Chapter 13: The Azure Phoenix of the Nine Netherworlds

The petrification could not hold the great bird for long, but for Qian Wenyu, that brief time was more than enough.

Behind Qian Wenyu appeared the towering Rock God Martial Soul, standing over thirty meters tall like an indomitable ancient mountain—silent yet majestic. The oppressive aura it radiated caused the surrounding air to freeze in place.

Gazing upon the awe-inspiring Rock God Martial Soul, everyone felt utterly insignificant. Qian Renxue’s eyes were filled with astonishment. “Although I’ve witnessed Yuer unleash her Martial Soul many times, every time it appears, I’m still overwhelmed by its power!”

“Yes,” everyone nodded sincerely.

High above, Qian Wenyu cradled the Heavenly Star, invoking the power of the Rock God through the Rock Scepter.

The Rock Scepter bestowed by Zhongli was beyond her current ability to fully wield; she could only passively benefit from some auxiliary functions, such as continuously supplying elemental energy to the Rock God Domain.

But now, to tame the mount she desired, she had no choice but to use this last trump card. She forcibly activated the Rock Scepter with the divine power left by her master to form a contract with the great bird.

This final move came with its limitations: once used, it would be unusable for a long time afterward. Yet Qian Wenyu felt it didn’t matter much—she seldom needed this trump card, and this was its first use, prompted by an emergency.

If her goal were merely to make the great bird a soul ring material, things would be simpler—she could just have the two covert Title Douluo intervene.

However, she wished to tame the bird as a mount without harming it. To have a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast willingly submit was nearly impossible, even for two Title Douluo. Hence, she resorted to using the Rock Scepter to establish a contract.

Meanwhile, far away in another world, Zhongli, having undergone some purification and suppression of his own deteriorating condition, no longer faced worsening symptoms. This afforded him the leisure to meet with old friends for tea.

The moment Qian Wenyu activated the Rock Scepter, Zhongli, who was at Mondstadt enjoying tea with the Wind God Barbatos, sensed it. His aura shifted abruptly; the peaceful demeanor vanished, and the faint smile on his face faded away. Rock elements surged around him, exuding overwhelming majesty.

Wendy watched as her old friend instantly transformed from Zhongli into Morax, bewildered.

Since suffering wear and tear, how many years had it been since she’d seen such sharp intensity from Morax? What could have caused it this time?

Surely it wasn’t because of her?

Wendy’s heart raced; she knew she couldn’t withstand an attack from the old man.

“What’s wrong with you?” Wendy asked, puzzled.

Morax calmed himself, his imposing aura dissipating as he reverted to the gentle Zhongli. His voice was low as he said, “Yuer has activated the divine power and Rock Scepter I left her. She must be facing mortal danger.”

“Yuer? Is that the new disciple you mentioned?” Wendy looked at Zhongli with wide green eyes full of confusion. “That world’s combat power shouldn’t match Teyvat’s. Who could break through your defenses?”

The two shared a close relationship. Since Zhongli had found a way to suppress his wear and tear, he hadn’t hidden anything from Wendy. Thus, she was aware of Qian Wenyu and the existence of the other world.

Zhongli pondered. “From a rational standpoint, it’s impossible. Yet Yuer’s use of the Rock Scepter is undeniable. The distance is too vast; I cannot quickly learn what’s happening through projection. We must wait.”

...

Under the suppression of divine power and the divine scepter, even a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast was nothing but a helpless victim.

Qian Wenyu approached the great bird and placed her hand on its head, branding a contract upon its soul with the divine scepter.

“The contract is sealed. From this moment forth, you shall be my mount,” she declared. Her crisp voice echoed within the bird’s soul.

Furious at this human’s audacity to enslave it, the great bird, freed from petrification and divine suppression, wanted nothing more than to devour the tiny human whole.

But as soon as this thought crossed its mind, a heavy oppressive force struck directly at its soul. Its body no longer obeyed its will; it was utterly incapable of attacking the young human girl before it.

What on earth was this? What kind of method was this? It had never seen humans use such a thing!

The great bird was bewildered, yet deeply shaken.

Qian Wenyu leapt onto the bird’s back, whispering softly, “Jiu You Qing Luan... truly a powerful soul beast never before seen by humans.”

Through the contract, Qian Wenyu gained a basic understanding of the bird. It was a hundred-thousand-year-old Jiu You Qing Luan, born beneath the Nine Nether—an enigmatic underground space within the Star Dou Great Forest. It was truly one of a kind on the entire Douluo Continent.

Curious about the outside world, the Qing Luan had only recently emerged after a hundred thousand years of cultivation. It had scarcely spent a month exploring before encountering Qian Wenyu. She singled it out at first glance and forcibly bound it with divine power to become her mount.

The Jiu You Qing Luan possessed three elemental attributes, all distinct from ordinary elements: the Nine Nether Wind, Nine Nether Water, and Nine Nether Fire—each fiercely corrosive.

Though wind, water, and fire, the addition of “Nine Nether” elevated their lethality immensely. The Nine Nether Fire was freezing cold, impervious to ordinary water elements; the Nine Nether Water was extremely poisonous, akin to the Weak Water’s nature, a bane for flying soul beasts and soul masters alike; the Nine Nether Wind was a killing wind, imbued with endless slaughter. Once trapped within it, unless one could escape, destruction of body and soul was inevitable.

Because of these unique properties, the Jiu You Qing Luan was an extremely dangerous soul beast. Any attack was either fatal or grievous. At equal cultivation, ordinary hundred-thousand-year-old soul beasts were no match; even those stronger in power might not best it.

Only because the Qing Luan had just recently emerged and was inexperienced with worldly strife was the Star Dou Great Forest so peaceful.

“Good baby, I’ll call you ‘Jiu You’ from now on,” Qian Wenyu named the Qing Luan. Noticing its angry gaze, she smiled reassuringly, “Don’t look at me like that. I won’t treat you badly. Trust me—being my mount will be worth it. I’ll take you to godhood!”

The Jiu You Qing Luan silently rolled its eyes, mocking Qian Wenyu’s words.

Having spent so long underground, it knew little else, but it remembered one thing clearly: the path to godhood for soul beasts was cut off, and even for humans, becoming a god was nearly impossible. This human girl was either daydreaming or feeding it false hopes. It had no intention of believing her!