Chapter 126: The Immortal Phoenix

Gods, demons, and mortals unconsciously gathered here, united by a common purpose, and the true nature of all living beings began to reveal itself.

“Ahh, this is a maze! Without a map, how can we enter?” a cultivator let out a helpless sigh.

“Don’t panic. As long as we follow the footsteps ahead, we won’t get lost. Which fellow cultivator has a magical treasure to lend a hand?”

At this moment, the cultivators showed unprecedented unity. An elderly layman flicked his sleeve and out popped a sable mouse. The magical little creature sniffed around in all directions before joyfully darting forward.

Hundreds of cultivators followed without hesitation, vanishing one by one into the formation. None of them considered a troubling thought—that they were pursuing an immortal, someone they should have revered.

The spirit-connected sable led the way effortlessly. As the sound of the formation’s core grew faintly audible, suddenly, the entire array began to spin like a windmill.

It rotated wildly around its central point. A Daoist with weaker magical powers suddenly felt dizzy; before he could react, a stone wall slammed violently into him.

A dull thud and a scream echoed instantly through the passage. Blood splattered and illusions twisted, turning the spinning space into a scene from hell.

Within the same formation, in another location, Qiao San suddenly spread his arms and instinctively hugged the startled Twelve. The young couple rolled like gourds on the ground. When the stone wall came crashing toward them like a demon, the man twisted his body, becoming Twelve’s human cushion.

Man and demon, their hearts in sync, clung tightly to each other as they rolled into a corner and lay still. Amid this sudden change, they seemed to drift from reality, quietly savoring the warmth nestled in each other’s arms.

The Dragon Mother and Xuan Nu, of course, would not roll about like common ruffians. With a wave of their divine arts, the two female immortals’ graceful figures rotated along with the formation. The Ruler of the Four Seas even casually pulled the Book Spirit into her protective glow.

“Ahh—” Still inside the formation, at yet another location, came a frightened scream from a group of three, the smallest party.

Yu Shan suffered no harm, Bei Gong Zhen could protect herself, but the Empress, a mere mortal without cultivation, was powerless. Her fragile body lifted into the air, helplessly watching as her head hurtled toward the stone wall.

“Hmph, don’t waste my time,” Bei Gong Zhen rushed forward to save her mother, but Yu Shan, true to her demonic nature, saw no point in unnecessary actions. She firmly grabbed the beautiful woman’s leg.

“Mother—” Bei Gong Zhen’s eyes nearly burst with fury, yet she could not escape Yu Shan’s grip.

Among the cultivators, after several screams, the group finally steadied themselves. A few wandering souls drifting away could not halt their determined advance.

Moments later, the maze formation finally calmed, but a greater danger followed immediately—a sea of fire erupted violently from the center.

A wandering immortal, confident in his deep cultivation, activated his protective magic and summoned heavy rain to extinguish the flames.

Rarely so united, cultivators from all sects instantly summoned torrents of rain. But the water only fueled the fire like oil. More than a dozen cultivators at the front were instantly reduced to ashes without even a scream. The flames surged again, devouring dozens more lives in an instant.

“Ahh! Ancient divine fire! Retreat quickly—” A few fortunate wandering immortals immediately pulled their disciples and fled, forgetting entirely about fellow cultivators from other sects.

Figures scattered in panic. Of the hundreds who entered, only dozens emerged. The righteous path of humanity suffered an unprecedented blow.

“Ah?” Yu Shan was about to step forward when an unexpected change halted her. The mortal Empress had somehow survived.

At the most critical moment, a red glow burst from the Empress’s body, halting her magically just three inches from the wall. No matter how violently the formation spun, it could not touch the suspended royal woman.

“Kek, kek… The Ten Sun Body is truly amazing!” Yu Shan’s demonic figure twirled, her tone half-envious, half-jealous as she teased Bei Gong Zhen, “Did you see that? That’s all thanks to Big San. I bet he’s not only once filled your mother with his Ten Sun essence.

Changing tone, the trouble-loving demoness then teased the Empress, “When you meet Big San later, you really should thank your good son-in-law, kek, kek… Your Majesty the Empress, are you pregnant? If you really carried Big San’s child, what would you call your daughter? Hmm, truly something to look forward to…”

Before Yu Shan’s teasing words had fully faded, the formation suddenly changed again. A strange sound came from the central point ahead, and the maze corridors suddenly exploded outward. As the dust and stones touched the ground, they transformed into rising flames.

“Hu…”

Gods, demons, and humans all converged here, driven by a common purpose, and the true nature of beings began to reveal itself.

“Ah, this is a maze. Without a map, how do we get in?” a cultivator sighed in distress.

“Don’t panic. As long as we follow the footsteps ahead, we won’t get lost. Which fellow Daoist has a treasure to lend a hand?”

At this moment, the cultivators displayed unprecedented unity. An elderly layman shook his sleeve, releasing a marten. The magical little creature sniffed around and then happily darted forward.

Hundreds of cultivators followed without hesitation, disappearing into the formation. None of them considered the question: they were pursuing an immortal, someone they should have revered.

The spiritual marten led them effortlessly through the maze. As the sound of the formation’s core faintly reached their ears, suddenly, the formation began to spin like a windmill.

Spinning wildly around the core, a weaker Daoist’s vision blurred. Before he could react, a stone wall slammed into him.

Thuds and screams echoed through the passage, blood and illusions turning the spinning space into a hellish realm.

Elsewhere in the same formation, Qiao San instinctively spread his arms and caught the unprepared Twelve. The young lovers tumbled like gourds. As the stone wall charged like a demon, the man turned, using his body as a cushion for Twelve.

Man and demon, hearts connected, clung tightly to each other, rolling to the corner and staying there. In this sudden upheaval, they seemed detached from reality, quietly savoring the warmth of each other’s embrace.

The Dragon Mother and the Mystic Maiden, unlike the ruffians, didn’t roll on the ground. With a flick of immortal magic, their graceful figures spun with the formation. The ruler of the four seas even pulled the book spirit into her protective aura.

“Ah—” In another part of the formation, the smallest group of three let out terrified screams.

The Jade Fan remained unharmed, and Beigong Zhen could protect herself, but the empress, a mortal without immortal arts, was helpless. Her delicate body was thrown into the air, her head hurtling toward the stone wall.

“Hmph, don’t waste my time,” Beigong Zhen rushed to save her mother, but the Jade Fan, true to her demon nature, grabbed the long-legged beauty, unwilling to act without purpose.

“Mother—” Beigong Zhen’s eyes nearly burst, but she couldn’t escape the Jade Fan’s grip.

After several screams, the cultivators finally steadied themselves. The wandering spirits of the dead couldn’t stop their advance.

Moments later, the maze formation quieted, but greater danger followed. A sea of fire surged from the core.

A rogue immortal, relying on his profound cultivation, summoned rain to extinguish the flames while protecting himself with magic.

The sects, rarely so united, instantly summoned a downpour. But the mortal water only fueled the fire. The first dozen cultivators turned to ash without a scream, and the flames quickly claimed dozens more lives.

“Ah! Primordial divine fire, retreat—” The lucky rogue immortals immediately fled with their disciples, leaving their fellow sect members behind.

Figures fled in panic. Hundreds entered, but only dozens emerged. The righteous path of the mortal world suffered an unprecedented blow.

“Huh?” The Jade Fan was about to move when an unexpected change made her pause. The mortal empress hadn’t died.

At the most critical moment, a red light burst from the empress’s body, miraculously stopping her three inches from the wall. No matter how wildly the formation spun, it couldn’t touch the floating royal lady.

“Giggle… The Ten Yang Body is truly miraculous!” The Jade Fan’s petite figure turned, her voice tinged with envy and jealousy as she spoke to Beigong Zhen. “See? This is the work of Bold Three. He must have injected his Ten Yang essence into your mother more than once.”

Changing the subject, the mischievous demoness teased the empress, “When you see Bold Three later, you should thank your good son-in-law. Giggle… Empress, are you pregnant? If you’re carrying Bold Three’s child, what should your daughter call you? Hmm, it’s quite intriguing…”

Before the Jade Fan could finish her taunts, the formation changed again. A strange sound came from the core, and the maze passages suddenly shattered. As the rubble and dust hit the ground, they burst into flames.

“Whoosh…”

In less than two blinks, the demon and the two humans were surrounded by a sea of fire. The unusual flames startled the Jade Fan. She quickly unfurled her white jade fan, enveloping herself and flying forward. The princess of the underworld hesitated for a moment but decided to save the mortal mother and daughter.

These two women still had value; they couldn’t be wasted.

Qiao San and the others rushed into the core, and the space before them suddenly transformed. A vast underground expanse greeted them. In the center of the thousand-zhang-wide space lay a dragon-shaped mountain range. At the dragon’s head, a spherical object shimmered and danced within a flame—the Nine Heavens Mystic Fire Pill.

The Dragon Mother extended her hand, rapidly elongating it to grab the Mystic Fire Pill. The immortal barriers surrounding the pill were nothing in the eyes of the ruler of the four seas.

Layer after layer of tangible barriers shattered, scattering billions of light points. At that moment, the flame enveloping the Mystic Fire Pill suddenly—flared, rising and igniting the entire fire formation.

This was the formation’s most powerful move. Even the Dragon Mother, with her Great Luo Golden Immortal body, had to retract her hand swiftly.

Among the group, only Qiao San lacked insight. The Mystic Maiden, deeply concerned, exclaimed, “Bad news! The Mystic Fire Pill is about to hatch into a spirit!”

“Twelve, what hatching? Can that stone hatch a chick?” The rogue, even more shameless in his madness, pointed at the divine pill, deliberately distorting the truth to unsettle the Dragon Mother and the Mystic Maiden.

“Third Young Master, it’s not hatching a chick. The Mystic Fire Pill is undergoing a fiery rebirth, about to transform into the ancient divine bird, the Immortal Phoenix!”

These two women still had temporary value; they couldn’t be wasted so easily.

Qiao San and the others rushed into the center. The space before them suddenly transformed. A vast underground expanse opened up. At its center, spanning thousands zhang across, lay a mountain shaped like a dragon. At the dragon’s head, a round, pearl-like object shimmered and flickered violently within a flame—none other than the Celestial Flame Pill of the Nine Heavens.

The Dragon Mother extended her jade-like hand, which stretched rapidly forward, directly reaching for the Celestial Flame Pill. As for the divine barrier surrounding it, it was nothing in the eyes of the Ruler of the Four Seas.

Indeed, layer upon layer of tangible barriers shattered one after another, scattering millions of glowing particles. At that moment, the flame surrounding the Celestial Flame Pill suddenly—blazed with intense light, flaring upward, instantly igniting the entire fiery formation.

This was the formation’s ultimate trick. Even the Dragon Mother, with her Golden Immortal body, instinctively withdrew her hand rapidly.

Among the group, except for Qiao San, everyone else was highly knowledgeable. Xuan Nu, especially concerned for her own safety, cried out in alarm, “No good! The Celestial Flame Pill is about to hatch into a spirit!”

“Twelve, what hatching? Can that rock hatch a chick?” The possessed rogue became even more insolent, deliberately twisting the facts as he pointed at the divine pill to mock the Dragon Mother and Xuan Nu.

“Master San, it’s not hatching a chick. The Celestial Flame Pill is reborn in flames and is about to transform into the ancient immortal bird—the immortal Fenghuang!”