The ancestral land of the Phoenixes had a majestic aura. There was a faint image of a phoenix soaring through the sky.
Jade pavilions were scattered all over the place. From afar, they looked like countless silk ribbons that were scattered with starlight.
There was an indescribable connection between them. The many pavilions formed a majestic formation. Among these buildings, the most eye-catching one was a 9-story pavilion. It was in the shape of a seven-star. One could raise one’s hand to grab the stars and grasp the moon.
At this moment, the candlelights in the building were flickering, and dim yellow flames shone through the bamboo windows.
Feng Tian sat in front of a sandalwood table. He splashed ink and waved a brush in one breath. The tip of the brush seemed to be imbued with the power of ghosts and gods. Several words could be written in a single stroke. It was strange and difficult to describe this.
Upon closer inspection, the words written on the fine paper were clear to see: “There’s always calmness in the face of major events.” The words were vivid, and every pause was like split mountains and broken rocks. One could feel the power within with one look.
Nonetheless, the oddest thing was that such a charming phrase was written with fresh blood.
Feng Tian was born in the Phoenixes and was incomparably noble. When he was young, he had spent his days drinking, indulging in a life of luxury, and had no ambition. He had been muddle-headed for many years. One day, Feng Tian suddenly had an epiphany and wanted to cultivate. He had never thought that he would be good at it but from then on, he could not be stopped. Every day, other than practicing martial arts, he cultivated. No matter what he did, his body was full of energy.
Later on, he relied on his powerful strength to become a Ruler. He occupied a place in the Phoenixes and became a leader.
Feng Tian had just finished writing, and the blood stains on the fine paper had not dried up when a gentle knock on the door was heard.
He blew a breath of hot air on the paper. Without even lifting his eyelids, he uttered in a deep voice, “Come in.” In the Phoenixes’ ancestral land, one who could knock on this door must at least be a Ruler. Not only that, but one must also be Feng Tian’s trusted aide.
The door opened. It was pushed open by Feng Xinxiao.
His face was slightly pale. He cupped his hands respectfully and asked, “Father, aren’t you usually refining your spiritual Qi and nurturing the great path at this time?”
“I knew you were coming, so I’ve been waiting here,” Feng Tian’s expression was calm as he responded softly.
Feng Xinxiao looked at the large words written on the paper and said in a low voice, “I’ve lost.”
If he was defeated by a Ruler, he could endure it, but the one who trampled on him was only a Venerable One. Even if the young fellow comprehended the power of laws, he was still just a Venerable One or even an insignificant ant. This was something that Feng Xinxiao could not bear.
Moreover, if Feng Tian had not made a move at that critical moment…
Feng Xinxiao would definitely have been seriously injured under the attack of the great path of Yin and Yang.
When Feng Tian heard him, his expression turned cold. The temperature in the room dropped as if it were winter. Even the air seemed to be frozen. Even with Feng Xinxiao’s cultivation base, the surface of his skin was covered in a layer of frost, and his mind rumbled.
At this moment, Feng Tian was like the ruler of this space, able to determine life and death with a single word. After a full 10 breaths, he finally spoke calmly, “The Phoenixes are one of the overlords of the Great Wide World. We’re above all other races and have existed in the Great Wide World for hundreds of thousands of years.
“Since you’re my son, and you’re destined to shake the world.” Feng Tian’s words made Feng Xinxiao raise his head and look at the words on the paper seriously.
‘There’s always calmness in the face of major events,’ Feng Xinxiao muttered internally.
Feng Tian did not speak either. He looked at the starry sky through the wooden window.
After a long while, a fire flashed in Feng Xinxiao’s eyes. He nodded gently and said, “I understand.”
Only then did Feng Tian’s eyes reveal a satisfied expression. He put down the paper in his hand and said softly, “You’re extremely talented, and your cultivation has been smooth as you’ve never encountered any setbacks. This isn’t a bad thing for you. After you rope in the Neutral Sect, you can go and travel around the world. There are many things that you can only understand after you’ve seen them and experienced them for yourself. One’s principles can never go wrong after experiencing many different paths.” His voice was not loud, but it sounded decisive and unquestionable.
Feng Xinxiao nodded and clenched his fists.
Feng Tian’s thick and broad back swayed along with the candlelights as he walked out of the room.
Soon, a series of lights were reflected in his eyes. They were as brilliant as summer flowers. He held the railing with both of his hands and looked into the distance. His eyes were filled with ambition that could burn everything. This kind of gaze had appeared in Li Xin’s eye before, but Feng Tian’s was even more domineering and decisive. This was a kind of madness that showed that he would rather betray the world than being betrayed by the world.
Feng Xinxiao hesitated for a moment but still walked to Feng Tian’s side and looked into the distance.
After about 8 minutes, Feng Tian withdrew his gaze and asked in a deep voice, “How are the arrangements for the challenge coming along?”
“It has been arranged properly. This time, the Peacemaking Sect will surely suffer a great loss. It’ll be difficult for them to achieve anything within 100 years.” When he said this, the confidence in his eyes appeared once again.
“Mm, that’s good,” Feng Tian praised.
Feng Xinxiao hesitated for a moment before he said, “This time, the Peacemaking Sect is actually sending a human to participate in the competition. His name is Ou Yangming.”
“Is it the human powerhouse who fought you in the square previously?” Ou Yangming’s handsome and beautiful face appeared in front of Feng Tian again.
“Yes, it’s that person. I pretended not to know but when the competition comes, I’ll use his bloodline against him and break his arm.” Feng Xinxiao’s eyes flashed fiercely.
Feng Tian rubbed the space between his eyebrows. After a moment of silence, he said, “Feng Xiang has the heart of a roc, so we can’t underestimate him. Is he suspicious of anything yet?”
Feng Xinxiao shook his head. “I don’t think so. I deliberately increased the difficulty of the registration. He’d only think that I deliberately made things difficult for him and will lower his guard. He won’t think that I’ve already seen through the whole situation.”
Feng Tian stared at him. After 3 or 4 breaths, he sighed with emotion. “This time, the commotion will be huge!”
It was inevitable that the commotion would be huge. Within the Phoenixes, all the Rulers had received invitations to participate in the feast.
The letter stated that they were invited to judge for the sake of fairness and openness but upon seeing the reason, all the phoenix powerhouses laughed it off and did not take it seriously. Everyone knew the real reason.
※※※※
It was the ninth day of the seventh month of the Phoenixes’ calendar. Dawn had yet to break, and there were no clouds in the sky. The weather was too good.
“Knock, knock, knock…”
Deafening sounds from a bell were heard in the sky above the Phoenixes’ ancestral star. As the sound waves swept in all directions, they stirred up the void.
The sounds were wonderful as they enveloped hundreds of thousands of mountains.
As such, the surging river between the mountains instantly reversed, and spiritual Qi exploded.
The river water was condensed by a mysterious force, turning into a purple phoenix. Every strand of hair and pattern on it was extremely lifelike, and it soared up furiously from the water.
1, 2, 3…
As if they were endless, the world was filled with purple phoenixes.
It would be fine if that was all but there was even a top-grade Venerable Spirit Beast on every mountain peak, raising their heads and roaring. Their auras stirred the void. The shock brought by this scene was unimaginable.
When the purple phoenixes landed on a balcony, they transformed into rays of light and instantly dissipated.
They were like scattered purple dandelions, desolate yet beautiful.
Below the balcony, Big Yellow, the goshawk, and King Kong exchanged a look and transmitted their voices to each other, ‘The Phoenixes are indeed worthy of being the overlord of the Great Wide World. Their foundations are truly too profound.” In just a short while, they had met countless phoenix powerhouses. Their auras were unceasing, and they were so profound that they could not be seen through. Just a look from them caused the skin of the beasts to ache, and they also felt that their backs were pierced by cold gleams.
Ou Yangming stood in front of them. His white clothes were like snow, and his aura was similar to that of an immortal.
This time, he would represent the Peacemaking Sect. The agenda included refining pieces of equipment, setting up formations, and refining pills. As for breaking restrictions and forecasting heavenly secrets, his name was not registered. Of course, this was because each person could only participate in 3 events at most. Otherwise, given the young fellow’s strength, he would not be pressured even if he were to break restrictions. After all, restrictions and formations had the same goal, and he also had some experience in breaking restrictions.
Ou Yangming shrugged and scanned his surroundings with his sharp eyes.
Given his level of cultivation, not to mention under the dark sky, he could even see clearly at the bottom of a deep sea.
He discovered that while the terrace was only several kilometers long, the people present were at least Venerable Ones. There were thousands of figures moving about, and there were even more than 10 Rules, whose auras were majestic. Any one of those Rulers could easily massacre the Spiritual Realm and make all living creatures disappear.
On the east side of the terrace was a high platform. On the high platform was an incense burner that could only be fully covered by 10 people, and purple smoke rose from it. Behind the incense burner, a row of square chairs was lined up like a long dragon. The chairs were made of high-quality green pear and redwood. Even water and fire could not damage them at all. The seats were obviously reserved for the Rulers of the Phoenixes.
In the middle of the terrace stood a white phoenix. It was only tens of meters long, but it had to do with the fate of the Phoenixes’ ancestral star. Its color was mottled, and some parts were covered with black spots. It was unknown how long it had existed.
The white phoenix was the Phoenixes’ guarding totem. It could be used to test one’s bloodline. Every bloodline’s richness was different, so the color it emitted would also be different.
As for why Feng Xiang did not test Ou Yangming’s bloodline first and instead spent a lot of effort to help the young fellow register for the competition, he had his considerations. He wanted to trick Feng Xinxiao in front of the many powerhouses, and it would be up to Feng Xinxiao to take the bait.
That said, given how cautious Feng Xinxiao was, Feng Xiang had a 60% chance that he would take the bait. As long as Feng Xinxiao used Ou Yangming’s bloodline against him, Feng Xiang would not hesitate to give him a heavy blow. He did not know what level the young fellow’s Phoenix Bloodline had reached but since even Feng Lin was afraid of it, he was certain that it was not ordinary.
Feng Xiang did not know how much of a stir would be caused when the purple color was emitted.
How would that be merely a heavy blow? It would be a fatal blow, okay?
“Brother Feng Yun, please, please.” Feng Xiang’s smile was gentle as he intentionally stepped back to welcome a phoenix powerhouse from the Neutral Sect onto the platform.
