Chapter 610: Nine Yang Divine Jade

"Since that's the case, I must make him inherit my Golden Crow power! Someone so highly regarded by even the Dragon God's soul cannot be ordinary! He truly is the most suitable person in this world to receive the Golden Crow's legacy!"

Had it been the full might of the Dragon God's pressure, the Golden Crow would naturally not have been a match. However, Yun Che's own power was too weak, so the Dragon God's pressure he wielded could not truly overpower the Golden Crow soul's will. In the next instant, the Golden Crow flames, which had retreated under the Dragon God's pressure, suddenly erupted like an active volcano, once again filling Yun Che's entire soul space. Yet, the Dragon God's soul was still a Dragon God's soul; even though it resided in a human possessing only Profound Sky Profound Energy, it took the Golden Crow soul a full hundred breaths of time to completely suppress it.

It could be said that throughout the entire Illusory Demon Realm and Profound Sky Continent, no one other than Yun Che could have endured for such a long time under the Golden Crow soul's will.

"This young man truly makes me more and more interested!"

After suppressing the Dragon God's soul, the Golden Crow flames completely occupied Yun Che's soul space. Before erasing the Phoenix bloodline from his body, the Phoenix mark in his soul had to be removed. Only then would the Phoenix blood in his body become rootless, allowing it to be easily extinguished in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, the Phoenix mark in Yun Che's soul appeared before the Golden Crow soul's will. The simple Phoenix mark could be destroyed by her in merely an instant if she so wished.

"Hmph! I can't believe there would come a day when I'd go to such great lengths to actively impart a bloodline! It's all because you, that irritating Phoenix, got there first... Be gone!"

At her command, a beam of golden fire shot out from the sea of flames, directly striking the Phoenix mark.

Boom!!

A dull roar echoed within Yun Che's soul, and the golden flames exploded violently. However, amid the fiery radiance illuminating the entire soul world, the Phoenix mark was not destroyed. Instead, it also began to glow with golden light, an intense brilliance fully as strong as the Golden Crow flames.

Screech!!

An extremely clear Phoenix cry, sharp and majestic, rang out. The golden Phoenix silhouette, trailing long tail feathers, soared into the sky. The surrounding Golden Crow flames were swept back as if by a gale, forced into the corners of the soul, unable to approach any further.

"Wh-What?!"

"A Phoenix... Soul Source!!"

The Golden Crow flames did not advance again. At that moment, the Golden Crow soul's will was completely immersed in shock.

"Why... why would even the Phoenix... give him its Soul Source!"

"What is going on with this human... Is it simply because he bears the power of the Heretic God?!"

"Why, indeed!"

The Phoenix soul projection floated at the center of Yun Che's sea of souls, looking down majestically upon the surrounding Golden Crow flames. Two dazzling golden lights intertwined and shone brightly. However, the Golden Crow flames, which had previously sworn to erase the Phoenix mark, did not advance again for a long time. The Golden Crow soul's shock and confusion persisted. When her emotions finally stabilized, she still did not choose to suppress the Phoenix soul. Instead, she shifted her focus and began to read all of Yun Che's memories.

In merely thirty breaths, all of Yun Che's memories were laid bare before the Golden Crow soul's will. Yun Che's sea of souls remained filled with Golden Crow flames, but these golden flames showed no movement for a long time, and the Golden Crow soul also remained silent for an extended period...

It seemed to be making a difficult choice in silence.

Yun Che's consciousness gradually revived. Upon waking, the images of him losing consciousness instantly appeared in his mind.

He abruptly sat up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a pair of crimson-golden pupils above him, staring down at him. Yun Che's heart skipped a beat: "You..."

He only managed to utter "You" before his voice abruptly stopped. This was because the sensation of Phoenix power within his body was incredibly clear, as were his memories of the Phoenix Flames and the six levels of the World Ode of the Phoenix — not even a trace of vagueness remained. Simultaneously, another searing power was distinctly present within his body and soul.

Yun Che tentatively extended his hands, and two balls of flame ignited simultaneously in his left and right palms. Both were crimson-red flames, and the shades of crimson were very similar, showing no obvious distinction in color.

What differed was that the flame in his left hand burned quietly, while the flame in his right hand—though there was clearly no wind—surged and swayed intensely, like a ferocious beast. The scorching aura it emitted carried a heart-pounding ferocity.

The two flames were like a calm ocean and a raging tempest.

The flame in his left hand was the Phoenix Flame Yun Che knew well.

And in his right hand... this flame, hotter than the Phoenix Flame and exuding a fierce aura...

Could it be...?

"Hmph, you woke up surprisingly quickly! The Golden Crow blood, when entering the bodies of other beings, should be as untamable as a wild beast, even potentially incinerating them. Yet, upon entering your body, it's so docile! In just a few hours, while you were still unconscious, you actually absorbed nearly thirty percent of it! Truly worthy of being a Fire Spirit Evil Body with both the Dragon God's soul and the Phoenix's soul!"

The Golden Crow soul's voice was exceedingly flat and low. Whether it was his imagination or not, Yun Che detected a slight sense of weakness in its tone.

Yun Che looked up, stating in disbelief, "You've injected the Golden Crow bloodline into my body... but you didn't erase my Phoenix bloodline?"

"Or what?" the Golden Crow soul said coldly. "Hmph! Don't naively think that I couldn't erase your Phoenix bloodline. It's simply that I suddenly felt merciful and changed my mind! What a joke... I actually willingly allowed the Golden Crow bloodline and the Phoenix bloodline to coexist within one person... Hahahaha... What a colossal joke..."

Yun Che remained silent for a long time. He clearly remembered being almost powerless against the Golden Crow soul's spiritual assault, until his consciousness collapsed and he completely fainted. At that time, the Golden Crow soul's intent to erase his Phoenix bloodline was incredibly domineering and resolute, leaving no room for negotiation. He had no doubt that given the Golden Crow soul's demonstrated power, eradicating his Phoenix bloodline would have been effortless.

Before his consciousness faded, he had thought he would be at the Golden Crow soul's mercy, and upon waking, would have completely lost his Phoenix power. Unexpectedly, not only had he not lost his Phoenix power, but he had also gained the power of the Golden Crow.

"Jasmine, what exactly happened?" Yun Che couldn't understand the reason. The Golden Crow soul suddenly becoming merciful... he couldn't believe that explanation.

"She was on the verge of destroying the Phoenix mark in your soul. But at the very last moment, she changed her mind. As for why she suddenly changed her mind..." Jasmine gave a peculiar smile, "She was probably startled by your experiences."

It's a good thing she changed her mind at the last moment; otherwise, she would have long ago been scattered by this princess's hands... This was the voice from the depths of Jasmine's soul.

"Startled... by my experiences?" Yun Che was utterly bewildered.

"This Golden Crow soul's temperament is unpredictable; who knows what she's thinking? You can just understand it as her suddenly not wanting to anymore... no reason needed!" Jasmine said irresponsibly. "Now isn't the time for you to dwell on this. You've kept your Phoenix power and gained the Golden Crow bloodline; you've truly gained all the advantages! The Golden Crow Origin Blood is still circulating within you, and you only refined thirty percent of it while unconscious! Hurry and focus on refining it!"

"Oh!" Yun Che's spirits lifted. He immediately responded, concentrating his mind and adjusting his breathing. He felt nine currents of scorching energy within him, radiating crimson-golden light throughout his body.

Nine drops of Golden Crow Origin Blood.

Seeing Yun Che immediately shift from a state of surprise to focused refinement, the Golden Crow soul's voice rang out again: "Although I have permitted the Golden Crow bloodline and the Phoenix bloodline to coexist within you, it absolutely does not mean I acknowledge that the Phoenix bloodline is worthy of being compared to the Golden Crow bloodline! The Golden Crow is a divine spirit born from the heart of the sun, and Golden Crow Flame is the strongest fire in this world; how could Phoenix Flame compare...? Once you fully integrate the Golden Crow bloodline into your body and comprehend the 'Golden Crow Record of the Burning World,' you will disdain to use that inferior Phoenix Flame ever again!"

"That Phoenix soul only gave you a mere three drops of Phoenix blood... I, on the other hand, bestow upon you nine drops of Golden Crow blood!"

"That Phoenix soul gave you six levels of the 'World Ode of the Phoenix,' so I shall imprint all seven levels of this 'Golden Crow Record of the Burning World' into your soul!"

"That Phoenix soul gave you a grand gift... I shall bestow upon you an even grander gift!!"

The Golden Crow soul's words were consistently aimed at disparaging and demeaning the Phoenix Flame. Previously, she had "disdained" allowing the Golden Crow bloodline to coexist with the Phoenix bloodline, yet now, everything she bestowed upon Yun Che had to surpass what the Phoenix soul had given.

Beneath her domineering, intimidating, and violent exterior, she was, in fact, much like an ordinary woman who was competitive and utterly refused to lose.

At this moment, Yun Che opened his eyes, looked up, and asked confusedly, "The grand gift... the Phoenix soul gave me? What kind of grand gift?"

Similar words had been spoken by the Phoenix soul and the remnant Dragon God soul, but neither had revealed anything specific. Jasmine also clearly seemed to know, yet despite his repeated inquiries, she never answered seriously. Now, the Golden Crow soul had said the exact same thing.

What exactly was the "grand gift" the Phoenix soul had given him before he left the Phoenix Secret Realm?

"As expected, you don't know, and you don't need to know," the Golden Crow soul also gave no clear answer. "While knowing in advance would be a surprise for you, it would only be detrimental to your growth, with no benefits whatsoever! It's better that you don't know... You will naturally learn when the time is right."

Ugh... (That kind of answer again! What in the world are they all talking about?!)

"That the Phoenix soul would give you such a grand gift truly surprised me! But what I bestow upon you will absolutely be no worse than what that Phoenix gave!"

At that moment, the crimson-golden pupils suddenly flashed. Immediately, a point of golden light shimmered in the sky, then slowly descended, landing right before Yun Che. Yun Che stopped refining the Golden Crow blood, extended his hands, and carefully cradled the golden light. This was something given by the Golden Crow soul, said to be no less significant than the Phoenix divine spirit's mysterious bestowal... it was certainly no small matter!

The golden light slowly dissipated after touching Yun Che's palm. What appeared before Yun Che was a fist-sized, entirely golden jade stone. The jade was quite translucent, and he could clearly see nine crimson-golden specks of light irregularly distributed within it, with a golden thread connecting each of these nine specks.

"This is... Nine Sun Jade!!" Jasmine's astonished gasp suddenly echoed in Yun Che's mind.

It was the first time Yun Che had ever heard Jasmine gasp in astonishment at a piece of jade. He quickly asked, "Nine Sun Jade? What kind of jade is this? Is it really as powerful as the Golden Crow soul says?"

"...For an artifact like the Nine Sun Jade to appear in a world of this realm is truly extraordinary!" Jasmine uttered in an unusually soft murmur, then said in a low voice, "The Nine Sun Jade is one of the highest-grade divine jades in the entire Grandmist world! Even in the world where I was born, it's an extremely rare divine artifact! All the energy unleashed from a single piece of Nine Sun Jade... Hmph, it would be enough to destroy the entire Illusory Demon Realm in an instant!"