The Ten Thousand Immortal Mound, a place of extreme heat.
Wang Xuanyi had unwittingly walked to this place.
He was originally searching for the ghost immortal based on the general coordinates given by Su Qian, but this place was like a maze, and he had no idea where he was.
Upon the earth, star fragments could be seen everywhere. Amidst the stars, corpses, blood, and floating ancient dried corpses were scattered all over.
His divine sense was restricted here, making it impossible to perform any effective range detection, causing Wang Xuanyi to be lost for quite some time.
“Damn, that old hag is so unreliable!”
Wang Xuanyi cursed angrily. The scorching air made him feel irritable, so he pulled out a jar of Green Bamboo Wine and took several deep gulps, which made him feel much better.
The original novel did not describe the character Mo Yan, so he knew absolutely nothing about the ghost immortal. Even Zhu Huai had not been described much.
In this entry into the Ancient Immortal Realm, everyone besides the protagonist's group and a few powerful ancient freaks were merely supporting characters.
Just like the Starry Heavenly Ladder—nine paths, nine climbers who reached the summit, each of whom could obtain a Foundation Establishment secret technique gifted by the ancient immortals to forge a supreme foundation.
Then there was the Burial Ground of Corpses, the Silent Forest, the Cave of a Hundred Ghosts... These nine secret realms were the second trial set up by the ancient immortals.
The blood-colored bead that Long Zitian obtained looked utterly ordinary, but it was actually a true immortal treasure—an immortal rune arranged by the ancient immortals.
It could help one comprehend the Dao, sense heaven and earth, temper one's body, and raise one's cultivation...
In the original novel, it was precisely by relying on the immortal rune that Long Zitian created his own secret technique, refined himself, and from then on embarked on the path of invincibility, winning the hearts of all kinds of beautiful women.
“Sigh, what am I supposed to do now?”
Wang Xuanyi was extremely depressed. If he couldn't find the ghost immortal, he couldn't break the old geezer's soul brand. If he couldn't break the brand, the old geezer wouldn't be able to date his little lover, and without that, the old geezer wouldn't be able to break through.
While feeling depressed, he kept pouring wine into his mouth, only to find that an entire jar of wine was gone in just two gulps.
“Gone?”
Wang Xuanyi shook the wine jar in confusion. It was empty, without a single drop left.
“Burp~”
A loud burp caught Wang Xuanyi's attention. Looking sideways, he saw a woman clad in fiery red lying on the ground, her face flushed with drunkenness, looking utterly satisfied.
She was on the older side.
...
“Youngster, do you have any more wine? Give this venerable one some more. If this venerable one drinks happily, I might just reward you with a couple of peerless secret techniques.”
The old woman stumbled over to Wang Xuanyi, patted his shoulder, and said with a breath reeking of alcohol, “Youngster, why have you split into two people?”
“Holy crap!”
Wang Xuanyi burst out in anger, swinging a fist straight at the old woman's forehead. The whistling wind of his fist passed right through her body, striking straight into the magma and instantly kicking up a churning wave.
The old woman shook her index finger, completely unfazed, and said, “Tsk tsk, youngsters nowadays really have explosive tempers. You even dare to punch an immortal.”
Wang Xuanyi retracted his fist, calmly turned around, and said, “Oh? So... you're a True Immortal?”
“Nonsense! This venerable one is the only Immortal Phoenix of the Nine Provinces. Only after undergoing nine nirvanas did I achieve the position of True Immortal. My status is supreme.”
The old woman boasted. An Immortal Phoenix pattern emerged behind her back, filled with immortal aura, displaying countless ancient inscriptions that symbolized her nobility.
Screech!
A sharp cry rang out, making ten thousand demons submit. The phoenix spread its wings, the sun and moon changed color, and mountains and rivers shattered. A sky-blotting figure shrouded the earth. Wherever it passed, living beings knelt in submission, and a breath of immortal flame burned away all illusions.
Whoosh!
The old phoenix withdrew the memory fragment, saying with great pride, “Youngster, did you see that? That was this venerable one in my prime. Envious?”
“Truly impressive.”
“Mhm, you're a youngster who knows your manners. This venerable one likes you quite a bit.” Hearing his agreement, the Immortal Phoenix nodded proudly, deeply enjoying Wang Xuanyi's admiring gaze.
“But what does that have to do with you stealing my wine?” Wang Xuanyi countered.
“!”
The Immortal Phoenix was stunned, not quite hearing what this kid was saying.
She was an immortal! A True Immortal! An existence that countless cultivators had to look up to, the very end of all cultivation, an immortal standing at the peak of the world!
This kid?!
“You indeed used to be very powerful, and I wouldn't have dared to provoke you. But the current you...” Wang Xuanyi sized her up, spread his hands, and said fearlessly, “...is nothing but a wisp of a True Immortal's remnant soul, with strength only at the Nascent Soul Realm. Why should I flatter you?”
...
The Immortal Phoenix's expression instantly shifted. She stared at Wang Xuanyi with an unfriendly gaze and said coldly, “Kid, seeing as you brought wine, this venerable one has allowed you to be disrespectful time and again. Do not push your luck.”
“And what if I... do push my luck?”
With that, Wang Xuanyi's eyes blinked open. His heterochromatic eyes swirled with the Dao of Yin and Yang, in black and white, reflecting a crimson flower within them—utterly bizarre.
“!”
The Immortal Phoenix stared at those eyes in shock. Her face instantly grew solemn, and she said in a freezing tone, “Such an evil should have long vanished into the sands of time! Why... why does it still exist?!”
“What?”
Wang Xuanyi was puzzled but still made his move. As his eyes opened and closed, a massive amount of runes surged forth, and an earth-shaking aura spread, enveloping the entire volcanic area.
Crack!
Within the barrier, pair after pair of eyes opened, like monsters in a dark abyss, exuding coldness, ruthlessness, discarding all seven emotions and six desires, utterly devoid of humanity.
The Immortal Phoenix looked coldly at these eyes. The immortal aura around her erupted, and the Immortal Phoenix pattern emerged behind her back once more—mysterious and profound, the most ancient secret technique of a creature closest to the Great Dao of heaven and earth.
“Phoenix Cry!”
The Immortal Phoenix shouted coldly. The Immortal Phoenix pattern on her back seemed to come alive, letting out a screech. The supreme creature from ancient times swept through the space Wang Xuanyi had created with limitless runes, destroying those bizarre eyes.
Meanwhile, those eyes shot out chains of secret runes, attempting to bind her.
“Kid, this venerable one only just realized that you are merely a fierce beast clad in the guise of the Foundation Establishment Realm. No wonder you face this venerable one without any fear.”
The Immortal Phoenix shattered countless chains, yet she could not pierce through this space.
Clang!
Another chain of secret runes struck. The Immortal Phoenix could not dodge in time and was hit in the back, leaving a burning mark. Consequently, the Immortal Phoenix pattern dimmed quite a bit.
“Damn it. This venerable one's strength is not even one-ten-thousandth of my prime, otherwise, I would suppress and kill you in a minute.” Suffering a setback, the Immortal Phoenix's face grew even colder.
“Why talk so much? I'll just suppress you!”
The previously silent Wang Xuanyi finally spoke, abruptly appearing at the highest layer of this space.
He slowly raised a foot. Countless laws of secret runes gathered beneath his foot, constructing a human sage dozens of zhang tall. This space also continuously supplied him with power.
“Heaven-Treading Technique!”
Wang Xuanyi barked coldly, then stepped down. Endless runes poured down in tandem, and a majestic spiritual pressure instantly filled the entire space, making it difficult for the Immortal Phoenix to move.
“The immortal secret technique of the Seven Human Immortals! How do you know it?!”
The Immortal Phoenix was shocked. She wanted to gather her magical power again to resist, but under the influence of the spiritual pressure, she could not mobilize any power at all.
Rumble!
The foot fell, shaking the earth and shattering the void. The Immortal Phoenix's already illusory figure became even weaker under this strike, her realm plunging from the Nascent Soul Realm down to the Violet Palace Realm.
The Immortal Phoenix stared at her hands in disbelief, then looked up at Wang Xuanyi in confusion. He actually hadn't wiped her out directly?
To a remnant soul, someone possessing the Netherworld Immortal Eyes was absolutely lethal.
“You aren't going to kill this venerable one?”
“Why would I kill you? You're just a mere remnant soul, and there's no reward for it.”
“You're going too far! This venerable one is an immortal! A true immortal!” the Immortal Phoenix shouted, trying her best to assert her identity.
“Would an immortal steal wine to drink?”
Wang Xuanyi countered, instantly deflating the Immortal Phoenix's temper. Seeing this, he merely shrugged indifferently.
The Immortal Phoenix was originally a spirit beast nurtured by heaven and earth, so cultivating into a True Immortal was no easy feat. Furthermore, she had indeed passed away, leaving only this wisp of a remnant soul. Exterminating her completely would incur a rather heavy karma.
Besides, this old woman's phoenix blood would be useful when Huo Huang underwent her nirvana. Since he had run into her, he might as well take her in.
It would save him from that brat's endless whining when he gave Zhu Huai a gift later.
Rate on N.U.
