A giant black hole emerged in the void as two giant claws with sharp talons reached out from it. The claws gleamed dangerously under the sunlight, with golden flames swirling around them.
Following the lethal claws was a seven-colored phoenix, almost twice as large as Huang Hongtian's phoenix form, flying out from the black hole. Its comely seven colored plumes were stunning. On top of that, this phoenix's flames were denser and more vibrant.
This was the Phoenix Clan's Ancestor, Huang Yixiao.
He was a late-First Order God Realm master. In fact, Huang Yixiao's strength was closer to a peak late-First Order God Realm.
The shockwave from Huang Xiaolong and Huang Hongtian's battle had finally alerted Huang Yixiao, who was in seclusion within the deep void.
When Huang Yixiao emerged, golden-scarlet flames danced in the depths of his pupils as he glanced around. He saw Huang Hongtian that was lying on the ground in a sorry state, as well as the group of Phoenix Clan Grand Elders and Elders. Fury erupted in Huang Yixiao's heart, and the look in his eyes was chilling, his killing intent soared sky high.
His divine might rushed out madly, seemingly vast and boundless.
"Little runt, get on your knees obediently to receive death, or die in torment by being burned for a hundred days by my phoenix flames!" Huang Yixiao's murderous gaze was fixed on Huang Xiaolong.
Just as his voice fell, an unexpected dragon roar resounded in their ears.
Huang Yixiao was astounded. Turning his head, he saw an enormous golden dragon's claw swooping down on him.
In the last second, Huang Yixiao extended his giant claws in defense.
Rumble! The heavens shook and phoenix flames spattered like rain during a thunderstorm.
Before Huang Hongtian and the present Phoenix Clan members' agape faces, Huang Yixiao slammed to the ground, parts of his huge body stuck into the earth.
Fissures ran deep into the earth and mountains collapsed, leaving only a huge phoenix's backside facing the heavens.
Huang Hongtian and the Phoenix Clan higher echelon stared dazedly at Huang Yixiao's jutted up backside. For the first time in countless tens of thousands of years, they noticed that there was a mole on their Ancestor's backside!
A long time later, Huang Yixiao struggled to fly up from the ground, his phoenix plumes had lost all brilliance, dim and lifeless. Not to mention the flames around his body, they flickered in and out weakly like they were about to completely dissipate.
The dignified momentum that Huang Yixiao showed earlier when he gave Huang Xiaolong two options vanished to nothing, replaced by fear and bewilderment. He looked at Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi, stammering his words, "You, a Second Order God Realm!"
Huang Hongtian and the Phoenix Clan were struck dumb, cautiously turning their gazes filled with fear toward Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi. That middle-aged man beside Huang Xiaolong earlier was actually a Second Order Highgod Realm ancient Dragon Clan master!
Furthermore, he was a being that stood at the top of the Dragon Clan's hierarchy, a five-claws golden dragon!
Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi's powerful claw swooped down again, slamming Huang Yixiao, who barely extracted himself from the rubble, back to the ground once more. This time, Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi's claw was heavily pressing down on Huang Yixiao's body, his voice piercingly cold, "On your knees to receive death? It doesn't look like you have this qualification."
Huang Yixiao struggled frantically to break free from Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi's claw to no avail. The dragon qi had Huang Yixiao pinned down.
"Y-you're an ancient dragon, royalty of the ancient Dragon Clan, why?! Why do you align your noble self to a puny human runt?!" Huang Yixiao screamed in distress.
He was unwilling to accept this kind of ending, even more perplexed why one such as Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi, with such a high status in the proud ancient Dragon Clan, would follow at a human runt's side, not to mention that human runt was merely a late-Tenth Order God Realm ant!
In Huang Yixiao's eyes, a late-Tenth Order God Realm human wasn't even qualified to be his slave.
Hearing Huang Yixiao's questions, Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi was genuinely angered, "Why? Because he is my friend, my savior, the person who saved me!" Of course there was another important reason, and that was the fact that Huang Xiaolong's talent was bound to astonish hundreds and thousands of galaxies, propelling him to a hegemon in the future.
To Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi, able to stand beside Huang Xiaolong was a heaven-sent opportunity.
A second later, Huang Xiaolong reached the old dragon and Huang Yixiao in a flicker, his voice cold and indifferent, "Here are your choices. Today, your entire Phoenix Clan submits to me, or die!"
"Submit to you?" This sounded like the craziest joke Phoenix Clan Ancestor Huang Yixiao had ever heard, "What a joke! A mere God Realm human, what qualifications do you have to want our whole Phoenix Clan to submit to you? Not even the Vermilion Bird Institute's Principal is qualified! Little runt, if you ever fall into my hand, I'll make you wish you were never born!!"
The Phoenix Clan's Ancestor wasn't bluffing, even the first person of Vermilion Bird Institute, the Vermilion Bird Institute Principal, didn't qualify to have their Phoenix Clan submit to him.
Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi shook his head, this Phoenix Clan Ancestor was half an idiot, comparing Huang Xiaolong with the Vermilion Bird Institute Principal. Furthermore, it sounded like Huang Xiaolong was many times worse than that Vermilion Bird Institute Principal…?
Huang Xiaolong's eyes gave Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi a look.
Understanding Huang Xiaolong's meaning, he no longer held back. His jaw stretched open, spewing dragon flames over the Phoenix Clan Ancestor.
The Phoenix Clan Ancestor screamed in excruciating pain.
Watching from afar, Huang Hongtian and the Grand Elders turned pasty.
"Runt, I'll tear you into pieces with my bare hands!!!" As he screamed, The Phoenix Clan Ancestor cursed and threatened Huang Xiaolong with hatred. Multi-colored light and flames flickered over his body as he struggled to break free.
Seeing through Huang Yixiao's intention, Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi coldly snickered. He doubled the force in his claws, embedding Huang Yixiao's body deeper into the earth. Dragon flames burned strongly and Huang Yixiao barely had any energy left to scream.
Half an hour passed, one hour…
Two hours… five hours went by.
As more time passed, the Phoenix Clan Ancestor's yells gradually turned from the original rage and hatred to fear and requests of reconciliation. In the end, only cries for mercy could be heard.
After Huang Yixiao submitted, Huang Hongtian and the other Phoenix Clan members followed suit.
Huang Yixiao, Huang Hongtian, and the Grand Elders' soul seas were branded with Huang Xiaolong's soul mark. As of the Elders and the others, Huang Xiaolong didn't bother.
With Huang Yixiao, Huang Hongtian, and the group of Grand Elders under his control, it was sufficient to grasp the whole Phoenix Clan of the Fire World in his palm.
When this was all done, he gave every person a Spring Autumn Hundred Life Divine Pellet to heal their injuries.
Watching him casually take out a bottle of Spring Autumn Hundred Life Divine Pellets, the Phoenix Clan Ancestor and everyone stared at Huang Xiaolong, startled.
Medicinal pellets for healing like the Spring Autumn Hundred Life Divine Pellets were something not even the Vermilion Bird Institute Principal could take out as he liked, definitely not a hundred pellets at once.
When Huang Yixiao, Huang Hongtian, and the others healed from their injuries, Huang Xiaolong had the entire Phoenix Clan leave the Phoenix Volcano. Outside, the waiting group of demonic beasts joined in, heading toward the Firecloud Mountain.
With Huang Xiaolong's current strength, adding Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi, the Phoenix Clan's Ancestor, and Patriarch Huang Hongtian, it was more than enough to subjugate the Firecloud Mountain's three fierce Flaming Golden-Claw Great Pengs.
Adding the three Flaming Golden-Claw Great Pengs to his force, even if the Azure Dragon Institute, Jiang Family, Gudu Family, Wang Family, and Zhang Family all conspired for his life, Huang Xiaolong wasn't as worried as before.
Before long, Huang Xiaolong's group reached Firecloud Mountain.
Upon reaching Firecloud Mountain, Huang Xiaolong and Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi wasted no time and led the group straight to the mountain peak, where the three Flaming Golden-Claw Great Pengs built their cultivation dwelling.
As for the rest of the Phoenix Clan members and the Horned Fire Lion's demonic beast group, they were instructed to guard the periphery of Firecloud Mountain, not to let even a single demonic beast flee.