Chapter 609: The Urge of the Golden Crow Soul

"Erase my Phoenix bloodline?" Yun Che was startled, then realized something. "What do you mean?"

"The Golden Crow bloodline is a hundred times nobler than the Phoenix bloodline, and the power of the Golden Crow flame far surpasses that of the Phoenix flame. If you inherit the Golden Crow bloodline, your Phoenix bloodline will naturally have no reason to exist," the Golden Crow Spirit said, its voice filled with arrogance.

Yun Che loudly declared, "But you know I possess the Evil God's fire seed. I can control any flame, and I can perfectly control both Phoenix and Golden Crow flames simultaneously. If the Dragon God bloodline and Phoenix bloodline can coexist within me, then the Golden Crow bloodline and Phoenix bloodline certainly can as well!"

"Hmph, naive! Do you expect my Golden Crow bloodline to coexist with that lowly Phoenix bloodline? What a joke! Where I, the Golden Crow, reside, there is no place for a Phoenix! With my Golden Crow power, your bloodline will become even nobler, and your flame power will increase severalfold! What need is there for a Phoenix bloodline then? Coexisting with it would be an insult to my Golden Crow power! I will absolutely not permit it."

"If you wish to obtain the Golden Crow power I bestow, you must first completely erase the Phoenix bloodline within you!"

The Golden Crow Spirit's voice was arrogant, resolute, and unquestionable, carrying an extreme contempt for the Phoenix bloodline.

When Jasmine had previously mentioned that the Vermilion Bird, Phoenix, and Golden Crow were incompatible, Yun Che had assumed it was merely about maintaining the dignity of their respective bloodlines and powers, with each aspiring to be the sole supreme flame and thus engaging in conflict, neither submitting to the other. But seeing the Golden Crow Spirit's demeanor now... it truly regarded the Phoenix's existence as that of an enemy.

"No!" Yun Che's voice grew even more resolute, even when facing the Golden Crow Spirit. "I can inherit the Golden Crow bloodline, but I will absolutely not permit my Phoenix bloodline to be erased! If inheriting the Golden Crow bloodline requires erasing the Phoenix bloodline... then I don't want the Golden Crow power!"

"Presumptuous!" Yun Che's words undoubtedly enraged the Golden Crow Spirit. "Do you mean to say that in your eyes, my Golden Crow power is inferior to a mere Phoenix's power?"

Yun Che's nature was inherently unyielding, and even when facing a Divine Spirit, he would never back down on matters of principle. He retorted without yielding, "I don't know whether Phoenix flames or Golden Crow flames are more powerful. But... the Phoenix inheritance within me is now my own bloodline and power! It's a part of my very life, and I alone can control it! Even if you are a Divine Spirit, I will absolutely not allow interference!"

"The Phoenix Divine Spirit granted me the Phoenix bloodline as a recognition and a blessing. How could I completely abandon this gift for the sake of another bloodline or power? If I were to do so, it would not only disappoint the Phoenix Divine Spirit who bestowed such a great favor upon me, but also be a tremendous disrespect to it. If I had first received the Golden Crow inheritance, and the Phoenix Divine Spirit had also demanded to forcibly erase my Golden Crow bloodline before granting me the Phoenix inheritance, I would have equally chosen to refuse! This has nothing to do with whether Golden Crow power or Phoenix power is stronger or weaker, but rather, as a person... it is my most fundamental principle and bottom line!"

"You cannot tolerate coexistence with the Phoenix bloodline, and I likewise cannot tolerate my own power being forcibly erased. Therefore... although I yearn for the Golden Crow's power, it seems we are ultimately not fated."

Yun Che spoke these words without any hesitation. When his last sentence fell, there was no trace of unwillingness or lingering regret on his face.

"Hahahaha!" The Golden Crow Spirit let out an earth-shattering laugh, but there was no longer any anger in its voice. "What stubborn bones you have. Your hard temper is very much to my liking; it makes me even more unwilling to let go of you, the most perfect successor!"

"Though your disposition is stubborn, true strength always relies on powerful might! Before me, what right do you have to choose? Refusing my Golden Crow inheritance to keep that lowly Phoenix bloodline... that is not up to you!"

The sky's crimson-gold eye widened, and the golden radiance it cast down suddenly intensified severalfold, shining so brightly that Yun Che couldn't look directly at it. Crimson-gold flames also descended like a downpour, transforming into an boundless sea of fire that engulfed Yun Che.

No matter how scorching the flames were, they couldn't harm Yun Che's body. However, his eyes were too dazzled by the world's most terrifying Golden Crow flames to open. He instinctively shielded himself with his hands, growling, "What are you doing...?"

The moment his voice left his lips, his entire body suddenly trembled, his mind roared, and his consciousness rapidly dissipated...

He saw an endless sea of golden fire, but these golden flames weren't in his sight; they were burning within his sea of consciousness, within his mind... Gradually, the golden flames spread ceaselessly, consuming his profound veins, transforming the originally red and blue profound veins into pure gold. Then they spread to every meridian, every drop of blood... until every cell throughout his body was ablaze.

What... what... is... happening...?

Every part of his body, every organ, was burning, yet he felt nothing... His consciousness could no longer perceive the existence of his body!

And these flames had begun to spread towards his soul, burning deep within it...

"You... you... what... exactly... are you... doing...?"

Yun Che screamed with all his might, but he couldn't hear his own voice at all. At that moment, his remaining consciousness suddenly realized... the Golden Crow flames burning throughout his body were not only to completely obliterate the Phoenix bloodline's existence, but the Golden Crow flames spreading to his soul... were clearly intended to erase his Phoenix imprint, all memories of Phoenix flames, including the Phoenix God's Secret Art!

The Golden Crow Spirit's voice resonated deep within his soul at that moment, turning his conjecture into reality: "So your Phoenix bloodline is merely three drops of ancestral Phoenix blood! For me to completely erase it is as easy as turning over my hand!"

"Just three drops of Phoenix blood, yet you easily cultivated the sixth stage of the Phoenix God's Secret Art! Truly worthy of the Evil God's Fire Spirit Evil Body! But how can a mere Phoenix God's Secret Art compare to the Golden Crow's Record of Burning the World! I will erase everything about the Phoenix within your body and consciousness! Your unique Evil God's body... is only fit to bear my Golden Crow's power!!"

Boom!!

It was as if a thunderbolt from the Ninth Heaven exploded within Yun Che's mind and soul. Endless golden flames, roaring like a storm-tossed sea, surged frantically into his consciousness. In just an instant, his consciousness was filled with nothing but boundless flames, devoid of anything else. His last shred of clarity was like a withered leaf caught in a tornado, ready to be shredded into tiny fragments at any moment.

The Golden Crow Spirit was a detached soul fragment of the ancient divine beast, the Golden Crow, bearing the will and power of a god-tier entity. From its ability to help the Little Demon Empress achieve a half-step into the Divine Profound Realm, it was evident that its power far surpassed that of the Phoenix Divine Spirit of the Divine Phoenix Empire on the Profound Sky Continent.

Faced with such power, even a high-level Emperor would only tremble on bended knee, unable to muster even a trace of resistance. But Yun Che... even with only a thread of consciousness remaining, he would resolutely struggle with all his might.

"You... you... are a Divine Beast Spirit, after all... yet you... resort to... such... despicable... methods... Stop... immediately... Then I... will still have... at least some respect... and gratitude for helping... the Little Demon Empress... Otherwise... Argh..."

"Oh? To think you can still send out a soul sound, what unexpected willpower you possess. Hmph! You only have yourself to blame for your foolishness, to reject my Golden Crow inheritance for a mere Phoenix bloodline! Otherwise, why would I need to resort to this!"

The oppressive aura from the Golden Crow Spirit surged once more, pushing Yun Che's last remaining consciousness to the brink of complete collapse. He still screamed with all his will, "If... Golden Crow power... were truly... powerful enough... why would it care... whether the Phoenix bloodline... exists? Your concern... only shows... that you don't actually... dismiss the Phoenix bloodline... as you pretend... but rather... it's a form of... jealousy... stemming from your own inferiority!!"

"In this regard... you... have already... lost!"

To Yun Che's surprise, the Golden Crow Spirit did not react strongly to his words; instead, it merely let out a disdainful sneer. "Hmph, what a low and uninteresting form of resistance. Do you think this can anger me? Your pitiful struggle will only harm you, bringing no benefit whatsoever!"

"Although I am forcing you, I have every right to do so! After all, I bestowed upon you the most noble and widely recognized most beautiful virgin in the Illusory Demon Realm, allowed you to do as you pleased with her for so many days, and helped her gain unparalleled power! If you continue to be so unappreciative, believe me, I will immediately cripple her bloodline!"

"You..." Yun Che's mind trembled slightly... So this was her true reason and purpose for helping the Little Demon Empress... It was purely to justify her forceful actions!

The moment Yun Che's consciousness momentarily faltered, the golden flames surged forward, instantly drowning his last vestiges of will.

Only blankness remained before his eyes. The entire world fell silent. Even the golden Golden Crow flames could no longer be seen or felt; everything drifted away... Finally, even the blankness rapidly vanished, and everything began to be enveloped by darkness.

In the instant before the world was completely filled with darkness, Yun Che made a final struggle.

Dragon... Soul... Domain...

Roar!!

An unparalleled, majestic dragon's roar echoed through Yun Che's soul. The Golden Crow flames, which were invading Yun Che's soul and searching for the Phoenix imprint, suddenly began to waver chaotically. Then, a massive azure dragon, amidst a mighty roar, tore through the flames and surged skyward... The divine pressure of the Primeval Azure Dragon instantly halted the rampant Golden Crow flames' spread, and even caused them to tremble slightly in unease.

"What?! A Dragon God's soul?" The Golden Crow Spirit was so shocked in that instant that it lost its voice. "How is this happening...? The Primeval Azure Dragon granting him such a dense Dragon God bloodline was already unusual... Why would it even give him its soul source!"

"Bloodlines can be diffused through inheritance... but a soul source is the last will and trace a divine spirit leaves in the world! Every bit less means that last existence diminishes! And this is the Primeval Azure Dragon, the head of ancient divine beasts... What exactly about this human is worth it doing this?!"