Lu Zheng spent the night on Phoenix Mountain, the heavenly fox's tender murmur stirring pity.
Her white tail lightly teased, seductive and charming; Red Pill's passion stirred, fragrance secretly drifted.
After soothing Liu Qingyan through the night, Lu Zheng followed Si Lingxi into a secret passage from the Back Mountain of Phoenix Mountain. Descending several hundred zhang, they arrived at a sealed underground mountain-belly space.
The space spanned several dozen zhang. The surrounding Mountain Walls were crimson, while cloud-patterned skies were painted overhead, where a phoenix and a male phoenix flew in a tail-chasing dance.
Beneath the sky lay the earth, complete with mountains, rivers, trees, and flowers. Yet there were no fierce beasts in the mural—only phoenixes leading flocks of birds soaring through the heavens.
"This is..."
"This is a scene I dreamed of in Divine Fire Cave Heaven when I was little," Si Lingxi said.
Lu Zheng's gaze flickered. "The world of the Upper Realm?"
"It should be," Si Lingxi nodded.
"So that's why you said that, apart from those immortal deities and demons with names and titles, the Upper Realm also has ordinary people," Lu Zheng said.
"You could guess as much. Otherwise, wouldn't the Upper Realm be far too desolate and boring?" Si Lingxi said. "Not everyone is devoid of feeling before the Great Dao."
"True enough." Lu Zheng nodded, then asked Si Lingxi, "Have any phoenixes from the Upper Realm entered your dreams recently?"
"Not for a very long time—perhaps a thousand years." Si Lingxi shook her head. "The last time was when my mother told me to cultivate diligently and ascend as soon as possible."
Lu Zheng was startled. "Your mother?"
"Can't I have a mother?"
Si Lingxi rolled her eyes. "I didn't jump out of a crack between rocks."
"No, I mean, your