22: I am your father

Everyone watched the Phoenix Bird soar into the sky, their faces filled with astonishment.

Outside the formation, Xiao Xu had initially felt very uneasy because the formation had been broken, but he was soon deeply captivated by the Phoenix Bird's figure.

Someone exclaimed, "Is that... a Phoenix? There's actually a Phoenix in Tianyun Volcano?!"

But Xu Yiming's trembling hand pushed the glasses on the bridge of his nose, nearly poking his own eye, as he said excitedly, "No, this isn't a Phoenix!"

"I remember seeing this kind of demonic beast in a book from the school library—the Golden Feather Phoenix Bird! It's a Diamond-rank Demonic Beast with the bloodline of the divine beast Phoenix, a powerful creature on the same level as Dragon Tamer Xiao Sheng's life-bound beast, the Biyun Flood Dragon!"

But then he added, somewhat puzzled, "However, judging by its size, it should still be a juvenile Phoenix Bird. It shouldn't have the power to break through the formation set up by all of us teachers yet..."

At this moment, Xiao Xu sat up, his eyes burning with fervor as he said, "It's not strange. Demonic beasts like these, which carry the bloodline of divine beasts, are easily coveted by other beings when they are very weak just after hatching."

"Therefore, they absorb and accumulate powerful energy before hatching, allowing them to possess a brief burst of great strength upon birth to deal with powerful enemies."

"This is also why the more powerful a demonic beast is, the longer it takes to hatch. And coincidentally, to trigger the volcanic eruption, those guys from the Fusang Dark Guards threw in an eightieth level monster beast crystal core..."

Xiao Xu understood very well that neither an eightieth level monster beast crystal core alone nor the power of the volcano would have been enough to break through the formation he had personally led others to set up.

However, the Golden Feather Phoenix Bird was able to absorb and unify the power of both, breaking his formation in one fell swoop.

But others noticed the hidden information in Xiao Xu's words.

The Diamond-rank Demonic Beast before them, the Golden Feather Phoenix Bird... was a newborn that had just hatched!

The reason Beast Tamers capable of contracting Diamond-rank Demonic Beasts were so rare was, on one hand, because their combat power was so great that they were difficult to capture.

On the other hand, it was because of their noble bloodlines, making it hard for them to acknowledge humans and sign contracts.

Currently, there are only two ways to sign a contract with a Diamond-rank Demonic Beast. One is through bloodline advancement.

It is said that Dragon Tamer Xiao Sheng's Biyun Flood Dragon was not originally a Diamond-rank Demonic Beast, but a Gold-rank Azure-Scaled Gold-Patterned Python.

During a fierce battle, the heavily injured Azure-Scaled Gold-Patterned Python awakened the ancient flood dragon bloodline within its body, subsequently shedding its skin nine times to become the Biyun Flood Dragon.

But such an opportunity is a matter of luck and cannot be sought; currently, Xiao Sheng's case is the only known instance.

Everyone else uses the other method, taking advantage of a demonic beast's hatching complex.

The so-called hatching complex refers to the phenomenon where highly spiritual demonic beasts recognize the first creature they see upon hatching as their parent, thereby greatly increasing the possibility of a Beast Tamer signing a contract.

Of course, this method is not guaranteed to succeed.

After all, demonic beasts are not like humans; many do not have the concept of familial affection, and some even have the instinct to kill as soon as they open their eyes.

Among them, the hatching complex is most prominent in avian demonic beasts, offering the highest success rate.

And now... the Golden Feather Phoenix Bird before them was a Diamond-rank Demonic Beast that had just hatched, and their eyes began to burn with the same fervor as Xiao Xu's.

But they also knew that with powerhouses like Xiao Xu, Guo Linshan, Yu Shenghuo, and even Fusang's Yano Takashi present, it would never be their turn.

Inside the formation that was gradually disintegrating after being broken, Yano Takashi, who had been frustrated by the mission's failure, now also looked toward the sky in excitement.

"So... it's because this demonic beast absorbed all the heat inside the volcano that my mission failed. This beast hatched because of the crystal core I threw in; it should belong to our Fusang nation!"

Yu Shenghuo had also finished burning his own life force; he looked much older than before, gasping for breath as he said, "Heh, bullsh*t! This is a demonic beast that appeared on our Great Xia's territory. What the hell does it have to do with you Fusang people?!"

"Hmph..."

The two of them flew up and chased after the Phoenix Bird in the sky. In the distance, there was another streak of light heading toward the Phoenix Bird; although it was further away, it was even faster.

Meanwhile, Guo Linshan, who was at the crater and closest to the Golden Feather Phoenix Bird—and theoretically had the best chance—didn't make a move.

Because he hadn't realized what was happening at all; he only knew it was for the best that the volcano hadn't erupted.

By now, he had also guessed that it was this fire bird that had been pitting its wits against him in the lava just now.

He was currently lying on the ground looking at it, his stomach full of anger.

"What are these three guys... doing? Do they want to give this bird a beating too?" Guo Linshan watched them fly toward the fire bird, completely bewildered.

It wasn't until Yu Shenghuo shouted while passing over him, "Captain Guo, what are you still standing there for? This is a newly born Diamond-rank Demonic Beast! We absolutely cannot let this Fusang guy contract it!"

Guo Linshan suddenly snapped to his senses and sprang up from the ground with a kip-up.

"Damn it, a Diamond-rank Demonic Beast! How could there be a beast of this level in Tianyun Volcano?!" Although confused, Guo Linshan still flew up to give chase.

In the sky, four powerhouses, turned into streaks of light, became entangled in a struggle.

Yu Shenghuo knew that at his age, even if he did contract a Diamond-rank Demonic Beast, it would be a waste.

Thus, he had no intention of competing for it at all, but instead did his best to obstruct Yano Takashi.

Guo Linshan was the closest, but his beast was earth-attributed, making it the most cumbersome and not skilled at flying.

So at this moment, the one who was actually closest was Xiao Xu, who had rushed over from the furthest distance. He had already reached the Phoenix Bird's side, feeling the scorching temperature and his own racing heartbeat.

Once the contract was successful, he would have the chance to become Great Xia's third Level-100 powerhouse!

Just then, the Golden Feather Phoenix Bird fully stretched its body in the air, letting out clear, resonant cries to celebrate its birth into this world.

Then, she looked with confusion at the strange human before her, who had an excited expression but was trying his best to look kind and wearing a smile.

"Good girl... I am your father. Come and sign a contract with me..." Xiao Xu said cautiously, with a kind and amiable smile on his face.

But upon hearing his words, the Golden Feather Phoenix Bird's eyes widened in anger, and flames of rage rose around her. In a very crisp and pleasant young girl's voice, she said, "Pah! You want to take advantage of this bird? I'm your mother! Go to hell!"

She suddenly pecked at Xiao Xu, who was momentarily stunned and ended up taking the hit for nothing.

He wasn't surprised that a Diamond-rank Demonic Beast could speak, but could a beast that had just hatched already know how to curse?

What he didn't know was that a newly hatched demonic beast indeed wouldn't know how to curse; their spirits were like a blank sheet of paper, just like a newborn's.

However, because of the system, the Golden Feather Phoenix Bird had signed a contract with Su Ze the moment it was born.

Subsequently, a portion of Su Ze's memories and Spiritual Power had stained this blank paper like ink... The Golden Feather Phoenix Bird then spat a scorching line of fire from its mouth, forcing Xiao Xu to fly backward and interrupting his thoughts.

She was still in the protective state of a newborn, and with the power of the eightieth level monster beast crystal core plus the volcano, even Xiao Xu didn't dare to face her head-on.

Then, the Golden Feather Phoenix Bird spat more flames, forcing back Yano Takashi, who was approaching with the yata no kagami to try and pull her into the mirror, as well as Guo Linshan, who had flown up slowly and still hadn't figured out the situation.

Then, she dove downward.

"Not good, the Golden Feather Phoenix Bird is trying to escape!" Xiao Xu shouted as he chased after her.

Although his attempt to use the hatching complex to contract her directly had just failed, as long as he captured the Golden Feather Phoenix Bird, there would still be opportunities to keep trying.

However, the Golden Feather Phoenix Bird that landed on the volcano's peak didn't flee; instead, she kept sizing up a tall, thin figure on the summit and circled around him.

That person was Su Ze.

He reached out his right hand toward the Golden Feather Phoenix Bird and straightened his palm; the Golden Feather Phoenix Bird tilted her head, then lowered it slightly to gently press against his palm.

A diamond-colored array appeared beneath Su Ze's feet—it was precisely a contract array.

The people in the air had just landed and were now looking at Su Ze with faces full of disbelief.

"He... contracted a Diamond-rank Demonic Beast?!"