Chapter 608: Nine Suns Divine Jade
"...If that's the case! Then he must inherit my Golden Crow power! How could someone so recognized by the Dragon God's soul spirit be ordinary! He is indeed the most worthy person in this world to receive the Golden Crow inheritance!"
If it were the complete Dragon God's pressure, the Golden Crow naturally would not be its opponent. But Yun Che's own strength was too weak, and the Dragon God's pressure he wielded could not truly overpower the will of the Golden Crow Soul Spirit. In the next instant, the Golden Crow's flame that had receded under the Dragon God's pressure suddenly erupted like an active volcano, once again flooding Yun Che's entire soul space... But the Dragon God's soul was after all the Dragon God's soul. Even though it existed only in a human with mere Heavenly Xuan profound strength, it took the Golden Crow Soul Spirit a full hundred breaths to completely suppress it.
It could be said that in the entire Illusion Demon Realm and Tian Xuan Continent, no one other than Yun Che could have endured the will of the Golden Crow Soul Spirit for such a long time.
"This kid truly makes this venerable more and more interested!"
Having suppressed the Dragon God's soul, the Golden Crow's flame now occupied Yun Che's entire soul space. Before erasing the Phoenix bloodline within him, she first had to erase the Phoenix mark within his soul. Then, the Phoenix blood in his body would become rootless and could be effortlessly annihilated in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, the Phoenix imprint within Yun Che's soul appeared before the will of the Golden Crow Soul Spirit. Such a simple imprint could be destroyed by her in a mere instant.
"Hmph! To think that this venerable would go to such great lengths just to proactively pass down her bloodline! It's all because this eyesore of a Phoenix got here first... Get lost!"
With her thought, a beam of golden flame shot out from the sea of fire, hurtling straight toward the Phoenix imprint.
Boom!!
A dull roar echoed within Yun Che's soul as the golden flame violently exploded... But amid the flames that illuminated his entire soul world, the Phoenix imprint was not destroyed. Instead, it also blazed with golden light—a radiance that rivaled the Golden Crow's flame in intensity.
Caw!!
A piercing, majestic phoenix cry rang out sharp and dignified. A golden phoenix shadow soared into the sky, its long tail feathers trailing behind. The surrounding Golden Crow flames were swept away like a gale, forced into the corners of his soul, unable to approach any further.
"What... what?!"
"Phoenix... Soul Source!!"
The Golden Crow flame did not press forward again. At that moment, the will of the Golden Crow Soul Spirit was completely stunned.
"Why... Even the Phoenix gave him its own soul source!"
"What is wrong with this human... Is it merely because he carries the Evil God's power?!"
"Why is this?!"
The phoenix soul shadow floated in the center of Yun Che's soul sea, gazing proudly at the Golden Crow flames that surrounded it. The two blazing golden lights intermingled... But the Golden Crow flame, which had sworn to erase the Phoenix imprint, did not advance again for a long time. The shock and confusion of the Golden Crow Soul Spirit persisted for a while. When her emotions finally stabilized, she still did not choose to suppress the Phoenix soul. Instead, she shifted her target and began to read through all of Yun Che's memories.
Within thirty short breaths, all of Yun Che's memories were fully presented before the will of the Golden Crow Soul Spirit. Yun Che's soul sea was still filled with Golden Crow flames, but these golden flames remained still for a long time. The Golden Crow Soul Spirit, too, was silent for a long while...
It seemed she was making a difficult choice in that silence.
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Yun Che's consciousness gradually revived. When he awoke, the image of him losing consciousness instantly flashed through his mind.
He sat up with a start, and as soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the reddish-golden pupils staring down at him from above. Yun Che's heart tightened: "You..."
He only managed to say "you" before his voice cut off abruptly. That was because within his body, the presence of Phoenix force was unmistakably clear. The memories of Phoenix flame and the six-layer *Phoenix Ode Scripture* were still vividly present, not even a trace of fuzziness... At the same time, his body and soul clearly contained another scorching power.
Yun Che tentatively extended his hands. Two flames ignited simultaneously in his left and right palms. Both were crimson-red in color, very close in hue, with no obvious visible difference.
But the difference was that the flame in his left hand burned calmly, while the flame in his right hand—though there was clearly no wind—swayed and leapt violently, like a ferocious beast. The scorching aura it released carried a wildness that made one's heart tremble.
The two flames were like a calm ocean and a raging storm, respectively.
The flame in his left hand was the Phoenix flame that Yun Che knew well.
And the one in his right... a flame even hotter than the Phoenix flame, releasing a malevolent aura...
Could it be...
"Hmph! Awake so soon, are you? Golden Crow blood should have been like a wild beast when entering another creature's body—hard to tame, even capable of incinerating the creature directly. But upon entering your body, it turned so docile! In just a few hours, while you were still unconscious, you've already absorbed nearly thirty percent! Truly worthy of a Fire Spirit Evil Body with a Dragon God's soul and a Phoenix soul!"
The Golden Crow Soul Spirit's voice was unusually flat and low, and whether because of illusion, Yun Che detected a hint of weakness in her tone.
Yun Che looked up and said with some disbelief: "You infused Golden Crow blood into my body... but you didn't erase my Phoenix bloodline?"
"And what if I didn't?" the Golden Crow Soul Spirit said coldly. "Hmph! Don't naively think that this venerable was unable to erase your Phoenix bloodline. I merely had a sudden change of heart! What a joke... This venerable actually allowed the Golden Crow bloodline and the Phoenix bloodline to coexist in one person... Hahaha... What an enormous joke..."
"..." Yun Che was speechless for a long time. He clearly remembered having almost no resistance against the soul impact of the Golden Crow Soul Spirit, until his consciousness collapsed and he fell into a complete coma. At that time, the Golden Crow Soul Spirit's posture of erasing his Phoenix bloodline was extremely overbearing and resolute, leaving no room for negotiation. He had no doubt that, given the power the Golden Crow Soul Spirit had displayed, erasing his Phoenix bloodline would be effortless.
Before his consciousness dissipated, he thought he would be at the mercy of the Golden Crow Soul Spirit and lose all his Phoenix power upon waking... Unexpectedly, not only did he keep his Phoenix power, but he also gained the power of the Golden Crow.
"Mo Li, what exactly happened?" Yun Che couldn't fathom the reason. The Golden Crow Soul Spirit having a change of heart... he couldn't believe that explanation.
"She was only a hair's breadth away from destroying the Phoenix imprint in your soul. But at the last moment, she changed her mind. As for the reason for that sudden change..." Mo Li smiled eerily: "Probably because she was frightened by your experiences."
And it was a good thing she changed her mind at the last moment, or else she would have long since been annihilated under this princess's hand—that was the voice deep in Mo Li's soul.
"Frightened... by my experiences?" Yun Che was utterly confused.
"This Golden Crow Soul Spirit has a fickle temper. Who knows what she's thinking? You can just assume she suddenly didn't feel like it—no reason needed!" Mo Li said irresponsibly. "Now is not the time for you to dwell on this. You've kept your Phoenix power and gained the Golden Crow bloodline—you've come out ahead! The Golden Crow source blood is still surging inside you. While you were unconscious, you only refined thirty percent! Quickly focus your mind and refine it!"
"Oh!" Yun Che's spirit lifted. He immediately responded, gathered his concentration, and adjusted his breath. He felt nine streams of scorching energy inside him, radiating a reddish-golden glow.
Nine drops of Golden Crow source blood.
Seeing Yun Che shift from shock to a state of focused refinement, the Golden Crow Soul Spirit spoke again: "Although I have allowed the Golden Crow bloodline and the Phoenix bloodline to coexist in your body, that does not mean I acknowledge the Phoenix bloodline as worthy to stand alongside the Golden Crow bloodline! The Golden Crow is a deity born from the sun's core. The Golden Crow flame is the strongest fire in this world—how could the Phoenix flame compare? Once you integrate the Golden Crow bloodline into your body and comprehend the *Golden Crow World-Incinerating Record*, you will no longer deign to use that inferior Phoenix flame!"
"That Phoenix Soul Spirit gave you only three drops of Phoenix blood... I will grant you nine drops of Golden Crow blood!"
"That Phoenix Soul Spirit gave you six layers of the *Phoenix Ode Scripture*... I will imprint all seven layers of the *Golden Crow World-Incinerating Record* into your soul!"
"That Phoenix Soul Spirit gave you a great gift... I will bestow upon you an even greater gift!"
The words of the Golden Crow Soul Spirit were aimed at belittling the Phoenix flame at every turn. Earlier, she had been "unwilling" to let the Golden Crow bloodline coexist with the Phoenix bloodline. Now, everything she bestowed upon Yun Che was meant to surpass what the Phoenix Soul Spirit had given.
Beneath her fierce, dominating, and violent exterior, could she not be just like an ordinary woman who loved to win and absolutely refused to lose?
At this moment, Yun Che opened his eyes, looked up, and asked doubtfully: "The great gift the Phoenix Soul Spirit gave me... What great gift?"
Similar words had been spoken by the Phoenix Soul Spirit and the Dragon God's remnant soul, but none had revealed it clearly. Mo Li also seemed to know, but each time he asked, she never gave a serious answer. Now, the Golden Crow Soul Spirit had said exactly the same thing.
Before he left the Phoenix Secret Realm, what exactly was the "great gift" the Phoenix Soul Spirit had given him?
"You truly don't know, and you don't need to know." The Golden Crow Soul Spirit similarly gave him no clear answer. "Although knowing in advance would be a surprise for you, it would only hinder your growth, with no benefit at all! It's best you don't know... When the day comes that you should know, you will naturally find out."
"@!#$%..." (Damn! Another damn answer like that! What the hell is it?!)
"That the Phoenix Soul Spirit would give you such a gift truly surprised me! But what I bestow upon you will be no lesser than that Phoenix's gift!"
The reddish-golden pupils suddenly flashed. Then, a golden light sparkled in the sky above, slowly descending until it landed before Yun Che. Yun Che stopped refining the Golden Crow blood, reached out, and carefully caught the golden light in his hands... This was a gift from the Golden Crow Soul Spirit, said to be no less than the mysterious gift from the Phoenix deity—nothing trivial!
As the golden light touched Yun Che's palm, it slowly dissipated. What appeared before him was a golden jade the size of a fist. The jade was somewhat translucent, and within it, nine reddish-golden dots were irregularly distributed, each connected to the others by a fine golden thread.
"This is... Nine Suns Jade!!" In Yun Che's heart, Mo Li's voice suddenly exclaimed in shock.
It was the first time Yun Che had heard Mo Li lose her composure over a piece of jade. He quickly asked: "Nine Suns Jade? What kind of jade is that? Is it really as powerful as the Golden Crow Soul Spirit says?"
"...For this plane of existence to produce a divine object like Nine Suns Jade is truly unbelievable!" Mo Li's voice was unusually low. She said solemnly: "Nine Suns Jade is one of the highest-grade divine jades in the entire Primordial World! Even in the world I was born in, it was an extremely rare and sought-after divine object! If all the energy within a single Nine Suns Jade were released... Hmph, it would be enough to destroy the entire Illusion Demon Realm in an instant!"