Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
Only the descendant of the Phoenix-human Race contained the divine power of the ancient phoenix in their blood. Once awoken, it would be like a phoenix rising out of the ashes. No one could imagine what level they could reach.
“I’m not entirely from the Phoenix-human Race,” Mu Lingxi said. “It’s just that one of the elders of the Mu Family once had a child with an Ice Phoenix. This bloodline has been passed down until now. However, we have the lowest fertility rate. There’s only one heir per generation. We’re actually the weakest line among the Mu Family.”
“The records say that the Fire Phoenix and Ice Phoenix are both ancient divine beast races,” Zhang Ruochen said. “They passed down from the ancient times to the middle ages. However, they’re both very noble races and look down upon the weak humans. It’s my first time hearing about an Ice Phoenix being together with a human.”
Mu Lingxi put her wings away. Joy appeared on her beautiful face and she smiled. “It doesn’t matter. Anyway, the Ice Phoenix lineage has already awoken. From now on, those old guys from my family won’t force me to do things that I don’t like. I have the ability to negotiate with them now.”
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen’s heart jumped slightly. Could it be that, deep down, she wasn’t as happy, mischievous, and smiley as she seemed?
“The Mu Family doesn’t like you?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Mu Lingxi sighed softly. “Oh please, if those old guys liked me, they wouldn’t send me to infiltrate the Martial Market Academy. It’s so dangerous. You should be clearer than me what would happen if my identity was revealed. Whether it’s the battle of interests within the family or amongst the sect, they’re both very dark. Everyone has a price above their heads. Those with value can live comfortably. Those without value can be tossed away at any time. And even those with value sometimes can’t live as they wish. Ah! I wish that I could stay in the netherworld and scroll world forever so I never have to go back. But sadly, I know that it’s impossible.”
Zhang Ruochen clutched Mu Lingxi’s slim waist and held her in his arms. That moment, the world became so quiet and serene. They no longer thought about the conflicts and hatred in Kunlun’s Field.
But soon after, Mu Lingxi broke free from Zhang Ruochen’s arms and stood dozens of feet away. She grinned. “It’s my fault for not being able to control myself just now. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Zhang Ruochen was clear that Mu Lingxi had apologized because there was someone who couldn’t be faced between them.
“Here are your three swords.”
Mu Lingxi waved her sleeves, sweeping up Holy Qi. The Taotian Sword, Abyss Ancient Sword, and Gold Snake Divine Rapier flew out of the Holy Qi and stuck in the ground before Zhang Ruochen.
The bottom of the valley was very cold and the spatial structure was highly unstable. If the shockwaves were a bit too strong, the space would shatter.
Those Monks had died, but the treasures on them had remained. They weren’t damaged. Zhang Ruochen collected all the treasures and put them in a big pile. He counted them carefully. There were 37 Hundred-pattern Saint Weapons.
Amongst them was Feng Han’s Hundred-beast Tripod, which was 29th on the Hundred-pattern Saint Weapon List. Its price was hard to estimate.
Other than that, there were also three saint weapon armors—the Five Elements Beast Armor, Ice Snake Armor, and the Fire Saint Gold Armor Plating.
The value of saint weapon armor far surpassed average Hundred-pattern Saint Weapons. They were treasures that one could come across but couldn’t wish for. Even an average saint sect could only have three at a time.
Mu Lingxi chose the Ice Snake Armor. Holding it, it felt very light as if it didn’t have any weight.
She refined it again. Then she stood before Zhang Ruochen and put the armor on without any shyness. Her slender arms, curvy waist, and long porcelain legs were all covered by tiny white scales. She seemed to turn into a beautiful viper.
The next moment, all the scales faded gradually. Finally, they melded into her skin and vanished without a trace.
Then Mu Lingxi picked up her clothes from the ground and put them on, taking her time. Her moves were so elegant and graceful. She was mesmerizing.
“I only want this. The other saint weapons are yours,” Mu Lingxi said.
She knew that the Abyss Ancient Sword had to absorb many saint weapons to keep improving. Thus, she gave up the ownership right of these saint weapons.
Zhang Ruochen raised his head and tossed the Hundred-beast Tripod over. “This one’s for you.”
Mu Lingxi caught the black tripod. Holding it in her hands, she started playing with it.
“The Hundred-beast Tripod is 29th on the Hundred-pattern Saint Weapon List,” Zhang Ruochen said. “Its value is equal to 30 regular Hundred-pattern Saint Weapons.”
Mu Lingxi pouted. “You don’t want to owe anything to me this badly?”
Zhang Ruochen didn’t reply. He collected the Five Elements Beast Armor and Fire Saint Gold Armor Plating. At the same time, he controlled the Abyss Ancient Sword to start refining the remaining 33 Hundred-pattern Saint Weapons.
It took around two hours before all 33 weapons were refined. The amount of inscriptions within the sword shot up to 753.
Even if Zhang Ruochen didn’t add Holy Qi into the Abyss Ancient Sword, it still weighed up to 1300 pounds.
It hovered in the air. On the sword’s surface, there was lightning, fire, ice, beastly inscriptions… All types of powers were interwoven, radiating with powerful Sword Qi ripples.
Slightly shocked, Mu Lingxi lamented, “My Sky Silkworm Crystal Ball has 976 inscriptions and it’s sixth on the Hundred-pattern Saint Weapon List. But compared to the Abyss Ancient Sword, it seems far off. If the sword is included in the list, it should be in the top three.”
The material used to forge the Abyss Ancient Sword was fortune iron. It was naturally more powerful than other Hundred-pattern Saint Weapons.
Zhang Ruochen put the Abyss Ancient Sword away and stared at the white bone in the pit. “Since we took their saint weapons, we should do something for them,” he said.
Then Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi buried the bones with rocks. They formed dozens of stone graves. It counted as taking responsibility for them.
Coming to the side of the pit with Feng Han’s corpse, Zhang Ruochen discovered with shock that only a silver skeleton remained. The flesh had disappeared completely.
“How can this be? What happened just now?”
Mu Lingxi’s eyes widened. A chill ran down her spine. She was actually terrified. Some organism had devoured Feng Han soundlessly right under their eyes. This was too frightening.
If the thing could do this, they could also attack her and Zhang Ruochen without any warning.
Zhang Ruochen activated the Eye of the Deity Print and looked around. Finally, his gaze fell on the bottom of the pit. He saw a long and thin blood-red shadow. It was wriggling into the distance at a very fast speed.
“Hurry, chase it!” Zhang Ruochen activated his full speed and rushed forward.
Mu Lingxi had awoken her Ice Phoenix lineage and her cultivation had increased a lot. With the added help of the Ice Snake Armor, her speed was now comparable to Zhang Ruochen’s.
The two chased for who knows how long and didn’t stop until they reached the side of an underground volcano.
Here, the formless pressure was even more frightening. Even with their Half-Saint-like strength, they could only walk on foot.
The black volcano was humongous and had a strange shape. It radiated a majestic aura that made one’s heart quiver. They had the urge to kneel down.
Thankfully, Zhang Ruochen had various deity prints to protect his body and Mu Lingxi had the Ice Phoenix’s lineage. They could withstand the power.
There was a sea of blazing red lava below the volcano. The space above the sea was very broken. There were cracks and holes everywhere.
“This is…too scary… It’s practically a place of chaos.” Mu Lingxi held her breath. Her soul was shaking. “Zhang Ruochen, this place is forbidden to us. We should leave as soon as possible.”
Zhang Ruochen stared at the black volcano. He felt that all the deity prints in his Sea of Qi were shining. It was as if they were about to jump out of him.
“I have a feeling that the legendary god’s corpse is in this volcano,” Zhang Ruochen said. “If I don’t check it out, I’ll regret it my entire life.”
Mu Lingxi said, “But…”
Zhang Ruochen smiled at her. “Don’t worry. I won’t do anything that I’m not confident in. Give me a month. If we don’t succeed, we can still leave.”
Not only was the earlier abyss covered in spatial cracks, there was also powerful gravity. They were already lucky to reach the bottom and survive. Their cultivations weren’t enough to return to the top.
Now, they had two choices.
The first was to hide into the scroll world and cultivate for a few decades. When they reached the Saint Realm, they would have the chance to escape from here.
The second was to take the risk and search for the god’s corpse and marks left behind by the Thousand-bone Empress. Then it would be possible to escape from Ghost God Valley.
It was clear that Zhang Ruochen desperately wanted to return to Kunlun’s Field, so he chose the second.
But Mu Lingxi wished for the first choice because she didn’t want to return to Kunlun’s Field. It was best if she could live quietly and peacefully with Zhang Ruochen in the scroll world.
Of course, she respected Zhang Ruochen’s choice.
Seeing the heat in Zhang Ruochen’s gaze, disappointment flashed past Mu Lingxi’s eyes. Then she put on a smile and a happy expression. “Alright! We definitely should go try. There might be an exit.”
