Chapter 168 – Crimson Flame Phoenix Tribulation VS Blazing Sun True Flame, All's Fair in War—Despicable…

“Diting!!!”

Upon seeing Diting appear before him of his own accord, the Three-Legged Golden Crow’s eyes immediately blazed with fire.

This fiery gaze wasn’t merely an expression – it was literally happening to the Three-Legged Golden Crow.

In the sky, the Blazing Sunfire within the Three-Legged Golden Crow’s body was released without reservation.

The terrifying Blazing Sunfire transformed into a small golden sun, hanging high in the sky.

Facing this small golden sun, not only Diting below, but even Lu Chen could feel some pressure from these flames.

After all, this Blazing Sunfire wasn’t the inferior version mimicked by Diting.

This was the terrifying flame personally unleashed by the Three-Legged Golden Crow.

As the Three-Legged Golden Crow that symbolizes the sun in mythological tales,

although it was still in its juvenile stage,

the power it displayed already surpassed what ordinary Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts could match.

The power of this small golden sun was something ordinary Golden Core Stage Cultivators definitely couldn’t withstand.

Facing the Three-Legged Golden Crow going all out from the start,

Diting didn’t show fear or immediately flee as he had in previous encounters.

Instead, he appeared quite confident.

Seeing this, amidst his anger, the Three-Legged Golden Crow sensed something amiss.

Could Diting be so confident because his power had improved, making him think he could contend with me?

Or did he think the two helpers beside him could help him defeat me?

The Three-Legged Golden Crow instinctively felt it was the latter.

Hearing the Three-Legged Golden Crow’s thoughts below, Diting immediately shouted: “That’s right, you guessed correctly!”

“Protector Mu, I leave it to you.”

Mu Xiaoye nodded, then stepped forward eagerly.

Actually, from the moment she saw the Three-Legged Golden Crow, Mu Xiaoye had been feeling quite excited.

So much so that the Phoenix Calamity Fire within her body began to boil.

This feeling of burning passion was something Mu Xiaoye had never experienced before.

It was as if the Phoenix Calamity Fire within her wanted to compete with the Three-Legged Golden Crow’s Blazing Sunfire.

Thinking this, Mu Xiaoye immediately clashed her fists together.

The next moment, numerous crimson patterns emerged from her skin.

Immediately after, countless Phoenix Calamity Fire flames erupted from her body.

And began confronting the Three-Legged Golden Crow’s Blazing Sunfire in the sky.

Seeing this, Lu Chen and Diting wisely stepped aside.

This wasn’t because Lu Chen and Diting didn’t want to help, but because Mu Xiaoye had requested it before they came.

The Three-Legged Golden Crow was one of the Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts Mu Xiaoye wanted to contract when entering the Mountains-Seas Realm.

And since Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts were generally proud by nature,

if the three of them defeated the Three-Legged Golden Crow together, it might not submit and could refuse to form a contract with Mu Xiaoye.

Therefore, Mu Xiaoye proactively requested to deal with the Three-Legged Golden Crow alone.

Lu Chen initially had doubts about Mu Xiaoye’s request.

But after learning about Mu Xiaoye’s Foundation Establishment quality and her current strength,

Lu Chen felt that with Mu Xiaoye’s current power, she might truly have the ability to subdue the Three-Legged Golden Crow one-on-one.

After all, Mu Xiaoye’s Foundation Establishment quality was the same as his – First-Grade Great Dao Immortal Foundation!Just as Lu Chen obtained the special blessing called ‘Fairy Lotus Womb’ after completing his First-Grade Great Dao Immortal Foundation,

Mu Xiaoye also received a powerful Great Dao blessing at this moment.

【Great Dao Blessing: Nine Phoenix Flame Remains】

【Effect: Phoenix flames transform bones, shaping a spiritual body. Increases Physique by tenfold and Spiritual Power cultivation by tenfold. Grants immunity to most fire-based Divine Abilities and enhances Comprehension Ability of the fire element Great Dao. Each time she undergoes Rebirth through fire, there is a chance to break through her own limits and gain improvements.】

【Secret Technique·Nirvana Technique: Can condense absorbed life force into ‘Phoenix Essence Blood’ to restore oneself.】

The Nine Phoenix Flame Remains—this was the special blessing Mu Xiaoye obtained after completing her First-Grade Great Dao Immortal Foundation.

The effects of her Great Dao blessing were in no way inferior to Lu Chen’s ‘Fairy Lotus Womb’.

This was because her Great Dao blessing seemed tailor-made to complement her Innate Divine Ability, the Crimson Phoenix Calamity, creating a perfect synergy.

The terror of the Innate Divine Ability, Crimson Phoenix Calamity, lay in its ability to burn the life force of living beings and channel it back to nourish Mu Xiaoye herself.

Meanwhile, the Secret Technique·Nirvana Technique brought by the Nine Phoenix Flame Remains fundamentally allowed her to condense excess life force into ‘Phoenix Essence Blood’ and store it within her body.

This effect undoubtedly complemented the Crimson Phoenix Calamity to a high degree.

According to Mu Xiaoye herself, each drop of Phoenix Essence Blood was equivalent to an extra life for her.

In theory, as long as she condensed enough Phoenix Essence Blood, she would be an indestructible existence.

However, the Nirvana Technique at the Foundation Establishment Stage was far from achieving the terrifying effect of Rebirth from a single drop of blood.

If Mu Xiaoye were to suffer consecutive critical hits in a short period, causing the recovery speed of her Phoenix Essence Blood to fall behind the damage dealt by her enemies, she could still die.

Nevertheless, this weakness would be mostly eliminated once she reached the Golden Core Stage.

This was because a Phoenix Calamity Cultivator would unlock a unique Golden Core Stage Dharma Body at this stage—the Myriad Karmic Phoenix Calamity Body.

In this Dharma Body state, Mu Xiaoye’s body would transform from a flesh-and-blood form into a pure flame Incarnation.

At this point, not only would she be immune to most physical attacks, but she would also have no concept of vital points.

By this stage, unless facing Great Divine Power users who had mastered the Transformation Dao Realm or Cultivators with special Divine Soul techniques, even if Mu Xiaoye stood still and let them attack, they would be unable to harm her in the slightest.

Moreover, on top of this, every time Mu Xiaoye underwent Rebirth through fire, there was a chance for her to break through her limits and further enhance her strength.

It could be said that what did not kill her would only make her stronger.

And this was only the prowess of a Phoenix Calamity Cultivator in a one-on-one scenario.

In a battlefield teeming with countless living beings, Mu Xiaoye could almost single-handedly take on ten thousand enemies.

For her, a battlefield was like an infinite reservoir of life force to extract.

As long as the Phoenix Essence Blood within her body was not depleted, she would forever remain in peak condition.

After learning all this, even Lu Chen could not help but marvel at the terrifying nature of Phoenix Calamity Cultivators.

With such innate abilities, they seemed as if they were born specifically for combat.

Even a monster like Lu Chen would find them extremely troublesome to deal with in the same Realm.

If he reached the Golden Core Stage without mastering a Transformation Dao Realm skill, he might not necessarily be a match for Mu Xiaoye in a one-on-one fight.After all, anyone facing an enemy immune to physical attacks, possessing astonishing recovery abilities, and capable of multiple rebirths through fire would find it a headache.

To deal with such an opponent, one must either suppress them with absolute cultivation power until their phoenix essence blood is depleted, or master some special divine abilities that can directly harm Mu Xiaoye’s divine soul.

Even this weakness in her divine soul would be greatly compensated once Mu Xiaoye reached the Nascent Soul Stage and comprehended her own Law of Heaven and Earth.

By then, she would truly become an all-around, flawless cultivator.

“Monster” was the only thought that crossed Lu Chen’s mind after learning of Mu Xiaoye’s Heavenly Dao blessing.

And he finally understood why the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect, one of the Four Great Sacred Grounds of the Immortal Alliance, was so certain about treating Mu Xiaoye as their future Sect Master just because of a mere innate divine ability.

The Crimson Phoenix Calamity, ranked third on the Immortal Alliance’s Divine Ability List, indeed deserved such treatment.

There were exactly nine other innate divine abilities similar to the Crimson Phoenix Calamity, each possessing uniqueness and terrifying effects.

This made Lu Chen quite curious about the other nine unique innate divine abilities on the Immortal Alliance’s Divine Ability List.

For them to be ranked alongside such a terrifying ability as the Crimson Phoenix Calamity in the top ten, they must be extraordinary as well.

However, in the current Immortal Alliance, only four of the top ten on the Divine Ability List had appeared, including Mu Xiaoye.

The remaining six were either not yet awakened or had awakened without any news being revealed…

Once they emerged one after another, the Immortal Alliance… might truly usher in an era of great contention.

As Mu Xiaoye got serious,

The Three-Legged Golden Crow in the sky finally understood the source of Diting’s earlier arrogance.

Without a doubt, this guy had found help!

Sensing the unique Crimson Phoenix Calamity emanating from Mu Xiaoye, the Three-Legged Golden Crow unusually set aside its originally arrogant expression and became unprecedentedly serious.

Because it sensed danger from Mu Xiaoye.

This outsider was no ordinary opponent!

With this thought, the Three-Legged Golden Crow immediately decided to strike first.

“Screech!”

Accompanied by a clear bird cry, the small sun controlled by the Three-Legged Golden Crow descended from the sky.

It was a golden fireball over twenty meters in diameter.

The temperature inside it approached ten thousand degrees.

Such a terrifying temperature caused the surrounding trees to ignite prematurely even though the golden fireball was suspended over a hundred meters in the air.

It also evaporated massive amounts of moisture from the originally damp ground below, cracking it with countless fissures.

In response, Lu Chen and Diting had to retreat to a farther position.

Because even though the Three-Legged Golden Crow’s cultivation was suppressed to only the Foundation Establishment Stage due to the Heavenly Dao Oath,

the golden fireball it was currently unleashing still reached Golden Core Stage-level damage.

Observing at such close range risked being caught in the aftermath.

Although the Three-Legged Golden Crow’s commotion was immense, Mu Xiaoye not only showed no fear but even wore an increasingly excited smile.

Now this… was an interesting opponent!

Boom!

Mu Xiaoye exerted force abruptly, transforming into a crimson flame that shot straight toward the golden fireball in mid-air.

She threw a punch directly at the massive golden fireball.

Kaboom!

With that single punch, the previously calm sky was instantly covered by a sea of golden flames.These golden flames, combined with the terrifying shockwaves generated by the explosion, transformed into meteors scattering from the sky and crashing heavily onto the ground.

The trees below, already ignited by the intense heat, were struck by these flames and immediately began to fall like wheat, leaving a scene of utter devastation.

Before long, a terrifying scorched area spanning over a hundred meters appeared before Lu Chen and Diting.

However, neither Lu Chen nor Diting paid any attention to these surroundings, instead lifting their heads to gaze upward.

They saw Mu Xiaoye entirely enveloped in crimson flames, locked in fierce combat with the Three-Legged Golden Crow.

[Name: Three-Legged Golden Crow]

[Rank: Sixth Bureau Level]

[Fate: Blazing Sunfire]

[Description: East of Penglai lies Mount Daiyu, where atop it grows the Fusang Tree, towering ten thousand zhang high. At the tree’s peak resides a Heavenly Rooster, nesting there. Every night at the hour of Zi, the Heavenly Rooster crows, and the Sun Bird in the sky responds; when the Sun Bird crows, all the roosters under heaven follow suit.]

Facing a Sixth Bureau Level Three-Legged Golden Crow, Mu Xiaoye showed no signs of being at a disadvantage. Each of her moves was powerful and forceful, every strike causing the Blazing Sunfire enveloping the Three-Legged Golden Crow to tremble violently.

The Blazing Sunfire, which had always been unstoppable for the Three-Legged Golden Crow, now seemed utterly ineffective against Mu Xiaoye. Although her Crimson Phoenix Calamity also struggled to affect the Three-Legged Golden Crow, it was important to remember that Mu Xiaoye was also a Body Cultivator.

Thus, even without the enhanced power of the Crimson Phoenix Calamity flames, Mu Xiaoye could still suppress the Three-Legged Golden Crow with her fists alone.

More crucially, the life force absorbed by Mu Xiaoye’s Crimson Phoenix Calamity was not limited to Cultivators or Spirit Beasts. Flowers, grass, trees, and even insects and birds were within the scope of what Mu Xiaoye could absorb.

As a result, the fallen and dead trees on the ground, along with the insects that originally inhabited the area, became nourishment for Mu Xiaoye, absorbed by the scattered Phoenix Calamity Fire around her. Though this life force was not abundant, it still compensated for a significant portion of Mu Xiaoye’s consumption.

With one side weakening and the other strengthening, the Three-Legged Golden Crow found it increasingly difficult to mount an effective counterattack against Mu Xiaoye. After all, accustomed to bullying opponents with its Blazing Sunfire, the Three-Legged Golden Crow rarely encountered situations where it had to engage in direct combat. This left it momentarily unsure of how to retaliate.

In terms of close-quarters combat skills, how could it possibly compare to Mu Xiaoye, a Body Cultivator?

Thud, thud, thud…

In the sky, as Mu Xiaoye relentlessly pummeled the Three-Legged Golden Crow with heavy blows, the latter was already beginning to see stars. Although it did attempt to fight back during the process, its claws, while capable of leaving wounds on Mu Xiaoye’s body, saw those injuries quickly heal under the influence of her Phoenix Essence Blood.

Moreover, Mu Xiaoye occasionally took out some Elixirs from her Storage Bag to consume. In a war of attrition, she clearly held the upper hand.

If this continued, Mu Xiaoye would likely achieve victory in this battle before long. And what she could discern, the Three-Legged Golden Crow also realized.

Seeing that this course of action was futile, the Three-Legged Golden Crow decided to reveal its true form. A three-legged crow over ten meters in length, with wings spanning nearly fifty meters, appeared before Mu Xiaoye.

Immediately after, the Three-Legged Golden Crow ceased using its Blazing Sunfire as a long-range attack against Mu Xiaoye.Because it knew such attacks would have no effect on Mu Xiaoye whatsoever.

So it absorbed all the Blazing Sunfire into its body.

This quickly turned its originally black feathers golden.

From a distance, it looked like a small golden sun hanging in the air.

In this state, the Three-Legged Golden Crow not only grew larger in size, but its Physical Body strength reached an astonishing level.

It had traded the power of its Divine Ability for terrifying physical strength!

However, this meant the Three-Legged Golden Crow could no longer use Blazing Sunfire for Divine Ability attacks.

It had essentially used all the power of Blazing Sunfire to strengthen its Physical Body.

Seeing this, a trace of cunning seemed to flash in Mu Xiaoye’s eyes, as if she had been waiting for the Three-Legged Golden Crow to do exactly this.

The Three-Legged Golden Crow, dazed by Mu Xiaoye’s series of attacks, completely failed to notice this.

It forced Mu Xiaoye back with a swipe of its claw and said coldly, “Outsider, I was just warming up before. Now I’m getting serious!”

With that, it directly swiped its claw at Mu Xiaoye.

In response, Mu Xiaoye didn’t choose to counter with her fist as before.

Instead, she pulled out a fiery red Spirit Sword from somewhere.

After appearing, this Spirit Sword continuously grew in size, eventually transforming into a massive greatsword about two meters long.

Mu Xiaoye gripped the hilt with both hands and swung it directly at the Three-Legged Golden Crow’s claw.

“Caw!”

The Three-Legged Golden Crow let out a pained cry as one of its claws instantly cracked, gushing large amounts of golden blood.

Seizing the advantage, Mu Xiaoye began continuously attacking with the greatsword in her hands.

Soon after, she directly mounted the Three-Legged Golden Crow’s back and plunged the sword into its back.

“Caw!”

This strike immediately inflicted severe damage on the Three-Legged Golden Crow, causing it to struggle violently in mid-air.

But Mu Xiaoye held onto the hilt with one hand while continuously pounding the Three-Legged Golden Crow’s back with the other, relentlessly hammering its body with her fists.

The Three-Legged Golden Crow repeatedly tried to throw Mu Xiaoye off.

However, Mu Xiaoye clung tightly to the sword hilt as if nailed to its body, making it impossible to shake her off.

Moreover, Mu Xiaoye’s Phoenix Calamity Fire continuously absorbed the scattered Golden Crow blood to replenish her previous combat consumption.

Faced with this situation, the Three-Legged Golden Crow finally realized it had fallen into a trap.

Earlier, Mu Xiaoye hadn’t used this third-grade Spirit Sword, only employing her fists and Mystic Flame to fight.

This made it mistakenly believe that was all Mu Xiaoye was capable of.

That’s why it decided to confront Mu Xiaoye in its true form through physical combat.

But this played right into her hands.

Because revealing its true form meant its size increased, making it harder to evade Mu Xiaoye’s attacks.

Especially the sharp third-grade Spirit Sword.

In truth, without this third-grade Spirit Sword, it wouldn’t have been easy for Mu Xiaoye to break through the Three-Legged Golden Crow’s Physical Body.

Although she wasn’t afraid of the Three-Legged Golden Crow’s Blazing Sunfire,

the Three-Legged Golden Crow similarly showed no fear toward Mu Xiaoye’s Crimson Phoenix Calamity.

Their respective Mystic Flames essentially canceled each other out.

But Mu Xiaoye’s third-grade Spirit Sword broke this balance.

Even though Mu Xiaoye’s swordsmanship was quite ordinary, her current Physique was extraordinary – overwhelming force could compensate for lack of technique.Relying on her terrifying strength, Mu Xiaoye taught the Three-Legged Golden Crow the meaning of “all warfare is based on deception.”

And what it truly meant to face a divine weapon.

Under Mu Xiaoye’s relentless barrage of attacks, the Three-Legged Golden Crow finally couldn’t hold on any longer. Its body plummeted from the sky and crashed heavily onto the ground.

Boom!

As the Three-Legged Golden Crow’s body hit the ground, this long and arduous battle of attrition finally came to an end.

“Yield or not?”

Mu Xiaoye stepped on the Three-Legged Golden Crow and spoke to the creature beneath her.

Hearing her words, the Three-Legged Golden Crow said angrily, “Relying on the power of a weapon, you despicable outsider!”

Thud!

Without wasting words, Mu Xiaoye punched it directly in the head.

“Yield or not?”

“No!”

Thud!

Another heavy punch landed.

“Yield or not?”

“No!”

Thud, thud, thud…

This time, Mu Xiaoye didn’t give the Three-Legged Golden Crow much chance to respond. Her fists rained down on its head like a storm.

Pummeling it until it saw stars.

It could no longer maintain the true form condensed from Blazing Sunfire, reverting directly to its original small crow appearance.

At this point, the stubborn Three-Legged Golden Crow could no longer remain defiant.

“I yield, I yield! Stop hitting, stop hitting!”

The bruised and battered Three-Legged Golden Crow covered its head with its wings. Gone was the previous arrogance in its words, replaced by a trembling voice.

Without a doubt, it had been thoroughly intimidated by Mu Xiaoye.

Since its emergence, the Three-Legged Golden Crow had never suffered such humiliation.

How could anyone be almost immune to its Blazing Sunfire? This made no sense!

Seeing that the Three-Legged Golden Crow had submitted, Mu Xiaoye first retrieved the Firefeather Spirit Sword, which had fallen nearby when the Three-Legged Golden Crow reverted to its original form.

Then she took out her Mountains and Seas Scroll and placed it directly in front of the Three-Legged Golden Crow.

“Get in.”

Seeing this, the Three-Legged Golden Crow immediately understood that Mu Xiaoye wanted it to become her contracted mythical beast.

But as the mighty Three-Legged Golden Crow, the earthly manifestation of the Heavenly Dao’s sun, how could it willingly remain subservient to a human?

It would not sign this contract, not even a little!

“Not signing?”

Seeing the Three-Legged Golden Crow remain silent and play dead on the ground, Mu Xiaoye immediately raised her fist.

Intending to change its mind.

But to Mu Xiaoye’s surprise, the Three-Legged Golden Crow suddenly became very stubborn, refusing to yield.

Just as Mu Xiaoye was at a loss, Lu Chen quietly transmitted a message to her via divine sense, telling her something.

The next second, Mu Xiaoye glanced in surprise at Lu Chen and Diting, who had already approached, as if asking Lu Chen whether this method would actually work.

In response, Lu Chen smiled and glanced at Diting, indicating that he could hear the Three-Legged Golden Crow’s true inner thoughts.

Seeing this, Mu Xiaoye no longer hesitated. She said to the Three-Legged Golden Crow at her feet, “As long as you become my destiny beast, I’ll help you pursue the Luan Bird of the Fusang Divine Tree in the future. How about that?”

The Three-Legged Golden Crow lifted its head and looked at Mu Xiaoye in astonishment, saying, “Why should I believe you?”

Hearing this, Mu Xiaoye smiled and said, “Once a Mountain and Sea Walker reaches the Guardian level, they can contract new Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts.”

“If I contract the Luan Bird after reaching the Guardian level, with you two spending day and night together, wouldn’t you have plenty of opportunities?”

“Huh?!”The Three-Legged Golden Crow’s eyes lit up, seemingly swayed by Mu Xiaoye’s words.

“Can you deliver what you promise?”

“As genuine as it gets.”

“Deal!”

A golden Heavenly Dao contract flew out from between the Three-Legged Golden Crow’s eyebrows.

A vivid pattern of the Three-Legged Golden Crow now appeared on Mu Xiaoye’s Mountains and Seas Scroll.

However, unlike the Heavenly Dao contract established between Lu Chen and Diting, the Heavenly Dao contract between Mu Xiaoye and the Three-Legged Golden Crow remained incomplete.

If Mu Xiaoye were to break her oath in the future by failing to make the Luan Bird her second Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beast, the Three-Legged Golden Crow could terminate their contract at any time.

“I hope you keep your word.”

After saying this, the injured Three-Legged Golden Crow entered Mu Xiaoye’s Mountains and Seas Scroll, becoming her contracted mythical beast.

This also meant that the agreement between Lu Chen and Diting had been simultaneously fulfilled.

As a golden light flashed, Diting entered Lu Chen’s Mountains and Seas Scroll.

The next moment, Lu Chen felt a unique destiny power bestowed upon him—an effect far more potent than he had anticipated.

【Destiny: Innate Nine Qi】

【Effect: ……】

(End of Chapter)