Chapter 518

Not only did he not die, he also triggered the phoenix clan's most heaven-defying talent——

Nirvana rebirth!

No wonder Xu Yanzhi is so obsessed with Xie Yan's corpse, even willing to tear apart his face to seize it!

He probably already knew that, as the son of a phoenix, Xie Yan wouldn't die so easily!

What he wants might be to completely strangle Xie Yan in the cradle of rebirth!

At this moment, the little ones outside also caught a strong demonic aura, and unable to resist, they came to the door, then poked their heads out, sneaking a peek.

Inside the house stood an elegant screen, slightly separating the outer room from the inner chamber.

Through the hazy screen, they could only vaguely see the huge, indistinct outline toward the bed in the inner chamber, as well as the source of that demonic aura.

Yuan Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing carefully, and lowered his voice: "I feel… there seems to be an egg on the bed? And this demonic aura…… it feels so familiar, like the aura of a phoenix..."

Tian Xue also nodded slightly at this moment, her voice still faint but with a hint of certainty: "The royal family of the demon realm is precisely the inheritance of phoenix bloodline."

Xiao Hu tilted his fluffy little head, blinked his big, watery eyes, and asked somewhat naively: "In other words… the half-demon young man the leader brought back, does he have half phoenix blood?"

"Mm." Tian Xue replied concisely.

"Hiss—" Yuan Feng sucked in a breath of cold air, exclaimed in shock: "Could it be that he really isn't dead?!"

Just as his words fell, footsteps sounded behind the screen, and the little ones hastily shrank back their heads, holding their breath.

They then saw Yuan Yao walk out from the inner chamber, her gaze landing exactly on them, who were peeking at the door.

Yuan Yao looked at their guilty expressions, had no intention of hiding, and said: "Come in and take a look, all of you."

Hearing that, the little ones first exchanged glances, their eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of tension, then they slipped inside one by one.

When they went around the screen and saw clearly the huge, splendid egg on the bed, they stared wide-eyed in shock.

Yuan Feng now truly believed that Xie Yan hadn't died.

He walked around the egg twice, his eyes full of wonder and inquiry.

The young boy couldn't contain his curiosity, wanting to reach out and touch that legendary phoenix egg to see what it felt like.

However——

Before his hand could even get half a foot near the egg, a scorching, immensely powerful heat wave burst from the shell like an invisible barrier, slamming him back several steps, nearly making him sit down hard on the ground.

"Don't get too close, the eggshell is extremely hot and has automatic protective power." Yuan Yao, quick-eyed and quick-handed, grabbed the equally eager Xiao Hu and Yuan Batian who were peeking, pulling them back lest they follow Yuan Feng's fate.

Yuan Feng steadied himself, rubbed his nose with lingering fear, then looked at Yuan Yao and asked in astonishment: "Master, is this really that half-demon?"

Yuan Yao nodded, then corrected: "He has a name, Xie Yan; from now on don't call him 'half-demon'."

Yuan Feng let out an "Oh".

Suddenly, he recalled something, crossed his arms, looked up at Yuan Yao and said: "Master, you like roasting bird eggs, right? Why not roast him? The phoenix is also a bird."

Yuan Yao fell into silence.

The blond young boy put his hands on his hips, humming dissatisfiedly: "Master, didn't you also want to roast me before?!"

Yuan Yao: "But I didn't roast you."

Yuan Feng let out a cold snort, turned his head away in a tsundere manner.

Tian Xue said: "Master, he will eventually break out of his shell and undergo Nirvana rebirth; by then, Yaoguang Space may not withstand the erosion of the Nirvana flames."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Yao looked at Tian Xue and said: "Don't worry, if he needs to break his shell and undergo Nirvana rebirth, I will immediately take him out of Yaoguang Space."

After a pause, she said to Tian Xue: "Did you already recognize Xie Yan earlier?"

Hearing that, Tian Xue's elf-like visage froze for a moment, then she nodded.

Yuan Yao frowned: "He previously wanted to take your monster core; can you forgive him?"

Tian Xue smiled: "Master, don't think of me as so pure and naive; I know countless cultivators and even stronger spirit beasts want to take my monster core to cultivate, and in our spirit beast world that's the law of the jungle, the strong reign supreme. I also guessed that, if it weren't for you, he would never let me go until he had taken my monster core."

Saying this, she withdrew her smile, her eyes serious: "If it weren't for you, I would surely seek revenge on Xie Yan once I became stronger."

Hearing these words, Yuan Yao felt moved.

She squatted down, leveled her gaze with Tian Xue, and solemnly said: "Thank you."

Tian Xue blinked slightly, then broke into a smile.

…

At the same time.

Floating Capital, Council Hall.

At this moment, sandalwood incense curled within the hall, yet it could not dispel the heaviness permeating the air.

Nearly thirty immortals had gathered together; some had ancient, simple faces, others deep auras—each was an existence capable of making heaven and earth tremble with a mere stomp.

Among the crowd, ten figures stood out particularly.

They wore uniform white robes, sleeves flowing, with elaborate and imposing totem patterns embroidered on the cuffs and hems—the exclusive emblem of Tian Jiaocheng.

At the center of the hall stood a massive rectangular jade table large enough to seat all the immortals, its surface smooth as a mirror, reflecting the faint light of the huge night pearl hanging from the ceiling, yet it could not reflect the complex, inscrutable expressions of the immortals present.

The atmosphere in the hall was so oppressive it almost made one breathless, like the stillness before a storm, each inhalation weighted with pressure.

At the third seat from the left on the long table sat a silver-haired man.

He stood tall and straight, his silver hair flowing like a waterfall, simply bound at the back with a few strands falling over his cheeks, adding a touch of coldness. His face was handsome to the point of being almost demonic, his brows and eyes clear and pristine, yet now slightly furrowed, as if impatient.

He parted his thin lips: "I cannot possibly hand over the corpse of the half-demon Xie Yan to you."

He then glanced at everyone, his voice icy and devoid of warmth: "Haven't you already investigated this thoroughly? The demon realm is now plagued by internal strife; that prince who murdered his father and seized the throne, newly enthroned, bears a bone-deep hatred for Xie Yan and wishes he would never be reborn. If so, why do you still insist on his corpse?"

Immortal Qian Kui frowned tightly, his tone grave as he explained: "Although Xie Yan is a half-demon, his veins carry half phoenix blood. The Formless Immortal has already calculated that he suspects Xie Yan did not truly perish, but may have entered the phoenix clan's legendary Nirvana stage! If he truly can undergo Nirvana rebirth, his power is immeasurable, and whether it will be blessing or disaster remains unknown."

Enough!

Seated at the head, Immortal Zongguang, who had remained silent all along, suddenly slammed the table, letting out a dull thud.

He suddenly narrowed his eyes, sharp light bursting from his gaze, a fierce brilliance sweeping toward Thousand Jade Mountain, and he said in a deep voice: "Thousand Jade Mountain! This concerns the safety of the entire cultivation world, no trivial matter! For the sake of all under heaven and the lasting peace of the cultivation realm, you must hand over Xie Yan's corpse, to eliminate future trouble!"