Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 687 - 671: Phoenix Perching on the Phoenix Tree
Following the path previously explored by Zhouyang, the group of three crossed through the mountain range bathed in Crimson Golden Radiance without much danger.
It was only when they were about to traverse the mountains that they encountered the Barbaric Strange Insects known as Tiger-Headed Red Gold Bees, mentioned earlier by Zhouyang.
A mature Tiger-Headed Red Gold Bee was about the size of a human head. This kind of demonic insect was most fearsome because of its bee stinger at the tail.
The bee stinger of a Tiger-Headed Red Gold Bee was not only incredibly sharp but also contained its unique bee venom, posing a deadly threat to even Golden Core Stage cultivators if hit.
And Zhouyang and his companions encountered a swarm of nearly two thousand Tiger-Headed Red Gold Bees, of which nearly half were mature.
Such a large group of Tiger-Headed Red Gold Bees definitely had the strength to threaten Nascent Soul Stage cultivators.
However, Zhouyang was not included in this threat.
Not wanting to get tangled with these mindless insects, Zhouyang first collected Jiang Fengxian and her daughter into the Mystical Pearl when the Tiger-Headed Red Gold Bees attacked, and with a loud shout, he performed the Cyan Dragon Transformation divine technique.
After the transformation, his entire body, except for areas around the eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, was covered with a layer of Azure Golden Dragon Scales.
The bee stingers of the Tiger-Headed Red Gold Bees, though venomous, were unable to penetrate the layer of Azure Golden Dragon Scales covering Zhouyang, rendering their toxins ineffective.
Consequently, Zhouyang, much like an old bear chased by a swarm of bees after stealing honey, covered his ears with his hands, closed his eyes tightly, and charged blindly out of the mountain.
During his charge, countless bee needles rained down upon him, making a clear and crisp "ding-dong" sound, yet failing to cause him any harm.
It wasn't until he burst out of the mountains that the Tiger-Headed Red Gold Bees stopped their pursuit, not wishing to stray too far from their hive.
"Phew, these insects are truly troublesome. If it weren't for not wanting any more trouble, I would have destroyed their hive!"
On the other side of the mountains, Zhouyang glanced back at the retreating bee swarm, a trace of vexation flashing in his eyes.
Then he turned his attention to the places on his body hit by bee stings, observing that while the stingers hadn't pierced through, there was still some damage.
Every place hit by a bee sting bore a red-golden spot, left by the residual toxins on the stingers.
Even with the layer of dragon scale defense, these toxins made Zhouyang feel uncomfortable, a burning sensation, especially in sensitive areas like the face, which felt scorching hot.
He knew the toxins had begun to penetrate the skin and flesh layers, requiring immediate removal of all residual toxins.
Fortunately, without the interference of the bee swarm, he could entirely focus on meditating and detoxifying.
Half a day later, with Jiang Fengxian acting as guardian, Zhouyang used Pure Yang True Fire to eliminate all residual toxins from his body, restoring himself to normal.
After recovering, he glanced at Jiang Fengxian, who was beside him acting as his guardian, and asked in a low voice, "What shall we do next? Should we head directly to the main base of the Celestial Phoenix Clan?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Fengxian murmured with a complicated expression, "I fear we won't need to go to them; someone is likely to come to us soon."
"Oh, have our movements been exposed?"
Zhouyang glanced at her thoughtfully, seemingly understanding something.
Before Jiang Fengxian could respond, her daughter Jiang Yufeng spoke up, "In fact, not long after you had just settled into meditation to detoxify, people from the Celestial Phoenix Clan were already observing us from afar, but they didn't dare to come closer due to their weak strength."
"Is that so?"
Zhouyang nodded, offering no further comment.
Another half-day passed before Zhouyang finally saw members of the Celestial Phoenix Clan.
The true members of the Celestial Phoenix Clan were distinct from Jiang Fengxian and her half-blooded kin.
At least the Celestial Phoenix Clan members Zhouyang saw now were so.
Most of them had three-colored or five-colored phoenix wings on their backs; none had the seven-colored phoenix wings like Jiang Fengxian and her daughter. Moreover, their wings couldn't retract into their bodies like Jiang Fengxian's, more like appendages similar to limbs.
Additionally, whether male or female, most had bird-like downy feathers covering their bodies, and their eyes, noses, and palms bore some features of raptors.
Even a few whose aura rivaled that of Golden Core Stage cultivators of the Human Race didn't fully suppress these traits.
Or perhaps they believed there was no need to hide them.
When the Celestial Phoenix Clan members arrived, Jiang Fengxian and her daughter immediately unfurled their seven-colored phoenix wings.
Seeing the mother and daughter with seven-colored phoenix wings stopped the Celestial Phoenix Clan members in their tracks, their fierce, accusatory demeanor replaced by expressions of shock.
At this moment, Zhouyang had completely become a spectator, observing Jiang Fengxian conversing with the Celestial Phoenix Clan members in a language he did not understand.
It was evident that during their conversation, the faces of the Celestial Phoenix Clan members changed frequently and significantly, and they frequently cast looks of obvious aversion and anger towards Zhouyang.
Clearly, they were extremely unwelcome to Zhouyang, this "alien".
After a lengthy discussion, Jiang Fengxian suddenly ceased speaking, nodded slightly towards Zhouyang, and said, "I have arranged with them. After this, they will assign someone to lead us to their tribe's sacred land."
When Zhouyang heard this, an odd gleam flickered in his eyes, but he calmly asked, "Fengxian, do you know how many six-tier existences the Celestial Phoenix Clan currently has? What is the cultivation level of the strongest one?"
As if anticipating this question, Jiang Fengxian immediately replied, "According to them, the Celestial Phoenix Clan currently has six elders and a clan leader, all at the sixth-tier cultivation level. The strongest is the Grand Elder of the clan, who should possess a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivation."
"Seven six-tier existences? That's quite a formidable force." Zhouyang murmured to himself, then nodded slightly and said, "I understand. Let them lead the way."
Thus, after some discussion among the Celestial Phoenix Clan members, a female clan member with five-colored phoenix wings led Zhouyang and his companions, while the rest returned the way they came.
This path-leading female member of the Celestial Phoenix Clan had a cultivation level equivalent to a late-stage Golden Core cultivator and seemed proficient in Wind Element spells. Enhanced by some speed-increasing magic, her flying speed nearly rivaled that of a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator riding on clouds.
Led by her, Zhouyang and his group traversed almost half of the Celestial Phoenix Clan's territory, allowing Zhouyang the rare opportunity to glimpse the everyday life of ordinary Celestial Phoenix Clan members.
It should be said, the Celestial Phoenix Clan had no ordinary people.
Even the least capable Celestial Phoenix Clan member could fly thanks to their innate wings and wield low-tier magic like "Wind Blade Technique" and "Fireball Technique."
This meant even the least capable Celestial Phoenix Clan member had the strength of a Human Race Qi Cultivation Stage cultivator.
Nevertheless, success and failure both come from bloodline.
Relying on the thin strand of Phoenix bloodline within them to master magical powers, the achievements of the Celestial Phoenix Race members are mostly determined at birth.
Nearly ninety percent of the Celestial Phoenix Race individuals find their powers fixed after reaching adulthood, with little room for advancement.
Only those with a strong Phoenix bloodline can attain higher cultivation by continuously tapping into its power until they refine Phoenix True Blood, transforming their wings into a seven-colored hue.
These individuals often belong to the noble class of the Celestial Phoenix Race tribes, controlling life and death within the tribes.
The tribes vary in size, with large tribes numbering tens of thousands and smaller ones having less than a thousand members.
Regardless of being noble or common, they reside in tree houses built atop tall trees, with nobles residing on Spirit Wood and commoners on ordinary trees.
Like humans, they domesticate birds and beasts for food, cultivate fruit trees, smelt iron, brew wine, but often rely on hunting and gathering for sustenance.
This isn't due to a lack of domesticated food, but to maintain the combat strength of the tribesmen through hunting, usually targeting middle and low-tier demon beasts and barbaric beasts in the wilderness jungle.
It's known that the wilderness jungle is not peaceful, with frequent conflicts among different races of barbaric alien races, even the powerful Celestial Phoenix Race faces enemies and rivals.
Above all tribes, there is a Holy Land overseeing all Celestial Phoenix Race members, the true realm of power coveted by all tribe nobles and commoners.
Within the Celestial Phoenix Race, only those with strong bloodlines expected to advance to Tier Five may qualify to practice in the Holy Land, even the offspring of Holy Land Elders are no exception.
This Holy Land is located within a Spiritual Qi-rich mountain range, and the more powerful the Celestial Phoenix Race tribe, the closer their base is to the Holy Land.
"What a Spiritual Mountain Blessed Land!"
In the mid-air, Zhouyang gazed at the mist-shrouded majestic mountains ahead, filled with admiration.
The Spiritual Qi of the Celestial Phoenix Race's Holy Land is only slightly less than Donglai Immortal Island, and the towering spiritual woods and spirit herbs and elixirs growing within stir Zhouyang's heart.
Utilizing Pupil Technique Divine Techniques to observe, Zhouyang even saw three spiritual woods within the depths of the mountain range, two of which reached Tier Six, and one even appears to be Tier Six Top Grade!
As Zhouyang employed his Pupil Technique Divine Techniques to survey, a blue streak suddenly shot from the mountains ahead, landing thousands of feet away, revealing a middle-aged man in green attire with seven-colored phoenix wings.
This middle-aged man in green bore an aura nearing the level of a Mid-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator, with no trace of avian features except for the pair of seven-colored phoenix wings, clearly one of the Celestial Phoenix Race's six Holy Land Elders.
Indeed, the subsequent words of the man in green confirmed Zhouyang's guess.
As he revealed himself, he first glanced sharply at Jiang Fengxian and her daughter, then bowed to Zhouyang, speaking in the universally used language of the cultivation realm: "I am Feng Xuan, the Fourth Elder of our Holy Land. How should this Human Race Daoist friend be addressed?"
"The Spirit Realm" is now ultimately the realm of Human Race cultivators, ordinary Barbaric Alien Races may be ignorant of Human Race cultivators' language, but elders like Feng Xuan must not be.
Otherwise, Jiang Fengxian's mother wouldn't have had interactions with her father back then.
Therefore, upon hearing Elder Feng Xuan's words, Zhouyang responded without showing any strange expression, clasping his fists in return: "It turns out to be Elder Feng, I am Zhouyang, currently holding the position of Honored Guest Supreme Elder at Profound Sun Immortal Sect in Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm!"
Profound Sun Immortal Sect has a heritage spanning thousands of years, and even experts among the Barbaric Alien Races in the wilderness jungle have heard of its prestige, to some extent.
Clearly visible was the increased gravity in Feng Xuan's eyes upon hearing Zhouyang's background, understanding the influence the words "Profound Sun Immortal Sect" carry in Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm.
His eyes flashed with a sharp glint, looking meaningfully at Zhouyang while saying: "I have long heard of Profound Sun Immortal Sect's great name, it turns out Fellow Daoist Zhou is from such a prominent sect, no wonder you dared venture deep into the wilderness to our territory."
Zhouyang, seemingly unaffected by the deeper meaning of his words, laughed warmly: "Ha, ha, ha, in front of such a strong person like Elder Feng, I dare not claim to be a prominent figure. We came to visit your noble territory without prior notice, and I hope Elder Feng and your fellow tribesmen can overlook this!"
Upon hearing this, Feng Xuan glanced again at Jiang Fengxian and her daughter, then slightly shook his head saying, "We and the Grand Elder have learned of the trio's intentions from our tribe's cultivators, the Grand Elder is already waiting for the trio in the Holy Hall, please follow me."
With that, he turned and flew back to where he came from, not once engaging with Jiang Fengxian and her daughter.
Upon witnessing this, Zhouyang couldn't help but turn his gaze towards Jiang Fengxian.
He saw the lady's expression remain serene, untouched by any feelings of annoyance or anger from being treated coldly.
Yet Zhouyang knew she absolutely wouldn't be as calm inside as she appeared on the surface.
At this moment, he seemed to recall something and quietly transmitted a question: "I remember you mentioned that your grandfather is a Holy Land Elder of the Celestial Phoenix Race. Is he still alive?"
Jiang Fengxian's face changed slightly, a flash of hatred in her eyes, swiftly answered with a cold voice: "The man is the current Holy Land Second Elder, you'll see him soon."
With that, her figure moved, taking the lead to follow Feng Xuan's escape light.
Zhouyang, seeing this, chuckled bitterly and shook his head, beckoning his daughter Jiang Yufeng to come to his side before following them atop the cloud.
Soon, Zhouyang, along with the others, followed Feng Xuan to a sky towering above a giant tree stretching hundreds of feet high in the depths of the mountains.
The tree resembles a Phoenix Tree, a lush green Spirit Wood, growing atop a mountain over two thousand feet high by itself, remarkable in appearance.
This towering Spirit Wood hosts over thirty tree houses, and those residing on this Tier Six Top Grade Spirit Wood are the Celestial Phoenix Race's highest-ranking individuals.
"Strange, isn't the Jade Phoenix Tree a Tier Four Spirit Wood? How did this tree reach Tier Six Top Grade? Could there be another Tree Demon like Mu Qingyun?"
Outside the giant tree, Zhouyang, puzzled, observed the lush green Spirit Wood in front of him, finding it inconceivable it reached Tier Six Top Grade.
"Ordinary Jade Phoenix Trees cannot reach Tier Six, but this one is not an ordinary Jade Phoenix Tree; it's a Phoenix Perching on the Phoenix Tree!"
Jiang Fengxian, with her eyes shimmering, gazed at the lush green Spirit Wood, quietly revealing its mystery to Zhouyang.
"Phoenix Perch Tree? Could it be a true Phoenix actually perched on this tree?"
Zhouyang, astonished, looked at his daughter beside him.
If indeed a True Phoenix once perched upon this Jade Phoenix Tree, then Jiang Yufeng, with her True Phoenix Body, ought to feel something.
Under Zhouyang's inquiring gaze, Jiang Yufeng nodded slightly: "Mother's words should be true, approaching this tree, my bloodline inside does indeed stir, incredibly active!"
Hearing this, Zhouyang marvelled: "Ah, then that's true. It's said that Phoenixes and True Dragons, these divine beasts by nature, even their mere aura can cause trees, rocks, etc., to mutate over time, forming Dragon Breath Grass, Phoenix Spirit Flower, Dragon Pattern Stone and other Spiritual Objects. Facts seem more miraculous than legends."
With this, he moved, following Feng Xuan's footsteps, flying into a large tree house at the top of the Phoenix Tree.
Inside, along with Feng Xuan, four Celestial Phoenix Race Tier Six beings awaited them for quite some time.
