"En, it must be like this." After hearing Chu Feng's answer, Jiang Hengyuan turned his gaze back to the terrifying giant bird. He saw that the flames on its body were dissipating and receding back into its form, so he trusted Chu Feng's words completely, without a shred of doubt.
Afterward, Jiang Hengyuan and the others began to carefully examine the giant bird, searching for any treasures it might carry.
However, they ultimately found no treasures on the bird. Even so, Jiang Hengyuan personally laid down a massive concealment barrier array to hide the giant bird. He even planned to sleep beside it to stand guard. Although the bird had no treasures, it was a treasure in itself. Its feathers, teeth, and bones could all be used to craft weapons—extremely powerful weapons at that. Refined by a Spirit World Master, they would be second only to Artifact Weapons, and all could be forged into Supreme-grade armaments.
Even its meat and internal organs, if consumed, would be beneficial for health and could be used for alchemy or refined into cultivation resources.
But this giant bird was extremely strong. Even though it was dead and its power had dissipated, its physical body remained formidable. Dismembering it would be a massive undertaking. Therefore, even Jiang Hengyuan immediately relayed this news back to the Jiang Dynasty, requesting experts from the Dynasty to come.
Within a few days, the Demon Monkey King and other Jiang Dynasty experts who had remained at the Azure Dragon Sect arrived. The fire had nearly alarmed the entire Qingzhou, and people had followed its trail.
Besides the Demon Monkey King's group, another expert arrived: Zi Xuanyuan, Ziling's grandfather.
"This is the Blazing Divine Bird. It belongs to a powerful demon beast clan in the Eastern Sea with a special bloodline, holding a significant position there."
"And this particular Blazing Divine Bird can be considered a king-level existence. A Blazing Divine Bird like this would not die without reason."
Zi Xuanyuan hailed from the Eastern Sea, so he immediately recognized the terrifying giant bird's origin. From his expression, people could see deep wariness, even fear.
"This Blazing Divine Bird indeed has several wounds. It must have fought someone before its death, but those were not fatal injuries. I believe its fatal wound must be internal." At that moment, Jiang Hengyuan spoke. He had already thoroughly examined the terrifying giant bird.
"Elder Zi, in your opinion, what level of cultivation did this Blazing Divine Bird possess before its death? Had it reached the Martial Lord realm?" Jiang Hengyuan then looked at Zi Xuanyuan.
Zi Xuanyuan was not only older than him but also stronger in cultivation. The only person present who might rival Zi Xuanyuan was perhaps the Demon Monkey King. Thus, Jiang Hengyuan had no choice but to be respectful.
"Martial Lord? You underestimate the Blazing Divine Bird too much. It is a demon beast with pure bloodline, originating from ancient times, having existed in this world for tens of thousands of years."
"The more ancient a demon beast like this, the less likely it is to take human form, instead persisting in its most primitive beast form to reproduce and survive."
"Therefore, a Blazing Divine Bird's strength can be judged by its size. Judging by this one's size, it should be a king-level bird."
"And in the Blazing Divine Bird clan of old, there were no more than three king-level birds. So this one is absolutely more than just a Martial Lord; it's a Martial King-level existence." Zi Xuanyuan's face was grave.
"What? A Martial King?!" Upon hearing this, everyone present was shocked. Even reaching the Martial Lord realm was impossible on the Nine Provinces Continent. What level of terror was a Martial King? And what kind of existence could have killed this Blazing Divine Bird?
But while others were simply shocked and speculating, Chu Feng's brow furrowed slightly, a sense of unease growing within him. He couldn't help but recall that black-robed elder.
If this Blazing Divine Bird King was a Martial King-level existence, and it was indeed killed by that black-robed elder, then it meant the elder was at least a Martial King-level powerhouse.
Now, a Martial King-level expert had arrived on the Nine Provinces Continent, and it just so happened that the Jiang Dynasty was preparing to open the Imperial Tomb.
If news of the Imperial Tomb leaked, that black-robed elder would definitely get involved. The temptation of the Imperial Tomb would interest even a Gold-robed Spirit World Master.
If that elder truly intervened, Chu Feng had no idea whether it would be a blessing or a curse. The elder's murderous aura was too heavy; Chu Feng couldn't be sure if he would slaughter the people of the Jiang Dynasty for the treasure.
So Chu Feng hesitated—hesitated over whether to tell the Jiang Dynasty about this. But the elder's strength was too great; Chu Feng didn't even know if the man had truly left.
If the black-robed elder hadn't left, and Chu Feng told others about him, he couldn't guarantee it wouldn't enrage the man. Then his life might be forfeit.
His own death wouldn't matter much, but if the elder decided to kill everyone, including Ziling and his family, that would be a massive trouble.
In the end, Chu Feng remained silent. He decided to take the gamble, hoping the black-robed elder would leave first. After all, for a powerhouse like that, staying in such a place held no meaning.
"Chu Feng, come with me for a moment. There's something I want to discuss with you privately." Suddenly, Zi Xuanyuan patted Chu Feng's shoulder.
"Grandpa, what is it? Can I listen too?" Seeing this, Ziling hurriedly trotted over with a smile.
"You little imp, would I harm Chu Feng?" Seeing his granddaughter so protective of Chu Feng, Zi Xuanyuan felt helpless.
"Don't worry, Ziling. I'll be right back with Elder Xuanyuan." Chu Feng said with a smile.
"Okay then." Only when Chu Feng spoke did Ziling obediently nod.
"Sigh, after raising you for so many years, it's still not as much as your year with Chu Feng. You girl..."
Seeing his usually headstrong granddaughter behave so obediently in front of Chu Feng, Zi Xuanyuan felt a mix of resignation and a warm, gratified smile on his face.
Then, Zi Xuanyuan soared into the air, with Chu Feng following close behind. Only after they flew out of the Void Mountains and into a vast expanse of white clouds did Zi Xuanyuan wave his sleeve, setting up a purple soundproofing barrier.
At this moment, Chu Feng's heart skipped a beat. He had never imagined that Zi Xuanyuan was also a Spirit World Master—and a Purple-robed one at that.
But after a moment's thought, he relaxed. After all, this elder had always been unfathomable. In the Eastern Sea, even Gold-robed Spirit World Masters existed, so a Purple-robed one was easier to accept.
"Chu Feng, today I'm going to tell you a secret that even Ziling doesn't know." Finally, Zi Xuanyuan spoke.