Volume 3 Chapter 38
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Volume 3 Chapter 38: Rebirth
All things in the world have a spirit. Within the vast Three Realms, there exist some highly spiritual and powerful Mythical Beasts. They possess mysterious abilities unknown to mortals and are considered the favored pets of the gods by many in the mortal world. Ordinary people may never see them in a lifetime. Some Mythical Beasts can bring happiness and dispel malice, thus being considered symbols of good fortune, while others are thought to bring disaster and are seen as divine punishment to humans.
Of course, cultivators of the Immortal Realm know that there is no real separation of the Three Realms in this world, and those so-called immortals in the eyes of mortals are seldom able to match these Mythical Beasts, let alone keep them as pets.
Among these Mythical Beasts, some are considered ancient due to their immense power and rarity, appearing only once in eons.
The Azure Dragon and Fire Phoenix are undoubtedly the most familiar ancient Mythical Beasts on the Shenzhou Continent. All mortals in the world, including many cultivators in the Immortal Realm, see these two Mythical Beasts as the guardians of the Shenzhou Continent, demonstrating their high status on the Shenzhou Continent.
Of course, in the mainstream belief of the cultivation world, it is thought that there are no ancient mythical beasts guarding the Shenzhou Continent. Creatures like the Azure Dragon and Phoenix are seen as just very powerful and long-lived demon beasts.
However, whether they are demon beasts or Mythical Beasts, the influence and strength of the Azure Dragon and Phoenix are undeniable.
Among them, the legends surrounding the Phoenix are numerous, even more so than those of the Azure Dragon, although the Azure Dragon is seen as a symbol of invincible strength and even becomes a symbol of royalty in the mortal world.
The Phoenix is so popular because of its association with a unique concept—rebirth!
It is said that the Phoenix has a lifespan of six thousand years, half as long as the Azure Dragon. However, its soul doesn’t enter the cycle of reincarnation. When its lifespan ends or it is gravely injured, it releases all its Phoenix Spirit Qi and peacefully awaits death.
Upon dying, the Phoenix’s body transforms into fiery flames, yet its soul remains and recalls the Phoenix Spirit Qi it released before. In the flames, it uses the Spirit Qi of the heavens and earth and its Phoenix Spirit Qi to recreate its body. Its soul perfectly merges with its new body, welcoming a new life with the memories and greater strength of its previous existence. This is known as "rebirth from the ashes," also called "Phoenix Nirvana," a core element of Phoenix legends.
In some ways, it can be said that the Phoenix, as a Mythical Beast, is immortal.
Originally, Mythical Beasts like the Phoenix and Azure Dragon, although widely spread among humans and cultivators, had no direct connection to cultivators themselves.
However, at some unknown time and for unknown reasons, mysterious cultivation families appeared among humans, possessing the bloodlines of various Mythical Beasts. For example, there was the Xuanyuan family with the Azure Dragon bloodline, the North Sea family with the Kylin bloodline, and the Wu family with the Qiongqi bloodline. These families were famous cultivation families in the Immortal Realm thousands of years ago, sharing both glory and disgrace, advancing and retreating together. With their unmatched strength, they quickly became unrivaled in the Immortal Realm.
However, just like tall trees attract the wind, throughout the numerous calamitous events in the cultivation world over the millennia, these prominent families with Mythical Beast bloodlines suffered great losses due to their visibility, gradually declining in the cultivation world and eventually disappearing from it. Meanwhile, the Feng family, which has always been low-profile and not closely connected to other families, managed to survive safely through these disasters, even though they were less well-known compared to other families.
Although these families had strong powers and unique arts because of their Mythical Beast bloodlines, they weren’t truly Mythical Beasts themselves. Thus, while powerful, they didn’t possess the extraordinary abilities of those beasts. For example, descendants of the Xuanyuan family don’t have the Qinglong’s cloud-summoning and rain-bringing abilities, and the Feng family’s descendants can’t achieve the Phoenix’s rebirth.
At least, in the nearly ten thousand years of the Feng family’s history, there has been no record of any ancestor achieving Nirvana.
But this time, Feng Qingtian became the only exception in the Feng family’s long history.
Feng Qingtian’s situation was unique. Before the mysterious cultivator performed the "Explosive Spirit Technique," Feng Qingtian was using the "Flame Phoenix." Wanting to show off, most of his Spirit Qi was externalized into a "Flame Phoenix" to attack the Green Snake Dragon, with only a small reserve left for flying.
When the explosion occurred, Feng Qingtian, though partially shielded by Wang Qingjun from the full force of the "Explosive Spirit Technique," still couldn’t withstand the impact as he had no Spirit Qi protection left. His remaining Spirit Qi was dissipated, and he was severely injured, nearly dying.
Fortunately, during the retreat, Xu Qingfan carried Feng Qingtian to safety, and Xu Qingfan possessed a Wutong branch with a strong Phoenix aura.
The strong Phoenix Spirit Qi within the Wutong branch unknowingly awakened the Phoenix bloodline within Feng Qingtian, which resonated with his own blood. Since Feng Qingtian’s body was depleted of his own Phoenix Spirit Qi, the Qi from the Wutong branch could flow into him unhindered.
Eventually, everything evolved instinctively under the influence of the Phoenix Spirit Qi, beyond Xu Qingfan’s control.
Phoenix Spirit Qi, besides transforming into Phoenix Spirit Fire to destroy everything, also possesses the divine power to rebuild the phoenix’s body, forming the basis for the phoenix’s immortality.
Although Feng Qingtian only has a faint trace of the ancient Mythical Beast phoenix bloodline, and the Phoenix Spirit Qi contained in the Wutong branch is insignificant compared to a true phoenix, by a twist of fate, Feng Qingtian’s body underwent a metamorphosis similar to a rebirth. Though the outcome is unknown, his life is no longer in danger.
On the other hand, Xu Qingfan, having refined the Wutong branch continuously over the years, already has some Phoenix Spirit Qi within him. His body’s affinity for Phoenix Spirit Qi, due to his growing connection with the Wutong branch, is becoming comparable to that of the Feng family’s heirs. This time, when Phoenix Spirit Qi surged into Feng Qingtian’s body through Xu Qingfan’s, he fell unconscious from the shock but inadvertently participated in Feng Qingtian’s transformation as his body began to be altered by the Phoenix Spirit Qi amidst the flames.
After this transformation, although the changes in Xu Qingfan’s body are not as pronounced as those in Feng Qingtian, there will still be some differences. Whether these changes are beneficial or harmful will take time to determine.
It is said that the time for a phoenix’s rebirth is at dawn when the first ray of light touches its body.
…
At dawn, the horizon lightened, and the early sun gradually chased away the vast darkness. The gentle sunlight began to spread slowly over every inch of Huandao Island.
In a certain spot on Huandao Island, Jin Qinghan and Lv Qingshang were staring in amazement at the transformation happening before their eyes.
They did not know that Feng Qingtian was undergoing a transformation similar to "rebirth." They were following Xu Qingfan’s hurried run when they noticed that he suddenly stopped, his face growing pale. Then, Feng Qingtian’s body suddenly erupted into fierce flames, which soon enveloped Xu Qingfan as well.
Although these strange changes were developing very slowly, both of them were very worried about Xu Qingfan. However, without knowing the exact cause, they had no idea how to intervene, fearing that acting rashly might backfire. So, they could only watch helplessly as it happened.
The fiery red flames burned continuously, casting flickering lights on Jin Qinghan and Lv Qingshang’s faces. Although Xu Qingfan was enveloped by the flames, the figures of both men could be vaguely seen through the fire. It seemed that the flames were fierce, but they did not harm the two of them at all.
Watching the strange changes helplessly, Jin Qinghan and Lv Qingshang exchanged a puzzled glance, yet they had no solution. Then, Lv Qingshang set up a formation around Xu Qingfan and Feng Qingtian to conceal their presence, and all they could do was anxiously wait for the changes to end.
In the sky, several cultivators from Penance Valley were also watching the changes unfold, their faces full of surprise. Although their minds vaguely guessed the cause of the changes, they could hardly believe it.
"Phoenix Nirvana? That boy from the Feng family can really achieve Phoenix Nirvana?" a cultivator from Penance Valley murmured in disbelief.
Another cultivator, his eyes filled with doubt, shook his head and disagreed, saying, "It shouldn’t be. While the Phoenix Spirit Qi contained within the Wutong branch is powerful, it’s just a fraction compared to the phoenix itself. Moreover, that boy from the Feng family only carries a thin phoenix bloodline. These two factors are far from enough to achieve a true nirvana. I believe this change is just an incomplete Phoenix Nirvana. Either way, we don’t need to worry about Feng Qingtian’s injury anymore."
Earlier, when the cultivators noticed Feng Qingtian was seriously injured, they hesitated whether to come out and heal him. Logically, with Xu Qingfan and his group facing casualties, the cultivators should have stepped in to help. But Xu Qingfan and the others had various suspicions, making the cultivators hesitant to reveal themselves and alert the enemy, so they kept hesitating.
Hearing the words of this Penance Valley cultivator, the others silently nodded, then remained silent, closely watching the changes happening below them.
…
No one knew how much time had passed. To Xu Qingfan, it seemed like only a moment of unconsciousness, but when he opened his eyes, he found the scorching sun high in the sky, indicating it was already noon.
Then Xu Qingfan saw Jin Qinghan and Lv Qingshang watching him with concern, and Feng Qingtian, whom he held in his arms. Feng Qingtian’s body was still enveloped in flames, his eyes closed as if still unconscious.
Strangely, the flames around Feng Qingtian, while full of immense energy, didn’t harm Xu Qingfan in the slightest. Instead, he felt a faint sense of warmth and familiarity.
