CHAPTER 65: I SHALL BE KING! THE UNCONSCIOUS EGGY.

Lu Chen did not reject the way the four addressed him. He had rightfully earned everything he had now.

The four chieftains simultaneously formed hand seals. Four soul imprints emerged from their hands and converged between Lu Chen's brows. Along with the core spirit qi gifted by Wind Dragon, the five elemental attributes—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—were now fully gathered.

Within the Heavenly Pool, the Fire Phoenix suddenly stirred. Sensing the resonance of the five elements in harmony and opposition, it was drawn out through the mark on Lu Chen's brow.

Five colored halos aligned in a row, slowly weaving around one another in a spiral. They coiled tightly together, like a serpent curling in on itself.

At last, the intertwining energy etched itself into the Phoenix's brow and the tips of its wings. Bit by bit, five-colored feathers unfurled, bringing the phoenix's form to life in brilliant detail.

It fluttered its wings. The radiant plumage shone with five distinct glows, calling forth the Green Sovereign Divine Tree from the depths of the Heavenly Pool. Four leaves drifted down and transformed into soul imprints that slowly fused into the bodies of the four chieftains.

Sensing the power contained within the marks, Flame Demon released the bindings on Wind Dragon and was the first to bow and declare, "Greetings, my king."

The others followed suit.

Feeling the aura emanating from the Fire Phoenix, Lu Chen gave a faint smile.

With a wave of his right hand, he released a stream of spirit qi, helping the four to their feet. "Let's begin the next phase. I don't have much time left."

The four responded, "Yes, my king."

Wind Dragon took the opportunity to assume the form of a young Daoist, then walked over to stand alongside them.

Lu Chen glanced at him but said nothing.

"My king, I know you intend to head to the center of the secret realm."

Flame Demon formed a seal with both hands, and a teleportation formation appeared at the center of the stone circle. "We've placed our gift for you in the heart of the secret realm. You'll see it once you pass through the portal."

He stepped forward and gave his chest a light thump with his fist before bowing with lowered head, paying respects the same way a vassal would to his king.

Looking up at Lu Chen's composed bearing, Flame Demon's eyes flashed briefly with admiration.

He lifted his head and said slowly, "Our task is now complete. My king, please open the portal to the small world. As agreed, we must return to the Beast King Manor. We may only step beyond its bounds once your strength rivals ours."

Flame Demon glanced at Wind Dragon and added, "I can tell that the fifth has lost his chieftain-level strength. There's no need for him to return with us."

Wind Dragon froze. "What are you talking about, Flame Demon? Who are you to say that about me? Are you just trying to ditch me?"

"Hmph. Look at you now. Can you even sense the Beast King's power? Did you think the four of us had gathered here without someone's command?"

Flame Demon had long noticed that Wind Dragon had become a weapon spirit. He deliberately avoided mentioning that Blindman Lu had visited.

Besides, they had to carry out other secret duties within the small world, tasks Lu Chen could not be allowed to know. So they used the Beast King's secret decree as their cover.

Sure enough, the first thing that came to Wind Dragon's mind was the Sixth Ancestral Avatar—the Beast King. "Could it be... the Beast King? He returned?"

In this world, only the Beast King could command all four of them at once.

"You know the answer. Your cultivation was lacking. You were missing when the Beast King returned."

Flame Demon gave him a sideways glance, then turned back to Lu Chen. "My king, let's begin."

With his mind clear, Lu Chen swiftly processed Flame Demon's requests. Finding nothing out of place, he gave a casual wave of his hand and opened the portal to the small world.

Together with the five chieftains, he stepped through.

***

On the cliff above.

Blindman Lu watched as Lu Chen stepped into the portal. He turned to Nantian Xiu and laid out his plans for the Nantian Region, then instructed him to return at once to make the required preparations.

Nantian Xiu had made up his mind. He gave up his status and chose to follow Blindman Lu. After carefully committing every instruction to memory, he stepped into the portal leading to the heart of the secret realm.

Blindman Lu gently stroked Little Pup in his arms and looked toward the horizon, his gaze deep and unreadable.

In a voice hovering between a whisper to himself and a message meant for someone far away, he said, "The board is in chaos. But the real game has begun. I wonder... will we truly be the ones to win?"

A bolt of lightning tore through the sky, as if it were a response to his words.

"Hahaha! In that case, let's see who gets there faster."

With that, Blindman Lu tore open the void with a single palm strike and vanished into it, his laughter trailing behind.

***

Inside the medallion's world.

Lu Chen had only just exited the illusion realm. He hadn't had time to check on the small world within the medallion until now. As soon as he stepped inside, a sense of ease washed over him. It felt like coming home.

The chieftains observed the changes within the small world. They had previously learned some things about it from Wind Dragon, but seeing it with their own eyes still left them stunned.

Their eyes darted about, taking in every change within the world.

Lu Chen looked toward the eighteen beast leaders gathering beneath the Green Sovereign Divine Tree. He brought the beast chieftains with him and flew straight over. "What are you doing?"

Bai Ze asked, "King, you're here. And... are these the other four chieftains? You've subdued them as well?"

Golden Dragon was even more amazed by Lu Chen's capabilities after seeing Flame Demon and the others. He quickly ordered the others to make space.

Metal General snorted coldly when he heard Bai Ze's voice. "We're not like you lot, taken down in one move."

Golden Dragon bared his claws. "You! Come fight me."

Metal General summoned a long spear. "Bring it on. Like I'm scared."

Before the two could make a move, Bai Ze and Flame Demon's auras burst forth, locking them on the spot. "Enough. If you want to fight, do it later."

The two exchanged cold snorts and turned away without another word.

Watching the two get separated by Flame Demon, Lu Chen stopped channeling his spirit qi and turned to Bai Ze. "Bai Ze, explain what's going on."

"My king, we've been trying to monitor the trial to offer assistance, but the small world was completely sealed off while you were in there. We couldn't get any information from the outside."

Bai Ze pointed to Eggy beneath the Green Sovereign Divine Tree and said in a hesitant tone, "It's been like this since it returned. It's so weak that no matter what we try, we're unable to wake it."

Lu Chen approached the Green Sovereign Divine Tree and looked at Eggy lying unconscious on one of its branches.

Compared to these ancient beings who had lived for thousands of years, his perception was limited. Nevertheless, seeing Eggy so weak and lifeless still pained him. Lu Chen turned to look at Wind Dragon. "How did it become like this? What should we do, Wind Dragon?"

Among everyone here, Wind Dragon was the only one he could fully trust.

As the weapon spirit of the Hunyuan Greatsword, Wind Dragon was the one among those present who had shared the longest bond with Lu Chen. He was the one who knew the most about Lu Chen's secrets, and also the one who would never harm him.

Eggy seemed to sense Lu Chen's presence and let out a few weak cries. "Squeak! Creak!"

It slowly opened its eyes and looked at Lu Chen. It struggled slightly, trying to climb onto his shoulder.

At that moment, Nantian Wan'er couldn't bear to watch anymore. She stepped forward, wanting to hold Eggy in her arms.

There was still spirit qi lingering on Lu Chen's hand. His hand gently brushed against Eggy, and that small, unintentional gesture was like a spark falling on dry grass. In an instant, Eggy's vitality surged, and its aura visibly strengthened.

Wind Dragon noticed immediately, and said to Lu Chen, "Little Lu, try injecting spirit qi into Eggy. That might work."

"Yeah, I can feel its aura changing."

Lu Chen formed a hand seal and drew upon the spirit qi within his Heavenly Pool, channeling it through the nearby rift into the small world.

As the mass of spirit qi in front of him grew larger, Eggy's reaction grew even stronger.

Gradually, Eggy rose from Nantian Wan'er's arms and floated into the cluster of spirit qi.

"It's working!"

Seeing Eggy respond, Lu Chen guided the spirit qi and poured it directly into Eggy.

At that moment, a wood-element core essence began to glow above Eggy's head. Its light flickered rhythmically, growing dimmer with each pulse.

"The five elements... The primordial five-element energy is the foundation of space. We still need the full set."

Watching the weakening glow, Wind Dragon swiftly formed hand seals and sent his core energy into the wood-element core essence.

He transmitted the message to the other four. "We're still short. Quick, inject your core essence too."

Flame Demon and the others had already sensed the primordial wood-element aura. After a brief calculation, they understood what was happening. They immediately formed hand seals and poured their core energy into Eggy.

The five elements connected like a formation, instantly forming a pentagram that lifted and surrounded Eggy at its center.

The five primordial elements took their place at each point, slowly forming five translucent core essences.

The five chieftains formed more hand seals, linking the core essences to Eggy and continuously channeling their core energy into it.

Lu Chen had finally gathered all five-elemental core essences, but Eggy still showed no sign of awakening.

Sensing Eggy's condition, Wind Dragon said, "Little Lu, it seems we're still missing a bit of primeval spirit qi."

Upon hearing this, Nantian Wan'er put all her strength into circulating her spirit qi.

As the final stream of spirit qi entered, the surrounding five-element energy slowly merged into Eggy's body.

In an instant, Eggy's aura grew significantly stronger. Its shell regained its luster, and it slowly opened its eyes, letting out a soft chirp at Lu Chen, wanting once more to perch on his shoulder.

Lu Chen gently placed Eggy on his shoulder and reached out to feel its aura. "It's much better now... but why did it end up like this in the first place?"

Wind Dragon explained, "I guessed right. It seems Eggy sensed that you were in danger inside the illusion realm and burned through all of its energy to help you."

"Then how do we get it back to peak condition?" Lu Chen asked as he gently stroked Eggy.

Wind Dragon studied Eggy's energy carefully. "From what we've seen, it needs powerful primeval spirit qi and a full set of five-elemental core essences to recover fully."

Realizing that Eggy's condition was simply the result of energy exhaustion, Lu Chen finally let out a long breath of relief.

Watching it perish before him was something he could never bear.