Honghuang: My understanding is beyond belief. I am the first immortal of Jiejiao.

Seeing that it still looked so young, with its nine little heads curiously looking around, Lin Zhu's heart stirred slightly.

He remembered that among the pills he had just refined, there were two that seemed to be useful to Jiufeng.

One is the [Moon Essence Pill], which contains the essence of the moon, and is most effective in promoting the physical development and bloodline transformation of spirit beasts and divine birds; the other is the [Spirit Strengthening Pill], which can stabilize and enhance the cultivation of the primordial spirit, and even awaken intelligence.

Lin Zhu took out the two radiant, fragrant pills and waved them in front of Jiu Feng, deliberately teasing it.

"Little one, do you want it?"

Although the nine-phoenix chicks were not yet intelligent, they instinctively developed a strong desire for the aura emanating from the two pills.

Its nine little eyes lit up instantly, and it fluttered its tender wings, eager to get closer. At the same time, a fragmented, childlike spiritual transmission was directly imprinted into Lin Zhu's mind.

"I want...I want...give me...it's so...delicious..."

The soul transmission came suddenly. Lin Zhu was stunned for a moment, then his expression changed slightly. He subconsciously tried to cover Jiu Feng's mouth with his hand and whispered.

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Don't spread your voice carelessly! Be careful not to attract the attention of the righteous path of the Great Hall and bring down divine punishment!"

This was purely out of habitual caution, after all, many of the things he did were on the edge of the law.

However, since the transmission of the soul is intangible and intangible, and directly affects consciousness, how can physical means possibly stop it?
His act of covering the bird's beak was meaningless; Jiu Feng's yearning, innocent plea still echoed in his mind.

"I...I want...give it to me..."

"It smells so good...I really want to eat it..."

"Give...give it to me..."

The voice was like a bewitching chant, carrying an irresistible, pure longing.

Lin Zhu's head was throbbing from the noise. More importantly, he was genuinely afraid of these reckless soul transmission fluctuations. If they actually triggered some unseen rules and caused something to happen, he would suffer a huge loss.

"Alright, alright! Stop arguing! Here you go! Here you go, okay?!"

Unable to bear the noise any longer, and with a strange fear of "divine retribution," Lin Zhu finally gave in and reluctantly handed the [Moonlight Pill] and [Spirit Strengthening Pill] to Jiu Feng's mouth.

Nine Phoenixes let out a soft, cheerful cry, and its nine heads rushed forward, quickly pecking at the two pills.

The pill entered the stomach, and a strange change occurred!
Suddenly, a dazzling crimson light erupted from Jiufeng's palm-sized body! A powerful aura erupted like a dormant volcano, rising steadily and instantly breaking through its original cultivation barriers, and it continued to surge!

However, the change in aura was secondary; what truly terrified Lin Zhu was Jiu Feng's nine pairs of eyes!
Originally, those nine pairs of eyes were clear, innocent, and full of childlike innocence.

But the moment the power of the elixir dissipated, those nine pairs of eyes suddenly became deep, majestic, and ancient! It was as if nine crimson suns were burning deep within their pupils, and a noble and domineering pressure originating from the ancient primordial era spread outwards like a tide!
At this moment, Lin Zhu felt as if he were not facing a fledgling bird, but rather the peerless great witch Jiu Feng, who had dominated the Three Realms in the ancient primordial era and whom even the Heavenly Emperor had to be wary of!
The nobility, wildness, and unquestionable domineering aura imprinted deep within his bloodline and soul sent chills down Lin Zhu's spine, sending a shiver of cold air rushing from the soles of his feet to the top of his head!

"You...who are you?!"

Lin Zhu almost instinctively retreated several feet, and with a flicker of black and red light, he gripped the God-Slaying Spear, which exuded a murderous aura, tightly in his hand. The spear tip pointed directly at the small figure on the ground shrouded in crimson light. His voice carried a hint of fear that he himself did not realize as he questioned sharply.

"You are no ordinary phoenix chick! Just who are you?!"

He stared intently at Jiufeng, his muscles tense, his magical power surging, ready to strike at any moment.

The aura emanating from this little thing was truly terrifying; even for just a moment, it made him feel a deadly threat!
However, just as Lin Zhu was on high alert, preparing to deal with the possible resurrection of the ancient great witch, the magnificent and suffocating aura emanating from Jiu Feng was as abrupt as when it appeared, disappearing without a trace in an instant like the receding tide.

The crimson light gradually receded, revealing once more the palm-sized, nine-headed fledgling inside.

It tilted its nine heads, and its nine pairs of eyes regained their previous clarity and innocence, even carrying a hint of bewilderment as if it had just woken up. It looked at Lin Zhu, who was on high alert and holding a dangerous gun, with a puzzled expression, seemingly not understanding why he was suddenly so nervous.

Lin Zhu.

"..."

His hand holding the God-Slaying Spear froze in mid-air, his face still showing vigilance and surprise, making him look quite comical.

He cautiously took a small step forward, his tone still tense, his words even somewhat incoherent due to nervousness.

"You... what happened just now? How did that aura feel? Did it remind you of anything? Like... the ancient... witch clan... battlefield... or... who exactly are you?"

As the nine phoenix chicks listened to his incoherent questions, all nine of their heads tilted in unison, as if trying to understand.

Suddenly, the middle head blinked and spoke in a much clearer, yet still childish, soft voice.

"mom!"

"???"

Lin Zhu was struck dumb, frozen in place.

Before he could recover from this earth-shattering title, Jiu Feng's other heads also chimed in, their voices filled with pure concern and... a hint of barely perceptible doting.

"Mom, what's wrong with you?"

"Mom, are you still not better?"

"Mom, I'm hungry, I want to eat!"

"Mom, come here! Don't stand so far away!"

Just as Lin Zhu was stunned and frozen in place by the cry of "Mama," the tiny nine-phoenix chick seemed to have chosen him. It flapped its wings and wobbled over, affectionately rubbing its nine fluffy little heads against Lin Zhu's hands and cheeks, chirping softly, expressing its unreserved affection and dependence. Lin Zhu shuddered, as if touched by something unclean. He abruptly shook the chick off, his face filled with disgust and discomfort.

"Go away! Get out of here! Who's your mother! Don't you know the difference between men and women... no, even gender?!"

The nine phoenixes, shaken off, nimbly flipped in mid-air and landed lightly. Their nine eyes instantly filled with a misty "grievance." They tilted their heads, and one of them whined in a soft, sweet voice, almost as if it were crying.

"Mommy...hug me...I want a hug..."

Lin Zhu looked at the little thing with nine heads simultaneously showing pitiful expressions and felt a headache coming on.

He rubbed his temples, trying to correct this serious misnomer and cognitive bias.

He straightened his face, pointed to the natural, shimmering crimson down on Jiu Feng's body, and commanded in a serious tone.

"First, put on your 'clothes'! Second, don't call me 'Mommy'! You have to call me... call me 'Daddy'! Do you hear me? Call me 'Daddy'!"

The nine-phoenix chick clearly couldn't understand the specific meanings of "clothes" and "father," but it could sense the "requirement" in Lin Zhu's tone.

Its nine heads looked at each other, seemingly having some kind of internal communication, and then turned to Lin Zhu in unison. Although their eyes were still innocent, they were unusually obedient and called out in unison in their childish voices.

"father!"

The sound was crisp and clear, and although the meaning still felt awkward to Lin Zhu, it was at least a little better than "Mom".

He reluctantly accepted this premise and began to carefully examine the Nine Phoenixes before him.

This scrutiny immediately made him gasp!
He had been so shocked by the sudden ancient pressure and the nonsensical titles that he hadn't noticed until now, when he focused on sensing the situation, he was horrified to discover that after consuming the [Moonlight Pill] and the [Spirit Strengthening Pill], the Nine-Phoenix Chick's cultivation had skyrocketed, reaching the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm! It was only one step away from becoming a half-step Quasi-Saint!
This cultivation speed is simply astonishing! You must know that ordinary divine beasts and immortal birds need to spend tens of thousands of years or even longer in arduous cultivation from birth to the Great Luo realm.

And this Nine Phoenix achieved this in such a short time with just two pills!
Suppressing his shock, Lin Zhu flipped his wrist and took out a dark gold bracelet with an antique design and a faint wolf shadow.

This is one of his previous creations when he was refining weapons. It is called "Kill the Wolf" and can amplify the wearer's killing intent and attack power. It also has a certain degree of protection and concealment of aura.

He carefully placed it on one of Jiufeng's slender ankles, and the bracelet automatically adjusted to the right size.

Seeing that Jiufeng's aura became even more sharp after wearing the bracelet, Lin Zhu secretly speculated in his heart.

With its top-tier bloodline from the ancient great shaman, coupled with its current cultivation at the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, and further enhanced by the Killing Wolf Bracelet... it is likely that it is already an invincible existence within the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm! It may even be able to contend with some powerhouses who have just entered the half-step Quasi-Saint realm!
This is practically an unexpectedly acquired super henchman... oh no, I mean "daughter".

Recalling the ancient pressure that had made his heart tremble just now, Lin Zhu was still a little uneasy. He squatted down and tried to keep his tone calm as he asked.

"Little guy, just now... what was that powerful, ancient aura that suddenly emanated from you after you took the pill? Do you remember it?"

Upon hearing this, the nine phoenix chicks lowered their heads in unison, looked at their fluffy downy feathers, and then a faint red light flashed on their bodies. The soft downy feathers instantly receded, revealing the denser, metallic-shimmering crimson scales beneath, making them look less cute and more majestic.

It raised its head, its nine pairs of eyes still clear, and shook its head blankly, answering with a voice that was a mixture of soul transmission and childishness.

"I don't know... it's just... warm... and then... Dad got scared..."

Lin Zhu was taken aback by its blunt words and was quite dissatisfied with the perfunctory answer. However, seeing Jiu Feng's completely genuine look of bewilderment, he knew that he probably wouldn't get any answers from it.

He sighed, thinking that this little guy really didn't know manners, and his intelligence was seriously mismatched with his strength. He would have to teach him properly in the future to prevent him from causing any trouble, or... being deceived.

Considering that he still needed to "urge" Gu Yang to work, Lin Zhu was worried that Jiu Feng's sudden burst of strength and possibly uncontrollable aura would frighten his already miserable "good friend." After thinking about it, he decided to put Jiu Feng away for the time being.

"Alright, you should come back now. It's dangerous outside."

Lin Zhu said to Jiu Feng.

Although Jiufeng was somewhat reluctant, she obediently nodded, transformed into a beam of red light, and disappeared back into Lin Zhu's embrace.

After settling Jiufeng in, Lin Zhu stood up, dusted off non-existent dust, looked up at the sky, and calculated the time Gu Yang had left and the possible progress of the work. He felt that the time was right and it was time to set off again for a new round of "care" and "harvest".

A familiar capitalist smile curled at the corner of his lips, and with a flash, he disappeared from the spot.

……

As dusk fell, the blood-red afterglow of the setting sun barely pierced through the perpetually gloomy clouds of Beiju Luzhou, sparingly casting its light upon a desolate valley entwined with withered vines and gnarled old trees.

Gu Yang, the once spirited and ambitious half-step quasi-saint demon wolf, is now slumped unceremoniously under a cold boulder.

He was covered in blood, with new wounds overlapping old ones, his demonic energy was so dim that it was almost imperceptible, and his aura was extremely weak.

Her once sharp phoenix eyes were now empty and lifeless. She stared blankly at the setting sun in the distance, her heart filled with deep weariness of the days and nights of torment, like a nightmare, and with an overwhelming longing for the demonic cave in the South China Sea, which, though cold, was at least peaceful.

He was a majestic Phoenix-Eyed Water Wolf, possessing ancient bloodline and a cultivation level of half a quasi-saint. He should have been strategizing and controlling people's hearts, stirring up the winds and clouds like a dark emperor, waiting for his master to be born so that they could create a great empire together.

But now? He's fallen to the lowest level of miner, no, even worse than a miner! At least a miner has time to rest, but what about him?

He tried to reflect on where things went wrong that led him to this predicament. Was it because he met Lin Zhu?
Or is it because I didn't work hard enough?

But whenever he tried to think deeply, his brain was like a rusty gear, running extremely slowly and laboriously, leaving only a chaotic blankness like "abba aba," making it difficult to form effective thoughts.

This is naturally the lingering effect of the "Good and Evil Five Poisons Powder" on reducing intelligence, which continues to exert its "good" influence.

The extreme physical exhaustion, the repeated mental torment and devastation, and the severe "overdraft" and "downgrade" of his mental capacity have made him suffer unspeakably. He doesn't want to think about anything now, he just wants to go home, back to that "home" without Lin Zhu and without endless "blessings".

Just as he was immersed in his boundless longing for "home," a familiar voice, like a devil's whisper, rang out leisurely not far behind him. (End of Chapter)