The young girl chanted a melodious incantation and pointed a finger at the small vial. A green thread shot from her fingertip and struck the vial.
The vial trembled slightly before rising into the air, flying straight toward Han Li.
Without a word, Han Li moved and settled into a cross-legged position on the jade platform.
At that moment, Elder Xu and the beautiful woman suddenly raised their hands, each tossing out an object.
One was crimson as blood, the other emerald green—respectively, a palm-sized blood lotus and a verdant banana leaf.
The blood lotus spun rapidly, expanding to a size of several feet, emitting a faint fragrance. Meanwhile, the banana leaf, enveloped in a green glow, also grew to the size of a person, its surface covered in strange green runes that shimmered brilliantly.
Han Li’s brows twitched, but before he could discern the purpose of these objects, the blood lotus descended upon his head.
Startled, he felt his body sink slightly as the blood lotus gently lifted him.
Instantly, the faint fragrance of the lotus filled his senses, inducing a slight intoxication and drowsiness.
Han Li remained calm, however, keeping his eyes half-closed in the center of the lotus, teetering between wakefulness and sleep while maintaining a sliver of clarity in his mind.
Elder Xu gave a low shout, and the petals of the blood lotus slowly began to close inward.
In the blink of an eye, all the petals contracted, transforming the lotus into a tightly closed crimson bud.
Seeing this, the girl flicked her fingers toward the small vial.
With a series of soft *pops*, several more green threads shot out, vanishing into the vial in a flash.
The vial erupted in a burst of green light, its lid mysteriously disappearing as a ball of azure light soared out.
A clear cry rang out as the light condensed, forming a small green roc, its wings spreading as if to take flight.
But the girl was prepared. With a wave of the golden wings on her back, golden mist surged forth, enveloping the roc.
After tumbling in the golden radiance, the bird transformed into a small droplet of green liquid, faintly shimmering with silver light.
The girl formed a hand seal and pointed at the droplet.
The golden mist trembled before descending, carrying the droplet toward the blood lotus bud below.
With a muffled thud, the green liquid vanished into the lotus amidst a clash of crimson and golden light.
Elder Xu then appeared beside the lotus like a ghost, pressing a hand against its side.
With a *whoosh*, silver wings unfurled from his back as he channeled silver spiritual light into the lotus.
The beautiful woman floated to the other side of the lotus, her palm emitting pure white spiritual light.
The entire lotus began to hum, its surface flickering wildly with crimson light.
At the same time, the floating banana leaf drifted down. Upon touching the lotus, it exploded, releasing countless dark green threads that shot into the lotus and disappeared.
Soon, intricate dark green patterns emerged on the lotus’s surface, twisting and shifting as if alive. Moments later, the crimson glow faded, and the humming ceased.
Elder Xu and the beautiful woman ignored these changes, closing their eyes as they continued channeling pure spiritual energy into the lotus.
The girl watching nearby exhaled in relief and murmured with a smile, “As expected, his body can indeed withstand the True Blood of the Kun Peng. The question is, as an outsider, how much of its power can he truly unleash?”
She then swept her gaze over the other high-ranking members of the Skywing Clan standing nearby and said coldly, “You have all witnessed this. This man is crucial to our clan’s survival. Everything about him must remain absolutely secret. From now on, his identity shall be that of the third Sacred Son, secretly nurtured overseas. Do not forget this.”
“Rest assured, Great Elder. We will not leak a single word,” the Nascent Soul-level Skywing cultivators responded solemnly.
“I trust none of you would act against our clan’s interests. In two months, I will select a few of you to accompany me and the Sacred Son to the Abyssal Trials,” the girl said, her tone softening slightly.
“Two months? Why so soon? Wasn’t it originally scheduled for a year from now?” someone exclaimed in shock.
“The Redmelt, Raven, and a dozen other clans jointly proposed moving the trial forward. Although our elders in the Council of Elders opposed it, the majority agreed.”
“Why would they agree? There must be a reason,” another person grumbled indignantly.
“They claimed the Abyss has been unstable lately and suggested advancing the trial to avoid unforeseen complications,” the girl replied calmly.
“The demonic creatures in the Abyss have always been our mortal enemies. When has it ever been stable? This is clearly targeting our weaker branches,” a Skywing cultivator fumed.
“Enough. Since the Council has decided, we must comply. Aside from the trial, our territory has recently seen frequent intrusions by outsiders who plunder and pillage. Some of you will lead teams to eliminate these opportunists—leave none alive. Teach the other branches a lesson so they dare not trouble us before the trial ends,” the girl said, her voice turning icy.
“As you command!”
The Skywing cultivators bowed in acknowledgment before dispersing to carry out their tasks.
Soon, the jade platform stood empty save for the girl, Elder Xu, the beautiful woman, and a maidservant standing behind the girl.
The girl’s gaze returned to the blood lotus.
Under the continuous infusion of spiritual power from the two Body Integration cultivators, the lotus had grown even larger, its dark green patterns now writhing as if alive.
Suddenly, the girl reached toward a silver tray held by the maidservant.
With a sharp *whoosh*, a milky-white orb shot into her grasp.
She pinched the orb between slender fingers, examining it closely.
A strange expression flickered across her face.
“Which elder’s relic is this?” she asked.
“It belongs to the Ninth Great Elder. As per your instructions, this is the oldest relic we have, though much of its power has dissipated,” the maidservant replied respectfully.
“The Ninth—Elder Hongyun, who created the Awakening Art but died in madness?” The girl’s expression darkened slightly.
“Yes. Due to the peculiar circumstances of Elder Hongyun’s death, his relic contains not only the power of the Kun Peng but also traces of his final thoughts. Absorbing it may leave lingering side effects. Thus, it has been stored away, untouched. If you find it unsuitable, I can fetch another,” the maidservant explained nervously.
“No, this one will do.” The girl glanced at the blood lotus, her expression neutral once more.
By now, the green patterns on the lotus had thickened and twisted, the entire structure swelling ominously…
Two days later, high above the jade platform, a massive green bird darted through the air, its body wreathed in golden arcs and azure mist. Suddenly, it halted mid-flight, its claws slashing at empty space.
Ten white claw marks streaked through the air, leaving faint trails before vanishing.
With a powerful flap of its wings, the bird unleashed a storm of razor-sharp wind blades, blanketing an area of over a hundred feet.
A thunderous *boom* followed as the bird spat out golden lightning orbs, their collisions transforming the space ahead into a sea of crackling energy.
After a piercing cry, the bird vanished in a whirlwind, only to reappear higher in the sky, its body swelling rapidly until it blotted out the sun, its colossal wings casting the jade platform below into shadow.
The three figures on the platform stared up at the monstrous roc, their expressions shifting.
“Great Elder, are you certain you only gave him the Ninth Elder’s damaged relic?” Elder Xu asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
“Do you suspect I fed him some miraculous elixir?” the girl retorted coldly.
“Of course not. But his mastery of the transformation is astonishing—his roc form rivals that of a Spirit Commander. Are we certain he’s human?” the elder pressed skeptically.
“You helped fuse the Kun Peng’s True Blood into him. Can’t you tell if he’s one of us? That said, his power in this form exceeds my expectations. Perhaps the Kun Peng feather he refined contained traces of the True Sage’s blood, altering his constitution,” the girl mused after a pause.
“If so, that would explain it,” the beautiful woman conceded with a sigh.
Elder Xu still wore a doubtful expression, clearly unconvinced.
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