Turkey Firebird

After the two of them made their breakthroughs,

they continued their arduous cultivation within the Qian Yuan Spirit Array, steadily accumulating their cultivation base.

During the time Wang Jianqiang and his companion were in seclusion for their breakthroughs,

Wang Jianqiang spent his days alternating between refining pills and forging magical artifacts. His proficiency in alchemy, artifact crafting, and cultivation points had all improved significantly.

On this particular day, he decided to take a break from refining and ventured outside to hunt for some Frost Pearls.

Shortly after leaving the cave, a searing pain suddenly flared in his palm.

He grunted in pain and raised his hand to inspect it.

To his shock, the egg-shaped mark on his palm was emitting an eerie green glow.

The green light was unbearably hot, radiating a terrifying aura.

Had the light not been restrained to its absolute limit, even the slightest leakage of its power would have been enough to reduce him to ashes.

"Damn it, what the hell is this thing?!"

Wang Jianqiang felt as though his hand was melting. The excruciating pain nearly made him grit his teeth to dust, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

"This burning is insane—if this keeps up, I’ll die from the pain before anything else!"

A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

Just as he was about to sever his own arm, the green light suddenly broke free from his palm.

Within the glow, an egg-shaped piece of jade flickered in and out of sight.

But Wang Jianqiang had no time to examine it closely. He hastily retreated, trying to put as much distance between himself and the mysterious object as possible.

Yet the next moment, he froze in shock.

Without warning, his surroundings had transformed into a sea of green flames.

The earth itself had melted into scorching lava, and thick plumes of smoke billowed into the sky like the end of the world.

"Holy shit…"

After a stunned pause, Wang Jianqiang finally snapped back to reality, his face paling. He frantically summoned the Mystic Light Seal, and a shimmering spiritual light enveloped him as the Flawless Moonwater Robe draped over his body.

Next, he compressed the Wooden Sword Array around himself, forming a third layer of defense.

The Earth, Water, Fire, and Metal Sword Arrays instantly merged into it, amplifying the Wooden Sword Array’s defensive power to its absolute peak.

...

"Wait… something’s off?"

Wang Jianqiang’s frantic movements suddenly halted.

In his panic earlier, he hadn’t had time to think.

But now, he realized something strange—he didn’t feel the slightest hint of burning.

He instinctively checked his body.

To his surprise, he found himself enveloped in a faint green glow.

The glow was so subtle that it was almost imperceptible unless examined closely.

Despite its fragile appearance, the terrifying heat capable of melting magical artifacts was completely blocked out.

"What the hell is going on?"

Wang Jianqiang was utterly baffled.

Crack!

At that moment, a sound like shattering glass or stone echoed through the air.

Wang Jianqiang instinctively turned his gaze toward the jade.

To his astonishment, a crack had formed on its surface.

Crack—

Crack—

...

Once the first fissure appeared, it triggered a chain reaction. Cracks multiplied rapidly across the jade’s surface.

In the blink of an eye, the entire piece shattered completely.

As fragments of the broken jade fell to the ground, Wang Jianqiang was stunned to discover that the jade had been hollow all along.

Even more shocking—inside was a chicken!

"So this thing wasn’t just shaped like an egg… it actually was one!"

Wang Jianqiang gaped as a small, green-feathered chick emerged from the shattered remains.

While he was still staring at the chick, the little creature seemed to sense his gaze and suddenly turned its head toward him.

Chirp!

With a cheerful cry, a streak of green light flashed past.

Before Wang Jianqiang could react, the chick had already nestled itself into his arms.

His entire body stiffened.

Although the thing looked no bigger than a palm, the mere thought of it being just an egg while creating such a terrifying scene earlier made him tremble involuntarily.

To his surprise, however, the green-feathered chick didn’t attack after darting into his arms. Instead, it nuzzled affectionately against his chest a few times.

He let out a long sigh of relief.

His tension eased considerably.

Tentatively, he reached out and stroked the chick’s head. The soft downy feathers felt incredibly pleasant to the touch.

Far from showing any impatience, the little creature happily rubbed its head against his fingers.

Seeing this, Wang Jianqiang finally relaxed completely.

He glanced at the shattered jade-like fragments on the ground—well, presumably eggshells.

With a wave of his hand, he collected all the pieces.

After the green chick hatched, the fiery energy within the eggshells hadn’t dissipated but had instead concealed itself entirely.

If used for forging artifacts, they would likely yield excellent results.

……

Two hours later.

Wang Jianqiang returned to the cave and glanced at the little green creature perched on his shoulder, letting out a helpless chuckle.

The little thing seemed to have imprinted on him. No matter how he tried to hide or shake it off, it effortlessly found him again.

Even now, he still had no idea about its origins.

However, after some investigation, he wasn’t entirely without discoveries.

Upon closer inspection, he realized the creature wasn’t actually a chicken but a bird—its fluffy feathers just made it resemble one.

Also, it was female.

“Huh? What’s this?”

As Wang Jianqiang entered the cave, the two women inside noticed him.

When their eyes landed on the small green bird on his shoulder, they couldn’t hide their astonishment.

“Found it outside.”

Wang Jianqiang couldn’t be bothered to explain and answered dismissively.

“Found it?”

“There are native flesh-and-blood creatures in this secret realm?”

The two were baffled, but seeing that Wang Jianqiang had no intention of elaborating, they didn’t press further.

Afterward, Wang Jianqiang didn’t let them resume their cultivation.

He’d long had a bold idea but never had the chance to act on it. Now that both women had awakened from their cultivation, he finally seized the opportunity.

……

Ten days later, Wang Yuyao completed her accumulation in the Second Revolution Realm.

After failing six times in a row, she finally broke through and became a Third Revolution cultivator.

A few more days passed.

Ye Qingxue completed her accumulation in the Third Revolution Realm.

Breaking through to Foundation Establishment proved far more challenging than any previous hurdle.

Even with Ye Qingxue’s talent, it took her a full month and a half—along with consuming five Foundation Establishment Pills—before she succeeded, officially stepping into the Foundation Establishment Realm.

By now, Wang Jianqiang only had two Foundation Establishment Pills left.

The expenditure had far exceeded his expectations.

The remaining two pills were nowhere near enough for Wang Yuyao’s Foundation Establishment needs.

Continuing their secluded cultivation was no longer useful.

Wang Jianqiang decided they would celebrate for a day before leaving the next morning.

But plans often go awry.

Due to certain reasons, Wang Jianqiang found himself severely drained of energy.

It wasn’t until the third day that he fully recovered.

After dismantling the cave’s formations and carefully concealing the entrance,

Wang Jianqiang turned to the two women behind him.

Their strength had undergone a world-shaking transformation compared to before.

Especially Ye Qingxue.

Even standing there motionless, without actively releasing a trace of spiritual energy,

the sheer pressure radiating from her body was enough to unsettle any Qi Refinement cultivator.

A Third Revolution cultivator, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, along with himself—a master of schemes (or rather, a cunning veteran) and an unfathomably powerful firebird.

Their group's combined strength was already formidable.

At this thought, Wang Jianqiang's heart swelled with pride.

With a grand wave of his hand,

"Move out!"

The trio and the bird instantly shot toward the direction of the frigid pool.