That phoenix radiated intense hostility, brimming with killing intent, as if it sought to devour everyone!
Originally a celestial bird, serene and sacred, it had now become so bloodthirsty that even its five-colored divine feathers were dyed crimson, completely at odds with its divine nature.
Ding-dong…
The melody of the zither was ethereal, so enchanting that it nearly induced enlightenment—an astonishing phenomenon.
Perched atop the roof, a snow-white skeleton played a beautiful tune, its slender, crystalline hand bones unmistakably those of a woman.
In a daze, everyone felt an illusion—this was no mere skeleton, but a peerless beauty leisurely plucking the strings, producing the most exquisite music.
Some even glimpsed her true visage—a countenance so breathtaking it could eclipse the moon and shame flowers, with eyes like autumn waters and bones of jade, clad in pristine white robes, untouched by dust.
People shook their heads, trying to stay lucid, yet the more they resisted, the clearer the vision became—the skeleton regrew flesh and blood, transforming into a stunning beauty.
Her beauty was flawless, as if she had stepped out of a painting—an ethereal being, a true immortal, not of this mortal world.
But how? Moments ago, it was clearly a skeleton. How had it regrown flesh, even defying the Heavenly Eye’s scrutiny?
“Awaken!” Grand Elder Meng Tianzheng roared, imbuing his voice with Dao resonance.
The younger generation shuddered and snapped out of their trance. What kind of sorcery was this, capable of ensnaring minds at first encounter, even rendering the Heavenly Eye useless?
Even some elders from the foreign realm felt ashamed—some had also been ensnared, only jolted awake by their companions, breaking into cold sweat.
It was still a skeleton—a peerless beauty whose flesh had withered away. The zither’s melody was eerie, distorting perception and dulling the senses.
Her bones were delicate and slender, unmistakably female, suggesting she had once been a transcendent fairy in life. But now, she was undeniably dead.
“Phoenix Roost Zither!”
The Grand Elder stared at the ancient zither, shocked to see it broken and missing strings.
This was undoubtedly the legendary zither recorded in ancient texts, forged from the heartwood of the first divine tree in the phoenix ancestral land.
Lost for eons, it had resurfaced here, damaged beyond recognition—evidence of a brutal battle.
Once one of the most renowned artifacts of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, on par with the Cosmic Pouch and the Ten Realms Painting!
Who was this woman?
Suddenly, the blood phoenix screeched, as if communicating with the skeleton. In response, the Phoenix Roost Zither emitted a piercing note, and a severed string lashed out like a whip toward the foreign invaders.
“Clang!”
The Immortal Refining Pot glowed, intercepting the attack, but the impact sent shockwaves rippling, revealing the terrifying force behind the strike.
The repelled string morphed into a flood dragon, charging indiscriminately toward Shi Hao and the others.
“Boom!”
The Shroud of the Dead unfurled like a wave, emitting radiance to block the string and halt the dragon’s advance.
With a final roar, the string retreated.
This mere probe left everyone pale—the skeleton was unfathomable, wielding a celestial zither with ease, putting all on high alert.
“Chirp…” The juvenile corrupted blood phoenix communicated with the skeleton in an incomprehensible tongue.
The skeleton, devoid of a soul flame in its skull, somehow appeared to listen—an eerie sight.
“Ding!”
A single note split the heavens!
Though soft, the sound unleashed a slash of light that cleaved the sky in two.
Silver musical notes materialized, descending upon the foreign invaders and the Grand Elder alike.
“Remnant filth! Do you think we fear a dead thing? Immortal Refining Pot, awaken and suppress it!” a foreign elder bellowed.
“Boom!”
The pot erupted with light, as if an ancient war god had crossed the river of time, growing stronger with each step, resisting the world’s suppression.
A blazing beam shot from its spout, targeting the skeleton and the zither.
“Boom!”
Like the birth of the cosmos, the deafening clash of divine artifacts sent souls trembling, lightning flashing, and visions manifesting.
The Grand Elder activated the Shroud of the Dead for defense and wielded the Great Luo Sword Embryo to slash at the incoming notes.
Under assault from both sides, the skeleton faced immense pressure.
Then, a piercing avian cry echoed as a colossal bird soared from the ancient ruins—a desiccated, skeletal phoenix, half its body reduced to bone.
Yet, all were stunned—this was an adult celestial phoenix, long dead, now seemingly reanimated as a puppet.
This sealed realm was beyond mysterious, harboring even the corpses of such divine beasts.
Though not one of the Ten Fiends, its power in life was undeniable. Tragically, it too had fallen here.
This rare species, scarcely seen, now appeared in pairs—one adult, one juvenile.
“Kill!” The foreign invaders, emboldened by the Immortal Refining Pot, fought recklessly.
The Grand Elder grimaced—the phoenix corpse and skeleton attacked indiscriminately, forcing him to retaliate.
“Boom!”
A cataclysmic battle erupted. The diving phoenix corpse unleashed unimaginable force, while the skeleton’s zither deepened the mystery.
Both the Grand Elder and the foreign elders fought desperately, despite being enemies.
Nearby palaces, even reinforced with arrays, crumbled under the onslaught of supreme artifacts.
Amid the chaos, the Great Luo Sword Embryo, Shroud of the Dead, and Immortal Refining Pot clashed.
Even while fending off the phoenix and zither, the foreigners still targeted the Grand Elder, turning the battle into a free-for-all.
“Boom!”
Suddenly, an ancient war horn’s blast filled the air, unleashing a killing aura.
A Incomplete Grand Formation materialized, blotting out the sky, ensnaring all in its lethal grasp.
“Break!” The Immortal Refining Pot trembled violently, unleashing a torrent of immortal light to tear a rift through the void.
“Slash!” The Grand Elder roared.
Yet, the surroundings shifted—gray mist swirled, time distorted, transporting them to an ancient battlefield littered with the bones of supreme beings.
“We must break free—this is no place to linger!” a foreign elder growled, sensing the trap.
The Immortal Refining Pot proved its might, shredding the formation’s restraints and carving an escape.
Meanwhile, the Grand Elder hacked a path out with the Shroud and Sword Embryo.
Outside, the landscape had transformed—collapsed ruins revealed a central altar bearing an ancient wooden coffin, still sprouting leaves.
“Immortal wood!” they gasped.
Despite being fashioned into a coffin, it pulsed with life, exuding immortal mist and sprouting glowing foliage.
The altar’s engravings were anointed with mysterious blood essence, nourishing the coffin.
“What cursed coffin is this? The blood essence of our fallen immortals feeds it?!” the foreigners raged.
Across from them, the phoenix corpse and skeleton still lingered, the zither’s mournful tune like a summoning dirge.
Here, aside from the juvenile phoenix, all were dead—yet this macabre setup defied reason.
All eyes locked onto the vibrant coffin.
The zither’s sorrowful melody persisted, as if calling lost souls across time.
Then, a chilling premonition struck—everyone’s hair stood on end as an overwhelming threat loomed.
The distant mountains quaked as six colossal figures approached—the corpses of the fallen immortals, now resurrected.
Beyond, immortal tombs ruptured, releasing more corpses that sped toward them.
“Damn it, what hellish place is this?!” Cao Yusheng cursed.
This was annihilation—manipulated immortal corpses encircling them, sealing their doom!
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