Since ancient times, there have been five types of phoenixes: Vermilion Bird, Azure Luan, Gou Yu, Hong Gu, and Yi Zhi.

Among them, the Vermilion Bird is not only the lord of phoenixes but also the king of beasts. It was born from the primordial chaos, taking form from the spiritual dew of the sun and moon. It shares the same lifespan as ancient deities like Nüwa and Fuxi.

However, due to its lazy nature, the Vermilion Bird often appears in beast form and, unlike Nüwa and the others, does not enjoy accumulating merits. Most of its time is spent sleeping. Therefore, in the eyes of mortals, the Vermilion Bird, which is listed alongside the Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon, and White Tiger, is ultimately just an auspicious beast and not regarded as a deity.

"Like humans, demon beast races can reproduce and multiply through mating, but the Vermilion Bird is the only exception. In this world, there can only be one Vermilion Bird; only when one dies can another be born. After the Vermilion Bird dies, its memories will be sealed in an object.

"Through this object, the newly born Vermilion Bird can inherit the memories of generations, so it never needs to relearn. As long as the opportunity arises, it can transform into human form and directly awaken its spiritual intelligence."

Zhou Yin paused for a moment. "That object that carries the Vermilion Bird's memories is the Heaven Washing Brush."

Zhou Yin asked, "So the Vermilion Birds throughout history were actually your previous lives?"

Zhou Chen shook his head. "After the Vermilion Bird dies, its entire body is consumed by heavenly fire, leaving only a trace of spiritual blood that returns to the primordial chaos, waiting to be nurtured and take form over time. The memories are separately stored in the Heaven Washing Brush and passed down through generations.

"This relationship is actually equivalent to the bloodline inheritance between a human father and son, different from reincarnation. The human records stating that the Vermilion Bird can be reborn and immortal for generations are actually fallacies."

"At that time, your blood happened to drip into the Sumeru Ring. When I saw it, damn, someone dared to bully my wife! My strength instantly erupted, and I immediately transformed, staging a heroic rescue. Alas, you were unconscious then and didn't get to see my heroic demeanor!"

He became more and more smug as he spoke, his handsome face showing undisguised narcissism.

Zhou Yin frowned. "The Heaven Washing Brush was obtained when we returned to 60,000 years ago. In the intervening 60,000 years, there was no memory inheritance for the Vermilion Bird?"

Zhou Chen said, "In those 60,000 years, no Vermilion Bird was born at all. The previous generation Vermilion Bird, my father, had already perished in the earlier battle between immortals and demons. Fortunately, the Heaven Washing Brush fell into Fei Lan's hands and was given to you."

After a moment of silence, Zhou Yin said, "In other words, you incubated for 60,000 years before being born?"

Zhou Chen said, "You could say that. The mountains near Dragon Shadow Pond were once part of the ancient Buzhou Mountain. The spiritual energy underwater was abundant, and I slept very comfortably, not wanting to wake up."

Zhou Yin: "...How did you end up here?"

"This goes back to the beginning. After I transformed and regained my memories, seeing you safe and sound, I first returned to the demon beast race. After the ancient great war, the demon beast race lost their position in the upper realm and were forced into hiding, already greatly diminished.

"When I returned, they wanted me to be the Demon Beast Emperor. I was initially reluctant, wanting to come out and find you. But then some changes occurred, and I had no choice but to focus on cultivation first. The Vermilion Bird has an innate primal core, making cultivation twice as effective with half the effort. But who knew that by the time I emerged from seclusion and went to Lingzhou City, you were already gone."

Zhou Chen sighed, finally regaining some seriousness. "Between us, we always miss each other."

Zhou Yin's eyes twitched. "Get to the point."

Zhou Chen said, "I followed your trail all the way here, but after leaving Luzhou, I lost the clues."

He was referring to when Zhou Yin found a place for secluded cultivation. "Later, when I arrived at Haisha City, I sensed a faint aura of my kind nearby. I took the opportunity to impersonate the Canghe royal family and followed that Benyun Island idiot down to investigate. But I didn't want you to encounter danger, so I tried to stop you..."

He was a little guilty and his voice grew softer.

Zhou Yin: "..."

And then he pretended not to know him at all, swaying back and forth in front of him.

Before meeting Zhou Chen, he was truly curious about the legendary ancient divine beasts, but now...

With Zhou Chen present, those resentful spirits didn't dare approach. Someone smugly took credit. "Ah Yin, although the previous furball was smaller and easier to carry, it definitely wasn't as capable as I am now. With me here, you don't need to lift a finger yourself."

Zhou Yin's thoughts were still lingering on the previous words and he didn't notice the invitation for praise.

"You're saying there are demons here?"

"Very faint, as if suppressed by something." Zhou Chen sneered. "And there's something fishy about this Lianyin Immortal Residence. Look, with so many restless souls, how could it be an immortal residence? It seems more like a demon's lair to me!"

His words coincided with the previous discussion between Zhou Yin and Yun Zong. Something flashed through Zhou Yin's mind but vanished just as quickly, difficult to grasp.

"Demons and immortals have always had grudges. Could they be deliberately luring you here?" he asked.

Zhou Chen smiled, his eyes full of tenderness as he looked at Zhou Yin.

"Ah Yin, are you worried about me? That possibility is unlikely. When I transformed in Lingzhou, with the Heaven Washing Brush present, my spiritual intelligence was fully awakened. I immediately set up a layer of prohibition. The cultivators present at the time, except for you, all lost their memories of that time and it didn't alarm the upper realm."

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Yin asked, "Do you have a way to get out of here?"

Zhou Chen smiled. "I do, but can you give me a kiss?"

Zhou Yin: "..."

Zhou Chen turned away aggrieved. "Fine, if not then it's fine. Why make that expression..."

For the first time, Zhou Yin truly witnessed the immense power of the demon beast race.

He finally understood why, after the decline of the demon beast race, the immortal tribes of the upper realm would go to the extent of cooperating with the demon tribe to exterminate them.

In the darkness, the light in Zhou Chen's palm gradually faded, replaced by the glimmering golden light emanating from his body. These lights swelled from faint to dazzling in an instant, the golden radiance surging as his wings spread, obscuring the sky as he soared!

In that moment, the trick he used to conceal his cultivation dissipated, allowing Zhou Yin to see his true cultivation level.

This was the power of the ancient divine beast, the Vermilion Bird. It was a power that could be traced back to being on par with the ancient deities!

Although Zhou Chen was still young, he already possessed cultivation equivalent to the early Nascent Soul stage of human cultivators.

When he was first born, he was so fragile that even an ordinary person could easily crush him to death. But now, he had suddenly surpassed the power that ordinary people could hardly hope to reach even after cultivating for a lifetime.

This was the demon beast race.

They were born with the blessing of the Heavenly Dao. From the ancient gods to the later demon race that ruled the upper realm, their innate powerful strength meant they did not need to struggle and cultivate bitterly like other races. However, this also led them to indulge in pleasure, resulting in the later demise of the demon race. It's hard to say whether this blessing was truly fortunate or unfortunate.

Every sip and every peck, could it be predestined?

Flames blazed from Vermilion Bird's wings, quickly turning everything in sight red. The lingering resentful spirits around them wailed and cried as they were all incinerated. When the last wisp of resentment disappeared, the flames also dimmed.

Everything in front of them began to collapse rapidly, just like the glaciers before, even the land beneath their feet completely shattered and caved in.

The scene before them changed rapidly, from dark to light, with colors suddenly becoming complex and varied, dazzling and completely different from the previous gloominess.

"Ah Yin!" Zhou Chen changed back to human form and hugged him tightly.

"Let go of me," Zhou Yin said.

Zhou Chen: "Don't worry, no matter how dangerous it is, I won't let go of you!"

Without a word, Zhou Yin reached back, forcefully pinched and twisted, while infusing some spiritual power.

A pig-like miserable scream instantly resounded through the entire space: "Do you have to be like this!! You use this move every time!"

Zhou Yin's expression was calm: "It's obviously tried and tested against you."

Zhou Chen drooped his head pitifully.

"Wife, Ah Yin, little Yin-Yin, speaking of which, my lifespan is longer than yours. Can't you give me some face..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw two people not far from them, looking at them.

Author's note:

Some friends didn't leave detailed comments, so they are not clear about the sequence of events from the furball's transformation to his reunion with Zhou Yin. So I'm listing it out separately for understanding. The sequence is as follows:

1. After the previous generation Vermilion Bird (Furball's father) died, a wisp of his spirit blood merged with heaven and earth, transforming into an egg, equivalent to a human embryo.

2. The memories of the Vermilion Bird clan were separated from the embryo and stored in the Heavenly Brush.

3. When Furball transformed, Zhou Yin happened to be in a battle with the women from the Hehuan Sect and almost died. With this precondition, Furball transformed. With Zhou Yin's Heaven Washing Brush present, he achieved a complete transformation and inherited the memories.

4. After Furball transformed, he returned to the demon beast race and became the Demon Beast Emperor. But during this time, there were too many chaotic memories, causing him to forget about Zhou Yin's existence. But subconsciously he remembered this person, which was the case in the extra story.

5. Furball recovered his memories just as Zhou Yin came to Haisha City, so he followed along.