Chapter 173 Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit

The light tapping of a woodpecker in winter echoed, while the wind rustled the eaves of the ancient palace on East Dragon Island, creating a rhythmic clattering sound.

The conversation among Zi Yan and the others continued.

"Zi Yan's speed to Cultivate is already very fast, and this is largely thanks to your help, Gu He... However, for Zi Yan to become a true Dragon Emperor, she still needs to activate the royal Bloodline within her as soon as possible and become stronger..."

Zi Yan curled her small lips in a slacker-like manner, "But that still has to be done step by step, right?"

Elder Zhu Li was taken aback, realizing Zi Yan was feeling somewhat negative, and his expression became more serious, "Time is tight, but this is the duty of our clansmen."

Zi Yan's playful and food-loving Heart-Nature was still there, just buried under the current responsibilities. She pouted, "Oh... alright."

Gu He watched this scene, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

Zi Yan probably thought she would have to go into seclusion for an eternity, only able to come out once she possessed the strength to become the Dragon Emperor.

"Zi Yan'er, you haven't forgotten that we still have one more thing, have you?" Gu He said.

Zi Yan blinked, "What is it?"

As if performing a Spell, Gu He produced a wooden box with intricate patterns; the markings on the box were very mysterious, and Zi Yan had never seen them before.

"Hmm?" Zi Yan rested her chin on her hand, looking at Gu He with curious eyes.

Gu He opened the box with a "click," and a dual-colored fruit appeared before them.

This fruit was half gold and half purple, which was quite beautiful. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the golden half vividly displayed a miniature Void Ancient Dragon in a winding, twisted form, while the other purple half presented a small Phoenix.

Zi Yan's memories were instantly triggered, "Oh right, there's that too..."

The fruit was placed on the table by Gu He. Elder Zhu Li and Hei Qing both cast their gazes upon it, and the Dragon Phoenix Qi emanating from the fruit astonished them both.

Elder Zhu Li's hand, which was stroking his beard, paused, and his cloudy eyes widened, "What kind of treasure is this!? How does it possess such a strong Ancient Void Dragon Clan aura... and it even faintly contains the power of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan. How very strange!"

Even with all his experience, he could not recognize what this mysterious fruit was.

Hei Qing nodded, "Our clan's aura and that of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan are mutually repellent; for this fruit to combine them both is truly miraculous."

Under their gaze, Gu He said calmly, "This is the dragon phoenix origin fruit."

Hei Qing was confused for a moment, as he had never heard of such an item, but Elder Zhu Li realized what it was, "It's actually the dragon phoenix origin fruit!"

Hei Qing looked at Elder Zhu Li in confusion. Elder Zhu Li was older than him and knew more, so he waited for Elder Zhu Li's answer.

Elder Zhu Li's gaze toward Gu He changed completely. If a moment ago his respect for Gu He was merely ordinary, now he regarded Gu He entirely as a benefactor of the orthodox Ancient Void Dragon Clan.

He could see that Gu He truly wanted to help, or even save, their Ancient Void Dragon Clan! Of course, it might also be because Gu He had a very good personal relationship with Young Lord Zi Yan.

Elder Zhu Li spoke with a smile, "The dragon phoenix origin fruit is a miraculous fruit that fuses the powers of the Void Ancient Dragon and the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix. It possesses immense power and is very hard to find."

"It is rumored that consuming it can allow a Void Ancient Dragon or a Heavenly Demon Phoenix to evolve into the legendary 'Dragon Phoenix' Physique, which is comparable to a Dou Emperor."

His voice paused as he recalled the chaos after the former Dragon Emperor went missing, how the Ancient Void Dragon Clan was split into four, and how those Dou Sheng Expert-level powerhouses chose to protect themselves, refusing to participate in the internal strife while also failing to help the orthodox side. A flash of painful memories passed through his eyes.

He continued, "In history, both our Ancient Void Dragon Clan and the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan have had members consume the dragon phoenix origin fruit and successfully absorb it. Without exception, they all became epoch-making powerhouses, with... extraordinary strength!"

A look of solemnity flashed in Elder Zhu Li's eyes, "Benefactor, are you... intending to gift the dragon phoenix origin fruit to us?"

Gu He nodded. Zi Yan was sitting beside him, and while Elder Zhu Li was speaking, she had already been boredly playing with the fruit platter on the table, even feeding Gu He a few green grapes.

She did not feel at all that the interaction between the two of them was overly intimate.

Elder Zhu Li and Hei Qing saw this scene but said nothing.

"Yes, I hope Zi Yan can successfully absorb the dragon phoenix origin fruit, and then... unify the Ancient Void Dragon Clan," Gu He said.

Zi Yan responded, "I want to become stronger, so that when Father finds his way home and returns, he can be gratified."

Elder Zhu Li sighed, feeling utterly helpless when recalling the disappearance of the former Dragon Emperor.

He said, "After Young Lord Zi Yan finishes absorbing the dragon phoenix origin fruit, she will surely be able to advance smoothly... By then, we will hold a Dragon Phoenix Ceremony, summon those Dou Sheng Expert clansmen back to attend, and then sway their thoughts to make them stand on our side..."

Elder Zhu Li no longer felt any reservations toward Gu He; he no longer treated Gu He as an outsider and was openly discussing his plans.

Gu He smiled, "Then let's start preparing the Materials for absorbing the fruit, and Zi Yan can take this Opportunity to rest."

Elder Zhu Li hurriedly waved his hand, "As for the Materials, this old man and Hei Qing can go and prepare them; Benefactor only needs to help Zi Yan absorb and refine it."

How could he dare to let Gu He run around? When Zi Yan had recounted what happened earlier, she had emphasized that Gu He possessed many types of Heavenly Flames.

These were Heavenly Flames!

Elder Zhu Li had seen many Dou Sheng Experts; before the Ancient Void Dragon Clan split, they had over a dozen of them, but this was his first time seeing a Pill Saint who possessed multiple Heavenly Flames!

This even reminded him of the legendary Tuoshe Ancient Emperor.

This was a thigh of a rising powerhouse that their Ancient Void Dragon Clan was determined to cling to! There was nothing shameful about it!!

Gu He nodded, "Then it's a deal."

"I'll let Zi Yan take me around Dragon Island to look around, stay for a few days, and wait for your news."

Elder Zhu Li stroked his beard, almost slapping his own withered chest to guarantee, "No problem!"

His eyes, though he was old but vigorous, shone with the light that only comes with the arrival of spring.

...

Elder Zhu Li spent five full days preparing the Materials for absorbing the dragon phoenix origin fruit.

During this time, Gu He accompanied Zi Yan everywhere, the main goal being to see if he could coincidentally increase Zi Yan's favorability toward him.

After all, last time, amidst the aroma of fried chicken, Zi Yan's favorability toward him had increased significantly, reaching 50%, which was still quite far from 71%.

But unfortunately, with Zi Yan's childish Heart-Nature, she only cared about playing, and her favorability did not fluctuate.

Gu He didn't think much of it; after all, if it didn't work this time, there would be a next time.

Five days later, it was time to refine the dragon phoenix origin fruit.

On this day, the entire island entered a state of high alert, all to assist Zi Yan in successfully absorbing the energy.

At the volcano of Dragon Island, heat permeated the air, and Gu He, Zi Yan, and a group of others stood around.

Gu He nodded at Zi Yan, his eyes full of encouragement, "Go on, Zi Yan."

...