Evan scanned the surroundings and realized this was a different world entirely. Unlike outside, it was daytime here. Ember Yang finally opened her eyes, smiling cheerfully at the flock of birds. She said, "You can go back now."
Only then did the birds leave. Even the few with ill intent hidden among them took off as well.
"Hey kid, you said this is the quiet place?" Lynn Lin asked.
"Of course! Beautiful, right? And I know an even more stunning place—no one else can reach it, only I can take you there," Ember Yang said, smiling.
"Really?" Lynn Lin asked suspiciously.
"If you don't believe me, just come with me and you'll see," Ember Yang replied with a childish laugh.
Evan Yang was curious where Ember Yang wanted to take them. Suddenly, a large bird flew over and crouched on the ground. Ember Yang said, "It will take us there."
"You’ve even got little sidekicks—aren’t you lazy?" Lynn Lin joked, then followed Evan Yang and the others onto the bird. It took off, flying at incredible speed.
Meanwhile, the few birds with ill intent flew to a cave. Inside, a massive bird lay asleep, but everything around it was pitch-black, making it impossible to see its form clearly.
"Boss, boss, something bad happened!" one of the birds who had just returned cried out, panic in its voice.
A deep voice rumbled, "What's the matter? Why are you making such a fuss?"
"Phoenix aura, Phoenix aura!" one of the birds blurted out.
"Phoenix aura?" The massive bird lying there opened its eyes wide.
"It's true! All the birds were worshipping her just now. No mistake, that's definitely Phoenix aura," the bird insisted, its voice trembling with excitement.
"Really? The Phoenix has returned?" The big bird asked suspiciously, then released its divine sense. Sure enough, it saw a giant bird carrying a group of people, and among them, a little girl radiated innate Phoenix aura, making all bow before her.
"It really is her! But this Phoenix girl still seems young... yet the power inside her is the purest I've ever sensed. I must have her! With her strength, I can break through early—haha, I'm about to emerge, I'll finally ascend to Divine Beast!" The great bird quivered with excitement.
"Boss, what should we do?" the bird asked.
"Before she grows up, go—send someone to capture her and bring her here. I'll make good use of her," the big bird ordered, its tone cold and determined.
"Alright, understood."
After the reporting birds left, the big bird lying there laughed, "Heaven is helping me! Finally, I can advance to Divine Beast."
Not far away, Evan Yang had just sensed a terrifying aura sweep through the area, only to vanish again. He wondered, "Could there be some fierce beast lurking here?"
Only Evan Yang noticed this; the others were oblivious. Lynn Lin was still chatting and laughing with Ember Yang and the others atop the giant bird.
Suddenly, a mass of strange, dark birds appeared, surrounding them.
Evan Yang frowned. "What are these?"
"Strange. They don't seem afraid of me. I wonder what they are," Ember Yang said, expecting them to scatter for her, but they didn't.
"Maybe they're being controlled by some other bird," Evan Yang said. Seeing such a large flock, he figured they belonged to some powerful force—especially given the aura earlier, which meant they weren't weak.
"Is that so? Then I'll just burn them," Ember Yang said.
"Let me handle it," Evan Yang said.
"Why?" Ember Yang asked suspiciously.
"You're one of them. It's not right for you to do it. Let me handle it," Evan Yang said with a smile. In truth, he didn't want Ember Yang to shed too much blood—he felt it wasn't good for a child.
Evan Yang swept his gaze across the flock. Sacred flame shot from his eyes, blasting into the mass of dark birds—within moments, most of them lay dead.
He swept his gaze again, and the rest of the dark flock dropped from the sky. Evan Yang smiled, "Let's go."
Ember Yang nodded, letting the giant bird continue leading the way. Nearby, a few strange birds began muttering among themselves.
"Damn it, how is that human so powerful?" one bird complained.
"Who knows? We need another plan, or the boss will say we messed up," another bird replied.
"Got any ideas?"
"Let me think. We still have some powerful flocks. Ah, yes—there's one that's the hardest to deal with. The boss barely managed to subdue them back then."
"Oh? Which flock?"
"Voidwind Birds—the invisible ones. They're incredibly fast and have strong attacks."
"If you hadn't mentioned it, I almost forgot. Come on, let's release them—I refuse to believe they'll have such an easy time now!"
"Mm-hmm."
The two birds finished their discussion and went off to carry out their orders.
While riding atop the giant bird, Evan Yang turned to Ember Yang and asked, "How much longer until we arrive, kiddo?"
"It'll still take a while. It's pretty far," Ember Yang replied.
Evan Yang nodded silently. Melody Wood asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"Looks like not all the birds are in awe of our Phoenix girl. Some have other intentions," Evan Yang said.
"What? You mean there are other birds who want to harm her?" Lynn Lin exclaimed.
"Yeah, you saw it yourselves just now," Evan Yang replied.
Lynn Lin had thought they were just ordinary birds and beasts. She muttered, "Does that mean we're in danger?"
"Not necessarily. Let's keep moving," Evan Yang said.
Ember Yang frowned. "No way. Whoever dares disrespect me, I'll just destroy them."
"What do you know, kid?" Lynn Lin retorted.
"If anyone bullies us, I'll teach them a lesson. Isn't that right?" Ember Yang said innocently.
Sometimes Evan Yang couldn't tell if Ember Yang was an adult or a child—her thoughts were impossible to read.
After they had flown for some time, strange things began to happen around them. The area grew eerily quiet; they could hear sounds but see no one.
"Weird... creepy," Evan Yang muttered to himself.
Ember Yang and the others noticed it too—something was around them, but when they tried to pinpoint it, it vanished.
"Everyone be careful. There's something strange nearby," Evan Yang warned.
Lynn Lin and Melody Wood watched their surroundings cautiously, while Ember Yang closed her eyes and said, "There are lots of little birds around us."
"Little birds?" Evan Yang asked suspiciously.
“Alright, let's do it here. I'll try to guide that power within your body,” Evan Yang said to Melody Wood.
Melody Wood nodded, then looked around and chose a spot. Evan Yang set up a formation around that point and told Ember Yang and Lynn Lin, “I'm going to help her now, so you two stay outside this circle.”
“Okay.” Lynn Lin nodded.
Time was precious. Evan Yang sat down, and Melody Wood followed suit. Evan took her hands and began to carefully probe the sealed power's location inside her body.
Lynn Lin and Ember Yang had nothing to do, so they just watched from outside.
“The power of the god-spirit... so this is what it looks like,” Evan Yang muttered as he found its location.
That power was scattered across several places inside Melody Wood’s body. It couldn’t simply be removed—otherwise, her cultivation would be ruined, maybe even her life. The only way was to let her absorb it herself, but to make sure she stayed conscious and wasn’t overwhelmed.
So Evan Yang told Melody, “You need to hold onto your soul. I’ll use my artifact to help you.”
Evan Yang took out the Soul‑Devouring Divine Sword, making sure Melody’s soul wouldn’t dissipate. Then he started unsealing the power, which surged like a flood inside her, even battering her mind. Without Evan’s protection, Melody would have lost consciousness or been replaced entirely.
At that moment, Evan Yang realized the power followed hidden patterns. He had to find and break the autonomous will inside it—only then could Melody truly use the power without backlash.
So Evan Yang searched carefully until he found a concentrated node of divine sense in Melody’s sea of consciousness—a fragment sealed deep inside her, guarded by its own defenses.
As Evan Yang approached, that divine sense glared at him like a living being and spoke: “Who are you? Why are you ruining my plans?”