Chapter 127: Ah Xue’s Body is So Soft, So Light
When the coffin lid opened, Luo Xue saw a scene that was beyond her expectations.
The deeper they went into the Blood Sea, the stronger the aura of withering became.
And at the end of the Blood Sea, it should have been filled with the aura of death and decay, everything a dull gray.
But…
A clear blue sky with a few white clouds, a boundless grassland stretching as far as the eye could see, dotted with a few flowers, a breathtakingly beautiful scene.
For a moment, Luo Xue thought she was back in the Immortal Domain.
She hadn’t seen such a peaceful environment since leaving the Immortal Domain.
And this… appeared in the place that should have been the most desolate.
Su Yiyao, sleepy-eyed, poked her head out. She had just woken up and sat up, rubbing her eyes.
She looked at the surroundings, clearly stunned for a moment, then her expression turned slightly anxious.
Only after seeing Luo Xue did Su Yiyao relax.
It was good, it was good. Her reunion with Ah Chou… A’Xue, wasn’t a dream.
She had almost thought that she was just dreaming of leaving the Blood Sea, because it was too unreal.
Su Yiyao reached out discreetly and gently held Luo Xue’s hand.
“Young Mistress Luo Xue, you can leave the immortal coffin now, but be careful not to stray too far.” Liu Lian’s voice rang out.
“Now it’s okay?” Luo Xue blinked. “But why just now…”
“Just now, on the Sea of Withering, your life force and withering were in a delicate balance, easily disrupted, causing you to fall back into a state of withering.”
Liu Lian explained, “Although the withering state is actually better for you, with your Eternal Withering Body, at least for now, it’s better to stay conscious.”
Luo Xue nodded slightly. She didn’t know much about the Eternal Withering Body, but judging by the current situation, it was better to follow Liu Lian’s advice.
“But Sister Liu Lian… will A’Xue die? Like… the death we understand…”
Su Yiyao asked anxiously.
“…”
Liu Lian was silent for a moment, looked at Luo Xue, and said,
“Let Master tell you the answer.”
After saying that, Liu Lian bowed slightly to the two of them, and her figure instantly vanished.
“Isn’t Sister Liu Lian going to lead the way?”
Luo Xue scratched the back of her head. Was it really okay to just leave them here?
She didn’t even know where Phoenix Venerable was… wait.
“I know where Master is,” Su Yiyao said. “Sister Liu Lian is always like this. If Master doesn’t give her instructions, she won’t appear.”
“I see, so that’s how it is.”
Luo Xue nodded and climbed out of the coffin.
Only then did she realize that her body was unprecedentedly weak, even weaker than a mortal’s.
Even though her mind was clear, even lifting her arm to support herself was extremely difficult.
Seeing this, Su Yiyao quickly reached out and helped Luo Xue up, gently leading her out of the coffin.
“Why didn’t I… feel so weak just now…”
Luo Xue leaned against the coffin, slightly out of breath.
Just moving a little away from the coffin brought an unbearable wave of exhaustion, as if tempting her to fall asleep.
“A’Xue, are you okay?” Su Yiyao asked worriedly. “You look terrible…”
“This is probably what Sister Liu Lian meant by ‘on the verge of death’.” Luo Xue said with a wry smile. “I was fine during the battle, probably because I borrowed your power.”
“Then… you can borrow it now too!”
Su Yiyao quickly said, extending her arm towards Luo Xue.
Luo Xue’s expression turned strange. Borrowing power wasn’t like sucking blood, extending her arm wouldn’t help…
“It’s fine, it doesn’t matter.” Luo Xue stood up, supporting herself against the coffin, and exhaled softly. “I can’t keep borrowing it… and there are limitations, it can’t last too long.”
“Well, okay, then I’ll support you… A’Xue, take it slow.”
Su Yiyao helped the weak Luo Xue up, and Luo Xue leaned slightly against Su Yiyao’s shoulder.
Feeling Luo Xue’s warmth against her, Su Yiyao’s expression clearly brightened.
But now… there was the matter of the coffin.
“Sister Liu Lian just said I can’t stray too far from the coffin for now, so…”
Luo Xue looked at the coffin, a bit troubled.
“It’s fine, I’ll carry it.”
Su Yiyao skillfully secured the coffin, which was much larger than her, to her back, as if she had done it countless times.
A little girl carrying a large coffin, Luo Xue was a bit dumbfounded.
But if that was the case, would leaning on Su Yiyao’s shoulder be a bit of a hindrance?
“Xiao Yao, how about I just stay in the coffin…”
Before Luo Xue could finish, Su Yiyao became visibly anxious.
“No!”
“Uh… isn’t it troublesome?”
“No, it’s not troublesome… I’ll carry you!”
Su Yiyao squatted down, her small arms reaching for Luo Xue’s knees, and lifted her up.
—In a princess carry.
Luo Xue’s long, silver hair cascaded down, almost reaching the ground. Su Yiyao looked down and saw a pair of shocked eyes.
“Xiao Yao, you…”
Luo Xue was caught off guard and flustered.
“This is more convenient… A’Xue’s body is so soft, so light, it’s not heavy at all.”
Despite saying this, Su Yiyao’s face was flushed red for some reason.
“Does A’Xue not like being carried like this…”
“It’s not that, it’s just that this is my first time being carried like a princess.”
Luo Xue couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Really?”
Su Yiyao’s eyes lit up.
“Really.”
Luo Xue nodded and relaxed completely in Su Yiyao’s arms.
Su Yiyao felt the soft, light body in her arms become even softer, like a silk doll filled with cotton.
She really wanted to bury her face in Luo Xue’s hair…
“Speaking of which,” Luo Xue looked around. “Is the entire Blood Sea… like this?”
“Not entirely.”
“There are other places?”
“The place where Master usually cultivates is similar to the Blood Sea, but the will of withering is much stronger. I have to have Sister Liu Lian take me there, otherwise I can’t even get close.”
“Oh… besides that?”
“I don’t know. Besides cultivating here and visiting Master, I haven’t been anywhere else.”
“Didn’t you ever think of exploring when you had free time…”
“No, because when I have free time, I’m always thinking about—”
“Stop, stop, don’t say it, I can’t take it anymore…”
“Mmm…”
On the peaceful grassland, the small figures gradually walked away.
Time seemed to stand still, everything peaceful and quiet.
Su Yiyao looked down at Luo Xue, who had her eyes half-closed, and lowered her eyelids.
As she walked slowly, a fervent hope arose in her heart.
If only this short journey could last forever…
…
A gentle breeze blew, lifting a few strands of dark red hair, then gently letting them fall back onto the blood-red dress.
The woman in the blood-red dress had her eyes closed, her face carrying an otherworldly beauty.
But this beauty wasn’t seductive, but sacred and untouchable, breathtaking.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked into the distance.
“Master,” Liu Lian’s figure slowly appeared and bowed. “They’re almost here.”
“Okay.”
She retracted her gaze, her eyes calm and distant.
Phoenix Venerable sat in a pavilion that had inexplicably appeared on the grassland, a freshly brewed pot of tea steaming before her.
Two meditation cushions were placed in front of her, deliberately close together.
“Master, why not let me bring them here directly?” Liu Lian asked curiously.
With her cultivation, she could bring Luo Xue and Su Yiyao to Phoenix Venerable in the blink of an eye. There was no need for them to walk so slowly.
“Let them spend some time together, I’m not in a hurry.” Phoenix Venerable said faintly, then looked up and asked, “Besides, with Xiao Yao’s cultivation, do you think she needs to walk?”
Liu Lian thought carefully. Su Yiyao was now at the Core Formation Realm, her movement techniques weren’t bad, so she…
Didn’t need to walk?
Then why…
“…I don’t understand.” Liu Lian shook her head.
“It’s fine, just wait.” Phoenix Venerable said, a hint of pity flashing through her eyes. “Moreover… there might not be another chance like this in the future.”
Liu Lian was silent for a moment, bowed, retreated a few steps, and her figure vanished.
Not long after, Su Yiyao, carrying Luo Xue, slowly appeared at the edge of the grassland.
She also saw Phoenix Venerable sitting alone in the pavilion, and a conflicted expression appeared on her happy face.
But in the end, Su Yiyao still reluctantly dragged her feet, almost crawling, across the grassland, and arrived before the pavilion.
“Master…”
Su Yiyao didn’t dare to look into Phoenix Venerable’s eyes and lowered her head timidly.
After all, she had left the depths of the Blood Sea and gone to the Immortal Domain and the Demon Abyss out of her own will.
Although this was permitted by Phoenix Venerable, Su Yiyao could tell that Master didn’t want her to continue interacting with the Immortal Domain and the Demon Abyss. There seemed to be a hidden reason.
Therefore, after returning, Su Yiyao was like a child who had made a mistake, sitting on the meditation cushion, her head drooping listlessly.
Luo Xue leaned slightly against the coffin, breathing softly, looking tired.
“It’s good that you’re back.”
Phoenix Venerable didn’t seem to mind and just nodded slightly at Su Yiyao, then turned her gaze to Luo Xue.
Luo Xue, finally recovering slightly from her weakness, looked up and met Phoenix Venerable’s gaze, instantly jolting awake.
The terrifying scene in the courtyard on Mount Fengyin flashed through her mind again, but now she was facing the real Phoenix Venerable.
Phoenix Venerable’s appearance was almost identical to the woman in white in the illusion formation, but since this was her true body, the oppressive aura was even stronger.
Seeing Luo Xue’s reaction, Phoenix Venerable’s lips seemed to curve into a faint smile, but it quickly disappeared, as if it were just an illusion.
“Luo Xue… our second meeting, you seem to have changed a lot.” Phoenix Venerable said slowly. “I thought… His bloodline could be tolerated by mortals. Seeing you today, I realize I was mistaken.”
“His… bloodline?”
Luo Xue’s breathing quickened slightly.
In this world’s language, “He” and “He(his)” had different pronunciations. Luo Xue knew that Phoenix Venerable was referring to the true being of the Blood Sea.
So, the inheritance she received was actually the bloodline of the Blood Sea itself?
“The inheritance illusion formation back then would only activate and bestow the inheritance upon those who possessed His bloodline.” Phoenix Venerable explained. “It probably activated because of Xiao Yao, but… for you to be able to withstand the inheritance is strange.”
Back on Mount Fengyin, Luo Xue and Su Yiyao had been inseparable, even sleeping together, so they carried each other’s aura.
Although the aura was faint, the illusion formation had taken into account the dilution of the bloodline over generations, activating as long as it sensed the corresponding aura.
But this didn’t mean that anyone who had been close to Su Yiyao could activate the inheritance.
More importantly… accepting the inheritance.
Basically, only those with the Blood Sea’s bloodline could withstand the True Phoenix Inheritance and the True Phoenix blood essence. Otherwise, they would explode upon contact.
But Luo Xue had added many points to her poison resistance, and she was also a mortal, so the True Phoenix blood essence was heavily sealed, allowing her to withstand it and successfully accept the inheritance.
Of course… the effect of Luo Xue obtaining this inheritance was still inferior to Su Yiyao’s.
Phoenix Venerable didn’t beat around the bush and directly explained these things to Luo Xue. Su Yiyao also listened attentively—she hadn’t been in the mood to listen before, so she didn’t know about these things.
Only then did Su Yiyao react, her eyes widening.
“Wait, Master, you mean… I’m a descendant of the ancient divine beast, the Phoenix?”
She had always thought she was human, but now she was suddenly told… that she was actually a bird?
Yes, the Phoenix was a legendary ancient divine beast, but it was still a bird…
“And unexpectedly pure. Your existence is likely the result of ‘Origin Birth’.” Phoenix Venerable added. “Don’t worry, you are indeed human now, not a transformed demonic beast.”
“I see…”
Su Yiyao breathed a sigh of relief, not knowing why she was relieved.
“But, Phoenix Venerable, you just said that His bloodline couldn’t be tolerated by mortals…”
Luo Xue asked hesitantly.
“Indeed, but I never said Xiao Yao was a mortal.”
Phoenix Venerable thought carefully, then explained in a way Luo Xue could understand.
“Let’s just say, Xiao Yao is actually the consciousness born from the divine Phoenix bloodline, and she constructed a human body… that’s all.”
“Therefore, Xiao Yao and the Phoenix clan are no different, except for their physical form.”
In other words, Su Yiyao was an ancient divine beast in human form.
“So… I’m still a bird…”
Su Yiyao’s expression drooped.
Even the composed Phoenix Venerable’s brow twitched slightly.
If anyone else described the Phoenix clan like this, she would have already killed them.
But…
Such insulting words came from one of the few remaining descendants of the Phoenix clan.
Phoenix Venerable took a moment to compose herself, then continued,
“The Phoenix clan is nearing extinction. I didn’t have much hope of finding a descendant of the Phoenix in this lost world, to inherit His power.”
“I thought finding a mortal with a trace of Phoenix bloodline would be a pleasant surprise, but I didn’t expect… such a pure-blooded descendant like Xiao Yao to appear.”
Su Yiyao opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
But Luo Xue could tell that she was still struggling to accept this, so she quickly interrupted.
“Phoenix Venerable, if you hadn’t found a descendant, would you have continued searching?”
Phoenix Venerable nodded slightly.
“Before Nangong Fengyin, I entrusted sixteen tomb keepers with some aptitude for withering, but all of them failed. If I hadn’t found Xiao Yao, I would have left the Blood Sea again in a thousand years, searching for the next tomb keeper.”
“Tomb keeper? Tomb?”
Luo Xue remembered hearing True Person Fengyin say that she was just a tomb keeper.
“Because this is a tomb, His tomb.” Phoenix Venerable turned slightly, her gaze distant and long. “It can even be said that this entire world… is just His graveyard.”
“So, He is…”
Luo Xue followed Phoenix Venerable’s gaze, seeing nothing, but still sensing the will of withering within the Blood Sea, calling out to her.
“What the world calls the Blood Sea is also the Withering Phoenix. He was the last Great Emperor of our clan. By His time, the ancient divine beasts had become legends.” Phoenix Venerable said softly. “And I… am His incompetent younger sister, the Immortal Phoenix, just a mere Saint, close to the Great Emperor Realm.”
“Wait… what level is Saint?”
Luo Xue felt her mind struggling to keep up, perhaps because she was too exhausted.
“After Ascension is the Tribulation Immortal Realm, followed by the Sea Crossing Realm, then Saint, and finally Great Emperor.” Phoenix Venerable explained patiently. “In other words, those so-called forbidden area lords are about four major realms below me.”
“…”
Suddenly, Luo Xue felt that the forbidden area lords’ earlier behavior before the Blood Sea seemed a bit… comical.
“But Phoenix Venerable, why didn’t you intervene directly just now?” Luo Xue asked with confusion. “With your strength… you could kill them with just a glance, right?”
“Indeed, but unfortunately, I can’t leave the Blood Sea. Every time I appear in the world, it’s with an early Nascent Soul avatar.” Phoenix Venerable shook her head. “If not for this, I would have brought Xiao Yao back myself, without troubling that idiot who always gets lost.”
Luo Xue and Su Yiyao were silent, and a certain idiot hiding nearby was also silent.
No wonder, when Luo Xue received the inheritance in the depths of Mount Fengyin, the panel indicated it was a Nascent Soul level illusion formation.
She just hadn’t expected Phoenix Venerable’s true body to be so much more powerful.
“Why?” Luo Xue frowned slightly. “Phoenix Venerable, you’re so powerful, is there anything that can restrict you?”
“No, it’s because I’m too powerful. If I leave the Blood Sea, this world will collapse.” Phoenix Venerable paused, then said, “Haven’t you been to a secret realm? To me, this world is like a secret realm.”
Many secret realms had cultivation restrictions. For example, the Heavenly Cluster Sword Tomb couldn’t be entered by those above Core Formation.
Phoenix Venerable was even more extreme. If she left the Blood Sea, the entire world would collapse, unable to withstand her power.
Even Liu Lian’s strength never exceeded the early stage of Nascent Soul when she appeared in the world.
But to be the servant of a Saint close to the Great Emperor Realm… she would have to be at least at the Ascension Realm, if not Tribulation Immortal.
“…I think I understand.” Luo Xue nodded.
“In other words, I know about their actions, whether it’s refining this world or searching for the so-called door.” Phoenix Venerable said faintly, picking up her teacup and gently blowing on it. “But it has nothing to do with me. Let them do as they please.”
To Phoenix Venerable, everything happening in the Immortal Domain and the Demon Abyss was less important than the tea in her hand.
After appearing in the world several times, Phoenix Venerable had also learned some things from the human world, tea being one of them.
“What if they succeed?”
“We’ll talk about it when they succeed.”
Phoenix Venerable said indifferently, seemingly unconcerned.
After staying in this place for who knows how many years, the changes in the nine provinces and four domains were nothing new to her.
Luo Xue didn’t ask what was outside this world, because she could tell that Phoenix Venerable was deliberately avoiding this topic. Asking wouldn’t yield any answers.
“You’ve asked about Xiao Yao and this world, don’t you have any questions about yourself?”
Phoenix Venerable suddenly smiled faintly, looking at Luo Xue, a deep meaning in her eyes.
Seeing Phoenix Venerable’s expression, Luo Xue’s heart tightened. Could it be… that Phoenix Venerable had seen through her?
“I do… have some questions.”
Luo Xue said uncomfortably, glancing at Su Yiyao.
Su Yiyao held Luo Xue’s sleeve, her head lowered, lost in thought.
“Ask away. I’ve temporarily blocked everything from the outside world, and Xiao Yao won’t hear our conversation.”
Phoenix Venerable saw Luo Xue’s hesitation and used some method beyond Luo Xue’s understanding to isolate this space and time.
Luo Xue looked around in surprise. Everything seemed frozen in time, even the ripples on the teacup.
“This…”
“Just a small trick, nothing compared to you.” Phoenix Venerable put down her teacup and said softly, “Your body and soul completely dissipated upon death, without any remnant soul, then you were reborn into this world through ‘Origin Birth’.”
“Even as a Great Emperor, I’ve never heard of such a strange and traceless method of reincarnation… But it seems even you don’t understand what’s going on.”
“If you’re willing, perhaps you can tell me. I… might have the answer.”
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