Chapter 955: Got you!

At the moment Xiao Jiu loosened the phoenix's claw, Xiong Feng transformed into his true phoenix form, splendid wings unfurled, after circling once atop Mount Cangwu, he plunged without hesitation into the Nirvana Fire Domain within Mount Cangwu.

While at the spirit shrine, Xiong Feng's body had suffered greatly; each step was agonizing, each step making him feel he might collapse at any moment.

But now, after absorbing the phoenix essence blood infused with Five-Colored Earth power that Xiao Jiu fed him, his bodily functions rapidly recovered considerably.

Moreover, the power of Five-Colored Earth continually opposes the illusory space, continuously repairing his body.

Xiong Feng is unsure how long this power can last.

But he knows that this power will eventually be exhausted, so he must seize this limited time to achieve Nirvana.

Not every phoenix has a chance to undergo Nirvana.

Some phoenixes may carry a trace of phoenix bloodline, but their lineage is impure; they are born without any chance of Nirvana.

For phoenixes with pure bloodline, there are two occasions for Nirvana: one is surviving a tribulation, the other is being on the brink of death.

Xiong Feng clearly falls into the second category.

All along the way, Xiao Jiu's words were like enlightening nectar, opening Xiong Feng's mind.

Legend says the Mortal Dust Pearl is the phoenix gallbladder left behind by the Earth Mother transformed into a phoenix empress.

No wonder it fears no scorching of the Nirvana Fire Domain.

Likewise, it's no surprise that the spiritual body controlling it has remained hidden within it.

Up to now, Xiong Feng still doesn't know what that spiritual body actually is.

But he thinks, since it blends so well with the phoenix gallbladder, it must have countless ties to the phoenix clan.

Perhaps its original true form was also a phoenix.

But none of that matters now.

For Xiong Feng now, the most important point is that, during the Nirvana process, he must consciously absorb and merge with the Mortal Dust Pearl.

That sounds no easy feat, and moreover, he must also separate the spiritual body hidden within it during this process.

He will strive to do it.

Even if he ultimately fails, no one will blame him, right?

Elder sister……won't blame Axiu for being useless, right?

Boom!

Xiong Feng fell into the Nirvana Fire Domain, his entire body instantly engulfed in flames.

The phoenix essence blood Xiao Jiu had fed him earlier was rapidly depleted, and soon the sensation of being on the brink of death surged over him.

The illusory space's pain, like a knife's lingering torment, surged again.

Each time a wound appeared, the flames' tongues in the Nirvana Fire Domain would, like a cat smelling fish, thrust straight into his body.

At the same time, it felt as if countless hands were relentlessly tearing at his flesh…

Even at this point, Xiong Feng still clung to the last line of defense of his body, keeping it sealed.

The Mortal Dust Pearl crashed wildly inside his body.

It couldn't get out, nor could the spiritual body attached to it.

The calmer Xiong Feng became, the more he faced death as if returning home, the more agitated that thing grew.

After all, it didn't want to die.

The Nirvana Fire Domain was refining Xiong Feng's body, while his body was actively sealed by him.

At this moment, Xiong Feng's body resembled an alchemical furnace; what was being refined was not only himself but also that Mortal Dust Pearl.

The Mortal Dust Pearl itself is a refined phoenix gallbladder; continuing to refine it actually has a positive effect on it.

Besides Xiong Feng, the most tormented is the spiritual body hidden within the Mortal Dust Pearl.

Before, it had been tried; it could not withstand the Nirvana Fire Domain, but could survive within it by relying on the power of the Mortal Dust Pearl.

But now the situation is completely different; the Mortal Dust Pearl is being refined, and if it remains hidden within, it can no longer draw power from the pearl to protect itself—instead, it will be refined together with it.

How long could a spiritual body, lacking any other powerful protection, endure in the Nirvana Fire Domain?

The Mortal Dust Pearl rampaged inside Xiong Feng's body for over half an hour.

At that time, Xiong Feng's consciousness had already begun to scatter.

His entire body was ablaze, inside and out scorching to an alarming degree.

At one moment, Xiong Feng felt his flesh and soul shatter apart; he felt as if he… had died.

"Axiu!"

"Axiu……pull yourself together……"

"You are our ancient Phoenix clan's sole Fire Seed; you must live, live well."

"Axiu, wake up quickly……"

"You promised elder sister you would live well for her……"

""

Familiar voices echoed one after another in Xiong Feng's consciousness as it was about to dissipate, his gaze shifting from cloudy and scattered to gradually focusing…

"Elder sister!"

His consciousness swiftly gathered and coalesced.

Every fragment of his shattered body was instantly reassembled and fused.

"Elder sister……"

Xiong Feng murmured unconsciously, his tears evaporating before they could fall.

These two words, a form of address, are a faith to Xiong Feng.

She had once supported Xiong Feng as he lay dormant for many, many years in the lightless depths underground.

How could he let her down?

"Sister, A Xiu will live well, carrying your share, strive to live on..."

Xiong Feng slowly opened their eyes, the true phoenix feather on their head radiating a bewitching light, a point of translucent red light between their brows gradually forming, growing larger.

When that point of red light was the size of a bead, Xiong Feng felt a different force within their body striving with all its might to drill into the red light.

Xiong Feng's lips curled slightly: "Got you!"

The next moment, Xiong Feng made a hand seal, and the sword finger thrust violently toward the space between their brows.

The bead-sized red light burst with a bang, and that spiritual body also shattered into pieces.

The sword finger swiftly drew between the brows, the red light re-condensed there, then the sword finger moved straight down from the brows to the chest, flipped the sword finger, and Xiong Feng fiercely struck their own chest with their palm.

The red light instantly shattered with the incoming true qi, quickly sank into Xiong Feng's limbs and bones, and, as the process of Nirvana proceeded, completely merged into Xiong Feng's flesh.

Immediately afterward, Xiong Feng sealed their flesh without hesitation.

Before that shattered spiritual body could recondense, it had already been sealed within Xiong Feng's flesh.

Immediately after, an old man's voice echoed in Xiong Feng's mind: "Kid, even I can't swallow the Hunchen Pearl, how dare you think of devouring it? If you want to live, we can cooperate; otherwise you'll die an ugly death."

Upon hearing that voice, Xiong Feng's brows involuntarily furrowed.

That familiar-sounding voice pulled his memory back to a long time ago.

He felt he had heard this voice somewhere.

Where exactly was it?

At that time, he should still have been an egg.

The phoenix clan's offspring are scarce; every pure-blooded phoenix egg is protected, strictly guarded and cared for.

A voice that would make the Xiong Feng of that time feel very familiar must be closely related to him……