The Phoenix Nest

After another two days of travel through the Southern Wastes, Xiao Chen and his group finally emerged from the malevolent forests and entered a range of mountains whose beauty was utterly breathtaking. This was a rare and stunning region—no savage beasts roared, no strange monsters prowled.

Peak after peak rose in emerald splendor, clear streams sparkled like jade, and lush trees thrived in abundance. The land was rich in natural treasures—ginseng, lingzhi, and other rare herbs grew in profusion, sending the small white beast into such a frenzy of excitement that it practically bounced off the trees. Yanluo Wang and the other two skeletons had already been laden with several large packs of the finest specimens.

In this region, one could see spirit cranes carrying lingzhi in their beaks, long-lived deer bearing spirit herbs upon their antlers, and white apes offering peaches as if in tribute—this was the legendary abode of the immortals.

All the animals seen in this peaceful sanctuary were gentle; there was not a single ferocious beast. Xiao Chen at first thought that some transcendent immortal must dwell in seclusion here, but after searching, he found no caves or any sign of cultivation.

Keke and the Little Defiant Dragon both cried out at the same time and dashed forward. Ahead stood a grove of towering trees—sparse, but each over a hundred meters tall, with vines entwined and the air filled with the scent of flowers and birdsong.

Perched in the tallest of these giant trees was a colossal bird’s nest, as large as three rooms combined. What made it truly extraordinary, however, was not its size, but the shimmering, multicolored light that radiated from it.

As they drew closer, they could finally see what it was made of. The nest was woven from the most extravagant materials imaginable: Blazing Fire Lotus, Silver-Silk Spirit Grass, Purple Jade Immortal Orchid—all the rarest of plants. Hanging from it were countless millennium-aged black haired gourds, lingzhi, ginseng, and other spiritual treasures. This gigantic nest was a veritable treasure trove!

No wonder the two little beasts had rushed forward—even Xiao Chen felt his heart pound. This was so extravagantly opulent that he was left speechless. What kind of spirit-being could have built such a nest? Could it be a feathered immortal?

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The snow-white little beast was incredibly fast. Clutching the oversized treasure pouch it had begged Xiao Chen to prepare earlier (ever since leaving the Undying Alliance, it had felt regret that its small bag was too meager), it had already scrambled up the towering tree. To Xiao Chen’s surprise, the Little Defiant Dragon could also climb trees and had reached the vicinity of the bird’s nest.

“Come back! Don’t do anything rash!” Xiao Chen shouted.

But the two little beasts were far beyond listening. They snatched up the millennium-aged black haired gourds and king ginseng they fancied and began feasting on the spot, all while frantically stuffing more into the treasure pouch.

Xiao Chen unfurled his Undying Wings and took to the air, but by the time he reached them, the two little beasts had already filled the oversized pouch to bursting. Making them return the spiritual treasures would be harder than scaling the heavens.

“You two…” Xiao Chen felt a headache coming on. “You know you’ve caused trouble. Since you won’t give them back, let’s get out of here now.”

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

This time, they listened. They scrambled down the tree and, together with Xiao Chen and the three skeletons, raced ahead.

“That was far too reckless. Do you know what kind of nest that was?” Xiao Chen said as he ran. “Those were parasol trees. If I’m not mistaken, that is a phoenix nest! Do you have any idea that phoenixes are equals to dragons? If we get caught, the consequences will be disastrous. This isn’t Dragon Island. The phoenixes here aren’t sealed like the dragons—every one of them is a godlike existence.”

Even the two little beasts seemed to know about the phoenix clan. They nodded vigorously, indicating they understood the danger.

After running for another twenty li, Xiao Chen sensed something amiss. He felt an additional, not insignificant life force among them. He turned to see that the oversized treasure pouch, now on Qin Guang Wang’s back, was emitting a faint, flickering glow.

He stopped with a sinking feeling and opened the pouch. Pushing aside the pile of spiritual herbs, he found a large, rainbow-colored egg, the size of a human head, pulsing with gentle light. The life force was emanating from it.

Xiao Chen’s head felt twice as large. If the two little beasts had only stolen some spirit herbs, that might have been passable, but—damn it—they had actually swiped a phoenix egg! And they hadn't left a single trace behind!

A phoenix returning to its nest would surely fly into a rage! The nest was built so magnificently—this was no ordinary phoenix!

“You two…” Xiao Chen’s voice came out as almost a growl. “Which of you stole the phoenix egg?”

The two little beasts seemed to realize they were in serious trouble. With uncanny speed, they both pointed their small paws at each other, neither willing to take the blame. Xiao Chen was utterly exasperated—he had no idea what to say.

Keke and the Little Defiant Dragon looked back in the direction they had come, as if asking whether they should return the egg.

But just then, a phoenix’s cry came from that very direction.

Return it now? Run! Xiao Chen unfurled his Undying Wings, scooped up the two little creatures in his arms, ordered Qin Guang Wang to wrap his arms around his waist, and had Yanluo Wang and King of Samsara cling to his legs. Then he flew as fast as he could, hugging the ground through the forest. He dared not rise into the sky—if the phoenix spotted him, it would surely catch them.

After flying for several dozen li, Xiao Chen’s back was nearly breaking. The Undying Wings had grown dim.

But the phoenix’s cries drew nearer and nearer, as if it had already locked onto them…

Xiao Chen’s Undying Wings were now almost completely dark. If not for his deep cultivation reserves, he would have collapsed long ago. After all, he had only recently mastered the Undying Wings, and carrying such a heavy load while flying was exhausting.

What really frustrated him was that the two little beasts seemed to find the flight a novelty, their eyes bright with excitement, completely unaware that they were fleeing from a creature equal to the dragons!

The phoenix cries were now very close. It seemed to have tracked them. Xiao Chen rested briefly, then gritted his teeth and activated his profound art again. Light shimmered over his body, and purple Undying Wings unfurled once more from his back. (Of course, they were purely constructs of energy, not a part of his body.)

He sped through the dense forest, trees whizzing past like phantoms. He weaved and dodged, pushing his speed to the limit. But the phoenix cries never fell behind, leisurely pursuing them, never shaking off their trail.

Xiao Chen gritted his teeth and flew another hundred and fifty li. He could hold out no longer. The three skeletons felt as heavy as small mountains, and even the two little beasts seemed to weigh ten thousand jin.

After another dozen li, he gave up and landed. He stopped running.

He had realized by now that the phoenix behind them could have caught him at any time. It was deliberately torturing him, making him flee in terror until he either collapsed or died of exhaustion.

He waited for a long time. Then, an overwhelming pressure descended, and a blaze of five-colored light blazed down like a radiant sun, too dazzling to look at directly, making it impossible to see the true form of the descending phoenix.

A cool, feminine voice came from within the light: “Why have you stopped? Keep going. Oh?” A note of surprise escaped the multicolored radiance.

Then the light enveloped them. Xiao Chen did not resist, but the Little Defiant Dragon and the snow-white beast both struggled fiercely. However, neither the Little Defiant Dragon’s extreme speed nor Keke’s binding art could withstand the radiant light.

A thousand auspicious beams of light swirled around them. The wind roared in their ears as Xiao Chen and his companions were seized and carried through the sky at incredible speed. After what seemed only a moment, they set down again.

They landed beneath the verdant, jade-bright parasol trees—back at the phoenix’s dwelling place.

The tallest parasol tree shimmered with emerald light, radiating waves of life energy. The massive phoenix nest above glowed with iridescent light, a halo of auspicious colors swirling around it.

“How dare you trespass into my sacred ground and disturb my niece! Such audacity!” The five-colored light hovered in the air, and the voice that came from within was cold, as if looking down upon Xiao Chen.

Oh? It’s not the parents of the unhatched phoenix? Xiao Chen was a bit surprised. Still, he felt a headache coming on. How to resolve this? The phoenix woman in the air was a godlike existence.

The trouble had been caused entirely by the snow-white beast and the Little Defiant Dragon, but he could not simply throw them out to save himself.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Chen spoke: “Sacred Phoenix Virgin, please hear my explanation. We had no intention of causing harm. Everything was because these two little ones were too mischievous.” He pointed at Keke and the Little Defiant Dragon. “They only wanted to pick a few spirit herbs to stave off hunger, but in their haste, they accidentally took the phoenix egg as well.”

“To seek food, they had to come here to steal?” The woman’s voice remained icy.

“We have been lost in the Southern Wastes for a long time, unable to find the way out, and happened upon this place by chance. You can see that these two little beasts are no ordinary animals—they need to consume spiritual herbs every day. When they saw the phoenix nest hanging in the sky laden with celestial treasures, they rushed over before I could stop them.”

The snow-white beast nodded earnestly beside him, looking innocent, as if confirming this. Then it opened the oversized treasure pouch, carefully lifted out the phoenix egg—almost as large as itself—and offered it up to the sky.

Even the Little Defiant Dragon seemed to know they were in the wrong and sensed that the phoenix woman in the air was an existence it could not provoke. For once, it stayed still, not trying to challenge a being far stronger than itself, as it usually would.

The phoenix in the sky did not seem afraid of them damaging the egg—having caught them, she had not demanded it until now. She finally sent down a beam of five-colored light and took it into the air.

“Hmph. If it weren’t for the bond of sacred bloodlines, I would not let you off so lightly.” The harsh five-colored light gradually softened, and the phoenix woman revealed her true form.

Xiao Chen understood—she was referring to the Little Defiant Dragon and Keke.

She was a breathtakingly beautiful five-colored sacred phoenix. Her rainbow-hued divine feathers shimmered with a dreamlike luster, and a moving, sacred aura enveloped her entire being, giving a feeling of peace and tranquility, a far cry from the oppressive presence she had shown earlier.

“Thank you, Sacred Phoenix Virgin, for your magnanimity,” Xiao Chen said, hoping to leave as soon as possible.

“Hmph. I never said I was letting you off.” The three-meter-long sacred phoenix hovered in the air, standing as gracefully as a peerless beauty. Light rippled in her phoenix eyes. “You must pay a price for your transgression.”

SWISH!

The oversized treasure pouch on the ground flew up into the nest. The stolen millennium-aged black haired gourds, golden king ginseng, purple jade lotus seeds, and other treasures were all re-hung on the radiant nest.

Keke blinked her big eyes, unable to hide her reluctance. The Little Defiant Dragon also looked on with regret, silently watching it all, knowing there was nothing to be done. After all, these things were never theirs.

But it didn’t stop there. The five-colored light flashed again, and the three bundles that Qin Guang Wang and Yanluo Wang had been carrying also shot up into the phoenix nest.

The snow-white little beast, Keke, immediately became frantic. These were not stolen from the nest—they were spirit herbs she had painstakingly gathered over the past few days from the deep mountains of the Southern Wastes! Though they could not compare to the treasures on the nest, they were earned through her own hard labor.

She cried out loudly in a tiny voice, waving her little paws frantically, using her binding art to try to reclaim them.

At the same time, the Little Defiant Dragon also acted. A brilliant beam of light shot from its single horn, sweeping toward the sky.

This was the first time Xiao Chen had seen the Little Defiant Dragon use a supernatural power; before, it had always fought with brute force and occasional archaic dragon combat techniques.

But even with both little beasts working together, they could not overpower the sacred phoenix. Even an unsealed adult dragon might not match her. The spirit herbs soared inexorably into the sky.

Keke was truly heartbroken. She fumed and cried out in her tiny voice, as if shouting that those were hers!

The Little Defiant Dragon was also helpless. Though its fighting spirit blazed and it would have gladly challenged the sacred phoenix in the air, the unfathomable woman completely ignored its challenge. Instead, she laughed lightly and said, “When my niece is born, you can compete with her then.”

It was futile!

Having stolen a phoenix egg only to lose three bags of spiritual herbs in return, Keke seethed with rage. She silently brandished her small paw at the phoenix woman, then turned and started to leave.

The Little Defiant Dragon, brimming with battle intent but ignored, felt like it had no way to fight.

The sacred phoenix sighed in amusement at them. “You two disturbed my niece and still act wronged? You deserve a spanking.”