Chapter 102: You Actually Want to Ride Me?

The Sacred Flame of Liyan was taken by Phoenix Qianqian, rendering the Fiery Formation useless. Zhou Qi led Phoenix Qianqian through the vast altar and into the valley. "Senior, why have you fallen silent?" Zhou Qi asked, unused to her sudden quietness.

"My heart is broken. This is no longer my era. As you said, the phoenix clan no longer exists in this world. I may be the last phoenix, with no kin left. What meaning is there in my continued existence? It would be better to perish in the Spirit Burial Sea," Phoenix Qianqian lamented, her spirit crushed.

"Just because they are unseen doesn't mean they don't exist. Perhaps they dwell in some hidden realm or another dimension, unknown to the world. And what of that dragon who wronged you? If he still lives freely in this world, do you not wish to seek revenge?" Zhou Qi encouraged.

"I have wasted hundreds of thousands of years. Even if I were to confront him now, I doubt I could match him—it would only be self-humiliation."

"If longevity guaranteed strength, then why bother with talent? The higher the cultivation, the harder it is to break through each level. Some remain stuck at the same stage their entire lives. You are gifted and will surely catch up quickly. That dragon is cruel and narrow-minded, clearly not someone capable of great deeds. He might still be stagnant," Zhou Qi reasoned.

"True. Little Zhou, though your power and looks are lacking, your words are quite smooth. Have you fooled many girls? Tell me some stories to lift my spirits..."

...Next time, it’s better not to speak so much!

After nearly ten kilometers, the path ended abruptly. Ahead was a bottomless cliff, shrouded in darkness. Zhou Qi tossed a stone over the edge but heard no sound for a long time.

Is this the chasm between the Fiery Formation and the Heavenly Thunder Formation?

The opposite side was veiled in black mist, making it impossible to see. Zhou Qi was troubled—he couldn’t fly, couldn’t tell if the other side was higher or lower, and had no idea how wide the chasm was.

If he leapt across and missed, the fall would be fatal regardless of his physical strength.

"Senior, could you fly over to have a look?" Zhou Qi asked Phoenix Qianqian perched on his shoulder.

"Does that count as using a move?" she inquired.

"Just scouting the path, so it doesn’t," he replied.

"What? You want the noble phoenix to scout for you? No way," she said, glaring. Though a fallen phoenix was weaker than a chicken, she still had her pride.

What? Zhou Qi was speechless. Even in this state, she remained proud. "If you need anything, just say so. Whatever I have, I’ll lend it to you freely."

"If you have any high-grade flames, that might work. But judging by you, I doubt you have any. Either waste your chance to act, or figure something out yourself," Phoenix Qianqian said dismissively.

Look down on who? Zhou Qi had plenty of flames. The Medicine Immortal Sanctuary contained a sea of fire. He sent his spiritual awareness into it and found a flame of middling quality—too low-grade for Phoenix Qianqian’s taste, too high and he would lose out just scouting.

A pink flame quietly burned in Zhou Qi’s hand. Seeing this sudden flame, Phoenix Qianqian was delighted. Unexpectedly, Zhou Qi really had one. "This flame is barely acceptable. I’ll make do and scout for you."

With that, she inhaled the pink flame, then took off from Zhou Qi’s shoulder, plunging into the black mist across the chasm.

Five minutes later, Phoenix Qianqian returned. She said the other side wasn’t far, only obscured by the mist.

Zhou Qi was overjoyed and ran on a nearby clearing, then jumped, landing about two hundred meters away. "Senior, can I make the jump?"

Phoenix Qianqian shook her head. She had thought he was about to leap across directly. If he could only jump this far, death was certain. "You’d need about five jumps of that length."

One thousand meters? Zhou Qi was dumbfounded. Who could jump that far? He’d have to find another way.

He couldn’t fly, and even if he could, the height terrified him. If only he could ride on Phoenix Qianqian’s back—but she was so small, surely she couldn’t bear his weight; they’d both fall to their deaths.

Maybe build a plane? No, beyond his abilities. A small boat was already impressive. A hot-air balloon? Possible, but what if it burst mid-flight?

After much pondering, Zhou Qi still had no solution. Phoenix Qianqian showed no impatience. Watching Zhou Qi scratching his head and nodding then shaking it, she grew bored and began to absorb the flame he had given her.

Her body slowly stretched, soon over two meters long. Her great wings stirred a fierce wind, startling Zhou Qi from deep thought.

"Senior, can you grow even bigger?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied, enlarging herself further to over ten meters in length, resembling a small airplane. Her wings spread wide, casting a vast shadow.

"If I carried over two hundred pounds, could you still fly?"

"Naturally. Forget two hundred pounds—thousands of pounds are no problem. At my peak, I could carry a mountain... Wait, why are you asking?"

Phoenix Qianqian sensed something was amiss.

"You don’t mean you want to ride me across? Don’t even think about it, you filthy pervert," she snapped, shrinking back to bird size and glaring at Zhou Qi.

"Consider that your one move," Zhou Qi said.

"No, this is a matter of principle. You’re male, I’m female."

"Then how about this?" Zhou Qi produced another flame—dark red and imposing, clearly a higher grade than before.

"Fine, but don't tell anyone," Phoenix Qianqian said, abandoning her principle upon seeing the flame.

"Please grow bigger, the bigger the better."

She sucked in the flame, "Why so big? The larger I get, the more energy it consumes. Two meters is enough."

"Sorry, Senior, I suffer from acrophobia. If you grow bigger, I’ll feel safer. I know you can keep me safe, but I can’t get past the psychological barrier," Zhou Qi pleaded.

Seeing his sincerity, Phoenix Qianqian complied, growing to about ten meters once more. Zhou Qi, rather than riding her immediately, busied himself, pulling out sticks of bone, seemingly crafting something.

"What are you doing? Staying in this form wastes my energy," she asked impatiently.

"Don’t worry, Senior. I’m adding guardrails so you won’t worry about me falling off," Zhou Qi explained.

Phoenix Qianqian was speechless.