At the ends of those golden rays, one True Immortal after another strode through the air. Some were wreathed in immortal light, some accompanied by wondrous manifestations, and others rode immortal beasts and exotic birds.
Dozens of True Immortal auras appeared at once. The entire sky seemed unable to bear their pressure and began to tremble violently.
Gales howled and seas of clouds churned. Everything between heaven and earth fell deathly silent beneath the pressure of those True Immortal auras. This was a spectacle unlike any before.
Tens of millions of cultivators in the square looked up together, awe written across their faces. Even the Supremes reined in their auras, not daring to show the slightest disrespect.
True Immortals were beings who had transcended the limits of the mortal path and entered the realm of the immortal path. Even within the Immortal Domain, they stood among the true upper echelons.
Every True Immortal possessed an undying body. A single drop of their blood could endure for several epochs.
"I hear True Immortal Firefeather ranks among the very best True Immortals, only one step away from becoming a Quasi-Immortal King. Since you're acquainted with someone like him, brother, you're certain to return safely this time," said the old Supreme who had just struck up a conversation with Qin Feng, leaning closer.
Qin Feng smiled without answering. The dangers of this war might surpass everyone's imagination. Forget True Immortals-even Immortal Kings would fail to return.
After descending, the dozens of True Immortals did not linger. They headed straight into the depths of Heavenly Phoenix City, and the others filed in after them.
The true main event was about to begin.
Crimson-gold light poured down from the heavens, forming the immense phantom of a phoenix that blotted out the sky and sun. Its spread wings spanned untold tens of millions of miles.
The phoenix phantom's eyes were like twin suns, gazing down upon the tens of millions of cultivators below.
An irresistible pressure descended. This was the pressure unique to an Immortal King-and this one was a flawless Immortal King, whose flesh and primordial spirit had both reached that realm. Her combat strength was terrifying beyond measure.
"We respectfully welcome the Heavenly Phoenix Immortal King!"
Someone shouted, and millions of cultivators in the square fell to their knees together. Even the True Immortals bowed slightly to show their respect.
Immortal Kings stood at the pinnacle of the immortal path.
A single Immortal King was enough to hold an entire great world in submission, gaze down upon the long river of ages, and impose their might upon heaven and earth.
Qin Feng bowed slightly along with the crowd, but his gaze stole toward the phoenix phantom in the sky.
The phantom gradually solidified, finally transforming into a woman clad in phoenix robes who walked slowly down from the highest heavens.
With every step she took, a crimson-gold lotus bloomed beneath her feet. Within the blooming and fading of those lotuses lay the profound truth of life, death, and reincarnation.
The Heavenly Phoenix Immortal King descended from the highest heavens. As the luminous mist dispersed, her true appearance was revealed.
Her phoenix eyes were pale gold, blazing like molten gold beneath a fierce sun. Her jade skin was smooth as congealed cream, and crimson gauze phoenix robes wrapped her figure, embroidered in gold thread with nine phoenixes bearing suns in their beaks. Her raven hair fell to her waist, a phoenix hairpin set at an angle within it.
A true phoenix descended into the world, and all flames bowed in worship. Who could tear their eyes away from such peerless immortal beauty?
Even Qin Feng marveled again and again. He had to admit, this Phoenix Immortal King was fucking gorgeous!
That old bastard Ao Sheng really had it good. He'd already established an Immortal King family, yet he still had some murky relationship with this female Immortal King.
She truly lived up to her origins in the Phoenix clan-one of the most beautiful races across all the heavens and worlds. Before coming here, Qin Feng had thoroughly investigated this female Immortal King.
After all, he would be following her into battle. If he neglected his intelligence work, wouldn't he just get himself killed the moment he stepped onto the battlefield?
She had appeared in the original story as well, but only after her death, as a ghost who had attained immortality, with nothing left of her but a skeleton.
Beside her was a Fallen Blood Phoenix that had been tainted by darkness from birth.
She had deep karmic ties to the Primeval Ancient Realm. Unluckily, she had been chosen as the Immortal King sent to reinforce it. In the decisive battle at Great Red Heaven in the Primeval Ancient Realm, she fought a final showdown against Luo Mo, an Immortal King of the Foreign Realm. Both suffered devastating wounds, and both fell.
All things considered, however, this female Phoenix Immortal King was certainly the stronger of the two. Immortal King Luo Mo had been reduced to a few fragments of his soul before ultimately perishing completely.
This female Immortal King, on the other hand, attained immortality as a ghost and could still establish a forbidden zone of life.
After she died in battle, Ao Sheng flew into a rage. He personally crossed realms to reach the battlefield and slaughtered vast numbers of the Foreign Realm's troops. He even turned his anger on the Willow Deity, believing the Willow Deity should never have left and had failed to protect his old flame.
After the Willow Deity, an immortal king giant, returned grievously wounded, Immortal King Ao Sheng joined forces with Yuan Chu Immortal King and Immortal King Tai Shi to launch a sneak attack. They caused the Willow Deity's fall, leaving only a ruined body to descend into the Desolate Region of the lower realm.
Qin Feng had plenty of complaints about that. For fuck's sake, the ones who killed your woman were from the Foreign Realm-an Immortal King! If you've got the guts, go fight their Immortal Kings!
What's so impressive about throwing your weight around against a grievously wounded immortal king giant who's already on the verge of death?
Forget it. It's none of my business anyway. Someone will settle accounts with him in the future. All I need to do is survive this war as best I can. Even a clone could remain in the Primeval Ancient Realm afterward, giving me room to arrange all sorts of things.
As long as his true body attained immortality, his clone could likewise gain True Immortal combat strength. It could even go a step further and attain Immortal King combat strength.
The Heavenly Phoenix Immortal King stood high in the heavens, her phoenix eyes sweeping over the millions of cultivators below. Her voice rang like gold and jade:
"The dark armies of the Foreign Realm have invaded the land of our allies, slaughtering the beings of the Primeval Ancient Realm and ravaging its mountains and rivers. Throughout the Primeval Ancient Realm, living beings suffer untold misery, with countless dead and wounded.
"As allies of the Ancient Realm, and fellow beings of light, we must go to their aid.
"Everyone, I know what you are thinking-what does the survival of the Primeval Ancient Realm have to do with our Immortal Domain?"
As her words fell, silence settled over the square. No one dared answer. Indeed, many present had no desire to fight this war, because it had nothing to do with them.
"Then let me tell you: the Immortal Kings of the Foreign Realm have already declared that once they level the Primeval Ancient Realm, their next target will be our Immortal Domain!
"Darkness and light cannot coexist. The Immortal Kings of the Foreign Realm are Dark Lifeforms through and through. If the Primeval Ancient Realm is destroyed, we will be their next target. When the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold."
At those words, the square erupted into an uproar.
The faces of millions of cultivators changed abruptly, and whispers surged like a rising tide. Even the True Immortals, who had remained composed throughout, now wore grave expressions.
"This... how is that possible?"
"The Foreign Realm has such ambitions?"
"Would they truly dare provoke two realms at once?"
The Heavenly Phoenix Immortal King raised a hand and pressed down, instantly suppressing the countless cultivators' discussions.
"The border defenses of the Primeval Ancient Realm were breached by the Foreign Realm's armies a hundred years ago. More than a dozen kings of the Ancient Realm have died in battle, over a hundred undying True Immortals have fallen, and the casualties among cultivators below the Supreme realm are beyond counting.
"If no reinforcements arrive, the Ancient Realm will fall within a hundred years. When that happens, the blades of the Foreign Realm's armies will turn toward our Immortal Domain!
"This war concerns our very survival. We must drive back the Foreign Realm."