The bloodline test of the Inferno Phoenix Clan was designed to test the similarity of a descendant’s bloodline to that of the Fire Feather Conferred God King. The Phoenix Resonance Stone was actually an artifact created from his bloodline.
That being said, the testing of a descendant’s bloodline usually would not faze him at all. But for some reason, his heart suddenly began pounding quickly in agitation.
It was like something was squeezing his soul tightly, leaving him breathless.
“Your Sovereignty?”
The Fire Feather Conferred God King widened his eyes.
He was a Conferred God King, and there was only one type of existence in the world that could leave him feeling like that.
But…
The God Monarch of the Sky of Spirit Origin had already breathed his last breath.
So why was it that he could still feel the other party’s aura?
“I might just be thinking too much… Even if our God Monarch revives, the process is unlikely to be so quick…”
The Fire Feather Conferred God King shook his head as he remembered the words that the God Monarch had told him back then.
“Still, I should check on it just in case…”
So, the Fire Feather Conferred God King closed his eyes and focused his attention on that sensation that he had just felt.
It was a fleeting feeling that had disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
He tried to grasp onto the feeling, but for some reason, it felt like something was standing in his path, something reminiscent of the heavens…
Even with his strength, he was still unable to trace the origin of the feeling.
Eventually, he could only shake his head and give up.
Since that was the case, there was no point in him thinking too much into it. His time would be better spent raising his cultivation.
The Firmament was in an unprecedented era. It was an era in which even God Monarchs could lose their life if they got careless.
If he, as a Conferred God King, did not try his best to raise his cultivation, he could very well lose his life in the next Flood of Spiritual Energy…
The old Firmament was as calm as a lake of stagnant water. Most Conferred God Kings lived their lives peacefully before coming to the end of their time. Everything had changed so quickly within such a short period, be it the receding of spiritual energy, the occurrence of the Flood of Spiritual Energy, or the rise of the Heaven Subjugation Monarch…
It was no longer a safe haven for Conferred God Kings.
For this reason, most Conferred God Kings devoted their time to cultivating if they did not have anything else to do. All they wanted was to become strong enough to survive through this turmoil while protecting their clan.
…
With his official acceptance into the Inferno Phoenix Clan, Zhang Xuan received the right to participate in the internal selections for the tournament.
All in all, the internal selections lasted three days, and the results were pretty much determined right from the start. There was no one in the Inferno Phoenix Clan who was a match for Zhang Xuan, so he easily took first place.
As for Feng Jiuge, he naturally claimed second place.
When news started spreading that the person in first place was an unknown figure who had just returned to the Inferno Phoenix Clan and the second place was a young man who had once been expelled from the Inferno Phoenix Clan, a huge commotion broke out in Spirit Origin Royal City.
Those two dark horses were indubitably strong contenders for the champion seat of the upcoming tournament.
…
Zhang Xuan knocked on Feng Jiuge’s door and said, “The tournament among the three clans will be held on the day after tomorrow. Since there isn’t anything today, I hope that you can lead me to the abyss where the mishap occurred.”
The Inferno Phoenix Clan had set the date of their internal selections to end two days before the official tournament so that their candidates would at least have a day to rest properly. Since he had some free time, Zhang Xuan hoped to take a look at the abyss to uncover the mystery behind the bizarre gray congregation of energy.
Feng Jiuge was a little apprehensive at heading to the abyss once more, but recalling what his teacher had said about the possibility of a relapse occurring, he bucked up his courage and nodded.
It had not been easy for him to regain his bloodline and cultivation. He was not ready to lose it once more.
The two of them were core members of the Inferno Phoenix Clan, and after the internal selections, their reputation and prestige were currently at their peak. In terms of standing within the clan, they might even be higher than the elders. As such, there was no one who stopped them leaving the clan.
The two of them got onto an aerial celestial beast, and in less than two hours, they were standing right beneath the floating city.
The floating city that seemed to block out the entire sky was being propped up by a single feather. This feather emanated a light golden glow and seemed a little reminiscent of the sun’s rays.
Curious, Zhang Xuan activated his Eye of Insight to examine the feather closely, and he realized that it looked surprisingly familiar to him. He tried to jog his memories, but somehow, he was unable to recall where he had seen it before.
Eventually, he shook his head and put that matter to the back of his mind.
Beneath the floating city was a pitch-black abyss that seemed to stretch endlessly downward. It felt like terrible things were lurking within the cryptic darkness.
“Teacher, I went down from here before,” Feng Jiuge said as he pointed to the cliff by the side.
Zhang Xuan turned his gaze over and saw a small manmade passageway right next to the cliff. It circled the walls of the abyss downward.
“Let’s head down to take a look.”
Zhang Xuan instructed the aerial celestial beast to wait for them by the side before walking over.
…
The passageway was narrow enough to allow only one person to pass at a time, and by the side was an abyss that was unimaginably deep. All it would take was one misstep for one to fall into oblivion.
Following closely behind Feng Jiuge, the two of them slowly made their way down the abyss.
The abyss commanded a powerful presence that suppressed even his Heaven’s Path zhenqi, making it difficult for him to drive his cultivation. Fortunately for him though, the Pathos of Heaven that he had cultivated seemed to be impervious to that.
Just like that, they traveled downward for two hours amid unnerving silence, but they were still nowhere close to reaching the bottom of the abyss.
Suddenly, Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows shot up, and he took out the pendant hanging around his neck. Feeling the slight warmth that it was emanating, he muttered, “It seems like Ruoxin has been here too…”
The two of them continued walking for a while longer, and some time later, Feng Jiuge finally came to a halt. He glanced backward and said, “Teacher, we have come to the end of the path. Back then, I also came to this point before falling into some bizarre location. It was then that my cultivation began falling rapidly!”
He had nearly lost everything the last time he was there. He was not willing to let it happen to him once more.
Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan looked forward and saw that the narrow passageway had indeed suddenly vanished. Most likely, the cultivator who created this passageway had either passed away at this point or returned along the path.
“It doesn’t seem like there’s anything special here. What was the content of the mission that led you here?” Zhang Xuan asked curiously.
Like the Six Sects of the Azure, the clans in the Firmament often sent their members to carry out missions so as to temper their strength and character while gathering more resources for the clan.
However, the abyss was completely barren. Other than the endless darkness that followed them everywhere they went, there was nothing there at all. It did not make sense for a member of the Inferno Phoenix Clan to head down there for a mission.
“Legend has it that there is a herb in the abyss that can help a cultivator become a God King, and that herb is known as the Grass of God King,” Feng Jiuge explained with a reddened face. “I thought that the rumor was true, so I came here to give it a try…”
“Grass of God King?” Zhang Xuan pondered for a while before shaking his head.
Putting aside whether such a thing existed or not, even if it did, it would not be so simple as to allow one to become a God King just by swallowing it.
Becoming a God King required one to have a thorough grasp over the powers of nature, and that was not something that a medicinal herb could help with.
That being said, even if the Grass of God King only increased one’s chances of making a breakthrough, it was still more than enough to draw countless cultivators over to try their luck.
After all, becoming a God King was a great honor in the Firmament. There were just slightly more than a hundred God Kings in the Firmament, so the temptation of being able to rise to a position that others were unable to was particularly alluring.
“Wait here for a moment. I’ll head down to look. If I don’t return within four hours, I want you to head back up without me. Don’t attempt to come down to find me,” Zhang Xuan instructed sternly.
If Feng Jiuge headed down with him, it was likely that his cultivation would get sealed by the gray congregation of energy once more. Since that was the case, it would be better for Zhang Xuan to proceed alone.
“Teacher… you must stay safe!”
Seeing how his teacher was venturing on fearlessly despite the dangers in order to resolve the possible complications of his condition, Feng Jiuge’s eyes reddened in gratitude.
He was just an ordinary student, but his teacher was willing to go so far for his sake. This was an expedition that could possibly cause one’s cultivation to vanish, but his teacher did not show the slightest hesitation. With such a teacher, what else could he ask for in life?
Zhang Xuan responded with confusion.
He could not understand why Feng Jiuge was looking at him with eyes so filled with passion that he actually felt goosebumps all over.
What is wrong with this child?
I’m just heading down there to take a look, and I’ll return as soon as I encounter danger. Is there a need for you to be so touched? Please! We’re not shooting a melodramatic soap opera over here.
