Han Sen, Bao Lian and Dragon One felt a cold sweat gather across their brows. There was nothing in the world that was scarier than an unreasonable deity. It was obvious that the god phoenix wasnât acting rationally.
âYou. Answer this question.â The phoenix turned to another King class noble. That person was also a student of Elder Nader, and he was asked the same question.
âMaster...â The guy seemed to be on the verge of tears. He spoke to Elder Nader with a trembling voice.
Elder Naderâs face turned green. He had brought many of his students there to explore the new xenogeneic space. He hadnât expected them to run face-first into a true god. Such a being was a truly terrifying existence. He knew this was going to be bad.
But this student was behaving with such weakness. He was a King class elite with Destroyed blood. And yet, he sounded weaker than some low-ranking outsider.
âAnswer my question.â The flames across the phoenixâs body exploded, covering the skies and the earth with a white flame. The eyes of the bird stared down at the Destroyed King with demonic intensity.
The Destroyed student looked pale, and he hurried up to answer, âI would listen to my partner. If she wanted me to live, I would live. If she wanted me to die, I would die.â
âWhat a wimp.â The phoenix grunted callously. It opened its mouth and drew in a breath. Just like the other two creatures, the Destroyed Kingâs body was reduced to nothing but ash.
Every personâs heart sank. It was obvious that the phoenix was playing with them. No matter what they answered, they were going to die.
âIf you want to kill me, kill me. Iâm not answering your crappy bird-brained question,â shouted a nameless King when he saw the phoenix looking down on him.
âIf that is what you desire, then I will do it.â The phoenix was still acting very high-class and elegant. It lowered its head, opened its beak, and inhaled. The King dissolved into dust.
Han Senâs heart sank. He had been hoping that the phoenixâs question was similar to the wishes offered by the gods. He had suspected that if he didnât answer the question, the phoenix might not be able to hurt him. But after watching the death of the most recent victim, it was evident things werenât like that.
Dragon One and Bao Lianâs faces looked grey, and sweat had beaded across their faces. They thought their feelings would be reflected in Han Sen, and that they would feel hopeless.
The phoenix asked the same question to another few creatures, but no matter what they answered, the results were the same. They all had their life forces ripped out of them.
The powerful Elder Nader was a transmutation deified, but he could only watch the events unfold. He couldnât resist or do anything about it.
Eventually, the phoenix came before Elder Nader. Elder Naderâs three heads and six eyes stared back at the phoenix. It looked as if he wanted to attack the phoenix, but his body was bound too tightly by the branches. He couldnât even move, let alone fight. He couldnât even wiggle his fingers.
The branches hadnât just trapped his body. If the situation was that simple, then his elite transmutation powers would have allowed him to turn a simple exhale into an end-of-the-world thunder god. He wouldnât be rendered helpless by mere physical restraints.
But now, Elder Nader couldnât exert any strength. He wasnât even sure if his power had been contained or drained entirely.
As everyone waited for Elder Nader to die, the phoenix turned its face away. It turned around, and its raptor-like gaze locked onto Han Sen and the two others on the ground next to him.
The hearts of the three began to bound. Before they realized what was going on, the phoenix flapped its wings and flew down the mountain.
âOh no.â Han Sen suddenly felt sick with fear. Why had that phoenix suddenly changed its mind, leaving a deified elite to fly toward them instead?
The faces of Dragon One and Bao Lian turned green. Losing all sense of decorum, Dragon One shouted at Bao Lian, âMr. Bao, if we donât fight, we donât stand a chance!â
Bao Lianâs face darkened with frustration. âYou think I donât want to fight? Have you been paying attention? The power gap is too significant. Even though my King body isnât suppressed, I canât seem to use its power. There is no chance of fighting back. Arenât you a Dragon? Donât you call yourself the bravest race? Donât you guys have high resistance to any kind of power? Can you break the suppression on me so that I can activate my King body? Perhaps that way we can get out of this mess.â
Dragon One sank against his bonds. âIf I could break free, do you think I would remain here trapped?â
The discussion was pointless. The two of them were locked-down there, and neither of them could get free. Dragon One could see that Bao Lian was useless, so he shouted at Han Sen, âDollar, if you can escape, take us away now. Do it before it is too late.â
Han Sen shook his head. Even if he used his super god spirit body to escape, it would only last a second. Once that time was up, the phoenixâs power would be back to suppressing him. He was a dead man, either way.
There was nothing that the three of them could do to escape. And by now, the phoenix had reached them. It landed ten meters away from the three and looked at Han Sen.
âNo way. There are so many creatures you can eat, but you choose to eat me? I am not Tang Sanzang. What are you staring at me for?â Han Sen felt so depressed. He prepared to activate his super god spirit body. Although his chances of escape were low, it was worth a shot.
Han Sen was going to wait until the phoenix asked its question, and as soon as it started speaking, he would use his super god spirit body to teleport away. Perhaps he would survive, somehow.
But when the phoenix opened its beak, it didnât ask a question. The scary suction pulled on Han Senâs body.
âOh no... Itâs all over.â Han Sen thought in sudden despair. It was too late for him to use his super god spirit body now.
Han Sen thought he was going to be turned into dust, but that wasnât what happened. His body flew through the air toward the phoenix.
Before Han Sen realized what was going on, the phoenix flapped its wings and shot up into the air beneath Han Sen, catching him on its back.
Han Sen was sitting on the white fire, but it didnât feel hot. It was a very warm, relaxing sensation. He felt as if he was sitting in a hot spring. The phoenixâs body had a seemingly limitless lifeforce. The feeling rushed through him, and it made his body feel like old wood receiving life again. His cells were active, and they began to multiply at a much faster rate.
âWhat is going on?â Han Sen was confused.
Bao Lian, Dragon One, and many of the other creatures that were wrapped up in branches were looking quite confused. They couldnât believe this was happening.
They all thought Dollar was going to bite the dust. They would never have guessed that he would end up riding the phoenix. They all stared at Han Sen in shock, unsure what sort of reaction they should give.
After the phoenix placed Han Sen on its back, it flapped its wings and returned to the wooden bridge.
Han Sen sat atop the phoenixâs back. He could tell that the phoenix didnât hold any hostility toward him.
The phoenix dropped back onto the bridge, landing in front of Elder Nader, who was tied up like a cocoon. The birdâs resonating voice played in everyoneâs head again.
âYou can eat this,â the phoenix said. All around Han Sen, the jaws of the onlookers fell open.
Even though the phoenix hadnât used Elder Naderâs name, it was obvious that the bird thought the Destroyed would be tasty and nutritious. And he wanted Han Sen to eat the man.