Chapter 83

I am extremely grateful for the generous donation from Lan Yexingzhu.

Dozens of breaths after Xu Ziyang left, a loud explosion echoed in the air, and all the talismans in the sky burst. Yang Leng and the three others, exhausted, were finally freed from the talisman array. Looking around, they found themselves no longer on the official road, and their hearts were filled with unease. Yang Leng, unable to hide his surprise, said in a deep voice:

"Let's go!"

He led the way, flying towards the direction of Nanlin City, while Yang Linglong and the others followed closely, their faces tense. As they flew, several thoughts raced through their minds:

"Who moved us from the official road to here? Could it be a friend rather than an enemy? If he has such power, why didn't he kill us? Could it be that he is really a friend from Nanlin City and has gone to chase the Xu family members?"

However, no matter how much Yang Leng and the others thought about it, they dared not stay for a moment longer. If the person they were thinking of was an enemy rather than a friend, wouldn't that be very dangerous? Moreover, by now, the Xu family members had probably already returned to their clan. Staying here any longer would not only be useless but also very dangerous. Therefore, Yang Leng and the others, without a moment's delay, flew away with their exhausted bodies, disappearing in an instant.

At this moment, Xu Ziyang had completely relaxed her mind, merging with the天地 (heaven and earth). The Water Ice Technique in her soul and the vast snow in the world were perfectly integrated. Many things she had previously not understood suddenly became clear, and she had many insights, her mental state continuously improving.

The snow continued to fall, and Xu Ziyang continued to drift in the sky with the wind and snow. She didn't know how long it had been; the night had passed, and dawn had arrived. The sky gradually brightened and then gradually darkened again. Time flew by, and Xu Ziyang unknowingly drifted to the deepest part of the Cangmang Mountains.

The snow stopped, and it was already evening. The mountains were silent, and the wilderness was vast. The entire forest seemed like a fairyland, with rocks, trees, and the ground all covered in snow, a world of silver and white.

At this moment, Xu Ziyang stood motionless at the foot of a hill, still in a state of enlightenment. Vigorous spiritual energy was continuously rising from her body, and the spiritual energy in the world was gathering towards her. This day of enlightenment allowed Xu Ziyang to break through again, and this breakthrough was different from the one last night.

Last night's breakthrough was under pressure, with the spiritual spring power in her body's acupoints suddenly erupting, leading to an abnormal breakthrough in a passive situation. If her mental state did not improve afterward to match her cultivation level, her cultivation would drop back, and it would be very difficult to improve again.

Fortunately, after the passive breakthrough, Xu Ziyang immediately gained enlightenment in the wind and snow. This was because the Water Ice Technique she practiced was originally compatible with the snow. Water, ice, gas, frost, and snow were all different states of water. The vast snow triggered the Water Ice Technique in her soul, allowing her to gain a deeper understanding of the Water Ice Technique, her mental state reaching the required cultivation level and even surpassing it. This enlightenment also led to another breakthrough in her cultivation, directly reaching the peak of the 11th level of the Qi Condensation stage, not far from the Foundation Establishment stage.

The spiritual energy around Xu Ziyang gradually stabilized, and her aura became powerful. Slowly opening her eyes, Xu Ziyang was startled by the scene before her.

She saw herself standing at the edge of a forest, but the forest in front of her was in ruins. Trees for dozens of miles around had all fallen, many broken into several pieces, and some were shattered.

Not far from Xu Ziyang, there was a white expanse, but it was not snow. Looking at it, it gave a fluffy feeling. Following the white expanse, it stretched for several miles, and what came into view was a fiery red.

Xu Ziyang stood there in a daze, not knowing what was happening. The scene before her was too vast, and she couldn't identify what it was.

Taking out her flying sword from her storage bag, she threw it into the air and leaped up, flying into the sky. When she flew high up, looking down from above, a very shocking picture strongly impacted her vision.

What a scene it was! Two large birds were lying on the ground, each motionless. The bird on the left was entirely white, without a single mixed feather, emitting a silver glow. The bird on the right was entirely red, also without a single mixed feather, like a flame. Each bird's body was several miles long, and their wings, when spread, were over ten miles long.

Xu Ziyang continued to rise higher, and when she reached a very high altitude, she finally saw the full view of the two large birds. The red bird seemed very familiar to Xu Ziyang, as if she had seen it somewhere before. A sudden flash of insight came to her, and her heart was shaken:

"Is... Is this the phoenix in my memory? There really is a phoenix in this world!"

But what about the large white bird? Xu Ziyang couldn't help but turn to look at the entirely white bird. She had no memory of such a bird, and it looked somewhat like an eagle, but where had she seen an eagle so large? Could it be...

Xu Ziyang's heart stirred, and she focused her gaze, becoming more certain.

"Could this be the Kunpeng mentioned in Zhuangzi's 'Free and Unfettered Wanderings'?"

It must be the Kunpeng; otherwise, how could there be such a large bird? And it could fight with the phoenix, resulting in both of them dying.

By now, night had completely fallen. Xu Ziyang, flying high in the sky, even though she was at the peak of the 11th level of the Qi Condensation stage, could not withstand the strong wind at high altitudes. She slowly descended between the two large birds, her mind continuously pondering:

"From the looks of it, this was a battle between the phoenix and the Kunpeng. They destroyed the forest for dozens of miles, and in the end, both birds died. They must be truly dead, right? They can't still be alive, can they?"

Xu Ziyang, with her heart pounding, slowly descended between the two large birds. As she got closer, she could see the heads of the phoenix and the Kunpeng facing each other. Holding her breath, she carefully descended bit by bit. Seeing that the eyes of the phoenix and the Kunpeng were closed and they were motionless, Xu Ziyang finally felt a little more at ease. She cupped her hands to her mouth and called out softly:

"Hey~~"

The two large birds on the ground had no reaction.

"Hey~~"

Xu Ziyang raised her voice, but the phoenix and the Kunpeng still had no reaction. Xu Ziyang's heart eased a bit more, and she descended a little further...

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