After the incident with the cultivators deactivating his formation, Yuan continued to spend every mont spreading the poison mist until it was almost ti for the gathering at the Undying Fiery Summit.
In just over a month, Yuan had already slaughtered more than seventy million beings within the Abyssal Underworld, leaving him with fewer than thirty million to complete his quest. Of course, he still needed to break through to the True Immortal realm.
Once it was almost ti, Yuan retrieved all of the poison mist with the Baneful Abyss before leaving the Abyssal Underground.
Although he could've left the poison there to passively grind kills, he didn't want to risk people deactivating his formation while he was gone, as he wouldn't be able to save them in ti.
Moreover, he could easily return to this place to finish his quest in the near future, and since he still had to reach True Immortal, he was in no rush to complete it.
After erging from the Abyssal Underworld, Yuan lingered near the entrance for several monts, his divine sense spread wide as though searching for soone. Monts later, he flew off in a particular direction and descended before a familiar middle-aged man.
“Y-You! Why are you here?!" The middle-aged man exclaid in shock, surprised to see Yuan standing before him, almost as if he was looking at a ghost.
“What's wrong? You look as if you'd seen a ghost" Yuan remarked, snapping the middle-aged man out of his daze.
“What happened to the Senior Zeng?" The middle-aged man imdiately asked about her.
“Oh, it was horrible." Yuan quickly responded, his voice filled with anguish. "We made it to the 300th floor without any problem, but as we neared the Abyssal Crystal Ants’ territory, the ground beneath us exploded, releasing a bunch of poison mist. Fortunately, I have poison resistance. However, the guide... she was not so lucky, and she perished from the poison.”
"WHAT?! SHE'S DEAD?!" The middle-aged man exclaid, his face filled with disbelief. “I'm sorry for your loss." Yuan sighed.
“That can't be! There's no way she's dead!"
Yuan shrugged, "I don't know what else to tell you. If you don't believe , you can go see her corpse for yourself. However, I don't know if itll still be there by the ti you get there."
The middle-aged man fell to his knees with a blank expression on his face.
Yuan said nothing more and simply turned to leave. Though the man might have been colluding with Zeng Guoquan, Yuan lacked the proof to act. And even if he had it, killing the man in front of so many witnesses would only make him appear the villain, not to ntion he needed to convince everyone there about Zeng Guoquan's true character. After departing from the Abyssal Underworld, Yuan followed Feng Yuxiang toward the Undying Fiery Summit.
Their destination lay within a land of eternal fla—a vast expanse wreathed in undying fire. For thousands of miles, the flas stretched unbroken, growing ever more intense the deeper one ventured, their power marked by a gradual shift in color.
“What's the story behind this place?" Yuan asked.
Feng Yuxiang replied, "According to legend, a Primordial Phoenix was born here. At its birth, the flas you see now were ignited, and they have burned ever since. It's said that even a great flood once tried and failed to extinguish them—hence the na, the Undying Fla Valley."
“This is also a revered place where phoenixes co to cultivate, considered both popular and sacred among them. Humans, however, are strictly forbidden to enter, and any who are discovered will be executed on sight by the phoenixes who train here."
"So I am in danger?" Yuan chuckled.
“Well, you're a different story. Also, humans can enter if they received a phoenix's approval, and with here, nobody would dare to cause you any trouble," she said. After two more days of travel, Yuan and Feng Yuxiang finally beheld a colossal solitary mountain in the distance—its entire form wreathed in roaring flas.
When they got close enough, they could see guards surrounding the entire place, treating it like a treasure vault.
“Identify yourselves."
The guards commanded when Yuan and Feng Yuxiang got close enough.
“We're the ones who called for this gathering," said Feng Yuxiang.
“Then you must be the Primordial Phoenix! Please, follow . The Ten Royal Phoenix Clans are already present and waiting for your arrival."
And so, Feng Yuxiang and Yuan followed the guard up the mountain's fiery slopes until they arrived at its summit, where a colossal colosseum-like structure stood. Within its walls lay a grand hall arranged much like a conference chamber.
Within the conference chamber were ten distinct sections, each clearly designated for one of the Ten Royal Phoenix Clans.
"Hm?" Both Yuan and Feng Yuxiang raised their brows at the sight before them.
“What's going on? I thought only seven of the Royal Phoenix Clans had agreed to participate. So why does it look like all ten are here?" Feng Yuxiang asked as they stepped into the chamber, noting that each section was occupied by groups clad in their own distinct attire.
Noticing their arrival, the leader of the Rising Phoenix Clan spoke up.
“Welco to the Royal Phoenix Chamber. As for your question, though three clans had initially declined to participate, they changed their minds at the last mont and chose to join the gathering after all."
Feng Yuxiang glanced at Yuan, who wore a faint smile behind his mask.
Stepping into the spacious center of the chamber, Yuan raised his voice and asked, "Did you co here under the orders of the Celestial Emperor?"
The room fell silent, and the atmosphere instantly beca stiff and heavy.
“That's right,” soone suddenly replied. "Is there a problem with that?"
Yuan turned his gaze toward the phoenix who had spoken and said calmly, "No, not at all. In fact, I'm glad you're all here. It will make this eting far more interesting, and it spares the trouble of hunting you down later."
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