307: Chapter 307 The Last Phoenix of the Three Continents

The atmosphere inside the hall was stagnant.

Meeting Su Fengyi's gaze, Ye Xinglan spoke first, her voice steady:

"Fengyi, do not misunderstand. The Supreme was merely curious about the art of stargazing and came to discuss it with me."

She turned slightly, gesturing toward the star-tracking instrument behind her.

Ling Hao's gaze fell upon Ye Xinglan's slightly reddened earlobes. A faint smile curved his lips as he followed her lead:

"Indeed. On a whim, I chatted with the Little State Preceptor for a while."

He turned to Su Fengyi and said calmly, "Seeing that you have come in such a hurry, Fengwu, you must have something important to discuss with the Little State Preceptor. I shall not disturb you."

With that, he strode away, his figure disappearing at the doorway.

The palace doors closed once more.

Su Fengyi withdrew her gaze and looked at Ye Xinglan's face.

"Was he... truly only here to discuss the Heavenly Secrets?"

Ye Xinglan lowered her eyes, avoiding her gaze, and said naturally, "...Naturally, he was."

"Then why is your face so flushed?"

Ye Xinglan lightly pinched her palm with her fingertips. "I was deducing the Heavenly Secrets earlier. While demonstrating, my spirit was affected, and I suffered a slight backlash, causing my Qi and blood to churn."

"Really? Let me see! Did he make some outrageous request?"

Hearing that Ye Xinglan had suffered a backlash and was injured, Su Fengyi's expression turned to one of concern. She immediately stepped forward, wanting to take Ye Xinglan's hand to examine her.

"I am fine!"

Ye Xinglan took a step back. "The Supreme's request was not excessive. I just need a moment to recover."

Su Fengyi stared at her for a moment. Years of friendship led her to ultimately choose to believe her. Suppressing the strange feeling in her heart, she turned to the matter at hand.

"How is the Wutong Divine Tree faring? Should we... continue on that path?"

Ye Xinglan's expression turned stern. "We must continue!"

She walked to the window and looked out at the withered Divine Tree in the night.

"Beitang Hang stole the heart of the Divine Tree. Now, ninety percent of its Origin has withered. Without external intervention, it will completely perish in three months at most."

She turned to look directly at Su Fengyi and said earnestly, "And you, having exhausted your Origin to severely injure the Heavenly Demon this time, have consumed the little Bloodline you had left. If we do not continue, not only will your Bloodline be impossible to sustain, but your own life... will also be at risk!"

One Phoenix, one Wutong tree; if the Wutong tree is destroyed, the Phoenix dies. Su Fengyi's state was, in fact, closely linked to the Wutong Divine Tree.

"Since the ancient era, Dragons and Phoenixes have withered away. Although there are Dragon Clans in the four great sea regions—Haiyang Province of the Shi Continent, the east of Fusang Province, and the south of Cangwu Province—these are merely self-proclaimed titles; in reality, they are only flood dragons."

"And you are likely the last Phoenix in the Three Provinces Realm, with a pure yet thin Bloodline. Because the heart of the Wutong Divine Tree has been lost, you not only need to prepare something extra, but you must also... you must also..."

Su Fengyi naturally understood—if the Divine Tree is destroyed, the Phoenix perishes. Losing the heart of the Divine Tree made the path to sustaining her life even more difficult.

She gritted her teeth. "What else is needed? Just tell me directly!"

Ye Xinglan stepped closer and whispered, "We need to nourish the remains of the Divine Tree with pure Wood-attribute Origin, and then continuously irrigate the roots with Phoenix essence blood. Perhaps this can restore its vitality and, through this, purify your Bloodline, or even... trigger an opportunity for atavism."

"Pure Wood-attribute Origin?"

"That is easy to handle."

Ye Xinglan pondered, "The Jade Fox Clan should possess a remnant root of the ancient Qingqiu wood. Its Wood Spirit Qi is pure and can be put to great use."

"Even if they lost this spiritual object due to the war, it does not matter; there is still a root of the Nine-Turn Returning Yang Grass in the national treasury, which can barely serve as a substitute."

Su Fengyi relaxed slightly, then her cheeks flushed red. "Then... irrigating with Phoenix essence blood... it doesn't necessarily have to be... right?"

When it came to this crucial point, Su Fengyi, a dignified Empress, was unexpectedly shy.

Ye Xinglan shook her head gently, shattering her illusions.

"The irrigation must be performed at the deepest part of the Divine Tree's root system. The practitioner must have a pure mind and resonate deeply with the remnant soul of the Divine Tree."

She looked directly at Su Fengyi and said solemnly, "Your Bloodline is already thin, and forcibly consuming essence blood is already a Heaven-Defying act. If you perform the technique alone, the slightest fluctuation in your spirit could lead to failure, or worse, death and the dissipation of your Dao. Someone must assist you with a profound Yang-essence to stabilize your mind and harmonize Yin and Yang; only then will there be a sliver of a chance for success."

Su Fengyi's cheeks turned completely red, and even her earlobes were stained with a crimson hue.

She naturally understood what this meant. It was practically stating outright that she must engage in Dual Cultivation with Ling Hao at the core of the Divine Tree's root system.

"Is there... no other way?"

Su Fengyi said in a strained voice, "What exactly is so special about him? Why must it be him?"

A flash of complexity flickered in the depths of Ye Xinglan's purple eyes. She sighed softly, "The result of the Heavenly Secrets deduction is just that; it points to him. Since the Heavenly Secrets indicate he is the husband, then the matters of human relationships... are the inevitable path."

She paused, remembering the feeling of being in Ling Hao's arms earlier, and her cheeks warmed slightly. She added, "Perhaps... it stems from Bloodline resonance. The offspring conceived after you unite with him have a high probability of triggering the opportunity for atavism, truly continuing this Phoenix Bloodline..."

She gently persuaded, "Fengyi, I know your Heart-Nature is conservative and you yearn for a life-long partnership with only one person. But..."

"Say no more."

Su Fengyi shook her head with a bitter smile. "Actually, I know that from the moment you first spoke that prophecy, this was already fate. It is just that I initially thought he was the true Son of Heaven destined by fate and felt anticipation, but later, upon learning he had thousands or even ten thousand Dao Companions, I felt anger and resentment... now..."

She suddenly paused. Right now, she seemed... not so repulsed by him anymore?

When did it start? Was it witnessing his peerless demeanor while he survived the consecutive Heavenly Tribulations? Was it his composure as he settled the world with a laugh at the Dingding Assembly? Or was it that moment in the Immortal Finger Mountain Secret Realm when he appeared before her?

Various scenes flashed through her mind, and Su Fengyi felt a mix of complex emotions.

She looked up at Ye Xinglan and said resolutely, "Xinglan, would you be willing to... speak to him on my behalf?"

Ye Xinglan was silent for a long time. Recalling the struggle in Ling Hao's arms earlier, and his words, "How could one time be enough as payment," going there now was no different from a sheep entering a tiger's den.

However, she had arranged for him to stay at the Stargazing Palace with the intention of testing and paving the way.

She nodded slowly. "Very well."

Su Fengyi closed her eyes and sighed, "If he is unwilling... then my fate has come to an end."

Ye Xinglan comforted her, "He will agree."

"Who knows?"

Su Fengyi's voice was weary, tinged with a hint of confusion. She sat there for a while before rising to leave.

...

Side hall of the Stargazing Palace.

Ling Hao sat cross-legged. Suddenly, his expression shifted slightly, and a smile curved his lips. He heard footsteps approaching from outside the door.

"Supreme... have you rested?"

Ye Xinglan's voice came from outside the door.

Ling Hao rose and pulled open the palace doors.

The Little State Preceptor outside had removed her deep purple Daoist robes and changed into a simple, moon-white nightgown. Her long, silvery hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her porcelain-doll-like face appeared even more youthful and innocent under the moonlight. That was, if one did not look into her deep, world-weary purple eyes.

The nightgown was made of thin material, faintly outlining her slender and delicate figure.

Her bare feet were slightly off the ground, her ankles slender and fair. Her slightly curled toes betrayed her unease.

"Supreme..."

Before she could finish, Ling Hao leaned down and reached out to pull her into his arms.

The palace doors closed slowly.

"Mmph...!!!"