The Great Overlord: Simulating the Future, Dominating Speedrunning

Chapter 233 Phoenix Compensation, Dual Cultivation Breakthrough!
Lu Chen's gaze narrowed slightly as he saw a golden streak of light pierce through the sky.

The woman was dressed in a gilded feather robe. With each step she took, golden lotuses bloomed in the void. The pressure emanating from her body was even three points stronger than that of Huang Jin—she was none other than the current matriarch of the Phoenix Clan, Phoenix Queen Huang Xi!

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

With a flick of her wide sleeves, Huang Xi subtly protected Huang Jin behind her. She bowed solemnly to Lu Chen, her golden phoenix eyes filled with sincerity: "Our Phoenix Clan has been impetuous this time. We are willing to offer three drops of ancestral blood essence and nine true phoenix feathers as an apology."

She gently raised her jade-like hand, and a crimson gold jade box appeared in her palm. Inside the box were three drops of essence blood, as dazzling as rubies, each drop containing a chillingly ancient aura. Nine gilded feathers floated within, their tips swirling with flame patterns.

"The essence blood of a late-stage Saint-grade expert..."

Lu Chen gazed at the essence blood inside the jade box, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

The Phoenix Clan is indeed powerful; these three drops of ancestral blood essence are many times stronger than the drop of Thunder Phoenix blood essence he had previously absorbed. If he could refine them, his physical body would likely be able to rise another small realm in an instant.

Compared to this, the nine true phoenix feathers are nothing.

Just then, Lu Chen flicked his sleeve, and a beam of spiritual light swept past. Ripples appeared in the void behind him, and two figures slowly emerged.

On the left was Tianhuang, the patriarch of the Nine Nether Sparrow clan, his face haggard, his gray robe still dusty. And on the right…

A graceful figure stood suspended in mid-air, her dark, fitted outfit outlining her breathtaking curves. Her long, slender legs were taut and powerful, and above her slender waist was a breathtakingly full curve. Her cool and stunning face remained unchanged, her tightly pursed cherry lips revealing a familiar stubbornness.

It was none other than Jiuyou, whom we hadn't seen in a long time.

"Lu Chen!"

Jiuyou was taken aback, her pupils trembling slightly. Her red lips parted as if to speak, but she stubbornly pursed them. She turned her face away, but the reddened corners of her eyes and her slightly trembling fingertips could not hide the turmoil in her heart.

Lu Chen's gaze softened, and he said softly, "Sister Jiuyou, have you been wronged?"

With a light tap of his fingertips, a stream of warm spiritual energy flowed into Jiu You's body, calming the disordered energy within her. This gentle gesture brought a lump to Jiu You's throat, and she almost burst into tears.

"Who...who needs your permission..."

Jiuyou's voice was muffled, yet she involuntarily took half a step closer to him.

Lu Chen chuckled, then turned to look at the jade box in Huang Xi's hand: "Sister Jiuyou, what do you think of the Phoenix Clan's apology..."

"not enough!"

Suddenly, Jiuyou looked up, her purple pupils blazing with fury. She pointed at the shattered Jiuyou Mountain in the distance, her voice trembling: "They destroyed my ancestral land, injured my people, and with just a few drops of their essence blood they think they can..."

Before she could finish speaking, a warm hand gently covered her head. Lu Chen's eyes were filled with approval as he turned to Huang Xi and said, "Did you hear that? My sister Jiuyou said... it's not enough."

His tone was gentle, but it caused Huang Xi's expression to change drastically.

For a moment, the surrounding void seemed to be shrouded in an inexplicable chill.

Lu Chen gazed tenderly at Jiu You, his eyes swirling with eight-colored spiritual flames. He asked softly, "Sister Jiu You, besides these, what other price do you want them to pay?"

A resolute glint flashed in Jiuyou's purple eyes. She raised her slender finger and pointed to the shattered ancestral land in the distance: "I want them to personally repair every inch of damage to Jiuyou Mountain."

Then, his fingertips turned to Huang Jin, whose face was gloomy, "I want him to apologize to my clan in public."

Finally, she took a deep breath, "I also want to... The Phoenix Clan can open the Divine Transformation Pool, but we cannot restrict our clan members from entering."

A hint of surprise flashed in Lu Chen's eyes, which then turned into a relieved smile. He turned to look at Huang Xi, and the eight-colored spiritual flames suddenly surged: "Did you all hear that clearly? These are our conditions."

"In addition to that, we need to add another Saint-grade Phoenix Flame."

"impossible!"

Huang Jin roared angrily, but Huang Xi stopped him by raising her hand.

Huang Xi gave Lu Chen a deep look, a hint of apprehension flashing in her eyes. She said in a deep voice, "Apart from the Saint-grade Phoenix Flame, we can agree to the other conditions..."

“This is not a negotiation.”

Lu Chen suddenly spoke, his voice soft, yet it silenced the entire world. He slowly raised his right hand, and the eight-colored spiritual fire condensed in his palm into a slowly rotating eight-colored fire lotus.

"It's just a notification."

The moment the fiery lotus bloomed, the space within a million miles froze. Huang Xi was horrified to discover that her body was trembling uncontrollably!

"If the nobles are unwilling to give..."

Lu Chen took a step forward, and the void beneath his feet shattered like a mirror. At this critical moment—

"Wait a minute!"

Suddenly, Huang Xi handed over the crimson-gold jade box, within which floated three drops of primordial blood essence, as radiant as jade. Even more astonishingly, a wisp of pure golden natal phoenix flame flew from between her brows, within which the phantom of a phoenix's rebirth could be faintly seen.

"Phoenix Gold!" she shouted sharply.

With a livid face, Huang Jin gritted his teeth and stepped forward, bowing deeply in the direction of the Nine Nether Clan: "This time... it is the fault of my Phoenix Clan." Each word seemed to weigh a ton.

Lu Chen rolled up his sleeve and put the jade box and Phoenix Flame into his pocket.

"Three days from now, I will personally lead the disciples of the Nine Nether Sparrow Clan into the Divine Transformation Pool."

"Remember this." As Lu Chen turned around, eight-colored spiritual flames flickered in his eyes. "The pride of the Phoenix Clan..."

He raised his hand and gently stroked Jiu You's hair, but his voice clearly reached everyone's ears: "You are worthless in my eyes."

Before the words were even finished, the three figures vanished in a flash of light, leaving behind only the devastated Nine Nether Mountain and the Phoenix King and Phoenix Queen with their expressions shifting between anger and uncertainty.

……

Two days later,
The newly restored back mountain of Jiuyou Mountain is shrouded in a misty haze from the spiritual spring. The bright moonlight shines through the newly grown Jiuyou wood, casting dappled light and shadow on the white jade pavilion.

Jiuyou immersed her bare feet in the spiritual spring, her black robes transforming into a flowing cloud-like gauze skirt, revealing her jade-like shoulders and neck. She lowered her head, fiddling with a newly formed string of eight-colored jade beads on her wrist—a protective item condensed by Lu Chen using eight-colored spiritual fire.

"Does it still hurt?"

A warm breath suddenly brushed against her ear; Lu Chen had wrapped his arms around her from behind without her noticing. His slender fingers, imbued with burning spiritual energy, gently caressed the still-healing wound on her shoulder blade.

Jiuyou's ears instantly flushed crimson, and she deliberately kicked up water to splash onto his robes: "How could the physical body of a super divine beast be so fragile..."

Before she could finish speaking, her body suddenly trembled. It turned out that the man's fingertip had inadvertently brushed against the jade bead on her chest.

"Stubborn." Lu Chen chuckled, then suddenly scooped her up in his arms. Before Jiu You could even gasp, the starlight transformed into a light veil, enveloping the white jade platform beside the spirit spring.

He lightly tapped his fingertip, and a drop of phoenix blood essence, as dazzling as a ruby, floated in mid-air: "There's one more drop. Refine it now?"

Jiuyou pressed down on his wrist, her purple eyes reflecting the bright moonlight: "It was just yesterday... I haven't recovered yet..." Before she could finish her coquettish words, she was sealed by hot lips and tongue.

As they clashed, countless rays of spiritual light scattered from their bodies, forming an invisible barrier around them. Their reflections in the spring water gradually overlapped, like two fish playing in the water.

……

Soon after,

At the summit of Mount Jiuyou, a white jade pavilion is shrouded in spiritual mist.

Jiuyou sat serenely within, her body enveloped in a purple-gold light that flowed around her as if alive. The natal feather between her brows flickered, each flash accompanied by a surge in her cultivation—

Late stage of Spiritual Grade...

Spiritual Grade Perfection... Immortal Grade Initial Stage...

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth converged wildly, forming a visible vortex of spiritual energy. Under the impact of this force, the white jade pavilion groaned under its strain, and fine cracks appeared on the ground.

Lu Chen leaned against a pavilion pillar, toying with the eight-colored flames between his fingers. Looking at Jiu You's rapidly increasing cultivation level, a faint smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

Who would have thought that those three drops of phoenix blood essence, which even Saint-level experts would find difficult to refine, could be perfectly refined in this way?

The ancient dual cultivation technique he had obtained from the Western Heaven War Emperor in the simulation flashed through his mind. He had only casually memorized it at the time, never expecting it would come in handy today while refining sacred-grade blood essence…

Otherwise, with Sister Jiuyou's strength as a Spirit-Rank Heavenly Sovereign, refining those three drops of late-stage Saint-Rank Phoenix essence blood would not be an easy task...

"boom!"

Suddenly, a burst of purple light erupted around Jiuyou, and her cultivation level broke through to the late stage of the Immortal Rank. She opened her eyes abruptly, her pupils turning into pure purple-gold, and a pair of illusory phoenix wings vaguely appeared behind her.

"How does it feel?"

Lu Chen smiled and handed over a cup of spiritual tea, the aroma of which carried a faint phoenix scent.

Jiuyou reached out her jade-like hand to take the teacup, but her hand was still trembling slightly uncontrollably. She was both ashamed and angry, and glared fiercely at Lu Chen.

"you……"

Only when her voice escaped did she realize it had a suspicious hoarseness, and she quickly lowered her head to take a sip of tea to cover it up. The warm tea went down her throat, but it reminded her of the even hotter sensations she had felt these past few days—

That guy always used high-sounding reasons like "the refinement of essence and blood requires guidance" to guide his long, slender fingers, carrying eight-colored spiritual fire, as he moved them along her meridians. Whenever she was in a daze, he would whisper in her ear, "Does it... still hurt here?"

What was most infuriating was that she had repeatedly and inexplicably acquiesced to those absurd demands. Jiu You bit her lip, a hint of shame and annoyance flashing in her narrow phoenix eyes.

"Looks like it's working well." Lu Chen suddenly leaned down, his warm breath brushing against Jiu You's ear. Jiu You froze, almost dropping the teacup, and said tremblingly, "No...no more."

Her voice was barely audible, with a hint of sobbing.

She was embarrassed and annoyed to find that her refusal at this moment sounded like a coy invitation—just like a few days ago when that person used spiritual power to guide her, and although she wanted to push him away, her outstretched hand turned into a coy embrace.

Seeing this, Lu Chen gently embraced her and whispered in her ear, "Sister Jiuyou..." His warm breath brushed against her sensitive earlobe, "The Divine Transformation Pool is about to open."

"what?"

Jiuyou was stunned. She looked up in surprise and met Lu Chen's ambiguous smile.

Suddenly I understood...

This guy isn't what I thought at all...

Lu Chen chuckled softly, his slender fingers gently brushing against her reddened earlobe: "What? What did you think I was going to do, Sister Jiuyou?"

"You!" Jiuyou's purple-gold eyes widened in embarrassment and anger. She clenched her fists and was about to punch this hateful guy.

Lu Chen, as if he had anticipated this, grasped her wrist and pulled her into his arms. "The time has come." He embraced Jiu You's slender waist, the eight-colored spiritual fire flowing around him. "If we delay any longer, we will miss the best opportunity to enter the Divine Transformation Pool."

"Excuse……"

Before Jiuyou could refute, a blur appeared before her eyes. A crack opened in the void, and the two figures vanished from their spot in an instant.

……

Mountains and seas, continents, millions of mountains.

Nestled deep within the mountains, a pristine lake, like an emerald, lies nestled amidst the landscape. Its mirror-like surface remains perfectly still, reflecting the vast sky and radiating a breathtaking, untamed power.

This ancient and tranquil sacred place was shattered today by the chorus of thousands of birds.

"Wow—"

Above the clouds, countless streaks of light pierced the sky, cascading like a galaxy over the surrounding peaks. The cries of cranes, phoenixes, and roc birds... the roars of countless birds and mythical beasts intertwined, echoing through the mountains in an ancient symphony that shook heaven and earth.

"Yan!"

Suddenly, a clear and melodious phoenix cry drowned out all other sounds. A terrifying pressure swept over like a tidal wave, causing the expressions of the many powerful divine beasts present to change drastically, and they all lowered their heads in awe.

The sky was ablaze with colorful clouds, a long carpet of rosy light cascading down from the clouds. Amidst the glow, two figures descended from the sky, finally landing atop the crimson-gold peak closest to the emerald lake.

As the colorful clouds dissipated, the graceful and noble figure of Huang Xi, the matriarch of the Phoenix Clan, was revealed. Behind her followed a young man in golden robes with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes; he was none other than Huang Xuanzhi, the Phoenix Clan's prodigy.

"Welcome, Phoenix King!"

A chorus of congratulatory shouts suddenly echoed through the mountains, and thousands of birds bowed their heads.

Huang Xi smiled and nodded, but her phoenix eyes suddenly turned to the distance. A streak of purple-gold lightning pierced through the air, and wherever it passed, the oppressive aura she had laid down shattered like glass!
boom!
Amidst the fluctuations of spiritual energy, two slender figures arrived through the air. The leading man in a green robe stood with his hands behind his back, eight-colored spiritual flames flowing between his sleeves; the young woman in a purple dress beside him was surrounded by purple light, and behind her, illusory phoenix wings could be vaguely seen spreading out.

"Heavenly Lord Lu Chen..."

Huang Xi's pupils contracted slightly, and her fingertips unconsciously dug into her palms.

"What? Does the Phoenix King not want me to come?"

Lu Chen stood in mid-air, speaking with a half-smile.

"you……"

Huang Xuanzhi, standing to the side, glared angrily, about to say something.

"You jest, Your Majesty."

With a polite smile on her face, Huang Xi subtly pulled Huang Xuanzhi behind her, and with a flick of her sleeve, she quietly dissolved the angry fluctuations of her son's spiritual energy.

"It is a blessing for our Phoenix Clan that the Heavenly Lord has come."

Huang Xi smiled calmly, turned around and said loudly to the thousands of divine beasts: "Everyone, because the Phoenix King is in seclusion to comprehend the Great Dao of Nirvana, this competition for the Divine Transformation Pool will be presided over by me."

"According to the rules, each clan is limited to one person to enter the Divine Transformation Pool competition. Heavenly Sovereigns may go alone, while those who have not yet reached the Heavenly Sovereign level may be accompanied by one Dharma Protector."

As she spoke, she glanced at Lu Chen from the corner of her eye from time to time, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.

Lu Chen smiled calmly and handed a golden lightning seal to Jiu You: "Take this."

It is indeed a supreme and unparalleled sacred artifact, the Unrivaled Heart Demon Seal.

"boom--"

Just then, the calm lake surface suddenly surged with towering waves, as if some ancient seal had been broken. The emerald green lake water boiled and churned, and a vast spiritual light shot into the sky, dyeing the entire sky emerald green.

"Enter the pool!"

At Huang Xi's command, thousands of divine beasts moved in unison.

call out!call out!call out!
Streaks of light shot out from the mountain peaks, plunging into the lake like meteors. Surprisingly, all figures vanished the moment they touched the water, as if they had entered another world.

Jiuyou gripped the Thunder Seal tightly, and the illusory phoenix wings on her back unconsciously unfurled. Just as she was about to depart, she heard Lu Chen transmit his voice secretly:
"Remember, if you encounter an insurmountable danger, crush the jade bead I gave you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiuyou transformed into a stream of purple-gold light and disappeared into the boiling blue waves...

(End of this chapter)