After a moment's silence Itachi came to a decision.
"I came here for one reason and one reason only, to satisfy the calling sensation I felt within myself after establishing the Nine Bestial Devil Dao's initial foundation, anything else was just a bonus. If I am able to cultivate these stages of the so called {{World Ode of the Phoenix}} I'll be happy, and if not I don't care. A month to spend contemplating a technique at the so called True God level, even if it is incomplete, is not a waste of my time."
The phoenix spirit then said something which satisfied Itachi.
"I have also seen in your memories the Nine Bestial Devil Dao. That old man's technique has been passed down to the present day clearly, and I would like to willingly offer you the remnant of my soul. This would be unprecedented and will provide you with an incredible foundation for your Nine Bestial Devil Dao, allowing you to have a chance at surpassing even that old man and the Rage God in terms of bodily power."
Itachi heard this and merely began running through the hand seals required to activate the first containment point of the Nine Bestial Devil Dao, located in the heart, without any delay as if he had expected the Phoenix Spirit to say this.
While shocked by this the Phoenix Spirit didn't show it. Anyone else would've felt a sense of fear or at least apprehension upon thinking about absorbing a True God's soul into their body but this youth appeared to be completely fearless at the prospect.
After about 30 seconds Itachi's heart began beating at an incredibly loud volume, slow and rhythmic, sounding like the war drum of a murderous emperor.
Looking up sharply into the Phoenix Spirit's eyes Itachi exhaled slightly then simply said,
"now."
The Phoenix Spirit merely gave Itachi a deep look for a second, saying one last time, "After I enter your body the fifth and sixth stage of the {{World ode of the Phoenix}} will remain for a month before being recalled once more, I wish you luck on comprehending them."
Then without any delay, those golden eyes hanging in the void suddenly burst into a resplendent flame, unbelievably bright.
From within those bright golden flames Itachi could faintly make out, with the activation of his sharingan, a golden phoenix of unprecedented majesty flying directly towards him at breakneck speeds.
Almost instantly the phoenix flew directly into his heart, which was glowing faintly red now, visible through even his skin and clothing.
Instantly Itachi felt everything go black and found himself in a void.
In this void there floated a red wall, seemingly large and unending, appearing like an infinite wall. This wall appeared to be contracting at a set pace, almost as if it was a...
Itachi's eyes narrowed, before contracting slightly.
Even with his incredible willpower and experiences, he was slightly shocked.
The unending wall in front of him was a heart!
And it didn't take much guesswork for Itachi to realise he must have been transported inside his body somehow.
At that moment the black void around the infinite red heart in front of Itachi was lit up by a resplendent golden light.
The Phoenix Spirit had arrived!
Without any delay Itachi's heart immediately unleashed a terrifying suction force upon the appearance of the Phoenix Spirit, however the Phoenix Spirit didn't fight it, appearing to allow Itachi's heart to envelop it.
"Good luck child, I hope you are able to satisfy my hopes, in the future this universe may need your help if my fears are correct."
After saying these ominous words to itself, the Phoenix Spirit and the last of the golden flames were absorbed into Itachi's heart.
Meanwhile, Itachi had returned once more to the void where the phoenix's trial had taken place, with a pained expression on his face.
The originally red glow being emanated from his heart had become tinged with a golden glow around its edge, and become much more prominent, with Itachi's heart beat also being much louder, as if it was undergoing a spectacular change, and indeed it was!
Even though the Phoenix Spirit had willingly allowed itself to be absorbed by Itachi, which did undoubtedly make it's assimilation process much easier, it was still the remnant of a True God's soul, there was no way that it would be easy for Itachi to absorb and use as a foundation for his physical body.
For 7 days and 7 nights Itachi sat there, unmoving, as his heart beat grew ever more erratic, however on the 8th day Itachi's eyes opened, and he stood up.
His erratic heart beat stopped as soon as he stood up, as if he had gained perfect control over his body once more.
Itachi inhaled deeply before unleashing a punch. An intense force was encapsulated within this punch, with even the void somewhat being disturbed merely by the physical force of Itachi's punch.
"My physical strength should be at around 50,000kg right now, after only the first containment point, the heart soul containment point, was filled. Aside from that I now feel even more blessed with the power of fire, specifically the Phoenix's flames, as if any flame related to the Phoenix is now at my fingertips..."
Even for Itachi this was a major gain which caused him to feel satisfied, but even then he remained as cold and impassive as before, a calm and quiet satisfaction at having completed his goal being displayed.
Looking at the jade slip containing the {{World ode of the Phoenix}} hanging in the void, Itachi waved his hand and read the fifth and sixth stage through once, before attempting to complete the techniques.
And shockingly, with absolute ease, Itachi perfectly executed them!
"Empyrean Dance of the Phoenix Wing, Star Scorching Demon Lotus. I truly have made some large gains from this journey. In 30 days I might have been able to comprehend these techniques, however after I absorbed the phoenix soul it became simplicity itself."
Even after all these gains, Itachi merely smiled lightly, however this was enough to show how satisfied he was with his journey.
Not only had Itachi gained two incredible techniques for battle, more importantly he had successfully filled the heart soul containment point, strengthening his physical body to an unbelievable level, and allowing him to truly step onto the path of the Nine Bestial Devil Dao.
Despite still being at the 4th realm of the Spirit Profound realm, Itachi would now be able to easily defeat those at the Sky Profound realm without using any of his mangekyo sharingan abilities, merely relying on his physical body and the power of the Evil God he had inherited.
At this moment Itachi stood up and exited the Phoenix trial ground, immensely satisfied with his gains from this journey, entering the phoenix village once more.