Chapter 565: then translation of chapter title

Should I, to follow Dìshì's will, offer a blood‑tear sacrifice and complete the final step of the dharma‑body Buddha's hatching?

This decision was not hard to make.

Liu Junyan gave up resistance.

A Cheng appeared at the base of the tower.

They had already made their choice.

If I refuse the blood‑tear sacrifice, then everything they have done so far will become meaningless.

This decision is not solely to help the egg hatch.

After all, the egg does not necessarily have to hatch today.

But as we had discussed earlier, we decided on a 'support‑and‑kill' approach.

Therefore, I must complete this final lifting.

Without much hesitation I transformed into phoenix form, just as Liu Junyan had done moments before; my chest squeezed and spasmed, fresh blood flowed along my long beak, through the tower, falling onto the eggshell.

The first drop of blood fell on the eggshell; the moment it was absorbed, countless bird souls within the tower seemed activated, each soul phantom rushing madly into the eggshell.

This reminded me of some things that had happened before.

The monk souls appearing around the Sacrificial Pit should be those who, during their journey across the Void‑Still World, were guided to suicide and then detained in Wǎngsǐ Chéng.

And the bird souls now appearing in the tower are those who, wave after wave, committed suicide at the Dang Pu's door.

Their souls were strung together by bird beaks with iron chains and also escorted into Wǎngsǐ Chéng.

All of this was preparation for today.

Everything Dìshì did was not in vain; at crucial moments it fulfills its intended function.

It is obvious that in this process he has made sacrifices.

He abandoned the Yin Bone and the Vermilion Sand Spirit Bone.

But I am not sure whether he still has a reserve and will eventually use the Yin Bone and Vermilion Sand Spirit Bone.

Right now I have no leisure to think about these, for with a crisp crack the eggshell shattered completely.

At this moment my mind went blank.

My eyes stared fixedly at the shattered eggshell, unable to take in anything else.

This is my first child.

Yet before it is even born, its life has already been defined.

I cannot imagine what his true form will be, only feeling I owe him greatly.

The eggshell cracked and peeled, but not as I imagined; the Little Guy broke out of the shell himself.

Inside the eggshell there was yet another membrane, an egg sac.

The soft egg sac was also highly elastic, semi‑transparent, covered with red blood threads.

It lay still, held by Dìshì, unmoving.

My blood continued to drip onto the egg sac, which quickly absorbed it.

At that moment, blood‑red, thread‑like root‑like tendrils climbed up from below, wrapping around the egg sac.

It was A Cheng.

I have experienced this scene before.

The roots of the Cangwu Dark Seal once wrapped me in this way, protecting me.

This is the lifting power unique to the Feng Clan.

The sound of the shamanic spell penetrated everything; this was A Cheng blessing the Little Guy.

When the shamanic chant ceased, the tendrils retracted, the egg sac finally tore open, and a Little Guy burst out from within.

It was… what the heck is this?!

It had the body of a white snake, yet on its head grew an undivided horn.

Along the long snake's back grew a pair of black wings with a span of about one meter.

Seeing those black wings, my vision went dark; this child is still under the influence of the evil bone.

He opened his mouth and cried twice.

I clearly saw his tongue was not forked like a snake's; horrifyingly, his cry was neither a snake's hiss nor Liu Junyan's dragon roar, but… a tender bird's chirp.

He hovered in the tower for a few seconds, then suddenly transformed into human form, becoming a slightly thin infant.

The tiny child lifted a pair of round, big eyes, looking up at me, then at Liu Junyan, before lowering his gaze downward.

When I saw a fleeting black feather mark flash on his brow, my heart clenched tightly.

I also have a feather mark on my brow, fiery red.

That is the mark of the Nirvana Phoenix.

Thus, the Little Guy not only experienced atavism, inheriting dragon clan genes, but also inherited my genes.

He is a chimera.

However, under the influence of the evil bone, his Nirvana Phoenix genes are suppressed.

Otherwise, how could his feather mark and his pair of wings be black?

If he cannot complete his transformation, will he ultimately be devoured by the evil bone's yin‑evil qi and become utterly corrupt?

Dìshì, however, seemed quite pleased.

He looked at the Little Guy with eyes full of indulgence, as if viewing a perfect craft he himself had made.

Then he waved his hand and vanished within the tower.

Not only him, but also the Little Guy and A Cheng.

I turned my head toward Liu Junyan, who had already assumed human form.

We all understand that Dìshì still has one final step unfinished—let the Dharma-body Buddha turn the prayer wheel, turn it to achieve great perfection, ferry and transform them, and grow a third golden true feather.

Liu Junyan and I landed one after another on the petals of the six-petal lotus.

Liu Junyan endured four heavenly thunderbolts today, their back bleeding profusely, and they likely also have internal injuries.

Their lips were pallid, yet their eyes were suffused with red bloodshot lines.

They hoarsely said to me: 'The true form of Xingchen resembles how I was as a child, except I have an extra pair of wings and a feather mark on the brow.'

Therefore, the Little Guy's atavistic return ultimately means the inherited dragon-clan genes still come from Liu Junyan.

But the genes also merged with mine, causing their true form to become a long-winged snake.

In the future, they will still undergo tribulation to become a long-winged jiao and dragon…

But…

I worriedly said: 'The fact that Xingchen's genes have been passed to me is not a good thing; if I'm not mistaken, Dìshì may finally want to Body Seizure Xingchen.'

'Body Seizure' may not be accurate.' Liu Junyan said, 'Using a more precise term, it should be 'fusion', Xiao Jiu—don't forget, Dìshì itself is a high-level stitching monster.'

Yeah, how could I forget?

They have used Liu Zhengfeng's Hēimǎng skin, used Diluan's human skin, and now they are wearing Fengxianqiu's skin; next, they want this mortal body of Xingchen!

They are down there.' I said, 'When Xingchen turns out great perfection, Dìshì should, with the aid of great perfection's Mana, merge into Xingchen's mortal body, grow a third golden true feather, and with the power of 'Buddha's Light Universal Illumination', accomplish the final metamorphosis and ascension.'

Liu Junyan nodded.

I felt uneasy: 'Āyàn, do you think they will succeed?'

Liu Junyan didn't answer me, just stared steadily at the Ancient Bronze Sword they held in hand.

I murmured: 'This all feels unreal, Āyàn; in fact, even now I still don't understand—He, where are you?'

Dìshì is He's child.

He, after extracting the heart of the Sān jiǎo yā, and before their own death, desperately gave birth to Dìshì.

All along the way, Dìshì, He has been like a shadow following closely.

But at such a crucial moment for Dìshì, from beginning to end, He never appeared.

Is she completely controlled by Dìshì, or… actually she has been here all along?

Liu Junyan suddenly looked at me, their vertical pupils full of complex expression.

They asked me: 'Xiao Jiu, if Dìshì ultimately succeeds in merging with Xingchen's mortal body, will you support all of my decisions?'

They spoke, lifting the Ancient Bronze Sword and holding it horizontally before them……