468 - Rebirth of a Star: Another Day, Another Drama

Chapter 468: The Phoenix Emperor's Request Taking a moment to steady his emotions, the Phoenix Emperor mentally reminded himself. "It's still just a youngling, still just a youngling. I mustn't take this too seriously, I mustn't take this too seriously. Besides, this creature is my chosen successor. What else can I do but endure?" Calming himself, the Phoenix Emperor dismissed everyone else around him, purposely ignoring Feng Li and turning to Feng Mo instead. "I've heard from Feng Wu that you came from the lower realm. Are there still members of the Phoenix clan there?" Feng Mo nodded affirmatively. "Indeed, I came from the lower realm. There are still many phoenixes in Phoenix Valley down there. You can ask Feng Li if you don't believe me." The Phoenix Emperor fell silent before turning his gaze to Feng Li. Since Feng Li had been brought to the Phoenix Valley in the Celestial Domain, he hadn’t been in a good mood, let alone disclosed his origins. Previously, the Phoenix Emperor always assumed the little creature was a stray chick from Phoenix Valley, contracted by someone, and living in the lower domain. But now it seemed that wasn't the case at all. Feng Li did not speak; instead, it looked questioningly at Feng Mo, scrutinizing him for a long time. Realizing it didn't recognize him but sensing a familiar aura, it curiously turned to Ye Linglong, pointing at Mo Lao. "Who is he? I don't think I've ever seen him before." Noticing the change in the Phoenix Emperor's expression, Ye Linglong quickly explained, "He is Mo Lao. Previously, due to his lifespan nearing its end, he appeared old. However, after breaking through in the Celestial Domain, his lifespan increased, and he has regained some youth." Upon hearing this, Feng Li seemed to remember something, and its eyes widened. "So, does that mean the lower world's..." The rest of the sentence went unspoken, leaving Feng Li looking at Ye Linglong for answers. Ye Linglong shook her head. "Things are a bit complicated..." Since she intended to work with the Phoenix Emperor, there was no need to hide certain truths from him. Thus, Ye Linglong retold the story of her separation from Feng Li, her eventual abduction by Baili Ran, learning about her own origins by chance, returning to the lower world via a formation at the Celestial Spirit Academy, and stopping Yanke’s sacrifice from bringing demons back into the world—all while reinforcing the seal. However, she only vaguely mentioned how she returned to the Celestial Realm with Mo Lao and Jiang Lingyun, attributing it to the means of the Baili family, who could only bring a limited number of people. Feng Li guessed part of it, knowing about Ye Linglong’s spatial ability. The Phoenix Emperor didn’t question any of it, being unfamiliar with alchemy and formations. He was solely concerned about the phoenixes in the lower realm. "You say Fu Changming has been absorbing the lower world’s power?" The Phoenix Emperor furrowed his brows deeply. The world power of a minor realm—no wonder Fu Changming managed to ascend to Immortal Emperor. When Fu Changming became an Immortal Emperor, the Phoenix Emperor was surprised. Although Fu Changming had decent potential, he wasn’t the top tier. His talent and comprehension were average at best, making a breakthrough nearly impossible. Yet after his friend, Emperor Chang Ling, fell, Fu Changming became an Immortal Emperor in just a millennium. Clearly, it was due to absorbing the world’s power. "So, how do you propose we cooperate?" The Phoenix Emperor got straight to the point. Ye Linglong exchanged a glance with Baili Ming and revealed her plan. The Phoenix Emperor agreed rather easily, as their goals were essentially the same. Ye Linglong wanted to reopen the ascension path between the lower world and the Celestial Domain. Meanwhile, the Phoenix Emperor wanted to bring the phoenixes from the lower realm up, which also required reopening the ascension path. "But knowing Fu Changming's little trick, why not destroy the Nine Heavens Spirit-Locking Array directly? Wouldn't that be simpler?" The Phoenix Emperor’s thought process was straightforward. If something obstructed him, just destroy it. He could hardly believe his power couldn't break a minor array. "If one Nine Heavens Spirit-Locking Array is destroyed, another will take its place. We need to permanently reopen the ascension platform so that cultivators from the lower world can have a place in the Celestial Domain." Ye Linglong explained. The Phoenix Emperor paused, then nodded. "Alright!" He wanted to remark that he didn’t care if the people from the lower realm could ascend or not—he just needed to bring his clan up. However, he held his tongue, as he would need her help soon. "Ahem," the Phoenix Emperor cleared his throat and spoke gently to Ye Linglong. "Actually, there’s another matter—your contract with Feng Li..." Before he could finish, Ye Linglong quickly interjected. "Don't worry, Feng Li and I have an equal contract. I can dissolve it, but I’ll need your assistance, Phoenix Emperor." Feng Li immediately protested, "No way! Little master disagrees! This old fellow's words don’t count!" Ye Linglong countered, "The Phoenix Emperor makes a valid point. Even without the contract, we’re still partners. Weren’t you originally thinking the same?" Feng Li grew agitated. As the argument escalated, the Phoenix Emperor quietly remarked, "Actually, I was going to suggest something else, not that you dissolve the contract..." Ye Linglong: "..." Feng Li: "!!!" "Why didn’t you say so earlier!" The Phoenix Emperor sighed, "Did you let me finish?" Feng Li: "..." Turning to Ye Linglong, he said, "I actually wanted to discuss something with you." Ye Linglong replied, "I’m all ears." "I wanted to ask if you could help Phoenix Valley by crafting some Heaven-tier pills. Don’t worry, we’ll provide the materials." The Phoenix Emperor quickly added. "Heaven-tier pills?" Ye Linglong was taken aback. Did the Phoenix clan lack pills? It turned out, they didn’t just lack pills; they were in dire need. Since the Celestial Realm stopped supplying Heaven-tier pills to Phoenix Valley, many of the celestial herbs they acquired couldn’t be crafted into pills. Even when they found someone willing to craft secretly, they risked being swindled. Their own crafting attempts were incompetent and wasteful, leaving them no choice but to consume the herbs directly. Although not as effective as pills, it was better than nothing. Understanding this, Ye Linglong readily agreed. "Sure, but I can only make basic Heaven-tier pills. I haven’t tried crafting higher ones yet." The Phoenix Emperor didn’t mind, grateful for any pills they could get. Soon, all of Phoenix Valley knew that the new little phoenix, Feng Li's contractor, was an alchemist—a Heaven-tier alchemist—willing to help them make pills. However, she would charge the standard fees for a Heaven-tier alchemist. This caused an uproar among the phoenixes, though some were skeptical—was this human truly a Heaven-tier alchemist? After all, not all Heaven-tier alchemists were equal. This doubt vanished when one phoenix successfully had a batch of pills crafted, yielding not one but two pills in one round. After that, a long queue formed outside Ye Linglong's courtyard. Pill-tribulation clouds gathered one after another in the sky. Ye Linglong was soon exhausted from all the crafting!