Chapter 556

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Protagonist:

Xu Zhangqing

On the ship, Wan Niang was exceptionally friendly to everyone, even carrying a hint of deliberate ingratiation; her intention to win them over was impossible to hide.

Who could have imagined that this time they would not only run into disciples of the Dragon Tiger Immortal Sect, but even encounter disciples of the Dongting Immortal Sect? These are all top-tier cultivators rarely seen in ordinary times.

Therefore, it gave her the illusion of having "stumbled into a high-level game."

After all, the Wan Family's usual business was very simple — just selling their goods at a good price, satisfying themselves and their cooperative partners, and that was it.

However, who could have predicted that the development of events would far exceed expectations, even imagination.

Wan Fu Zhenjun, who had been famous for a long time, was directly and easily crushed to death by the mysterious Nascent Soul of the Dragon Tiger Immortal Sect, dying on the spot with body and Dao extinguished.

Of the three treasure ships they brought, the Wan Gui Ship had been destroyed, the Wanhui Ship was slightly better but still covered in scorch marks everywhere.

As for the Wanbao Ship, it nearly followed in the Wan Gui Ship's footsteps.

Fortunately, the contents of the Wanbao Ship were tempting enough that even a top-tier Golden Core like Zhu Rong was moved, and in the end he did not strike a killing blow against it.

You must understand, a core treasure ship like the Wan Family's is worth as much as the entire foundation of a minor cultivation clan or minor power.

If obtained, to put it modestly, one would lack no cultivation resources for a short time.

To put it grandly, it would suffice to support arbitrary consumption for a very long time to come.

……

While the others were recuperating, Xu Zhangqing sought out Zhu Rong alone.

Seeing this, Su Jinli and the others admired him immensely.

Although this one was not outstanding in combat, in terms of pulling connections he far surpassed all of them.

Inside the quiet room of the ship's cabin, Xu Zhangqing and Zhu Rong sat facing each other.

"No problem?"

"Divine Sense swept through, no one is spying."

"Didn't I tell you to seize the Wanbao Ship?"

"At first, I indeed thought so, but later I felt that compared to the treasure ship, cooperating with the Wan Family people was the correct choice."

"Why do I feel like you've taken a fancy to Wan Niang?"

"I am you; if I've taken a fancy, that equals you taking a fancy. I've done it, equals you've done it..."

"Stop stop stop, don't say any more!"

Looking at the serious-looking Zhu Rong before him, Xu Zhangqing only felt a headache.

The Spiritual Root is both an avatar and possesses independent thinking ability and personality.

However, no matter what, it is ultimately still a part of oneself; this is beyond doubt.

In other words, when the avatar thinks and acts, it will unconsciously magnify the main body's strengths and weaknesses.

At this moment, Zhu Rong took out the Phoenix Feather and simultaneously summoned Ya Da, the one with the most potential; without any hesitation, he directly fed this rare spirit plant to it.

The moment the Phoenix Feather touched the edge of Ya Da's beak, the spirit plant seemed to sense something; golden-red patterns lit up all over its body, emitting a scorching hot aura.

At first, Ya Da only swallowed instinctively, but the next second, its crimson wings suddenly tensed, and its originally half-person-tall body actually swelled visibly to the naked eye.

First, its feathers stood up one by one, each seeming to have been injected with molten gold; starting from the tail tips, crimson gradually spread toward gold-red, and the feather tips were even dotted with specks of star-fire, which rustled down as fine flame fragments as the air currents gently blew.

Gah!

A sharp cry suddenly rang out; the temperature in the quiet room instantly soared, and even the surrounding air was baked until it twisted.

Ya Da's beak began to undergo a qualitative transformation; the originally blackish keratin layer shed, revealing a dark gold metallic texture inside, and even the tip was wreathed in a faint, barely-there flowing flame — a light peck could sear a scorch mark into the ground.

Its sharp claws also turned from crimson to ink-gold; a faint sound of tearing air could be heard when they contracted, and both hardness and sharpness had multiplied several times over.

Originally, when it was the Fire Crow leader, the flames around its body were merely scattered crimson flames; now they had condensed into a semi-transparent flame domain.

The fire spirit Qi within the domain grew increasingly restless; even the edges of Zhu Rong's sleeves were warmed until slightly hot.

Ya Da's pupils shifted from red to a deep, dark red-gold; the formerly only-sharp gaze now held a few more threads of haughty, overbearing majesty.

As it flapped its wings hovering in mid-air, the faint uneasy low cries of other Fire Crows could be heard from outside the quiet room, revealing the instinctive awe of inferiors toward a superior.

Half an incense stick's time passed, and Ya Da's evolution process neared its end.

The gold-red flames around its body slowly converged, finally condensing at the edges of its wings to form a flowing flame pattern.

Its body stabilized at roughly one person tall, even more lithe and agile than before — where was any trace of the impetuousness it had as a leader?

Now it held its head even higher than before; a single glance revealed a completely different bearing.

Zhu Rong raised his hand, and Ya Da immediately understood, obediently lowering its head; its gold-red wings gently folded, the majesty in its eyes fading away, leaving only closeness to its master.

Next, Xu Zhangqing and Zhu Rong used their Divine Sense to scan its body, and could clearly perceive a power far surpassing that of a Fire Crow leader.

Not only could it control vastly more majestic flame power, it could also mobilize the surrounding fire spirit Qi to form a fairly distinct domain, and even possessed a trace of the "commanding ten thousand crows" kingly majesty unique to the Fire Crow King.

And this is precisely the unique ability of the Fire Crow King.

"Very good."

The corner of Zhu Rong's mouth curled into a smile; his fingertips lightly stroked Ya Da's warm wings, and he said seriously: "With you here, whether dealing with the Wan Family's cooperation afterward or encountering strong enemies again, we have a few more points of confidence."

Ya Da seemed to half-understand as it rubbed against his palm; its gold-red wings trembled lightly, and a few flame feathers actually drifted down, turning into specks of star-fire upon hitting the ground, which lingered for a long time without extinguishing.

This is the most fundamental difference between the Fire Crow King and ordinary Fire Crows; even the flames dispersing from its body carry extraordinary effects.

Xu Zhangqing at the side watched this and likewise revealed a satisfied expression, then asked: "I still have one more stalk here; do you want it?"

Zhu Rong thought carefully for a moment, then shook his head and said: "Forget it; I'll ask the Wan Family for it later — they absolutely won't refuse."

Now that Wan Fu Zhenjun is dead, the Wan Family will certainly need fresh blood to join.

Although he was only an outsider, his strength was formidable, and he was alone besides.

Xu Zhangqing's heart stirred, and he recommended: "Speaking of which, among the five Fire Crows that first followed us, Ya Da may have high potential, but Ya Si is truly the clever one.

Next time, why not assign it?"

Zhu Rong nodded slightly: "Fine, I will consider it."

Because it had the ability to think independently, in certain aspects, the Main Body's suggestions could be heeded or ignored.

Of course, if the Main Body gave an order, it would certainly be obeyed.

The two chatted for a while longer, and only then did Xu Zhangqing rise and head toward the outside of the Quiet Room.

As soon as he came out, he saw Wan Niang, who appeared to have been waiting for some time.

Seeing this, Xu Zhangqing raised his eyebrows and asked tentatively: "Waiting for me?"

Wan Niang stepped forward and made a slight curtsy, then said in a deep voice: "Xu Dao Friend, this servant has some worry in her heart—that the disciples of the Longhu Immortal Sect will probably not give up easily."

Xu Zhangqing looked thoughtful: "Do you think Zhao Lie, or the people of the Longhu Immortal Sect, will still cause you trouble?"

"Can you tell me why you have this guess?"

Wan Niang smiled bitterly: "Because we still have something from the Longhu Immortal Sect, and we are preparing to auction it!"