CHAPTER 179: FIRE PHOENIX JADE TOKEN

"Brother Jun, don't overthink it. All of this is just Lu-gege relying on external power."

"That's a relief then. If Little Lu could already tear open space and teleport, that would be truly impressive."

"Hehe." Nantian Wan'er lowered her gaze briefly. Seeing that the ground was cleared, she turned her attention back to Lu Chen. "Even if it's external aid, it's still Lu-gege's fortune."

***

Lu Chen appeared above Fire Phoenix's head, with the Eye of the Ancestral Dragon between his brows fully open.

Black and white light burst from his forehead, fusing into a gray beam that bound the Fire Phoenix in place.

He pressed his right hand onto the fourth button and shouted, "Let's see where you can run this time! If I don't ground you, you'll never learn who the real boss is!"

The Hunyuan Greatsword flared with white light.

Knowing that the white light could mend elements, Lu Chen swung without hesitation. A slash of white void light cut through the Fire Phoenix. The lingering glow wrapped around the gray beam, seeping directly into it.

He sheathed the Hunyuan Greatsword and lifted Eggy back onto his shoulder, ready to descend and capture Fire Phoenix. Just then, the phoenix let out a pitiful cry, its wings trembling violently. "Chirp..."

Another sorrowful cry followed as Fire Phoenix plummeted toward the ground.

Lu Chen sneered at its display. "Brat, drop the act. That white light can't hurt you. Pretend all you want, but I still won't let you off. Just wait until you're grounded."

***

Atop the stone pillar in the Scripture Hall, the green-robed Daoist and black-robed general sighed heavily as they watched Fire Phoenix fall.

"Heh, you see it now, don't you? The Original's talent for stirring up trouble has only grown." The black-robed general glanced at the Daoist, a hint of mockery in his voice. "This is all your doing. Now, even Boss Lu Qing would be affected."

"How was I supposed to know?" The green-robed Daoist's face darkened at the barb. "It's too late to undo anything now. What do you expect me to do?"

"Hmph." The black-robed general gave a cold snort as a Divine Eye opened between his brows. "I've checked. The Fire Phoenix is fine. That white void light only brought out the Fire Phoenix Jade Token ahead of time."

The green-robed Daoist froze in surprise. "Fire Phoenix Jade Token? Isn't that something that only manifests once we're in the Outside? How could it appear here?"

"You're asking me? Feel it yourself. The effect has already rippled through to the future Original." The general's face sank further. "That jade token was something I prepared for the Original. It wasn't supposed to appear for hundreds of years. But thanks to you, it's been triggered early."

"Then... doesn't that mean we've already changed history?" The green-robed Daoist's tone shifted abruptly. "Does that mean Wan'er's fate could also change?"

"Change? If the past could really be changed, do you think we'd still be here?" The black-robed general's expression turned harsh. "You're the Good Corpse, yet you waste your time dreaming of altering history instead of improving your strength."

"You—" The Daoist cursed, glyphs of formation spreading under his feet. "If you think you're so strong, then fight me."

"Heh. Without the power of time, what are you? Strip that away, and your formations wouldn't even be enough to stand against me.

"My time's up. I have to return." The black-robed general tore open the space behind him, his voice cold. "Next time I come, I hope you won't have made an even bigger mess."

"Ha! And you still think you have the right to lecture me?" The green-robed Daoist spat back. "Without your chaos void powers, you wouldn't even dare approach me."

He wove a teleportation formation, forcibly tearing open the space the black-robed general had stepped into. "What's so special about tearing space? Anyone can do it."

"Gone already? See? You can't even linger in the river of time, and you have the nerve to talk down to me?"

The green-robed Daoist continued grumbling for a while, but when no reply came from the black-robed general, he found it pointless and turned his gaze back to Lu Chen.

***

Down on the second floor of the Scripture Hall.

When Lu Chen saw Fire Phoenix still lying on the ground after its fall, his heart clenched. He hastily dispersed the Void's power. "Fire Phoenix, what's wrong with you?"

He appeared beside it, catching Fire Phoenix in his arms. Its flames were fading away, revealing its small flesh-and-blood body. "What's happening? Why are your flames suddenly gone? Don't scare me like this."

"Chirp..."

Fire Phoenix let out a sorrowful cry, its eyes slowly closing.

"What's happening? What's going on?" Lu Chen's voice broke as the phoenix's body grew cold in his embrace. He shouted frantically into the air, "Green-robed Daoist, where are you? Come out! Come out now!"

Jun Laoye and the others saw him kneeling on the ground in grief. Dropping what they held, they rushed toward him.

"Why are you shouting? What are you shouting for? So noisy," The green-robed Daoist said as he slowly emerged before Lu Chen. "Am I not standing right here? Why yell so loud?"

"That fragment of the ocular art... you left it there for me, didn't you? What is its purpose, and what exactly have you done to me?" Lu Chen raised his head, glaring at the green-robed Daoist with bloodshot eyes. "I clearly sensed it beforehand. The white void light shouldn't have harmed Fire Phoenix. Why has it turned out like this?"

"Heh... and you still have the gall to question me? Wasn't it you who messed everything up?" The green-robed Daoist's face darkened as he rebuked Lu Chen. "If you hadn't unleashed the white void light on Fire Phoenix, would things have turned out like this?"

By then, Jun Laoye and the others were almost upon Lu Chen. Seeing him kneeling there, they shouted, "Little Lu, what's going on?"

The green-robed Daoist glanced their way. "These people are troublesome. Let them run a few more laps."

He murmured an incantation, and in the next instant Jun Laoye and the others reappeared at the far end, trapped in a loop, circling endlessly in a ring-shaped space.

Dozens of laps later, they were still stuck in place. Yet Jun Laoye noticed nothing amiss. To him, Lu Chen was still only a few steps away.

"You still haven't answered me. Why has Fire Phoenix become like this?" Lu Chen's eyes blazed red as he raged at the Daoist, ignoring the others. Pacing back and forth in the distorted space, he shouted, "Say something! What is going on?"

"So noisy. Haven't you already comprehended the high-grade ocular art? Look for yourself," the green-robed Daoist answered in a thunderous voice, yet he laced it with a mind-calming technique that jolted Lu Chen back into composure. "You're already considered a high-level cultivator, yet you still don't grasp the dangers of law overloading."

"What do you mean? Law overloading?" The Eye of the Ancestral Dragon opened on Lu Chen's forehead as he looked at Fire Phoenix. "That thing above its head..."

"Could that be overloaded laws?" He questioned the green-robed Daoist. "Why would so many laws gather there?"

"Law overloading is no different from spirit qi overflow," the green-robed Daoist said with a sigh. "It's like pouring the cultivation of an Earth Core Realm cultivator into the body of a Core Breakthrough Realm cultivator. The dantian and meridians would burst apart instantly.

"Laws are stored in the mind. Once overloaded, they too can rupture the divine chamber." He stepped forward, pressing a hand gently on Fire Phoenix's forehead. "This was meant for much later, but since it has already formed, I'll give it to you now."

"What do you mean? What is this?" Lu Chen stared as a jade token slowly formed on the Fire Phoenix's forehead. "That size... Could this be a new jade token for the Hunyuan Greatsword?"

"Yes. This is the Fire Phoenix Jade Token," The green-robed Daoist said as he lifted his hand toward Lu Chen, then placed his other hand on the Fire Phoenix. "That white void light you unleashed was far too strong. The Fire Phoenix is still a fledgling and can't control such power, so it condensed above its head instead.

"Fortunately, its bloodline is high-grade, allowing it to suppress the overload, for now."

With both hands, the Daoist drew a hazy mass of light from the Fire Phoenix's head. "Had this been an ordinary beast, even one that had transcended to immortality, its divine chamber would have burst apart in an instant."

"Alright, the overloaded laws have been extracted. The little brat will wake up soon."

He cupped the glowing sphere between his palms and blew gently. The radiance split in two—one half became black flame, while the other turned into white flame.

The twin flames rooted themselves to the jade token, flickering in the breeze as though they might vanish at any moment.

Cradling the jade token in his right hand and shielding the flames with his left, the Daoist barked at Lu Chen, "Don't just stand there! Bring out the Hunyuan Greatsword. I need to complete the final ritual for the Fire Phoenix Jade Token."

"Uh... r-right." Stunned, Lu Chen drew the Hunyuan Greatsword, still mumbling in confusion. "Why is the Fire Phoenix Jade Token so hard to form? The Wind Dragon and planetary jade token only took a few breaths."

"Heh... those things aren't even on the same level. Forcing something to appear long before its time. Try it yourself and see if it isn't troublesome. You really do love stirring up trouble."

Unable to hold back, the Daoist kicked Lu Chen aside, snatched the Hunyuan Greatsword with his left hand, and pressed the jade token into the slot on its hilt.

Lu Chen leapt to his feet. "What? How can you wield the Hunyuan Greatsword?"

In the green-robed Daoist's grasp, the sword showed not the slightest rejection. It was as if it had always recognized him.

Holding the greatsword in his left hand, he raised it before him while his right hand reached toward the sky. His expression twisted into mocking amusement as his gaze fixed on Lu Chen. "Heh. You've already formed the second avatar, yet you still haven't figured out our relationship? Original..."