The moment Ren Xiaoyao infused the Divine Dragon Armor with the golden light transformed from his faith, the entire world fell silent.
It was as if an invisible hand had pressed the pause button on time. The wind stopped howling, the clouds stopped flowing, and even the dust suspended in the air seemed to freeze in mid-air. The whole world fell into a solemn and serene stillness.
A faint humming sound came from the depths of the void, as if billions of stars were holding their breath, waiting for some change that could shake the order of the Heavenly Dao.
The luminous plant seeds suspended in the void solidified into a dazzling constellation, each one imbued with the radiance of imminent bloom.
Some of the seeds were as round as pearls, with a soft silver-blue halo flowing across their surface, as if they contained an entire sleeping Star River.
Some are as angular as stars, their light carrying a mysterious rhythm; each barely perceptible flicker seems to be enacting ancient astronomical prophecies.
They floated silently, accumulating power in the stillness, as if waiting for some sacred moment to arrive and unleash their long-accumulated strength.
The Luminescent Blue Moss seemed to have stopped its breath, its pulsating light and shadow fading away, while the dewdrops clinging to its surface reflected a distorted spacetime.
The moss seemed frozen in time, its former vibrancy gone, while each dewdrop, like a tiny mirror, reflected the distorted space around it.
Some dewdrops reflect the shattered sky, while others reveal inverted mountains and rivers.
These mirror-like dewdrops trembled slightly in the stagnant air, as if telling a story of the turbulence and balance of forces in the world at this moment.
Even the Spiritual Energy Waterfall cascading down from the mountaintop was suspended in time as an eternal curtain of light, and countless phantoms of Divine Beast remained roaring in the still Spiritual Qi.
The once surging Spiritual Energy Waterfall now resembled a frozen Milky Way, each stream of light condensing different elemental Power of Principle, shimmering with dazzling brilliance.
The phantoms of the Divine Beast within them are either baring their fangs and brandishing their claws, with lightning crackling around their dragon horns.
Or it raises its head and cries out, its wings swirling with the Essence of Sun and Moon.
Although it remained still, one could still feel its awe-inspiring majesty and power, as if it would break free of its restraints and roar as it tore through the void at any moment.
The claws of the nine Divine Dragon Phantoms dragons froze at the moment Sky-Rending Strike, and the starlight flowing in their dragon eyes slowly dimmed, turning into a soft halo like moonlight.
The Divine Dragon's enormous body seemed to be Immobilization Curse, the Ancient Runes flowing between its scales were slightly warm, its claws maintained their sharp posture of Sky-Rending Strike, and the light in its Central Plains as bright as stars, was gradually replaced by a gentle halo, as if it had transformed from a majestic Guardians into a loving guide.
For a fleeting moment, Ren Xiaoyao seemed to glimpse, deep within the dragon's eyes, the resolute and tragic spirit of the Divine Dragon guarding the Heavenly Dao countless eras ago.
The runes on the scales, like a living Star River, enveloped Ren Xiaoyao in a warm and sacred light.
The runes shimmered with a mysterious light, each Dao Patterns like a key to unlock Ancient Secret Realm, seemingly telling an ancient story.
The rays of light they emitted gently enveloped Ren Xiaoyao, seeping into his pores and giving him an unprecedented sense of peace and power, as if he were one with the entire world.
In a daze, he heard countless ancient voices whispering in his ears, the Daoist rhymes from the Beginning of Chaos.
The next moment, the Divine Dragon Armor transformed into a stream of light, like a golden Star River swirling around him.
A dazzling light swirled around him, like a golden dragon encircling him, exuding a mysterious and powerful aura.
The runes automatically merged into his skin, outlining ancient and mysterious patterns on his body. These patterns rose and fell with his breath, subtly resonating with the pulse of heaven and earth.
Each Dao Patterns is like a mysterious symbol, containing endless mysteries, and with his breath, it subtly resonates with the power of heaven and earth.
As the last rune entered his heart, Ren Xiaoyao felt his heart beating in unison with the heavens and earth.
The Nine-Colored Auspicious Light intertwined with the golden light of the armor, forming a shield around him with ancient Dao Patterns flowing around him. Each Dao Patterns shimmered with the power of World Creation, as if sealing the moment of the birth of the universe within it.
The auspicious light and golden light complemented each other, forming a shield that resembled an indestructible sacred armor. The power emanating from the patterns gave one the feeling of a great power capable of World Creation world and all things.
On the surface of the shield, the phantom image of Pangu's Sky-Opening sometimes appears, and the remnant image of Nuwa's Sky-Mending sometimes flashes by, as if witnessing the magnificent moment when the universe was born from Primordial Chaos.
As the vast dragon's roar, "Having inherited my will, I shall Protect All Living Beings," echoed in my mind, the dust of time carried within the sound fell softly.
The voice seemed to have traversed countless eras, carrying a profound sense of history and mission. Every word struck Ren Xiaoyao's heart like a heavy hammer.
The voice, imbued with the vicissitudes of time, seemed to turn into dust, slowly drifting down into his sea of consciousness. At the same time, images flashed through his mind: the ancient God-Demon War between gods and demons, the fall of Ancient Sages, and the heroic figures who perished to Protecting All Living Beings.
Ren Xiaoyao seemed to see the afterimages of the Divine Dragon fighting to Protecting All Living Beings in countless eras overlapping in the depths of his consciousness.
He saw the Divine Dragon fiercely battling evil forces on the Ancient Battlefield. They were agile and powerful, spewing Dragon Might Dragon Breath containing the Heavenly Dao Laws. They were willing to pay any price to protect the peace and tranquility of the world.
Some Divine Dragon had their horns severed in battle, their blood staining the sky red.
Some exhausted their divine power and transformed into mountains to suppress evil spirits.
These images flashed through his mind like a movie, making him deeply aware of the great mission that the Divine Dragon shouldered.
However, before the shock had subsided, a clear and melodious phoenix cry suddenly came from the other side of the mountain.
The voice was like a resounding bell from the heavens, or the first ray of sunlight at dawn, carrying the heat and arrogance of rebirth, drawing Spiritual Qi from within Fang Yuan hundred miles to converge wildly.
The cry of the phoenix broke the silence, like a thunderclap, instantly awakening the sleeping world. Spiritual Qi surged like a tide, converging from all directions towards the source of the sound.
Wherever it passed, flowers, plants, and trees bloomed with strange brilliance, and even the distant lakes boiled, turning into a sky full of mist that merged into the torrent of Spiritual Qi energy.
In the sky, countless Spiritual Qi condensed into a phantom of Fire Phoenix that blotted out the sun. As its wings spread, it tore through the clouds, Golden Flame ignited wherever its tail feathers swept across, dyeing the entire sky a molten gold color.
A colossal phantom of Fire Phoenix soared through the sky. Each flap of its wings seemed to possess the power to destroy everything, easily tearing apart the clouds. Wherever its tail feathers passed, raging flames ignited, dyeing the sky gold, like a burning ocean.
Nine-Colored Flames danced in the pupils of the Fire Phoenix, and with each blink, countless fiery meteors fell to earth.
The temperature in the valley rose sharply, and the Luminescent Blue Moss instantly transformed into Ghostly Blue Flame. The suspended plant seeds burst forth with dazzling light, like thousands of meteors falling to the earth, leaving long trails of fire in the air.
The valley seemed to have turned into Sea of Fire. The rapid rise in temperature made everything incredibly hot. The Ghostly Blue Flame of burning moss and the light bursting from plant seeds complemented each other, creating a magnificent yet dangerous scene.
The ground began to crack, and magma gushed out from the fissures, mingling with the flames, making the entire valley resemble a giant furnace about to erupt.
Despite his still-recovering body, Ren Xiaoyao rushed towards the direction of Fengming.
His body still bore the pain of the previous battle, and every step he took was accompanied by intense pain, but his eyes were firm, and he did not flinch in the slightest.
With each step, the scorching earth cracked beneath his Mystic Boots, and Red Flame raged through the Bamboo Forest, the bamboo leaves crackling and popping as they burned, like a stirring Battle Song.
The ground beneath his feet seemed to protest his progress, while the flames and crackling sounds in the Bamboo Forest seemed to cheer him on, encouraging him to forge ahead.
His clothes were charred black by the flames, and blood kept seeping from his wounds, but it instantly evaporated into a blood mist when it came into contact with the surrounding scorching air.
Passing through this burning Purgatory, an Altar enveloped in crimson flames came into view.
The Altar exuded a mysterious and dangerous aura, as if it were a forgotten ancient sanctuary.
The Altar was made of blood-red jade, its surface engraved with twisted Ancient Totems. These Totems appeared and disappeared in the flames, each Dao Patterns flowing with the power of blazing fire, as if they were the pain and rebirth of countless Phoenix Nirvana.
The crimson hue of the jade contrasts with the flames, and the ancient Totems seems to tell a story of past glory and tragedy, giving people a sense of the weight of history.
Around the Altar stood enormous pillars of fire, each with Fire Snakes of a different shape coiled around it, its scarlet tongue flicking out.
In the center of the Altar, a feather radiating a seven-colored halo floated amidst the nine-colored flames.
The feathers, like a rare treasure, radiate a captivating and mysterious light.
Each feather shimmered with the brilliance of the sun, moon, and stars, sometimes transforming into a cascading Star River, sometimes condensing into a blazing sun in the sky. The air around the feathers twisted into vortexes, swallowing up any flames that approached.
It seemed to be formed from the essence of heaven and earth, containing Infinite Power and mystery. The surrounding flames and distorted air added to its mystique.
As Ren Xiaoyao gazed at the feather, he saw countless reflections of parallel worlds within the halo of light; some worlds were vibrant with life, while others were shrouded in darkness.
The Phoenix Artifact Spirit, formed from condensed flames, was engulfed in Nine-Colored True Fire: crimson represented destruction, cyan contained vitality, purple was entwined with lightning... Each color represented an ultimate Flame Laws.
The spirit was elegant and noble, yet exuded a powerful aura.
Her phoenix eyes were cold as ice as she looked down at Ren Xiaoyao, her gaze filled with the disdain of a superior for an ant.
Its existence seemed to make it the ruler of this fiery realm, allowing no one to offend it.
The spirit's wings trembled slightly, and nine-colored flames surged, condensing into a huge flame avatar behind it. The avatar held a flame Scepter and was surrounded by flame chains.
"How dare you, a mere ant, covet the Creation Phoenix Feather?" The Phoenix Artifact Spirit's voice was clear yet cold. With a gentle flick of its tail feathers, the flames around the Altar instantly transformed into countless Fire Blades, shooting towards Ren Xiaoyao with sharp whistling sounds.
The voice was full of mockery and contempt, as if Ren Xiaoyao was an insignificant existence in its eyes.
Those Fire Blades, moving at incredible speed and carrying intense heat and immense destructive power, hurtled towards Ren Xiaoyao.
Each Fire Blades contains a different Flame Laws, some of which are corrosive, melting away rocks wherever they pass.
Some of them possess the Frost Laws, instantly condensing the air into Ice Crystals before shattering them.
These Fire Blades left burning trails as they sliced through the air, and wherever they went, space cracked like Shattered Mirror.
Wherever the Fire Blades passed, the air was ignited, leaving trails of burning. The space itself was distorted and cracked by the immense power, as if it were about to shatter at any moment, giving a sense of the Phoenix Artifact Spirit's formidable strength.
Black demonic energy continuously seeped out from the cracks; it was the evil power leaking from the Depths of Chaos after space shattered, and everything it touched quickly corroded.
The runes on Ren Xiaoyao's Divine Dragon Armor lit up, and nine Divine Dragon Phantoms burst out from the armor, circling and roaring around him.
The phantom of the Divine Dragon Phantoms was majestic Dragon Might powerful, and its appearance provided Ren Xiaoyao with a strong boost.
As the Divine Dragon exhaled, the icy air collided with the fiery Fire Blades, unleashing a violent roar. The resulting shockwave blew the dust off the Altar, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the blood-red jade.
The collision of ice and fire generated a huge energy fluctuation, and the powerful shockwave and impact made the Altar tremble.
One of the Divine Dragon opened its mouth and inhaled, swallowing a large number of Fire Blades, but its scales were also scorched by the flames, causing it to roar in pain.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ren Xiaoyao Swung the Chaos Axe. The light of the Space-time Laws on the axe blade surged, and a huge Space-time Rift opened in front of him, sucking in part of the Fire Blades.
The Chaos Axe seemed to be a divine artifact capable of controlling space and time. As Ren Xiaoyao swung it, the power of the Space-time Laws erupted, and a sharp shriek of Space-time Distortion came from the crack, as if it were a roar from another dimension. The tentacles of an unknown creature could be vaguely seen wriggling deep in the crack.
The tentacles were covered with strange runes, and each swing caused spatial tremors, with tiny meteorites falling from the cracks and splashing up Mars as they hit the ground.
However, the Phoenix Artifact Spirit continued its attack, flapping its wings and rushing towards Ren Xiaoyao. Nine-colored flames trailed a long ribbon of light behind it, distorting and deforming the space in its path, and causing the air to explode with a piercing sound.
The Phoenix Artifact Spirit displayed powerful aggression and an indomitable fighting spirit. Each of its attacks carried immense power, causing the surrounding space and air to distort and explode.
During its high-speed movement, the spirit's form transformed into nine afterimages, launching attacks simultaneously from different directions, each afterimage carrying flames powerful enough to incinerate the heavens and earth.
Ren Xiaoyao circulated the Chaos Power within his body, combined with the power of the newly acquired Divine Dragon Armor, and condensed a golden dragon-shaped shield in front of him.
The shield radiated a golden light, its dragon-shaped form lifelike, exuding majesty and power.
The moment the Phoenix collided with the Divine Dragon, the entire Altar shook violently, and the suspended Phoenix Feather began to tremble violently, the halo on the feathers flickering as if throbbing with excitement for this fierce battle.
The collision of the two powerful forces generated intense vibrations and energy fluctuations, plunging the entire Altar into turmoil. Phoenix Feather seemed to sense the intensity of the battle and trembled as well.
The runes on the shield's surface flickered under the impact, and several Divine Dragon Phantoms rushed out to clash head-on with the Fire Phoenix. The dragon claws collided with the phoenix's beak, and the sparks that erupted illuminated the entire battlefield.
The shockwave from the collision of the two forces spread outwards, cracks appeared on the distant mountain peaks, and countless fragments of rock fell like meteorites.
The shockwave, like a powerful storm, swept across everything around it. The distant mountain peaks cracked under the force, and rocks fell everywhere, creating a spectacular yet terrifying scene that demonstrated the immense power of the battle.
Some of the rubble ignited as it fell, fueled by friction with the air, and crashed to the ground with long trails of fire.
Some of them changed trajectory under the influence of the shockwave and flew towards Ren Xiaoyao and the Phoenix Artifact Spirit.
During the battle, Ren Xiaoyao suddenly recalled the mysterious flames dancing in the hands of the immortals in the sea of clouds where crystal palaces floated when he traveled through the Space-time Turbulence.
The memory flashed through his mind like lightning, bringing him new inspiration and hope.
A thought struck him, and he sank his Divine Sense into his body, attempting to draw upon the memories of the Flame Laws within the Heavenly Dao Imprint.
He focused his mind, searching within his body for that mysterious and powerful flame force.
Deep within his Divine Sense, he saw the Heavenly Dao Imprint resembling a giant flame Totems, with every line flowing with the Fire of Heavenly Dao Origin.
In an instant, a blazing yet orderly power flowed through the meridians, as if countless suns were burning within the body, and every injured meridian was revitalized under the cleansing force of this power.
That power surged through his meridians like a raging tide, bringing intense heat and immense energy, while simultaneously repairing his injured body and giving him a renewed sense of strength and vitality.
Golden flame patterns appeared on his skin, and his hair was ignited by the flames, yet he was not damaged in the slightest; instead, it shone even brighter.
He formed hand seals and shouted, "Borrowing the fire of Heavenly Dao, suppress!"
With his movements and shouts, a powerful force erupted from his body, as if he had become the spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao, using Heavenly Dao power to subdue the enemy before him.
The surrounding space began to distort, and countless golden Flame Runes emerged from the void, gathering in his palm to form a huge flame Law Seals.
A flame imbued with the Heavenly Dao Laws erupted from his palm. The flame was pure white, with golden runes dancing around its edges. The flowing patterns on the runes echoed the Altar Totems.
The flames seemed to be the Incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, pure yet powerful. The appearance of the runes added to their mystery and majesty, echoing the Totems on the Altar, as if telling an ancient secret.
Wherever the flames passed, the demonic energy in the space was purified, and the Broken Space began to slowly heal.
This flame intertwined with the nine-colored flames of the Phoenix Artifact Spirit, and the two flames collided and merged, forming a huge Flame Dharma Wheel in mid-air.
The Dharma wheel emitted Dazzling Light, and as it rotated, it seemed to control the power of fire between heaven and earth. With each rotation, it exuded an ancient and mysterious aura. Space began to distort under the pressure of the Dharma wheel, and the flames around the Altar were forcibly compressed into a liquid state, flowing into a winding river of fire on the ground.
Countless chains of flame extended from the edge of the Dharma wheel, flying towards the Phoenix Artifact Spirit in an attempt to bind it.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ren Xiaoyao probed the Flame Dharma Wheel with his Divine Sense. Deep within the flames, he saw the original memories of the Phoenix Artifact Spirit: In Ancient Times, the Phoenix Clan, in order to protect the Heaven and Earth Order and earth, used the Phoenix Feather, the clan's most precious treasure, as a guide to sign a contract with the Heavenly Dao.
The Phoenix Feather into the Flame Laws between heaven and earth, protecting the world's light and vitality.
He seemed to have traveled through time and witnessed firsthand the glory of the Phoenix Clan and the mission they shouldered in that ancient era.
In my memory, the patriarch of the Phoenix Clan led his people to communicate with the Heavenly Dao, offering Phoenix Feather as sacrifices in exchange for the power to protect the world. Countless Phoenix circled around the Phoenix Feather, chanting Ancient Incantations.
During a battle against the Dark Forces, the Dark Power corrupted the Phoenix Feather, causing it to be damaged and its spirit to fall into a deep sleep.
Over the long years, it has been waiting for a destined person who can truly understand the way of the Phoenix's protection, a being who can burn away the darkness with flames and Protecting All Living Beings beings.
He witnessed the moment Phoenix Feather was injured; Dark Power coiled around the feather like a venomous snake, and the powerful members of the Phoenix Clan perished one after another in order to protect Phoenix Feather.
The spirit of the artifact, in its slumber, continuously emits faint calls, waiting for its destined one throughout endless years.
Deep in his memory, he even saw his own blurry figure fighting alongside Phoenix amidst countless Space-time Fragments.
This discovery convinced him that he was the one chosen by fate, shouldering the heavy responsibility of inheriting the Phoenix's guardian spirit.
In those fragments, he saw himself fighting alongside the Phoenix against the dark army, his weapons and the Phoenix's flames working together to illuminate the world shrouded in darkness.
"I am willing to inherit the Phoenix's will to protect the world and safeguard peace!" Ren Xiaoyao transmitted his belief to the Phoenix Artifact Spirit through his Divine Sense, and images of him fighting against evil forces and Protecting All Living Beings appeared in his Divine Sense.
These images include the grinning face of the Seven Nights Demon Lord, the afterglow of the blood-red setting sun as he falls into the Chaos Void, and a future scene where he wears Divine Dragon Armor and wields the Phoenix Power to protect countless living beings.
He conveyed his determination and beliefs to the Phoenix Artifact Spirit without reservation, hoping to gain its approval.
At the same time, his Divine Sense also revealed bits and pieces of his Cultivation Path, his gradual growth from an unknown nobody, which made the Phoenix Artifact Spirit feel his perseverance and dedication.
The Flame Dharma Wheel shone brightly, the nine-colored flames gradually subsided, and the Phoenix Artifact Spirit's gaze softened from cold to gentle, its eyes sparkling with relief. A long, drawn-out phoenix cry rang out, carrying with it recognition and liberation.
The Phoenix Artifact Spirit, moved by Ren Xiaoyao's sincerity and determination, finally lowered its guard and acknowledged his identity.
The spirit's body gradually shrank, transforming into a small Fire Phoenix that circled around Ren Xiaoyao.