A cobalt blue Fly Shuttle reflected a gemstone-like luster under the sunlight, resembling an elegantly curved deep-sea fish, quietly hovering over a gray, open space.

The Fly Shuttle's cabin door opened, and a tall, slender silhouette appeared.

Lu Yuan's eyes flickered as he walked towards the newcomer.

His nano-armor automatically shifted, changing from his casual ensemble of a light down jacket and jeans to a black, form-fitting combat suit.

"Long time no see!"

The handsome young man standing in the doorway of the Fly Shuttle grinned as he greeted Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan returned a slight smile and sighed lightly. "I wouldn't have guessed you'd be the one to pick me up."

"I also wouldn't have thought that the person my superiors asked me to pick up would be you," the young man shrugged in response.

Lan Chen.

The newcomer was Lan Chen.

This was the same Lan Chen who, during Lu Yuan's first encounter with an Elephant God Walk, had taken orders from Yu Wentong to hide in the shadows and provide support. Afterward, Lu Yuan had humorously nicknamed him the "Merit-seeking Boy."

Lu Yuan certainly hadn't expected that after receiving Yu Wentong's permission to enter the Ash Mountain Secret Realm, the person sent to escort him would be this very individual.

Had Lord Tong run out of subordinates to command? It seemed he really might have...

Lu Yuan followed Lan Chen onto his Fly Shuttle.

As the Fly Shuttle slowly lifted off, Lan Chen flopped onto the plush sofa and gestured to Lu Yuan. "Sit anywhere, no need to be formal. Make yourself at home. It's a long journey ahead."

Lan Chen had a spontaneous personality and wasn't much for formalities.

Lu Yuan didn't stand on ceremony. He just gave an "Mm," and found a place to sit.

Occasionally glancing at the Flying Bear insignia on Lan Chen's left chest, he was surprised to see that the small, winged Gold Bear now had an additional pair of wings behind it. When did that happen?

"You've made a breakthrough?" Lu Yuan asked, slightly surprised.

Slightly extending his Spiritual Power, he sensed Lan Chen's aura.

He found that Lan Chen's Spiritual Power was indeed much stronger and more condensed than before. According to the Yellow Bear's internal classification standards, he had reached the Second Order Light of Spirit.

"Yeah, I was stuck for so many years, it was about time I broke through..." Lan Chen responded with a sigh, his face lacking any significant joy. Instead, he wore a complex expression.

Sensing his fluctuating emotions, a thought struck Lu Yuan, and he voiced it: "Ash Mountain?!"

Lan Chen glanced at him and nodded.

"Yes.

"It was during this expedition to Ash Mountain that I made the breakthrough..."

"Yet you don't seem too happy about it."

"If you had experienced what I went through... you wouldn't be happy about a breakthrough either..." Lan Chen sighed, his voice and eyes filled with desolation and a complex mix of emotions.

"So many people died in that battle... Have you seen the eighth list of martyrs?

"If it hadn't been for...

"My name would probably be on it."

Lu Yuan's expression grew solemn. "Is Ash Mountain really that dangerous?"

Lan Chen looked up at him. "What do you expect from a Legendary Level Secret Realm?

"It's many times more dangerous than you can imagine.

"Inside Ash Mountain, there are actual Phoenix Bloodline beings..."

"Phoenix Bloodline?"

Lu Yuan heard this term for the first time and straightened up a bit.

Just then, the Fly Shuttle buzzed as it ascended into the clouds, and dense white mist streamed past the windows on either side of them.

"Yes.

"They're much stronger and harder to deal with than ordinary Divine Servants because they've inherited some of the Phoenix's characteristics, making them extremely difficult to kill...

"They've been reproducing in Ash Mountain for a very long time and are highly aggressive towards outsiders like us..."

Lan Chen gave a simple explanation, then added solemnly, "However, the most dangerous parts of Ash Mountain aren't these native bloodlines, but those terrifying Forbidden Lands that still retain the lingering might of the Phoenix.

"Sometimes, what looks like an ordinary pit in the ground can suddenly erupt with lava hot enough to melt an Earth Level mecha...

"Do you have any idea what Earth Level mechas are made of?..."

Lu Yuan remained silent, sensing a thread of fear in Lan Chen's words. These emotions slowly began to sketch an outline of Ash Mountain in his mind.

Lu Yuan felt he might have previously underestimated what "Legendary Level Secret Realm" truly entailed.

Perhaps it was because the Elephant God Secret Realm was categorized as only Sub-legendary level, and he hadn't felt much pressure clearing it.

But thinking back, only three Supernova Members had entered the Elephant God Secret Realm. In contrast, Ash Mountain's previous openings had prompted joint operations by major Extraordinary organizations worldwide.

To date, four Supernova members had already perished there.

This clearly showed that the difference in danger between the two was vast—truly immense.

"Honestly, I'm baffled as to why Lord Tong would approve your request to go," Lan Chen said with a wry smile. "In a place like that, SS-level individuals are just cannon fodder, and even SSS-level ones are treading on thin ice. You need to have at least Third Order combat strength to even qualify for a certain degree of exploration and to reap rewards.

"But the risk of perishing is also very high...

"What's your current assessed strength level?"

Lu Yuan paused for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm not sure. It's been a long time since I was last assessed..."

Lan Chen assumed Lu Yuan simply didn't want to disclose it, as combat strength was rather private information, so he didn't press further. However, he still made some judgments about Lu Yuan's strength in his mind.

Lu Yuan, however, genuinely wasn't sure about his current strength level.

Using Xilin—whom he had thrashed in the Elephant God Secret Realm—as a benchmark, in his normal state with [Three Flowers] activated, he could probably fight him to a standstill. If he switched to the Ming King Form, he could crush his opponent in various ways. And if he activated the [Demon] form... Lu Yuan couldn't even begin to calculate it.

He possessed too many methods to amplify his combat power. If several methods were stacked, his fighting strength would increase exponentially.

The potential from stacking multiple class panels was gradually being unlocked, and sometimes his strength skyrocketed so fast that even Lu Yuan himself was alarmed.

As Lu Yuan was thinking, A large number of top experts from the combat power rankings have gathered at Ash Mountain this time. It's a good opportunity to gauge my current standing... Lan Chen, however, seemed to have lost interest in further conversation.

He produced a bottle of liquor from somewhere and began gulping it down while gazing out the window, his eyes filled with a profound melancholy.

Lu Yuan didn't want to disturb him, so he reclined in his seat and started browsing the forums to pass the time.

The entrance to the Ash Mountain Secret Realm was on the opposite side of the planet. Even by Fly Shuttle, the journey would take over ten hours.

As Lu Yuan casually scrolled through posts, he suddenly received a series of messages.

He opened them and found they were from Lan Chen.

Surprised, he turned his head.

Lan Chen, sitting by the window opposite, gestured with his chin towards Lu Yuan and said, "Here's some top-secret intel from the exploration team. Take a look, but remember, don't spread it around..."

Lu Yuan's eyes lit up, and he quickly opened the messages from Lan Chen.

It was a map of the Ash Mountain Secret Realm, with most areas blacked out. Only a small section in the lower-left corner was illuminated.

Yet, even in this small, illuminated section, there were at least forty red circles densely marked.

Each red circle represented one of the "Forbidden Lands" Lan Chen had just mentioned.

Additionally, the activity zones of some of the Secret Realm's native inhabitants were also marked out.

Lu Yuan scanned the entire map, committing it to memory, then looked further down.

Below the map were several videos.

The first video showed a large group of people gathered around, attempting to move a thumb-sized red fruit.

The fruit was shaped like an olive but was entirely crimson, like a piece of iron heated until it glowed.

Its temperature was also terrifyingly high.

The exploration team tried to place it in a black box, but the fruit burned through the container in less than two seconds. It fell to the ground and instantly ignited a large patch of grass, the astonishing heatwave forcing everyone nearby to retreat.

After several containers failed to hold the fruit, they finally managed to wrap it in a single, palm-sized oval leaf and successfully carry it away.

A Legendary Level material?! Lu Yuan's first thought after watching the video was whether this fruit was a Legendary Level material. Given the astounding phenomenon, it seemed highly probable.

Unfortunately, it was likely acquired by some organization, and he had almost no chance of obtaining it.

The second video was equally astonishing, perhaps even more so than the first.

The video was filmed from a great distance—Heaven knows how many times the camera had to zoom in—showing only a distant location resembling a volcanic crater.

Amidst countless streams of crimson lava, a single, shimmering golden blade of grass grew, its leaves wreathed in flames.

This is absolutely Legendary Level! Lu Yuan was certain the moment he saw the small grass.

This golden grass looked far too extraordinary, even more peculiar than the fruit. A single glance at it would evoke words like "mythical" and "legendary."

No wonder every Extraordinary organization throws all its efforts into exploring the Ash Mountain Secret Realm the moment it opens, regardless of losing so many powerful members... This Secret Realm is like an undeveloped mythical treasure trove, teeming with unbelievable Treasures! Perhaps the Phoenix's secret to immortality truly lies hidden within...

Just watching the videos made Lu Yuan feel a rush of anticipation, his blood pumping faster. One could only imagine the emotions of those who had witnessed these Treasures with their own eyes.

Lan Chen might have spoken of fear, but the fact that he still dared to venture back in for further exploration proved one thing: Ash Mountain indeed held a heaven-sent opportunity for nirvana and rebirth!

"Phew—"

Lu Yuan took a slow breath, calming his turbulent emotions.

Then he clicked on the last video Lan Chen had sent.

The moment he opened the video, Lu Yuan's vision was filled with a brilliant, fiery red.

Lu Yuan's pupils contracted sharply. Unable to suppress the surging excitement within him any longer, he blurted out, "The legendary Phoenix?!"

"I don't know," Lan Chen's voice came from beside him; he seemed entirely unsurprised by Lu Yuan's reaction.

"We can only say it's suspected to be one. After all, no one has ever seen a real Phoenix; it's a mythical creature that exists only in legends."

Lu Yuan didn't speak, merely staring transfixed at the video.

The video footage was very blurry, likely due to the interference of Evil Energy fluctuations.

However, one could still faintly make out a massive bird, wreathed in orange flames, flying gracefully across the sky recorded in the video.

After the great fiery bird flew into the distance, numerous figures suddenly shot up in the video, pursuing its trail.

The video ended abruptly.

"So, what was the result?" Still captivated, Lu Yuan immediately turned his head to ask Lan Chen, "Did they find that suspected Phoenix or not?"

Lan Chen shook his head. "Of course not.

"Not only that, but many people died...

"The most recent list of martyrs includes Kang Jiancheng, ranked 53rd on the Supernova Rankings. He died during this Phoenix incident."

Lan Chen paused here, then frowned and continued, "Actually, this suspected Phoenix has appeared several times now. Each appearance has led to the deaths of many powerful experts.

"Aren't sightings of a Phoenix supposed to be a sign of good fortune?

"I suspect this isn't a Phoenix at all, but rather some malevolent creature skilled in disguise, one that brings disaster and misfortune wherever it goes..."

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