The Nirvana Divine Bird withdrew its killing intent and fell silent, considering whether the terms Huo Tian had offered were genuine.
As Huo Tian unleashed his powerful Vermilion Bird bloodline, something in the deepest recesses of the Nirvana Divine Bird's bloodline seemed to receive a summons. The Nirvana Divine Bird cried out.
"Agreed."
The Nirvana Divine Bird suddenly spoke in human language. It flew out of the cave, its two pairs of golden-red wings blotting out the sky and sun. With its wings spread, it measured roughly forty meters.
Huo Tian began releasing his Soul Power. His Vermilion Bird Domain rapidly expanded, and the Vermilion Bird Divine Mark between his brows began to shine brightly.
The Nirvana Divine Bird also released its purest essence, a surge of pure fire-element energy bursting from its body.
The two streams of energy illuminated the cave in intermingling gold and red. Huo Yutong was hiding behind a rock, peeking out with curiosity written all over her face.
Seeing that Huo Tian had not started fighting the Nirvana Divine Bird, Huo Yutong put away her Class 8 Defensive Soul Tool and quietly walked to the side.
"I thought they'd started fighting. Everything's so peaceful."
Huo Yutong raised her hand out in front of her, gazing up at the man and bird in the sky. She released her Martial Soul and watched Huo Tian with a mesmerized expression.
The Nirvana Divine Bird's fire-element essence began merging into the space between Huo Tian's brows. This energy carried no intense killing intent, only a gentle aura.
As the Nirvana Divine Bird's essence completely merged with him, the other seven Soul Rings on Huo Tian's body all appeared.
Seven Soul Rings-purple, purple, black, black, black, red, and red-lined up directly in front of Huo Tian. Under the influence of the Vermilion Bird's pure bloodline, the Nirvana Divine Bird also began evolving.
The Nirvana Divine Bird cried out. Its feathers began falling away as it completely transformed into a brilliantly golden subspecies of Fire Vermilion Bird.
With its essence separated from it, the Nirvana Divine Bird's entire body began dissipating in the air, turning into specks of light that condensed into a new 100,000 Year Soul Ring behind the seven Soul Rings.
Two brilliant golden divine markings began covering each of the eight Soul Rings. These were precisely the golden markings brought about by the Nirvana Divine Bird evolving through the Vermilion Bird bloodline and breaking through to 200,000 years.
The Vermilion Bird Bone Armor on Huo Tian's body had originally been pure red. Under the Nirvana Divine Bird's influence, it had now completely evolved into gleaming golden Vermilion Bird Bone Armor.
"Aah-!"
Huo Tian's cry shook loose stones inside the cave, sending them tumbling down. A phantom Nirvana Divine Bird appeared behind him, circling around the Vermilion Bird.
Huo Tian withdrew his Martial Soul and leaped down from the sky. After absorbing the Nirvana Divine Bird, he had also grown to two meters tall.
"I'm exhausted."
Huo Tian stretched and called out languidly.
Huo Yutong jogged over from the side. She looked up at Huo Tian, her eyes full of confusion. She noticed that he seemed to have grown considerably taller again.
Huo Yutong came up beside Huo Tian and began comparing her height to his, shocked that he really had grown taller.
"Master, why are you growing so fast?"
Huo Yutong puffed out her cheeks and looked at him aggrievedly. She was only 1.55 meters tall now, and her height had not increased for two months straight.
"You're still young. You'll grow as tall as your master someday."
Huo Tian covered his mouth as he laughed, stroking Huo Yutong's head to comfort her.
"Oh."
Huo Yutong slipped both hands into her pockets, then looked up at the cave's stone walls.
"Right, you'll help me raise the Nirvana Divine Bird chicks from now on."
Huo Tian scooped Huo Yutong up around the waist and, propelled by his Soul Power, shot upward, reaching the tree hollow from earlier.
The Evil Fire on the towering fire tree had now vanished completely. With the Nirvana Divine Bird gone, the temperature inside the hollow was steadily falling.
"Oh, there are two big eggs!"
Huo Yutong's eyes lit up, and he immediately jogged over to the two enormous eggs. The two Nirvana Divine Bird eggs were still radiating warmth.
Curiously, Huo Yutong raised her hand and tapped the egg beside her. As though sensing it, the egg gave a response.
"These two eggs belong to that Nirvana Divine Bird. I promised it I'd help raise its offspring."
With both hands behind his back, Huo Tian slowly approached the two eggs. He released his Evil Fire to give the two little things warmth.
As the Evil Fire flowed in, the little lives inside the eggs responded more vigorously, as though they might break out of their shells at any moment.
Huo Tian picked up the two eggs and carefully placed them in Huo Yutong's arms. She quickly took them.
"You'll be raising them from now on."
Looking languid, Huo Tian stroked Huo Yutong's long blue hair. Huo Yutong stared blankly at the two large eggs in her arms.
Huo Yutong could feel the two living beings constantly radiating heat, as though they were responding to her at every moment.
"Master, aren't you supposed to raise them?"
Huo Yutong looked at Huo Tian in confusion. As for being made a nanny, she herself did not really mind.
"Master, no girl is more attentive than me."
"All right."
Huo Yutong pursed her lips and hugged the two Nirvana Divine Bird eggs tightly with a look of resignation. Huo Tian pressed his fingers against the tops of the eggs, and a stream of warm energy began flowing into them.
"This Storage Soul Tool can hold living things. Put it on."
A Storage Soul Tool Ring appeared out of thin air in Huo Tian's hand. Huo Yutong eagerly slipped it onto another finger.
Then the two eggs in her arms were stored inside the ring. Huo Yutong's arms were a little numb, and she kept pressing her elbows.
Huo Tian released a surge of Soul Power, and the soreness in Huo Yutong's body immediately disappeared. Then the two walked out of this place hand in hand.
Huo Tian and Huo Yutong retraced their route all the way back, finally reaching the sinkhole. The lava here was still just as hot.
Huo Tian picked Huo Yutong up and released his Martial Soul. They left this place and ascended to the top of the Flame Mountain Range.
"I've finished getting my Soul Ring. I wonder where Senior Brother and Xuan Zi went."
Standing high up, Huo Tian gazed into the distance. This journey truly had not been easy. He worried whether Yan Shaozhe might die in these waters.
After absorbing the Nirvana Divine Bird, Huo Tian felt that the suppression on the Soul Power inside him had lessened considerably. He tried flying.
Huo Tian could fly, but not for long periods.
The two made their way down the slope and finally reached the foot of the mountain. Huo Tian decided to take Huo Yutong to search for the other two. If they could not find them, perhaps they would leave.
The two headed north from the Flame Mountain Range.
"Master, where are we going now?"
Huo Yutong tugged at the corner of Huo Tian's clothes, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She really was tired.
They had been active for a full day and night without much rest. Huo Tian brought Huo Yutong to a stream, where they rested for the time being.
Huo Tian hunted down a Fire Pig that had lived for two thousand years. They planned to barbecue it, and Huo Tian took a barbecue grill out of his storage ring.
Huo Yutong began catching fish by the stream, the two dividing the work between them.