14: Phoenix World

Burial God Abyss.

A fragmented space, detached from the Xuanhuang World, eternally silent since ancient times. Here, there are no sun, moon, or stars, only eternal gloom and twisted spatial turbulence. Broken mountain ranges, like the skeletons of giant beasts, floated in the void, and solidified lava rivers emitted a dim red glow. A chilling, ancient malevolence permeated the deathly silence.

Tear!

A long, narrow spatialcrack was forcibly torn open without warning at the edge of this desolate land! Chaotic currents swirled around the edges of the rift, carrying an overbearing aura not belonging to this place.

“Roar—!”

The Lie Tian Divine Tiger’s colossal, god-mountain-like adolescent body, carrying Lin Xuan and enveloped in crimson-gold divine flames, shot out of the rift like a meteor tearing through darkness! The divine tiger roared, its booming sound waves momentarily calming the surrounding twisted spatial turbulence! Lin Xuan stood on the tiger’s back, his black robes fluttering. His profound gaze, like a tangible probe, instantly swept across this eerie space.

Warning! Detecting extremely malevolent source fluctuations!

Hidden Quest Triggered: Malevolent Weapon Returns to Master!

Quest Objective: Subdue the core malevolent weapon of Burial God Abyss — the ‘Sky-Opening’ bronze battle axe!

Quest Rewards: Chaos Weapon Forging Furnace x1! All Heavens and Myriad Realms Lottery Chance x1!

Quest Failure Penalty: Sect luck reduced by 30%! Lie Tian Divine Tiger growth reduced by 50%!

The cold system notification rang out in Lin Xuan’s Sea of Consciousness, carrying an unprecedented gravity.

“Malevolent Weapon Returns to Master? Failure penalty… reduced luck, Lie Tian Divine Tiger growth halved?” Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow, his eyes not showing fear, but rather a flicker of intrigued excitement. “Interesting.”

Almost at the instant the system notification ended!

Rumble—!

The core area of Burial God Abyss, that dark red land resembling a solidified pool of blood, suddenly trembled violently! An indescribable, terrifying malevolent aura, as if an ancient fiend that had been dormant since the dawn of creation was awakened, erupted with a roar!

Crack!

The earth cracked! Dark red lava, like boiling blood, shot into the sky! A bronze battle axe of unimaginable size slowly rose from the depths of the fractured earth!

The axe handle was as thick as a celestial pillar, entwined with the skeletal patterns of an unknown giant beast, exuding a wild aura! The axe head was as wide as a door, covered in dark bloodstains and ferocious hack marks, as if it had once shattered stars and cleaved worlds! At the edge of the axe blade, space silently twisted and annihilated! A pure, ultimate malevolent will, born only for destruction, surged like a tangible tide, pressing down heavily on Lin Xuan and Lie Tian Divine Tiger, who had just entered this place!

“Ow—!” The Lie Tian Divine Tiger was on high alert, its snow-gold fur bristling, crimson-gold divine flames surging madly. Its amber eyes stared intently at the giant axe, a low, menacing growl rumbling in its throat. Its instinct, from the depths of its bloodline, told it that this axe was extremely dangerous! That malevolent will even made it feel immense pressure!

Lin Xuan stood on the tiger’s back, his black robes wildly fluttering in the terrifying storm of malevolent will, but his figure was as steady as a rock. The malevolent impact, strong enough to instantly crush the divine soul of a Nascent Soul peak cultivator, struck him like it hit a bottomless chaotic star sea, only stirring up a few ripples before dissipating without a trace.

“What a formidable malevolent weapon!” Chaotic starlight swirled in Lin Xuan’s eyes, and his Law-Breaking Sword Eyes instantly activated! His gaze pierced through layers of malevolence, directly observing the core of the bronze battle axe! He saw a blurry, chaotic, and furious weapon spirit phantom, filled with endless resentment and a desire for destruction! This weapon spirit was neither human nor beast, but more like a forced amalgamation of the resentment of countless fallen powerhouses and the malevolent source of this space itself!

“Roar—!” As if sensing Lin Xuan’s prying gaze, the bronze battle axe let out an invisible roar! Even more violent malevolent energy condensed into tangible blood-red astral winds, carrying shattered spatial fragments, like billions of blood-red blades, tearing through the void and slashing fiercely towards Lin Xuan! This attack contained destructive power sufficient to severely wound a Soul Transformation stage cultivator!

Facing this world-destroying strike, Lin Xuan’s lips curved into a cold arc.

He didn’t even use the innate divine ability of his Chaos Nascent Soul.

Lin Xuan pointed into the void and softly uttered two words:

“Sword, come.”

Buzz—!

The entire space of Burial God Abyss vibrated violently, as if a stone had been thrown into water! This was not Lin Xuan’s own power, but rather him using the supreme divine sense of his Chaos Nascent Soul as a guide, forcibly prying open the fragmented Sword Intent left behind by countless powerhouses who had been slain by the bronze battle axe and remained in this realm! And… the supreme sharpness of his own Chaos Sword Seed, which transcended all heavens!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Countless sword shadows, some sharp, some chilling, some overbearing, someWeird, condensed out of thin air from the twisted void! There were phantoms of broken ancient swords, fragmented rivers of sword qi, and imprints of the obsessions of fallen sword cultivators… Billions of broken sword shadows, like awakened dormant sword souls, converged into an boundless ocean of swords, shimmering with various colors!

At the core of this sword ocean was a Chaos Sword Qi that pierced through heaven and earth, condensed from Lin Xuan’s own Sword Intent!

“Slash.”

Lin Xuan’s voice was calm and unwavering, like a divine decree.

Boom—!

The river of swords formed by billions of sword shadows, carrying the lament of all heavenly sword dao and the supreme majesty of Lin Xuan’s Chaos Sword Intent, crashed heavily into the world-destroying blood-red astral winds like the Milky Way pouring down from the nine heavens!

Screech—!

An extremely ear-piercing sound of metal grinding and annihilation instantly filled the entire space! The blood-red astral winds and the river of sword shadows fiercely collided, tore, and annihilated each other! The shattered space peeled away like fragile glass! The already fragile space of Burial God Abyss seemed on the verge of complete collapse at any moment!

The malevolent will of the bronze battle axe let out an angry roar. The axe body trembled violently, and the dark red bloodstains squirmed like living creatures, attempting to unleash even greater power! Under its terrifying malevolent impact, the billions of broken sword shadows shattered and annihilated in large swathes, like candlelight in a fierce wind!

However, the core Chaos Sword Qi remained unmoving, like a divine needle stabilizing the sea! No matter how the blood-red astral winds impacted it, the Chaos Sword Qi remained as stable as a rock. It even, conversely, ground down and purified the violent malevolent aura little by little, like a millstone! Lin Xuan’s Chaos Sword Intent, containing the origin of all dao and the power of return to nothingness, was the bane of this pure malevolent will!

“Stubborn resistance.” Lin Xuan’s eyes were cold, and his mind moved again.

The Chaos Sword Qi that pierced through heaven and earth suddenly trembled! Billions of highly condensed Chaos Sword Qi, like a flood unleashed, burst forth from the Sword Qi! These sword qi were no longer merely drawing upon residual intent, but were purely generated from the source of Lin Xuan’s Chaos Sword Seed! Each one contained the rise and fall of stars within and manifested the annihilation of return to nothingness without!

Whoosh—!

The seemingly indestructible blood-red astral winds were instantly pierced, torn, and purified in the face of the pure Chaos source Sword Qi! The malevolent aura, as if encountering its nemesis, let out a mournful wail and rapidly dissipated!

The torrent of Chaos Sword Qi continued unabated, like a destructive flood, fiercely washing over the colossal bronze axe body!

Buzz—!

The bronze battle axe emitted a deafening wail! The dark red bloodstains on the axe body, under the scouring of the Chaos Sword Qi, peeled off and dissipated in large patches, like snow melting in the blazing sun! This revealed the ancient, heavy bronze body beneath, covered in mysterious Dao patterns! The axe body trembled violently, and the chaotic weapon spirit phantom, under the annihilating power of the Chaos Sword Qi, let out a painful shriek, its form becoming ethereal and unstable!

Resistance!

Furious resistance!

The bronze battle axe unleashed its final malevolence, attempting to break free from the shackles of the Chaos Sword Qi! Its axe blade even tore open tiny spatial rifts!

However, in the face of absolute power and suppression of status, all struggles proved futile.

Lin Xuan stood on the tiger’s back, his gaze indifferent. He pointed his fingers like a sword and lightly tapped the struggling giant axe from a distance.

“Suppress.”

Buzz!

A more condensed, more profound sword seal, as if directly condensed from the source of chaos, traversed space and instantly branded itself onto the core of the violently trembling axe body, on the brow of the weapon spirit phantom!

“Roar—!”

The weapon spirit phantom let out a roar of extreme unwillingness, yet with a hint of relief, and its form suddenly froze! The violent malevolent aura receded like a tide, completely retracting into the axe body. The colossal bronze battle axe ceased its struggle, its entire body glowing with internal brilliance, ancient and heavy, silently suspended in the air. The terrifying aura of spatial annihilation at the axe blade also vanished, leaving only an ancient desolation and silence that had endured for eons.

Submission!

This peerless malevolent weapon, nurtured in Burial God Abyss for countless millennia, finally… submitted! After Lin Xuan crushed its malevolent source with his supreme Sword Dao and forcibly branded its core with the Chaos source sword seal!

Ding! Hidden Quest ‘Malevolent Weapon Returns to Master’ completed!

Successfully subdued Chaos Malevolent Weapon — ‘Sky-Opening’ bronze battle axe (Status: Sealed, requires Chaos Weapon Forging Furnace for tempering and unsealing)!

Rewards gained: Chaos Weapon Forging Furnace x1! All Heavens and Myriad Realms Lottery Chance x1!

Additional Rewards: Ancient Beast Taming Ring x1! Myriad Realms Spirit Spring Eye x1!

“Chaos Weapon Forging Furnace? Myriad Realms Spirit Spring Eye?” Lin Xuan’s eyes lit up. With a thought, the colossal bronze battle axe transformed into a streak of light and entered his Dantian, hovering beside his Chaos Nascent Soul, being nurtured by wisps of chaotic qi. An ancient-looking, small chaotic furnace with myriad weapon-forging runes inscribed on its body, a spring eye phantom exuding endless vitality as if containing the water source essence of all heavens and myriad realms, and an ancient bronze beast ring, simultaneously appeared in his hand.

“System, use ‘All Heavens and Myriad Realms Lottery Chance’!”

Lottery initiated… Ding! Congratulations to host for obtaining: Primordial Ferocious Beast · Nine Nether Hound Egg x1!

"Nine Nether Hound?" Lin Xuan’s mind instantly recalled the records of this primordial ferocious beast, famous throughout the heavens for devouring dragons.

He smirked, "Perfect, it can keep Little Zhulong company."

"System, place the Myriad Realms Spirit Spring Eye at the core spiritualpulse of the sect! Place the Nine Nether Hound egg within the core of the spring eye for nurturing and hatching!" Lin Xuan quickly commanded.

Command received! Myriad Realms Spirit Spring Eye successfully integrated!

The sect's core spiritualpulse has been upgraded! Spirit energy concentration increased by a hundred thousand times! Spirit energy quality has transformed, now containing the primordial life force of water from the myriad realms!

The chaos spiritual rice fields, nourished by the primordial life force, have increased their growth speed by a hundredfold! The quality of the spiritual rice has improved!

The ancient medicinal garden, nourished by the primordial life force, has increased the revival speed of its spiritual herbs by a hundredfold! The nirvana vermilion bird grass's nirvana progress has increased to 65%!

The Nine Nether Hound egg has been placed in the core of the Myriad Realms Spirit Spring Eye, nourished by the primordial life force and the myriad realms' water essence, accelerating its hatching progress!

Buzz—!

An indescribable, majestic spiritual tide, containing the primordial life force of water from the myriad realms, instantly swept through the entire sect with the All Heavens Star Palace as its core!

Within the barrier, the already liquefied Star Palace spiritual energy now possessed a vibrant life force that nourished all things and nurtured their origins! A single breath of the air made one's soul feel comfortable, as if floating in bliss!

In the spiritual fields, ten thousand stalks of chaos spiritual rice erupted with dazzling light! The rice ears visibly became plumper and more translucent, with the inherent chaos glow almost bursting forth from within!

In the medicinal garden, several ancient spiritual herb remnants frantically sprouted branches and leaves, emitting a rich medicinal fragrance, and even the pale golden soil became as warm and lustrous as jade, shimmering with light!

"Ah!" At the edge of the medicinal garden, Leng Yuechan, who had been immersed in Sword Intent comprehension, suddenly let out a suppressed gasp!

The majestic and pure spiritual energy from the Myriad Realms Spirit Spring Eye, imbued with the primordial life force of the myriad realms, surged into her body like sweet dew!

Her meridians, already incredibly tough due to her Chaos Sword Bone, instantly widened under the nourishment of this life force!

The golden core in her dantian, containing sharp Sword Intent, spun and expanded wildly!

Boom—!

A Sword Intent far sharper and carrying a sense of annihilating all laws, several times more potent than before, erupted!

Sword energy crisscrossed around Leng Yuechan, forming a miniature chaotic sword domain around her! Her cultivation, propelled by this majestic life force and the resonance of her own Chaos Sword Bone, forcefully broke through to the late Golden Core stage!

Core True Disciple Leng Yuechan successfully advanced to the late Golden Core stage! Chaos Sword Bone seal loosened by 10%!

Ten Thousandfold Return triggered! Congratulations to the host for obtaining: One Chaos Sword Soul, integrated into the Chaos Sword Seed to enhance the Sword Dao origin! One Law-Breaking Sword Eyes, upon integration, can perceive the origin of all laws and dispel illusions!

Boom!

An extremely condensed Chaos Sword Dao origin, and a strange eye power origin containing the ability to see through the origin of all laws, instantly merged into Lin Xuan's sea of consciousness!

The Chaos Sword Soul was swallowed by the Chaos Nascent Soul, integrating into the eternal sword light at its core.

The sword light instantly surged, its sharpness so intense that the space around Lin Xuan emitted fine cracks, unable to bear the strain!

The origin of the Law-Breaking Sword Eyes merged with his existing eye techniques; deep within his eyes, as chaotic starlight flowed, there was an added strange divine glint that could penetrate the essence of all things and dispel all illusions!

Lin Xuan felt the surging power within him, especially the Law-Breaking Sword Eyes that seemed capable of seeing through the lawpulses of the myriad realms, and a satisfied arc curved at his lips.

With a thought, his Law-Breaking Sword Eyes activated, his gaze like a tangible probe, sweeping across this Burial God Abyss space, attempting to locate the exact position marked on the treasure map.

However, just as his gaze swept towards the spatial rift behind him, which had just torn open and not yet fully closed, an anomaly suddenly occurred!

Rip—!

A spatial rift, far more violent and chaotic than when Lie Tian Divine Tiger had torn it open earlier, violently ripped open in that area!

Seven-colored flames furiously burned and annihilated space at the edges of the rift, clearly having been forcefully blasted open by some terrifying power!

"Pfft!" "Ah!"

Several disheveled figures, engulfed by chaotic energy currents, suddenly tumbled out of the rift, where the seven-colored flames burned, like stones thrown by immense force!

The leader was a woman of breathtaking beauty.

She wore a luxurious seven-colored palace dress, now tattered in several places and stained with dark golden blood.

Her face was as pale as paper, blood spilled from the corners of her mouth, and her aura was chaotic, yet her cultivation had clearly reached the peak of the Golden Core stage!

Behind her, four guards in golden battle armor, exuding a fierce aura, were even more miserable.

Their battle armor was shattered, their auras weak, and all were wounded, their cultivation at the late Golden Core stage, but they were already at the end of their strength!

As soon as the four tumbled out of the spatial rift, before they could even catch their breath, they felt a cold, indifferent gaze, as if looking down on ants, fall upon them.

The four suddenly looked up, their pupils constricting!

Not far away, a majestic and awe-inspiring crimson-gold giant tiger, radiating terrifying divine beast pressure, floated in the air.

On its back, a young man in black stood with his hands behind his back, looking at them coldly.

His eyes were calm and unmoving, yet they carried a chill that pierced the soul.

"Nascent Soul cultivator! Divine beast mount!" The beautiful female cultivator's heart trembled violently, her beautiful eyes filled with unbelievable horror!

Pursuers behind, and a blocker ahead!

Moreover, this blocker's aura was unfathomable, and his mount was a terrifying divine beast!

How could such an existence suddenly appear in this forbidden land, the Burial God Abyss?

"Protect Her Highness!" A golden-armored guard, whose injuries were slightly lighter, suppressed his fear and suddenly stepped forward, blocking the female cultivator, his broken sword pointed at Lin Xuan, and he shouted, feigning ferocity, "Who are you? Why are you in this forbidden land?"

The other two guards also acted as if facing a formidable enemy, struggling to activate their remaining spiritual power to form a fragile defense, tightly shielding the female cultivator in the middle.

The remaining guard, most severely injured, could only kneel on the ground, barely supporting himself.

Lin Xuan's Law-Breaking Sword Eyes swept over them, instantly taking in their condition.

Within the female cultivator's body, a noble and unparalleled golden bloodline power, sealed by layers of powerful seals, faintly fluctuated.

Though dim, it exuded an aura that transcended all beings!

The four guards were even more outwardly strong but inwardly weak; their meridians were damaged, spiritual power depleted, and souls injured, already at their last gasp.

"Noisy."

Lin Xuan spoke, his voice not loud, but like the nine heavens' cold ice, carrying the supreme majesty of the Nascent Soul stage, directly striking the speaking guard's mind!

"Pfft!" The guard was as if struck by a heavy hammer; his already severely injured body could no longer support him, and he violently spat out a large mouthful of blood mixed with organ fragments.

His vision went black, and he immediately fainted!

The other two guards and the beautiful female cultivator also felt a violent shock to their minds, their blood and qi surging, their faces even paler, and their gazes towards Lin Xuan filled with boundless fear!

Just two words, and he knocked out a late Golden Core cultivator?

Lin Xuan, however, no longer looked at them, as if he had merely brushed away an annoying fly.

His Law-Breaking Sword Eyes penetrated the spatial rift, which had not yet fully closed and where seven-colored flames still burned, clearly "seeing" the situation on the other side of the rift!

Several incomparably powerful divine senses at the Soul Transformation stage, filled with greed and brutality, like maggots on a bone, firmly locked onto the beautiful female cultivator who had just tumbled out of the rift!

One of the strongest divine senses, carrying a hint of playfulness and cruelty, was attempting to penetrate the rift and extend over!

"Hmph, a few rats hiding in the dark." Lin Xuan's eyes turned cold.

He slowly raised his right hand, his fingers together like a sword.

At his fingertip, a wisp of extremely condensed Chaos Sword Intent, with chaotic stars within and the annihilation of the void without, silently gathered!

The terrifying Sword Intent made the surrounding space emit groans of unbearable strain!

No superfluous words, no warnings.

Lin Xuan, facing the unclosed spatial rift, facing the sources of those few divine senses that had locked onto the female cultivator, gently made a slicing motion through the air!

"How dare you! Who are..." On the other side of the rift, a furious roar, filled with the supreme majesty of the Soul Transformation stage, had just begun to sound!

Pfft! Pfft!

Several short and shrill screams, like roosters having their necks cut, instantly came from the other side of the rift!

Those powerful Soul Transformation divine senses, like snow exposed to the scorching sun, were instantly severed and annihilated the moment they touched the Chaos Sword Intent!

Even a portion of their masters' primordial souls suffered heavy damage!

The terrifying energy fluctuations from the other side of the rift instantly became chaotic and enraged, yet also carried a hint of unconcealed dread, retreating rapidly like startled wild beasts!

The burning seven-colored flames also quickly dimmed, and the spatial rift began to rapidly close.

The female cultivator and the two remaining guards watched this scene dumbfounded, their minds completely shut down!

A... a sword strike through the air... severely injuring several Soul Transformation grand cultivators?

This... this black-clothed youth... who exactly is he?

Lin Xuan slowly withdrew his fingers, as if he had only done a trivial matter.

The spatial rift completely closed, and the Burial God Abyss returned to its dead silence.

Only then did he turn his gaze back to the beautiful female cultivator's pale and panicked face; under his Law-Breaking Sword Eyes, the noble bloodline sealed within her body had nowhere to hide.

"It's time to talk about your matters."

Lin Xuan's voice was calm and unmoving, yet it carried an all-dominating pressure, clearly reaching the female cultivator's ears.

"Little phoenix from the Divine Phoenix Realm, Huang Yan."