Chapter 1057: The Immortal Egg

An egg, crystal clear and radiant, with five-colored divine light soaring into the heavens.

Shi Hao was truly suspicious—this had to be related to the Phoenix Maiden. There was a familiar aura about it, both real and illusory.

Yet, when he dreamt back to the Immortal Ancient era, he had witnessed with his own eyes the Phoenix Maiden, who had cultivated three strands of immortal qi, being struck down. She had collapsed, turning into blood and bone.

How could another immortal egg appear?

“You recognize it?” The bewitching woman’s sharp, contrasting black-and-white eyes turned toward him. She was astute, able to deduce much from just a few words.

“She was a friend of mine,” Shi Hao sighed, thinking of those people, those events, and his soul’s journey to the previous epoch. The deaths of those young supreme beings left him with deep regret.

What a pity! So many prodigies, some of whom had even cultivated three strands of immortal qi!

Though their time together had only been a few months, they had gotten along exceptionally well. Though brief, some had felt like kindred spirits, mutual admirers on the path of cultivation.

At his level, finding peers to spar with was rare. Yet, that golden age had produced a whole generation of them!

A shame they had fallen like that. Shi Hao had watched helplessly as they perished.

“Your friend? When was this?” Even someone as sharp as the bewitching woman couldn’t fathom it. After all, soul-traveling to the previous epoch was too bizarre—hard to believe, let alone guess.

“A long time ago, yet it feels like yesterday. Those people were true supreme prodigies, each with soaring ambitions, yet all were gentle, free of malice. Being with them was joyful and comfortable,” Shi Hao said.

He always felt that those people were true seekers of the Dao, their auras transcendent. Yet, being born in that era was a tragedy for them.

Perhaps their regret was being born hundreds or thousands of years too late. Had they been given time to grow, the outcome of the Immortal Ancient battle might have been different.

“You speak in riddles. Don’t tell me you don’t realize where this is—this is a cave mansion left behind from the Immortal Ancient era, something from endless ages past. How could it be related to your friend?” The bewitching woman rolled her eyes. Though clever, she couldn’t fathom something so absurd.

“Perhaps,” Shi Hao replied noncommittally.

“If it’s true, then what era do you belong to? Not this one, not this world?” The bewitching woman smirked.

“Who can say? Maybe one day, it’ll be revealed that I’ve dreamt across millennia, that I truly don’t belong here,” Shi Hao chuckled.

The bewitching woman pursed her lips, amused.

Shi Hao laughed heartily and shook his head.

Soon, he set aside his melancholy and regret, focusing instead on the egg. It was dazzling, brimming with powerful life essence.

“Phoenixes can be reborn from their ashes—are those legends reliable? They must be true, right?” Shi Hao asked.

During his soul journey to Immortal Ancient, he had seen the Phoenix Maiden fall in a pool of blood before exploding, her form and spirit annihilated. But she was a phoenix, famed for her undying nature, capable of rebirth through fire. Perhaps there was still a sliver of hope for her revival.

Shi Hao’s heart pounded inexplicably. He sensed the Phoenix Maiden’s aura from this egg—there was no other explanation.

“Hmm, indeed. Phoenixes are the most terrifying, their combat prowess unmatched. In their time, they were the supreme race, unrivaled wherever they went,” the bewitching woman nodded, naturally not doubting the phoenix’s ability to be reborn.

Shi Hao opened his Heavenly Eye, scrutinizing the egg to see if it contained a soul—the Phoenix Maiden of old.

His pupils transformed into symbols, weaving the most esoteric laws before rippling outward, penetrating the egg as he searched.

He wanted to know if he could meet someone from the past in this era. It might overturn something!

Though not a complete upheaval, it was still a hope.

Yet, disappointment soon filled him. The egg’s interior blazed like the sun, overflowing with life essence and roaring flames.

But upon closer inspection, there was no soul imprint.

It contained life essence, capable of nourishing any living being—surpassing even divine medicines, perhaps rivaling longevity elixirs!

Yet, within that brilliance, there was no trace of a soul, no lingering imprint.

For an immortal egg like this, it was impossible. Normally, whether a phoenix egg hatched or a heavenly phoenix was reborn, an imprint would remain within the egg—never an error.

Shi Hao was stunned, his heart heavy with loss.

“How could this be?” he murmured. This wasn’t what he had expected—the Phoenix Maiden’s imprint was gone.

These life substances carried her aura but lacked her soul. What had happened?

Soon, the bewitching woman also realized the egg’s flaw—it lacked a soul imprint, an incomplete egg incapable of hatching a true divine phoenix.

“Hmm, I see. Someone attempted rebirth but failed, their soul lost, leaving only divine essence within the egg,” she concluded.

Had the Phoenix Maiden failed? Had she truly died like that?

Shi Hao fell silent. He had thought this egg might be her chance at reincarnation, but reality was cruel.

“This egg is still invaluable—equivalent to a longevity elixir, a priceless treasure!” the bewitching woman declared, her gem-like eyes gleaming with greed.

“This egg must not be touched,” Shi Hao said softly but firmly. No matter what, he wouldn’t destroy the Phoenix Maiden’s last hope.

The bewitching woman opened her mouth but ultimately nodded. “Fine, the egg is yours.”

She was perceptive, unwilling to argue with Shi Hao. Sensing his emotions, she yielded without demanding a share.

Moreover, she offered advice: “If you truly hold onto that sliver of hope, you could give it to a fire-attribute cultivator to carry and cultivate with. It would benefit both the egg and the cultivator.”

According to her, if even a wisp of the egg’s true spirit remained, it might be reawakened. Meanwhile, the cultivator accompanying it would gain immense benefits, their fire-attribute cultivation advancing by leaps and bounds.

Shi Hao immediately thought of Huo Ling’er. She was fire-attributed, and he longed to give her the egg. But with no time to return and his imminent departure for the Celestial Academy, he didn’t know when they’d meet again.

If war broke out at the border, or if he left the Three Thousand Dao Provinces, who knew what would happen? When would they reunite in this lifetime?

With the world in chaos, bathed in blood and fire, even sect masters had no guarantees of safety, let alone others.

“Somehow, I feel this egg resonates with Huo Ling’er,” Shi Hao murmured, a fleeting intuition, as if grasping fragments of time that slipped through his fingers.

“Let’s go. If there’s nothing else here, we should leave,” the bewitching woman said.

The cave mansion was vast, filled with dense chaos qi and immortal aura, but beyond that, there were no other artifacts or techniques—only the egg.

In the end, Shi Hao took the egg, and they left the cave.

With a flash, they found themselves outside the ancient city, freed from its confines.

“That cave was inside the city—invisible, accessible only under specific circumstances,” the bewitching woman muttered.

Shi Hao was puzzled. Had no one else discovered it? Why had they been able to find it and take the egg? The only unique factor was his months-long acquaintance with the Phoenix Maiden during his soul journey.

Could that be the reason?

He recalled their parting—how sorrowful it had been, how they had wished that across the ages, some might reappear in another era, reuniting once more.

Had those words been prophetic? Had they now come to pass?

They circled the city before descending the ashen mountain, re-entering the sea of magma to cross to the other shore.

The sea was immense, taking them another half-month to traverse.

Even at their speed, it took that long—proof of the scarlet magma land’s vastness.

Along the way, they faced danger multiple times. The sea held inexplicable entities, like the spirits of fallen warriors, still howling across the ages, seeking to slaughter all living beings.

Finally, they reached the far shore.

“Ugh, trapped in that city for so long—others must have overtaken us,” the bewitching woman grumbled.

Originally, they had been among the frontrunners, but their prolonged confinement had surely allowed others to surpass them.

“Let’s hurry to the depths of the forbidden zone, see that so-called Imperial City, and learn how the ancient covenant was forged,” Shi Hao said.

Thus, they pressed on—for another three months!

“Earlier, you said we were close. Why has it taken so long?” the bewitching woman complained.

“We’re truly here now!”

That day, Shi Hao shuddered, sensing an indescribable aura in the distance—one that inspired awe and reverence.

It was as if they had stepped into the epoch of creation, witnessing the birth of all things.

At the horizon, a magnificent sight seemed to beckon them.

“The Imperial City of the Forbidden Zone—it must be!” Shi Hao declared.

“Finally! Let’s see what it looks like—we’ve reached the end!” the bewitching woman cheered. After so long and so many trials, arriving here was no small feat.

As they approached, Shi Hao’s body trembled. An object on him stirred, emitting a mysterious, multicolored radiance and an overwhelming presence, as if piercing through time itself!

A drop of blood!

It emerged from him, illuminating the myriad heavens with its enigmatic glow.

The bewitching woman recognized it instantly—this was something unearthed from the ruins of Immortal Ancient, once buried beneath the Soil of All Things.