Page 1049

Chapter 432

To wait for the phoenix egg to hatch, Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou temporarily stayed.

This was the territory of the Red Lotus Karmic Fire, where ordinary creatures could not easily approach, let alone cultivators who defied heaven's will—whether Human Cultivators or Ghost Cultivators. Unless they wished to endure the agony of their souls being scorched, they could only keep their distance.

Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou were the only two who could get this close to the Red Lotus Karmic Fire.

Their arrival had been too fortuitous. If not for the presence of the Fallen Dragon and the young qilin, the Red Lotus Karmic Fire would likely have attacked them the moment it noticed them. Even so, the two made no attempt to approach it, much less subdue it.

During their wait, they encountered several more attacks from the dark evil qi.

Each time, it appeared abruptly, surging from all directions like a shapeless, violent, and sinister force, penetrating everywhere. Had they not had a space to hide in, the consequences would have been dire.

These malignant entities, formed from the gathering of the world's malevolence, possessed no intelligence. They merely attacked the Red Lotus Karmic Fire on instinct until they were incinerated by it, turning into gray mist that dispersed across Gazing Moon Island.

Seeing this, Wen Qiao finally understood the origin of the gray mist shrouding Gazing Moon Island.

These malignant entities were actually a form of dark evil qi, countless in number, suppressed beneath the deep pit, locked in a struggle with the Red Lotus Karmic Fire that imprisoned them, struggling to break free.

Thus, at regular intervals, they would instinctively attack the Red Lotus Karmic Fire.

"No wonder these gray mists carry such an ominous aura," Wen Qiao murmured, recalling the sensation of the mist sliding over her skin like a cold, slick shroud when they first landed on the island. She then turned to the Fallen Dragon and asked, "Senior Long Yi, if this gray mist continues to accumulate, could it pose a danger to Gazing Moon Island—or even places beyond?"

The Fallen Dragon coiled around the stone pillar, its black form and the ash-gray dragon creating a rugged yet breathtaking sight that was impossible to look away from.

The Fallen Dragon's eyes remained slightly closed, as if unwilling to engage with her.

Though the Divine Emperor Clan naturally attracted divine beasts, the Fallen Dragon was now an undead creature, existing in this underworld in its current form. It no longer held any reverence for the Divine Emperor Clan.

Thus, it barely acknowledged Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou.

In the end, it was the gentle and endearing young qilin who answered, "Of course it could! But you don’t need to worry. With Long Yi here, nothing will happen."

Hearing this, Wen Qiao suddenly recalled what they had seen after passing through the canyon. The gray mist around the Fallen Dragon's domain was indeed noticeably thinner than elsewhere, and even the faint, ominous aura had vanished.

Wen Qiao looked at the Fallen Dragon coiled around the stone pillar and suddenly understood.

Even though the Fallen Dragon had become an evil undead creature, its instincts as a divine beast remained unchanged. It would instinctively purify the ominous gray mist.

No wonder the Fallen Dragon guarded this place.

At this realization, Wen Qiao's gaze toward the Fallen Dragon softened. Despite its aloof manner since their first meeting, it had never neglected its role.

Understanding the nature of these malignant entities also unraveled the mystery of the Sea of Undeath.

The Sea of Undeath contained a certain power—one that granted the undead creatures within it undeath. This power originated from these malignant entities, whose corrupting energy transformed all creatures that perished in the Sea of Undeath into undead beings.

Affected by this force, the undead creatures were bound to the Sea of Undeath, unable to escape for eternity.

At the same time, they served as a barrier, isolating Gazing Moon Island—where the malignant entities were imprisoned—from the outside world.

After guarding for about a month, the phoenix egg finally began to stir.

At the time, Wen Qiao and the others were speaking with the young qilin when the previously quiet Red Lotus Karmic Fire suddenly flared up. A childlike voice rang out: "The phoenix is about to hatch."

All the creatures present turned their gazes toward the phoenix egg within the flames.

After a month of continuous absorption, the luminous, kaleidoscopic patterns on the eggshell seemed to glow, with a dense vitality swirling around it, nearly overpowering the surrounding aura of death.

Being a creature of death, the Fallen Dragon felt uncomfortable, but it forcibly endured it and made no attempt to disrupt the phoenix's hatching.

The little qilin happily ran over, braving the risk of its puppet body being scorched, and crouched by the flames to watch.

The colors on the phoenix egg grew increasingly dazzling, like brilliant, miraculous flames of breathtaking beauty.

Even before the phoenix hatched, all the creatures present were already enchanted by its beauty. No wonder the phoenix was the most resplendent among the Four Auspicious Beasts, captivating countless beings.

Everyone watched almost breathlessly, waiting for the phoenix to emerge from its shell.

Dense vitality permeated the surrounding space, eventually surged skyward, spreading outward in proclamation.

Suddenly, Ning Yuzhou's expression changed slightly. He threw out a heaven-grade array formation, attempting to seal off the surroundings.

Yet, the heaven-grade array formation was utterly incapable of blocking the aura of a divine beast. The news of the divine beast phoenix's imminent birth would soon reverberate through the entire Netherworld.

——

Outside the deep pit, countless cultivators had gathered.

Among them were Ghost Cultivators and Human Cultivators—nearly all cultivators who had survived after landing on the island had gathered here.

They had been drawn by the ferocious and formidable aura earlier, the presence of sinister karmic manifestations emerging. Only upon arriving did they learn that the Red Lotus Karmic Fire lay beneath the pit.

As one of the world's extraordinary flames, the Red Lotus Karmic Fire—a Netherworld-born hellfire—naturally attracted countless Ghost Cultivators, even Ghost Kings and the Ghost Emperor.

Especially upon discovering that the Fallen Dragon they had long sought was also beneath the pit, their excitement grew even greater.

Waves of cultivators plunged into the deep pit, intending to seek out the Red Lotus Karmic Fire and the Fallen Dragon directly.

Each day, cultivators descended, and some returned—but far more vanished without trace.

As more and more cultivators ventured inside, the others finally grasped the horror within.

Until a Ghost King, streaked with ash, fled from the gray mist of the deep pit in terror, warning all the cultivators present: "Below... below, there's a terrifying black energy. It chooses its prey and devours them. All creatures it consumes... turn into monsters..."