When Noire went into his room, he planned to do more than just recuperating. In fact, with his resilient body and explosive vitality, his lost essence would regenerate over time. But, he wanted to digest the mysteries he glimpsed over from the ancient phoenix's memories.
Although he has a long way to reach the Core Continent, the Ancient Phoenix had already lived there for centuries. Through these centuries, that Phoenix had done many interactions with human experts, which inevitably led to the fall of her Phoenix Palace.
Still, as the saying goes, fortune or curse is a matter of perspective.
Perhaps the ancient phoenix clan viewed the humans back then as enemies, but Noire tried to study the profound ways of their avenues, making them indirect seniors that augmented his understanding.
In the world of cultivation, one's cultivation base is useless to determine one's strengths. At one point, one may reach a bottleneck due to their lack of aptitude, but that doesn't mean they can't chase the peak of their martial avenue anymore.
Through countless fragments and pieces of incoherent scenes, Noire tried his best to focus on those which contained either a dialogue or boasting as these scenes carried the knowledge that was unattainable in a lackluster place like Shadowed Demise Continent.
Noire entered an ethereal state as he began to recount the memory fragments and carefully plant them into his sea of knowledge.
Extracting himself from the progress of time in the world around him like that... Days passed.
Arima's campaign flourished. Contrary to everyone's expectations, the Western and Southern Region families abandoned the Eastern Region.
Some of the Eastern Region's descendants managed to escape as refugees towards other Regions, but the majority were slain on sight.
About 30% of the monsters in the Northern Region have already converted to the Eastern Region and assumed ruling over respectful families within the Luhei Province.
For a few days, Anastasia suffered a fate worse than death under Arima's hands. Half her clansmen were enslaved whilst the other half was used as training dummies for Arima's curiosity over Kami's Saber Collection, all because she refused to surrender herself to Kami's desires.
Although he could force himself on her, he wanted to thoroughly conquer her arrogant character.
Until a few days later when Arima had left to meet with the representing families of the remaining two regions to come into terms for a truce, Anastasia was able to seduce some of Arima's lackeys, inevitably allowing her to escape his clutches and rush her way back to the Northern Region.
...
Two weeks passed and the flames of the campaign subsided, Noire had successfully merged the incoherent fragments of memories into his knowledge sea.
One location was very conspicuous within these memory fragments, it seemed to be a place that allowed only those humans below the Eclipse Realm to venture inside, but the death rate was extremely high.
It was mentioned briefly that the Imperial Family set out many expeditions to covet control over that land, but there was a frightening existence that is comparable to the Great Elder who left the Ancient Relics in the Vortex Ruins.
Some even speculate that the existence is particularly opposing the Imperial Family.
The expert who mentioned this matter advised the Ancient Phoenix to seek asylum from this existence, but the Phoenix seemed to have lost all trust in humans.
"Divine Inheritance Island..." Noire muttered under his breath. Depending on that Elder's description, the Divine Inheritance Island is located somewhere within the Chaotic Ocean.
One must follow the spiritual disturbance in the flow of heaven and earth energy, sail through the chaos, and arrive at the shores of this mysterious island.
....
Tap tap.
"Hm?" Noire opened his eyes as he realized someone was knocking on his door.
His eyebrows twisted together as he probed with his spiritual sense before relaxing his vigilance.
"Come in," Noire spoke out in a calm tone.
The next moment, Kirin entered through the front door with her elegant cyan palace dress, she would have looked enchanting if it wasn't for the depressing aura lingering about her body.
Noire wasn't inclined to ask what's wrong, nor did he plan on asking. For him, he already did what he must and what he wanted, the only reason he allowed her in is that he doesn't have anything else to do.
"Sorry for disturbing your rest," Kirin gave an apologetic smile after closing the door. In fact, she frequently visited Noire's room and knocked on his door the past few days but to no avail.
He didn't even make a single response, much less clarify if he wished to meet her or not.
Through the last two weeks, Queen Yinfer was occupied with her duties as the Palace Mistress and learning the situation in the Northern Region.
During her free time, she would seclude herself and refine the essence that Noire left in her bone marrow to further purify her bloodline. However, she usually spends hours if not a full day only during her secluded bloodline tempering sessions, everyone could notice that's the only matter she's actually enthusiastic about.
Therefore, Yinfer paid little to no attention to Kirin, even though the latter was purposely avoiding audience with the Queen so it worked well.
Lady Feng was stripped from her adoptive name and she chose Qinxu as a name for herself after being disowned. She currently occupies a humble hut not too far neither too close to the Phoenix Palace and if it wasn't for Kirin's indirect care from the shadows, she would have already been killed outside.
Kirin can't oppose the Queen and interact or indulge in human business, otherwise, she would be punished and Qinxu would die under Yinfer's hands. Her only choice is to rely on Noire to take care of Qinxu, and this is why she frequently visited his room in the recent two weeks.
"I see," Noire nodded. True, for a lonely peak Twilight human, the wilderness is too dangerous, especially without resources and background.
"Still, it's none of my business. When my companions were facing the slim chance of death, you two stood aside as if it has nothing to do with you." Noire flatly declined her request without concealing the contempt in his words.
In a cold voice, he said, "You didn't even bother to give a single hint, much less show goodwill. Now, you have the face to come ask for my help? Have you lost your mind?" Noire's eyebrows knit together as he spoke as if trying to process how ridiculous her request is.
Hearing his ruthless response, Kirin winced in her place.
She was visibly trembling, she waited for the Queen to awaken before requesting to offer her life to Noire just to clear their grieving.
How naive.
"I know I can't fix what we did..." Kirin whispered, her voice as low as that of a mosquito as she fiddled with her slim fingers.
The next instant, Noire perked his eyebrows in surprise.
A dignified Phoenix kneeled on both her knees, pressed her forehead onto the concrete, and began to kowtow, begging as her own words choked on air.
She repeatedly begged Noire to at least deliver Qinxu outside the Northern Region towards any human village.
Anywhere is fine as long she gets to live a few more years.
With her talent, finding a middle-grade or a low-grade sect shouldn't be that difficult.
Noire said nothing, but Kirin didn't take a break at all. Like that, for about a stick of incense time, Kirin continued to plea and beg, her tears already forming a puddle of water as she trembled in prostration.
She even offered her pure Lighting Yin Essence, which is another way of offering one's body.
'How desperate...' Noire thought inwardly with a faint sense of disgust.