Chapter 157: The Phoenix Blood Pool
“I said, you can come and go as you please in the inner courtyard from now on.” Huang Feiyan smiled. “We have the unanimous approval of the Huang family. So, you don’t have to worry about causing any trouble.”
Mingyan was stunned. “Why would you allow me, an outsider, to enter the inner courtyard?”
The Huang family’s inner courtyard was rarely open to outsiders. Men were strictly forbidden, and only women with very close relationships were allowed to enter.
For example, Ning Feixuan. She had been brought back by the Huang family and then sent to Yaochi by them, and it was Huang Junyi who had sent her. So, her relationship with the Huang family was very close, and she could come and go as she pleased.
But he… although he was on good terms with the Huang family, he was still a man. And the inner courtyard was filled with Huang family women. Was it really appropriate for him to come and go as he pleased?
He stopped, unable to understand.
“There’s something I need your help with. Follow me,” she said softly, walking ahead.
Mingyan, seeking an explanation, followed her into the inner courtyard.
Not all Huang family women cultivated. Many chose not to. But because of the Phoenix blood within them, they didn’t age. However, when their lifespan ran out, they would still die like ordinary people.
Those who didn’t cultivate would never leave the Huang family. They would live their entire lives there. It wasn’t a restriction, but the inner courtyard was vast and had everything they needed, except for men. There was no need to go out.
Those who did cultivate would go out for trials, and the Huang family would provide them with protection.
Also, it was worth noting that the position of family head wasn’t hereditary. Anyone with sufficient strength could take it.
Huang Feiyan’s lineage was due to her grandmother’s strength, who had secured the position.
And in Huang Junru’s generation, she had broken through to the Human Gateway Realm and naturally became the family head.
And in Huang Feiyan’s generation, she was the most talented. If nothing unexpected happened, she would become the next family head. So, it only appeared to be hereditary.
The Huang family’s resources were not tilted. For example, Huang Feiyan didn’t receive any special treatment just because she was the family head’s daughter. The resources she received in the early stages of her cultivation were the same as everyone else’s. But as her talent became apparent, the family naturally favored cultivating those with greater talent. If she wasn’t the most talented of her generation, she wouldn’t be the one representing the Huang family now, even if she was Huang Junru’s daughter.
In this regard, the Huang family was absolutely fair. They had strict family rules. And the Huang family women had always been harmonious. In all their long history, there had never been any internal conflicts.
Seeing Mingyan enter the inner courtyard, many of the Huang family women looked at him with curiosity. They likely knew his identity and weren’t surprised to see him with Huang Feiyan.
Mingyan was a bit overwhelmed, feeling a little flustered. It seemed what Feiyan had said was true. These Huang family women didn’t seem to mind him entering the inner courtyard…
He was a bit confused, then told himself to calm down.
Although the Huang family allowed him to come and go as he pleased, it didn’t mean he could take advantage of it. He should maintain his composure and self-control.
The inner courtyard was much larger than the outer courtyard, like a small, independent world. Because it was so large, there were even small teleportation gates inside, for the convenience of those with no or low cultivation, allowing them to travel anywhere within the Huang family estate.
Through one of these gates, Mingyan arrived beneath the giant Phoenix Divine Statue.
Below the statue was a vast, blood-red lake, radiating a slight warmth, the blood emitting a faint, not overpowering, fragrance.
The blood lake was immense, stretching as far as the eye could see. Mingyan was surprised. “Is this the Huang family’s Phoenix Blood Pool?”
Although it was called a “pool,” it was actually a blood lake, far too large.
“Yes, that’s right. This is the Phoenix Blood Pool left behind by our ancestor, the supreme Phoenix, after she perished.” Huang Feiyan stood beside him and nodded slightly. “The Phoenix Blood Pool is a very special place. When a Huang family woman wants to continue her lineage, she comes here, drinks the Phoenix blood, and conceives a child. This method of conception is very special. Strictly speaking, we are all lives granted by this pool of Phoenix blood, a continuation of the Phoenix bloodline.”
“We inherit the Phoenix’s bloodline, not our mother’s. But because we are all a continuation of the Phoenix bloodline, we are also connected by blood.” She smiled. “Although we all agree that our mothers gave birth to us, we also believe that we are all children of the Phoenix. The Phoenix is our shared mother.”
“In a way, all Huang family women can be said to be sisters, including my mother and me… But I’m still used to calling her ‘Mother’.”
This was very similar to the Human King Physique…
Mingyan and Wang Qingchu were both lives derived from the blood of the first Human King Physique. Although they were connected by blood, strictly speaking, they couldn’t be considered brother and sister…
Ultimately, they were all a continuation of the Phoenix’s life, and conceiving by drinking blood was different from a normal mother…
“The women of the Huang family can all sense how much of their lifespan is left, even those who don’t cultivate. Once they feel their life is nearing its end, they will come to this lake and walk into it, returning their lives to the Phoenix Blood Pool. This has been the rule since the founding of our family. And because of this, the life force in the Phoenix Blood Pool has never dried up. For so long, the lives and deaths of the Huang family women have all been connected to this lake. Through this, we have continued for over a million years.”
“Until… my birth.” Huang Feiyan’s voice grew low. “My mother came to this lake eighteen years ago, drank the blood, and then, I was born.”
“But after that, the Phoenix Blood Pool lost its divinity, its life force, and became an ordinary pool of red water.” She sighed softly. “I’m a disaster for the Huang family. I’ve been causing trouble since I was born. The matter of the Phoenix Blood Pool, my aunt’s matter, and many other troubles you don’t know about…”
“Don’t say that. It’s not something you could control.” Mingyan, hearing her self-reproach, couldn’t help but say, “Even your mother didn’t know the Phoenix Blood Pool would suddenly lose its divinity and life force, right?”
“Yes… Fortunately, no Huang family woman’s lifespan has run out during this time. Otherwise, we’re worried that they might not be able to return their lives to the Phoenix Blood Pool properly. And because of this, we need to restore its life force and divinity before that happens. Otherwise, the Huang family’s bloodline might end here.” Huang Feiyan looked at him. “And this… requires your help.”
