Nine Star Hegemon Body Art (WN)
chapter-3702

“This is the treasure that you swindled? But I can’t tell that it’s a treasure at all.” Yu Qingxuan examined the rusty hairpin for a long moment without seeing anything special about it.

“This hairpin has passed through several hands. In order to get a good price, those fools made it look older than it is several times.” Long Chen then took out a jade board and lightly tapped the hairpin on it.

With a light sound, tiny cracks covered the hairpin. After a few raps, the rust on top of it began to fall.

However, even as the rust fell, there was no luster to be seen. It still looked very crude.

Long Chen continued rapping it, causing more cracks to appear and more rust to fall. After that, Yu Qingxuan finally saw a bird tail at the end of the hairpin.

“What bird do you think this is?” asked Long Chen.

“It does look a bit like the ancient phoenix. But its head is too big, and its tail is bloated. I’ve never seen such a bird before.” Yu Qingxuan shook her head.

The others were also befuddled and none of them recognized it. One person then guessed, “The phoenix race has many large-headed branches. The ones with bigger heads are more intelligent.”

“Impossible. Every branch of the phoenix race is recorded in history. None of them have this form,” refuted another.

Long Chen smiled and rapped the hairpin once more. This time, another layer of rust fell. The head of the bird shrank, but its mouth didn’t. It now looked even odder.

“That… that form, doesn’t it look similar to our empire’s symbol, the Vermilion Bird?!” exclaimed one of them.

“Don’t spout nonsense. How does the Vermilion Bird have a mouth like that?” retorted another.

“Maybe it’s a deformity?”

“Do you not want your life anymore? Don’t randomly talk about our empire’s symbol!”

It had to be known that the Vermilion Bird was a sacred symbol of the Vermilion Bird Empire. It was their faith, a holy emblem that could not be blasphemed. If that person’s words were heard by the others of the Vermilion Bird Empire, that would be a grave sin.

That person hastily apologized. Yu Qingxuan eyed the bird more closely, and an expression of astonishment appeared in his eyes.

“This form truly is like the Vermilion Bird. But its mouth is odd.”

“Hehe, keep watching.” Long Chen once more rapped it against the jade board. When another layer of rust fell, everyone, including Yu Qingxuan and the people of the Vermilion Bird Empire, cried out in shock.

“Vermilion Bird Bead?”

When all the rust of the hairpin finally fell and the true form of the bird appeared, they were all shocked.

It truly was a Vermilion Bird. Its long tail hung low over the hairpin, and its wings were spread ever so slightly. There was a tiny bead in its mouth.

This Vermilion Bird Bead was something formed from the Vermilion Bird condensing all its body’s essence before it underwent nirvanic rebirth. This bead contained its life essence. If the nirvanic rebirth succeeded, it would devour this bead as the foundation for its rebirth.

If the rebirth failed, this bead would become a priceless treasure. That was because the Vermilion Bird Flame was fifth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.

The Vermilion Bird Flame and the Golden Crow Flame were the same in that they should have been considered beast flames, but due to their progression over time, they evolved. At the highest level of the Vermilion Bird Flame, it was called the Nirvanic Rebirth Flame.

As for the Golden Crow Flame, at its highest level, it was called the Sun Flame. However, the Nirvanic Rebirth Flame’s ranking was even higher than the Sun Flame.

The Vermilion Bird Flame had to go through nine heavenly calamities, with every calamity being considered a nirvanic rebirth. Only after nine nirvanic rebirths would it be the true Nirvanic Rebirth Flame.

The Vermilion Bird Empire viewed the Vermilion Bird as a god and offered worship to the Vermilion Bird totem, so this Vermilion Bird Bead model was practically burned into their souls.

Previously, they had only viewed paintings of it. Hence, as this Vermilion Bird was depicted in a hairpin and was three dimensional, they didn’t immediately recognize it.

But now that they did, they couldn’t help being shocked. There were all kinds of hairpins depicting some kind of divine bird holding a bead in its mouth, but they had never seen someone dare to do such a thing with the Vermilion Bird.

Legend was that the phoenix race was a descendant of the Vermilion Bird and inherited a portion of the Vermilion Bird’s bloodline. There were all kinds of phoenix decorations spread throughout the nine heavens and ten lands. But when it came to the original ancestor, the Vermilion Bird, no one dared to use it as a decoration, nor did they dare to put the images on their clothes or ornaments.

It was said that the Vermilion Bird was a spirit beast of heaven and earth, close to the Heavenly Daos and blessed with immense good fortune. Those close to it would also benefit from its fortune.

To blaspheme such a symbol would be inviting calamity. Thus, cultivators would never adorn themselves with images of the Vermilion Bird. That could very well be a mistake that cost them their lives.

Even in the Vermilion Bird Empire, the imperial family didn’t wear ornaments of the Vermilion Bird. Even their status plates only had the name of the Vermilion Bird carved onto them in Jiuli characters.

It could be said that using the Vermilion Bird as a design was taboo. Thus, everyone was shocked by this hairpin.

“The bead in its mouth…” Yu Qingxuan looked more closely at the small bead that was only the size of a grain of rice. An expression of disbelief appeared in her eyes.

“It should be the nirvanic bead. Regretfully, too much time has passed. It was also damaged by the Yin Qi from underground, and its power was almost exhausted. But since the flame seed has not gone out, Qingxuan, try to nourish it with your flame energy. Perhaps it can be reignited,” said Long Chen.

“Long Chen, this nirvanic bead is too precious. You were the one who found it, so you should ignite it.” Yu Qingxuan shook her head. This treasure was something that countless flame cultivators would not even dare to dream of obtaining. If she ignited it, it would be forming a master relationship with the nirvanic bead. She felt that it should belong to Long Chen.

“Are you joking? You want me to wear a hairpin all day? Won’t others laugh at me? Hurry up and try it. If it doesn’t work, I’ll think of something else,” said Long Chen.

Yu Qingxuan laughed at Long Chen’s expression. Since he was determined, she no longer stood on courtesy. A rainbow flame then appeared on the tip of her finger, and she slowly sent it into the nirvanic bead. This flame was naturally the Heavenly Rainbow Flame.

When the Heavenly Rainbow Flame entered the nirvanic bead, many spots on it gradually faded. Those spots were the marks of the invasion of Yin Qi from underground, but the Heavenly Rainbow Flame burned them away without harming the actual hairpin in the slightest. It actually began to grow brighter.

Everyone was amazed. This hairpin’s origin might really be extraordinary. It had to be known that any divine item would have difficulty resisting the invasion of Yin Qi from underground. Furthermore, once the Yin Qi did set its roots inside, it would be next to impossible to remove. Forcibly erasing it would destroy the divine item itself. But this hairpin was actually fine.

Suddenly, the nirvanic bead quivered ever so slightly. Long Chen then saw a vast world within this rice-sized bead. At the heart of this world was a giant figure; it was a Vermilion Bird.

For a moment, Yu Qingxuan and Long Chen were simply stunned, unable to believe what they were seeing.