In the blink of an eye, a colossal black dragon appeared before her, its obsidian scales reflecting a cold, noble glow! Following its broad, imposing form upwards…
Its slender whiskers fluttered in the wind, its deep, gong-like purple eyes fixed upon her, radiating cold power! Its massive body curved into an "S" shape, exuding strength and an unyielding presence! It bore an air of utter disdain! Its thick forelegs and powerful tail were enough to deter any approach! A silent, overwhelming shock surged within her!
Jin Bao'er couldn't help but press her hand to her chest, the tremor lingering long after.
She had seen the black dragon a few times before, but never this clearly! Was this the legendary, noble, and proud divine beast? So strong! So mighty!
Just looking at it, she felt an urge to prostrate herself in worship!
Everything happened in a mere two seconds. The black dragon plunged into the frozen pond with a world-shattering aura! Its unstoppable ferocity instantly churned up waves ten thousand feet high! They crashed violently against the stone walls of the mine!
Jin Bao'er quickly regained her senses. After activating her small defensive formation, she followed the black shadow…
As they ventured deeper, the surrounding light gradually faded, and the chill intensified. Fortunately, the black dragon's aura was potent, and she was able to keep pace with it!
With this level of cold, it was no wonder no phoenixes had ever returned!
She didn't know how long they swam. She could feel her defensive formation freezing and her body gradually losing sensation. Ahead, the figure still hadn't stopped…
At this moment, a steady stream of spiritual energy surged from within her, healing her frozen body! Then it would freeze again, then heal…
After a long while, a faint light appeared before her eyes. The black dragon shot out of the ice, creating a large opening, and then turned to receive her!
An ice block nearly two meters high quickly surfaced. The black dragon transformed into human form simultaneously, carrying the ice block in one hand as he landed. Without bothering to check his surroundings, he instinctively intended to break open the ice, but…
"Boom!"
Before he could act, with a roar, the ice block shattered. A biting cold instantly filled the air! A woman in blue appeared, gasping for breath, white mist rising from her body. Her skin was deathly pale, making her look like an ice sculpture!
She stiffly sat cross-legged, spiritual energy pouring from her immortal mansion, rapidly circulating through her limbs and bones, dispelling the chill.
Long Lixing stood by her side, silent, his purple eyes calm! The woman he fancied was no wilting flower!
A few minutes later, the woman let out a gentle sigh, her body finally regaining its warmth. She opened her eyes and looked at the man, her expression relaxed.
"You waited long!"
Hearing this, Long Lixing smiled! She was indeed different from ordinary women!
Jin Bao'er had no objections. She had chosen to come here herself, and she had to bear the consequences, not rely solely on a man! Moreover, they were currently just companions.
With this thought, she breathed a small sigh of relief and glanced around…
The cave walls, a deep blackish-brown, were adorned with faint specks of light, illuminating the surroundings with a weak glow. The pond from which they had emerged was now covered by a thick layer of ice!
This… was a cave!
Looking further inside, a dimly lit passage appeared before them…
"Didn't you say it was Luoyu Forest? Why is it a cave?"
She frowned. Phoenix fruit should be a thing of extreme yang, how could it live in such a cold place? Had they come to the wrong location?
Long Lixing narrowed his purple eyes, his tone quite cold, whether from the chill of the pond or something else.
"Let's go out and see, won't we know then!"
As he spoke, he took Jin Bao'er's hand and strode forward. His broad palm clasped her cold, small hand, bringing an unexpected warmth and sense of security, entirely at odds with his own icy demeanor.
For some reason, she felt her cheeks flush…
They walked for a long time until a faint spiritual energy wafted from ahead. Jin Bao'er quickly let go of his hand and flew out directly…
At the cave entrance, a warm breeze accompanied by spiritual energy washed over her. She looked outside, her eyes filled with surprise!
The cave mouth was situated on a sheer cliff. Below lay a forest, a vast expanse of red phoenix trees and towering green trees intertwined, looking peculiar yet strangely beautiful! What truly shocked Jin Bao'er, however, was the sky…
A crystal-clear layer of ice covered the entire sky, as if the whole world existed underground! The higher she flew, the colder it became…
"So that's it! The so-called Luoyu Forest is actually the underground world of the Spirit Continent. No wonder the phoenixes couldn't get in, and once they did, they couldn't get out!"
There was no turning back. They had already expended a lot of energy to get here, and the spiritual energy was scarce. With the strength of the phoenixes, even with rest, they wouldn't recover their stamina, and without spiritual energy replenishment, they would likely freeze into ice shards before they could swim out!
The only way to replenish spiritual energy on this continent was through the Spirit Trees held by the elves, and since the two races were perpetually at odds, no one would come to their rescue.
Soon, two figures appeared above the forest, quickly traversing its surroundings, but they saw no sign of the mythical phoenix fruit!
"It is said that the phoenix fruit is a fruit that only phoenixes can cultivate. Where it exists, the greatest of existences must also be present…"
A low voice sounded from behind. Jin Bao'er turned to look at him, following his gaze… and finally noticed the towering ancient tree in the distance!
Its upper reaches, reaching the ice layer, were already obscured by clouds and mist, making it impossible to see what lay above.
Simultaneously, both of them flew towards the ancient tree. Their eyes fell upon dozens of oval stones lying on the tree trunk, scattered unevenly above and below. Judging by their shape… they looked somewhat familiar!
"What is this?"
"Phoenix eggs! And at least a hundred-year-old phoenix egg!"
Long Lixing merely glanced at them before looking away, his gaze fixed on the boundless canopy of the colossal tree. A strange glint flashed in his purple eyes.
Jin Bao'er also recalled the words of Clan Chief Cangwu: all phoenixes go in but never return. She supposed this was what he meant!
The phoenixes' innate talent was rebirth from fire. Once they suffered a fatal injury or faced a life-threatening crisis, they would devolve into their most primitive form, a phoenix egg, and await their next rebirth…
These phoenixes must have been the ones who came in previously but couldn't get out! They could only lie on the tree unwillingly, waiting for the day they could leave and soar through the skies!
"Don't overthink it. There's something wrong with this tree! Let's quickly pick the phoenix fruit and leave."
Long Lixing's tone was grave, his brow furrowed, his gaze fixed upwards. He had no idea what was going on above the ice layer, and it made him deeply uneasy.