CHAPTER 496: CHAPTER 496 EXTREMELY AFRAID

Fuck?

Eight Treasures Chicken was flabbergasted.

It was Big Brother, no doubt, still as ugly as ever. But how come Big Brother could talk? And furthermore, a female?

Stunned and with a choked voice, he said, "Big Brother, is it really you?"

Earth Chicken snorted.

"Big Brother, how come you’re a female?" Eight Treasures Chicken asked excitedly.

"I’ve always been a female," Earth Chicken retorted, disgruntled. "Who did you just call ugly?"

"..."

"Say it..." Earth Chicken glared at him. "You’ve got some nerve, badmouthing me behind my back."

Seeing Eight Treasures Chicken again stirred an indescribable feeling in Earth Chicken.

Very strange. She clearly found this guy annoying, always babbling on and on, not good for anything. Also, why was this big rooster crying? So pathetic.

Earth Chicken strode forward. "What was that you said about a fatty?"

BOOHOO!

At the mention of this, Eight Treasures Chicken suddenly felt aggrieved and recounted to Earth Chicken how he had been tricked by the fatso into coming here.

After hearing his story, Earth Chicken couldn’t help but laugh in frustration. "You believed whatever he said?"

Eight Treasures Chicken replied, "I didn’t want to believe it, but he said he could take me to find Big Brother."

Idiot! Earth Chicken was inexplicably moved for a moment, then said, "Alright, alright, step aside now. I’m going to collect the Life Origin of the Ancient Phoenix."

"Big Brother, you..." Eight Treasures Chicken was shocked. "The senior, she might still be alive!"

"She’s dead," Earth Chicken stated.

No one knew better than her.

The Ancient Phoenix had died, and the more than three hundred arrays made that clear. She had done everything to preserve her Life Origin, wanting to leave behind an opportunity of Creation for her descendants. The reason Eight Treasures Chicken could find this place was probably due to sensing that inexplicable pull, but after all, he was not an Ancient Phoenix, just a chicken. As for that fatty, who knows what methods he used to take away a piece of the Life Origin.

Heh! Dead fatty, you dare bully my chicken, you are so dead.

「...」

Earth Chicken took a deep breath and calmed down, her gaze fixed on what lay ahead.

The remains of the Ancient Phoenix had fused with this land. Although invisible to the eye, she could sense them clearly. The Life Origin was located in the head of the remains, not too far away, but terrible Forbidden Powers lay in between, making it difficult to reach.

She took a few steps forward, ignoring many prohibitions.

SCREECH!

The remains trembled violently, and a long cry rose from the depths as the phantom of the Ancient Phoenix took flight from the ground.

It was huge, wreathed in flames. With one sweep of its wings, it soared upwards, as if aspiring to climb ninety thousand leagues into the sky. Its feathers were bright red, exuding a fearsome Divine Might, and were as sharp as swords. The Phoenix’s crest was large, its gaze bewitching.

"Child..." the Ancient Phoenix spoke, its tone gentle and filled with serenity.

"Ancestor." Earth Chicken’s heart vibrated. She had thought the remains no longer contained the Ancestor’s will, but unexpectedly, some still lingered.

The Ancient Phoenix said, "I have been dead for many years, waiting for you all this time."

Huh? Waiting for me? What does that mean?

She opened her mouth slightly. "Ancestor, you..."

"Everyone says that the Phoenix clan is immortal and indestructible, that even if we fall, with just a single drop of our blood, we can achieve nirvana and be reborn. But what they don’t know is that although we are immortal and possess long lives, we have always been enslaved...

"That day, while they were engaged in a great war, I broke free from the shackles and fled to this land, hiding within that dynasty. I’ve been searching for you...

"But I was gravely injured. The Power of Curse within me emerged, and I had no strength to continue. I buried myself here, setting up many powerful arrays, waiting for you all this time."

The words of the Ancient Phoenix thoroughly dumbfounded Earth Chicken.

Immortal, indestructible, slaves, shackles, curses... What’s going on? What on earth has happened to the Phoenix clan?

Earth Chicken stared at her intently, an inexplicable anxiety rising in her heart.

She had always suspected her origins. She believed she was not a descendant of the Phoenix clan at all, but the true Ancient Phoenix, awakened from Reincarnation. Because of this, she had lost many memories.

"Who am I?" Earth Chicken asked.

"You are the Clan Leader of the Phoenix clan, a child of the Phoenix clan, and the future of this race," she said. "Your Taoist heart is clear and bright like a mirror, untainted by dust, possessing the true immortal blood. You are the only Phoenix unaffected by the taint of the curse."

As she spoke, she dispelled the flames that enveloped her body. A sharp feather slashed across the Phoenix’s chest. There, where a heart should have resided, was now a hollow cavity, enshrouded in black mists that emanated a strange aura.

Earth Chicken felt herself choking.

"Our clan has been enslaved for long ages, always resisting," the Ancient Phoenix continued. "But alas, we were unable to break free from the shackles and the curse, until your arrival."

At that time, the Phoenix clan was shocked. There were no signs of the power of shackles nor the Power of Curse on her. The Phoenix clan believed that their fate would finally take a turn, and they secretly nurtured the child. Little did they know, a fallen Phoenix had leaked the news, bringing about a great disaster.

To save this child, the Phoenix clan decided to take her and leave this place. The process was undoubtedly tragic. She, too, was part of the escape that year, holding Earth Chicken and fleeing for a long, exhausting time. Eventually, she left her in a small mountain village and turned back to draw away the formidable enemy herself. After she killed the formidable enemy, she was on the brink of death and no longer had the strength to search for her.

"They fell along the way," the Phoenix mourned. "Perhaps they’ll be reborn or return from nirvana, but... they will live on in a daze forever, never to truly become part of the Phoenix clan again."

It was the doing of a "Big Shot."

Earth Chicken was still in shock, unable to snap back to reality for a long time.

"The eruption of the Power of Curse completely destroyed the Phoenix clan. This wasn’t an ordinary curse, but an innate curse, similar to that shackle," the Phoenix looked at her. "But you are pure."

For her sake, the Phoenix clan had paid everything.

Earth Chicken gaped, her mind in chaos. She had traveled a long way, just to merge with her Ancestor’s Life Origin, nothing more. Yet, she had not expected this Ancestor to reveal such earth-shattering secrets.

She is pure. She is the hope of the Phoenix clan. She bears a grave responsibility. What then?

Earth Chicken drew in a sharp breath and fixed her gaze on the Phoenix. "Who are they?"

The Phoenix shook her head. "You are still too young to need to know these things. But remember, as you become stronger, you must be ready to face them. Whether you choose the path of vengeance or not, they will find you. They will once again shackle you, cast curses upon you, and enslave you once more."

Earth Chicken was speechless.

Fuck!

She suddenly stepped back several paces.

If becoming stronger meant danger, then wouldn’t it mean there’s no danger if she didn’t improve herself?

The Ancient Phoenix watched her retreating steps and suddenly felt a deep sense of desolation. The Phoenix clan had paid the price of their annihilation for a new hope, yet she was stepping back. For the Ancient Phoenix who had once protected Earth Chicken, this was undoubtedly a bleak realization.

Earth Chicken spoke, "Predecessor, I’m sorry. I was a little bit afraid just now."

The Phoenix asked, "And now?"

"Very afraid..." Earth Chicken replied honestly.

The Ancient Phoenix was momentarily speechless.

"But, Predecessor, you can rest assured. If they truly come looking, I’ll definitely crush them," Earth Chicken said, her head held high, brimming with confidence.

She wasn’t alone. Yes! Behind her stood Chen Pingping, the entire Wuji Sect, Lao Huang, Hei, Mao Qiu, and even the Emperor Spirit... Oh, and a powerful Demon cultivator, a princess from the Netherworld. If those formidable enemies dared to come, Earth Chicken would surely make them pay the price. As for the past sacrifices of the Phoenix clan, Earth Chicken was too young at that time to remember clearly, and her memory loss was severe. She couldn’t empathize with it! One couldn’t blame her.

With a twinge of guilt, Earth Chicken added, "I’ve formed a team. They are very strong, strong enough to subdue any formidable enemy."