Chapter 64: Blood Recognition Ownership

The two of them arrived before the phoenix egg, and a scorching wave of heat rushed toward their faces.

"Shuang'er, right now!"

Ye Fan also wanted to witness what it looked like when a divine beast bound its master through a drop of blood.

Chen Qingshuang extended her hand, slowly moving it toward the top of the phoenix egg.

Ye Fan stared with intense concentration, terrified of missing this rare and magnificent sight.

Just at that moment, Chen Qingshuang suddenly withdrew her hand and grabbed Ye Fan's wrist.

Before Ye Fan could react, she formed a sword-finger with her hand and swiftly slashed a wound across his palm.

"Shuang'er, what are you doing?"

Ye Fan immediately pulled back his hand, looking at Chen Qingshuang in absolute shock.

Chen Qingshuang simply smiled and said, "Such a wonderful treasure like a divine beast should naturally be left for Brother Ye Fan!"

"I believe you are much more suited for it than I am, and you need it far more too!"

"Besides, Brother Ye Fan's divine beast isn't that much different from my own divine beast, is it?"

These words sent a wave of profound warmth through Ye Fan's heart.

Back when he was with Chu Ling'er, that woman only knew how to take from him, and her greed was never satisfied.

Yet Chen Qingshuang was constantly thinking of him in everything she did. The attitudes of these two women toward him were as different as heaven and earth.

At that moment, Ye Fan swore silently in his heart that he would never let the girl standing before him suffer even the slightest harm for the rest of her life.

His blood flowed out along his palm, dripping precisely onto the phoenix egg.

"Screech!"

The instant the blood fused into the egg, a unique and piercing phoenix cry instantly resounded through the firmament!

Immediately following that, the eggshell covered in cracks began to peel away piece by piece.

A terrifying high temperature instantly swept across the realm, yet it did not harm the two of them in the slightest.

As the final piece of eggshell fell away, this divine beast of heaven and earth was vividly presented before their eyes.

Strangely, however, the phoenix did not spread its wings and soar immediately upon breaking out of its shell; instead, it maintained the posture it had held inside the egg.

Its wings were wrapped around its chest, and its head was buried within its wings, as if it had not yet fully awakened.

"Brother Ye Fan, I've heard that after a divine beast is born, it needs to be nourished by supreme celestial treasures."

"Perhaps that is the reason why it hasn't fully awakened yet."

Hearing this, Ye Fan instinctively looked toward the Seven-Colored Immortal Spirit Flower not far away.

It now seemed that this supreme celestial treasure had been brought into existence specifically for this phoenix.

Though Ye Fan felt a pang of heartache, in order to make the divine beast wake up completely, he had no choice but to part with his treasure despite the pain.

He carefully plucked the Seven-Colored Immortal Spirit Flower and then presented it to the phoenix.

The next second, the supreme celestial treasure transformed into a stream of light and completely merged into the phoenix's body.

"Screech!"

Another clear and resonant cry rang out.

The phoenix slowly spread its wings, revealing the head that had been hidden within.

Following that, its closed eyes opened at that very moment, and a formidable oppressive might instantly descended upon heaven and earth!

The phoenix had awakened, spreading its wings to soar high!

The proud posture belonging to a divine beast was completely revealed at this moment!

Ye Fan and Chen Qingshuang were struck dumbfounded by the scene before them, completely failing to notice Fang Tianyao behind them.

As it turned out, the very moment the phoenix awoke, its terrifying pressure instantly shattered the cage that had trapped Fang Tianyao.

At this moment, he was quietly circulating his spiritual energy, intending to launch a sneak attack on Ye Fan from behind.

All of his jealousy toward Ye Fan had transformed entirely into murderous intent!

"Ye Fan, go to hell!"

Fang Tianyao unleashed a full-strength strike toward Ye Fan like a madman.

Hearing the commotion, Ye Fan finally snapped back to his senses.

When he turned around, he discovered that the distance between the two of them was less than a foot; it was already too late to evade Fang Tianyao's full-strength attack.

Chen Qingshuang was filled with extreme shock and fury. She had never expected Fang Tianyao to be so despicable.

Her first reaction was to throw herself in front of Ye Fan to shield him, but that too seemed already too late.

At the very brink of life and death, the divine phoenix high up in the firmament fluttered its wings, and a fireball containing heat capable of scorching the heavens plummeted fiercely toward Fang Tianyao below.

The fireball seemed to possess the ability to traverse space itself, landing on Fang Tianyao with speed, precision, and ruthlessness.

"Ah!"

Following a miserable shriek akin to a slaughtered pig, Fang Tianyao, who was at the mid-stage of the Demigod realm, was instantly reduced to ashes!

As a wisp of pale smoke drifted away, that person ceased to exist in the world entirely. Not even a trace of debris was left behind, as if he had never even existed in the first place.

"Is this the power of a divine beast?"

"It truly is... terrifyingly strong!"

Ye Fan involuntarily swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

If the phoenix hadn't stepped in to protect its master just now, he would have either been dead or severely wounded.

At that distance, given his current abilities, he had no room to dodge whatsoever.

"Brother Ye Fan, are you alright?"

Lingering fear gripped Chen Qingshuang as she hurriedly asked.

"I'm fine. Thanks to the phoenix for stepping in."

"By the way, I still have to thank you!"

Upon hearing those three words, Chen Qingshuang immediately furrowed her brows. "Hey, hey, hey! How many times have I told you? You just never learn!"

Ye Fan rubbed the back of his head with some embarrassment. "Ahem... I won't do it next time!"

"Right, how do you plan to explain things to the Cold Moon Sect? After all, the person is gone."

Chen Qingshuang replied, "Just tell the truth. It was his fault to begin with."

"I never expected he would stoop to such despicable behavior."

"If you had genuinely been hurt because of this, I would have blamed myself for the rest of my life."

Ye Fan gently pulled Chen Qingshuang into his embrace and soothed her emotions.

At that moment, the voice-transmission jade slip belonging to Chen Qingshuang received a message sent by her sect.

"Qingshuang, we have discovered a mysterious altar, and there are unusual fluctuations emanating from there."

"Come over here immediately!"

Upon learning of this news, Chen Qingshuang immediately informed Ye Fan.

"Oh? A mysterious altar?"

"It seems this secret realm conceals many unknown secrets."

"There's no time to lose, let's set off right now!"

With a thought, Ye Fan summoned the phoenix into his dantian.

This was the unique characteristic after a divine beast bound its master with blood; it could merge seamlessly with its master.

Following that, the two of them hurried toward the location of the altar.

Just as they were passing through a vast grassland, they carelessly disturbed the overlord of this region.

A giant spiritual beast bearing nine heads blocked their path.

"This... this is actually a Nine-Headed Imperial Lion!"

Chen Qingshuang recognized the identity of this spiritual beast at a single glance.

The Nine-Headed Imperial Lion was no ordinary spiritual beast, but an ancient spiritual beast possessing a bloodline inheritance.

Although inferior to a divine beast of heaven and earth, its strength was nonetheless formidable.

The aura exuding from the Nine-Headed Imperial Lion before them was not the least bit inferior to that of a powerhouse in the Demigod realm.

"No matter how many heads it has, let's take care of it first!"

Ye Fan was currently extremely confident in his own strength.

Having just acquired the divine beast phoenix, he didn't hold a mere ancient spiritual beast in any regard at all!

Moreover, given his current strength, there was no need to mobilize the phoenix just yet.

After all, it was better to be cautious when summoning such a heaven-and-earth divine beast to avoid drawing unnecessary trouble.