Blue Phoenix

"Yue!" Cai Jie called out the moment they saw Hui Yue walking up the staircase to the top of the tower.

As soon as the young man stepped foot on the top of the tower, the people present could tell that something was different with him. His weather-beaten skin had become fair; his long white hair had a healthy silver to it, and his eyes sparkled with energy and vigor. It was as though Hui Yue had become a flame of vitality. He now looked youthful and was bursting with power, but they simply had no idea how this had happened.

"You passed the Vermilion Bird's trials?" Cai Jie asked full of disbelief, and a proud smile spread on Hui Yue's face as he nodded his head.

"Amazing!" Cai Jie exclaimed. He too was filled with pride for his best friend. "I could only deal with the first trial. During the second, I had to give up, or I would have forfeited my life right there. Just that makes me fear the third test. I can’t even imagine what it was like."

"The third test was not a battle, but a test of survival." Shuddering Hui Yue remembered the nine heaven’s tribulations lightning which had very nearly killed him, and that did not even include the heavy injuries he suffered while avoiding the shockwaves. Although it was a memory, his soul had been severely injured. Had it not been for the Nirvana Phoenix Flame then it would have taken him a long time to heal his soul. However, the flame nurtured him back to full health already which was quite unexpected. This flame was definitely a treasure!

"The time we spend in our rooms were brief, and it seems like they somehow are able to slow time down for the people inside. We shouldn’t have to wait long for the others to join us." Hui Yue said, his voice full of admiration as he thought about how powerful these four Divine Beast Gods had been. In addition to their earlier powers they could even bend time itself!

A brief moment after Hui Yue finished speaking, Jo appeared at the top of the tower. Her face was pale, her body was covered in tiny wounds, and her clothes had been shredded. Currently, these rags were just being held together by her Wu Wei, and it seemed that she was almost out of energy. Her body was constantly trembling, and her eyes were filled with exhaustion.

Seeing her in such a state, Hui Yue instantly found a robe in the Universe Box and went towards her. He gently wrapped her small body in the large robe and led her towards the others while supporting her.

It was clear that Jo was exhausted. She had fought her best, used every ability that she had at her disposal, and eventually gotten through the ordinary trial by relying on her determination alone. But, even so, she had made it!

Looking at her friends at the top of the tower, relief could be seen in her eyes for a brief moment before it was replaced by worry. As for why she was worried, Hui Yue instantly guessed that it had to do with her brother.

"Here, sit down and relax." Hui Yue said as he found some more dried fruits that he handed her. With grateful eyes, she sat down and slowly started to chew on the sweet snacks. The color slowly returned to her face as one piece of fruit after another was eaten. As she finished the last piece she closed her eyes and entered meditation. It was clear that she had gained quite a lot from going through this final part of the normal trial, and although she was wounded, it was worth every single wound and every drop of blood she had spilled. By now she was a force to be reckoned with.

'When we first found Lao, who would have thought that Jo was just as much of a monster as him.' Lan Feng sighed full of admiration as both he and Hui Yue observed their young daughter.

'Her talent for cultivation is below Lao's, but her comprehension of fighting is outstanding. Even I had no way of knowing this when we first met these two children. Taking them in was one of the best decisions we ever made.'

Lan Feng was proud, and Hui Yue said nothing to dampen his mood. He too agreed with this bird, Lao and Jo were two treasures in his life; they were his family and ones dear to him. Even if they had not proven to be such little monsters, he would love them all the same.

As Hui Yue was looking lovingly at Jo, he heard the staggering steps of another person ascending the staircase. At this time, Wang Ju Long had gone to sit next to Jo, waiting for her to finish meditating, while Sha Yun was standing by Hui Yue's side.

Everyone, including Jo who had just opened her eyes, turned to look at the staircase. When they saw Deng Wu walk onto the platform, everyone felt relief. He was not in as sorry a state as Jo. Quite the contrary, his clothes were more or less intact, and there were only a few wounds that could be seen on his body, but his face showed regret.

Sighing, Deng Wu's unsightly expression formed into a sad smile when he saw Hui Yue and the others.

"I managed to get through!" He said slowly but shook his head. "Though… The price was almost too much. The ones I fought ended up destroying four of my strongest soul shadows. Those four were not easy to hunt down, and now I have to start from scratch again."

Hearing this, Hui Yue laughed and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Don't worry." He said smilingly. "With the Formation of Life on our side, and with us becoming Gods, do you really think it will be hard to get any soul shadow you want?"

Deng Wu showed a sad smile in response. "If only it were that easy." He complained. "A soul shadow is different from dying. When a soul dies, it enters the Netherworld and prepares for reincarnation, but when a soul becomes a soul shadow, that soul will never again enter the Netherworld. It will, therefore, never again get the chance to enter the circle of reincarnation. I am able to nourish these soul shadows with my own energy and improve their strength, combat ability, and agility."

"The soul shadows I had were shadows I had nourished for a long time. Losing them is really a loss!" But after a bit, a grin appeared on his pained face. "But... We succeeded! We can actually become Gods now!"

"I guess it does not matter too much about sacrificing my Emperor and Saint ranked soul shadows for this. When I become a God, it is only fitting that my Soul Shadows are God ranked as well!"

It was incredible how quickly Deng Wu's mood changed from being depressed to excited, but the moment his mood changed it also affected everyone around him.

The only apprehensive one present was Jo. She was not like this because she disliked Deng Wu or because she had been in a serious battle, but she was worried for her brother. The more the minutes ticked by, the more nervous she became.

Seeing that Jo was shaking slightly, her mothers did all they could to make her feel better. They both comforted her while waiting for Lao to return.

"Even if he cannot finish the test, he is smart. He will not die from something like this." Wang Ju Long said seriously, and her words seemed to make Jo a little more clear-headed as she nodded in response.

"Even if the worst happens, do not worry." Sha Yun consoled her. "Even if he died, then all of us would rush to the Netherworld to get him back! We would never hesitate to trade anything for the lives of our children."

Having spoken, Wang Ju Long shot Sha Yun a murderous look. She worried that these harsh words would make Jo even more worried, but Sha Yun had been correct in saying them because Jo suddenly calmed down.

"That is right!" She said with a deep breath. "Dad will never leave us!"

Her eyes shone brilliantly, and she was smiling, yet while they were talking the last person came up the stairs. Lao was as worn out as Jo had been and the moment he reached the top of the tower, he looked at everyone in front of him and a great smile broke on his face. "Sorry to make everyone wait." He said before he stumbled forward and collapsed in the arms of Hui Yue who had rushed forward to catch him.

Seeing that everyone was present, the bull was no longer surprised. Although he did not expect such an outcome, these experts had all brought him one surprise after another, so even if he did not expect this, it no longer surprised him.

"Rest here until everyone is in their peak condition. Then at that time I will bring you all to the Formation of Life." The bull said with a sigh as everyone nodded their heads. This Formation of Life was likely to be emitting massive amounts of energy as it was the source of all the energy in this realm and the main world. As such while not in their peak state at least some of their group would not be able to withstand the pressure.

"I never believed that all of you would be able to pass this trial! Although I did not fear for your lives, everyone passing this trial is truly a remarkable feat." The bull said, but while speaking his eyes were focused on Hui Yue who was almost glowing with vitality.

"I promised you, young masters and mistresses, a gift if you did well in this test, and I will not go back on my word! As a matter of fact, as things are right now, I am forced to gift this to Hui Yue as he managed to become the successor of my divine master, the Vermilion Bird."

His words caused everyone to turn and look at Hui Yue with utter disbelief. Though their shock quickly changed to smugness. All of them felt pride and warmth as though they had been the ones to inherit the Vermilion Bird’s legacy.

"Oh, that reminds me." Hui Yue said as he slapped his forehead. "Come here." He beckoned to Jo, and the young girl instantly drew near.

"This is something I've never tried before..." He said as he scratched the back of his head. "But it should be possible… I think."

While Wang Ju Long was healing Lao, Hui Yue placed a hand on Jo's shoulder and summoned forth the Nirvana Phoenix Flame from within his middle dantian. The flame acted instantly and smoothly doing exactly what Hui Yue thought it would. A small wisp of energy left the whole flame in his middle dantian, and this small wisp of energy floated through his body and into Jo's body.

Looking at Hui Yue and Jo everyone was shocked. At first, Hui Yue started shining with a unique golden light. He seemed like a celestial being descending from the heavens in a halo of gold. This golden light first covered his entire body, but it was soon concentrated on the hand which touched Jo and slowly entered her body. The moment the golden light entered Jo, all her wounds vanished. Her skin healed, and she too became as fair skinned as an angel. Her eyes flashed with vigor and life; it was clear that she too had been baptized by the Nirvana Phoenix Flame.

But while Jo looked much healthier than ever before, Hui Yue felt drained like a dried sponge. His entire body had used all the energy he had at his disposal. The Nirvana Phoenix Flame had absorbed it all.

"I see." Hui Yue said contemplating. "While it is possible to heal people, the price I pay is extraordinary."

Smiling and shaking his head, Hui Yue looked at Wang Ju Long tenderly. "We will need to rely on your strength in the future too." He said with care, and his words made Wang Ju Long nod her head solemnly. Although she was a good asset in fights as a poison master, she was also their healer. Under her capable hands, Lao was getting color back to his cheeks, and he returned to the healthy appearance he had when they first entered this realm.