182: Phoenix

Just as that giant empty nest turned into a streak of light and was stored away in Gao De's storage Magic Treasure, another change occurred!

The source was not that angry Ancient Peach Tree, but the place where the empty nest had originally been—among the gnarled branches soaked in endless years and Spiritual Qi!

"Li—!!!"

A clear and resonant Phoenix cry, sounding as if it could pierce through time and space to reach the depths of one's Divine Soul, echoed through the entire Peach Blossom Spring without warning.

This cry was not a physical sound wave, but a sound of Law that acted directly on spiritual perception; it was lofty, magnificent, and steeped in a faint trace of sorrow and melancholy.

As the Phoenix cry rang out, a dazzling burst of seven-colored rosy light suddenly erupted from the empty branches of the Ancient Peach Tree!

The rosy light swirled and rose, quickly condensing into a massive, illusory, yet exquisitely beautiful phantom of a bird.

Its shape resembled a Phoenix, but it was more slender and elegant. Its tail feathers were not long plumes, but seven flowing ribbons of light condensed from different colors, scattering starlight as they swayed.

The phantom was entirely enveloped in a hazy seven-colored halo, save for a pair of eyes as clear as condensed stars—deep and indifferent, yet carrying a hint of slight anger from being disturbed.

The phantom had only just appeared and did not attack, yet it emitted an indescribable high-level pressure.

It was not simple physical pressure, but a sense of nobility and antiquity originating from the very essence of life, causing the surrounding violent wood Spiritual Qi and pink miasma to stagnate as if holding their breath.

Even the roar of the approaching Monkey King was abruptly cut short, turning into a low growl of uncertainty.

Gao De's newly activated [Lightning Evasion] suddenly stalled, the Purple Lightning flashing violently.

He was not blocked by an attack; rather, the strange field emitted by the phantom and the sound of the Phoenix cry directly shook the Divine Sense connection he had just established with the nest, further triggering an inexplicable throbbing in the Purple Lightning Flood Dragon Bloodline within his body!

The Ni Luan Phoenix.

As that magnificent phantom completely dissipated into the peach blossom mist, this name suddenly surfaced in Gao De's mind, accompanied by the throbbing deep within his Bloodline and a surge of fragmented Legacy memories.

It was not a true Phoenix, yet it ranked among the top spiritual birds in the world, with a noble status and pure Bloodline that rivaled legendary True Spirits.

It naturally controlled light, rosy clouds, and auspicious Qi. Its cry could cleanse the heart and soul, its wings could repel evil, and it possessed a natural Divine Ability that countless beings—especially those with impure Bloodlines—dreamed of:

[Neon Rosy Purification Light].

This Divine Ability could channel the purest auspicious power of rosy light from heaven and earth to wash, purify, and sublimate a creature's Bloodline, removing Impurities and returning it to its source. It could even stimulate ancient Bloodline factors hidden deep within, prompting evolution into higher-order forms.

For Gao De, who relied on devouring to evolve, this was simply a tailor-made supreme aid!

"No wonder..." Gao De's thoughts raced. "The gentle 'generative' power contained in the pale gold grass stalks in the nest probably doesn't just accelerate hatching; it likely uses the residual auspicious aura of the Ni Luan to quietly purify and optimize the offspring's Innate Bloodline Foundation during the hatching process."

That giant empty nest was by no means an ordinary dwelling, but likely a "brood nest" meticulously arranged by a Ni Luan Phoenix!

The original owner of Lesser Qingqiu might not have been the Ni Luan itself, but they must have had a deep relationship with it. Perhaps they had even received the Ni Luan's favor, being allowed to use this precious land to build a nest and raise young, channeling the spiritual essence of the terrain.

The Ancient Peach Tree's ten-thousand-year guardianship and the fact that the Monkey King, despite his strength, did not dare to overstep were likely both rooted in awe of this supreme spiritual bird's residual majesty.

"If a mere residual mark has such presence, what kind of existence must its true body have been at its peak?" Gao De was secretly awed, even as a surge of burning excitement rose in his heart.

The value of the harvest from this adventure had skyrocketed once again! This was not just a treasure for accelerating hatching, but a secret treasure containing the supreme method of Bloodline purification!

Of course, fortune and misfortune go hand in hand. Not only had he completely offended the sentient Ancient Peach Tree, but by touching this mark, he had also formed some kind of Karma with the Ni Luan Phoenix in the unseen realm.

Such an Opportunity was always accompanied by crises that could arise at any time in the future.

The phantom's star-like eyes seemed to pierce through space, landing on the storage Magic Treasure where Gao De had collected the nest.

There was no hint of anger or killing intent, only a gaze as deep as time itself, and the long, sigh-like lingering sound of a Phoenix cry.

Immediately, the flow of light from the seven-colored phantom accelerated and became unstable, shrinking and shattering like a bubble into a sky full of drifting seven-colored specks of light. Like another magnificent rain of flowers, it slowly dissipated into the peach forest mist and the mottled light of the sky.

Only that sigh-like lingering sound still echoed faintly through the forest, and the residual high-level aura in the air that made one's heart sway, proved that everything just now was not a dream.

The humming of the Ancient Peach Tree and the wood spirit riot gradually calmed down as the phantom dissipated, but its spiritual fluctuations remained agitated; it had clearly been completely awakened.

The Monkey King's roar sounded in the distance. Amidst the suspicion and vigilance, there seemed to be a trace of complex emotion regarding the dissipating phantom, and his posture of alertness also significantly slowed, turning into caution.

Gao De had no time to savor the shock and information brought by the phantom. The crisis was still approaching; he could not stay here for long!

Forcing down the throbbing in his Bloodline, he once again exerted his full power to activate his movement technique, his body turning into a streak of Purple Lightning as he shot toward the periphery of the spiritual land without hesitation.

Only when he was completely away from the core of Lesser Qingqiu, had passed through the outer canyons, and reunited with the anxiously waiting Green Edge and the others, did Gao De's tense mind relax slightly.

He looked back toward the Secret Realm, still locked away by mountains and pink miasma, Purple Lightning drifting within his dragon eyes.

"The Ni Luan Phoenix... just a residual mark has such power." He lightly stroked the storage Magic Treasure, inside which lay the strange empty nest he had exerted so much effort to seize.

The harvest from this exploration was gratifying, but the consequences triggered also exceeded expectations.

Not only had he drawn the hostility of the Tier 3 Late Stage Monkey King and awakened the ten-thousand-year guardian Ancient Peach Tree, but he had also triggered the mysterious mark of an ancient spiritual bird.

"Lesser Qingqiu... is truly unfathomable." Gao De made up his mind. "This place will be temporarily listed as a forbidden zone, not to be entered lightly unless necessary. Once I have digested my gains and my strength has improved, or once I know more about the mystery of 'Qingqiu,' I will return to unravel this mist."

He lingered no longer and led the group to evacuate quickly.

That secluded Peach Blossom Spring, after experiencing a brief commotion and a mysterious manifestation, seemed to return once more to its eternal silence and mist.

During the evacuation, Gao De already had a plan in mind:

"After returning to Qianjiao Cliff, I will immediately go into seclusion and put all my effort into studying this 'Ni Luan Nest'! Not only will I use its hatching acceleration ability to try and hatch the beast eggs obtained from the Hundred Beasts Sect, but I also need to analyze and comprehend the Dao rhyme of the [Neon Rosy Purification Light] contained within. The 'Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art' also contains methods for tempering the Bloodline; perhaps they can be cross-referenced and combined."

"As for Lesser Qingqiu... it will be temporarily listed as the highest taboo. Until I can properly deal with the hostility of the Monkey King and the Ancient Peach Tree, or until my own strength is sufficient to withstand the unknown risks that may be drawn by the Ni Luan mark, I will never enter lightly. However, the clues here concern the secrets of 'Qingqiu' and the Ni Luan Phoenix, so it will certainly be a focus of investigation in the future."

"Ni Luan Phoenix..." Gao De silently repeated the name, his Divine Sense lightly touching the warm nest in the storage Magic Treasure, as if he could feel that trace of residual auspiciousness and purification through space.

Magnificent and powerful, Opportunity is also Karma. The road ahead is long; the hidden dragon lies in the abyss, waiting for the wind and thunder.