Chapter 31: The Struggle for the Celestial Phoenix's Essence

Luo Hongyan stared at the water in disbelief, her mind struggling to accept this newfound information.

Not to mention Pang Jian, even cultivators in the Marrow Cleansing Realm like Hong Tai, or even higher still, would struggle to refine the essence of the Celestial Phoenix.

At best, they might be able to merge with the essence of the Celestial Phoenix, ensuring their soul remains intact, but that would just be a higher-level Divine Guard of the Celestial Phoenix.

According to what Luo Hongyan knew, the young man named Pang Jian had just entered the Qi Practicing Realm.

Weird...

Although she had many doubts in her heart, when she sensed the aura of the Celestial Phoenix within Pang Jian's body and realized that he had successfully refined an essence of the Celestial Phoenix, she immediately regarded Pang Jian as someone not to be overlooked.

Whoosh!

The essence of the Celestial Phoenix within the bone of the Celestial Phoenix saw both Pang Jian and Ouyang Duanhai drawing closer and closer, so it swiftly rushed upward to escape.

Having undergone a complete transformation, Ouyang Duanhai finally emerged as a Divine Guard of the Celestial Phoenix, assuming the form of a strange blood-red phoenix.

He could sense the essence of the Celestial Phoenix within Pang Jian's body, albeit different from his own. Nevertheless, he sought to harness and refine the energy within Pang Jian's body for nourishment.

The Divine Guard hesitated for a moment. Ultimately, he prioritized the acquisition of the essence of the Celestial Phoenix.

Two individuals vied for the essence of the Celestial Phoenix in Blackwater Pond.

Pang Jian and the Divine Guard simultaneously charged toward the top of the bone. The latter appeared to have undergone a breakthrough after completing his transformation. However, his speed was still slower than Pang Jian, as he had the advantage of riding the Giant Abyssal Serpent.

"As expected, it chose me." Luo Hongyan sighed softly.

She knew that the essence of the Celestial Phoenix was cornered. Therefore, it decided to enter Luo Hongyan's heart and transform her into a Divine Guard of the Celestial Phoenix.

If Ouyang Duanhai, Pang Jian, and the Giant Abyssal Serpent were not present, she would have eagerly absorbed the essence of the Celestial Phoenix.

She watched as the essence of the Celestial Phoenix ascended through the bone, with Pang Jian and the Divine Guard in hot pursuit.

"Forget it." Luo Hongyan shook her head.

Using Ning Yao's body, she leaped straight into the sky from atop the bone of the Celestial Phoenix, looking like an arrow streaking through the dim and gloomy sky.

Whoosh!

A cluster of faint light flew out from the bone of the Celestial Phoenix and shot toward her.

The bizarre cries of a Celestial Phoenix rang out through the previously silent valley.

This mysterious faint light transformed into a graceful, radiant Celestial Phoenix, racing fiercely toward "Ning Yao".

Splash!

A python with a striking black-and-white pattern broke through the pond's surface. Its eyes brimmed with madness, fearlessly surging toward the essence of the Celestial Phoenix.

Above Blackwater Pond, a surreal scene unfolded in the sky.

As "Ning Yao" soared through the sky, the faint light that was the essence of the Celestial Phoenix flew beneath her. Below it, a giant python abruptly leaped out from Blackwater Pond.

Atop the python stood a tall young man. He tore his clothes to reveal a lotus leaf pressed against his heart and assumed a stance as if inviting the essence of the Celestial Phoenix into his heart.

Underwater, a blood-red shadow approached the surface of the pond.

On the edges of said pond floated numerous Spirit Devils. They watched the scene unfold before them with blank expressions on their faces, not knowing what to do.

The young man was also perplexed. Pang Jian could not fathom why the Giant Abyssal Serpent had suddenly gone berserk.

However, now that the struggle had begun, he could no longer afford to worry. Instead, he attempted to employ Jin Yang's method of using the lotus leaf to obtain the essence of the Celestial Phoenix.

At that moment, two distinct sensations arose in his chest.

The door-shaped bronze pendant grew blazing hot. Its heat seared Pang Jian's chest, making it feel like it was engulfed in flames.

The lotus leaf he had seized from Jin Yang, on the other hand, became colder and colder, allowing him to maintain his composure in this precarious moment.

"Ning Yao" gradually slowed her momentum, gaze fixated beneath her.

Luo Hongyan was currently inhabiting Ning Yao's body. If things took a turn for the worst, she could forsake Ning Yao's body, give up on the essence of the Celestial Phoenix, and flee with her light and imperceptible ethereal form. This was vital as her ethereal form allowed her to traverse thousands of miles instantly.

She kept her eyes locked on the essence of the Celestial Phoenix and the charging Pang Jian, bracing herself.

The cries of another Celestial Phoenix rang out!

The essence of the Celestial Phoenix appeared to be drawn back by a powerful magnetic force and flew toward Pang Jian's chest.

Pang Jian spread his arms wide open, revealing the cold, green lotus leaf pressed on his heart, and waited for the essence of the Celestial Phoenix to descend into it willingly.

It's happening!

Pang Jian felt a twinge of nervousness. If Jin Yang's method proved erroneous, he risked meeting the same fate as Ouyang Duanhai.

Whoosh!

The shiny, Celestial Phoenix-shaped faint light raced toward Pang Jian. However, rather than settling on the lotus leaf, it inexplicably disappeared into the door-shaped bronze pendant hanging from Pang Jian's chest!

This time, Pang Jian witnessed where the essence of the Celestial Phoenix disappeared.

From his perspective, Pang Jian could not see that the doors of the pendant opened to reveal a thin gap through which the essence of the Celestial Phoenix had slipped through. He only knew that it had disappeared into the bronze pendant.

"Ning Yao", meanwhile, had been closely observing the whole scene, and had seen the door on Pang Jian's pendant open the tiniest slit.

The essence of the Celestial Phoenix had been instantly sucked into that door!

After that, the bronze pendant rapidly cooled and the Giant Abyssal Serpent regained its senses.

No longer overcome with fear, the Giant Abyssal Serpent awoke to find itself outside Blackwater Pond.

Driven by inertia, the Giant Abyssal Serpent continued its ascent into the sky. Through the eyes of the Black and White King Python, it gazed upon the dim and somber sky, recognizing the stark contrast with the Fifth World.

In an instant, its eyes filled with dread as it remembered the restrictions imposed upon it by the terrifying individual.

That individual had warned that it would meet its demise the moment it left Blackwater Pond.

High in the sky, the Giant Abyssal Serpent abruptly twisted its body and frantically hurled itself back toward the pond.

The Giant Abyssal Serpent knew the warning was not to be taken lightly.

It firmly believed in the warning issued by the individual and understood that it must swiftly return to Blackwater Pond, lest it truly met its demise.

Splash!

Ouyang Duanhai emerged from the water!

Before it had left Blackwater Pond, the Divine Guard had already witnessed what had happened and knew that Pang Jian had obtained the precious essence of the Celestial Phoenix.

The instant Ouyang Duanhai left the water, it promptly relinquished control of his body.

A blood-red Celestial Phoenix emerged from Ouyang Duanhai's body, with feathers looking like they were dripping blood.

No longer possessed, a mere gust of wind reduced Ouyang Duanhai's body to dust.

The blood-red Celestial Phoenix continued to condense its body, darting toward Pang Jian's heart like a crimson droplet.

From underwater, it could not see that the essence of the Celestial Phoenix had disappeared into the door-shaped bronze pendant hanging from Pang Jian's chest and was under the impression that the essence of the Celestial Phoenix had chosen Pang Jian as its host.

Whoosh!

The blood-red Celestial Phoenix also disappeared into the bronze pendant.

Another one?

Pang Jian lowered his head to look at his chest in astonishment.

Splash!

The python dove back into Blackwater Pond.

Only after the Giant Abyssal Serpent entered the pond did it realize it currently inhabited the Black and White King Python's body. Even after death, it was still afraid of the restriction placed by that individual

Return to where we first met.

It suddenly heard Pang Jian command telepathically once more. It also witnessed Hong Tai rushing to the surface of the pond.

It chose to obey Pang Jian.

Splash!

"Ning Yao" landed on the pond's surface from above while Hong Tai broke through from below.

I ended up laboring in vain again!

Hong Tai angrily gnashed his teeth as he watched Pang Jian and the python escape to the bottom of the pond.

"The young mistress of the Ning Clan, you're still alive." Hong Tai glared frustratedly at "Ning Yao". His eyes flashed with hostility. "All of my people are dead. You shouldn't be alive."

Already disappointed at missing out on the essence of the Celestial Phoenix, Luo Hongyan quickly grew exasperated with the incompetent Hong Tai.

She uttered coldly, "A bunch of useless old fools, played by a child. What a joke. Even the spirit beast you raised was taken by him. Where do you find the courage to speak to me?"

After tossing a few scornful remarks, she walked to the pond's edge, unwilling to remain on its surface.

What kind of divine object was the door-shaped bronze pendant?

she mused. The pendant had done strange things right in front of her not once, but twice, leaving her apprehensive about entering the pond.

The Giant Abyssal Serpent was in the middle of transforming into a flood dragon and was aware of her presence. She lacked the confidence to battle a creature from the Fifth World underwater.

Besides, even though Pang Jian had absorbed both the essence of the Celestial Phoenix and the Divine Guard with the help of the bronze pendant, he showed no signs of losing his sanity.

She was unlikely to find an opportunity to subdue Pang Jian at the bottom of the pond and snatch the essence of the Celestial Phoenix from his grasp.

"You're the one courting death so don't blame me," Hong Tai muttered.

Knowing he could not catch up to the Black and White King Python, Hong Tai slowly approached the individual he believed to be Ning Yao. He intended to eliminate "Ning Yao" to prevent the news of what happened here from leaking out.

If that happened, not only would the seven major clans ridicule him, but his reputation within the Shadow Specter Sect would also plummet.

"Why would I blame you? I never intended for you to leave here alive either." Luo Honyan stood on the shore, gaze filled with coldness.

Spirit Devils like Luo Meng emerged one after another from the corners of the pond. Their eerie whistles filled the air. As they floated behind Luo Hongyan, she remarked, "Your cultivation is in the Marrow Cleansing Realm. You'll be even more useful once I've refined your soul into a Spirit Devil."

"You're not Ning Yao!" Hong Tai panicked.

"I'm curious to see how many secrets of the Shadow Specter Sect are hidden within your soul," Luo Hongyan mused. As she said this, a Spirit Devil flew out from the pond and entered Hong Tai's body.

Hong Tai's body went cold. His thoughts became muddled as he lost all sense of self.