Watching the regretful Phoenix King shake his head, Zi Yan stepped forward confidently and said, "Since someone has succeeded, I can definitely do it too!"
Hearing this, the Phoenix King looked at Zi Yan and nodded with a smile. "With the qualifications of a Dragon Phoenix, naturally, there shouldn't be any problem."
As he spoke, he gently pushed the Phoenix feather, which glided in a stream of rainbow light towards Zi Yan. She easily caught it in her hand.
"This is the inheritance item containing the true essence of the Nine Transformations Into Saint Technique. If you can trigger the spiritual imprint within, it will prove that you have the talent to cultivate it."
As she listened to the Phoenix King's words, the feather in Zi Yan's hand suddenly radiated brilliance. Streams of flowing light began to converge, eventually igniting into a blaze and transforming into a fiery phoenix. The fiery phoenix circled around for a moment before diving with a swoosh into her forehead.
The Phoenix King and the Phoenix Queen were both dumbfounded by the scene before them. They had tried to engage with the Nine Transformations Into Saint Technique back in the day but had gained nothing. Even after becoming peak supreme divinities, they had revisited it numerous times, barely able to trigger some vague phenomena, but ultimately unable to truly cultivate it.
However, the spectacle caused by Zi Yan left them astonished. The reaction of the inheritance feather was so intense—was the Dragon Phoenix bloodline truly this dominant?
The compatibility was extraordinarily high, even more so than what Phoenix Xuan Zhi had achieved!
As the fiery phoenix entered Zi Yan's body, a blaze instantly enveloped her. Flames danced in her pupils, seeming to reflect a phoenix's shadow. In a moment, the phoenix vanished, replaced by a being with a dragon's body and phoenix wings, radiating waves of energy outward continuously.
Time passed, and the flames gradually disappeared. The feather that had entered her body reappeared in her hand, looking somewhat dim, as if much of its energy had been consumed.
"You, have you gained the divine ability inheritance? Have you already succeeded in cultivating the first transformation?" The Phoenix King and Queen stared at Zi Yan with wide eyes as she opened hers, unable to suppress their astonishment.
"Not only that, I've completed the first transformation of the True Dragon Nine Changes as well. It seems Jiang Yun's guess was indeed plausible!" Beside her, the True Dragon Emperor's eyes flashed with intrigue, unable to hide his admiration.
"Is the Dragon Phoenix really so heaven-defying, even if it's not a pure Dragon Phoenix?" The Kun Peng Ancestor also stared at Zi Yan with bright eyes, filled with envy. Even as a peak supreme divinity, with unmatched bloodline power, he had a premonition that the supreme divine beast reigning over all others might reemerge in this era.
"Little Yun, both the Nine Transformations Into Saint Technique and the True Dragon Nine Changes suit me well. I feel that cultivating them together will progress much faster than focusing on just one. Look, Little Yun."
Excitedly, Zi Yan turned to report to Jiang Yun, forming mystical energy patterns in the air. A purple-gold halo formed behind her, where true dragons and true phoenixes danced together, emanating an ancient and mysterious aura.
Jiang Yun observed that at the center, a fearsome purple-gold seal was gradually forming.
On the seal were carvings of dragons and phoenixes, exuding an ancient aura. Bathed in dignified purple-gold light, it seemed like an artifact of war, unleashing formidable waves of power that threatened to break free and strike at enemies.
Inside the grand hall, surrounded by the strange halo, Zi Yan appeared divine, emanating an indescribable oppressive force that made even the grand hall tremble slightly.
"Not bad. The power of this divine ability is already comparable to top-tier divine skills. As you deepen your cultivation of these two supreme divine skills, their profound mysteries will gradually reveal themselves. You mustn't slack off now!" Jiang Yun praised with a smile as he looked at the Dragon Phoenix Seal.
"How could I slack off~~~ I am working very hard on my cultivation!" Hearing Jiang Yun tease her, Zi Yan immediately lunged into his arms, headbutting him lightly, more like a gentle massage than anything else.
Seeing Zi Yan acting coquettishly, Jiang Yun's face showed a doting smile. He wrapped his arms around her, gently rubbing her small head, relishing its comfortable feel.
After a moment of tenderness, Jiang Yun turned to the four True Dragon Emperors beside him and said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Phoenix King, Phoenix Queen. Our Tianluo Continent has just gone through a war and is still tangled with many affairs, we will not disturb you further!"
"Sigh~~~ I had hoped to host the Demon Suppression King and the Dragon Phoenix in our Phoenix Clan for a while so we could exchange insights. But since the Heavenly Palace has pressing matters, we won't insist on keeping you. Until next time!" Both of them sighed regretfully, as if genuinely feeling regret.
After some polite exchanges, Jiang Yun and the two others left the Phoenix Clan grounds, escorted by the Phoenix King and Queen.
"This journey went smoothly without any unexpected incidents." In the void, the True Dragon Emperor looked at Jiang Yun and Zi Yan with a smile.
"It's mainly because you came along, senior. The Phoenix Clan didn't want to offend the True Dragon Clan and the Ancient Heavenly Palace, which is why they agreed to my conditions." Jiang Yun smiled as he looked at the True Dragon Emperor.
"Hahaha, no need to flatter me, Jiang Yun. Even if you had come alone and offered those terms, they would have agreed. No one can refuse the allure of a supreme divinity." The True Dragon Emperor laughed, looking at Jiang Yun with satisfaction.
"Whoosh!" At this moment, the three of them exchanged glances and looked behind. A stream of light rapidly approached them, moving so fast that even Jiang Yun, with his mastery of spatial arts, didn't dare claim superiority in speed.
In the entire Grand Thousand Worlds, only one individual had such speed, making their identity clear.
"See, I told you, no one can refuse the allure of a supreme divinity's spiritual elixirs." Seeing this, the True Dragon Emperor smiled at Jiang Yun.
"Whoosh~~~"
A gust of wind swept over as the Kun Peng Ancestor appeared before them, smiling. "Sigh~~~ Getting old, flying this short distance made me pant; I can't deny my age!"
Seeing the Kun Peng Ancestor looking unflustered while lying, the True Dragon Emperor couldn't help but sneer, "Who are you fooling? Kun Peng's speed is unmatched in the Grand Thousand Worlds. Is your speed only for the battlefield?"
"No wonder you flew so fast!"
"Bullshit," the Kun Peng Ancestor snapped angrily at the True Dragon Emperor, "When I spread my wings back then, I covered ninety thousand miles, rescuing countless continents and supreme divinities. I've killed numerous demonic emperors."
"Haha~~~ and yet you dare brag in front of me! You only used your speed to sneak up on enemies while others caught their attention. You only scored a few kills, five or six at most. Who are you kidding with these ten or so?"
Listening to the True Dragon Emperor's teasing and watching Jiang Yun and Zi Yan's amused expressions, the Kun Peng Ancestor nearly lost his composure. What sneak attacks? These were precision strikes, killing enemies quickly and effectively; this brute knew nothing!
Seeing the Kun Peng Ancestor turning slightly red, Jiang Yun intervened, changing the subject, "Senior, you must have something to teach us since you followed us from the Phoenix Clan?"
"Hmm?" Jiang Yun and Zi Yan exchanged looks, understanding the Kun Peng Ancestor's intentions to form an alliance and curry favor with Jiang Yun, a supreme divinity in spiritual elixirs.
Should they go along with it?
This time, the True Dragon Emperor remained silent, standing by quietly. It was up to Jiang Yun and Zi Yan to decide; after all, the Dragon Clan was already on their side, and they hoped for Zi Yan to grow stronger.
Jiang Yun also looked at Zi Yan, letting her decide for herself.
After pondering for a while, Zi Yan looked up at the Kun Peng Ancestor and said, "Senior, I've gained a lot recently, and I think I shouldn't bite off more than I can chew."
Hearing Zi Yan's rejection, the Kun Peng Ancestor panicked and urgently said, "Luckily, our clan's Kun Peng Nest will soon open, containing the Kun Peng's inheritance divine skill, Kun Peng's Speed, known as the fastest in the Grand Thousand Worlds. Your mastery of spatial arts will definitely complement it greatly."
Describing the benefits of Kun Peng's arts, the Kun Peng Ancestor noticed Zi Yan remained unmoved. He glanced at Jiang Yun and added, "Moreover, our clan's domain contains Yang Pole Cave and Profound Ice Abyss, existing beneath a joint sea terrain that naturally symbolizes Yin-Yang genesis, a supreme cultivation ground for those training in Yin-Yang arts."
"From what I see, Jiang Yun cultivates the Path of Life and Death Reincarnation, which isn't practiced in the Grand Thousand Worlds, so I'm not well-informed about it. However, the Path of Life and Death is connected to the Yin-Yang Path, and cultivating here will undoubtedly benefit Jiang Yun greatly."
Hearing Kun Peng Ancestor's words, the True Dragon Emperor shot him a glance. The old man wasn't stupid, knowing that Jiang Yun's soft spot was Zi Yan, and vice versa.
Saying it would benefit Jiang Yun worked much better than saying it would be good for her. And indeed, hearing this, Zi Yan became visibly interested, glancing at Jiang Yun, who smiled gently back at her, leaving the choice to her.
Finally, after some thought, Zi Yan smiled and said, "Alright, then we'll trouble you, Senior. I've never seen a Kun Peng in the Dou Qi continent, and I'm curious about the legendary fastest clan."
"Great! You won't be disappointed!" The Kun Peng Ancestor exclaimed joyfully as Zi Yan agreed.
With the decision made, the four changed direction towards the Kun Peng Clan's territory.
In an endless ocean, a giant nest sat on a rock island, almost level with the water. It's overwhelming size dwarfed nearby islands.
According to legend, Kun Pengs could become giant birds soaring to the highest heavens or giant fish roaming the oceans, powerful enough to battle true dragons and phoenixes.
Now, Jiang Yun and Zi Yan stood before the Kun Peng Clan's ancestral nest, feeling the pressure of this supreme divine beast, deeply impressed.
"The old man said that using this, we can obtain the Kun Peng inheritance inside. Are you sure you don't want it, Little Yun?" Zi Yan asked, holding an odd golden bone.
"No need, you're a Dragon Phoenix; you can cultivate it. I already possess enough divine skills. This time, I'm here to just gain insights from the spots Kun Peng Ancestor mentioned," Jiang Yun declined with a shake of his head.
Nodding, the two transformed into streams of light, flying towards the Kun Peng's nest.
They soon arrived at a blood pool, dazzlingly red and bright, like gathered blood diamonds.
This legacy blood pool held vital Kun Peng heritage. As long as it remained, Kun Peng's lineage would continue.
Upon their arrival, the golden bone in Zi Yan's hand reacted, flying out and bursting into golden light above the blood pool.
Instantly, the previously calm pool responded, with thousands of characters rising from it—half golden, tearing the void, half black like an abyss—arranging themselves together.
Finally, all the characters formed into a Kun Peng, which looked alive, commanding the heavens and earth's utmost authority.
"This is Kun Peng's inheritance?" Zi Yan curiously observed the scene before her.
Jiang Yun also watched with interest. This mystical method truly fit the logic of divine beast bloodline inheritance.
"Stay here and study Kun Peng's heritage. I'll check out the two spots mentioned," Jiang Yun advised.
"Okay."
After ensuring Zi Yan was settled on the blood pool, Jiang Yun moved towards his goal.
One corner of the ocean had two mystical regions, Yang Pole Cave, and Profound Ice Abyss—one blazing with fire, the other freezing everything.
Their duality transformed the seabed into a unique landscape—one half boiling, with temperatures unimaginably high, the other freezing cold, turning the water black and too terrifyingly cold even for supreme divinities.
Only the world's great powers could create such exceptional places. (End of chapter)