"ROAR—"

The creature, barely qualifying as a dragon, plummeted from the sky like a kite with a severed string, wailing as it fell. Despite countless strands of Dragon Energy desperately tugging at its massive frame to halt its descent, it crashed violently into the Northern Sea.

"CRASH—"

The impact instantly churned the entire sea into a maelstrom of terrifying waves. The dragon's body seemed to strike the heavens as it fell, its spine twisting and writhing with incessant, sickening CRACKLING sounds.

"Ao Feng, you can't escape!"

"You slaughtered twenty-seven of my clansmen! Today, your entire branch will pay the debt to my Phoenix Clan!"

The golden dragon named Ao Feng scrambled from the seabed in panic. Opening its maw to reveal half-broken fangs, it gasped for breath, its golden dragon eyes blazing with indignation as it roared, "Lin Yi! How many times must I tell you? I didn't kill your phoenix descendants! Killing them would have soiled my claws! I simply took an unexplained nap, and when I awoke, I was on Phoenix Island, surrounded by the corpses of those... those wild chickens! I've been framed!"

Hiding a short distance beneath the sea's surface, Su Bei and his three companions held their breath, silently observing the colossal battle between the Dragon Clan and the Phoenix. Adhering to the principle of "the less trouble, the better," they had no intention of intervening on either side. Without knowing the full story, it's best not to comment.

Su Bei took a deep breath, clenching his jaw, and said slowly, "I have a feeling... there's something very fishy about the Dragon Pond being unsealed so suddenly. And the culprit is most likely... Don't you agree, Ji Baoer?"

Receiving no reply for a long moment, Su Bei turned in confusion to look at the preoccupied Nan Ji. "Ji Baoer?!"

Ji Nanjue finally snapped back to attention, nodding hastily. "Yes, yes, Husband, you're right. It's him!"

Su Bei eyed her skeptically. "I haven't said who 'he' is yet."

Ji Nanjue stammered, "Ah... Oh."

Su Bei was speechless. For some reason, ever since that Phoenix named Lin Yi appeared, Ji Nanjue's demeanor has been noticeably off. I wonder why. He shook his head, dismissing the thought, and continued to observe the situation covertly, focusing on his breathing.

"SCREECH!"

"To hell with your 'wild chickens'!" an even more furious phoenix cry tore through the air.

Then, the figures of a dozen or so phoenixes gradually materialized over the sea, their vermilion wings wreathed in inextinguishable flames that engulfed the entire sky. The leading Phoenix, Lin Yi, spread its wings, its crimson eyes, bloodshot and radiating a chilling gaze.

"Ao Feng, still making excuses! Your Dragon Clan not only secretly colludes with the Western Wasteland, luring Wilderness Cultivators into the Northern Sea, but now you dare to defile the noble bloodline of my Phoenix Clan!"

Ao Feng roared in fury, his hundred-zhang dragon body surging from the sea, his scorched whiskers twitching uncontrollably. "Bullshit! How could my Dragon Clan possibly collude with the Western Wasteland?"

With the appearance of the dragon and phoenixes, the already overcast sky above the sea darkened further as black, leaden clouds rapidly amassed. In moments, the sky turned pitch black, the darkness spreading relentlessly until it touched the horizon, leaving only the faintest sliver of light between heaven and earth. The wind howled, and thunder rumbled menacingly through the clouds.

Lin Yi sneered, "You certainly put that mouth of yours to good use! Die!"

A dozen or so phoenixes attacked in unison, and in an instant, the winds howled and the clouds surged! The scorching Phoenix True Fire relentlessly seared the boiling sea. Lin Yi, in his true Phoenix form, slammed his powerful wings against Ao Feng's dragon body, followed by a continuous barrage of thunderous explosions. The entire world seemed to tremble. This assault was like the beating of a war drum, the thunder its deafening rhythm.

Ao Feng, unable to dodge, was struck hard, causing the entire sea to heave violently. Dragon blood sprayed wantonly—a resource considered priceless in the Nine States, now scattered across the Northern Sea like refuse.

GURGLE, GURGLE—

Bubbles began to rise from the sea's surface.

Lin Yi then noticed something amiss. He saw the sea of blood beneath him, his phoenix eyes narrowing sharply as he said coldly, "Well, well, well! What a Dragon Clan! If I hadn't pursued you here, your clan would have managed to conceal such a monumental event! The Dragon Pond has actually been unsealed! Hmph, if you didn't conspire with the Western Wasteland, how do you explain this boiling Dragon Pond beneath your feet? Besides the Sword Sect, no one in the Nine States can break the seal on the Dragon Pond! Who else could it be but those Wilderness Cultivators from the Western Wasteland?"

Ao Feng took a ragged breath, his golden dragon eyes wide as he retorted, "I knew nothing about this either! Someone also slaughtered my dragon offspring and even massacred all the guards in the Dragon Palace!"

Lin Yi threw his head back and laughed. The next moment, his expression turned grim. He stared coldly at Ao Feng and said, "Keep spinning your tales! It's a good story, even this elder almost believed it! But regardless, today, you die!"

A rain of blood fell. Ao Feng's breathing grew increasingly labored as he thrashed his dragon body desperately, trying to break free from the encirclement of the dozen or so phoenixes. In his dragon eyes, Lin Yi's fatal strike loomed, drawing nearer and nearer. Fear finally flickered in Ao Feng's pupils. He yelled frantically, "I'm not lying! Damn it, it's all true! When all the Dragon Clan elders rushed to the Sealed Dragon Pond in the depths of the Dragon Palace, the 'Three Divisions of Freedom' was gone! Someone orchestrated all of this to provoke conflict between our two clans!"

Ao Feng's words caused no visible reaction from Lin Yi in the sky, but they certainly startled Su Bei and his companions hidden beneath the waves.

Su Bei's pupils contracted sharply. The Three Divisions of Freedom... stolen!? The worst has happened!

This momentary fluctuation in his aura, however, was instantly detected by the phoenixes and the beleaguered dragon. Lin Yi's gaze sharpened. Reverting to his human form, he flung a scarlet blaze of energy towards Su Bei's location. "Skulking around? Who's there? Come out!"

Su Bei and the other three exchanged glances, then Su Bei waved his hand, dispelling the Spiritual Energy shield around them.

Lin Yi narrowed his phoenix eyes, observing the somewhat familiar white-haired man. However, his attention first fell not on Su Bei, but on the woman beside him, who seemed both familiar and strangely alien.

After they regarded each other for a moment, Lin Yi slowly lowered his hand and, without a word, began to walk towards Su Bei.

Su Bei sighed in relief, patting his own face to force a more sincere smile. Thankfully, this Phoenix seems reasonable and didn't just attack.

He cleared his throat lightly, about to step forward and speak with this Phoenix named Lin Yi, when Ji Nanjue, to his surprise, moved past him and went forward.

"Ji Baoer... you... hmm?"

An expression of profound embarrassment covered Ji Nanjue's face. She swallowed hard, looking at the Phoenix named Lin Yi. Then, after a heavy cough and smoothing her hair, she spoke softly, much to Su Bei's utter bewilderment, "Well... um... This humble son-in-law greets Father-in-law..."