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"Something's not right."
Zi Yan carefully felt the golden barrier before her expression suddenly changed. "This Beast Spiritual Barrier doesn't just carry the aura of my Ancient Void Dragon Clan… there's also a trace of the Heaven Demon Phoenix bloodline mixed in. And this aura— it's far purer than that of the current Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan!"
"What? So the one who died here wasn't just an Ancient Void Dragon, but also a Heaven Demon Phoenix?" Xiao Yan said in surprise.
"Why not just open it and see for ourselves." Wei Yang said softly.
"Mhm." Zi Yan nodded slightly, then lifted her hand and bit the tip of one slender jade finger. A droplet of golden blood welled up from the wound. Her fingertip lightly touched the surface of the Beast Spiritual Barrier, tracing a small golden mark across it.
"This kind of barrier can only be opened by a being that shares the same bloodline," Zi Yan explained.
As the golden blood streak spread across the barrier, ripples of light surged out from its surface. In the next instant, the golden barrier began to tremble violently, before a glowing crack slowly tore open.
"Let's go." Zi Yan waved her hand, stepping first through the rift without hesitation.
Xiao Yan and the others quickly followed behind her.
"Ah Da, stay out here and guard. Don't let anyone approach. Also, conceal the energy fluctuations here — it's possible that the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan might sense this place too," Wei Yang instructed before entering.
"Yes." Ah Da bowed.
As soon as Wei Yang's figure stepped into the Beast Spiritual Barrier, the golden light rippled once more, and the crack swiftly sealed itself shut. Moments later, the barrier's glow dimmed, and it gradually faded from sight, turning completely invisible.
The instant they stepped inside, everyone's vision blurred.
The lush green forest vanished, replaced by a vast and desolate crimson plain. This plain stretched far and wide, its surface covered in blood-red sand that looked as though it had been dyed by countless years of spilled blood.
Amid the red, patches of pale gray — almost like ash — occasionally broke the monotony of the landscape. When they looked into the distance, they saw it — a massive ancient stone altar, nearly a hundred meters tall, standing proudly in the very center of the plain.
A faint yet terrifying pressure radiated from the altar, spreading through the air and causing the Dou Qi in their bodies to stagnate slightly.
"What a terrifying pressure!"
The group exchanged glances, each seeing the shock reflected in the others' eyes. If just the residual aura could suppress Dou Zun experts like them to this extent… how terrifying must the one who left it behind have been?
A Ban Sheng, perhaps?!
Zi Yan, however, seemed unaffected. The moment she arrived, her gaze locked firmly onto the distant stone altar. Wei Yang and the others noticed this but didn't disturb her — they simply stood quietly at the side, watching.
After a brief silence, Zi Yan pressed her foot lightly against the ground and shot forward toward the altar, her figure a blur of light. She appeared completely unaffected by the oppressive force that had weighed on them so heavily.
Seeing that, Wei Yang and the others immediately followed suit. Soon, their figures landed upon the massive altar. Up close, an ancient, time-worn aura washed over them like a heavy tide. They now stood midway up the altar.
Looking upward, they could see a flight of blue stone steps that stretched all the way to the top.
Zi Yan's gaze fixed on the end of those stairs, her expression distant — the calling in her bloodline was growing stronger and stronger.
"Haa…" She exhaled softly, her face becoming unusually solemn. Then, she stamped her foot against the ground and transformed into a streak of light, flashing up the stairs like lightning. In just a few flickers, she had already reached the altar's summit.
Wei Yang and the others closely followed behind. When they arrived at the top, they were greeted by the sight of Zi Yan's small face — frozen in utter shock. Their eyes followed her line of sight — and what they saw made them freeze as well.
At the center of the altar stood a stone platform, shimmering with both golden and purple hues. Upon that platform was a small half-foot-wide recess, like a miniature stone basin. And within that basin grew a tiny sapling.
It wasn't tall — its trunk was barely thicker than a thumb — yet it coiled like a miniature dragon, exuding an aura of ancient strength and vitality.
At the top of the small sapling hung a single fruit.
This fruit was about the size of a palm, its entire surface shimmering with gold and purple hues. Looking closer, one could see that the golden half, winding and twisting, vividly resembled a miniature form of the Ancient Void Dragon.
The other purple half, was a soaring divine bird spreading its wings—the Heaven Demon Phoenix. Its appearance was precisely that of the Heaven Demon Phoenix. However, compared to the current Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan, its form seemed slightly different.
"A fruit shaped after the Ancient Void Dragon and the Heaven Demon Phoenix!"
Seeing this extremely strange fruit, Xiao Yan was both shocked and utterly confused. Even with his knowledge of medicinal ingredients, he had never heard of such a wondrous thing existing in this world.
"It seems that the pressure we've been feeling is coming from within this fruit." Qing Lin whispered softly.
Wei Yang lightly nodded.
Upon hearing that, Xiao Yan's heart trembled again, and only then did he realize—the oppressive might filling this space was indeed emanating from the strange dragon-phoenix fruit before them.
A single fruit, and it actually contained such terrifying pressure!
"This is the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit!"
"It's only ever been recorded in the ancient texts of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan. That dragon represents my Ancient Void Dragon."
"That phoenix, it's not the Heaven Demon Phoenix of today, but their ancestor—the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix."
"This kind of fruit requires the absorption of the life force of both an Ancient Void Dragon and an Ancient Heavenly Phoenix. Only then does it have less than a ten percent chance of being born."
"In the Ancient Void Dragon Clan's records, throughout endless years, such a Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit has only ever appeared five times. And this… is the sixth."
Zi Yan's gaze remained fixed on the fruit before her—something that should only exist in legends—and she spoke in a soft, dazed voice.
Wei Yang and the others listened quietly.
A moment later, Zi Yan suddenly turned around. Standing atop the stone altar, she looked down from above. The vast, desolate crimson plain stretched endlessly beneath her feet.
Only then did she realize—the faint pale color revealed within the scarlet earth actually outlined the immense skeletal shapes of a colossal dragon and a phoenix. This place… was actually the burial ground of both an Ancient Void Dragon and an Ancient Heavenly Phoenix!
The massive skeletons were arranged head-to-tail, forming a perfect circular loop that enclosed the entire plain. This stone altar stood precisely at the circle's center.
As Zi Yan stared in astonishment at the bones below, Wei Yang and the others noticed it too. All of them couldn't help but take a sharp breath. That ancient Dou Sheng truly… had unimaginable methods!
To bury both an Ancient Void Dragon and an Ancient Heavenly Phoenix—beings of supreme rank among magical beasts—together in this place!
Judging from the formation, it was obvious that this altar had been deliberately constructed. And its purpose—was for that small tree. To use the blood and bones of two supreme magical beasts to nourish and cultivate a single sapling.
Such an act from that ancient Dou Sheng undoubtedly offended both of those mighty beast clans beyond redemption.
Truly insane!
If he hadn't exiled his own tomb into the depths of the void, once this deed was revealed, even his ashes would've been scattered to the winds by the two clans.
"No wonder a Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit was born here. So this was where an Ancient Void Dragon and an Ancient Heavenly Phoenix were once buried." Xiao Yan murmured softly.
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