Chapter 62: Thousands of Favors, Only for You

Feng Xi gave a sudden chuckle and said, "I was just teasing you! I wanted to ask if you've happened to run into Shen Zhilan from the Primordial Chaos Sect?"

Feng Xi figured that since Shen Zhilan was bound to bump into Jiang Ji, she might as well look for Shen Zhilan first. As long as she trailed behind her, she would surely find Jiang Ji.

As it turned out, about two hours ago, Tian Qing had indeed crossed paths with Shen Zhilan, who had already joined forces with several core disciples of the Primordial Chaos Sect.

At the time, Tian Qing had silently marveled to herself. Since the entry points into the secret realm were entirely random, she hadn't expected the four members of the Primordial Chaos Sect to gather so quickly. Their luck was truly incredible!

After inquiring about the location, Feng Xi said, "Fellow Daoist Tian, you can keep all three carcasses of those black-striped jackal-hounds!"

Of course, Tian Qing refused to accept them. After much persuasion back and forth, Feng Xi finally agreed to leave just one black-striped jackal-hound behind.

Tian Qing felt an even deeper sense of respect for Feng Xi's noble character, truly believing she lived up to the title of the Paragon of the Human Race!

Once they parted ways, Feng Xi took Jun Wen with her to search for Shen Zhilan.

This time, Jun Wen couldn't hold back any longer: "Junior Sister, why are we going after Shen Zhilan?"

"She has good luck. We're going to tag along and reap the rewards!"

Jun Wen was speechless... Didn't you always call her a jinx before?!

He asked again, "Why were you so courteous to that rogue cultivator?"

With an air of profound mystery, Feng Xi replied, "Guess!"

Jun Wen: "..."

Naturally, Feng Xi had her own considerations. Although rogue cultivators appeared as scattered sand and seemed useless on the surface, if they could be rallied together, they would form an immensely powerful force.

It was true that the cultivation world respected the strong above all else, but sometimes people were also swayed by collective influence. Therefore, if one wanted to fully take control of their own destiny, they had to tackle things from multiple directions at once.

She never put all her eggs in one basket. Whether it was playing double games with Xue Tianjue previously, maintaining friendly ties with City Lord Hu of Stability City, or intentionally bestowing favors upon the rogue cultivator Tian Qing just now, these were all parts of the web she was weaving...

When Feng Xi and Jun Wen arrived at the place Tian Qing had mentioned, they found it empty. This was to be expected, since two hours had already passed.

Just as Feng Xi was trying to guess which direction Shen Zhilan and her group might have headed, a pillar of scorching flames soared into the sky in the distance.

Feng Xi's eyes lit up. "Fifth Senior Brother, Shen Zhilan and the others must have rushed over there!"

According to the book, in this Tortoise Shell Mountain secret realm, Shen Zhilan not only "saved" Jiang Ji, but also formed a bond with a baby phoenix.

By the time Feng Xi and her group arrived, the flames were still burning fiercely, radiating waves of intense heat even across the surrounding ground.

Cultivators kept arriving from all directions, as the towering flames served as an unmissable beacon. The core disciples of the Sword Sect and the Beast Taming Sect had also gathered around. Only the rogue cultivators were nowhere to be seen.

Xing Wu caught sight of Feng Xi making faces at her, but she didn't come over. The reason was simple: everyone present coveted the baby phoenix, making them all direct competitors.

The little black ball communicated with Feng Xi via divine sense: "Let me tell you, that phoenix is nothing more than a weak little chick! It doesn't know how to do anything except breathe fire! Besides, to help it advance, you'd have to track down fire marrow for it—it's utterly troublesome!"

Leisurely, Feng Xi replied, "You don't need to say so much. Isn't it just that you don't want me taking in another spiritual pet?! Rest assured, as long as you behave, you'll be my only spiritual pet. All my love and affection will belong solely to you!"

The little black ball acted all flustered and awkward. "Hmph, that's not what I meant at all! Who cares about your so-called affection!"

As soon as it finished speaking, the part of its form attached to the Blood Demon Token turned completely pink. If anyone asked why... it was because it had been dyed by the token!

Though Feng Xi's words had a hint of coaxing to them, she truly had no interest in the baby phoenix. After all, the little black ball was right—raising a phoenix was far too much trouble!

However, she was quite willing to stick her oar in and stir things up, preferably ruining Shen Zhilan's chance of bonding with the phoenix altogether.

As time passed, the flames gradually subsided, and the gazes of the onlookers grew increasingly heated.

Finally, the fire died out completely, revealing a phoenix egg patterned with fiery markings.

*Crack, crack.* Fractures began to appear on the surface of the phoenix egg.

Looking at that phoenix egg, Feng Xi immediately thought of... her own dantian! If not identical, they were practically a match!

Time seemed to stretch out endlessly. At last, a tiny bird's head poked its way out of the eggshell. It scanned its surroundings with vigilance before crawling out entirely.

Though everyone's eyes were bloodshot with greed, no one dared to make a move, because the baby phoenix was encircled by a ring of golden phoenix flames. Even cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage wouldn't be able to withstand it.

Unhurriedly, the baby phoenix proceeded to eat its own eggshell, after which it resumed scanning its surroundings.

Unable to hold back any longer, Xing Wu spoke up, "Little phoenix, I'm a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect. Our sect has cultivation techniques and medicinal pills specially tailored for spiritual beasts. Come with me!"

Seeing this, the others began vying for its attention, pitching their respective backgrounds.

In the end, only Jun Wen, Feng Xi, and Shen Zhilan remained silent. Jun Wen had zero interest in the creature; he certainly didn't want to raise a spiritual pet that was more flamboyant than he was. Feng Xi, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes, lost in thought.

Noticing that the two of them remained silent, Shen Zhilan offered a gentle smile.

"Little phoenix, I possess the supreme-grade Water Spiritual Root. If you form a bond with me, I have the ability to help you search for fire marrow, allowing you to advance rapidly."

Clearly tempted, the baby phoenix took a few steps toward Shen Zhilan.

A smile of pride and shared honor crossed Mu Zhihuai's face. Only Junior Sister Zhilan was worthy of becoming the master of a phoenix.

Feng Xi called out twice, but the baby phoenix ignored her completely. A trashy cultivator at the Qi Condensation stage wasn't worthy of speaking to it.

A flash of inspiration struck Feng Xi. She reached into her storage ring and pulled out a feather from a Golden-Winged Iron-Feathered Vulture. Not only was the feather huge, but it also gleamed with a golden light, instantly capturing the baby phoenix's attention.

"Little phoenix, I have no intention of forming a bond with you. I just wanted to offer you a few words of sincere advice. You are a fire-attribute spiritual beast—how could you possibly form a bond with someone who has a water spiritual root? Haven't you ever heard the saying that water and fire are incompatible? I suggest you choose Xing Wu from the Beast Taming Sect! He has a fire spiritual root and loves interacting with spiritual beasts. He's the absolute best match for you!"

Xing Wu hurriedly nodded in agreement. "Right, right! We're the best match! You should definitely form a bond with me!"

Gritting her teeth in frustration, Shen Zhilan snapped, "Little phoenix, don't listen to Feng Xi's nonsense! My supreme-grade water spiritual root doesn't conflict with you being a fire-attribute demonic beast. If you bond with me, I can feed you a piece of century-old fire marrow right now."

The baby phoenix's eyes lit up instantly! "Eat!"

The onlookers could not help marveling. True to its status as a divine beast, even as a fledgling, it could already speak human language.

Shen Zhilan hesitated for a moment. Her original intention had been to feed the fire marrow to the baby phoenix *after* they formed their bond. However, with Feng Xi meddling like this, the baby phoenix was showing signs of hesitation. It would be better to give it the fire marrow first; once it tasted the sweetness, it would naturally agree to form a bond with her.

With that thought, she retrieved a specially crafted jade box from her storage ring, inside of which lay a piece of century-old fire marrow. Fearing she might be burned by the phoenix flames, Shen Zhilan placed the jade box on the ground and stepped back a few paces.

Without hesitation, the baby phoenix hurried forward and swallowed the century-old fire marrow whole.

Once it had swallowed it, everyone noticed that it had grown a tiny fraction larger than before. It seemed this baby phoenix truly relied on fire marrow to advance!

With a smile, Shen Zhilan said, "Little phoenix, can we form our bond now?"

The baby phoenix glanced at her, then trotted right up to Feng Xi and cried out, "Mom!"