Chapter 83 – Summoning

Yun Xiguang’s current state was peculiar; because of the Phoenix Feather, his energy reserves were ample. However, the attack from Zhulong had left his body extremely weak, and this frailty made it difficult for him to harness such vast energy.

He was also trapped mid-air by an enigmatic force. He could not descend to join Bai Ze, the Azure Dragon, and others, nor could he ascend to assault Zhulong itself.

It seemed Zhulong was intent on confining him within a specific area, repeatedly subjecting him to the torment of fire and ice, attempting to force him to willingly surrender the four Phoenix Feathers.

Since he wouldn’t fall, Yun Xiguang extinguished his fiery wings and relaxed his body, lying within the cage-like space created by Zhulong, allowing his body to float aimlessly in the air.

He was conserving his strength while pondering Zhulong’ weakness.

Yun Xiguang didn’t believe a word Zhulong said.

A Law capable of orchestrating the apocalypse since the Industrial Revolution wouldn’t care much about the century the creature mentioned. Besides, the power contained within the Phoenix Feathers was inherently challenging for spirit beasts to utilize; otherwise, Youying wouldn’t have needed to create peculiar entities like the carnivorous trees and mushroom monsters.

In Yun Xiguang’s view, Zhulong’ excuse was not valid.

Furthermore, based on his understanding of Zhulong, creatures of its level wouldn’t bother communicating with weak humans.

Just as a human wouldn’t waste breath talking to an ant they were about to step on.

Back when his parents still possessed Heavenly Fire, Zhulong hadn’t expended much effort dealing with them; it simply conjured a disaster to end their lives.

Yun Xiguang believed that every action displayed by Zhulong confirmed one thing — that he possibly posed a threat to it. Since Zhulong lacked confidence in killing him, it resorted to torturous means to force him to relinquish the Phoenix Feathers.

Yun Xiguang couldn’t help but ask himself: What makes me capable of harming Zhulong?

There was only one answer: the Fire of Rules.

However, the Fire of Rules was only effective against spirit beasts utilizing Chi Qiong’s power. Could it be that Zhulong had tapped into the power of the Phoenix Feathers?

Or was Zhulong a spirit beast birthed from the power of Zhuzhao?

Regardless, Yun Xiguang felt that as long as he could get close to Zhulong, he could wound it with the Fire of Rules.

But currently, he was trapped within this confined space by Zhulong, making it hard to approach it.

Yet, similarly, Zhulong hadn’t killed him.

If Zhulong feared the Fire of Rules, why not just kill its master?

Why not eliminate him and instead force him to hand over the Phoenix Feathers?

Was there a possibility that Zhulong was actually unable to kill him?

Then why couldn’t Zhulong kill such a feeble being like him?

Yun Xiguang moved his wrist, recalling Chi Qiong’s attitude toward the Phoenix Feathers: “This is my power; I bestow it upon whom I wish, and if I don’t wish to bestow it, no one shall have it.”

Perhaps even if he died, Zhulong wouldn’t obtain these four Phoenix Feathers. The Phoenix Feathers would return to the Spirit Beast Codex upon his demise, disrupting the codex’s seal from the outside.

Unless he, the contractor, voluntarily transferred the gift bestowed by Chi Qiong, the Phoenix Feathers wouldn’t return to the Spirit Beast Codex and would fall into the hands of Zhulong.

Realizing this, Yun Xiguang slowly opened his eyes. He unfurled his fiery wings and soared toward the sky, testing how high he could fly and how close he could get to Zhulong.

He flew very high, but just as he was about to touch Zhulong, an invisible barrier appeared in the sky, blocking Yun Xiguang’s path forward.

Yun Xiguang attempted to breach the barrier, but even attacking it with Heavenly Fire and Fire of Rules failed to shake it in the slightest.

Zhulong, calmly hovering above the barrier, said, “Don’t waste your efforts. This is a time barrier; we aren’t in the same temporal dimension. You’ll never cross this barrier.”

It was confirmed — Zhulong dared not let him get close, fearing the Fire of Rules.

Yun Xiguang gazed at Zhulong through the barrier, contemplating how he could assault it.

Seeing Yun Xiguang’s unwavering resolve, Zhulong expelled a cloud of mist, enveloping Yun Xiguang entirely in the fog.

Now, Yun Xiguang was thoroughly trapped in the mist by Zhulong, unable to see the outside world and losing all sense of time.

Zhulong aimed to sever all of Yun Xiguang’s connections to the external world, making him suffer for thousands of years in the crevices of time until time itself dulled his senses toward everything, turning all of Yun Xiguang’s stubbornness into nothing but bubbles in the vastness of time.

“You’ll agree,” Zhulong stated. “I won’t let you die; I’ll keep you alive. No human can overcome time and solitude. One day, you’ll abandon your persistence just to find relief.”

Yun Xiguang remained silent, using this opportunity to recuperate and quietly ponder his options.

He laid down in the void, closing his eyes, reminiscing about everything that had happened since arriving at the Youying Academy.

From Chi Qiong being taken away by the Spirit Beast Codex to him burning the mushroom monster’s body with the Fire of Rules; from guessing the reason behind the Law’s desire to destroy the world to rescuing Li Zheng and the Golden-Winged Great Peng with the help of The Mirage…

His thoughts lingered on Li Zheng and the Golden-Winged Great Peng, their bodies covered in white mycelium. It was Chi Qiong who burned away the mycelium to save them.

Yun Xiguang opened his eyes, raising his head to see Zhulong peering down at him from the sky, seemingly poised to accept his surrender at any moment.

And those three Phoenix Feathers were now in Zhulong’ possession.

Yun Xiguang glanced at the Phoenix Feather on his wrist, gently dripping blood onto it.

Between him and Chi Qiong was a blood pact.

Blood could connect to the information left behind by Chi Qiong.

Zhulong noticed Yun Xiguang’s action and remarked, “It’s useless. With the frailty of a blood pact, you can’t open the Spirit Beast Codex.”

Yun Xiguang remained silent, picking up the Phoenix Feather stained with his blood and pressing it against his forehead.

The still wet blood smeared across his forehead, leaving a bloody streak.

Yun Xiguang opened his eyes, looking at Zhulong, a faint smile crossing his lips.

Zhulong sensed something odd about his smile but couldn’t fathom why Yun Xiguang wore such a confident grin.

Yun Xiguang wrapped the Phoenix Feather around his hand, transforming it into a fiery red Phoenix Feather tattoo that adorned his fingers, palm, and arm.

The bloody mark between Yun Xiguang’s brows slightly illuminated, and through the blood pact, he glimpsed a flame.

Zhulong hadn’t completely severed the connection to the Fire of Rules. The mycelium entwined around the three Phoenix Feathers was the ignition source for the Fire of Rules!

To save Li Zheng and the Golden-Winged Great Peng, Chi Qiong had once burned the mycelium, leaving embers within the mushroom monster’s mycelium.

The mushroom monster was a new spirit beast evolved entirely from the essence within the Phoenix Feathers, its body saturated with Chi Qiong’s essence. Even if the mycelium that ensnared the Phoenix Feathers wasn’t the same as the mycelium that entrapped Li Zheng and the Golden-Winged Great Peng, the mycelia were interconnected. They originated from the same mushroom and had never been severed, remaining attached to the same mushroom throughout.

Chi Qiong’s fire, through the mycelium, established a subtle connection with those three Phoenix Feathers.

And Yun Xiguang, through the blood pact with Chi Qiong, using the power of the Phoenix Feather, intended to ignite the mycelium, setting ablaze those three Phoenix Feathers.

He raised his hand, pointing in the direction of Zhulong, the Phoenix Feather tattoo on his arm bursting into roaring flames, engulfing Yun Xiguang’s arm.

“Your fire can’t burn through the rift in time,” Zhulong confidently proclaimed.

“I don’t need to burn the rift in time; I just need to burn the existence that created the rift,” Yun Xiguang stated. “Chi Qiong once said that his power forever belongs to him. As long as his flames are sensed, the Phoenix Feather will become a catalyst for the fire at any time.”

With that, Yun Xiguang snapped his fingers lightly, clearly seeing through the blood pact that a tiny flame had ignited on Zhulong hidden within the fog.

The spark had been lit.

Zhulong asked, “What are you talking about?”

Yun Xiguang didn’t respond, focusing all his consciousness on the Phoenix Feather, using fire as a medium to call out to the Phoenix Feather within the mycelium.

“Return, return, return!” Yun Xiguang shouted in his mind. “This is the command of Zhuzhao… no, this is the command of Chi Qiong, the order of the Phoenix Venerable! Return!”

Responding to Yun Xiguang’s and the fire’s summons, the three Phoenix Feathers in Zhulong’ claws finally awakened.

They stretched out, their feathers brushing against the feeble flames on the mycelium. Under Yun Xiguang’s mental control, they instantly burst into raging flames!

The fire illuminated the horizon in an instant, dyeing the entire sky a fiery red without warning.

The sky was filled with fiery clouds, the massive body of Zhulong trapped within the fire clouds, burning and emitting anguished roars.

As Zhulong writhed in flames, Yun Xiguang sensed a crack appearing in the space that had confined him. Igniting his fiery wings, he whirled through the crack, escaping from the space and dashing straight into a fiery cloud.

Finally, Yun Xiguang touched the flames ignited by the other three Phoenix Feathers.

He kindled a small cluster of Fire of Rules, carefully depositing the flame in his palm into the fiery cloud.

The Fire of Rules merged with the raging inferno. Yun Xiguang’s consciousness could instantly control the flames potent enough to burn through the entire sky.

He could manipulate the rules governing these flames!

Yun Xiguang activated the rule: All spirit beasts born from the power of Zhuzhao, all spirit beasts utilizing the power of Zhuzhao, if they defy the will of Zhuzhao, shall perish under the Fire of Rules.

After activating the rule, Zhulong, which could originally withstand the onslaught, suddenly lost its resistance.

Half of its body rapidly evaporated in the flames, vanishing without a trace.

And the five Phoenix Feathers on its body, under the call of the fire, converged toward Yun Xiguang.

The five Phoenix Feathers floated toward Yun Xiguang, while Zhulong continued to suffer in the flames.

Exhausted, Yun Xiguang could barely hold on after obtaining the Phoenix Feathers. With the assistance of a fiery cloud, he swiftly drifted toward the ground at breakneck speed.

Although it seemed Yun Xiguang had been trapped by Zhulong for a long time, in reality, only a few minutes had passed in the outside world.

At that moment, Bai Ze and the Azure Dragon had just exchanged blows with Lu Wu. Lu Wu possessed a scale from Zhulong, which slowed down Bai Ze and the Azure Dragon’s attacks. Regardless of how they assaulted, because of their sluggish movements, they were easily evaded by Lu Wu.

Kong Haoming threw his head back and laughed maniacally. “With the power of Zhulong, you’re no match for me.”

Bai Ze and the Azure Dragon wore grim expressions. No matter how strong they were, if they couldn’t hit their target, there was nothing they could do!

Right then, a fiery cloud plummeted from the sky, crashing directly onto Kong Haoming.

Zhulong’ scale on Lu Wu’s body, upon contact with the Fire of Rules, ignited; Lu Wu himself, upon touching the Fire of Rules, also ignited.

Kong Haoming, who thought he had victory in his grasp, suddenly found himself engulfed in fierce flames. After a bright flash of fire, Kong Haoming collapsed with a scorched forehead.

He didn’t even manage to utter a few words before he was defeated.