Next, Mo Xiaoqi and Zhang Ruoxi could only watch as Yang Kai's lips moved ceaselessly, his expression solemn as he transmitted voice communications to Li Wuyi and Nine Phoenix. After hearing what Yang Kai had to say, these two top-tier Emperor Sovereign realm powerhouses reacted with extreme intensity — shock, astonishment, alarm, horror, solemnity, reverence, regret... a myriad of emotions flickered across their faces in succession.
From time to time, Li Wuyi and Nine Phoenix would interject with a question, and Yang Kai answered each one in turn.
"What are they talking about?" Mo Xiaoqi whispered to Zhang Ruoxi.
Zhang Ruoxi shook her head, indicating she didn't know either.
Mo Xiaoqi said, "Actually, I'm quite curious — what exactly happened in the Shattered Star Sea after I passed out? Do you know?"
Zhang Ruoxi shook her head again, saying softly, "I passed out around the same time you did. When I woke up, we were already here."
The two girls looked at each other and suddenly felt a subtle sense of shared kinship.
After a good while, Li Wuyi said with a grave expression, "To think such a thing could happen."
Nine Phoenix also wore a stern look. "This matter truly needs to be reported to Her Ladyship. That person's situation is far from optimistic — to share a body with a demon of that caliber... the days ahead will be difficult, I'm afraid."
Yang Kai sighed. "Senior Duan left not long ago, but he didn't say where he was going. If Emperor Beast Martial can find him, that would be best. Senior Duan was willing to risk his own life for the sake of all living beings beneath heaven — I hold him in the deepest respect and cannot bear to watch him suffer torment in the days to come."
Nine Phoenix said earnestly, "Rest assured, Her Ladyship will certainly not stand by and do nothing. Once we return to Spirit Beast Island, I will report this matter to her in full detail."
Yang Kai was overjoyed. "Then I thank you, Senior."
If Emperor Beast Martial himself took action to search, he should be able to find Duan Hongchen. Perhaps he even had a way to resolve the awkward situation Duan Hongchen currently found himself in.
"Who would have thought that a single trip to the Shattered Star Sea could give rise to such extraordinary events. No wonder the elites of the Four Domains were suddenly expelled without any warning. Before coming here, Her Ladyship had already said the Shattered Star Sea would undergo an upheaval. I just never expected it would be of this magnitude." Li Wuyi shook his head with emotion.
"Thankfully they're all safe. If those young ones had perished because of the upheaval in the Shattered Star Sea..." Nine Phoenix trailed off, a shudder running through her. She didn't dare continue the thought.
She changed the subject, her luminous eyes fixed on Yang Kai. "Boy, when I arrived here, there was something that caught my attention..." She pointed toward the location of the phoenix egg and said in a low voice, "Why is it that I sense the aura of True Phoenix Fire there?!"
Li Wuyi was startled. "True Phoenix Fire?!"
After speaking, he immediately looked over as well. When his gaze fell upon the intricate patterns covering the phoenix egg, he couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. "The Phoenix Clan Inheritance!"
Yang Kai looked at Li Wuyi in surprise. "Senior, you recognize it?"
He himself had only been able to confirm it was the Phoenix Clan's inheritance because his probe of those patterns had triggered a bizarre secret technique that attacked his Sea of Consciousness. He hadn't expected Li Wuyi to identify it at a single glance.
Li Wuyi stared fixedly for a long moment before speaking. "Spirit Beast Island has records of the Phoenix Clan. And moreover..." At this point, he cast a meaningful glance toward Nine Phoenix and said no more.
Nine Phoenix asked, "Is this the True Phoenix Fire?"
Yang Kai nodded. "It is."
"I heard that the Shattered Star Sea contained a remnant of the True Phoenix Fire — a relic once possessed by Emperor Yanwu. And you've just emerged from the Shattered Star Sea. Could it be that..." Nine Phoenix was sharp-minded and quickly pieced together several pieces of information.
Yang Kai made no attempt to hide it, admitting, "What you say is correct. The True Phoenix Fire indeed came from the Shattered Star Sea — a relic left behind by Emperor Yanwu."
Although she had her suspicions, when Yang Kai confirmed it, Nine Phoenix still couldn't suppress a sharp intake of breath. Gazing at the phoenix egg with a mixture of envy and jealousy, she said, "I once visited the Shattered Star Sea myself, determined to find the True Phoenix Fire. In the end, I found nothing. To think that today I would have the chance to see it."
She paused, then frowned. "Since it has already become a phoenix egg, that means someone has refined the True Phoenix Fire? For someone to gain the True Phoenix Fire's recognition — who could this person possibly be?"
Before Yang Kai could answer, Mo Xiaoqi chimed in, "It's Sister Liuyan!"
"Oh?" Nine Phoenix's eyes brightened. In a soft voice she murmured, "The artifact spirit?"
Her expression and tone suggested she had heard Mo Xiaoqi mention Liuyan before and knew that Liuyan was an artifact spirit.
She couldn't help but marvel, "For a mere artifact spirit to gain the True Phoenix Fire's recognition — it seems it truly is the mandate of heaven. Once she undergoes nirvana rebirth, she can inherit the Phoenix Clan's legacy and will truly have the chance to become a member of the Phoenix Clan."
Yang Kai's interest was piqued. "Senior Nine Phoenix seems to know a great deal about the Phoenix Clan."
"Know a great deal?" Nine Phoenix gave Yang Kai an odd look.
Yang Kai rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Did I say something wrong?"
Mo Xiaoqi smiled. "Brother Yang, Auntie Feng carries extremely pure Phoenix Clan bloodline power. In all the world, apart from the true Phoenix Clan themselves, no one understands them more deeply than she does."
"What?!" Yang Kai was stunned. "Senior Nine Phoenix has Phoenix Clan blood?!"
This was the first he had ever heard of such a thing. But thinking about it more carefully, the character "feng" appeared in Nine Phoenix's name, and the scorching power she wielded closely matched that of the fire phoenix. Moreover, she hailed from a place like Spirit Beast Island...
Yang Kai was elated and quickly asked, "Senior, since you possess Phoenix Clan bloodline, may I ask when my friend will be able to break free from the egg and be reborn?"