The phoenix flapped its wings gently.
Each flap stirred up a gust of wild wind.
Yuan Xin hovered in mid - air.
At the sight of this divine beast, he felt as if he had been transported back more than twenty years ago.
"Phoenix, you've come."
"You seem to know I'd come?"
"Phoenix, we're old acquaintances, after all. I know full well how loyal you are to Ye Ling. Back then, when the four great families joined forces to kill that female devil, you broke free from the magic seal at the last moment and escaped. We knew even then that you'd surely return one day."
The phoenix let out a shrill cry that rent the sky.
At this,
everyone clapped their hands over their ears.
Some spiritual pharmacists with lower cultivation levels suffered from a rush of blood to the head and collapsed on the ground, limp.
After the shrill cry faded,
the phoenix's eyes grew even sharper.
"You ingrates from these powerful families are not worthy of mentioning my master's name."
"Phoenix, I'll be frank with you. Your appearance in Shengjing City today is no accident. Now that you're here, you won't be leaving."
The phoenix regarded Yuan Xin contemptuously.
"By what right? Because of that host body carrying the medicine behind you? I, the phoenix, have roamed the Eastern Wilds for over a thousand years. Such a host body is beneath my notice. I've come today just to take your head, Yuan Xin."
Yuan Xin looked at Jun Xin's corpse.
There was also a glint of reluctance in his eyes.
But it was too late to turn back. If he gave up now, all their previous efforts would be in vain.
"Phoenix, you were once so imposing with Ye Ling by your side. Back then, with the two of you united, we couldn't defeat you. But now, without Ye Ling, do you really think we're no match for you?"
The phoenix closed its eyes slightly.
It sensed something amiss.
At that moment, the leaders of several great families in Shengjing City unleashed their spiritual power, forming a powerful encirclement in all directions. With such an inescapable net, it would be almost impossible for the phoenix to escape.
This had all been pre - arranged by Yuan Xin.
His goal was to lure the divine beast phoenix into the trap. He just didn't expect it to happen a day earlier.
The deaths of Jun Xin and Jun Lanran also dealt a great shock to Yuan Xin.
"You're still as despicable as ever. But do you think that just the cultivation levels of you spiritual pharmacists can hold me captive? That's wishful thinking."
As the phoenix's words faded,
glazed flames sprang up everywhere.
The glazed flames were extremely fierce. Once they came into contact with a house, they would surely burn it to the ground in a short time.
The Yuan family was powerful and had many spiritual pharmacists to protect them, so they were not afraid.
But the smaller families were not so lucky. They quickly ordered their servants to put out the fires. This distraction caused some loopholes to appear in the powerful encirclement.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the phoenix spat out countless fireballs.
The fireballs burned bodies and incinerated spiritual roots.
For a moment, screams filled Shengjing City again.
Seeing this,
Yuan Xin quickly formed magic seals with both hands.
With the blessing of the magic seals and mental techniques, his contracted beast also appeared on the scene under the spiritual seal.
Yuan Xin's beast was the Wolf King.
The Wolf King had a fearsome reputation in the beast world.
Although it was not classified as a divine beast, its abilities far exceeded those of ordinary beasts.
It could be said that among the beasts, the Wolf King was the most powerful.
As soon as the Wolf King appeared, its body swelled to an enormous height.
But despite its ferocity, when facing the divine phoenix, the king of all birds, its aura was clearly weaker.
When the Wolf King appeared, howls echoed in Shengjing City.
The phoenix looked down on the world with a haughty air and scrutinized the Wolf King in front of it.
"A mere beast like the Wolf King dares to act presumptuously in front of me."
The deep voice was filled with disdain.
The Wolf King was enraged by this provocation and lunged at the phoenix, biting wildly.
As the phoenix and the Wolf King fought, the others finally got a chance to catch their breath.
"Master Yuan, your Wolf King?"
"The Wolf King is extremely powerful. Over the years, our lord has been training its body. Among the beasts, it has no match."
This was true.
The Wolf King's defensive ability was indeed very strong.
Its fur was thick, and ordinary attacks could only scratch its surface. Even when facing some of the divine beasts, it could withstand a hundred attacks without getting injured.
But just as these people finished speaking,
a shrill cry from the Wolf King echoed in mid - air.
Then,
with a thud, the huge Wolf King plummeted from the sky. Its body had been pierced through by the phoenix's sharp claws. Its thick fur and defensive mechanisms had failed to protect it.
The Wolf King collapsed on the ground.
Its chest heaved violently.
But the time it had bought for Yuan Xin was enough.
He quickly recited a mental technique, and under its effect, the Wolf King's body shrank rapidly and returned to Yuan Xin's side.
After feeding the Wolf King a pill, Yuan Xin looked up at the phoenix in the air.
"Phoenix, you can't escape. If you surrender now, I promise I won't hurt you. After I hand you over to Su Su, she will surely take good care of you. Signing a contract with her is the wisest choice for you now."
The phoenix let out a cold laugh.
Although it was a phoenix without human emotions,
it knew and was determined that Ye Ling was its only master in this life.
"Is that woman An Su Su even worthy of being my master?"
Since the phoenix was male, its voice was as deep and powerful as that of a man in the human world.
"Su Su is an outstanding person. It would be a win - win situation for both of you if you became her contracted divine beast."
"I, the phoenix, would never form a contract with such a filthy woman."
The phoenix's eyes shone brightly.
It dived downwards, not wanting to waste any more words with Yuan Xin.
The great force generated by the phoenix's dive made the people of the Yuan Mansion involuntarily step back.
"Bang!"
The phoenix crashed into a solid protective shield.
This was one of Ye Ling's moves.
But now, it was being used by someone else. Although its power was far less than before, it still had a certain binding effect on the phoenix.
"Yuan Xin, how could you use my master's mental technique to defend against me? Don't you feel any guilt when using this technique?"
Yuan Xin narrowed his eyes.
"Phoenix, what happened back then was Ye Ling's just deserts. We were just punishing evildoers on behalf of heaven. You shouldn't blame us for all these sins."
The phoenix burst into laughter.
"You were ungrateful back then, and now you're even willing to sacrifice your own kin."
The phoenix had long since gained sentience. Seeing Yuan Xin carefully protecting the body used for sacrifice behind him, it knew that this body must be of great significance to Yuan Xin.
It sniffed gently and said with satisfaction, "It's really a pity to use this young girl as a host body."
"You! Don't you dare touch her!"
The phoenix let out a cold laugh.
In the next instant, Jun Xin's corpse shattered into a million pieces right in front of Yuan Xin's eyes.
Since she was originally meant to be a host body for sacrifice, even through the protection of the mental technique, the phoenix could still destroy her body and absorb her essence.
Normally, the phoenix would have scorned such an act, but since Yuan Xin had made its master die so painfully, the phoenix naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to make Yuan Xin suffer.