’s go! Let’s go!”
Xiao An passed on what Gong Yuan had said to Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan gazed off into the distance, in the direction of the South sea, and took out the Heart of the Abyss. He instructed them. “Go to Savage mountain first and wait for me. I’ll pay a visit to the South sea!”
He had flown away before he had even finished talking, vanishing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
The little phoenix glanced at Xiao An silently. He instinctively feared her a little. Now that he was alone with her, he could not help but become a little timid.
“I’ll let you fly for a while longer. Let’s see who reaches Savage mountain first. If you lose, I’m going to pluck one of your feathers!”
Xiao An smiled. The smile was different from before, with true feelings now.
The little phoenix immediately found her to be rather friendly. It also ignited his competitive spirit. He patted his wings. “Alright!”
As a result, he began his first journey away from home with a bet. He flapped his wings as hard as he could, flying towards the distant horizon. The world seemed endless.
Feng Xiwu stood on the top of the tree and gazed into the distance, faltering several times as he tried to speak. The little phoenix was his greatest secret. Originally, he wanted to keep this secret hidden forever, just in case people coveted him. By flying in such a flagrant manner, the world would definitely learn about the little phoenix’s existence. However, with some further thought, could true radiance really be hidden away forever?
“Take a look! That’s my child!”
On that day, many people saw a legendary phoenix fly across the sky.
……
When Savage mountain appeared on the horizon, the little phoenix glanced backwards, but Xiao An was nowhere to be seen. He could not help but let out a complacent cry and mumble to himself, “Even giving me a handicap. You’ve lost now, haven’t you? Hold on, if I lose, I get my feathers plucked, but why didn’t she say what would happen if she lost?”
“You’re thinking too much.” A voice drifted over. It was so clear that it seemed to come from right by his ears.
“What?” Before the little phoenix had even realised what had happened, he felt a slight pain, and a white figure brushed past him. Xiao An held a feather between her fingers, vanishing into the thick, rolling mist that enveloped Savage mountain.
The little phoenix was very annoyed, but he could not help but admire her strength. It ignited his endless spirit and excited him again. A feather was nothing to him, but this was the first time he had ever flown like this in his life. He felt much faster than when he was on Fire Melt mountain, and he understood that a little bit more of the power within his body had been unlocked. Looking back, Fire Melt mountain had already vanished.
He secretly made up his mind and flew into Savage mountain. The mist parted, and the landscape before him suddenly opened up. All he saw was Xiao An standing on a towering tree, which he landed on as well.
His glorious glow threw Savage mountain into chaos. Even the Great Banyan Tree King was filled with amazement. “This is… a phoenix!” It was as if he was reliving the past. The figure that he originally thought he would never see again had appeared before him once again. He asked Xiao An, “Where did you find him? No wait, there’s no need to answer that. I understand.”
He had already guessed this when Feng Xiwu spent ten thousand years slumbering on the main peak of Fire Melt mountain. Coupled with Li Qingshan staying in the phoenix’s nest, all became clear.
“This is Qingshan’s foster son!” Xiao An said.
“If he didn’t have a foster father like that, would Feng Xiwu let him out?” The Great Banyan Tree King expressed his understanding. A pill refined from a droplet of phoenix blood could lengthen lifespans, which was enough to tempt all cultivators.
“First father is the strongest! You’re the Great Banyan Tree King? I know you! Sure enough, you’re very large, much larger than second father!”
“That’s correct. I might not be a wutong, but do feel free to perch on me,” said the Great Banyan Tree King. He also felt rather honoured.
“It’s a pleasure, it’s a pleasure!” The little phoenix looked around curiously.
“What an auspicious omen, but what a pity!”
The Great Banyan Tree King sighed. Legends had it that the phoenix’s appearance signalled world peace, but the world was in chaos right now. Li Qingshan had basically cleaned up all the demon caverns in the south, but the Demon domain did not seem to be intending on giving up. The situation was becoming more and more chaotic.
He thought of Li Qingshan. Just how would he change the situation of the nine provinces?
