However, the last remark she made before she left was still reverberating in his mind.

\'...the relation between you and me will be like that dagger...\'

...

In the depths of the Maple Ridge.

Yun Wu was unaware of what kind of trouble the two ambrosian fruits she gave to the little guy had caused the phoenix.

When the old man and the middle-aged man appeared in mid-air above the nest of the phoenix, the furious and aggressive Qi given off by them sent all magic beasts nearby lie prostrate on the ground, trembling in fear.

Inside the cavern.

The little, chubby Reek was misbehaving itself. It kept climbing out of its place and the phoenix had to bring it back again and again.

It also kept calling "mom".

And it was very obvious that it was not calling the phoenix, which was why there was a sullen look on her face.

She had a faint feeling that there was some kind of bond between her son and that black-faced girl, and somehow she found that bond very familiar.

As if...

While the phoenix was contemplating in suspicion, a potent Qi suddenly surged into the cavern with fierce momentum.

"Who is it?"

The phoenix\'s face darkened. She casually threw little Reek onto the body of the spotted snake on the side and then instantly flashed out of the cavern.

The moment she went out of the cavern, the phoenix sensed a Qi filled with fury and frowned.

"Who are you? Why did you come to my Phoenix Cavern?"

On the sight of the phoenix, the old man and the middle-aged man standing in mid-air smelled a gratifying and refreshing fruit fragrance given off by her, anger bubbling inside them.

"Was it you, a phoenix descended into our realm, who committed theft in our orchard?" The middle-aged man\'s voice was very deep and angry.

Orchard?

Which orchard?

"I don\'t know what you are talking about. Humans are not welcome in this area. Leave immediately or else I\'ll be hard on you." After what had happened to her son, the phoenix was exceptionally antipathetic to humans.

However, on hearing her words, the middle-aged man in mid-air, who recalled that their precious fruits had been stolen twice, instantly became furious.

"Humph. Be hard on us? I\'d like to find out who is going to be hard on who."

The moment he finished the last word, with a whooshing sound, the middle-aged man flashed down like greased lightning.

In the blink of an eye, a red figure and a gray figure engaged each other and an intense fight abruptly started outside the cavern, potent killing aura spreading outwards.

All magic beasts nearby were scared and hurriedly fled away from this area.

The two figures violently impacted on each other, generating a ma.s.sive undulation of power that almost quaked the whole mountain.

Inside the cavern.

Little Reek, which was carefully wrapped in the spotted snake\'s body, opened its mouth, revealing two sharp fangs, and bit the spotted snake.

"Hiss–Hiss–"

The spotted snake struggled in sharp pain.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, little Reek slid down the spotted snake\'s body and ran towards the outside of the cavern.

"Hiss–Hiss–"

On seeing this, the spotted snake was horrified and hastily pursued the little guy, heedless of the two small b.l.o.o.d.y holes in its body.

However, little Reek had just reached the entrance of the cave when its chubby little body was immobilized by a force shot down from mid-air.

The old man standing in mid-air twitched his sleeve and with that little Reek swished towards him like a ball and landed in his palm.

"A hybrid? I\'ve lived most of my life, yet this is the first time that I\'ve seen this kind of weird little thing," the old man lifted his eyebrows and mumbled after flicking a glance at the half-human little guy in his hand.