Two streaks of light streaked across the heavens, descending straight into the sunken basin where the Inner Academy was located. Hovering above the sky, Liu Xi and Zi Yan looked down upon the familiar landscape.
In just two short months, the Inner Academy had changed dramatically. New pavilions and halls stood tall and majestic, a testament to its astonishing reconstruction speed.
"The Inner Academy recovered pretty well!" Liu Xi couldn't help but praise. Truly a world of construction maniacs.
As he spoke, two elders from the Inner Academy rose into the air to greet them.
When they recognized Liu Xi and Zi Yan, their stern expressions softened into smiles. "Elder Liu, Zi Yan—you're finally back! If you'd stayed away any longer, the Great Elder would've come looking for you himself," the gray-robed elder said warmly.
"Oh? Is that so?" Liu Xi blinked in surprise. "Then I'll go see the Great Elder right away."
Zi Yan tilted her head, puzzled. "That old man Su wants to see us? Why?"
The two elders exchanged glances, both smiling mysteriously. "You'll know when you get there."
"Uh…"
After landing, Liu Xi spread his Spiritual Power, easily pinpointing Su Qian's location. Leaving the two elders behind, he headed straight for the Great Elder's newly rebuilt pavilion.
"Looks like even the Great Elder's building got leveled during the last battle," Liu Xi muttered with amusement as he climbed the stairs.
At the door to the second floor, he pushed it open. Zi Yan followed closely behind.
"Great Elder, we're back."
"Old Man Su, we're back!" Zi Yan added casually.
Su Qian spun around sharply, his gaze as sharp as blades, locking onto the two of them. Then, rubbing his forehead in exasperation, he sighed. "The entire Black-Corner Region is in an uproar about some so-called 'God of Thieves' and 'Saint of Thieves'… that wouldn't happen to be you two, would it?"
Zi Yan's eyes widened before her lips curled into a proud grin. "Hehe, that's right! We're awesome, aren't we?"
Su Qian's eyes bulged as he glared at her. "Awesome? You two practically robbed every major power in the Black-Corner Region! Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? And you, Liu Xi—you didn't even try to stop her? Zi Yan's just a kid, but you—what's your excuse?"
Liu Xi laughed helplessly and raised his hands. "Don't worry, Great Elder. We always acted at night—no one saw our faces. And besides, we've already redirected the suspicion toward Demon Flame Valley."
Su Qian sighed deeply, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. "At least you made it back safely. From now on, both of you will stay put in the Inner Academy. Until this matter blows over, you are not to leave—understood?"
His final words were slow, deliberate, and full of authority. Liu Xi and Zi Yan could only nod obediently.
Once they left Su Qian's pavilion, Zi Yan clutched her small chest, whispering, "Big Brother, Old Man Su looked really mad today. And now he's grounded us!"
Liu Xi smiled faintly. "He's just worried. If our identities were exposed, half the Black-Corner Region would be hunting us down."
"Hmph!" Zi Yan raised her tiny fist, her purple eyes glinting with confidence. "If anyone dares chase me and Big Brother, I'll beat them all up!"
Liu Xi chuckled. "Then you'd better hurry and break through soon. Don't forget—the first place we stole from, the Black Emperor Sect, had a Dou Zong guarding it, on par with the Great Elder himself."
"Come on," he added, smiling. "Let's go give your Sister Xian'er a surprise."
"Okay!"
Having already located Xiao Yixian's aura earlier, Liu Xi easily found her courtyard.
He pushed open the door softly and called, "Xian'er."
No response.
A quick sweep of his Spiritual Power told him she was in her room cultivating.
"Big Brother, where's Sister Xian'er?" Zi Yan asked.
"She's training," Liu Xi replied calmly. "We'll save the surprise for later."
Without retracting his Spiritual Power, he condensed it into a thin spiritual membrane, sealing off the entire hall to prevent disturbance.
Then, raising his hand, he summoned a glow from his Storage Ring—a massive, white-cloth-covered beast corpse appeared in the center of the hall. Pulling back the cloth revealed a badly decayed carcass, the stench of death thick in the air.
Zi Yan's amethyst eyes immediately shone with a fierce purple light. Her tiny body shimmered with violet radiance as a wave of ancient power surged within her—it was as if she were instinctively challenging the corpse.
"Zi Yan, wake up!"
Liu Xi barked sharply.
Zi Yan trembled, snapping back to awareness. She turned to him and whispered, "Big Brother… this beast's aura makes me feel disgusted."
"That's because this is the corpse of a Heaven Demon Phoenix," Liu Xi explained solemnly. "Among magical beasts, the Heaven Demon Phoenix, the Ancient Void Dragon, and the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python are the three supreme races. And the Void Dragon—your true form—is the Phoenix's natural enemy."
Understanding dawned in Zi Yan's eyes, though her face was still blank with confusion.
She murmured, "Big Brother, you've never seen my true form. How can you be so sure I'm an Ancient Void Dragon?"
Liu Xi smiled knowingly. "Tell me, what other 5th Rank beast commands such powerful spatial abilities? And the way you reacted to the Heaven Demon Phoenix's corpse—it only confirms it. Your bloodline is definitely on par with that creature."
As he spoke, a wave of Fallen Heart Flame burst from his palm. The invisible fire expanded, engulfing the Phoenix's body.
"With the Fallen Heart Flame here, there's no need to fear any lingering will from the beast. Now… let's refine this properly."
The searing flames spread, wrapping the corpse completely. The temperature surged, and a low hiss echoed through the hall as the withered flesh began to burn away.
The Phoenix's dried skin was unnaturally tough—it refused to melt—but the flesh beneath turned to ash under the relentless heat. Gradually, a small mass of blue-red liquid, pulsing with overwhelming energy, emerged within Liu Xi's spiritual perception.
His expression brightened. He raised his hand, drawing the glowing blood from the corpse into the air. It hovered above his palm like molten crystal.
Yet the Phoenix's skin still refused to yield.
"Big Brother," Zi Yan spoke up softly, "try dripping a little of that blue-red blood onto the hide. If you keep burning it like this, you'll just waste its energy—you won't get the monster core."
"Oh?"
Liu Xi nodded, biting his lip. Channeling his Spiritual Power, he sliced off a fifth of the blood.
Hiss!
A wave of dizziness struck him instantly as the cut-off blood fragment lashed out with terrifying force, shaking his spiritual sea. The part of his spiritual power that had touched it was obliterated in an instant.
Liu Xi gritted his teeth through the pain. "What terrifying vitality… even in death, the Heaven Demon Phoenix is still this fierce."
(End of Chapter)
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