Eternal Cultivation Of Alchemy

“I have met this one before,” the Phoenix Celestial that had been standing in the back for some time moved to the front. “He is the child

of the White Tiger and the Azure Dragon, having developed both bloodlines now.”

The bird had introduced herself as Feng Renfan, and besides that, there was nothing much Alex knew about her.

“Last time I met him, he didn’t have the stripes. Those blue stripes do make him closer to being an Azure Dragon now, don’t they?” the matriarch asked.

Pearl remained still, not knowing how to respond when two Celestials were openly speaking about it.

“Young Alex,” Feng Xianhei spoke while the others were in small talk. “Where is my daughter? Did she not return with you?”

The bird had been worried for some time, but since the matriarch’s questions took precedence, she hadn’t said anything. Now that Alex was free from the other questions, however, she finally got to ask.

“Scarlet is here, but she is in hiding right now,” Alex said.

“Hiding?” Feng Ningzhu looked confused and curious. “What do you mean?”

Alex paused for a moment, looking around. “Matriarch, Scarlet holds a secret that I do not wish for others to learn about just yet,” he said. “If you are confident that no one here will reveal that secret of their own volition, she is willing to divulge that secret among you.”

The matriarch frowned for a moment, looking around. “You should trust the young one’s mother and grandfather, so I cannot say anything there. This one here is my daughter, and this is my son-in-law,” she said as she pointed toward the golden eagle. “And finally, sister Renfan is one of our ancestors, whom we all trust. There is no one here that I can imagine would betray their own kind.”

Alex thought for a moment. His only worry was that they would figure out about Pearl once they explained Scarlet’s situation, but since they had already accepted Pearl’s existence as a half-Azure Dragon, Alex decided to take the chance.

With a flick of his wrist, Scarlet appeared in the room. The moment she arrived, she bowed toward the matriarch.

“This young one greets the matriarch and seniors.”

Those were the final words spoken for quite some time as a long silence stretched throughout the hall. Scarlet’s appearance, with streaks of black feathers against her otherwise Vermilion Bird colors, was striking enough that they were dumbfounded.

It was after a long time that Scarlet’s mother finally said anything.

“What… what’s this?” she asked. “A sickness?”

Her worry for her daughter’s health came before even any other consideration.

“Not a sickness,” Alex quickly said. “It’s just a visual alteration, nothing more. But it’s a sign of something great.”

“What is this then?” Feng Renfan, the other Celestial, asked with some concentration. “I cannot determine anything else about her.”

“It is unlikely that you will find anything from just looking at her, since the true change will only show once she reaches the Divine realm,” Alex said.

“The Divine realm?” the Matriarch asked. “You don’t mean…”

“This is a change that came because of the Creation she chose.”

Everyone’s expression changed suddenly as they all began to wonder what sort of Creation Scarlet could have gotten to gain such a change while in the Immortal Transcendent realm.

“She absorbed a beast core?” the Matriarch asked.

Alex blinked in surprise. “How did you figure that out? Yes, she did.”

“Only a beast core brings in changes of this sort without even turning into a Spirit, since the beast core itself already has a spirit,” she explained. “It’s always some minor physiological changes, and even this one is quite extreme but understandable.”

“I see.”

“A beast core?” Scarlet’s mother asked. “Why a beast core? We are the Vermilion Birds. There are no beasts that exist that are better than us.”

Scarlet’s mother wasn’t even angry from the looks of it. Just confused. She saw no merit in their decision.

Before Alex could say anything, however, Scarlet spoke up.

“You are correct, Mother. No beast currently exists that I, as a

Vermilion Bird, would wish to make my Creation.”

Scarlet’s mother paused. “Right… so why did you…”

“Which is why I didn’t get just any beast core as my Creation,” Scarlet said, turning toward the group. “I got one of the very best. A beast that died a long time ago, after having reached the peak of cultivation

itself.”

The matriarch and the rest grew alert. “What beast core did you use?” Scarlet stood proud. “The beast core of the Primordial bird: Midnight Phoenix.”

The effects of the information were as expected. Between doubt and disbelief, the few birds gathered within the room couldn’t make up their minds on what exactly to think.

The matriarch quickly made everyone get quiet so she could ask some

questions.

“Where did you get it?” she first asked.

“It was on the island,” Scarlet said. “The Midnight Phoenix helped the Three-Legged Crow with the trial by giving up its energy for it to use, leaving behind just the core. Once Alex became a god, he easily got his hands on the core.”

“Woah! Can I see the core?” the matriarch asked.

“Sure,” Scarlet said, bringing out the core and handing it over.

The matriarch took the beast core, sighing. “You’ve absorbed everything, it seems. Not a lick of aura remains within this core anymore. This might as well be a piece of rock you picked off the

ground.”

She threw it back to Scarlet either way.

“That’s incredible. To think your Creation will be the Midnight

Phoenix. I should go into the records and see what I can find about her,” the Matriarch said.

“You can do that later, Matriarch,” Alex intervened. “Right now, we should talk about something else. I hope Senior Ningzhu has told you

about it all.”

The matriarch paused. “The blood, was it?” she asked. “He’s told me about it, and we have prepared it all as well. We are ready whenever you are.”