Ancient Ruins

"The Parasol Tree is a treasure of the Phoenix Clan."

The Immortal Crane lightly shook his head. "I don't care whether you obtained the Parasol Tree by chance or deliberately stole it. Hand it over, and I can leave you an intact corpse."

Red Cloud's expression darkened. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "Either way, I die."

"Then why should I hand it over?"

"If you don't, I'll make you wish you were dead."

The Immortal Crane's eyes flashed with coldness. Its tail feathers abruptly spread, and a streak of white divine light swept toward Red Cloud.

That divine light was the Immortal Crane Clan's innate divine ability, the Annihilation Divine Light, said to destroy anything.

The Annihilation Divine Light brought Red Cloud a sense of mortal danger.

Red Cloud's face changed drastically. Knowing how formidable the light was, he did not dare take it head-on and rapidly retreated.

At the same time, Red Cloud threw out a hundred Ice Soul Divine Thunders. As he retreated, he gritted his teeth and detonated them all at once.

A hundred Ice Soul Divine Thunders exploded simultaneously before the Annihilation Divine Light, unleashing a terrifying wave of frost.

Yet this time, the frost wave had no effect. With a casual sweep, the Annihilation Divine Light wiped it away completely, as if it had never existed.

Seeing this, Red Cloud was horrified. The power of a Great Luo Golden Immortal far exceeded his imagination.

The Ice Soul Divine Thunders he had refined were devastating weapons against Golden Immortals and Taiyi Golden Immortals, but before a Great Luo Golden Immortal, they were laughable toys.

"Is this the strength of a Great Luo Golden Immortal?"

Red Cloud gritted his teeth, turned, and fled. He knew this was not the Immortal Crane's full strength, merely a casual strike from a Great Luo.

His only hope now was to rush into that barren mountain while the Immortal Crane still underestimated him. If he could escape inside, perhaps there would still be a sliver of hope.

Seeing Red Cloud flee, the Immortal Crane was in no hurry. The Annihilation Divine Light swept forth once more, arriving in an instant. This time, its target was not Red Cloud, but the empty space before him.

As the Annihilation Divine Light swept past, the void seemed to freeze. Red Cloud slammed headfirst into the solidified space as though striking a wall and was flung back.

"You cannot run before me."

The Immortal Crane spoke indifferently, his gaze lofty and disdainful. The confidence of a Great Luo Golden Immortal made Red Cloud's struggle look like a monkey performing tricks in his palm.

The gap between a Great Luo Golden Immortal and a Taiyi Golden Immortal was like an insurmountable chasm.

Red Cloud steadied himself and took a deep breath. A fierce glint flashed through his eyes. He had not wanted to borrow the main body's power, but at this point, he could no longer care about that.

"Since I can't escape, then I'll fight!"

Red Cloud roared and hurled out all his remaining Ice Soul Divine Thunders while activating the Illustrated Record of Literary Fortune.

Elsewhere, Red Cloud's main body had also made preparations, intending to intervene through the power of the Illustrated Record of Literary Fortune.

But just then, Red Cloud's avatar suddenly sensed a surge of power flowing from the Hundred Herbs Diagram. It was the Parasol Tree. The Parasol Tree's power was pouring into his avatar.

Seeing this, Red Cloud's main body stopped moving. Unless absolutely necessary, he did not wish to become entangled in the calamity.

The Parasol Tree was a Superior-grade Innate Spiritual Root. In terms of status, it was equivalent to a Great Luo Golden Immortal, while its reserves of mana far surpassed even Great Luo Golden Immortal Perfection.

The Parasol Tree voluntarily lent Red Cloud its power.

A vast and mighty force surged into Red Cloud's body. The Illustrated Record of Literary Fortune erupted with golden light, and countless golden characters flew from the scroll, transforming into beams of light that shot toward the Immortal Crane.

Seeing this, the Immortal Crane frowned slightly. The Annihilation Divine Light swept repeatedly, brushing away all the Ice Soul Divine Thunders and beams of light before he charged rapidly toward Red Cloud.

But at that very instant, Red Cloud's figure suddenly vanished, flying directly into the barren mountain.

"Hm? An escape art?"

A trace of surprise flashed through the Immortal Crane's eyes. His divine sense swept the surroundings, yet he found no sign of Red Cloud.

"No, it isn't an ordinary escape art."

The Immortal Crane's gaze settled on the barren mountain. He frowned slightly and soon noticed a clue.

"So that's it. Cangwu Ancestor's Ruins. He actually hid inside Cangwu Ancestor's Ruins."

The Immortal Crane did not immediately pursue him, because he discovered that the barren mountain was filled with powerful restrictions.

Even the faint fluctuations emitted by the operating restrictions made him feel threatened. Even he had to handle them carefully, yet that junior had safely rushed into the ruins.

The Immortal Crane sneered. "Interesting. Let's see how long you can hide in there."

Afterward, the Immortal Crane sat cross-legged above the barren mountain. The Annihilation Divine Light spread out behind him, extending in all directions until it enveloped the entire mountain.

The Immortal Crane directly sealed off the barren mountain. As soon as Red Cloud left the ruins, he would be able to pursue him instantly.

At this moment, Red Cloud staggered into Cangwu Ancestor's Ruins, the former Daoist grounds. His body was covered in injuries. When he had used Firecloud Escape earlier, he had been struck by the aftershock of the Annihilation Divine Light and suffered serious wounds.

"Parasol Tree, thank you."

Red Cloud sent his divine sense into the Hundred Herbs Diagram to thank the Parasol Tree. Without its help, he truly would not have been able to rush into the ruins. He might even have exposed the existence of his main body.

The Parasol Tree conveyed an affectionate emotion.

Red Cloud composed himself and looked around. He stood at the foot of a mountain. Behind him was hazy mist, with faint patterns of restrictions and formations flickering within it.

Palaces were scattered across the mountainside and summit, resplendent in gold and jade, shrouded in countless vapors. An ancient, desolate aura surged against Red Cloud's mind.

"Where have I entered?"

Red Cloud muttered to himself. He tried to sense the Heavenly Dao for information, only to discover that even the Heavenly Dao was cut off here.

Realizing this, Red Cloud's heart tightened. A place capable of isolating the Heavenly Dao meant that a Hunyuan Golden Immortal-level great power had once been here, or that this was the ruins of one.

"Ancient ruins? The Daoist grounds of a great power?!"

Red Cloud grew even more cautious. Looking at the stairs stretching upward before him, he considered them for a moment and did not rashly ascend.

Next, Red Cloud found a relatively safe spot near the stairs and began healing his injuries.

Red Cloud said coldly, "The effects of the Explosive Origin Pill are about to fade. I must recover some mana as soon as possible."

Red Cloud took out several healing pills and swallowed them, then circulated his cultivation technique to regulate the injuries within his body.

His injuries were severe. His internal organs had all suffered varying degrees of damage. These were the side effects of the Explosive Origin Pill, and they would take at least three thousand years to recover from.

"Three thousand years is far too long."

What Red Cloud lacked most right now was time.

The Immortal Crane was guarding the outside. If he grew impatient and charged in, Red Cloud would truly have nowhere left to run.

Just then, Red Cloud suddenly sensed a disturbance coming from the Hundred Herbs Diagram. He immersed his mind within it and discovered that the Parasol Tree had completely fused with the Hundred Herbs Diagram.

Then, the Hundred Herbs Diagram erupted with dazzling light. Restrictions automatically condensed one after another, and it transformed from a Mid-grade Acquired Spiritual Treasure into a Superior-grade Acquired Spiritual Treasure.

After the Hundred Herbs Diagram's grade rose, its abilities became even more powerful. The aura emitted by the Parasol Tree was completely sealed away.

"The fusion is complete? Excellent."

A glimmer of delight flashed through Red Cloud's eyes.

With the Parasol Tree's aura concealed, the Phoenix Clan would no longer be able to lock onto his location through that aura.

"This time, as long as I can escape from here, I'll have a chance to truly break free."

But then Red Cloud's expression darkened. A Great Luo Golden Immortal was guarding the outside. How was he supposed to escape?

Red Cloud pondered for a moment, then looked toward the mountaintop. Perhaps this ruin contained a solution.