Victor held the crystal vial beneath the faint rays of light filtering through the cracks of the cave. The golden-red blood essence shimmered brilliantly, pulsing with a steady rhythm as though it possessed a living heartbeat. Tiny wisps of crimson flames and sapphire frost continuously intertwined within the liquid, radiating an ancient aura that seemed capable of overwhelming the heavens despite its small size.
"Grade Eight..."
Victor slowly rotated the vial between his fingers.
"This is far more valuable than I imagined."
Ever since the System evolved, his understanding of the universe’s cultivation hierarchy had expanded tremendously. A Grade Eight bloodline was no ordinary treasure. It represented an existence standing at the very peak of countless civilizations.
Even the Demonic Dragon President, a Tenth Grade Domain Master who ruled over billions of subordinates, would be insignificant before the original owner of this blood.
"System."
"Perform a complete analysis of this bloodline."
The System immediately responded.
[Ding! Analysis Complete.]
[Ice-Fire Elemental Phoenix Blood Essence.]
[Grade: 8.]
[Origin: Blood essence left behind by an Ice-Fire Elemental Phoenix that successfully completed nine Nirvana rebirths before failing during its tenth rebirth. At its peak, it stood only half a step away from the Celestial Realm.]
[Properties: Contains complete Ice and Fire Elemental Authority alongside the ancestral memories, cultivation experience, battle instincts, and bloodline inheritance of a Nine-Nirvana Phoenix.]
[Compatibility: 0.01%.]
[Warning.]
[Your current Eternal Body has only reached the Seventh Layer.]
[Direct absorption will instantly ignite every cell in your body. Your physical body, soul, and spiritual consciousness will be completely destroyed before the blood essence can merge with you.]
Victor’s smile gradually disappeared.
"Only 0.01% compatibility?"
He had expected some rejection because his cultivation path revolved around Chaos rather than the Phoenix bloodline.
However...
This was far worse than he had anticipated.
"So it’s completely useless to me?"
The System answered immediately.
[Negative.]
[I have found a suitable evolution method.]
Victor’s eyes narrowed.
"Explain."
[Ding! Special Evolution Path Detected.]
[The Phoenix Blood Essence can be purified by removing every bloodline restriction while preserving its complete Elemental Authority, ancestral memories, cultivation experience, and inherited abilities.]
[Required Evolution Points: 500 Billion.]
[After purification, you will obtain a Grade Eight Phoenix Core.]
[The Phoenix Core can be fused with any lifeform regardless of race, bloodline, physique, or cultivation path.]
Victor remained silent.
Five hundred billion Evolution Points...
That was an enormous amount.
Even after obtaining countless opportunities throughout his journey, this was one of the most expensive evolutions the System had ever offered.
The System continued.
[Ding! Recommendation.]
[This evolution has an extremely high priority.]
[The original owner of this blood essence was not an ordinary Phoenix.]
[It successfully completed nine Nirvana rebirths.]
[Every successful Nirvana transformed its body, soul, bloodline, and elemental authority into a higher level of existence.]
[One more successful Nirvana would have allowed it to step into the Celestial Realm.]
[Its death was not caused by old age.]
[It perished while attempting its tenth Nirvana.]
[Throughout the known universe, the remains of such a Phoenix are treasures capable of triggering wars between supreme civilizations.]
Victor’s breathing unconsciously became heavier.
Even entire cosmic empires would fight over this treasure.
Yet it had somehow fallen into his hands.
The System displayed another series of notifications.
[Ding! Evolution Benefits.]
[You will obtain complete Ice and Fire Elemental Authority inherited from the Nine-Nirvana Phoenix.]
[Your Fire Domain and Ice Domain will immediately evolve to Grade Nine.]
[You will gain complete authority over Absolute Zero without comprehending the Law of Cold.]
[You will be able to generate temperatures exceeding the core of a neutron star without comprehending the Law of Heat.]
[Your affinity toward the Ice and Fire Elements will permanently reach the highest possible level.]
[Your future comprehension speed of Ice and Fire Laws will increase dramatically.]
[You will inherit the complete cultivation memories, combat experience, elemental techniques, and battle instincts accumulated by the Phoenix throughout countless years.]
Victor’s eyes widened.
Every single reward was astonishing.
However, the next notification made his heartbeat accelerate.
[Ding! Phoenix Rebirth Protocol.]
[Upon your death, if your soul remains intact, you may activate the Phoenix Rebirth Protocol once.]
[Your body will be reborn from the Eternal Phoenix Flames.]
[Your injuries, damaged organs, shattered bones and destroyed body will be completely restored.]
[Your cultivation, memories, and soul will remain intact.]
Victor’s pupils contracted.
"A resurrection..."
That ability alone was beyond priceless.
No matter how powerful he became, Victor never believed himself to be invincible.
There would always be someone stronger somewhere in the endless universe.
Having a second life meant possessing the greatest insurance imaginable.
His hesitation disappeared.
"Purify it."
"Five hundred billion Evolution Points."
"I’ll pay the price."
[Ding! Five Hundred Billion Evolution Points deducted.]
[Ding! Purification initiated.]
The crystal vial instantly shattered into countless golden particles.
The crimson and sapphire blood essence slowly rose into the air before compressing under an invisible force.
The violent bloodline aura gradually disappeared.
Moments later, a fist-sized crystal floated before Victor.
At its center rested a miniature Phoenix formed entirely from intertwined ice and fire.
[Ding! Grade Eight Phoenix Core successfully created.]
Victor immediately swallowed the crystal.
The Phoenix Core dissolved into pure streams of elemental energy.
Endless crimson flames and freezing blue light spread throughout every inch of his body.
Every bone, every drop of blood, every cell, and even his soul began undergoing an astonishing transformation.
[Ding! Evolution beginning.]
Victor slowly closed his eyes as the overwhelming power surged through him.
...
Far away, on the Demonic Dragon Planet...
Inside a magnificent palace, countless dragon experts stood silently beneath a towering throne.
A middle-aged dragonman looked down at Vladimir with indifferent eyes.
"You are the President of Narcov Company?"
"You reported discovering a Phoenix Seed on a primitive planet."
"Is that information accurate?"
Vladimir respectfully lowered his head.
"Yes, Sir."
"I am completely certain."
"I tried every possible method to seize control of that planet. Unfortunately, the person who obtained the Phoenix Seed became so powerful that neither Grade Eight nor Grade Nine experts could defeat him."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"I also attempted to locate the planet again."
"However, the entire star system is sealed by a Cosmic Lock. My cultivation is insufficient to break through it."
The dragonman remained expressionless.
"If your report proves true..."
"You will receive rewards beyond your imagination."
His gaze suddenly turned icy.
"But if you have fabricated this information..."
"You understand the consequences."
Vladimir nodded without the slightest fear.
"I understand."
He had absolute confidence in his plan.
Once higher authorities became interested, they would inevitably investigate the mysterious planet themselves.
...
Three days later...
Victor slowly opened his eyes.
A terrifying wave of icy energy spread from his left hand, instantly freezing the surrounding air.
At the same time, endless crimson flames erupted from his right hand, causing space itself to distort from the overwhelming heat.
A smile appeared on his face.
"Excellent."
"This feels incredible."
With a thought, he released two completely separate domains.
A brilliant blue world expanded around his left side, while a crimson world appeared on his right.
The blue domain continued dropping in temperature without limit.
The red domain became increasingly hotter with every passing second.
Victor immediately realized what this meant.
Normally, reaching Absolute Zero required comprehending the Law of Cold.
Likewise, generating temperatures comparable to the core of a neutron star required mastery over supreme thermal laws.
Yet the Phoenix inheritance had completely bypassed those requirements.
His Fire and Ice Domains now possessed that authority naturally.
"So..."
"Two of my ten elemental domains have already reached Grade Nine."
He looked toward the floating System interface.
"What about the remaining eight?"
The System immediately answered.
[Ding! Required Evolution Points.]
[4.4 Trillion.]
Victor smiled with satisfaction.
"Not bad."
He had spent five hundred billion Evolution Points.
Yet by obtaining the Phoenix inheritance, he had effectively saved nearly six hundred billion points while also gaining a resurrection ability together with two overwhelmingly powerful Grade Nine domains.
He could not help laughing.
"I should really thank the fool who handed this treasure to me."
Before his laughter could continue...
BOOM!!
An indescribable pressure descended upon the entire Ethereum Solar System.
Everything became silent.
Time itself froze.
The planets stopped revolving.
The stars ceased shining.
Even the flowing River of Time surrounding the solar system had been forcefully suppressed by an unimaginable power.
Victor’s smile disappeared instantly.
Although every living being had become frozen in time, he remained completely unaffected.
His expression turned grave.
"System."
"What just happened?"
[Ding! Warning.]
[A Nebula Rank expert has entered this star system.]
[Cultivation Difference: Five Major Realms above you.]
Victor’s pupils contracted violently.
A Nebula Rank existence?
Why would such a supreme expert appear in this insignificant solar system?
More importantly...
The entire system was protected by a Cosmic Lock.
How had that person entered?
He immediately turned toward his wrist band.
"Nova."
"How powerful is a Nebula Rank cultivator?"
Nova’s expression became unusually serious.
"Nebula Rank is only one major realm below the Galactic Rank."
"It is also the realm of your master.!
Victor silently swallowed.
Only now did he realize how complacent he had become after gaining so much power in such a short period.
Compared to true cosmic experts...
He was still nothing.