273: Chapter 273 Soaring Strength

Amidst the sighing, a gentle breeze slowly seeped into Lin Bei's body.

"Master! Master! What's wrong? Wake up!" The Fire Bird, however, seemed unaffected. It grabbed his hair and called out anxiously.

However, several breaths passed, and Lin Bei remained with his eyes closed, showing no reaction.

Kunkun became increasingly frantic. Having witnessed the scene with the Emperor-level Puppet just now, it was already shocked to the core and secretly regretted coming here.

Swish! Right then, the space suddenly shifted, and the man and bird vanished from the spot.

"What happened? Where did he go?" All the Great Emperors outside the valley were stunned.

"Could it be... he's dead?" Great Emperor Holy Light muttered softly.

"That shouldn't be possible, right? He didn't seem to be in any discomfort just now!"

"Just how did this person do it? None of us can enter this place, yet he can go in without trouble?"

"Regardless! We cannot let him leave so easily..."

...

Deep within the valley, the Fire Bird looked around warily.

Here, it could also hear the faint, ethereal sighs.

At the same time, the breeze accompanying the sighs had turned into a gale.

"Who is it? Which fellow is playing tricks? Come out if you have the guts! This Emperor will slap you to death with one wing!"

The eerie sounds made Kunkun's feathers stand on end, but it still forced itself to summon the courage to shout threats.

Unfortunately, there was no response from the surroundings, only the unending sighs and the sound of the wind.

However, a moment later, the Fire Bird's eyes widened as it looked at Lin Bei in disbelief.

"Wh... what's the situation? How did this guy's aura suddenly become so much stronger? Hmm? It seems to be his physical aura?"

The Fire Bird's cultivation was now at the Saint Peak, yet it found even the physical aura Lin Bei subconsciously emitted somewhat difficult to endure.

Clang! The sound of chains snapping seemed to ring out between heaven and earth, yet it also seemed to come from within Lin Bei's body.

"Holy crap! A Great Sage-level physical body!" Kunkun squawked and fluttered up, staring at the person beneath it like a monster. "A Prodigy! What a Prodigy!"

"Where do you get the face to call others a Prodigy, you stupid bird?" Lin Bei suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed it in his palm.

"Master! You're awake?" The Fire Bird was instantly excited. It broke free from his hand and circled around Lin Bei continuously, nearly drooling.

"Master, did you take some kind of medicine? Is the effect that powerful? A Great Sage-level physical body... This Emperor never even dared to dream of it..."

"This thing is useless to you!" Lin Bei's expression finally turned serious as he scanned the entire valley.

"The Sighing Wind! I couldn't figure out what it was before, but to think I'd obtain it here! And without any danger..."

"The Sighing Wind?" The Fire Bird scratched its head with a claw. "Never heard of it... but it's not like there's no danger here!"

It then recounted the scene at the valley entrance from earlier.

"So this is that valley!" Lin Bei nodded. "This wind is actually so powerful..."

At this moment, after his physical strength broke through to the Great Sage Realm, it continued to soar!

Middle Stage Great Sage!

Late Stage Great Sage!

Great Sage Peak!

"Ding! Chaos Body Wind-type ability unlocked! Wind-type attack and Wind-type resistance increased by 90%!"

The moment his physical strength reached the Great Sage Peak, an unexpected System voice rang out in his mind.

"There's more?" Just as Lin Bei was surprised, another System notification followed immediately.

"Congratulations to the host for unlocking all ten elemental abilities of the Chaos Body: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Yin, Yang, and Destruction. Unlocking Chaos Body Second Form!"

Chaos Body Second Form: Combat power increased by a thousandfold, damage taken reduced by 98%.

Lin Bei: "!!!"

He had been searching hard for a way to upgrade the Chaos Body; he hadn't expected it to happen so naturally today.

His combat power had increased tenfold compared to the First Form, and his damage reduction ability had also been strengthened. Now, he only needed to bear two percent of the damage from any attack.

With his current Great Sage Peak physical body, combined with his Middle Stage Great Sage cultivation and the Chaos Body Second Form, he could probably handle a Late-stage Great Emperor with ease!

Thinking of this, Lin Bei couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache.

He had originally hoped to die a few more times at the hands of the Great Emperors from the Nine Emperor Clans, but now it seemed that hope was gone again...

"Hmm?" When he came back to his senses, he noticed the Fire Bird looking toward the depths of the valley with a hesitant expression.

"What's wrong?" Lin Bei asked curiously.

"Over there!" Kunkun pointed with a wing. "It feels like a voice is calling me from over there..."

"Calling you?" Lin Bei was startled. "Let's go! We'll take a look!"

"There won't be any danger, will there?"

"Don't worry, your master is very powerful now!"

...

Soon, the man and bird appeared in the deepest part of the valley.

"Eh?" Kunkun searched the surroundings for several rounds before finally landing on a piece of rubble. "There doesn't seem to be anything unusual?"

Lin Bei looked around and also found nothing out of the ordinary, so he had no choice but to speak up loudly.

"Thank you for your help, Senior. If Senior needs anything, please show yourself!"

"Sigh!" A soft sigh suddenly rang out. "Little bird, lift your foot. Don't step on this old man..."

"Holy crap!" Kunkun jumped several meters high in a startle, staring at the crescent-shaped rubble below.

"Where did this old geezer come from!? How dare you play tricks in front of Lord Bird!"

"How rude!" The aged voice rang out again.

This time, both Lin Bei and Kunkun clearly perceived that the voice was coming from the rubble before them.

Then, a ball of white light emerged from the rubble and appeared before them.

Lin Bei's breath hitched, and a storm of shock instantly surged in his heart.

Facing this golden light, he felt like a solitary boat in a vast ocean.

Tiny, weak, an ant... none of these were enough to describe his current feelings!

Who! Just who was this person?!

Kunkun, however, seemed to feel nothing. It flapped its wings and circled the white ball of light continuously.

"Old geezer! Reveal your form quickly and let Lord Bird see which one you are!"

"Lord Bird already smells a familiar scent. You must be someone Lord Bird knows! Don't try to play dumb!"

Lin Bei didn't dare to relax for a second, his spiritual sense fully concentrated on the white light and the Fire Bird.

At the slightest sign of trouble, he would pull Kunkun into his Portable Space and then activate his ultimate life-saving move: No Beginning No End.

"Hehe..." The aged voice remained gentle, not changing despite the Fire Bird's disrespect.

"I'm just a wisp of a remnant soul, no longer able to manifest a form for you to see... However, being able to see you before I dissipate—good, very good!"

Lin Bei blinked, a bit dazed. Was this really an old acquaintance of the bird?

Immediately, he felt his whole body tense up, as if being stared at by a pair of omnipresent eyes.

Following that, the voice came from the white ball of light once more.

"Young man, do not be nervous. This old man bears no ill will toward you..."

"What?" Before Lin Bei could speak, the Fire Bird cut in.

"You say you're about to dissipate? Then... then as an old friend, don't you have some treasures or something to leave for me?"