Meeting the Azure Phoenix Again

The two of them rested for half a day, only leaving the cave once the firewood had burned out.

Zhong Michu meditated for a while, and her complexion improved.

Standing halfway up the mountain, they looked down, and within a ten-mile radius, there was not a hint of green.

Gu Fuyou thought to herself, randomly landing in this place means almost certain death. She wondered if they could make it out alive.

Feeling disheartened, Gu Fuyou said, "If we knew where the center of the inner layer was and had enough spirit stones, maybe we could find a way out directly."

Zhong Michu asked, "Do you have a plan?"

Gu Fuyou picked up a round, charred stone from the ground and explained, "Elder Liuhe once mentioned that Xian Luo's entire shape is spherical. The top is the outer layer, the middle is the mid-layer, and the bottom is the inner layer. Spiritual energy flows downwards, accumulating at the bottom. That's why the inner layer has a richer concentration of energy, nurturing fiercer spirit beasts, while the outer layer has weaker energy, and thus weaker beasts. At the very top of the outer layer, where the energy is weakest, the defensive barrier is at its thinnest. Every seven hundred years, on this day, the barrier becomes so thin it's almost nonexistent, creating an opening: the main gate to Xian Luo."

Flipping the stone, she continued, "There's a formation called 'Zhuan Fengshui' which can reverse the flow of spiritual energy. If we reverse Xian Luo's energy flow, pushing it to the outer layer, the center of the inner layer would become the weakest point with the most fragile barrier, creating an exit."

While the Zhuan Fengshui formation defies the natural order and consumes a massive amount of spiritual energy, lasting only a short time, for them, a mere blink would be enough to escape.

Gu Fuyou sighed heavily, lamenting, "Unfortunately, we don't know where the center of the inner layer is."

After pondering for a moment, Zhong Michu said, "Perhaps some spirit beasts might know."

Gu Fuyou's eyes lit up. Zhong Michu made a good point, given her knowledge of beast-taming, they could seek answers.

However, her excitement quickly faded. The spirit beasts of the inner layer were all at the Golden Core Stage or above. Asking them would be like throwing Zhong Michu into a tiger's den.

Seeing her concern, Zhong Michu suggested, "We can look for beasts that are gentle-natured and not fond of fighting."

"But that's still risky," Gu Fuyou countered.

"We can't just sit here and wait to die," Zhong Michu asserted.

True to her words, staying put wasn't a solution. No one knew they were here, so no rescue was coming.

The two decided to descend the mountain, seeking a spirit beast to guide them.

As they reached the midpoint, an odd gust of wind blew from behind, accompanied by a faint sigh.

Both turned around, but no one was there. What they saw instead was the half-bloomed Yan Ling Hua tree on the mountain withering rapidly before their eyes. It turned to ash, scattering in the wind, as if it had never existed.

Zhong Michu remarked, "This tree is very strange."

Gu Fuyou then shared with her about seeing this tree in the sky, and how she had chopped off half of its branches to use as firewood. She laughed, "This tree saved our lives."

Zhong Michu pondered, "It's the only living thing in ten miles. I wonder why." She also noted the earlier sigh, which vanished in an instant, as truly unusual.

Gu Fuyou asked, "Senior Sister Zhong, do you know the meaning behind the Lan Ying Hua Tree?" 

Zhong Michu shook her head. Gu Fuyou said, "Legend has it that there was a woman who, upon hearing of her lover's death in a foreign land, was so heartbroken that she took her own life. She then transformed into a Yan Ling Hua Tree. This tree represents a love in despair."

Gu Fuyou chuckled, "Perhaps it transformed from an ancestor of the Azure Phoenix clan in the ice chamber. Otherwise, why wasn't her body buried within her clan but here instead?"

Although Gu Fuyou made the comment lightheartedly, she seemed serious. Regardless, both had no way of verifying it, but deep down, both held suspicions about this place.

The two continued downhill. The deeper they went, the more their heartbeats intensified, causing an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

Reaching the foot of the mountain, they found a stone statue. The statue depicted a spirit beast sitting atop a stone tablet, its face determined, looking towards the peak. Chains passed through the base of the stone tablet, extending into the distance.

Previously, neither noticed it from the sky or halfway up the mountain. It only became apparent up close, as the statue was carved from obsidian, blending with the charred stones of the mountain, making it hard to spot.

Gu Fuyou recognized it almost immediately. It was a formation known as the Ten Direction and Five Elements Evil-Suppression Formation, the most potent sealing method.

There must be similar statues in the distance, ten in total, chained together, encircling the mountain.

This formation was typically used to seal off extremely malevolent beasts. But using an entire mountain peak for suppression, Gu Fuyou had never seen such an extravagant formation.

It was unclear what kind of beast it was suppressing.

Upon entering the cave at the mountain's peak, it was entirely covered in ice. She had broken the formation within the Ruizhu Palace, and after retrieving the artifact, the ice on the cave walls didn't show any signs of melting. Even where they made a fire, the ice remained unmelted.

The icy rocks inside the cave have nothing to do with the formation in the Ruizhu Palace. There must be another reason.

Most likely, there's another array causing ice to form at the peak of the mountain. The purpose probably correlates with the Ten Direction and Five Elements Evil-Suppression Formation, suppressing the beast below.

The beast must be of a fire attribute.

Of course, these were just Gu Fuyou's speculations without evidence. But one thing was certain; such elaborate measures wouldn't be used to contain anything good.

Gu Fuyou glanced back at the mountain peak, feeling as if she could hear the roar of an ancient beast. A cold shiver ran from the sole of her feet up her spine. She knew they shouldn't linger, so she immediately said, "Senior Sister Zhong, let's leave quickly."

Zhong Michu also sensed something and agreed. They left, and after walking a distance, Zhong realized she could fly with her sword. She carried Gu and they flew off.

They eventually landed in a dense forest. Zhong Michu put her sword back in her sleeve when suddenly, a grumbling sound was heard.

She looked at Gu Fuyou to see her cheeks flushed, holding Ah Fu in front of her face, "It's hungry…"

After a pause, Gu Fuyou mumbled, "I'm hungry too."

While in the desert, she was already famished and dizzy. After resting for a bit and recovering, they faced several dangers, and by now, she was completely drained.

Zhong Michu said, "There should be wild fruits in the forest to stave off our hunger. We can also look for spirit beasts."

The two ventured deeper into the forest. The inner layers were rich in spiritual energy, nurturing all life. The environment was thriving with various plant species.

Tall trees stood proudly, with green pines towering high, bamboo was pure and tall, willows gracefully swaying, and countless flowers and leaves intertwined, creating dancing light and shadows.

Despite the abundant vegetation, fruits were hard to come by. They ventured deeper into the dense forest, finally finding a plum tree. After picking some plums, they heard rustling noises coming from the nearby bushes.

The two of them looked back to see that three steps away, a clump of grass was parted, and what emerged was not a spirit beast but a person.

"I was wondering who intruded into my territory. It turns out it's just two little girls." The woman who emerged held a staff in her hand. Despite her rough attire and hair tied with a thorny pin, she radiated an air of nobility.

Her charm was still evident, suggesting she was once a beautiful woman.

Most notably, even without any makeup, the corners of her eyes were painted a seductive red.

Gu Fuyou couldn't help but say, "It's another Azure Phoenix."

Gu Fuyou spoke softly, but the woman heard her clearly. Her expression changed, "Another Azure Phoenix? Have you encountered another Azure Phoenix… Did you come from the mountain to the east of the forest and saw her?"

Gu Fuyou sensed danger in her tone. The woman glanced at her and when her gaze landed on Zhong Michu, she looked momentarily stunned. After inspecting Zhong Michu for a moment, she furrowed her brows and muttered, "How strange…"

Unsure of what the woman meant, Gu Fuyou felt this woman was not to be trifled with. She quickly said, "We didn't know this place was yours. Please forgive our intrusion. We will leave immediately and not disturb you." She was about to leave with Zhong Michu.

By the woman's tone, it seemed she recognized the woman from Ruizhu Palace. If they were blamed for disturbing the peace of that woman, who knows what might happen.

The woman extended her staff, hooking Zhong Michu around her waist, "Where do you think you're going?"

Gu Fuyou felt as if a heavy weight pressed on her feet, rendering her unable to move.

The woman laughed, "No one's visited in thousands of years, and now I get two little girls. One at the Golden Core stage, the other at Qi Practicing. You dare to come here with your meager cultivation. Are you here to seek death?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Fuyou was shocked. This woman must be at least of the Nascent Soul Stage of cultivation.

The woman retracted her staff and said, "Follow me."

Zhong Michu and Gu Fuyou felt the pressure lift, but the thought of fleeing never crossed their minds. Their cultivation gap was too vast, so they obediently followed.

After walking for a while, a clear opening appeared before them. Trees towered all around, their branches and leaves forming a canopy, yet the place was bathed in bright light, giving off a verdant glow. A few bamboo houses encircled by a fence lay ahead.

The woman pointed at Zhong Michu, "You, come with me."

Then to Gu Fuyou, she said, "You, don't step into my yard. You'll dirty my place."

Gu Fuyou stared in disbelief. Why was Zhong Michu allowed inside while she was considered unclean? Was it just because Zhong Michu was more attractive?

Neither Gu Fuyou nor Zhong Michu moved.

The woman turned to see Zhong Michu hadn't followed, "What's wrong? Afraid I'll eat you? You're not even enough for a snack."

Zhong Michu said, "May I ask why you've brought us here?"

The woman glanced at her, "It'd be a waste for someone so young to perish here. I thought I'd heal your injuries."

"I'm not injured. No need for treatment," Zhong responded.

Gu Fuyou interjected, "No, you are hurt." She had been concerned about the injuries Zhong Michu sustained from the formation and blurted it out without thinking.

"Not injured?" The woman tapped Zhong Michu's head with her staff, "I'm not blind, see?"

Zhong Michu widened her eyes in shock, staring at the woman.

The woman, tired of talking, hooked Zhong Michu's waist with her staff and dragged her inside, with Zhong Michu unable to resist.

"Senior, senior! My junior sister is also injured, you…"

Without looking back, the woman tossed something to Gu Fuyou. Catching it, Gu Fuyou saw it was a bottle of elixir.

The woman said, "As long as you don't venture beyond this courtyard, no spirit beasts will bother you. But if you wish to go out and seek death, I won't stop you."

These words were clearly meant for Gu Fuyou. Gu Fuyou slightly pursed her lips, clutching Ah Fu, not daring to get close to the fence.

Since there was no danger outside the courtyard, it was no harm to wait here. She found a dry patch of grass to sit on, took out some plums she had earlier, and ate them while waiting for Zhong Michu.

Although the Azure Phoenix clan doesn't particularly like humans, they wouldn't kill without reason. Earlier, she inadvertently revealed that she had visited Ruizhu Palace. Reflecting on it now, the woman's reaction was not anger but surprise. Gu Fuyou had simply been too cautious, mistakenly thinking the woman was out for revenge.

It was strange for the woman to suddenly offer to heal Zhong Michu, but if she wanted them dead, it'd be easy. No need for deception.

But after finishing her plums and meditating to restore some spiritual energy, Zhong Michu still hadn't come out.

Growing bored, Gu Fuyou decided to wander around. At one spot, her eyes lit up with excitement.

She let out a shriek and dashed over.

There, at the base of some old trees, were lush and vibrant spiritual herbs and flowers, blooming in clusters, looking very robust.

This place was a treasure trove!

The value of an herb is subjective, depending on your need.

However, objectively, people classify the rarity of a herb into different grades: ordinary, common, rare, ultra-rare, and immortal.

She might not be as proficient as Si Miao in identifying spiritual plants, but she could roughly tell that the flora here was at least of the ultra-rare grade!

Initially, Gu Fuyou was beyond excited. She thought of bringing these to Si Miao, who would probably be over the moon upon seeing them.

She took a wide piece of wood to dig up these spiritual flowers and plants, putting them into her storage bag. As her bag filled up, she even took off her outer robe to carry more.

After a while, the initial excitement began to wane. Throwing aside the piece of wood, Gu Fuyou remarked, "It's not as fun doing this alone."

"It would be great if Senior Sister Zhong was here."

Picking up Ah Fu, who was crawling around, Gu Fuyou spoke to it, "How about we go find Senior Sister Zhong and share this good news with her? It would make her happy."

"But that Azure Phoenix said we can't go in…"

"We'll sneak in."