The azure spirit vessel turned into a ray of light and flew back inside Feiyun’s body. There was only Feiyun standing there now embracing Hongyan.
The rain continued with no sign of easing.
Suddenly, he felt a sudden warmness while standing there in a daze. It woke him up from the pain.
“Oh? This is the power of the phoenix bone!” He stared carefully at Nangong Hongyan’s chest. A thick crimson light was slowly jumping like a flourishing flame.
A weak and slow noise clearly sounded by his ears. This was the sound of a heart beating. Her cold blood began to flow once more with its temperature raising.
Life was added to this dead body. The flame jumped faster and became increasingly brighter, like a star carved in her heart.
The excited Feiyun murmured to himself: “She’s not completely dead yet, the phoenix bone is giving her a path towards life. That bone must have been a heartbone from the phoenix.”
All creatures’ heart was made from flesh but the phoenix heart was a piece of bone, as red as a crystal and as beautiful as a flame.
It was similar to a cultivator’s God Base. It was the first “phoenix” bone cultivated by this type of creature and the most primal.
The so-called phoenix rebirth was the boneheart coming back to life. Fire would burn everything to ashes and from the ashes, the boneheart would condense again for another life.
As long as this rebirth process was successful, the heartbone would become tougher and same with the phoenix’s life.
An ordinary phoenix bone couldn’t awaken a human cultivator’s life force but a boneheart could.
Even though her blood was flowing again with her life force returning, she still looked like a slumbering beauty.
“Only the power of rebirth, no energy necessary for the process. Two hours at most and her life will disappear again for a true death.” An old voice resounded next to him with the sound of footsteps.
An old man slowly walked out from the misty rain.
Feng Mo walked through the mud and wet grass from the darkness with Wan Xiangcen right behind him. She carried an umbrella for his sake; her sweet fragrance was ever so present.
The raindrops fell down from the umbrella and connected together like a string of pearls.
Feiyun turned towards Feng Mo. He naturally understood this too. The energy required for rebirth belonged to the Nirvana realm, the level of an Enlightened Being.
In order for Hongyan to live again, an Enlightened Being needed to take action but how many were there in the entire dynasty?
Plus, how was he going to find one in just two hours? Only Feng Mo was available.
Feiyun stared at Hongyan’s tightly-shut eyes and lowered his head to kiss her eyebrows. ‘You can’t die, I’ll pay whatever price.’
Xiangcen stared at Feiyun standing in the rain with his messy hair and the woman in his embrace. She felt a strange sense of jealousy.
Feng Mo sighed and said: “Little children sometimes become disobedient and betray. Once they play enough outside and become wounded and trapped, they will find that home is the warmest place. Child, come home.”
Feiyun clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. This was a guy who started all this and now, he wanted to play the good guy? To submit now or to wait for death?
If the dying person was Feiyun, he would never submit!
But now, he had no other choice. A weakling often lacked choices. He must become stronger and stronger to become someone who can decide his own fate.
***
Half a month later.
When a woman takes off her clothes off for a man, the man would need to help her put them on again.
Feiyun put the Crimson Phoenix Garment and the Cloak of Invisibility back on Nangong Honyan. He was sending her away from the Celestial Paradise.
She simply turned back and gave him a smile, one that was enough to make the flowers bloom. She didn’t need to say anything; her eyes revealed everything.
Feng Mo flashed behind Feiyun all of a sudden. He looked at the woman that was gone now and said: “Her being here will only slow you down. This is better for both of you.”
Feng Mo didn’t allow Hongyan to stay so she had to leave. He was the current lord of the six counties and this place right now.
His will was an unquestionable decree.
“Ancestor, you are right.” Feiyun stopped looking at the horizon.
Feng Mo nodded approvingly: “As the successor of the Feng, you are simply too weak. Many among the young generation can still beat you. Xiangcen, take him to the spirit vein underground so he can train. I leave him to you and satisfy all his demands. If you don’t take good care of him, you are not qualified to be a bride of the Feng.”
Xiangcen nodded and brought Feiyun towards the entrance to the underground vein.
Feng Mo stood with both hands behind his back while staring at the scenery ahead. His eyes were profound and all-encompassing with a dark glare within.
***
The Celestial Paradise was at the tail of a spirit vein so its energy was quite thick.
However, Feng Mo was still not satisfied so he used a great method to lead the spirit energy in the vein directly below the paradise. He also connected four smaller veins at one-hundred-miles long to surround the bigger one at the central area.
Five different cultivation palaces were erected underground as well: Central Jade Emperor Hall, Western Hall, Eastern Hall, Southern Hall, and Northern Hall.
Only those who have greatly contributed to the clan were allowed to train down here. The spirit energy here was several times thicker than the air outside. One could even find random spirit stones scattering about. That would increase their cultivation speed even more.
Naturally, cultivators all wanted to get to this area with such good conditions for training. They considered it a great honor.
Meanwhile, inside the main area of the Jade Emperor Hall was the thickest amount of energy. Only Feng disciples from the direct branch were allowed inside.
Feiyun saw many geniuses along the way down. Some were of the heaven-defying level from the other great powers…
These great powers were side branches to the Feng. They must bow before the main branch or face grave punishments.
Feng Mo had changed the ancestral laws. Those not part of the main branch had their status lowered. Those with lower status must kneel before their superiors.
These regulations were even more severe than the Jin Dynasty’s imperial court.
There was also a prison section at the Celestial Paradise. Those who disobeyed the clan master would be taken here and suffer terrible torture.
This was only the beginning. Feng Mo wanted to perfect his familial system before changing it to a kingdom. His next goal would be the Jin Dynasty.
***
A loud furor came about.
“The young lord is here, the young lord is here…”
The handsome and beautiful crowd from the side branches all stared at Feiyun quietly.
“Greetings, Young Lord!” They kneeled respectfully before him.
Only the main branch didn’t have to kneel. However, these people also slightly bowed. No one dared to look straight at him.
Feiyun slightly paused and glanced at them before entering the path towards the cultivation palace. Even the two old men guarding the entrance slightly bowed and opened the door for him.
“Rise.” Xiangcen spoke before following Feiyun into the entrance.
They finally stood up after being given permission and stared at the connecting entrance then excitedly talked among themselves.
One person said: “The demon’s son is stricken with Yama’s blood, he has two years left at best. I can’t understand why the clan master would pick him to be the Feng Young Lord.”
“The clan master is a supreme Enlightened Being, completely omniscient, yet you dare to question his will? Watch it or they’ll send you to jail.” An older man said sternly.
The youth earlier turned pale and closed his mouth.
Meanwhile, Feiyun stood inside the seventh floor of the Jade Emperor Palace, the highest level. He stared at the surging spirit vein ahead. The energy here had materialized into liquid form, like an immortal river washing everything.
In the end, he couldn’t escape the twist of fate. On the outside, he was the young lord respected by all but in reality, he was only a pawn. If Feng Mo wanted him to jump, he would have to ask: “How high?”
This was all because of his weak cultivation!
“I want to be stronger!” Feiyun’s eyes became determined. He stood there coolly with his green robe and jade belt with an unprecedented heroism. He stood above the spirit river with a pair of eyes brighter than the stars.
He turned back to the palace and began to train.
***
Author’s note:
The Grand Southern Prefecture’s storyline is over. A new generation and new story are coming. When Feiyun came out of his cultivation, he would leave this prefecture and the wild south to enter the prosperous central area of the Jin Dynasty.
It was also time for Scholar Heaven Calculating to announce his lists to the world, the Upper Historical Genius List, Lower Historical Genius List, and Great Powers Ranking.
After such a long repression, the crowd was ready to rise. There will be more beauties and Spirit Vessel will become even better.