There stood an old man in red robes with white hair and beard and a kind face. He bent down, picked up a fiery red bead at his feet, and sighed, "Alas! No wonder my throat has been so uncomfortable for the past ten years. It turns out there was a strange bead stuck in there. What a peculiar thing!"
Lin Yi watched this scene with a smile. With the arrival of Nuwa's descendant, the Fire Spirit Orb should naturally be returned to its rightful owner, which was also an important reason why he brought Zhao Ling'er along.
It's not that there's no way to deal with the Fire Qilin, but this kind of naturally born divine beast is favored by the world, and Lin Yi doesn't want to cause unnecessary trouble unless absolutely necessary.
The old man in red, holding the Fire Spirit Orb, looked at Zhao Ling'er with a smile and asked, "Little girl, what's your name? How old are you?"
Zhao Ling'er glanced at Lin Yi beside her, calmed down, and said, "Hello, Grandpa, my name is Zhao Ling'er, and I am sixteen years old."
The old man in red stroked his long beard and chuckled, saying, "Ling'er, sixteen years old, very good, very good."
As he spoke, he handed the Fire Spirit Orb to Zhao Ling'er and continued, "This is for you."
Zhao Ling'er accepted it and said, "Thank you, Grandpa."
The old man in red said, "I have lived for over a thousand years, so I deserve to be called your grandfather. Come visit me often when you have time."
Before leaving, the old man in red looked at Lin Yi and said, "If you have time, please be sure to visit the temple of the Goddess Nuwa."
Lin Yi nodded and said, "I will go."
Although Zhao Ling'er was somewhat puzzled, she did not speak.
After leaving the Qilin Cave and exiting Dali City, Lin Yi took out the Earth Spirit Orb and the Thunder Spirit Orb, while Zhao Ling'er took out the Fire Spirit Orb. The three spirit orbs slowly rotated around the two of them.
Lin Yi said, "Keep up the good work, and we'll be able to collect all five elemental beads soon."
"Mmm." Zhao Ling'er nodded, her face full of anticipation for the future.
………………
Shenmu Forest.
This is an exceptionally dense forest, with so many trees that there is almost no path to walk through. The forest is not only dark but also cold, with only sparse sunlight filtering through the intertwined branches.
Lin Yi carried Zhao Ling'er on a cloud, with white clouds drifting by and the azure sky seemingly within reach.
Looking out, the forest stretches endlessly, like a rolling green sea, a vast expanse of blue waves, a truly magnificent sight.
Not far ahead stands the tallest tree, towering above the sea of trees, its top bare and without branches or leaves, seemingly reflecting a layer of golden light under the sunlight.
As the two approached the sacred tree, they saw a huge nest at the top. The feathers inside were ten times larger than ordinary bird feathers, and at the base of the snow-white, soft feathers, a faint golden light shone through, dazzling and lovely. Hidden among the soft feathers were several rays of light.
Just then, a loud, piercing cry came from afar, echoing throughout the entire sky.
Lin Yi remained calm and reached out to part the soft cotton, revealing a giant golden egg and a bead emitting blue light next to it.
"Phoenix Egg, Wind Spirit Pearl."
Just as Lin Yi put away the Wind Spirit Pearl, a gentle breeze stirred in the previously tranquil sky. The breeze grew stronger with each gust, and the shrieking sound became closer and sharper.
Lin Yi looked up and saw a golden cloud rapidly approaching. When it got close enough to be recognized as a magnificent, multicolored bird, it had already covered the sky, its wings shining with golden light, majestic and awe-inspiring. Its long tail feathers were colorful in the sunlight, so beautiful that it was mesmerizing.
Behind Lin Yi, a phantom image of a phoenix embodying the Five Virtues appeared. With a punch, waves of holy virtue rippled, purple light of blessings shone, a pagoda of merit appeared, invisible virtues were hidden, and the glow of morality flowed.
A soft, phoenix-like cry echoed through the void, and the Five Virtues pattern rose from the golden-winged phoenix's form!
Lin Yi changed his fist into a palm and gently pressed it on the head of the golden-winged phoenix.
The golden-winged phoenix let out a soft cry and circled around Lin Yi.
"Would you like to come with me?" Lin Yi asked.
After circling a few times, the golden-winged phoenix flew back to its nest, lowered its head, and let out a few mournful cries.
Lin Yi did not insist. Just as he was about to turn and leave, the golden-winged phoenix poked its head out of its nest, and a golden phoenix egg rolled out from under its body.
Lin Yi said with a smile, "Are you planning to make me your nanny?"
The golden-winged phoenix fawned over Lin Yi by bringing its head close to his thigh and rubbing it up and down repeatedly.
Lin Yi thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll take your child and I'll definitely treat it well in the future."
Lin Yi put the phoenix egg into the Yin-Yang Two Qi Bottle. His Heavenly Roc True Body cultivated in the bottle and began incubating the egg from today onwards, becoming a responsible and diligent bird.
After escorting Lin Yi out of the Divine Tree Forest, the Golden-Winged Phoenix returned to its nest alone. For the sake of its offspring's future, it silently endured the pain of separation from its child. (8)
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Chapter 159 Lin Qing'er
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The Nuwa Temple is the sacred site of the supreme Miao people.
As Lin Yi led Zhao Ling'er along, the guards protecting the temple, under the influence of magic, ignored their arrival.
The ground was also covered with flat white boulders, and the snow-white building looked spotless. The building was just an extremely wide white square house with several tiers of steps at the base and several archways. Under the blue sky, the white walls and tiles looked even more pure and otherworldly.
The main hall was somewhat dim, and apart from a life-sized statue of a god, there was nothing else inside.
The statue stood on a jade platform, surrounded by exquisite railings. The jade railings were no obstacle at all, and Lin Yi and Zhao Ling'er easily stepped over them.
Zhao Ling'er looked up at the slightly tall statue of Nuwa standing on the platform. A very familiar feeling welled up in her heart, but when she thought about it carefully, it was like looking at flowers through a fog. She could not see clearly and could not understand it.
Unbeknownst to her, Zhao Ling'er had already ascended the jade steps and reached out to touch the statue on the jade platform.
The moment her hand touched the stone statue, everything went black.