At this moment, after joyfully dancing in the air, the pair of phoenixes dipped their heads and dove downward as if to return to the ground. Everyone suddenly realized that in their fascination watching the dragon-phoenix battle, they had forgotten to seize the opportunity to rush into the city of Wuji Daozang, feeling deeply regretful inside.
Just as the phoenixes descended to the same height as the city walls, another unexpected event occurred. A dragon’s roar pierced the sky, and everyone looked up in astonishment to see the azure dragon, which had seemed to retreat earlier, winding its way back into the air.
This time, the dragon everyone saw was enveloped in a faint glowing aura. It soared through the sky like a divine dragon appearing in the heavens, heading straight for the place radiating golden light.
When the two phoenixes saw the dragon returning, they cried out urgently several times, then spread their wings and flew upward again, soaring into the sky to block the dragon’s path.
This time, the azure dragon did not choose to charge recklessly. Instead, it seemed well-prepared. Opening its mouth, it released a jet of blue water that shot straight toward the two phoenixes. Unprepared for this sudden attack, the phoenixes were hit and sent flying backward like broken kites, tumbling several times in the air before managing to stabilize themselves without falling. The azure dragon shook its head and tail, letting out a triumphant roar. Taking advantage of the moment, it created a gust of wind and flew toward the source of the golden light. The two phoenixes, in turn, let out piercing cries and chased after the dragon, flying closely behind it.
At this moment, Jia Zhuangyuan suddenly shouted loudly at everyone, who had been mesmerized by the dragon-phoenix battle, “Stop watching! Let’s chase after them. The place emitting golden light might be what we are looking for!”
Everyone suddenly snapped out of their trance and quickly ran forward along the city’s inner passage.
Meanwhile, the dragon and phoenixes in the sky were approaching the source of the golden light. The two phoenixes began to emit cries that sounded like sorrowful wails. On the ground, the group followed the city’s passageways paved with colorful crystals, turning left and right until they also neared the glowing source. Before them appeared a small palace constructed entirely of purple crystals. In front of the palace was a square plaza covering about one hundred square meters. At the center of the plaza stood a lifelike white crystal statue atop a black elevated platform. The golden light surging into the sky emanated in waves from within the small crystal palace like ripples on water.
Just as the group approached the plaza in front of the palace, a strong gust of wind suddenly descended from the sky. As everyone looked up, they saw the azure dragon diving down from above with a fierce gust of wind, its mouth wide open as if trying to swallow them all. Even more shocking was that the two phoenixes trailing behind the dragon had somehow caught fire during their high-speed flight—whether from wing-air friction or some other cause—now engulfed in roaring flames.
At that moment, Jia Zhuangyuan shouted frantically, “Everyone, quickly run into the palace!” Everyone rushed forward desperately. As they dashed into the palace, Liu Dashao looked back and saw that just as the dragon was about to land, the two phoenixes simultaneously opened their beaks and released two balls of red flame that struck the dragon’s tail. The dragon’s body twisted violently, letting out a piercing scream. It turned around and blasted a stream of blue water at the phoenixes chasing behind.
However, the two phoenixes seemed prepared. As the dragon turned in pain, they released another wave of fire from their mouths, directly meeting the dragon’s stream of blue water. A deafening explosion erupted as water and fire collided, sending a massive cloud of steam mushrooming into the air like a nuclear blast.
In an instant, everyone felt the ground shake violently, and the entire palace trembled from the impact.
As the steam dissipated, the group stood inside the palace entrance, still shaken, looking out at the scene. The azure dragon and the two phoenixes had both fallen to the ground, seemingly injured. The dragon’s horn was shattered into several pieces scattered on the ground. Its head drooped low, its eyes flickering open and shut, its mouth tightly closed. Its scales had lost their luster, and it appeared barely alive. The two phoenixes lay on the ground, leaning closely together, trying desperately to stand. However, their once-majestic feathers were now charred and broken, and their eyes had dimmed. It was clear that these legendary sovereigns of all birds had also reached the end of their strength.
Everyone was momentarily unsure whether to feel relieved or moved. On one hand, they were glad that the dragon and phoenix had both been weakened, making their own mission much easier. On the other, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe and melancholy—these two mythical beings, long thought to be immortal, were still vulnerable to injury and death.
At this moment, Jia Zhuangyuan let out a soft sigh and said, “The battle between dragon and phoenix has left both sides wounded. Don’t keep watching. We must focus on our mission.”
Liu Dashao quickly added, “Right. Let’s first find out what that golden light is coming from.”
At his reminder, everyone suddenly remembered their original purpose and hurriedly turned their attention back to locating the source of the golden glow.
Inside the palace, the golden light combined with the purple glow from the crystal walls dazzled everyone’s eyes so much that they could barely open them. Fortunately, after a brief period of adjustment, they managed to squint and make out the interior.
Except for a small white pedestal about half a person high directly in front of the palace entrance, the interior was completely empty, with no decorations or other objects. The golden light was clearly radiating from within this pedestal.
Curious, the group approached the white pedestal. The closer they got, the more intense the golden light became, almost too blinding to bear. Finally, after enduring the glare and standing directly in front of the pedestal, they realized it was not a pedestal at all, but a hollow white box. Inside was a glowing golden orb, completely transparent and pulsating like a beating heart. With each pulse, waves of golden light rippled outward in concentric circles—an astonishing sight.
“What is this thing? It looks alive! Could it be some kind of monster?” Fan Debiao asked nervously.
Jia Zhuangyuan shook his head and carefully examined the orb before replying, “I think there are two possibilities. One is that this is the embryo of the phoenix, which is why the phoenixes risked their lives to protect it from the dragon. The second possibility is that this is the dragon’s inner elixir, or ‘dragon pearl.’ Remember when we first saw the dragon, it was trapped in a lake of blue water, surrounded by a glowing barrier. Perhaps the one who imprisoned it took its inner elixir and placed it here, which is why the dragon had lost its power and couldn’t break free from the seven-colored barrier.”
Liu Dashao asked doubtfully, “Then why did the dragon suddenly break free?”
Jia Zhuangyuan thought for a moment and replied, “This dragon may have been imprisoned for countless years—perhaps even since the construction of Wuji Daozang. Over a thousand years of solitude may have allowed it to absorb the essence of heaven and earth and form a new, smaller inner elixir. Alternatively, maybe the imprisonment was only meant to last a thousand years, and today was simply the day the curse ended. In any case, I believe this orb is either connected to the phoenixes or the dragon.”
Everyone nodded, as Jia Zhuangyuan’s reasoning made sense. But what significance did this orb hold for them? They were puzzled.
Liu Dashao thought for a moment and said, “Actually, what this orb is might not matter right now. Now that we’ve reached Wuji Daozang, the more important question is—what do we do next?”
His question left everyone momentarily silent.
Suddenly, Cai Qingchong pulled out the American-made detector from her backpack and began pressing buttons while walking around the hall. The red light on the device initially blinked steadily, but then began flashing faster and faster until it was blinking rapidly without pause. Cai Qingchong suddenly looked up, her expression excited as she said, “The detector is reacting strongly! The object we’re looking for must be in this palace, and within a range of five to ten meters!”
Everyone became instantly excited. Since entering this underground world, they had faced countless dangers and uncertainties at every turn. Now, finally, it seemed they were on the verge of uncovering the truth. They quickly gathered around as Cai Qingchong stopped in front of the white box containing the golden orb. She looked at the detector, then at the orb inside the box, her expression strange as she said, “Could it be… that what we’re looking for is this orb?”
Everyone was stunned. Cai Qingchong’s face twitched slightly, excitement and confusion mingling as she added, “The red light on the detector has turned solid. That means the object is right here, within arm’s reach.”
Before anyone could react, Jia Zhuangyuan suddenly shouted, “Impossible! There must be another passage! There must still be the ‘Ninety-Nine Heavens’!”
His shout froze everyone in place, and a sudden silence fell over the grand hall.
About ten seconds passed before Liu Dashao finally spoke, “Master Jia, there are many unknowns in this world. Maybe we don’t need to uncover every mystery.”
Jia Zhuangyuan looked at Liu Dashao with a strange, almost bewildered expression, as if he no longer recognized him—as if he were staring at a complete stranger.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage