The Phoenix Nest was completely enveloped in Chaos Divine Thunder, with countless terrifying rays of immortal light flashing around it. It could be called a deathtrap.
Xiao Ping'an had never expected that the Phoenix Nest, which would fall into the Undying Heavenly Emperor's hands in a later age, had already begun to show signs of appearing.
Clearly, the Phoenix Nest had not been born naturally. It seemed more like it had fallen into this world through a rift in the Immortal Domain.
After making some deductions, Xiao Ping'an felt that although the Chaos Divine Thunder here was terrifying, it was not impossible to deal with.
He was reasonably confident he could enter the Phoenix Nest and retrieve the Immortal Divine Medicine.
After further deductions, Xiao Ping'an carefully examined the Phoenix Nest from all sides. Using the Nine Secrets: Zu, he quickly worked out one opening after another.
With Xiao Ping'an's current strength, he could certainly enter the Phoenix Nest through them.
As the chaotic haze dispersed, Xiao Ping'an finally saw the so-called Immortal Divine Medicine.
A snow-white turtle carried a fairy in white on its back. Countless showers of light swirled around them, and the fairy seemed to be dancing gracefully.
"This... White Turtle Bearing an Immortal?"
The moment he saw the Immortal Divine Medicine, a tempting fragrance immediately spread through the air.
The more Xiao Ping'an looked at the Immortal Divine Medicine, the more it resembled the Longevity Immortal Medicine from the Perfect Era, the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal.
Could a Longevity Immortal Medicine still exist in this world in this age?
Its aura of longevity was richer than anything Xiao Ping'an had ever sensed. Even the corpse of a True Immortal had not possessed such a rich aura of longevity.
Could this White Turtle Bearing an Immortal have fallen through the rift in the Immortal Domain too?
Had he degenerated into the Black Tortoise Divine Medicine in this world?
The tempting fragrance spread everywhere, and Xiao Ping'an almost felt as though he would shed his mortal body and ascend.
"It really is the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal!"
Xiao Ping'an's attention was completely captivated.
This was the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal before he had degenerated into the Black Tortoise Divine Medicine. He still possessed longevity essence.
Within the Phoenix Nest, countless currents of life surged like rivers, gathering into chaotic Immortal Essence that nourished the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal.
Although the longevity essence nurtured within him was still slowly diminishing, it had indeed stabilized here.
No wonder he hid in the Phoenix Nest and refused to come out.
It seemed that ever since the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal had fallen into this world, he had lived inside the Phoenix Nest.
Xiao Ping'an saw a cave inside, shining with five-colored divine light. It was actually a Fortune Source Eye.
The White Turtle Bearing an Immortal had taken root in that very Fortune Source Eye.
More astonishing still, Xiao Ping'an also saw a dazzling piece of divine metal inside. If he was not mistaken, it was the legendary Light Platinum.
Xiao Ping'an was truly astonished. There were so many treasures inside this Phoenix Nest.
If he could get his hands on that piece of Light Platinum and refine it into his Overlord Heaven Bell, his Overlord Heaven Bell would then contain all the Nine Great Divine Metals.
He had killed so many Dark Supremes and plundered the Underworld, yet had only managed to gather eight divine metals.
The enormous piece of Light Platinum before him measured a full 1.5 cubic meters. Not only was it more than enough to forge an immortal weapon, but the remainder could also be used to forge an Extreme Dao Weapon.
Xiao Ping'an was also drooling over the Fortune Source Eye.
He had sealed the Fortune Source Eye from the Underworld inside his eldest son's body to improve his physique.
How wonderful it would be if he could take this Fortune Source Eye away too.
And then there was the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal. His aura of longevity was so rich that, if extracted, it could certainly allow Yongsheng to live a second life, just as if he had consumed an Immortal Divine Medicine.
Indeed, the longevity essence had such astonishing effects that even Xiao Ping'an, who had consumed so many Immortal Divine Medicines, might be able to live a new life if he took some of it.
However, after making some deductions, Xiao Ping'an felt that, because he had consumed too many Immortal Divine Medicines, it might not allow him to live a new life.
But if Yongsheng took it, he could certainly live a new life.
At this thought, Xiao Ping'an was determined to obtain the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal.
The White Turtle Bearing an Immortal had taken root in the Phoenix Nest, in the Fortune Source Eye. There was no telling how many tens of thousands of years he had lived.
Now, he was trapped here by the countless bolts of Chaos Divine Thunder, unable to escape.
According to the original text, some Immortal Divine Medicines were spiritual roots born of heaven and earth, while others were formed through the nirvanic rebirth of dead Immortal Kings.
In the Perfect Era, the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal seemed to have been a spiritual root born of heaven and earth, right?
In any case, Xiao Ping'an did not remember very clearly.
If anything in the Shrouding the Heavens era was connected to the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal, the strongest connection was probably the Black Tortoise Divine Medicine.
After making some deductions, Xiao Ping'an waited patiently for the Chaos Thunder to gradually weaken. He also had to wait for the best time to enter the Phoenix Nest.
If possible, he wanted to take the Phoenix Nest as well.
A place this wondrous was certainly a treasure of incalculable value.
In the original text, the Undying Heavenly Emperor's wife, the Undying Heavenly Empress, had been sealed inside the Phoenix Nest until the age when Ye Fan was born.
The Phoenix Nest itself might have been similar to a forbidden zone. Perhaps it could improve one's physique and innate aptitude. In any case, its value could not be measured against ordinary treasures.
After some deductions, Xiao Ping'an felt that the Chaos Thunder would gradually weaken in the future. Perhaps in a few tens or even hundreds of thousands of years, it would dissipate completely.
At that point, the Phoenix Nest would become an unclaimed treasure.
It was not impossible for Xiao Ping'an to forcibly destroy the Chaos Divine Thunder here, but pulling one hair might set the whole body in motion, destroying the Phoenix Nest or the earth veins beneath it.
So he had to proceed with extreme caution.
The Nine Secrets: Xing and the Nine Secrets: Zu both had mysterious abilities for breaking formations. Combined with Xiao Ping'an's Nine Secrets: Ba, which could sever time and space, destroying the formation here and entering the Phoenix Nest was not particularly difficult.
Soon, the thunder gradually weakened. Xiao Ping'an began tracing runes with both hands, drawing time runes with his left and space runes with his right, forcibly carving a path through the sea of thunder.
The thunder in his path was automatically severed, dissolving into nothingness.
Xiao Ping'an soon approached the Phoenix Nest. Seeing the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal floating ahead as though asleep, he stretched out a large hand to seize him.
Just then, a flash of light swept past. The White Turtle Bearing an Immortal evaded Xiao Ping'an's grasp and fled to the bottom of the Phoenix Nest.
The White Turtle Bearing an Immortal really was as slippery as a loach.
Xiao Ping'an had thought he could simply reach over and grab him, but the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal had turned out to be like bait, darting to the bottom of the Phoenix Nest with a whoosh.
He had originally planned to take the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal and leave.
The great formations here were densely packed and layered upon one another, all made of naturally formed Dao patterns. If Xiao Ping'an forcibly took the treasures, he would very likely destroy this place.
Xiao Ping'an continued forward slowly, until he finally stood on the blood-red Phoenix Wood of the Phoenix Nest.
The Phoenix Nest gave off a mysterious aura, and terrifying thunder also covered it, though it could not harm Xiao Ping'an.
Xiao Ping'an had just begun to enter the Phoenix Nest when an endless torrent of murderous intent erupted in layer upon layer, seeking to refine him into ash. Fortunately, Xiao Ping'an had been prepared. His space-time secret technique erupted at once, allowing him to narrowly evade the attacks of those divine patterns of the Great Dao.
Xiao Ping'an slowly made his way deeper into the Phoenix Nest.
Countless terrifying rays of immortal light shone here, each capable of injuring Xiao Ping'an.
Holding a blood-colored bone saber, Xiao Ping'an struggled to fend off that terrifying murderous intent.
The little fairy atop the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal cautiously poked out her little head and studied Xiao Ping'an.
Xiao Ping'an put on what he considered his sunniest smile. "White Turtle Bearing an Immortal, I mean you no harm."
He would have been better off saying nothing. The moment he spoke, the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal seemed startled and darted into a gap between the pieces of wood that made up the Phoenix Nest.
After shining there for a while, he vanished straight into the Chaos Thunder.
Xiao Ping'an thought for a moment, then continued through voice transmission, "This is a deathtrap. You're bound to encounter a great crisis here. I've come to save you from this sea of suffering."
Hearing Xiao Ping'an's words, the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal appeared in another direction. A faint fluctuation of divine sense came from the little fairy atop the white turtle.
"What are you trying to do?"
The way she looked at him as though he were a bad person made Xiao Ping'an feel deeply hurt.
"Do you want to eat me so you can become a True Immortal?" the little fairy asked timidly.
"This..." The White Turtle Bearing an Immortal had left Xiao Ping'an at a loss.
Xiao Ping'an had assumed the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal was about as intelligent as a two-year-old puppy, and that he should be relatively easy to trick if spoken to nicely.
But why did this little fellow seem so cunning?
Xiao Ping'an immediately denied it. "No, absolutely not. I would never think of doing such a thing."
"I've already consumed Immortal Divine Medicine. Even if I ate you, I couldn't live a new life, much less become a True Immortal."
"The longevity essence within you has been suppressed in this world for who knows how many tens of thousands of years. It has long since lost the wondrous power it had in the Immortal Domain. It can no longer make someone an immortal."
"At most, you're an enhanced version of an Immortal Divine Medicine."
"I've always been very curious about how to become an immortal. If I take you away from here, you won't have to worry about bad people abducting or eating you. I'll protect you well and study how to become an immortal along the way. In the future, I can take you into the Immortal Domain," Xiao Ping'an said.
Hearing that they could enter the Immortal Domain in the future, not only the little fairy but even the turtle beneath her looked at Xiao Ping'an with eyes that flickered brightly. Clearly, the prospect of returning to the Immortal Domain was far too tempting for them.
It looked promising. Xiao Ping'an rejoiced inwardly, then said, "Do you know that this world is about to undergo a tremendous change? The overall environment of heaven and earth will decline even further. I suspect that even a wondrous place like this will certainly be greatly affected and undergo an earth-shaking transformation."
"If you stay here, you'll inevitably be caught up in it through no fault of your own."
"I, on the other hand, have been studying Red Dust Immortal Ascension. I've already made some initial progress and lived a third life."
"Why don't you both leave with me and walk the path of longevity at my side? Perhaps we'll have a chance to enter the Immortal Domain in the future."
As Xiao Ping'an spoke, he gazed longingly at the brilliantly white Light Platinum.
At the same time, he wanted nothing more than to rush in and dig out the Fortune Source Eye that shone with five-colored divine light.
"Liar! There are no True Immortals in this world, and no one has become an immortal. How could you possibly achieve Red Dust Immortal Ascension?"
"Do you really take us for fools?"
"Although we seem to be locked in a cage here, if we follow you, we'll certainly be locked in a forbidden zone that's just like a cage. In that case, we'd rather stay here and be free."
The turtle and the little fairy had spoken together.
Xiao Ping'an frowned. This was clearly just one Longevity Immortal Medicine, yet it had two mouths speaking. Their intelligence was obviously quite high.
Although they could not cultivate, he felt their intelligence was at least that of fifth graders.
They really were hard to fool.
Xiao Ping'an thought about it. What was he supposed to do if he couldn't handle them himself?
At that moment, he suddenly remembered the old turtle Xuanwu. Since the old turtle had obtained the Black Tortoise Divine Medicine in a later age, perhaps he and the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal were birds of a feather.
Xiao Ping'an said, "I have a friend who's a Xuanwu. He likes to sleep, and he likes friends like you most of all. If you haven't met him, you'll definitely have a wonderful time together."
As Xiao Ping'an spoke, he brought the old turtle out of the Overlord Heaven Bell.
Since he couldn't handle them himself, he would leave it to the old turtle.
There was nothing else he could do.
The old turtle became extremely excited when he saw the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal.
They began communicating in a special turtle language, chattering away as though reciting incantations. Clearly, it was the unique language of the Xuanwu race.
After a moment of silence, the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal actually seemed to have been persuaded.
They emerged from the sea of thunder and slowly made their way over to the old turtle.
Joy spread across Xiao Ping'an's face. He did not act rashly, merely watching quietly as the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal communicated with the old turtle.
Breathing in that aura, which made him feel as though he might shed his mortal body and ascend, Xiao Ping'an felt comfortable all over.
For an instant, he truly wanted to swallow the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal in one gulp. Fortunately, he still retained his reason.
After communicating with the old turtle for a while, the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal circled the old turtle and Xiao Ping'an repeatedly, indicating that they were willing to follow them away.
Xiao Ping'an looked at the old turtle and grabbed the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal with his hand. He could not help letting out a long sigh of relief.
He had never expected the old turtle to have such a special talent. He could actually communicate with the White Turtle Bearing an Immortal and had even persuaded them.
The White Turtle Bearing an Immortal was his.
Although this Longevity Immortal Medicine's realm had been continuously declining, and he was on the verge of becoming the Black Tortoise Divine Medicine, he still contained a great deal of longevity essence.
Yongsheng living a second life was assured.
Even though Xiao Ping'an had maintained a dignified, venerable appearance for many years since becoming the Overlord Heavenly Venerable, he now beamed a little like a child who had received a beloved toy.
He looked at the large piece of Light Platinum and the Fortune Source Eye, wanting to take them away.
He soon discovered that to the right of the large piece of Light Platinum was another, slightly smaller piece, also measuring roughly a cubic meter.
These treasures were truly, truly captivating.
(End of chapter)