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--- Chapter 381 ---
"D-Damn! What the hell was that?" Thirteen looked at Han Yuan and the Nine Phoenix Lords in disbelief. "Do you guys know how much trouble we would be in if that fight had somehow caught the attention of the Divine Realm?!"
"Fuck! We are screwed! Do you realize that?!"
"Aargh! I want to beat you guys up so badly!"
"Chill, Thirteen. I know you can do it," said Han Yuan. "Don't worry about the Divine Realm."
"The God of Destruction's subordinates are keeping watch over the God's Realm center in case Asura tries anything shady."
"They have all their attention on Asura, so they wouldn't be able to detect us."
Han Yuan casually leaned against a rock, looking somewhat disheveled but very much alive after the battle. The life force within him was strong, and the flame of life burned fiercely.
Ah Yin and Bi Ji, two top healers, were also examining Han Yuan to check for any problems after the fight.
"Alright, Xiao Yuan, stop talking," Ah Yin sighed, pinching his waist slightly in annoyance. "You fought too hard and consumed too much of your lifespan."
"Thankfully, my spirit bone and Life Gold kept you alive."
"You overestimate your vitality!" She pinched Han Yuan's waist again, making him wince a little.
"She's right, Young Master," Bi Ji chimed in. "Although your condition appears perfect and you seem fine, temporarily becoming a god consumes a lot of your lifespan."
"You spent at least a thousand years' worth of lifespan in that fight."
"Any other human would have died within the first second."
"No, even the most ferocious spirit beasts with strong life attributes would perish..."
Han Yuan waved his hand dismissively. "Jeez, I'm alright."
"It's just lifespan. I can replenish it by absorbing lightning."
"You..." Ah Yin and Bi Ji were exasperated by his response. They wanted to be mad, but if Han Yuan said so, then there was nothing to talk about anymore.
In reality, losing a thousand years' worth of lifespan was not a big deal for Han Yuan. He wasn't being arrogant because it was just the nature of his powers.
The first skill of the Purple Silver Grass allowed him to transform life into lightning and vice versa. This conceptually broken ability was passive and always running in the background.
So, in essence, Han Yuan was functionally immortal!
Thirteen grumbled, "You said the same thing when you fought Di Tian and again when you faced the Nine Phoenix Lords, Han Yuan! Don't you get it yet?"
"The fate of the Douluo Plane rests on your shoulders! We cannot afford any mistakes right now."
"One wrong move, and the Douluo Plane could perish…"
"I know, now calm the fuck down, Thirteen." Han Yuan responded, staring calmly at Thirteen.
"..." Thirteen.
"Hahaha, Plane's Consciousness, even you have a hard time sometimes, huh?" a voice interrupted. "But Han Yuan is right. You really should calm down."
"The God's Eyes won't be able to reach the Samsara Isle of Paradise. The power of the God Mother has protected us ever since she foretold her fall."
"Besides, even the Plane's Consciousness knows the ties between this secret realm and the Douluo Plane. Godking-level experts wouldn't even know this place exists."
The speaker was none other than the Fire Phoenix Lord. Although he had reappeared in a smaller, spark-like body due to exhaustion from the fight, he was actually fine.
The one injured was his possessed body, after all, which was recovering under the care of the Jade Phoenix Lord.
After all, each ferocious spirit beast nearing the 1,000,000-year mark was precious to the lineage of the Phoenix Clan.
Behind the Fire Phoenix Lord, the other Phoenix Lords watched Han Yuan with complex expressions.
Han Yuan smiled at them. "So, how was that, seniors? Have I convinced you all of my strength?"
"..." The Nine Phoenix Lords.
"You know, you don't have to rub it in our faces like that!" the Storm Phoenix Lord said with annoyance on his face.
"Yeah, just because you're a little stronger than us doesn't mean we're weak either, brat!" the Purple Phoenix Lord added.
"Just you know, we haven't even used our full power. That fight had too many limitations!" stated the Holy Phoenix Lord, trying to avoid appearing weak.
The Dark Phoenix Lord rolled his eyes at his three shameless brothers and remarked, "You say that as if that kid used his full power either."
"What do you mean?" The Storm, Purple, and Holy Phoenix Lords stared at their brother with serious expressions.
The Dark Phoenix Lord sighed, "Haven't you noticed that there are other forces within Han Yuan's body that are at least as powerful as his life-lightning force? Yet he never used them in the fight?"
"One force, in particular, resonates strongly with me. It feels like a force no less than the God Mother at her peak."
"I-Impossible!" The three arrogant Phoenix Lords shouted in disbelief.
The Dark Phoenix Lord snorted. "Why would I bother to lie to you? If you don't trust me, ask Ah Bai."
Everyone, including Han Yuan's companions, shifted their gazes to the White-Eyed Phoenix Lord for an answer.
Feeling the weight of their stares, the White-Eyed Phoenix Lord replied tiredly, "Brother Dai isn't lying. From start to finish, Han Yuan hasn't used all his means."
"Besides that absurd blue silver grass with aThunder God's bloodline, Han Yuan still has two other martial souls that he hasn't used."
"One is a beast spirit whose depth even I couldn't perceive."
"The other is a human spirit that resonates with Brother Dai, though its power is terrifyingly close to that of God Mother."
The White-Eyed Phoenix Lord gazed at Han Yuan and added. "While those martial souls don't have as many spirit rings as his grass martial soul, their powers are not much weaker."
"If he used them in battle, I reckon we would lose even faster."
"Monster..." Ice Phoenix Lord mumbled, still recalling how Han Yuan had 'manhandled' her in the fight.
She shivered slightly but found the memory strangely exciting, her face flushing slightly.
Chaos Phoenix Lord huffed, "Damn it! Since you have other powers, you should have used them. Instead, you chose to electrocute me with Divine Lightning. You damn brat!"
Han Yuan smiled faintly. "If I had used my other martial souls, there would have been no meaning to it."
"To be frank, I've been stuck on a bottleneck for a while. Although this might sound ugly, I did use seniors as a grindstone to hone my abilities, and it was a successful attempt."
"I can feel that my breakthrough is near and that my Purple Silver Grass is about to evolve into its true form."
"In a way, this is a win-win situation."
"Win-win your ass!" Jade Phoenix Lord, who had just returned, grumbled upon hearing Han Yuan's words. "I still haven't complained enough about you hitting me on the butt earlier!
"Just so you know, I am very scary when I'm angry!"
Han Yuan smiled faintly. "I'm sure you are, Senior Jade Phoenix."
"So, have we understood each other now, seniors?" Then, he asked again with a playful tone.
The Nine Phoenix Lords instantly became quiet and turned their gazes toward their oldest brother, Fire Phoenix Lord.
Fire Phoenix Lord finally spoke, "Indeed, young friend Han Yuan's capabilities have opened my eyes."
"There is nothing more assuring than having a strong, reliable ally."
"Especially for the current Phoenix Clan. With you, our clan will definitely rise again in no time."
"Very well, from now on, you, young friend, are our Phoenix Clan's most noble ally."
"We will share rise and fall together, sharing this karma until the end."
"Thank you for the acknowledgement, Senior Fire Phoenix," Han Yuan replied with a nod. "From now on, we are allies."
As the agreement was 'finally' made in stone, countless phoenix cries echoed across the Samsara Isle of Paradise, marking a brand-new start for the Phoenix Clan.