Chapter 508: Phoenix Fire
# Chapter 508: Phoenix Fire
Blazing flames.
An endless expanse of fire.
They converged into a boundless sea of infernal heat, leaping and dancing as far as the eye could see.
The searing, dry heat was punishing enough to overwhelm even those possessing Fire Spirit Roots, threatening to wring every drop of moisture from their flesh.
For Wood Spirit Root cultivators like Jiang Chen, the environment was pure agony. Even with the medicinal efficacy of Fire Repelling Pills coursing through their meridians and protective wards layered over their skin, their bodies felt parched, as if their very essence was turning to ash.
“Move, move!”
“Fellow Daoist Jiang, your movement art is swift. I shall accompany you.”
“Indeed, we must retreat at once. We can return only when the spiritual tides stabilize.”
The oppressive atmosphere made it abundantly clear; lingering here was a death sentence.Without hesitation, the group boarded Jiang Chen’s Shattered Moon Flowing Frost, tearing through the sky to escape the boundaries of Crimson Fire Peak.
Yet, to their profound astonishment, a multitude of figures were streaking toward the peak from the outside, resembling moths drawn inexorably to a roaring flame.
Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of these newcomers possessed Fire Spirit Roots.
After retreating at least twenty li, Jiang Chen and the others glanced back. The entirety of Crimson Fire Peak was writhing, undulating like an ancient, mummified corpse suddenly drawing breath.
The sheer scale of the heaven-shaking upheaval left the group utterly paralyzed with shock.
For a long time, only the distant roar of flames filled the silence.
Even a “local” like Jiang Chen felt a chill run down his spine, to say nothing of outsiders like Zhao Chengdao.
At that moment, Bei Qingtang emerged from the fiery haze of Crimson Fire Peak. Her expression was uncharacteristically solemn. “Everyone, the situation has shifted. Depart from this place for now and attend to your own affairs.”
A weary sigh escaped Jiang Chen’s lips. “Finally, a moment of respite.”
However, in the very next breath, Bei Qingtang’s gaze locked onto him. “Junior Brother, you cannot leave. Return to Crimson Fire Peak with me.”
Jiang Chen blinked, utterly bewildered. “Ah?”
Zhao Chengdao patted his shoulder, a gloating smirk playing on his lips. “Go in peace. When you emerge, do enlighten us on the mysteries within. We will all certainly… miss you.”
Jiang Chen shot him a withering glare. “Get lost.”
Shortly after, the group dispersed; some departed entirely, while others lingered at the periphery to observe the unfolding anomaly.
Though every instinct urged him to flee, Jiang Chen trailed behind his Senior Sister, inching his way back toward the Spirit Fire Zone of Crimson Fire Peak.
Along the way, Bei Qingtang transmitted her voice to him. “The Peak Master of Crimson Fire Peak, Chao Jin, previously recovered an egg from the Tai Xu Fissure Abyss. It is suspected to belong to a nirvanic fire phoenix.”
“Thus, it was placed within the Spirit Fire Zone to be nurtured. Just today—mere moments ago, in fact—it unexpectedly birthed the Phoenix Fire.”
Jiang Chen’s eyes widened. “Phoenix Fire?”
Bei Qingtang nodded. “This flame is also known as the Nirvana Fire. Not only is it a supreme catalyst for alchemy and artifact refining, but it possesses the primordial power to breathe new life into dead matter.”
“And the recipient of this new life is the very entity you have been cultivating—the true body of the Qiyan Wood.”
Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow, a realization dawning upon him. “The Nether Abyss Mountain Chariot?”
Bei Qingtang offered no further words, merely giving a firm, heavy nod.
Silence settled between them as they descended, soon alighting upon the scorched earth of the Spirit Fire Zone.
The ambient heat here was punishingly absolute. The air warped and twisted, sending ripples through the very fabric of space, making the world look as though it were on the verge of melting into slag.
By all natural laws of the Dao, a Wood Spirit Root cultivator should have been reduced to ash the moment they stepped foot here.
Yet, strangely, a gentle breeze swept past, swirling around his form. The terrifying, oppressive heat vanished, replaced by a refreshing coolness that seeped into his pores.
Jiang Chen turned his head, tracing the source of the spiritual wind to a female cultivator who stood out starkly from the crowd.
Her presence was impossible to ignore; she stood over six chi tall, a towering figure that dwarfed the many male cultivators beside her.
The tails of her eyebrows swept upward with a sharp elegance, framing eyes accentuated by distinct, silkworm-like contours beneath them.
Her nose was high and proud, the tip possessing a subtle, arrogant upturn.
Her lips were the color of pale peach blossoms, defined by a sharp, distinct peak.
Long, dark hair was bound high in a martial ponytail by a silver ribbon, exposing the elegant, swan-like curve of her neck.
Her physique was sculpted with the dramatic proportions of an hourglass.
Her shoulders were broad and commanding, spanning nearly two chi across.
Her chest was full and heavy, wrapped tightly in a silver silk dress that accentuated every rounded curve. The spiritual fabric was stretched so taut it seemed on the verge of tearing.
Her hips flared outward with a rounded, upturned grace, evoking the undulating ridges of misty mountains.
The hem of her skirt stopped just above her ankles, revealing a glimpse of honey-toned skin above a pair of silver, high-heeled martial boots.
Merely standing there, she commanded the attention of countless cultivators, drawing a myriad of sidelong glances and covetous stares.
For a fleeting moment, Jiang Chen mused that her presence was even more scorching than the entirety of Crimson Fire Peak.
Bei Qingtang offered the woman a warm smile before transmitting her voice. “That is my close confidante, Feng Xiao of the Wind Cliff’s Feng Clan. She has achieved Perfection in her Earth Grade Golden Core, standing but a single step away from the Nascent Soul realm.”
Jiang Chen could not help but remark, “Senior Sister, she appears even more formidable than Feng Lie.”
Feng Lie was known to be a rugged, unyielding brute of a man.
He possessed the towering, mighty aura of a mortal general commanding a battlefield.
Yet, this Feng Xiao was somehow even more… magnificent in her sheer scale.
Bei Qingtang blinked, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “You are aware that, aside from mutated Spirit Roots, certain cultivators are born with special physiques. My friend is one such anomaly.”
Understanding dawned on Jiang Chen. “I see.”
Bei Qingtang waved a hand dismissively. “Enough of that. Withdraw your gaze and focus your attention. You are about to witness the miracle of Crimson Fire Peak with your own eyes.”
Unlike the surrounding cultivators, whose eyes remained glued to Feng Xiao’s striking figure, Jiang Chen possessed the discipline to look away.
After all, his heart was already anchored to his Frost Girl. He smoothly averted his eyes, directing his focus forward.
Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his Senior Sister, he stared into the heart of the flowing, blazing inferno.
Its core burned with a blinding, reddish-gold brilliance, gradually bleeding into a vibrant orange-red. The outermost corona flickered with a pale crimson hue, reminiscent of the dying glow of a twilight sky.
At that moment, several figures descended from the opposite side of the crater. Most were unfamiliar faces.
However, one figure struck a chord in his memory.
Unless he was mistaken, it was Wang Yangyin, one of the supreme alchemists of the Earth Fire Zone.
Suddenly, his Senior Sister’s voice echoed in his mind. “The one in the center is the Peak Master of Crimson Fire Peak, Chao Jin. Beside him are the Vice Peak Master, several Elders, and Grandmaster Alchemist Wang Yangyin.”
In short, this was the absolute zenith of Crimson Fire Peak’s hierarchy. A single word from any of these individuals could dictate the life or death of thousands.
Jiang Chen swept a casual glance over the subordinates, etching their features into his memory should their paths cross in the future.
His gaze, however, lingered heavily upon the Peak Master of Crimson Fire Peak.
The man possessed snow-white hair that cascaded down to his waist. It was not the sparse, withered white of old age, but thick and voluminous, flowing like a silken waterfall.
Yet, the most unsettling detail lay at the very tips of his hair. They resembled the smoldering remnants of burnt ash, continuously decomposing and flaking away into fine powder before reforming.
He bore sharp, sword-like eyebrows that sat above piercing phoenix eyes.
His nose was high and hooked, a predatory aquiline bridge that gave him the look of a raptor.
His lips were razor-thin, entirely devoid of color.
Upon his forehead, three reddish-gold fire runes extended upward from his glabella, branching out into the shape of a blazing trident.
Arc-shaped fire crests flared from the outer corners of his eyes, trailing along his temples like burning embers.
A ring of fiery lines traced his jaw, wrapping around his chin before creeping down the length of his neck.
Standing nearly six chi tall, his expression was a mask of cold severity, radiating a suffocating authority that required no anger to enforce.
When ordinary cultivators faced the Phoenix Fire, they instinctively recoiled in primal fear.
Yet, when facing this man, it was the Phoenix Fire itself that trembled and fluctuated violently.
The implication was clear. The cultivation base of Chao Jin, the Peak Master of Crimson Fire Peak, was nothing short of terrifying.