Chapter 26: Burning the Soul, Transferring the Spirit

Once, a heaven-sent opportunity was placed before me, but I did not cherish it. Only when I lost it did I feel regret; there is no greater pain in this world than this.

This classic, cliché line did not happen here.

The moon hung in the center of the sky, and a beam of silvery moonlight shone into the blood pool.

The fresh red blood in the pool slowly diminished, gradually becoming clear.

At the same time, the Red Phoenix bird egg in the center of the pool grew redder and redder, and the flame patterns on the surface of the egg became increasingly distinct.

When the moonlight faded and the sky grew slightly bright, the blood in the pool had completely dried up, and a cluster of orange-red flames suddenly ignited on the surface of the Red Phoenix bird egg.

Zhang Xingyu, who had been waiting nearby, dared not delay. He raised his dharma sword, gently pricked his middle finger with the tip, and then carefully dripped the flowing blood onto the flames.

"Boom!"

As if a basin of gasoline had been poured on, the flames instantly surged several feet high. The brilliant flames danced incessantly, gradually revealing a gorgeous and noble phantom of a phoenix.

Seeing the phoenix phantom, Zhang Xingyu was overjoyed.

Could it be that I am an SSR-tier lucky person?

Unexpectedly, this Red Phoenix bird egg actually contained a trace of the bloodline of an ancient flame phoenix. A phoenix—that is a divine bird. Even if there is only a trace of bloodline, the spiritual root it nurtures will definitely be an extremely high-level existence.

It is just a pity that this flame phoenix is truly a bit too weak.

Zhang Xingyu had no doubt that if one were to blow on it gently, it would revert back into a cluster of pure flame.

Could it be that this fellow overdid it in its previous life, resulting in insufficient essence and energy after its nirvana rebirth?

A flaw in the beauty, a flaw in the beauty!

Zhang Xingyu no longer hesitated and immediately followed the secret records, softly chanting the spirit-transferring incantation.

"Heaven and Earth born together, burn the soul and transfer the spirit!"

As the incantation was chanted, he immediately felt an indescribable, profound aura enter his body.

At the same time, accompanied by a clear, resonant cry, the phoenix phantom within the flames spread its wings and soared. It struggled hard to break free from the shackles of the flames and flew rapidly toward Zhang Xingyu with a 'swish'.

Like a shark smelling the scent of blood, the phoenix phantom drilled straight into Zhang Xingyu's injured middle finger and then surged along the blood vessels in his arm into his body.

"Bang!"

The phoenix phantom reached the center of his dantian and suddenly burst into countless tiny sparks.

In an instant, Zhang Xingyu's entire body turned red, like a lobster that had just been taken out of a pot.

At this very moment, he felt as if he were placed inside a lit furnace, every piece of flesh and blood on his body being burned by raging flames.

"Ah!"

He couldn't help but scream in pain.

At the same time, wisps of black smoke drifted out from his pores, emitting a pungent, fishy stench.

Gradually, his body became thinner, redder, and more transparent.

Tiny sparks burned within his body, then slowly merged with his dantian.

He felt that he might be burned to ashes.

The flames were burning not just his physical body, but his soul as well.

The pain was not just in his physical body, but in his soul as well.

Am I going to die?

No, I cannot die.

I want to live, I want to succeed.

Zhang Xingyu's soul was shouting.

He struggled to hold on, enduring the hardship with difficulty.

At a certain moment, he felt he truly couldn't hold on any longer. He thought, where is my luck? Hurry up and explode! If it doesn't explode now, I will become that 99% who failed. Perhaps hearing his soul's prayer, a cold, icy chill suddenly emerged from the bottom of his dantian.

This cold chill was like a dragon or snake, rapidly slithering through his entire body. Wherever it passed, the flames dissipated and the pain vanished.

Only when the pain faded did he realize that he had survived.

He wanted to cheer, he wanted to jump for joy, he wanted to give a thumbs up to his luck.

Thus, he struggled to open his eyes.

After opening his eyes, he was immediately stunned.

What came into view was the city he was familiar with: towering skyscrapers, wide streets, and speeding cars.

"Xingyu, stop looking, come and eat." A kind and loving voice suddenly came from behind him.

Zhang Xingyu turned his head to look and found his mother standing in front of the dining table, waving at him.

"Son, come and eat. Mom has prepared your favorite crystal meatballs, braised prawns, and cola chicken wings."

"Come, eat, eat. Only when you're full will you have the strength to prepare for the college entrance exam." A middle-aged man with a kind face kept putting food into his bowl.

Mom?

Dad?

Zhang Xingyu rubbed his eyes hard. Aren't the two people in front of him his own parents?

Wasn't he in the middle of performing the Great Spirit-Transferring Technique?

How did he return to Earth, return home?

Which one is real, and which one is an illusion?

He picked up a crystal meatball and put it in his mouth; the sweet and sour taste quickly occupied his taste buds. He chewed gently, carefully savoring the taste of the crystal meatball. This was the familiar taste, the taste of Mom, the taste of maternal love.

Suddenly, he thought of something.

No, hadn't he already finished the college entrance exam? Could it be that he had traveled back in time?

Just as this thought sprouted, the scene before him suddenly changed.

A boundless desert, a dilapidated temple.

A man in white was pointing his flying sword at him: "Mortal brat, hand over the treasure immediately, otherwise, do you want your dog life?"

Beside him, a plump woman in red giggled. "Senior Brother, why waste words with a mortal ant? Just kill him."

Man in white?

Woman in red?

Weren't they already dead?

No.

The scene switched again.

Scene after scene appeared like a movie, making one feel it was especially real.

However, deep in his soul, he always felt something was wrong.

Wrong, wrong, wrong...

Nine "wrongs" flashed through his mind, and those illusions no longer appeared.

After the ninth time, his brain felt dizzy, and his whole body was incomparably sore.

After a long time, he regained some clarity.

Finally alive again, I wonder if the spirit transfer was successful?

Also, where did that life-saving cold chill come from?

And those illusions, why did they collapse on their own?

Zhang Xingyu thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out.

Forget it, if I can't figure it out, I won't think about it.

Being alive is enough.

He stood up and reached out to pat the dust off his body.

In front of him, there was not a drop of blood left in the blood pool, and the bird egg inside had also changed its appearance.

The flame patterns on the surface of this bird egg had all disappeared. Having lost the spiritual root nurtured by the flame phoenix, it had once again become an ordinary Red Phoenix bird egg.

Hu Siping was still in a deep sleep.

Zhang Xingyu felt an unbearable hunger in his stomach, so he took out a flint and started a campfire in the cave.

He reached into his pocket, took out the Red Phoenix bird egg, and buried it in the pile of charcoal.

The fire made a crackling sound. He stared at the fire, lost in thought.

This journey had been full of dangers. If it weren't for his extremely good luck, he would have likely died long ago.

However, can a person's luck always be good?

Now, he had obtained another heaven-sent opportunity and might be able to embark on the path of cultivation from now on.

But, in the Xianxia World, the weak are prey to the strong. Is he really suited for it?

A quarter of an hour later, he pushed aside the charcoal, took out the bird egg, and cracked the shell.

An alluring fragrance wafted out.

So fragrant.

Zhang Xingyu's appetite was whetted, and he swallowed it in two or three bites.

The bird egg went down into his stomach, turning into a tiny warm current flowing through his body. He thought to himself, it's really delicious, I must have two more.

Feeling the joy of his "five-viscera temple" (stomach), he cast aside the distracting thoughts in his heart and focused on roasting the bird eggs.

Another quarter of an hour later, he carefully took one out and gently cracked the shell.

"Leave one for me!"

A weak voice came from behind him.

Zhang Xingyu turned around and found that Hu Siping had woken up.

At this moment, his face was pale and his lips were cracked; this was a sign of excessive blood loss.

Fortunately, his spirit seemed quite good.

"Fourth Brother, you're awake?" Zhang Xingyu asked.

Hu Siping nodded gently, then struggled to turn his head to look around: "Where is Hou Dengyun?"

"Dead!" Zhang Xingyu answered softly while feeding the peeled egg to his mouth.

Hu Siping opened his mouth and ate it in two or three bites.

After eating, he continued to ask: "How did he die?"

"Of course, he was killed by me. I'll tell you about this slowly later; now I'll roast two more bird eggs for you."

Taking out two more bird eggs, Zhang Xingyu roasted them while telling Hu Siping about what happened after he fell unconscious.

He detailed the fight between Hou Dengyun and Liu Dayan and the others.

As for the Great Spirit-Transferring Technique and the spirit transfer itself, he skipped over them.

The Great Spirit-Transferring Technique was too mysterious; the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

"So, another group of people fought with Hou Dengyun, and you picked up the bargain?" After hearing Zhang Xingyu's introduction, Hu Siping looked incredulous.

"Exactly. I was lucky." Zhang Xingyu laughed.

"When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits. Your luck is not just generally good. I think you are simply born with a lucky star, which is why you can turn danger into safety." Hu Siping praised.

"Mutual, mutual!" Zhang Xingyu laughed heartily.

Hu Siping also laughed: "That's true, Xingyu, you are the lucky star in my life."

The two of them had survived a disaster and were infinitely happy.

After chatting for a while, Zhang Xingyu said to Hu Siping: "Fourth Brother, this time we obtained 150,000 gold notes and 3,200 gold coins, enough for your tuition. In addition, there are six dharma knives and dharma swords, which can also be sold for a lot of money. After going down the mountain, Fourth Brother, you should go and apply for the Nanhua Immortal Academy."

Hu Siping shook his head and said: "No, we were able to escape this time all thanks to you. How can I take more things?"

Before Hu Siping could finish his words, Zhang Xingyu put on a straight face and said: "Fourth Brother, we have a life-and-death friendship, why are you saying these things? If you refuse again, you are not treating me as a brother."

Hu Siping was stunned upon hearing this.

He looked into Zhang Xingyu's eyes and nodded hard.

"Good brother, I, Hu Siping, will remember this friendship of yours." Hu Siping reached out and patted Zhang Xingyu's shoulder.

The two ate and drank their fill, then rested for half a day.

As the sun tilted to the west, the two tidied up slightly, shouldering and carrying their belongings, and quickly headed down the mountain.

By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, it was sunset.

It took them half an hour to find their mounts in the woods.

The two rode their horses at a gallop. After running for about a mile, Zhang Xingyu suddenly pulled on the reins: "Fourth Brother, we cannot go to Shanyang Cheng. Liu Dayan is the brother-in-law of the Shanyang Cheng City Lord. Since he hasn't returned for a long time, his brother-in-law will definitely send people to investigate. Liu Dayan brought people to ambush us; if they investigate like this, they will definitely find us."

"You are right, we cannot return to Shanyang Cheng. Let's do this: we will head east directly to Nanhua Cheng and apply for the Nanhua Immortal Academy there." ===== CHAPTER 27 =====