The Fenghuang Comes in Splendor

After a moment of awe, everyone focused their attention on the three clouds at the highest point. In terms of height, they were only two meters below Ma Feifei, the owner of the Mysterious Bookstore. If they stood up, their line of sight would be level with Ma Feifei's thighs.

"Is Saint Chu about to step into the Immortal Realm this time?" Above the clouds, a Spirit Saint looked up at Saint Chu at the highest point, a look of melancholy in his eyes.

He was also an old monster who had lived for two thousand years. He had struggled on the path to immortality for two thousand years, but he still failed to achieve the Immortal Realm. The grand ambition he made in his youth, after countless brushes with death, ultimately stopped at the Spirit Saint Seventh Stage realm.

It is a feeling of resentment, regret, and even more so, sorrow.

"Given this situation, it's very possible!" another powerful figure at the Spirit Saint realm exclaimed. The direct benefits they received from hearing this were immense. Even Spirit Saint could leap two ranks, let alone Saint Chu, whose strength had already reached the Peak of the Ninth Stage of Spirit Saint. With a mere lift, he could enter the Immortal Realm.

Everyone was aware of this, so all their attention was focused on Saint Chu, while the other Luan Feng and the other man in black were ignored.

Upon entering the Immortal Realm, everything else becomes insignificant.

But to everyone's surprise, the wind didn't come for a long time this time. The sun set, the moon rose, the sun rose and set...

One day... two days... three days... seven days...

The sermon continued, and the practitioners stood motionless, neither eating nor drinking, channeling their Spiritual Power to maintain the necessary resources within their bodies, for they did not want to miss the miracle that was about to unfold.

The longer time passed, the more excited everyone became. A voice from the heavens seemed to be telling them: Open your eyes wide and watch! The curse of the Azure Dragon Continent not producing an immortal for 30,000 years is about to be broken!

Therefore, with this mindset, everyone silently watched the three people in the clouds above, watching Saint Chu.

On the ninth day, the sun rose in the east, and all things awoke.

'Hoo~'

A slight gust of wind stirred ripples in the hearts of countless people, who looked up at the three clouds with expectant yet nervous gazes.

'Boom!'

Suddenly, a cloud burst open, revealing a bright red figure standing against the wind, long hair flowing in the wind.

'Buzz~'

A red ripple spread from her body, and the world seemed to freeze in that instant.

Immediately afterwards, the red figure spread her arms, tilted her head back, and a huge firebird appeared behind her.

'Whoosh!'

Like a rainbow piercing the sun, the firebird, carrying its red silhouette, soared straight into the heavens.

'Eek~!'

With a long cry, the sky changed color, turning as red as the setting sun, filling the heavens.

Above the sky, a red bird spreads its wings and soars, singing its heart out.

Each time the red bird passed through a layer of clouds, its body underwent a slight change. At first, no one noticed because it was too high up, and they could only see the general outline. However, powerful figures at the Spirit Emperor level and above could see it very clearly. Gradually, they discovered that the red bird's body shape and its feathers were changing.

The originally bright red feathers began to show dense patterns, a red tail began to fork like a fish, the back arched slightly, the neck lengthened, the body swelled by more than a third, and the overall color became deeper. Soaring in the clouds, it seemed to be dancing gracefully.

'Splash~'

Suddenly, without any warning, long, thin raindrops began to fall from the sky, not like pearls, but like fine silk threads.

A cultivator instinctively reached out and caught the long raindrops. The raindrops fell into his palm, gathering into crystal-clear water that emitted a fluorescent glow. The cultivator couldn't resist and drank it all. The water was cool on his lips, warm in his throat, and filled his entire body with boundless vitality.

"It's like a gift from heaven!" the practitioner exclaimed.

'Pfft~'

Ninety-nine water columns shot up from the ground around Li Shulin, rising into the sky.

"Eek~!"

As the water column rose, a red bird in the sky cried out and flew down to dance.

At this moment, Ma Feifei opened his eyes, looked at the red bird in the sky, and murmured to himself, "Sweet dew falls from the sky, sweet springs gush from the earth, and phoenixes come to pay homage."

Ma Feifei never expected that Luan Feng's battle pet, Hong Luan, would evolve into a Fenghuang!

This is an ancient mythical Divine Beast, along with the dragon, unicorn, and tortoise, is known as one of the "Four Divine Creatures of the Book of Rites"! Now, in this world, a mythical beast has actually evolved into the Fenghuang, one of the "Four Divine Creatures of the Book of Rites." This completely overturned Ma Feifei's worldview. Subconsciously, Ma Feifei glanced at his left arm. A dragon and a phoenix—now Ma Feifei had them all. All that was missing was the Qilin and the tortoise.

"This is going to cause trouble..." Ma Feifei shook her head speechlessly, watching the Luan Feng gradually descend. At this moment, the Fenghuang behind her had disappeared, the dew in the sky had stopped falling, and the water droplets on the ground had also disappeared. It was as if nothing had ever happened.

However, Ma Feifei could sense that on the back of the Luan Feng was carved a firebird, which was her natal Divine Beast, the Hong Luan, though it should now be called Fenghuang.

Luan Feng's strength did not increase; she remained at the initial stage of the Spirit Saint First Stage. However, in the face of the 'Four Divine Creatures of the Book of Rites,' strength was no longer important. The benefits Luan Feng gained far exceeded those of anyone else at this stage, and even Saint Chu and the man in black could not surpass her.

"Huh?" Upon hearing the mention of the man in black, Ma Feifei instantly turned his gaze to the masked man in black, his face immediately darkening. "Isn't this that 'brain-dead organization'?! Not only did they send someone to assassinate Laozi, but they also tried to take advantage of me! And to take advantage of me, they didn't even bother to change their disguise! Who do they think they are? Or do they think everyone is stupid?"

"Brother, although I don't know if you ever thought about assassinating me, who told you to be a member of the Phantom Organization? So you're just unlucky." Ma Feifei watched as countless golden energies began to enter the black-clad man's body, a wicked smile appearing on his face. A wisp of white and purple energy silently appeared from his fingertip and shot towards the black-clad man.

'Whoosh~'

The wisp of energy entered the black-clad man's body, instantly triggering a chain reaction. All the golden energy gathered within his body was absorbed, leaving not a trace. After absorbing all the golden energy from the black-clad man's body, Ma Feifei then manipulated the wisp of energy back into his own body.

"Uh..." The masked man in black then realized that the powerful force within him had suddenly vanished, and he stood there stunned, at a loss for what to do.

The golden aura was the Great Dao they had comprehended. Only when this golden aura entered their bodies, merged with the Dharma Power they had generated from consuming the Plum Blossom, and finally flowed into their dantian, could it be considered truly integrated and made their own. Now that all of this aura had been taken away by Ma Feifei, the black-clad man's comprehension was naturally all for naught, a complete waste of time and effort.

Most importantly, he couldn't find any reason.

No one in this world, except Ma Feifei, would know this.

'Hoo~'

Just as the man in black was bewildered and Ma Feifei was secretly delighted, a gentle breeze came again. Ma Feifei turned to look at the last person, Saint Chu, a great figure whose cultivation stood at the Azure Dragon's Peak, the Peak of the Ninth Stage of Spirit Saint!

"Phew~"

A gentle breeze swept over Saint Chu, lifting his linen robe, revealing his withered white hair, and exposing his pale face.

'Buzz~'

A powerful and awe-inspiring Sound of the Great Dao resounded, the clouds in the sky began to churn, and a beam of light shone directly towards Saint Chu.

"Are you about to become an immortal?"