Chapter 081
This dual cultivation isn't the kind of thing humans might find embarrassing. Instead, it's a legitimate method where cultivators intertwine and merge their spiritual energies. If used correctly, it can help one party remove deep-seated impurities.
However, the problem lies in the vast difference in cultivation levels between Su Zui and the Phoenix. They can't practice dual cultivation together. Even if they tried, it would turn into one party exploiting the other. Moreover, the Phoenix has absorbed a large amount of resentment-formed yin energy, which rampages violently within him, shattering his spiritual veins and transforming his divine body into a storm field that devours everything.
Such terrifying yin energy is dangerous even if a small amount is accidentally touched. Introducing it into one's body to merge and refine it is akin to suicide, leading to complete annihilation of the soul.
Fortunately, the system provided him with a tool that transformed his body into a transit station. The most violent yin energy, once inside him, would become as tame as the purest spiritual energy.
Of course, such a miraculous tool required more than just 6888 points and his spiritual bones.
But there was no time to haggle over the price now.
As if realizing something, the Phoenix, in a daze, suddenly snapped back to consciousness. His pupils contracted, and he tried to turn his face away, struggling to say, "No..."
Although he didn't know exactly what was happening, no one understood better than he did, having been tormented by the Heavenly Dao for years, the terrifying price of refining yin energy with a mortal body.
But he was already at his limit. He barely managed to utter a single word before his pupils dilated, and he lost consciousness completely, falling into a chaotic, surreal state.
Su Zui paid no attention to his small resistance. He bit the Phoenix's lower lip lightly and, while the Phoenix was unconscious from the torment of the yin energy, found a binding lock from the artifacts he had collected from various sects. He tied the Phoenix up, burned a teleportation talisman, and they both disappeared from the battlefield.
Dual cultivation naturally required a secluded place. Meng Qingzhi's corpse was not far away, his face disfigured and eyes wide open in death. With the fighting over, the various sects would soon come to investigate. This was not a suitable place for cultivation.
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The Phoenix had a dream.
It was a very unfamiliar experience.
Since his birth, he had spent his life in constant struggle with yin energy. He wasn't a physical being but a remnant soul formed from the fortune of his clan, a creature that shouldn't exist in this world. Though named Phoenix, he was filthier than the demons of the abyss.
His world was often cold, painful, and devoid of sunlight.
But now, he felt a trace of warmth and peace.
Even the raging yin energy within him had calmed down significantly, as if a small part of it had been tamed, shrinking back obediently and becoming part of his body. The remaining majority, though still unruly, had also subdued somewhat, swirling resentfully but no longer threatening to tear his body apart in a frenzy.
This was a rare moment of tranquility for him.
Not to mention... there was a very unfamiliar sensation on his body.
It felt like something alive was slowly moving over him, warm and dry.
Due to the yin energy, the Phoenix had never had close contact with anyone since birth. Even trusted subordinates only spoke to him from a distance. The sensation of skin contact was extremely foreign to him.
Except... for that human, but even then, there had never been such an intimate moment.
Su Zui!
Suddenly recalling the scene before he lost consciousness, a wave of unease surged in the Phoenix's heart. His awareness broke free from the warm chaos.
Before his body fully awakened, his eyes were met with a golden sight. Autumn leaves, as brilliant as the sunrise slowly descending from the horizon, surrounded him. The ground beneath him was covered in fallen leaves, which crunched with every slight movement.
A gust of wind blew, sweeping a bunch of leaves from the branches, scattering them over his face. Golden leaves adorned his dark hair.
A few leaves landed on his chest, gently brushed away by a pair of slender hands. It was then that the Phoenix noticed his robe was loose, barely covering him.
He followed the hand upwards, seeing a thin wrist connected to a slightly muscular forearm. The shoulder, backlit, revealed faint blue veins. His gaze met a pair of dark eyes.
Phoenix: "...
In his chaotic life, he had never done such a thing in a moment of clarity and peace. As his awareness returned, heat slowly crept up his neck.
He was unsure whether to question what he saw before losing consciousness or to ask why he was in such a disheveled state.
Nearby, a binding lock lay haphazardly on the ground. The Phoenix vaguely remembered it being used to bind him, only to be discarded later.
"Awake?"
After brushing away the leaves, Su Zui didn't withdraw his hand. Instead, he naturally let it wander downwards.
There was no guilt in his expression.
It's just his pet bird, after all. What's wrong with a little teasing?
It wasn't the first time with this person... Su Zui had long forgotten what it meant to be shy.
He stared at the Phoenix's flushed neck and ears, suddenly intrigued. He licked his lips and pinched the Phoenix's earlobe.
That area was also burning hot, silently revealing the owner's chaotic emotions.
Realizing Su Zui was deliberately causing trouble, the Phoenix forced himself to snap out of his unfamiliar state. He grabbed Su Zui's wrist, his voice hoarse, "What's going on with your body?"
When the long-dormant yin energy invaded his body, he was on the brink of death. Yet now, he lay in this leaf-covered maple forest, seemingly fine.
Su Zui stared at him for a moment, "You're such a buzzkill. This isn't the time to talk about that."
He leaned down, biting the earlobe he had just pinched, "Be good. I'll explain everything after I get my reward."
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The Phoenix had disappeared.
The Phoenix had disappeared again.
Suzaku, in bird form, perched on the stone desk where the Phoenix used to work. He puffed up his fluffy belly, thinking about his missing superior, and let out a deep sigh, "Chirp."
The Phoenix's disappearance wasn't a big deal; it wasn't the first time. As a fellow divine beast, Suzaku could sense that the Phoenix was still alive. The turmoil of yin energy in the world had also vanished, no longer giving off a deathly aura.
Besides, that human was with the Phoenix.
Though there was no concrete evidence, Suzaku had a gut feeling that the two of them would be fine, considering the peculiarities of Su Zui.
Su Zui was no ordinary mortal. To withstand the forces of heaven and earth with a mortal body was something even divine beasts born of fortune found difficult.
But he didn't want to delve into the reasons behind it.
Divine beasts like them had lived for countless years and had seen many strange things in the world. One or two chosen ones favored by the Heavenly Dao were not rare to them. They encountered one every few thousand years.
Unless it concerned their own life and death, they found it hard to be interested in things that would make mortals exclaim in surprise.
However, this time was a bit strange. He initially thought that Meng Qingzhi was the chosen one of this millennium, but he fell into the demonic path and allied with yin energy, meeting a tragic end.
Although the Heavenly Dao wasn't benevolent, it wouldn't choose such an unworthy candidate as its chosen one, would it?
The round bird head shook, trying to discard these past events from his mind.
He was more concerned about when Qing Luan would have time to take a break from his duties.
Yes, Qing Luan had been so busy dealing with the aftermath of the yin energy for a whole month that he hadn't had a proper conversation with him.
The initial disappearance of yin energy left behind remnants that needed to be dealt with. The human world was in ruins, and people's hearts were still unsettled. The reconstruction after the disaster was the most challenging phase.
Although the cultivation world seemed ethereal and detached from the mundane, it ultimately relied on mortals as its foundation. Without the skin, what can the hair attach to? All the major sects had sent most of their people and resources to heal the wounds inflicted by the yin energy on the rivers and the human world.
Even the divine beasts, who usually didn't concern themselves with mundane affairs, were busy with this. After all, they also needed human faith, and the chaos in the rivers affected their cultivation.
However, during this critical time, the Phoenix had skipped work
The busy tasks naturally fell to Qing Luan, the Phoenix's most trusted subordinate.
Small pockets of yin energy were causing trouble in some places, and beasts from the mountains were taking advantage of the chaos to rob the human world. Qing Luan had to decide and coordinate the manpower to handle these issues.
Suzaku wanted to help, but his fiery nature made him impatient. He could only handle errands and fights, but thinking through problems was too much for him.
After completing his assigned tasks, he transformed into a mini version of his original form and perched on the stone desk, silently watching Qing Luan immersed in his duties.
A month should have been a fleeting moment for a divine beast, but for some reason, it felt unbearably long to him.
Feeling drained, Suzaku let out another chirp, then collapsed on the stone desk like a deflated ball, his belly up, with a few fine feathers gently swaying.
Seeing the bird playing dead, Qing Luan finally spared him a glance. He looked at the straight-laying Suzaku and felt a bit guilty, realizing he might have given him too many tasks. "Too tired?"
His gaze fell on the fluffy little bird. Suzaku's feathers were a pure, fiery red, and the small ball on the desk looked like a warm little fireball, full of life and energy. The fine feathers on his belly made him look especially warm.
Perhaps he was too tired to think clearly, but Qing Luan found himself absentmindedly stroking the round little belly.
Suzaku immediately forgot about playing dead. His small eyes widened, and with a plop, he flipped over, standing on the desk with his feathers fluffed up, looking shocked, embarrassed, and incredulous.
Qingluan froze for a moment, realizing his mistake. "Sorry..." The area near the tail feathers was extremely private for birds, and even close colleagues shouldn't touch it so abruptly.
He was usually very restrained and courteous, not knowing what had come over him to act so inappropriately.
But before he could finish his apology, the red fluff ball, as if seeing a ghost, flapped its short wings and quickly ran along the wall.
It dashed to the cold pool where Xuanwu was recuperating and plopped into the water.
Suzaku's indescribable agitation turned into pure yang energy, melting the ice in the pool and turning it into a warm spring.
Xuanwu, awakened by the heat: ?
Where did this lovesick bird come from?
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In the human world, in the maple forest near the school.
Su Zui, dressed simply with a bag slung over one shoulder, walked slowly down the mountain, looking like an ordinary student out for a stroll.
If you ignored his disheveled clothes and slightly sluggish steps.
The human world was still in chaos, and people at the foot of the mountain were in a hurry, many looking disheveled. In such tumultuous times, no one paid attention to a plainly dressed young man.
After removing the barrier at the mountain top, Su Zui tossed the talisman with dissipated spiritual energy into a roadside trash can. He thought with some regret that he had indeed been too complacent this time, forgetting that his body, though modified by the tool, was still different from a naturally born divine beast.
He shouldn't have pushed the Phoenix so hard; in the end, he was the one who suffered.
Several times, he almost thought he would die from exhaustion.
Su Zui rubbed his waist, took out a new talisman, and sent a message to his friend to let them know he was safe. Then he unzipped his backpack a bit.
A small, colorful bird, no bigger than half a palm, was curled up in the corner of the bag.
The Phoenix's feathers were somewhat similar to Suzaku's, mostly red, but the Phoenix's feathers were interspersed with many colorful ones, making him look more magnificent and noble. Previously, these colors were tainted by black yin energy, but now, with the yin energy tamed, they had returned to their original brilliance.
Of course, in his current small form, he just looked like a flashy little bird ball.
The bird ball and Su Zui stared at each other for a few seconds. The bird's small eyes flickered, then it suddenly turned around, showing Su Zui its colorful tail.
The colorful feathers hid the skin underneath, which was a deep red.
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