Several hours later, Lu Chen had ventured deep into the Black Abyss.
Shrouded in perpetual miasma, the forest grew darker and damper with each step forward. From the shadowed depths came low, guttural roars—bloodthirsty and primal—echoing through the twisted trees. Lu Chen moved with deliberate caution, his senses stretched to their limits, avoiding any sign of spirit beast activity.
The insect-repelling powder sprinkled across his robes proved its worth. Not a single serpent or venomous crawler approached within ten paces. Half a day passed in the blink of an eye as he navigated treacherous terrain—quicksand pits disguised as solid ground, vines that lashed out like whips, patches of earth that exhaled sleeping gas.
Finally, he reached a narrow pass leading into a secluded valley. His gaze sharpened instantly.
Before him lay a vast black basin, its ground scorched to obsidian glass as if subjected to celestial fire. The entire depression brimmed with countless white bones—some small as rabbits, others larger than elephants. All pointed inward toward the basin's center, as though drawn by an irresistible force before meeting their end.
'The graveyard of beasts...' Lu Chen's breath caught slightly. 'We've finally arrived at the slumbering grounds of the Nine Nether Sparrow.'
His hands trembled—not from fear alone, but from the weight of what he was about to attempt. He had already spent his sole reflection this month, claiming the Heavenly Flame Seed containing the Myriad Beast Heavenly Flame. That choice had given him the answer he sought: a path to refine beast Soul Essence before reaching the Divine Soul Stage.
But theory and practice were worlds apart.
Facing a legendary beast capable of annihilating peak Sovereign Stage experts with a single cry... even a transmigrator's composure frayed at the edges.
'Everything is difficult at the beginning,' he steeled himself. 'Take this risk now, and the road to Sovereign Stage becomes smooth. Hesitate, and Mu Chen will claim this opportunity in two months.'
Eyes hardening with resolve, Lu Chen strode into the valley.
The black basin swallowed him whole—a gaping maw of death and ash.
Within the basin, an unnatural chill swept through the air. The sea of white bones trembled faintly with each gust, creating an eerie symphony of clattering skulls and rattling ribs. Lu Chen's boots crunched softly as he scanned the desolate expanse.
Rows of colossal black rocks jutted from the scorched earth like tombstones. Nothing else moved. No wind stirred the ashes. No beast stirred among the bones.
'Could I have miscalculated the location?' Doubt flickered for a heartbeat before he dismissed it. 'No. The bone alignment forms a natural spiritual array—this is precisely where a slumbering Nine Nether Sparrow would nest.'
His eyes flashed with sharp light. Stepping forward, he drove his fist into the base of the nearest black rock.
Click!
The rock shuddered. Hairline fractures spiderwebbed across its surface—then, with a sound like shattering ice, the entire boulder exploded outward.
From within the debris, dense black light erupted—swirling, coalescing into a sphere ten feet in diameter. It hovered silently above the ashes: a colossal egg of polished obsidian, its shell etched with ancient patterns that shifted like living shadows. Upon closer inspection, the patterns resolved into the silhouette of a magnificent black bird with wings outstretched in eternal vigilance.
A voice—cold, ancient, laced with barely restrained fury—pierced directly into Lu Chen's mind:
'Mortal insect. Have you come seeking death?'
Lu Chen's heart hammered against his ribs, but his expression remained placid. He bowed deeply, hands clasped in respect.
"Junior Lu Chen greets Senior Nine Nether Sparrow."
He straightened, voice steady despite the spiritual pressure crushing his bones. "I come bearing the Myriad Beast Heavenly Flame—not to disturb your slumber, but to offer a path toward evolution."
'Arrogant whelp.' The egg trembled with dark amusement. 'You think a child of the mortal realm understands evolution? The Burning Technique alone cannot bridge the chasm between us.'
"Whether you believe it or not matters little," Lu Chen replied calmly. "Experience will convince you where words fail."
From his spatial bracelet, he retrieved the translucent jade bottle. Crimson flame pulsed within—shifting, flowing, its form resolving into ten thousand beasts stampeding across an ancient plain. Roars echoed silently from the sealed flame, a symphony of primal power.
The moment the Myriad Beast Heavenly Flame appeared, the black egg went utterly still.
A beam of black light lashed out, snatching the jade bottle with impossible gentleness. It pressed the vessel against the eggshell as though embracing a long-lost treasure. When a voice emerged again, it carried a note of intoxication—and unmistakably feminine curiosity.
'A Heavenly Flame forged from ten thousand beast bloodlines...' Jiuyou murmured, awe threading her tone. 'Such essence could accelerate my evolution by centuries. Where did you obtain this?'
"An heirloom passed down through my bloodline," Lu Chen answered without hesitation.
'Heirloom?' Skepticism returned, sharp as a blade. 'Only a Sovereign Stage expert could secure such a treasure. Did your ancestors produce a Sovereign?'
"I cannot say for certain," Lu Chen replied, his expression artfully uncertain. "But they left more than just this flame."
As if speaking without suspicion, he withdrew a crimson scroll from his spatial bracelet—its surface shimmering with condensed spiritual energy.
Another beam of black light swept across the scroll. This time, Jiuyou's mental voice rang with genuine shock.
'The cultivation method for the Heavenly Flame Body—one of the ninety-nine Sovereign Celestial Bodies, ranked ninety-seventh!' Her tone shifted, losing its predatory edge. 'To possess both a rare Heavenly Flame AND a Sovereign Celestial Body method... your lineage clearly produced Sovereign Stage experts. I have trespassed upon a great clan's heritage.'
The black egg drifted closer, its light softening.
'I, Jiuyou, do not prey upon the honorable or exploit the vulnerable. I owe you recompense. State your request—I shall grant it within my power.'
Lu Chen bowed again, deeper this time. His voice rang with carefully measured sincerity.
"Senior, I ask for nothing material. Consider these gifts tokens of respect. I seek only to walk a wider path—to witness the Great Thousand World beyond this Northern Spiritual Realm."
'That is all?' Jiuyou's voice held genuine surprise. 'You offer treasures worthy of Sovereigns... for mere companionship on your journey?'
Lu Chen nodded firmly. 'This is enough.'
He knew Jiuyou's nature from his past-life memories. Proud, ancient, yet fundamentally righteous—the Nine Nether Sparrow had been deceived and betrayed before, making her wary but not cruel. And crucially: young by beast standards, impressionable, yearning for genuine connection beyond transactional relationships.
In two months, Mu Chen would arrive to subdue her through combat and mutual respect. But Lu Chen offered something different: voluntary alliance before conflict. A partnership forged in trust rather than blood.
And the rewards justified the gamble. After evolving through the Burning Technique, Jiuyou would become the Nine Nether Undying Flame—a Heavenly Flame rivaling even the Flame Emperor's own in potential. With her protection, the path to Sovereign Stage would be all but guaranteed.
The black egg hovered in silence for three long breaths.
Then, with sudden violence, it launched itself through the air and settled gently atop Lu Chen's head—wobbling slightly like an oversized hat.
'HAHAHA!' Jiuyou's laughter rang through his mind, bright and unburdened. 'Good lad! You're precisely my type!'
'I shall walk this path with you. When I evolve into the Nine Nether Undying Flame, no one in the Northern Spiritual Realm will dare touch you!'
'And when we reach the Great Thousand World together...' Her voice softened, almost wistful. '...you'll show me those wider horizons you promised.'
Lu Chen stood motionless beneath the weight of the egg, a slow smile spreading across his face.
'Two months ahead of canon,' he thought, fingers brushing the obsidian shell. 'And a Sovereign-grade protector before I even reach Divine Soul Stage.'
'The mirror showed me one path to death. But comprehension... comprehension forges new paths entirely.'