As the treasure bead in Feng Ruhua's hand shattered, a stream of golden-red fire light suddenly shot out, piercing through Feng Ruhua's cave dwelling, then through the entire active volcano, and flying towards the port.
"Huh? The other Fire Phoenix treasure bead hasn't shattered yet?"
Phoenixes are actually composed of "Feng" and "Huang," with Feng being male and Huang being female.
However, as female leaders began to dominate within the Five Phoenix Clans, Feng and Huang gradually became interchangeable.
Yet, the Phoenix clan still maintained the tradition of crafting artifacts in pairs.
Especially for artifacts used for locating individuals or for mutual connection, they were always produced in pairs, or even in groups of multiple items.
"That's not right! The corresponding Fire Phoenix treasure bead should be on that monkey, Sun Wukong!
Could it be..."
Feng Ruhua was initially startled, then overjoyed. She immediately gave chase to the golden-red firelight.
*Bang~*
Unfortunately, just as Feng Ruhua was about to fly out of the active volcano, she was blocked by a wall of azure wind.
"Wife, where are you going at this late hour of the night?"
As he spoke, a handsome young man with a tall, slender build, a face like jade, and bright, star-like eyes appeared before Feng Ruhua, stepping on streams of azure light. For a moment, the deep night seemed to brighten.
Illuminated by this handsome youth!
However, Feng Ruhua's brow furrowed.
"Qing Rongchang? Get out of the way. I've already agreed to Grandmother to marry you, so you should go back and prepare for the wedding.
I have something to attend to now, please… move aside!"
Feng Ruhua suppressed her anger and disgust, and tried to speak as calmly as possible.
Yet, the handsome young man did not move. Instead, he displayed a gentle, wind-like smile and politely extended his hand:
"Wife, what is it that you need to attend to? Just hand it over to your husband, and I will handle it for you."
"Get out of the way! Annoying!"
Feng Ruhua rolled her beautiful eyes and transformed directly into her Fire Phoenix form, soaring into the sky, attempting to bypass Qing Rongchang, the detested Azure Luan.
However, she, a seventh-tier Demon Lord, was like an infant facing a burly man in front of a ninth-tier Demon Emperor. No matter how she struggled, she couldn't break free from his palm.
No matter how fast Feng Ruhua flew, Qing Rongchang could always stand before her with a smiling face, without even revealing his true form, maintaining his handsome young man persona with grace and composure.
"Wife, it's getting late. You should go back and rest."
Qing Rongchang's voice remained as gentle as the wind, but to Feng Ruhua, it was a profound mockery!
Her desperate flight was like a clown's performance in front of Qing Rongchang; she couldn't break free nor advance an inch.
"Qing Rongchang, get lost, or I'll have Grandmother crush you, you trash!"
After frantically flying for an hour without being able to escape Qing Rongchang's blockade, Feng Ruhua finally panicked. She directly invoked the Fire Phoenix clan's ancestor to threaten him.
"Wife, why don't we wait here for the Ancestor to pass judgment? If the Ancestor allows you to leave, I will accompany you."
Qing Rongchang's voice remained gentle, showing no hint of anger. His suggestion was also accommodating to Feng Ruhua.
This was because he knew that the Fire Phoenix clan's Ancestor's divine sense constantly covered the entire active volcano, and their every move was always within the Ancestor's sight. Thus, he naturally presented his most perfect demeanor.
Infuriated, Feng Ruhua soon realized the situation. She reverted to her human form, took a deep breath, and calmed herself. Then, she spoke in a gentle voice towards the depths of the active volcano:
"Grandmother, your granddaughter has an old friend visiting and needs to see them. They are in the port city to the east. If Grandmother is worried, she can come along and see.
Qing Rongchang can also come along."
Feng Ruhua was not foolish. After such a long time, and still within the Fire Phoenix clan's territory, her princess was being 'toying' with, yet no other Fire Phoenix came to stop it. It was clear that this was her grandmother's command.
"Go ahead~ It's good to go meet a friend, and perhaps say goodbye."
The dignified voice of the Fire Phoenix Ancestor, Feng Wei, echoed in the air, but she did not appear.
She had naturally noticed the stream of golden-red fire light that flew out of Feng Ruhua's cave dwelling earlier. Moreover, she had discovered that this stream of light had landed in an inn at the port.
Therefore, she believed Feng Ruhua about meeting a friend, but the claim of a visitor was clearly false. Her granddaughter was likely seeking someone, perhaps to help her escape.
It was safer to keep such a person under her watchful eye. By letting Qing Rongchang accompany her, if anything seemed amiss, he would directly kill them!
Regarding her granddaughter's path of cultivation, she would not hesitate to kill a few more 'friends'!
"Wife~ Please."
Qing Rongchang was already smiling gently, his voice as gentle as the wind, as if gentleness was his most fundamental trait.
"Hmph~"
Feng Ruhua snorted coldly. Her beautiful face was contorted with anger and disgust, but she couldn't act out and could only endure.
She glared at Qing Rongchang one last time, then, with a disgruntled mood, flew towards the [Lin Feng Du Zong] Inn at the port.
Upon the arrival of the petulant Fire Phoenix princess, the head shopkeeper of [Lin Feng Du Zong], a portly middle-aged cultivator, personally came to greet her.
Feng Ruhua had transformed into her true form and caused a disturbance on Fire Phoenix Island for an hour. Even cultivators with some strength were awakened, and this grand shopkeeper, a Tribulation-stage cultivator, was no exception.
However, he had not expected this unruly princess to grace his inn.
"Princess Ruhua, the esteemed presence of Senior Qing Rongchang truly brightens our humble [Lin Feng Du Zong Lou]. Is there anything you would like to order for spiritual cuisine?"
"No! I'm looking for someone, I'll find them myself."
Feng Ruhua interrupted the plump shopkeeper and strode towards the upper floors of the inn.
She still possessed some manners and did not fly directly within someone else's inn. Instead, she walked honestly.
Behind her, Qing Rongchang shrugged at the plump shopkeeper and gave a gentle, apologetic smile.
"It's nothing~ It's nothing~ Feel free to search, search as you please. If any of my employees dare to offend you, feel free to beat them to death."
The plump shopkeeper was adept at handling matters and waved them in with a fawning smile.
*Bang~*
Even walking, a seventh-tier Demon Lord moved with incredible speed. In just a few breaths, the room where Yang Hong was located was kicked open.
"Who!"
Inside the room, the pressure of a ninth-tier Mahayana stage human cultivator instantly erupted, sending Feng Ruhua, who was about to charge in, flying backward.
*Pfft~*
A mouthful of fiery red blood sprayed through the air.
Yang Hong was asleep. The golden-red fire light earlier had the same aura as a magical artifact in his storage ring, and it had flown into his storage ring without alerting him, automatically merging with his Fire Phoenix treasure bead.
Therefore, he was still sleeping soundly. Even after Feng Ruhua and Qing Rongchang had caused a commotion outside for over an hour, with the inn's protective formation activated, he slept peacefully.
However, when someone suddenly breached the room's protective formation, his spirit, which had been on high alert and never relaxed, immediately awoke, and his cultivation erupted without reservation.
Feng Ruhua, completely unprepared and filled with anticipation, was immediately vomited blood and fainted by Yang Hong's formidable cultivation aura.
"Wife, be careful!"
Qing Rongchang, who was following Feng Ruhua, immediately caught her as she flew back. Seeing that Feng Ruhua had closed her eyes and fainted, he immediately became enraged.
"Presumptuous thief, you court death!
Vast Azure Wind!"
"Sir~ Please don't!"
The plump shopkeeper's voice was one of desperate plea as he tried to intervene, but it was already too late!