Chapter 1788: Underworld Phoenix Space

The moment the two women turned their heads, their bodies began to blur. Under Li Yan’s gaze, two birds the size of adult humans appeared before him.

“Immortal Underworld Phoenix…” Li Yan murmured to himself. It seemed they needed to reveal their true forms to perform this breaking technique. This was the first time Li Yan had seen a true Immortal Underworld Phoenix.

Their feathers were like silver, their postures elegant. High crests stood atop their heads, and the feathers on their wings looked like scattered silver moonlight. Their tail feathers were like an azure rainbow piercing the sun, and their eyes were starkly divided into black and white. Li Yan noticed that beneath the silver light on their bodies, there were faint green shadows, especially on that azure tail feather.

‘I wonder how massive their true forms are. They must be suppressing and shrinking themselves here. Their appearance differs slightly from the descriptions in some ancient records, likely due to the Azure Phoenix bloodline they carry…’

Li Yan thought to himself while quietly expanding his Divine Sense to its limit. He no longer held anything back. He secretly activated the Five Elements Chaotic Cape but kept it suppressed. On the other hand, a strand of his Divine Sense was constantly communicating with the Earth Mottle on his wrist. He felt that the sturdiness of this treasure might be enough to withstand the Spatial Severance.

However, Li Yan was no longer as confident as he used to be. After following his master, Dong Fuyi, he had learned many secrets known only to high-level cultivators. While Body Integration cultivators were rarely seen, there were many old monsters at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, and even terrifying beings at the Great Ascension stage. Tribulation and Ascension were realms he previously couldn’t even fathom.

Thus, his confidence in the Earth Mottle had diminished. It might be peerless in the lower realm, but that might not hold true in the Immortal Spirit Realm. However, based on the sisters’ guesses and his own observations, the Underworld Phoenix who once lived here was likely at the Body Integration stage, or at most the Tribulation Transcendence stage. When Senior Uncle Qian Zhong refined the Earth Mottle, he was already at the Body Integration stage. Some Tribulation Transcendence cultivators might not be significantly stronger than him.

Under these circumstances, the Earth Mottle had a chance to defend him, but the probability was likely less than forty percent. Using it here was different than before. The Spatial Severance was a brief attack that would soon vanish. He wouldn’t be stuck inside; besides, he had his own life-saving secret arts.

As Li Yan’s thoughts swirled and he admired the phoenixes’ true forms, the two birds took flight. They moved as if dancing in the air, their long azure tail feathers leaving behind dreamlike streaks of silver-green light. One above and one below, they began to dance around the barrier membrane. Soon, their figures vanished, replaced by an oval ring of light where head met tail.

Li Yan noticed that as the brilliant ring of light rotated, things resembling starlight were scattered onto the barrier membrane. He remained on high alert, his nerves taut like a drawn bow. However, the Spatial Severance he feared did not appear after the starlight fell.

Had someone been standing behind Li Yan, they would have seen sweat instantly soaking his neck the moment the starlight touched the membrane.

‘It seems to be working!’

His Divine Sense was locked onto the surrounding space. After three breaths of starlight, he felt their method was effective, otherwise, an attack would have already blanketed the area. The starlight emitted a silver glow, and instead of triggering a repulsion, it melted into the membrane. For a moment, however, there was no reaction, as if a stone had been dropped into the ocean.

After forty breaths, Li Yan noticed that the oval ring formed by the two birds was no longer as solid. Their figures began to reappear, a sign that their speed was slowing. Li Yan’s eyes flickered. To avoid disturbing them, his Divine Sense did not touch the barrier membrane. From his visual observation alone, he couldn’t see any change in the membrane. Instead, he could see that the sisters’ condition was deteriorating.

‘In just forty breaths, they’ve been drained to this extent. This technique is incredibly difficult to perform. These are two Spirit Transformation cultivators…’

While Li Yan pondered, Ming Qi and Ming Yu were communicating rapidly through mental transmission.

“The restriction’s reaction confirms our guess, but we might not be able to break it. The feedback we’re sensing is still very weak; there’s no sign of it opening. If it’s still not working in fifteen breaths, we’ll stop and tell him our strength is insufficient!” Ming Qi’s voice was strained, accompanied by heavy panting.

“But… the method is correct. Are we just going to… not try to enter? This is the hope we found after so much effort!” Ming Yu’s voice was even more hurried. Her cultivation was weaker, and her exhaustion was greater.

“It’s… it’s decided. We must retain some ability to protect ourselves. We… we don’t know what lies behind the membrane. Even with the Blood Covenant, if a great treasure truly appears, there are likely… likely other restrictions protecting it. In that case, the restriction could kill us before he even makes a move…” Ming Qi transmitted quickly.

Their power was half-drained. In another fifteen breaths, they would be lucky to have thirty percent left. If they exhausted themselves to open the gate, they would be defenseless. Ming Qi wanted to negotiate further with the elder.

But then, something unexpected happened. On the previously silent barrier membrane, a phantom image of a massive bird appeared. The phantom was blurry, a mere outline that made it hard to tell what kind of bird it was. But for the three people present, they recognized it at a glance—it was a massive Immortal Underworld Phoenix phantom. It completely occupied the membrane, as if it had suddenly pressed against it from the other side.

“Now!” Ming Qi transmitted urgently.

Li Yan had just realized it was a phoenix phantom when he saw the rotating ring of light vanish. The two phoenixes reappeared instantly. At that moment, they faced each other, and their magnificent crests touched. A snow-white light burst from where their crests met! The beam shot straight toward the long crest of the phantom on the membrane.

“Buzz!”

The snow-white light struck the phantom’s crest. The entire barrier membrane shuddered violently, letting out a low, vibrating hum. The membrane began to ripple like water, and a patch of pure white light about half the height of a person appeared at the phantom’s head.

“Quickly, enter!” Ming Qi’s voice rang out.

As she spoke, she and Ming Yu didn’t even have time to transform back into human form. They flew directly into the white patch in their true forms. They were fast, but Li Yan, who had been waiting, was no slower. Though he blurred into motion instantly, he paused for a fraction of a second. Only when he saw their forms almost entirely submerged did he flash forward, following them inside!

While still in the air, the surrounding scenery appeared in Li Yan’s Divine Sense. His power surged, and he came to a sudden halt in the air. This was still a cavern, but the spiritual energy was so dense that it felt like it was being forced into his nose and mouth. The space had opened up dramatically.