Dragon-Phoenix Pagoda of Returning Ruins Shakes the World; Saints Cast Their Gaze as Undercurrents Stir

At the summit of the Demon Peak of Bones, deathly silence stretched taut as a bowstring. The instant Saint Gu You's figure vanished, that tension abruptly slackened. The surging Chaos Demon Flame flicked its tongue like a venomous serpent, licking at the enormous bones left ravaged by the battle with soft crackles. The sharp stench of sulfur, the charred reek left by the Soul Flame's destruction, and the faint, lingering afterglow of Dragon-Phoenix Holy Might mingled in the air, spreading a distinctive battlefield odor. The heavy breathing of those who had survived the calamity rang especially clear in the scorching air, like the fading echoes of a low war drum.

Xiao Zhan forced himself to straighten his back. The phantom of dragon-scale armor flickered around him like a candle guttering in the wind, then slowly withdrew into his body and disappeared. His explosive surge into the Dou Zun Realm had been like a fleeting bloom—brilliant, but brief. The immense expenditure and the weakness brought on by draining his source energy swept over him like a tide, blackening his vision and nearly toppling him. Yet his gaze remained sharp as a torch, swift as lightning, as he immediately looked down in search of his loved ones.

"Yan'er! Xiao Yi Xian!" His voice was hoarse and low, yet filled with unmistakable concern and urgency, as if every word held boundless force.

"Father!" At the sound of his voice, Xiao Yan dashed to the edge of the pit. The Chaos Fire Seed instantly withdrew into his body, and his eyes shone with the exhilaration of having survived the calamity, along with deep worry for his father. The might of the Burning Heaven Holy Seal, which had just clashed head-on with a Saint, was branded into his heart, becoming a memory he would never forget.

Xiao Yi Xian also drifted down, her figure as light as an immortal's. The mysterious gleam in her purple-gold eyes had yet to fully settle, like stars still twinkling in the night sky. She gave Xiao Zhan a slight nod. Her voice remained cool, but held a trace of tenderness difficult to detect. "Uncle Xiao, we're unharmed." Deep within that regal purple-gold hue, a complex emotion had taken root: respect for Xiao Zhan, and the weight of feeling stirred by the battle.

Xiao Zhan's gaze finally settled on the figure before him, gently enveloped in seven-colored radiance. Her seven-colored palace dress flowed like water over her graceful form, tracing a breathtakingly perfect figure, as though she were the finest painting in all the world. Her waterfall of black hair shimmered with a dreamlike luster, each strand giving off a mysterious aura. In those purple-gold eyes, where seven-colored light swirled, a single point of dark-gold brilliance sat deep within her pupils, anchoring heaven and earth. They held the primordial majesty of one who looked down upon all beings and stood beyond the mortal world. Now, they gazed back at him in calm profundity. The familiar coldness was still there, but now it was accompanied by an even deeper, more otherworldly nobility and power, making her impossible to look at directly.

"You..." Xiao Zhan's Adam's apple bobbed. His bloodstained lips struggled to form the faintest smile, and his hoarse voice carried the fatigue and relief of someone finally able to let go. "You're finally awake... That's all that matters." He seemed to have summoned every last ounce of strength just to say it; each word was steeped in deep emotion.

Queen Medusa—though perhaps she ought now to be called the Heavenly Snake Supreme—did not answer at once. Her purple-gold eyes, deep as the starry sky across the ages, lingered briefly on Xiao Zhan's bloodstained green robe, his pale face, and the weakness he was forcing down between his brows, as if carefully savoring all he had endured. She could clearly sense the newly awakened power of the Dragon-Phoenix Dou Zun within him, violently fluctuating from overexertion, and the exhaustion sunk deep into his bones, impossible to conceal. Beneath her seven-colored sleeves, her fingertips seemed to curl almost imperceptibly, betraying the stir within her heart.

"Hmph." A cool snort sounded from her lips, but it seemed to hold a little less chill than before, like a spring breeze brushing over ice and bringing a hint of warmth. She said nothing more, merely raising one delicate hand and making a graceful, unhurried sweep toward Xiao Zhan.

Hum—!

A vast, pure energy, wrapped in seven-colored radiance and gentle vitality, poured into Xiao Zhan in an instant, like sweet rain spilling down from the ninth heaven. It carried the purest rhythm of heaven and earth. This energy was nothing like ordinary Dou Qi. It held the nourishing power of the source buried deep in the Heavenly Snake Supreme's bloodline, like the roots of a tree of life burrowing into Xiao Zhan's body. Wherever it passed, the Dragon-Phoenix Dou Qi, which had been surging like a raging torrent, quickly settled beneath its gentle touch. His parched meridians drank it in greedily like land long starved of rain, speeding their own recovery. Even the weariness of his soul was softly soothed by the gentle yet powerful force, like a spring breeze passing over his heart.

Xiao Zhan gave a muffled groan as warmth surged through every limb and bone, driving away the cold and pain. The damage caused by draining his source energy could not heal in an instant, but his condition had clearly improved, as if he had been reborn. He looked at Queen Medusa, his eyes full of complicated gratitude. "Thank you."

Queen Medusa had already turned her gaze away, looking down at Xiao Yan, whose aura had likewise undergone a transformation. The Chaos Fire Seed in his palm flickered in and out like a star. Meanwhile, the Poison Pill within Xiao Yi Xian glowed purple-gold, making her seem all the more mysterious, as if she concealed endless secrets. Queen Medusa's gaze lingered for a moment on the ancient ring on Xiao Yan's left hand and on Xiao Yi Xian's dantian. Seven-colored light flickered faintly in her eyes, as if she were probing some unknown mystery.

"We can't stay here." At last, she spoke, her voice clear as a spring of ice, carrying unquestionable authority and resolve. "That old ghost may have retreated, but there's no telling whether Soul Hall has another hand to play. The space in the Desert of Buried Immortals is in disarray. Staying here too long could invite unforeseen changes. We must leave as soon as possible."

"Her Majesty is absolutely right!" Yue Mei's voice came from nearby, trembling with reverence and excitement. She had been watching the summit anxiously all this time. Only now, seeing the situation somewhat stabilized, did she dare hurry forward. "Elder Xiao, Young Master Yan, Miss Xiao Yi Xian, please return to the oasis with Her Majesty at once! The Ten Thousand Dragon-Phoenix Pagoda has been completed, and the oasis's defenses are now utterly transformed—an iron wall capable of sheltering everyone while they recover in peace!"

Xiao Zhan gave a slight nod, forcibly suppressing the roiling blood and Qi within him. He stared toward the summit of the Demon Peak, now completely swallowed by Chaos Demon Flame, with not the slightest immortal light left spilling from it. A flicker of grief and heaviness crossed his eyes. The third core fragment had been shattered after all, reduced to nothing. But for now, getting back alive was the pressing matter—the first priority.

"Let's go!" Xiao Zhan said in a low voice, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

Queen Medusa said no more. She raised her delicate hand and lightly slashed at the empty air!

Riiip—!

A stable spatial passage, its edges flowing with seven-colored radiance, appeared before them in an instant, as if torn open by the hand of a god! Within it, no violent spatial currents raged; instead, gentle spatial energy flowed slowly, giving off steady, peaceful fluctuations. It was proof that she had mastered the laws of space to an extraordinary degree, a display of Queen Medusa's remarkable power!

"Follow me." Queen Medusa blurred and stepped into the passage first, leaving a dreamlike, dazzling trail of seven-colored light behind her, as if an immortal were walking upon the clouds.

Xiao Zhan drew a deep breath, forced himself to rally, and followed close behind with firm, steady steps. Xiao Yan helped up Xiao Yi Xian, whose aura was still somewhat listless, and the three of them quickly entered the spatial passage, as if stepping into an entirely new world. Yue Mei was the last to enter. The entrance silently closed amid the seven-colored radiance, as though it had never appeared at all, leaving only peace and quiet behind.

Within the spatial passage, the boundaries of time and space seemed gently veiled by a thin gauze, growing indistinct and ethereal. The passage's barrier, woven from seven-colored radiance, shimmered with a dreamlike luster, like a brilliant ribbon that completely shut out the violent, chaotic spatial currents outside. The passage itself was exceptionally steady. Only faint spatial ripples brushed lightly over their bodies, bringing a wondrous sensation difficult to describe.

Supporting Xiao Yi Xian, Xiao Yan felt the pure, profound spatial energy inside the passage and could not help but be deeply shaken by the power Queen Medusa had just displayed. He raised his eyes toward the two figures walking side by side ahead of him.

Though his father, Xiao Zhan, seemed somewhat weak, he remained straight-backed as a pine. His green robe was stained with blood, yet that only added to his mountainlike composure, making him seem like an unshakable monument. And Queen Medusa... clad in her seven-colored palace dress, shimmering with flowing light, she seemed to tread upon lotus platforms in the void with every step. She was noble and majestic, yet so breathtakingly cold and beautiful that she seemed to have stepped out of a painting. The two exchanged no words, but the understanding forged by weathering life and death and fighting side by side, the concern buried deep in Xiao Zhan's eyes, and the subtle care Queen Medusa showed beneath her apparent coldness filled Xiao Yan's heart with a strange warmth and calm. It seemed... something was quietly changing.

Leaning against Xiao Yan's arm, Xiao Yi Xian kept her purple-gold eyes closed as she silently regulated her breathing, digesting the vast information and power brought by the Purple-Gold Brand within her Poison Pill. She could feel Queen Medusa's gaze occasionally passing over her. It was not an appraisal so much as... confirmation? A faint sensation of kinship, yet from a higher level. Was it because of the Purple-Gold Brand originating from the core of the Immortal Hall? She pondered silently.

The journey through the passage was not long. After only a brief while, seven-colored light blazed ahead, like the rising sun, illuminating the road before them!

The heart of Snake Abyss Oasis.

The moment they stepped out of the spatial passage, the sight before them stunned both Xiao Zhan and Xiao Yan, as if they had entered a dreamlike world!

A magnificent pagoda, a hundred zhang tall and gleaming all over with an earthy-gold metallic luster, stood in the center of the oasis like a pillar supporting the heavens! The tower had nine tiers, with flying eaves and interlocking brackets, carved beams and painted rafters. Every detail revealed the artisans' meticulous craftsmanship and extraordinary grandeur! Countless lifelike dragon reliefs coiled around its body, while soaring phoenix totems were engraved upon it, radiating an ancient, primordial aura as though recounting a thousand years of legends and tales! Vast, pure Earth Vein Dragon Qi surged through the tower like a gentle river. The spiritual energy was so dense it had nearly condensed into tangible mist, filling the oasis's central region and making it seem as if they had stepped into an immortal paradise!