"This is intolerable! We fought to the death, only to sew another man's wedding robes! I refuse to accept this!" A sect leader's eyes nearly split with fury, and his divine power surged, sweeping across heaven and earth.
"That tower... it slipped inside without any of us noticing. It must be extraordinary." Other sect leaders also realized how exceptional the tower-shaped artifact was. Strange lights flickered in their eyes, their thoughts unfathomable.
Fortunately, the nest was larger than they had imagined, and that pool of blood was not all it held. After searching further, they did find some rewards, dividing up every last piece of rare divine material and exotic treasure.
"This was probably just a nest the True Phoenix left behind on a whim, somewhere it underwent nirvana. It didn't leave many divine treasures here," a middle-aged man said.
Had he kept quiet, all would have been well. His words rekindled the anger that several hot-tempered sect leaders had only just managed to suppress.
"Hmph!" One sect leader snorted, his voice trembling. Divine light blazed from his hand as he slammed a heavy punch into the wall.
Unexpectedly, with a thunderous rumble, the phoenix nest began shaking violently. The ground split open, and divine flames surged from below. Firelight soared, crimson radiance tearing through the sky, terrifying beyond measure, as though it truly meant to burn all the heavens to ashes.
"Old fool, what have you done?!" several people shouted. Was this idiot trying to get them all killed?
Before anyone could think further, boundless black mist poured from underground, deep and eerie, making their hair stand on end.
Then pairs of enormous black hands emerged from the split abyss. A closer look revealed creatures exuding an icy aura of death. No life remained in them, and their eye sockets were empty save for two balls of ghostly green fire.
"Are these... Fallen Creatures?" someone exclaimed in disbelief.
"They're creatures from that realm, but they died long ago. Their corpses have only now developed spirits," someone said, regaining his composure.
"This was an ancient battlefield during Immortal Ancient. It seems that divine phoenix fought these creatures here. After slaying them, it suffered a calamity itself and underwent nirvana in this place."
"To think that, an epoch later, these corpses would develop intelligence and return once more. The opening of this phoenix nest must have something to do with them."
Scorched by the towering flames, the creatures let out hoarse, broken growls. They did not sound like human speech, and no one could make out their words.
"What are you babbling about? Take my fist first!" The sect leader who had triggered the upheaval sent a punch blasting toward them, his palm and fingers glowing with chilling killing intent. Divine radiance pierced the air, shattering one of the creatures outright.
The others unleashed their precious techniques as well, charging forward to slaughter the creatures.
These Fallen Creatures were not powerful. They had only just developed intelligence and were far from possessing the strength they had enjoyed in life.
Within mere breaths, every Fallen Creature had been annihilated. Still uneasy, that sect leader plowed through the entire area once more with a mighty divine ability before finally exhaling in relief.
Outside, the phoenix nest's light faded and its divine aura vanished. It seemed to fall utterly dormant, turning into an ordinary nest.
"The phoenix nest has gone dormant! The battle must be over!" Everyone grew excited, hoping their own elders had obtained the fortune within.
Xi Yue, meanwhile, sank into thought. Inside her sea of consciousness, the little tower bobbed in place. Its glow had brightened slightly, but it remained aloof and unapproachable, impossible to communicate with.
Beside it stood a brilliantly colored pool wreathed in five-colored divine radiance, along with a shimmering feather.
The pool was extraordinary, fashioned from all manner of divine stones. Yet the little tower was now drawing out their essence, and their dazzling glow was dimming at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Half a pool of blood essence remained, giving off the light of dawn and auspicious rosy clouds, mingled with a delicate fragrance. Faintly, a clear phoenix cry rang out, distant and ethereal, as though it had crossed countless ages of time and space.
She froze at the sight. Had the little tower gone out to find itself ingredients?
She did not investigate further, however. The sect leaders had already emerged, most wearing stiff expressions, blood streaming from their bodies and their faces as black as the bottom of a pot.
Faced with their juniors' hopeful gazes, the sect leaders merely shook their heads helplessly, unwilling to say much.
In truth, they did not know what to say. Were they supposed to admit that someone had seized the fortune while they were distracted, and that even afterward, they still had no idea who it was?
It was too absurd. They knew that if they heard such an explanation themselves, they would scoff at it.
There were even great cultivators of the escape one realm among them. Aside from a Supreme, who could snatch food from beneath the eyes of so many sect leaders?
Moreover, a Supreme-level being would disdain such behavior. So proud, looking down upon all living beings, how could they lower themselves to such furtive acts?
Seeing this, Xi Yue understood. The Bronze Little Tower had contended with these sect leaders, taking advantage of their battle to seize the fortune-that divine pool.
She fought to keep the corners of her mouth from rising, covering her lips so she would not laugh aloud.
She had never expected a casual outing in her spare time to yield such a tremendous harvest.
Although she had not examined it closely, that divine aura could not be faked. It was extraordinarily remarkable and had to be the True Phoenix's nirvana blood essence.
As for the feather, while it was not a true feather of the True Phoenix, it was still exceptional, an excellent material for refining precious artifacts.
Such resources were far too precious and rare. Even an undying family like theirs might not have any in its collection.
At that thought, she silently gave the little tower a thumbs-up.
Now that's more like it!
A mature artifact already knows how to go out and forage for itself. I don't need to worry about it at all.
Everyone lowered their eyes, their spirits far from cheerful. According to their elders, the phoenix nest had originally contained a pool of precious blood essence, but some shameless person had stolen it, leaving not a drop behind.
In the end, the sect leaders had chosen to reveal the truth. They had to give these juniors some sort of explanation.
At once, angry curses filled the air.
Watching the scene, Xi Yue laughed inwardly as well, folding her arms across her chest and looking on with keen interest.
No one would ever imagine that the greatest fortune in this phoenix nest had landed in the hands of a little cultivator in the blood moving realm.
Wang Xi was the angriest of all. In fact, their Wang family had led the discovery of this nest. Too many people had witnessed it, however, making it impossible to suppress the news and bringing more and more factions here.
Faced with all those factions, even the Wang family had been forced to yield and share it with them.
Phoenix blood was very important to her. She was now in the golden period of her cultivation, and with its aid, she would surely have undergone a transformation.
Yet who could have known that all her planning would amount to nothing in the end? How could she not be furious?
"Hehe, even the illustrious Fairy Wang Xi can miscalculate?" Yao Yue stepped out of the crowd, her lips curling in a mocking laugh. Her dress stirred without any wind, lending her a bewitching beauty.
Although she had yearned for the phoenix blood, her desire had not been all that intense. By
comparison, seeing Wang Xi suffer a setback filled her with immense delight.
Wang Xi said nothing. Her sleeves fluttered, her face still as unruffled as an ancient well. She cast Yao Yue a sidelong glance, then turned and left, unwilling to get further entangled.
"Tch-"
Yao Yue curled her lips, suddenly finding it all rather dull.
"Come on, let's go." Xi Yue stepped forward, took her hand, and went to meet Xu Tianheng.
"Third Granduncle, how was your haul?" Yao Yue smiled brightly, her eyes rippling like autumn waters.
Xu Tianheng shook his head, and several rare treasures appeared in his hand. "Just these: black flood dragon wood, stone gall, and some eight treasures. Take them and divide them between you. It's just... a pity about that phoenix blood. If I could have obtained it for you, you should have been able to undergo a transformation."
"This is already good. Didn't the Wang family come away without it too?" Xi Yue blinked her large eyes, brimming with vivacity.