Lu Bu glanced at Kong Xuan and Yu Yi, then directly took out the blood-red stone. Immediately, several powerful auras locked onto the stone in his hand.
"Phoenix Blood Stone!" Emperor Taixu and Emperor Shiyuan cast their divine senses, gazing at the stone with immense excitement, as if seeing a treasure far more precious than supreme treasures.
"Phoenix Blood Stone, legend has it that it was formed from a few drops of primordial blood shed by our Phoenix Ancestor during a great battle in the Ancient Star Road. These drops splashed onto some extraordinary stones, thus giving birth to the Phoenix Blood Stone. It contains a trace of ancestral bloodline power, but it is extremely rare. Even when my father and mother ventured into the Ancient Star Road seven times, they never found one."
"To other races, this stone is merely a spiritual material for refining immortal treasures, but to our Phoenix clan, it is an ultimate treasure!" Yu Yi's pupils trembled. He looked up, meeting Lu Bu's world-dominating gaze. "How did you obtain it?"
"A gift bestowed by the Holy Emperor!" Lu Bu said softly. He dismounted Red Hare and walked in the void. With each step, imperial patterns flashed, and his powerful imperial might surpassed that of Kong Xuan and Yu Yi, who commanded four imperial destinies. He approached a pagoda and sacrificed the Phoenix Blood Stone. Traces of the Phoenix Ancestor's bloodline power flowed into the pagoda, and just as Yun Rou had done hundreds of years ago when sacrificing to Danxue Mountain, an ancestral phantom appeared.
Emperor Taixu and Emperor Shiyuan withdrew their divine senses. Although Lu Bu was extraordinary, he was ultimately an ordinary Immortal Emperor. Lu Bu, acting under the orders of the Great Han Holy Emperor, was visiting Danxue Mountain, and there was no need for them to appear personally; Kong Xuan and Yu Yi would suffice.
Time flowed gently through the Immortal Realm. Since the void battle decades ago, the Immortal Realm had not experienced any major upheaval. One day, the entire sky of the Immortal Realm shimmered with starlight. Innumerable beings looked up at the celestial phenomenon, bewildered. Only the Immortal Emperors who had attained the Dao saw their imperial patterns stir within their eyes, witnessing a world-shattering scene. A colossal phantom, surpassing the true forms of almost all living beings in the Immortal Realm, appeared in the sky, like a world unto itself.
Suddenly, the enormous phantom transformed into a bird. As it spread its wings, all the shimmering myriad stars were obscured.
"Kun Peng!"
Lu Bu whispered. He scanned the vast phantom, which was identical to the Kun Peng described in the myths of his past life.
He spoke slightly, "Plunging into the azure sea, swimming in the vast currents, its tail trailing beneath the wind and waves; it also soars to the heavens, riding the wind for ninety thousand li, its scales gleaming across the sea, striking the water for three thousand!" As each word was uttered, the phantom flickering at the zenith of the sky trembled violently, as if responding to Lu Bu.
Kong Xuan and Yu Yi watched Lu Bu in shock. With his words, he had revealed the essence of this colossal creature, and what Lu Bu spoke were phrases unheard of in the Immortal Realm for countless ages.
Kun Peng!
An ancient race, rumored to have appeared at the dawn of creation. Its ancestor, Kun Peng, deduced the cultivation methods of the Immortal Ancient Era during that epoch and attained the Dao in the early Immortal Ancient Era, known as Ancestor Emperor Kun Peng. Later, it vanished from the records of the Immortal Realm, its whereabouts unknown. After hundreds of millions of years, its descendant rose powerfully, single-handedly bringing the ancient race, which had disappeared from the Immortal Realm, back to the pinnacle of the myriad races, dominating for eons, known as Holy Emperor Kun Peng.
At the end of the Immortal Ancient Era, it battled with several other powerful giant Immortal Emperors in the depths of the Ancient Star Road. These powerful giant Immortal Emperors never reappeared in the Immortal Realm, marking the end of the Immortal Ancient Era. The myriad races rose, and the Immortal Realm entered the Savage Era. In the middle of the Savage Era, a being who appeared to be around thirty years old in human form, wielding a great halberd, emerged from the Ancient Star Road, pushing through all obstacles, annihilating three Immortal Emperors, and establishing the Kun Peng Ancient Kingdom, known as Immortal Emperor Kun Peng.
During this period, the giants, to commemorate the pioneers of the cultivation path from the Creation Era and Immortal Ancient Era, took a Heavenly Dao oath: any being who attained the Dao would not use titles such as Ancestor Emperor, Holy Emperor, or Primordial Emperor, but would be uniformly referred to as a certain Immortal Emperor, a tradition that has continued to this day, with no one daring to break it.
At the end of the Savage Era, the powerful forces that had ruled the Immortal Realm for eons mysteriously collapsed. The Great Dao loosened, and the path of cultivation became more refined. Thus, the Savage Era of the Immortal Realm ended, and the Nether Sea Era began. From then on, the Kun Peng, an ancient race that had been active in the Creation Era, Immortal Ancient Era, and Savage Era, became extinct in the Immortal Realm, to the point that even the legacies of its three Immortal Emperors could no longer be found.
"General Lu, please." Kong Xuan, having received decrees from Emperors Taixu and Shiyuan while observing the celestial phenomenon, composed himself. He gestured, and the group left the area where Yang Ying was in seclusion, heading towards the center of Danxue Mountain. Shortly after, they arrived at the central hall of Danxue Mountain. On the upper seat within the hall, Emperors Taixu and Shiyuan, with smiles on their faces, watched Lu Bu enter.
From the moment he entered the hall, Lu Bu felt a powerful pressure. Even for a fleeting moment, he felt as if millennia had passed. Lu Bu frowned slightly. As expected of an unfettered Immortal Emperor who commanded dozens of imperial destinies, both Emperor Taixu and Emperor Shiyuan commanded over sixty imperial destinies each. Lu Bu, who had emerged with two imperial destinies and spent decades accumulating power, now had a nascent form of a third. Even with system enhancements, allowing him to battle an Immortal Emperor with twelve imperial destinies, he was still far from qualified to face Taixu and Shiyuan.
Lu Bu stepped forward and bowed slightly. "I am Lu Bu, Guard General of the Great Han Holy Court. I greet both Emperors."
"Indeed, no need to be formal. Please take a seat."
Emperor Taixu spoke, his demeanor entirely devoid of pressure. The Great Han Holy Emperor Yang Hao had easily obtained the Phoenix Blood Stone, which even they could not find. The Great Han must have the support of remnant forces from the Nether Sea Era's human race. Lu Bu thanked them and took a seat opposite Kong Xuan.
"General Lu, with your emergence as an Immortal Emperor, the Great Han Holy Court's empire is bound to be stable. Our Danxue Mountain intended to congratulate the Great Han, but unexpectedly, our Saintess entered bloodline reversion, and we troubled you to delve deep into Danxue Mountain," said Emperor Shiyuan.
"You are too kind, Immortal Emperor. Our Great Han Holy Court and Danxue Mountain have always advanced and retreated together." Lu Bu smiled slightly. Before the two emperors, although his eyes still held extraordinary pride, it was not the same unbridled arrogance he displayed when facing Kong Xuan and Yu Yi.
"When did General Lu attain the Dao?" Kong Xuan asked, cupping his fists slightly towards Lu Bu. It was not just him who was puzzled; several major forces in the southern part of the Immortal Realm were also perplexed. Except for the four major powers, the whereabouts of all Immortal Emperors who had attained the Dao were difficult to trace. However, almost all information regarding Lu Bu was virtually impossible to find.
"This general attained the Dao long ago and has been residing in the Ancient Star Road!" Lu Bu stated softly, not wishing to elaborate further.