Chapter 329: Paradise in the Mortal Realm?

Rumble——

The sky was void of sun, moon, or stars, with only layers of overlapping red clouds from which flames continuously rained down. Anyone touched by the flames would quickly realize that these flames were not so easily put out.

On the ground, there was no flat land, only rivers of burning lava flowing sinuously and terrifyingly. Scorching black rocks scattered between the rivers provided the only places to step.

Even the air was filled with a scorching heat. If a piece of raw meat was left here, it would probably be cooked in no time.

It was practically a hell of flames.

Chu Liang hovered quietly just above the ground, gazing at the sea of fire and the endless flow of flames.

He recalled what his esteemed teacher had said.

A paradise in the mortal realm? Feels like home? Sure enough, I should never trust Di Nufeng for anything other than fighting,

Chu Liang thought.

Of course, in some ways, one had to admit that she was not wrong, as this place might indeed be a happy home for her.

"

Haaa.

" Chu Liang sighed silently and quickly moved.

Each hidden realm was an independent small world with a Great Dao that would be completely different upon entry. As a result, when entering a new hidden realm, positions often changed. Even if several people entered together, they would find themselves in different, random locations. Thus, Chu Liang saw no one else in his view.

A significant amount of foundational qi was consumed every second to resist the fiery qi outside one's body. If Chu Liang's cultivation level weren't high and his recovery weren't fast, he might have exhausted his Sea of Qi in no time.

He needed to find the Phoenix Sheep's Fruit of Life as soon as possible and get out of here.

It was said that the Phoenix Sheep's Fruit of Life had miraculous life-giving powers. One could track the fruit down by following the demonic beasts here, but what could possibly survive in this sea of fire?

Just as this thought crossed his mind, he heard a whistling wind. A flaming bird flew from afar, its wings spanning four to five zhang, a truly frightening sight.

Looking at the feathers on its head and its long tail feathers, it seemed to bear the shadow of the Divine Phoenix Clan. However, it didn't seem to be an actual living creature, which was why Chu Liang wondered if it was a creation of this hidden realm.

Nonetheless, Chu Liang didn't care where it came from. At this moment, all he cared about was that this big creature was flying straight at him, blatantly showing a sense of hostility!

The inferno phoenix's eyes reflected Chu Liang's figure, blazing with anger!

Screech—

It let out a sharp cry and lunged at him with its wings spread wide!

Chu Liang raised his index and ring fingers, summoning his sword. The swordlight shone brilliantly as it flew, slicing through the center of the inferno phoenix's body.

With a hiss, one sword strike split the inferno phoenix into two pieces!

The body of the inferno phoenix shattered with a bang, turning into a dense rain of fire that fell down, among which was a drop of golden blood.

Its entire body was made of flowing flames, and only this drop of golden blood contained spiritual energy.

Is this a creature given life by the Phoenix Sheep's Fruit of Life? It didn't seem very difficult to deal with.

Chu Liang thought.

Chu Liang was about to move forward in the direction where the inferno phoenix appeared when he suddenly saw a cloud of fire rising rapidly from that direction, surging towards him.

In the blink of an eye, it had moved closer, allowing him to see the cloud of fire clearly.

It turned out to be a large flock of inferno phoenixes, all connected with each other in a single fiery mass!

Handling one was manageable, but there were thousands upon thousands of them—enough to completely overwhelm him!

Without a second thought, Chu Liang turned and ran!

He immediately showcased the speed befitting his championship title in the Mount Shu Summit's Flying-Sword Race, transforming into a streak of light and shadow. The cloud of fire behind him relentlessly pursued, as if it harbored a deep grudge against him!

A moment of thought allowed him to grasp the situation immediately. This was happening because of the dragon aura on his body!

His esteemed teacher had mentioned earlier that the aura of that True Dragon was somewhat irritating. She was still human, with some characteristics slightly influenced by the Fiery Divine Phoenix constitution.

These inferno phoenixes had only a hint of Divine Phoenix spiritual nature, but their entire existence depended on it.

The less intelligent the creature, the more aggressive it became!

The chase continued for quite a while until Chu Liang flew over a mountain peak, where the phoenixes finally stopped. They hovered around for a moment, then dispersed into the sky.

Chu Liang landed on the fiery mountain peak, letting out a sigh of relief.

As he had been practicing the Secret Dragon Blood Technique, the dragon aura had likely seeped out with every breath. This was beyond his control. If this continued to attract attacks from the inferno phoenixes, it would be impossible for him to take even a single step.

He had just landed and steadied himself when he suddenly felt the ground beneath him shaking.

No, the ground was moving up??

Boom—

Clop, clop, clop—

Heavy footsteps echoed around him, and as Chu Liang extended his divine sense, he made a startling discovery—he wasn't standing on a mountain peak but on a gigantic mountain sheep the size of a mountain!

The massive creature had been lying on the ground, its head tucked into its chest and its back facing up. As a result, Chu Liang thought he had landed on a mountain peak.

This mountain sheep might have been the reason those inferno phoenixes didn't dare approach!

Clop! Clop!

Fortunately, the mountain sheep didn’t seem aggressive and didn’t mind Chu Liang using it as a mount. Awakened by the earlier noise, it now rose and continued its journey, stepping heavily on the ground as it slowly moved forward.

Standing on the mountain sheep's back, Chu Liang thought for a moment and felt that this was actually quite good.

Since he was still unfamiliar with the situation in the hidden realm, he decided it was wiser to follow the sheep and observe for a while. Leaving hastily could provoke another attack from those inferno phoenixes.

As he thought of this, he settled down.

He immersed his divine sense into the White Pagoda and arrived in front of the iron prison.

The inferno phoenix he had just slain contained a bit of true spirit. Any independent life form, even a weak entity like a lantern monster, could yield a reward. So, an inferno phoenix would certainly offer something valuable.

So Chu Liang raised his hand and pressed down, refining the phantom of the inferno phoenix.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Boom.

With a flash of a radiance, a small glowing orb floated out.

[Phoenix Spirit Fire Seed: When infused with foundational qi, the fire seed can ignite the powerful Phoenix Spirit Divine Fire, capable of burning everything in the world.]

A fire seed?

Chu Liang gazed at the small crimson-golden orb in his hand, feeling only a faint warmth emanating from it.

The Phoenix Spirit Divine Fire was the innate flame of the Divine Phoenix Clan, one of the top-tier divine fires in the world. Its power was second only to that of Samadhi True Fire.

For now, Chu Liang stored this fire seed away.

After traveling for a while, he noticed the heavy footsteps suddenly sync up with another set. Looking up, he saw another gigantic mountain sheep in the distance.

When the second mountain sheep appeared, the one Chu Liang was riding suddenly arched its back, raised its head high, and let out a powerful bleat. "

Baa——

"

"

Baaaaaaa!

" The mountain sheep opposite let out a deep, resonant bleat in response.

What are they doing? Chu Liang wondered.

While Chu Liang was puzzled, the two mountain sheep suddenly charged at each other with their massive bodies!

CLOP! CLOP! CLOP!

BAM!

The two mountain-sized rams charged across several hundred zhang and collided their giant horns with a thunderous crash!

The collision sent flames splashing in all directions!

Luckily, Chu Liang had flown down early, or he would have been thrown off by the tremendous impact.

It turned out the mountain sheep wasn't docile at all. It had likely not reacted because it hadn't noticed him. No wonder the inferno phoenixes didn't dare approach it.

The creatures in this Phoenix Sheep Hidden Realm all had such explosive tempers!