Jiu You's group barged into Wind Prefecture and encountered the Wind Prefecture Master after he had been corrupted by evil energy. Even with all five of them using every method they possessed, they only managed to fight the mutated Wind Prefecture Master to a standstill.
Left with no other choice, Jiu You used the Void True Flame Array disc that Liu Bai had given her, directly burning away the evil energy within the Wind Prefecture Master's body and reawakening the remnant true spirit that remained within him. Only then was the trouble resolved.
Naturally, the harvest was extremely abundant. Aside from obtaining the Wind God Fan, the low tier Saint Artifact representing the Wind Prefecture Master, they also acquired a Lesser Divine Ability called Wind Summoning Art.
There was no need to elaborate on the Wind God Fan. As a Low-level Saint Artifact, its value spoke for itself.
However, this seemingly insignificant Wind Summoning Art was the truly priceless treasure!
This was because it was a fragment of the Great Wind Summoning Art, one of the Thirty Six Peerless Divine Abilities of the Great Thousand World.
That was simply monstrous.
After all, everyone had heard of the Thirty Six Peerless Divine Abilities of the Great Thousand World. Although very few people knew their specific details, they represented the pinnacle of all Divine Ability arts within the Great Thousand World.
Of course, that referred to the complete form of the Wind Summoning Art.
The current Wind Summoning Art was merely a Lesser Divine Ability capable of transforming Spiritual Energy into endless powerful winds. While its power still appeared considerable, it became somewhat insufficient when facing truly powerful experts.
Its real function was enhancing the speed of the cultivator, and it could also allow one to travel upon the wind, making it an extremely useful support technique.
The Wind Prefecture Master, who had cultivated the Wind Summoning Art, was not especially powerful in terms of combat strength among the Nine Prefectures. However, when it came to speed, he was unquestionably ranked first. This was also the main reason he had been appointed as Wind Prefecture Master.
Unfortunately, when facing the terrifying demonic calamity, speed could not preserve his life. He did not even possess the power to resist before directly falling.
During the following period, Jiu You led Zong Qingfeng and the others using the map and Mo Ling's "clairvoyance" ability to discover many more treasures. Jiu You directly distributed the spiritual items that could immediately improve their combat power, allowing little Mo Ling's strength to rise once again. She had now reached the peak of Seventh Grade Sovereign, finally catching up to Chi Hongwu and Bai Bin.
Among the Nine Prefectures were the upper five prefectures named after Divine Beasts: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, Black Tortoise, and Qilin. The lower four prefectures were named Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire. All of them were distributed throughout these stone island spaces.
Although these stone islands did not appear large from the outside, just like the Wind Prefecture Jiu You and the others had entered earlier, their true areas were actually no smaller than the Great Havenlaw Domain itself.
After sweeping through Wind Prefecture and rescuing the true spirit of the Wind Prefecture Master, Jiu You and the others also received his gifts. Aside from the Lesser Wind Summoning Art and the Wind God Fan, the most important thing was actually Wind Prefecture's token.
Only by gathering all nine prefecture tokens could the Heavenly River be opened. Therefore, before all nine prefecture tokens were assembled, it was impossible for them to continue deeper within.
After leaving Wind Prefecture, Jiu You's group shifted their target toward Vermillion Bird Prefecture among the upper five prefectures.
After all, the Vermillion Bird, like the Undying Bird, was also a Super Divine Beast belonging to the Phoenix Clan. Since the prefecture had been named after it, there was likely some profound connection with the Vermillion Bird.
And among the five members of Jiu You's group, four belonged to the Phoenix Clan, so it was only natural for them to target Vermillion Bird Prefecture.
However, when they arrived at Vermillion Bird Prefecture, they discovered that it had already been found by others. A casual glance revealed quite a large number of people present, including Su Qingyin and Qin Jingzhe, whom they had seen earlier at the Dragon Gate.
These two were both peak Ninth Grade Sovereigns. Although during the evaluation only Su Qingyin had obtained an Azure Dragon Token while Qin Jingzhe had merely received a Golden Flood Dragon Token like Mo Ling and the others, this certainly did not mean Mo Ling's strength could compare with Qin Jingzhe's.
After all, the cultivation gap between the two sides was simply too enormous. This was not something that Divine Beast bloodlines or innate talent potential alone could bridge.
Upon seeing Jiu You's arrival, both of them immediately became vigilant.
Neither dared underestimate Jiu You, who had likewise obtained an Azure Dragon Token. Moreover, beside her stood Zong Qingfeng, whose strength was also impressive and who possessed a record of killing Ninth Grade Sovereigns.
However, despite the large number of people present and the outer defensive array already having been broken open enough to allow passage, not a single person had rashly entered the interior.
This was because a faint crimson mist permeated the entire stone island.
This crimson mist possessed terrifyingly high temperatures. Although it did not resemble flames in appearance, its burning power was even stronger than many powerful Divine Flames!
Earlier, after the array had been broken open, several Ninth Grade experts had rushed inside. Yet until now none of them had emerged. No one knew whether they had become lost inside or directly perished.
This caused everyone to become wary and fearful, no longer daring to proceed inward. They could only wait foolishly outside.
Frowning slightly, Jiu You suddenly spoke,
"There is the aura of Vermillion Bird Fire within this mist. It seems there truly are things related to the Vermillion Bird Divine Beast inside. Be careful once we enter."
Among the five of them, aside from Zong Qingfeng, all belonged to the Phoenix Clan. Although this Vermillion Bird Fire was a powerful Divine Flame comparable to the highest grade Undying Flames, due to the natural traits of the Phoenix Clan, they still possessed a certain level of resistance against it.
As for Zong Qingfeng, he flipped his palm and a black pearl appeared in his hand. Immediately afterward, a dark spiritual light enveloped his entire body, as though completely isolating him from the surrounding world.
Kunpeng Spiritual Pearl. It was the quasi Saint Artifact the three Kunpeng Clan geniuses had used against enemies back in the Divine Graveyard, possessing the unique innate abilities of the Kunpeng Divine Beast.
Seeing the preparations of Jiu You's group, the surrounding people instantly understood what they intended to do.
However, after noticing flames rising around each member of Jiu You's group, everyone's eyes immediately turned red with envy and greed.
"Damn it, these people are from the Phoenix Clan!"
"The mist inside was refined from Vermillion Bird Fire. The Vermillion Bird itself is a type of Phoenix. If they enter, they might truly snatch away all the treasures inside!"
Some people grew anxious, but others merely sneered coldly.
"So what? Can you stop them now?"
"We have so many people here, plus top experts like Su Qingyin and Qin Jingzhe. Why can't we stop them?" someone immediately retorted after hearing this.
"How naive!" that person sneered. "Do you think they would help you? Besides, wouldn't it be better to make a move after they actually obtain the treasures? That way we can also avoid the dangers of venturing deep into Vermillion Bird Prefecture ourselves."
"Damn, that makes sense too. Then I'll just wait here..."
Su Qingyin watched Jiu You's group enter, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly.
She had a deep impression of these people and had also heard about what they had done in Western City. She knew they were not easy to deal with, so thoughts of blocking their path and robbing them were best forgotten since the chances of success were far too low.
Her main objective this time was not these treasures anyway, but the Second Hall Master located deeper within the Ancient Heavenly Palace. Since there was little benefit to be gained here, she was already considering retreating.
There was no helping it. Liu Bai's previous feat of slaughtering six Earth Sovereigns in succession had simply been too ferocious. Behind her stood only an Earth Sovereign teacher. If she truly formed a mortal grudge with him, would that not bring disaster upon both herself and her teacher?
Most importantly, she was not confident in being able to keep all five of them behind!
Since that was the case, there was no point wasting time here.
Thinking of this, Su Qingyin lightly tapped the flying beetle beneath her feet and directly flew off into the distance.
Naturally, Qin Jingzhe noticed her departure, but he did not share her concerns. The Green Lotus Sword Sect he belonged to was no weaker than the Great Xia Dynasty.
Jiu You naturally had no idea what was happening outside, though even if she did, she would not care.
If anyone wanted to snatch the treasures in their possession, they were free to try. After all, with a battle maniac like Zong Qingfeng around who was constantly itching for a fight, they feared provocation the least.
And if Zong Qingfeng could not win, then Jiu You would step in. If that still was not enough, then they would simply gang up on the enemy. If even that failed, then they would directly use the array disc. Jiu You did not believe that among the people who had entered the Ancient Heavenly Palace this time, there existed anyone capable of resisting the array disc in her hands!
After entering the stone island, what Jiu You and the others saw was a land filled with ruins.
Completely different from the previous Wind Prefecture, this Vermilion Bird Prefecture appeared to have been affected by the aftermath of battle. It had collapsed thoroughly. Aside from a golden withered tree over ten meters tall standing at the very center of the island, there was nothing else left.
"Come, let's go take a look!"
All four members of the Phoenix Clan among Jiu You's group could sense that something upon the golden withered tree seemed to be calling out to them, so Jiu You immediately approached it without hesitation.
Only after drawing close did they discover that at the top of the withered tree was a platform formed by three branching limbs. Floating above it were three objects, a crimson spiritual bead, a crimson gold feather shaped longsword, and a crimson scroll.
Jiu You's eyes lit up. With a wave of her hand, all three objects flew before her. There did not seem to be any traps or hidden mechanisms.
"I didn't expect this trial to be so easy. We actually obtained the treasures this effortlessly." Little girl Mo Ling was extremely happy. The previous battle against the corrupted Wind Prefecture Master had been extremely dangerous. Someone among them had nearly died.
However, after hearing her words, Zong Qingfeng, whose entire body was protected by the Kunpeng Spiritual Pearl, clearly did not think so.
"Easy? I don't think so…"
"The red mist filling this island alone, which contains Vermilion Bird Flame, is enough to stop most treasure seekers in their tracks. Even a Ninth Grade Sovereign would not last long here without a divine object specifically meant to counter flames."
"And the entire island is covered by this red mist. Both vision and spiritual perception are heavily restricted. If you were not originally members of the Phoenix Clan with an innate connection to the things here, how many people do you think could actually find this place?"
Hearing this, Mo Ling immediately stuck out her tongue and obediently said, "Oh, so that's how it is."
Jiu You smiled and rubbed the little girl's head before saying, "Alright, regardless, the treasures belong to us now. Why bother thinking about the rest?"
Looking at the three objects in her hands, Jiu You said, "This crimson spiritual bead is called the Vermilion Bird Gallbladder. Legend says it was formed after the fall of a Vermilion Bird and nurtured with its blood. After refining it, one may awaken Vermilion Bird bloodline…"
"As for this scroll, it is the matching Divine Art. Presumably it was the cultivation method originally practiced by the Vermilion Bird Prefecture Master…"
The Vermilion Bird Prefecture Master had originally been a human cultivator, but after obtaining the Vermilion Bird Gallbladder and the Vermilion Bird True Scripture through a fortunate encounter, she switched to cultivating this Divine Art.
Just like the Dragon Phoenix True Scripture cultivated by Liu Bai, cultivating the Vermilion Bird True Scripture required the assistance of Divine Beast blood possessing Vermilion Bird bloodline. Since the Vermilion Bird Gallbladder existed, the Vermilion Bird Prefecture Master's cultivation speed with this technique had been extraordinary, allowing her to possess invincible combat power among those of the same level.
Unfortunately, time had been too short. Before she could fully grow stronger, the Feind Clans had already invaded the Skylaw Continent, after which the entire Ancient Heavenly Palace was destroyed.
In truth, the reason the Ancient Heavenly Palace possessed no Heavenly Sovereigns apart from the Heavenly Emperor was simply because they had not been given enough time to grow. Otherwise, if all Five Hall Masters had successfully broken through to true Heavenly Sovereigns, then relying solely on the Nine Corpse Heavenly Demon Emperor and his Swallowing Demon Clan to destroy the Heavenly Palace would have been nothing more than a fool's dream.
"These two items are most suitable for Mo Ling and Chi Hongwu. As for who exactly should receive them, Liu Bai can decide after we return."
Although Bai Bin was also from the Phoenix Clan, he belonged to the Ice Phoenix Clan, making him incompatible with a fire attributed Super Divine Beast like the Vermilion Bird.
As for Jiu You herself, she had already awakened the bloodline of the Ancient Undying Bird. There was no need for her to pursue Vermilion Bird bloodline anymore. Doing so would only mean abandoning the root to chase the branch.
Mo Ling and the others naturally had no objections to Jiu You's words.
Although Chi Hongwu was Liu Bai's Beast Slave, it was obvious that Liu Bai intended to nurture little Mo Ling, so how things should be arranged was better left for him to worry about personally.
Since the treasures had already been obtained and the island was otherwise completely empty, Jiu You's group naturally had no intention of remaining longer and directly chose to leave.
However, Jiu You also acted cautiously. They did not choose to leave through the original entrance. Instead, they selected the opposite direction and used the Formation Breaking Talisman to open another portal, after which the five of them quietly departed.
This utterly miserable situation befell all the people waiting outside. After waiting for a long time without seeing anyone emerge, someone finally could not endure it any longer and began searching around the area, only to discover the already broken grand array.
At once, everyone exploded in fury.
They had been completely played by Jiu You's group!
Especially Qin Jingzhe, whose teeth nearly shattered from grinding them together. He swore in his heart that if he encountered them again next time, he would definitely slash every single one of them with his sword!
Meanwhile, while Jiu You's group was continuously exploring the stone islands of the Nine Prefecture, Mu Chen's trio also arrived at one of the Nine Prefecture stone islands, specifically the Dragon Prefecture stone island, reputed to be the strongest among the Nine Prefecture!
Perhaps it was the corrective force of fate, but the three of them still encountered Xiao Xiao, daughter of the Flame Emperor, just like in the original story.
Only this time, Mu Chen had no prior friendship with her, so battle inevitably broke out.
...
Hi For access to additional chapters of
Director in Hollywood (40 chpaters)
Made In Hollywood (60 Chapters)
Pokemon:Bounty Hunter(30 Chapters)
Hollywood:From Razzie to Legend(40 Chapters)
The Great Ruler(30 Chapters)
Btth: Ascend to Pinnacle (30 Chapters)
Douluo Dalu: My Martial is Tyranitar (30 Chapters)
Join pateron.com/Translaterappu