Chapter 935: Then go die!

When the gender boundary becomes blurred, it also to some extent foreshadows that some species of this kind are severely lacking, even on the brink of extinction.

So when A Cheng saw that gorgeous male phoenix appear, his eyes filled with wild joy.

Generally speaking, the more gorgeous a male phoenix's feathers, the better its cultivation talent, reproductive ability, and so on.

Moreover, this male phoenix had just hatched and already possessed such fortune; A Cheng could already foresee that in the near future it would become a dazzling presence for the entire Feng Clan.

Shan Shan was also seeing such a gorgeous male phoenix for the first time.

Over the years the Feng Clan has had male phoenixes born, but due to impure bloodlines, the already few male phoenixes are also poor in quality.

So upon seeing that male phoenix, Shan Shan was also dazzled.

She couldn't help but flap her wings and follow; in the thunder‑filled sky, the two phoenixes soared freely, chasing each other, crying out loudly—whoever saw them couldn't help but exclaim, "What a perfect match made in heaven!"

Ao Jing received the news and rushed over; just then he saw this magnificent scene and was completely dazed.

Originally an excited crowd, upon seeing Ao Jing, all simultaneously wiped smiles from their faces and stared at him in unison.

Nobody had expected Ao Jing to come.

But at that moment, seeing Ao Jing, no one was surprised—after all these years, whenever Shan Shan's side had any stir, Ao Jing would inevitably be by her side.

As for Ao Jing's feelings toward Shan Shan, it seemed everyone but Shan Shan herself knew them well.

The two families' relationship was set that way—they were childhood sweethearts, and both sets of parents tacitly approved and supported their being together.

Xiao Jiu hurried forward to greet: "A Jing, when did you arrive? Why didn't you give us a heads‑up?"

Ao Jing's gaze remained fixed on the phoenixes flying side by side in the midair, his expression grim to the extreme.

Hearing Xiao Jiu's voice, he slowly withdrew his gaze and asked, "Auntie, who is that?"

Xiao Jiu truthfully reported: "We just discovered a phoenix egg hidden deep in the earth veins, and it happened to be hatching—we never expected it to be a rare male phoenix."

Ao Jing murmured, "Male phoenix…"

"Mm." Xiao Jiu, unable to bear parting with this child she had watched grow up, explained, "We called Shan Shan over so she could subdue this male phoenix—such a powerful, rare being, if it does not submit to the Feng Clan, it will become a serious threat in the future."

"Subdue it?" Ao Jing lifted his eyes again to the midair, his chest rising and falling.

After a while, Ao Jing suddenly called out, "Shan Shan!"

Shan Shan heard Ao Jing's voice and immediately turned her head.

Ao Jing had already transformed into a dragon and flew upward.

Meanwhile, the male phoenix locked its gaze on Ao Jing the instant Shan Shan turned back.

Everyone thought Ao Jing was rushing toward Shan Shan, but they didn't expect that as Shan Shan went to meet him, Ao Jing would sweep past her and suddenly accelerate.

At the same moment, the male phoenix let out a hiss, folded its wings, and dove toward the black dragon.

Thus a dragon and a phoenix began fighting without warning in the sky.

A downpour came out of nowhere, quenching the heat, with continuous booming thunder.

The moon had long disappeared behind thick clouds that blocked the view; only when lightning flashed again and again could one occasionally glimpse the dragon and phoenix battling within the clouds.

Shan Shan rushed to intervene, but Xiao Jiu called her back: "Don't be afraid, Jing Er has his limits—let him test the male phoenix's attitude and ability; it might not be a bad thing."

"But the male phoenix just hatched; it's not as strong as you imagine." Shan Shan worried, "The elder cousin will hurt it."

Xiao Jiu countered, "Shan Shan, are you going to help the male phoenix attack your elder cousin?"

Shan Shan immediately lowered her guard.

Indeed, no matter the circumstances, Shan Shan would never attack Ao Jing for someone else's sake.

To her, Ao Jing was not just a cousin, but also a teacher and friend.

Things having come to this, she could only choose to trust Ao Jing and wait silently.

Fortunately, not long after, Ao Jing returned.

However, he came back with another youth in tow.

That youth looked about the same age as Ao Jing, but his appearance was completely different.

Ao Jing's eyebrows and eyes resembled Zhong Susu's a bit, but his bone structure perfectly inherited his father's rugged image—tall and big, yet with clean brows and eyes, so long as he didn't scowl, he looked graceful and elegant.

And the youth… although also tall, he was more slender; the key was his looks… too…

Shan Shan wanted to use the word "bewitching" to describe the youth's appearance, but she couldn't meet his gaze—once their eyes met she couldn't help but laugh.

Clearly, the youth was the newly hatched male phoenix in human form.

It's unclear whether it's due to insufficient mana or just inexperience with transformation, but the youth's shapeshifting is rather… a mess.

One could see his foundation is excellent—eyebrows like ink, high nose bridge, thin lips, a swan's neck that is slender and long, excessively pale.

But… the five‑colored feathers on his two eyebrows hadn't faded, fanning out like a little fan, and from his snow‑white neck down to the chest, they were also covered in variegated feathers.

Ao Jing pressed the youth to the ground; the moment he lowered his head, Shan Shan saw that the feathers from his nape to his entire back had not fully receded.

Such a visual impact is truly huge, easily causing one to lose cultivation.

Ao Jing, however, had no mind for these details, and said to Shan Shan, "Earlier we went to the Lingjing Snow Region; you said you wanted to hunt a snow leopard as your mount, but we failed—now he is your mount."

Shan Shan stared wide‑eyed.

Everyone present also sucked in a breath of cold air.

The youth struggled violently, but could not break free of Ao Jing's grip.

His back teeth were almost grinding to pieces as he stammered, "I… I'd rather die than be a mount."

"Then go die!"

Ao Jing said this and raised his hand, power gathering in his palm.

No one tried to stop him.

Because everyone present were Ao Jing's elders, who had watched him grow up and knew his character well.

Ao Jing was clearly helping Shan Shan tame the male phoenix; this palm strike was merely a warning and would not actually land to kill the phoenix.

The male phoenix was defiant, meeting Ao Jing's palm without a trace of fear.

Instead, Shan Shan instinctively rushed over, shoved Ao Jing aside with force, turned and shielded the boy behind her: "Big cousin, I won't let you hurt him! I also don't want him to be my mount!"

Ao Jing's hand still hung in midair, watching Shan Shan protect the boy like an eagle guarding its chick, he was seething with anger.

What's more infuriating, the male phoenix, enjoying the spectacle and not minding the trouble, smugly hid behind Shan Shan, sticking out his tongue at Ao Jing in provocation…