"You didn't find anything on your end either."
When Xu Yi met Ji Bu Wang, she saw the indifferent expression on his face and a flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes.
Had she guessed wrong?
Was there no hidden secret here?
But if that were the case, why would the Chastising Rod act so strangely?
Xu Yi looked at the Chastising Rod again.
The Chastising Rod remained still, its nonchalant demeanor almost making Xu Yi laugh in exasperation.
There had to be something here, she just hadn't found it.
But how could she uncover the mystery?
Xu Yi racked her brain, but still found no way.
Ji Bu Wang advised, "Since you've already found a clue, don't be anxious."
Xu Yi let out a soft sigh and nodded slowly.
She knew Ji Bu Wang was right, but the feeling of being so close to the truth yet unable to find the door was stifling.
After a brief discussion, they decided to wait there for now.
They sat down cross-legged and meditated in silence.
Xu Yi placed the lotus platform to her right, and the Great Peng Jin Chi Bird continued to guard it faithfully.
Initially, Xu Yi was somewhat restless, but as time passed, her agitated emotions gradually calmed, and she unknowingly entered a state of deep meditation.
Her breathing gradually became even and long, and faint spiritual energy gathered around her, mingled with a subtle fire element.
Xu Yi felt a moment of mental disorientation, and the next instant, she found herself in a brand new space.
Xu Yi was startled at first, then she understood, and her eyes filled with ecstatic joy.
She had finally found it.
After a moment of excitement, Xu Yi looked around. When she saw the scene of this space, she froze.
Wasn't this the Vermillion Bird Tomb she had just been in?
However, the Vermillion Bird Tomb now appeared perfectly normal.
The spiritual energy here was exceptionally vigorous.
Treasures and elixirs were scattered everywhere.
The sinkholes had also disappeared.
Could this be...
As a thought flashed through Xu Yi's mind, a thin figure suddenly appeared in her field of vision.
Xu Yi squinted and almost fell from the sky.
The person before her wore a fiery red Taoist robe, with sharp eyebrows and eyes, exuding an imposing aura even when not angry. Most striking was the fiery red mark on his forehead.
It was the Vermillion Bird Ancestor!
Xu Yi hastily descended to the ground and bowed to the Vermillion Bird Ancestor.
However, the Vermillion Bird Ancestor did not even glance at her, walking past her directly and finally stopping at a flat clearing.
Xu Yi immediately realized that the Vermillion Bird Ancestor had not noticed her.
Therefore, what she was seeing was actually an illusion.
After sitting down, the Vermillion Bird Ancestor also began to meditate and adjust his breathing.
Xu Yi, sensing that she was on the verge of uncovering the truth, was not in a hurry at this sight.
However, she did not expect to wait for a full year.
Xu Yi was dumbfounded.
She even couldn't help but wonder if she would be waiting until the end of time.
Fortunately, on a certain day a year later, the Vermillion Bird Ancestor opened his eyes.
At that instant, Xu Yi seemed to see a burst of flame erupt from the Vermillion Bird Ancestor's eyes.
She was forced back several steps by his imposing presence, her heart filled with shock.
This was not her first time facing a cultivator at the Mahayana stage.
But the Vermillion Bird Ancestor felt far more dangerous than anyone else.
No wonder he could be so arrogant as to refer to himself as the Vermillion Bird.
He possessed the corresponding strength.
The Vermillion Bird Ancestor casually waved his sleeve, and a jade box floated from not far away to his front.
The Vermillion Bird Ancestor extended a finger and gently brushed the surface of the jade box. Without rushing to open it, his expression was solemn.
Xu Yi, disregarding her fear, subconsciously took two steps forward.
She had a premonition that this jade box contained what she wanted to understand.
After an unknown amount of time, the Vermillion Bird Ancestor finally made up his mind and opened the lid.
Xu Yi's gaze fell into the jade box, and her pupils constricted sharply.
Why was it this!
The Vermillion Bird Ancestor reached out and took out the item from within.
It was a dark, elongated object with a rough, uneven surface, making it impossible to discern what kind of artifact it was.
But Xu Yi could recognize it as the original form of the Chastising Rod at a glance.
Even though the Chastising Rod did not look like this now, Xu Yi could confidently say that this was definitely the Chastising Rod; she could not possibly mistake her innate magical artifact.
To Xu Yi's surprise, she had assumed the Chastising Rod was forged by the Vermillion Bird Ancestor using the Vermillion Bird Divine Fire, but it turned out not to be from the Vermillion Bird Ancestor's hands.
Where did the Chastising Rod truly come from?
And how did the Vermillion Bird Ancestor discover it?
Xu Yi's curiosity was intense, but she had to patiently wait for the Vermillion Bird Ancestor's next move.
After taking out the Chastising Rod, the Vermillion Bird Ancestor actually began to circulate his spiritual energy, summoning spiritual fire, and then placed the Chastising Rod above the spiritual fire.
Sizzle—
Immediately, thick black smoke billowed from the Chastising Rod.
Xu Yi watched this scene with bated breath.
She had a feeling that something momentous was about to happen.
Xu Yi's instincts were usually very accurate.
Indeed, after burning for eighty-one days, the black smoke emanating from the Chastising Rod became less and less, replaced instead by wisps of red smoke.
The red smoke rose in curls and then lingered above the Vermillion Bird Tomb, refusing to dissipate for a long time.
Looking at the red mist in the sky, a trace of fear inexplicably flashed through Xu Yi's heart.
It was as if something extremely terrifying was brewing.
She looked at the Vermillion Bird Ancestor and found his expression also very animated, clearly sensing that the situation was not good, yet he showed no intention of stopping, continuing to roast the Chastising Rod over the flames.
The sky grew redder and redder, gradually overlapping with the Vermillion Bird Tomb that Xu Yi saw.
Simultaneously, a scorching heat permeated the air.
The scene before Xu Yi's eyes began to distort.
Xu Yi's scalp tingled.
Every strand of her hair screamed.
Flee! Flee!
However, under the immense pressure, her legs were firmly rooted to the spot.
Even with the instinct for self-preservation, she could not control her body.
Xu Yi had only one thought at this moment.
The Vermillion Bird Ancestor was playing with fire.
This playing with fire was literal.
Even without seeing the cause and effect, based on this scene alone, Xu Yi had already roughly guessed the sequence of events.
The Vermillion Bird Ancestor had obtained the Chastising Rod from somewhere, and he also knew that the impurities attached to the Chastising Rod contained residual Vermillion Bird Divine Fire.
Now that his cultivation had reached the Mahayana stage and he saw no hope of breakthrough, he wanted to try his luck with this.
By using his own spiritual fire to expel the Vermillion Bird Divine Fire, he hoped to comprehend the Law of Fire from it.
Or perhaps a greater delusion, such as his desire to control this strand of Vermillion Bird Divine Fire.
However, divine fire was divine fire; it would not be restrained by cultivators.
The Vermillion Bird Ancestor failed.
Then he died.
And his personal space was also destroyed by the Vermillion Bird Divine Fire.
That's why, after several hundred years, the Vermillion Bird Tomb remained a sea of fire.
After the sea of fire disappeared, the Vermillion Bird Tomb became as Xu Yi had seen it before.
Having understood everything, Xu Yi felt a solemn respect for the Vermillion Bird Ancestor's courage.
She looked up at the fiery red clouds in the sky, and then her gaze towards the Vermillion Bird Ancestor held a hint of compassion.
After all, she had already foreseen the outcome.