I brought out a two billion worth of shield at you, and you think I'm nothing?! I'd smack Hephaestus back and—no, no, scratch that. Anyway, look at you, chained up by those thick, ugly black links, and you're still acting all high and mighty? "Not necessarily?" the Undying Phoenix sneered. Aiden smiled faintly. "Gray, come out and show him something." "Roar!" Instantly, Gray burst out of the beast space, baring his fangs at the Undying Phoenix and posturing ferociously—downright savage. At first, the Undying Phoenix cast Gray a casual glance. Then its gaze shook violently. "This… this is—no, impossible. You're just a human. How could you possibly command a dragon of this caliber? And…" As if realizing something, it abruptly turned its gaze toward Aiden. The shock in its eyes deepened to an almost unbelievable degree. Sealed away for many years, the Undying Phoenix had suffered heavy losses to its true power and thus used not even a trace of strength. But the moment it truly scrutinized the human before it, it arrived at an utterly unexpected conclusion. "The Holy Dragon's Blessing?" the Undying Phoenix growled. "No… that's impossible. Why would that old dragon ever make such a choice? Has even it fallen?" It stared at Aiden as a heavy pressure spread outward. "Human, tell me the truth. Where is the Holy Dragon now? And how did you obtain this power? I don't believe that old dragon would place its trust in a human." "Well, that part I honestly don't know," Aiden said as he calmly straightened his collar, then flashed a brilliant smile. "But as you can see, standing before you is a model young man of the 21st century: a former three-year consecutive Five-Stripe Young Pioneer captain, newly advanced Fortune God, Divine Beastmaster, recipient of the Medal of Dominion, current number one on the Global Leaderboard, acting baron of the Dominion, beloved friend of the ladies of Leafport, and all-around outstanding gentleman—Nighthale himself. Contracting an Undying Phoenix or two shouldn't be that big a problem." The Undying Phoenix said nothing, simply staring at him in silence for a long while. "Forget it," it finally sighed heavily. "Such a chaotic yet contradictory aura… even I have never seen anything like it. Perhaps you truly do have what it takes." "Oh, it's nothing," Aiden said modestly. "I'm really not as great as you're making me out to be." "Human," the Undying Phoenix said, ignoring his banter, its voice low and solemn. "I can tell you where my offspring lies. But that place is beyond your current level. Whether you can find it will depend entirely on your strength. Of course, if you truly save my child, it will become your powerful ally from that day forward. That will be your honor." "Just tell me where it is," Aiden replied, his eyes blazing. "I'll go, no matter a mountain of blades or a sea of fire." This being had once reached a level where even the old divines meant nothing to it. Surely its offspring would be just as powerful. Could it be another mythic-tier beast egg? "You're not wrong about one thing," the Undying Phoenix said, its eyes lighting up. A resplendent feather drifted from its body and slowly descended into Aiden's hand. "To find it, you will indeed have to cross a sea of fire. Go. This feather will guide you to it—within that inferno." "Got it."Aiden took a deep breath. He could feel the feather in his hand—warm to the touch—pulling him toward a specific direction. And there, unmistakably, lay the endless lava field he had passed earlier. Evidently, the vast molten sea that Hephaestus had painstakingly arranged had instead become the perfect place for the Undying Phoenix to give birth. Suppressing the excitement in his chest, Aiden hurried toward the magma. Thanks to the depth of the fissure, he soon reached the edge of the lava. Strangely enough, although there was nothing visibly blocking it, the thick magma seemed to be held back by some invisible barrier, refusing to spill outward. '-1,000' '-1,000' At the same time, terrifying damage numbers burst from Aiden's body. After using the King Flamecrystal, his fire resistance had reached an astonishing 95%. Even so, he was still taking 1,000 damage per second. Without that resistance, it would have been 20,000 per second.Even a grandmaster fighter wouldn't be able to tank that. "I need to move fast." Yet no matter how quickly his shield points dropped, Aiden didn't feel the slightest bit of regret. Compared to another divine beast egg, what did a few marks matter? Even if he burned through every last mark here, it would still be worth it. Without the slightest hesitation, Aiden plunged straight into the lava. The scorching heat that rushed over him instantly blurred his consciousness, and the damage ticking above his head spiked to a horrifying 5,000 per second. Even so, Aiden pressed on regardless, relying on sheer willpower and the feather's guidance as he charged forward without looking back.