At last, the lion completed its mission, left the giant ice arrow inside the Phoenix’s chest.
Blood was belching from the wound, the beast immediately went quiet, obviously it was badly injured. The three teams of cultivators relieved, but before they celebrated their victory, the body of Phoenix started to glimmer with golden light. One of the captains yelled nervously, “Watch out! It’s gonna use the gifted skill – Ignite Fire to Bring Renascence!”
Not far away from the Phoenix, Luo Jianqing was observing the whole thing.
Golden Phoenix was born with fifth-level Demon Cultivation. Some were saying this kind of bird was a descent of Holy Phoenix. Though the lineage was not that pure, Golden Phoenix owned very similar gifted skill with its ancestor – Ignite Fire to Bring Renascence. A pure breed Phoenix’s Nirvana was a profound ability containing tremendous power, but Ignite Fire to Bring Renascence was only a crude counterfeit. The latter one could only quicken the healing of wound in fifteen minutes, giving the Golden Phoenix a chance to survive, but after this short period of time, the Golden Phoenix would drop back to fourth-level and could never get back to the fifth-level for the rest of its life.
These crowd of rougr cultivators must be very powerful so that the Golden Phoenix was forced to use its gifted skill. Luo Jianqing put his eyes on Li Xiuchen who was standing yonder. Li was gripping his sword as if he was waiting for the right time.
Luo Jianqing remembered, as described in Seeking Immortality, Li Xiuchen reaped Golden Phoenix’s treasures and Best Core and was hunted by lots of cultivators because of this. The book explained that Li Xiuchen didn’t know these cultivators paid their efforts trying to tackle the bird, but they forced him to hand in the Phoenix’s treasures that Li Xiuchen got by giving the Phoenix a last thump.
Unfair! Unjust! Unreasonable! Li Xiuchen deserved the treasures and the Best Core. He got it by his own effort!
……that’s basically what the book was trying to convey.
Luo Jianqing couldn’t agree with it.
These rouge cultivators had forced the Golden Phoenix to use its gifted skill, and that was an undeniable proof on how hard they’ve fought. First they needed to find the bird, then lure it away from its nest, finally they had to defeat it. Li Xiuchen did nothing but giving a strike. It was reasonable that they asked Li Xiuchen to return what he got.
Nevertheless, the powerful ones could do whatever they want at the Wan Shou Peak. Li Xiuchen’s action was indeed effrontery but actually normal at the same time. It was also reasonable for these guys to hunt Li Xiuchen. All of his treasures would be theirs as long as they hunted him down.
The law of jungle was a fundamental rule in Wan Shou Peak.
The Golden Phoenix immediately mended its power back to its peak and destroyed the giant web. Now, on the other side, the cultivators were all lacking Spiritual Power and badly wounded.
“Guys, if we could hold it for another fifteen minutes, the bird will be ours!”
“Got it!”
The cultivators all used their final skill. Facing the burning flames of the Golden Phoenix, no doubt some were hit, lying on the ground with blood dripping from their mouths. Someone’s limb was cut by the beast’s whirlwind, moaning with tremendous pain.
Fifteen minutes was a short period of time, but, for them, it was a time desperately long.
Of course Li Xiuchen wouldn’t reveal himself now. Luo Jianqing was just standing there and watching.
This was the rule of the Wan Shou Peak. No one’s gonna give you a hand. Luo Jianqing could step up and easily put down this Golden Phoenix, but all the rewards would be his, leaving none for the rouge cultivators. If Luo Jianqing was just trying to help, still, the teams’ efforts were made for void.
Only because Luo Jianqing was a Nascent Soul Period cultivator.
Time was passing. There were only a few seconds left. The Phoenix’s power was descending. The bird was clever, quickened its escaping. Flapping its wings trying to get away from its assailants, the Golden Phoenix was about to fly up to the sky. At the moment its cultivation dropped back to fourth-level, Li Xiuchen rushed towards the beast with excitement.
“You devil beast! Come back!”
Brandishing his sword pointing at the Golden Phoenix, Li Xiuchen followed the beast up to the sky. When his sword-light almost hit the Phoenix, a bice light dazzled right before his eyes.
“Ah!”
Li Xiuchen fell off from the sky and landed beside the rouge cultivators. The Golden Phoenix was weakened. Luo Jianqing’s sword light made it burst out a painful howl and drop to the ground as well.
Speechless, the rouge cultivators were stunned.
After a while, the Gold Core Period cultivator got up, calmed down his turbulent Spiritual Power and said in a loud voice, “we are grateful for your help, sir. You may take this Golden Phoenix if you want, we only ask for its feathers.”
While talking, the cultivator tried his best pretending to be calm, but still couldn’t hide away the animosity.
The nineteen of them took pains finding the Golden Phoenix, used lots of instruments to draw it out, and wounded it to a point where it had to use its gifted skill. Now the higher level cultivator was gonna take most of the rewards while only generated a sword-light. No one would willingly hand in what they deserved.
However, angry they might be, they won’t dare risk their lives to fight with someone who was clearly far more powerful than them.
To their surprise, Luo Jianqing responded, “I did not kill this Golden Phoenix.”
“Sir?”
“I saw this nuisance tried to claim the prize, so I forced him back with my sword-light. The Phoenix was so frightened that it fell off by itself. I had to intention to kill it.”
The cultivator was elated, “you have all our thanks, sir!”
Hid in darkness, Luo Jianqing smiled.
The rouge cultivators killed the Golden Phoenix not long after they seized it. The captain finally recalled that there was someone who skulked trying to take their beast. He found Li Xiuchen and clearly won’t let him get away from this easily. Li Xiuchen was hurt by Luo Jianqing’s sword-light and hit the ground, somewhat lost his wit – he didn’t escape immediately but stayed where he fell down.
When the captain stood in front of Li Xiuchen, he at last came to his sense and said with gritted teeth, “The voice! You are the guy from the hotel!”
Leaning a trunk, Luo Jianqing sniggered.
He knew that Li Xiuchen could get away from this, so he didn’t worry about him at all. Luo Jianqing won’t let Li Xiuchen die here for he needed him to find opportunities in Wan Shou Peak for the following months, but……
He would still be glad to see Li Xiuchen encounter some scuffles.
