Chapter 3170: Feng Tian's New Birth
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to release his spiritual power to investigate what changes had occurred in the wild secret realm, he saw at the horizon's end a mass of multicolored clouds, causing the mountains to steam with radiant mist.
A phoenix cry echoed, resounding across the Kunlun Realm.
Zhang Ruochen sensed a terrifying, hair-raising aura, somewhat familiar, and immediately activated the Divine Spirit Step, rushing toward it at maximum speed.
He had no choice but to advance, because the phoenix cry came from the direction of the Jiuli Divine Temple ruins.
Arriving at the edge of the desert, Zhang Ruochen found that the yellow sand on the ground had completely turned colorful, exuding strands of divine essence. The multicolored clouds in the sky covered no less than a million miles, forming a storm of divine qi.
Vaguely, a phoenix shadow could be seen rising and falling within the clouds, its emanating might triggering celestial phenomena, with scenes of lightning and thunder.
The cultivators of the Kunlun Realm were all alarmed.
But few dared to venture into the wild secret realm to investigate.
Chi Yao was the first to arrive, coming to Zhang Ruochen's side, her gaze fixed on the sky. "What happened?"
Zhang Ruochen's expression was grave as he gently shook his head. "You entered the Jiuli Divine Temple—do you know if any fierce creature was sealed inside?"
"No matter how fierce the creature, it couldn't be this powerful," Chi Yao said.
She took out a Monarch Sacred Artifact war sword and swung it out.
"Boom!"
The war sword had just flown into the sandstorm when it exploded, becoming part of the sand.
Zhang Ruochen couldn't afford to hesitate. Shielding himself with the Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram, he charged toward the desert, but was struck by a phantom phoenix feather shadow, sending him flying backward, crashing through three mountains in a row.
Then, centered on the desert, cracks appeared across the ground of the wild secret realm, spreading thousands of miles outward.
The desert sank into the earth.
Chi Yao soared into the air, hovering a hundred zhang above the ground, releasing her spiritual power to activate a corner of the realm-protecting grand formation arranged by Tai Shang.
In the sky, densely packed, mysterious array patterns appeared, connecting from above the clouds to the earth, firmly locking the space to prevent this destructive force from spreading.
After a long while, the light of the multicolored divine clouds above the desert suddenly intensified dozens of times, then contracted like a tide, surging into the ground.
The world-destroying aura vanished.
The wild secret realm fell into an eerie silence.
Zhang Ruochen cautiously approached the desert.
He found that the vast, expansive desert was completely sunken, having dropped several thousand meters.
"Whoosh!"
A icy-blue light flew out from the yellow sand, then crashed heavily to the ground.
It was Mu Lingxi. From her body emanated an intensely powerful cold qi, forming thick glaciers in the desert.
"Lingxi!"
Zhang Ruochen immediately rushed over, helping her up and holding her in his arms. His palm pressed against her back, and he was about to release divine qi into her body.
"Hiss!"
Terrifying cold qi surged back from her body, freezing Zhang Ruochen's entire arm.
Fortunately, Zhang Ruochen had cultivated the Lesser Yang, which stopped the cold at his shoulder.
But the shock in his heart was beyond words. If he hadn't cultivated the Lesser Yang, he would have been immobilized by now.
Mu Lingxi opened her eyes. Her pupils were pitch black, as if they could devour all things in the world. She glanced at Zhang Ruochen, who was close, and spoke weakly, "Take me to a place that cannot be calculated, or else prepare to collect her corpse. Immediately… now…"
Zhang Ruochen had sensed a familiar yet unusual aura earlier, and hearing her refer to herself as "me," he confirmed his suspicions.
How could this be?
How did she appear in the Kunlun Realm? Inside Lingxi's body?
Zhang Ruochen's brows furrowed, his gaze deep. But he couldn't voice his doubts, because Mu Lingxi had closed her eyes again, possibly unconscious.
For someone like her to be so urgent, even saying "immediately" and "now," it clearly meant something terrifying was about to happen. Zhang Ruochen dared not dwell on it and immediately picked up Mu Lingxi.
Chi Yao arrived, landing gracefully on the ground. "What's wrong with her?"
Zhang Ruochen didn't dare tell Chi Yao about this. After all, some things are safe if unknown, but knowing them means death.
Feng Tian was no benevolent figure.
"Don't tell anyone about what happened here."
Seeing Chi Yao's confused expression, Zhang Ruochen added, "Return to the Central Imperial City immediately. Wait for me to come back."
Zhang Ruochen carried Mu Lingxi and performed a spatial displacement, heading toward the Endless Abyss. He frequently looked down at her jade-like face, his eyes growing more worried and his coldness deepening.
In the Kunlun Realm, there were indeed a few places that were difficult to calculate.
But the danger that made Feng Tian nervous was clearly extraordinary.
Such places that couldn't be calculated were hard to find.
Actually, the closest was definitely the Wang Mountain Ancestral Land, at the Heavenly Venerable's tomb.
Except for the Zhang family's descendants, who would dare to intrude upon the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable's tomb, cause trouble, or calculate there?
Back then, the three great divine temples of the Kunlun Realm were destroyed, but the Immovable Bright King Great Venerable's tomb remained intact. Jie Zunzhe was gravely wounded and near death, but hiding in the Wang Mountain Ancestral Land allowed him to avoid calamity.
The Immovable Bright King Great Venerable had fallen ten eons ago, but his lingering might still terrified figures like Qingtian. It was precisely because of this fear that Qingtian had crippled Zhang Ruochen's cultivation.
However, how could Zhang Ruochen bring Feng Tian into the ancestral land, to the Heavenly Venerable's tomb?
The Endless Abyss became his first choice. Even just the second gradient below the abyss was already mysterious and unfathomable.
Upon reaching the second gradient, Mu Lingxi opened her eyes again. Her aura had stabilized considerably. She struck Zhang Ruochen's chest with a palm, sending him flying a dozen zhang away.
She landed steadily, surveying the surroundings, exuding a cold, domineering aura.
Though she had Mu Lingxi's appearance, she gave off the oppressive feeling of a Heavenly Venerable.
"The Endless Abyss is indeed a good place to hide, but with Bi Luozi's remaining power, it can't block that person's calculation. We need to go deeper."
Mu Lingxi radiated an aloof arrogance. "You, clear the way ahead."
Zhang Ruochen met her gaze. "What have you done to her?"
"Follow my orders, and she will live," Mu Lingxi said.
"Shua! Shua! Shua…"
Six divine swords flew out, circling Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes sharpened. "How do I know she's still alive?"
"You dare to make a move against me?" Mu Lingxi's face frosted over, killing intent flashing in her eyes.
What kind of existence was Feng Tian? Even gods had to kneel and bow before her.
A Great God dared to draw a sword in her presence?
This was already a grave offense of disrespect, unforgivable.
Zhang Ruochen could tell that Feng Tian's state was very wrong. "If you've possessed Lingxi, then today, even if I die, I will cut you down! What is a Heavenly Venerable? I draw my sword to slay the heavens!"
"Slay the heavens? With you? You guessed right—I've already killed her!" Mu Lingxi's gaze was cold, and a pair of phoenix wings appeared on her back, radiating brilliant light, with cold qi spreading in all directions.
"You're seeking death! Slash!"
Zhang Ruochen's eyes turned bloodshot, his killing intent surging.
Although the special rules of heaven and earth in the Endless Abyss suppressed Zhang Ruochen's cultivation power, as the six divine swords formed a formation, the might of the divine artifacts erupted.
Hundreds of millions of sword qi appeared, descending with the sword formation toward Mu Lingxi.
Mu Lingxi pointed a finger, striking the void.
Instantly, the six divine swords and the hundreds of millions of sword qi were all frozen by ice, suspended in midair.
"Boom!"
All the sword qi exploded.
The six divine swords, along with the ice crystals, fell to the ground.
"Your cultivation has greatly advanced, no wonder you dare to be so insolent before me," Mu Lingxi said.
"Slash!"
Zhang Ruochen summoned the six divine swords again, grabbing one in his hand.
One sword, like light, unstoppable, aimed straight for Mu Lingxi's brow.
"Courting death."
Mu Lingxi's killing intent stirred. The rule divine patterns and divine qi within her body began to leak out.
But every rule divine pattern and every wisp of divine qi cut through her own flesh like knives, completely unbearable.
"Pfft!"
A mouthful of blood spewed from her lips, and the powerful aura on her body instantly collapsed.
Zhang Ruochen noticed a change in Mu Lingxi's eyes.
Joy first appeared in her pupils, then, seeing the sword light so close, it turned into shock—completely different from before. Zhang Ruochen realized something was wrong—he had been tricked by Feng Tian.
He hurriedly tried to withdraw the sword.
"Pfft!"
Zhang Ruochen was rebounded by the force of his own strike, his body thrown backward, also spitting blood.
How easy was it to pull back a full-powered, rage-driven sword strike?
Mu Lingxi slowly stood up, her gaze turning cold and domineering again, but with some changes from before. "A sentimental, romantic fool—for a woman, you dare to draw your sword against the heavens. Zhang Ruochen, you truly are an anomaly."
Zhang Ruochen stood up, raising his sword again.
"I have just undergone nirvana and rebirth. I need her body as a shell to nurture my new form. If you truly want to fight, I could kill you with a flick of my finger, but I would also end up with a shattered shell and dissipated qi. Then your little lover would naturally turn to ashes," Mu Lingxi said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Nirvana and rebirth? You didn't possess her?"
"What qualifies her for me to possess?"
Mu Lingxi was very reluctant to explain anything to Zhang Ruochen, but the infuriating thing was that this brat was no longer what he used to be. His cultivation speed had reached a level even she found hard to comprehend.
In her current state, she couldn't kill Zhang Ruochen.
Even if she forced it, it would be mutual destruction.
Moreover, killing Zhang Ruochen would only satisfy her own pride and maintain the dignity of a Heavenly Venerable. But by using Zhang Ruochen's power, she could get through her current weakest phase.
Mu Lingxi maintained her lofty bearing, like an emperor descending upon the world. "I broke through in nirvana at the Jiuli Divine Temple. Although I succeeded, a small problem arose. I had to borrow her body as a shell to nurture my new life. Think of me now as a phoenix egg that hasn't hatched yet!"
"Before I emerge, if the shell breaks, my qi will dissipate. This shell, though fragile, has absorbed the nirvana power and is compatible with me. Moreover, the shell can partially conceal heavenly secrets, shielding me from the scrutiny of Heavenly Court's celestial-level figures."
Zhang Ruochen said, "You're hiding from the scrutiny of Heavenly Court's celestial-level figures? There's no need—the Infinite-level experts of both Heavenly Court and Hell have already marched north."
The moment she flew out of the Jiuli Divine Temple ruins, she had comprehended the changes in the world. She didn't need Zhang Ruochen to tell her.
But hearing this, Mu Lingxi gave him a look as if he were an idiot, unwilling to say more. "Your little lover's soul hasn't been extinguished. Being the shell of my new body is a great fortune for her."
"As long as you protect my new body until it matures, she will be fine. If you have any ulterior motives, you'll bear the consequences. I won't say this a second time."
"I've told you all this only because you've become strong enough now and have enough value to be useful."