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The Fire Phoenix crashed to the ground, rolling around desperately in an attempt to extinguish the Nine Yang True Fire.
Li Xiaonan looked down from above at the struggling Fire Phoenix.
"Kid, who taught you that attack just now?" Mei Qingdan swallowed hard, unable to contain his curiosity.
Li Xiaonan smiled and pointed at the Fire Phoenix still rolling on the ground.
Mei Qingdan's jaw nearly dropped to the floor, and he made a frog-like expression. After a moment of shock, he finally gave Li Xiaonan a thumbs up. He was truly impressed by Li Xiaonan and his parents, wondering how they had raised such a remarkable child.
Li Xiaonan smiled and said, "Old Man Mei, let's go down and see how the Fire Phoenix is reaping what it sowed!"
Mei Qingdan nodded, and the two flew over to Ling Kui.
"Spirit, how awesome is your husband?" Li Xiaonan's hand mischievously wrapped around Ling Kui's waist as he continued, "Do you think roasted phoenix will taste better than mountain chicken?"
Though Li Xiaonan's voice was not loud, every word fell into the ears of the Fire Phoenix. The phoenix clan were experts in the element of fire; having played with flames since childhood, it was now being played with by someone else. The Nine Yang True Fire not only destroyed its beautiful feathers but also scorched its inner core. If this continued, it would undoubtedly perish.
Originally sent by the Phoenix Maiden of the phoenix clan to serve as the core of the third fire formation in the Five Elements Formation, he had not yet reached adulthood but possessed abilities far surpassing several elders. Thus, he was proud and confident. Having lived for over a thousand years, he had never been in such a humiliating position. Unwilling to accept this fate, even while enduring the burning pain, he refused to plead for mercy from Li Xiaonan.
Li Xiaonan looked at the Fire Phoenix's unwilling and resentful gaze and shook his head helplessly. His earlier words were intentionally directed at the Fire Phoenix to encourage its surrender.
Dragons and phoenixes are auspicious symbols in Chinese culture, holding profound significance for Li Xiaonan. He did not wish to kill the Fire Phoenix unless absolutely necessary; unfortunately, others did not appreciate his intentions.
An enticing aroma gradually filled the air. Through the purple flames, one could see the beautiful fat on the phoenix's body. The Fire Phoenix lay motionless on the ground, allowing the Nine Yang True Fire to burn it away. Its consciousness began to fade as it imagined seeing the Phoenix Maiden waving at it with a charming smile. It thought to itself: She is so beautiful; when can I marry her? This lifetime seems hopeless now.
Li Xiaonan sighed and waved his hand, retracting the Nine Yang True Fire.
The Fire Phoenix was taken aback, staring blankly at Li Xiaonan. It could not understand why this man suddenly stopped; then it realized: Yes, while Nine Yang True Fire could destroy itself, it would also consume its inner core. He must be after my inner core.
A flicker of fear crossed its eyes. It did not fear death but dreaded being skinned alive for its inner core. Its body involuntarily trembled slightly.
Everything fell under the gaze of Li Xiaonan, who grinned as he approached Fire Phoenix, playfully kicking at its beak and mocking, "Aren't you fierce? Don't you look down on me? Let little Year play with fire! But you do smell quite nice!"
He noticed the fear in Fire Phoenix's eyes deepening and continued to laugh, "Ling'er, Old Man Mei, how about I treat you to some phoenix meat? Oh, and there's also the inner core."
Fire Phoenix's throat moved as it murmured, "No... don't... eat me." Its eyes held not only fear but also a glimmer of tears. It had exhausted its last strength to transform into human form.
In human shape, Fire Phoenix appeared as a boy of about thirteen or fourteen, strikingly handsome, especially with its pair of sorrowful phoenix eyes. Its originally fair skin was now burned and blistered. It thought to itself: As long as I become human, this fierce man won't eat me.
Li Xiaonan glared coldly at him and kicked Fire Phoenix in the abdomen, saying icily, "What I say, you answer!"
"Um..." At that moment, Fire Phoenix had completely broken down. Just a moment ago, it had been proud and ready to fight to the death, but now it had succumbed.
Li Xiaonan did not intend for this outcome; it was an unexpected gain. However, to Mei Qingdan's eyes, it was a different scene altogether.
Mei Qingdan squinted as he observed Li Xiaonan. He increasingly felt that Li Xiaonan was no ordinary person. Facing death was not terrifying; what was terrifying was when someone told you that you didn't have to die while you were waiting for death. Just when you relaxed your guard, you fell into a trap. Courage vanished, and in order to survive, one could only plead for mercy.
Fire Phoenix was the unfortunate child caught in the trap. What did a thousand years of cultivation matter? To the phoenix clan, he was still an underage child with many beautiful dreams for the future.
Li Xiaonan stood straight and coldly asked, "What is your name? What are the other two formations after the fire formation? How can they be broken?"
"My name is Nine Phoenix. The formations after the fire are the water formation and the earth formation. The fastest way to break them is to trigger both formations simultaneously... um..." Before he could finish his sentence, Li Xiaonan kicked him again.
"Speak honestly!"
"I am speaking honestly! Please... don’t kick me anymore! Earth overcomes water; you can lead the Giant Spirit Warriors in the earth formation to the water formation, and naturally, it will be broken. By then, the earth element Giant Spirit Warriors will be nearly exhausted; you can scatter them with just one kick—at most... at most two kicks," Nine Phoenix stammered as he added more details.
Li Xiaonan leaned down and smiled brightly at Nine Phoenix. He was pleased that he had successfully extracted the method to break the last two formations without having to act like a villain. With a wave of his hand,
Nine Phoenix was already petrified with fear; he would rather Li Xiaonan scold him than smile at him. His inner thoughts raced: This is bad! He's so happy; he must be planning to eat me! He shut his eyes tightly, only remembering that Li Xiaonan had raised his hand.
Li Xiaonan shook his head helplessly; he understood that he had frightened Nine Phoenix quite badly. In his hand appeared a bottle of healing ointment.
Nine Phoenix felt a coolness at the site of his injury on his back, no longer the fiery pain it had been. He slightly lifted his eyelids and, upon seeing Li Xiaonan smiling at him, quickly closed his eyes again.
After a while, he finally realized that the villain was applying medicine to his wounds. A mix of surprise and fear filled his heart as he wildly speculated: Was he planning to fatten him up before eating him? Yes, that must be it; he wasn't even of age yet, so the villain probably thought he wasn't meaty enough.
Li Xiaonan had no idea what Nine Phoenix was thinking; otherwise, he would have laughed out loud.
Li Xiaonan tossed one of his own clothes to Nine Phoenix. "Little Jiu, put this on. I want to see if your method works." Nine Phoenix was taken aback for a moment but then nodded and slipped into Li Xiaonan's oversized clothing.
Since Nine Phoenix was just about the height of Li Xiaonan's shoulders, the clothes looked somewhat baggy on him.
Mei Qingdan glanced at Nine Phoenix, nudged Li Xiaonan with his elbow, and whispered, "Boy, do you want the old man to teach you the Spirit Capture Technique?"
The Spirit Capture Technique was a spell used by Cultivators to bind spirit beasts into a master-servant contract, allowing them to subdue the beasts.
Li Xiaonan's eyes lit up as he replied, "Sure!" Immediately, Mei Qingdan began explaining the incantation and key points of the Spirit Capture Technique to him.
After trying it out in the air, Li Xiaonan nodded and cheerfully approached Nine Phoenix. Just as he reached out… Nine Phoenix startled and instinctively tried to step back. However, as soon as his right foot moved back a step, he hesitated and froze.
With a helpless shake of his head, Li Xiaonan rolled up Nine Phoenix's overly long sleeves and said, "Let's go!"
Mei Qingdan was taken aback and rushed over to Li Xiaonan. "Boy, why aren't you using the Spirit Capture Technique? Aren't you afraid he'll bite you back later?"
Glancing back at Nine Phoenix, who often tripped over his own long sleeves, Li Xiaonan chuckled. "I never intended to keep him around forever. Once we get through the Five Elements Formation, if he wants to leave, I won't force him to stay."
Mei Qingdan gaped in disbelief. "Boy, are you out of your mind? A Ninth-Order Spirit Beast! A Fire Phoenix! It's something rare and hard to come by…" He then went on to list all the special qualities of the Fire Phoenix.
Indeed, if Li Xiaonan were to take the Fire Phoenix as a spirit pet, it would be like adding wings to a tiger. However, restricting an intelligent being like that was not something Li Xiaonan could bring himself to do. It was better for everyone to live freely; why limit someone else's freedom for his own fleeting joy?
Back on Earth, even though Li Xiaonan wasn't wealthy, he occasionally fed stray cats and dogs. While he found them adorable, he had never thought about bringing them home.
The four of them reached the valley floor where they encountered two diverging paths.
"Little Jiu, go set up the Earth Formation and lure the Giant Spirit Warrior over," Li Xiaonan instructed before leading Mei Qingdan and Ling Kui down another path.
"Xiao Nan, aren't you worried about Nine Phoenix escaping?" As the three of them walked further away, with Nine Phoenix no longer in sight, Ling Kui, who never doubted Li Xiaonan's actions, asked with confusion.
"What good is worrying? If he wants to run, let him. It's just a water formation; with me and Old Man Mei here, it won't break. Just relax and wait to meet Father-in-law!" Li Xiaonan said, ruffling Ling Kui's hair with a light smile.
At the end of the path was a lake, its icy blue waters shimmering under the sunlight. A gentle breeze stirred up faint ripples, and small fish swam joyfully in the water, creating a beautiful scene.
But the moment Li Xiaonan stepped into Mountain Valley, everything changed. The lake deepened, turning into a thick ink-like substance that reeked of blood. Fish began to leap out of the water, their sharp teeth bared as they lunged toward Li Xiaonan and his companions.
"Boy, you've really put this old bone of mine in a tough spot!" Mei Qingdan thought just like Ling Kui; Nine Phoenix would definitely escape—anyone who didn't would be a fool!
Reluctantly, he summoned the Seven Treasures Gourd just as heavy breathing came from behind them. "Here... comes... the Giant Spirit Warrior."
Mei Qingdan opened his mouth, and Ling Kui could see two words forming on his lips: fool.
Nine Phoenix was no fool; he considered himself quite clever. He suspected that Li Xiaonan was testing him by deliberately letting him go. Being so smart, he certainly wouldn't give Li Xiaonan the chance to torment him. So he obediently set up the Earth Formation and lured the Giant Spirit Warrior over.
He stumbled slightly, tripping over his own long tail, but Li Xiaonan caught him just in time. With a silly grin, he said, "It's done; they're coming."
"Well done, Little Jiu!" Li Xiaonan praised as he patted Nine Phoenix's head. He grabbed him by the scruff while wrapping an arm around Ling Kui's waist and soared into the sky on the Carefree Fan.
Mei Qingdan watched Li Xiaonan with a frown. He simply couldn't understand why Li Xiaonan could subdue a Fire Phoenix—a Ninth-Order Spirit Beast—without using the Spirit Capture Technique. Any Cultivator would be envious!
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