In the depths of the foggy area, a streak of orange-red was rapidly spreading across the sky.

Almost half the sky seemed to ignite, forming a stunning, splendid fire cloud that even cast a fiery hue upon the lush primeval forest below.

Within this dazzling orange-red, the silhouette of a large bird could be seen.

The bird was enveloped in orange-red flames from which radiated countless specks of golden light...

A rich aura of legend, so dense it was indescribable, carried warmth with it, transforming into a gentle wind that rustled the hair on Lu Yuan's forehead.

He fell into a momentary daze.

This was a beauty that transcended species.

No language, script, or image could capture the nobility and elegance of this great bird.

Anyone who saw it would be at a loss for words, deeply impressed by its noble and majestic silhouette, and even feel a strong impulse to bow in reverence...

"The legendary... Phoenix...?" Lu Yuan murmured, still dazed.

The next instant, a peculiar fluctuation from within his body startled him awake.

Immersing his consciousness, he discovered it was the Feather of Hundred-Eyed Dark Crow, long dormant within him, that was faintly trembling.

But it quivered only once, then fell still.

Lu Yuan's gaze cleared.

Looking up again at the distant, orange-red flaming bird, he no longer felt the same shock and enchantment as before; it now seemed merely ordinary.

A thoughtful expression crossed Lu Yuan's face...

"Let's go! Hurry!" Lan Chen's urging roar resounded in his ears.

Lu Yuan turned his head. Lan Chen's eyes, filled with a fervent anxiety, were fixed on the distant orange-red flaming bird. His azure exoskeleton spewed fierce flames, as if he might charge forward at any second.

Lu Yuan looked at him, squinting. "What are we rushing for?"

Lan Chen, his gaze unwavering, spoke rapidly, "To capture that Phoenix, of course! The legendary Phoenix, harboring the secrets of immortal rebirth... Never mind capturing it; even if we could get a single one of its feathers, the resources we could trade it for would be enough for me to upgrade directly to Rank Four, or even Five... No, at least Rank Six! This is a chance! A tremendous opportunity, Lu Yuan!"

Lu Yuan looked at Lan Chen, who seemed almost possessed.

It was hard to imagine that on their journey here, Lan Chen had been the one to solemnly warn him, "A creature suspected to be a Phoenix will only bring death and misfortune to the exploration team."

Lu Yuan looked up. From the primeval forest, which resembled a vast, dark-green ocean, silhouettes and streaks of light shot out one after another, all moving purposefully towards the orange-red flaming bird.

All of them, participants in this expedition, were drawn by the Phoenix-like creature.

A quick glance revealed at least forty or fifty individuals visible to the naked eye.

"Those attracted by the Phoenix's splendid appearance, blinded by greed and wicked thoughts—the moment they touch a Phoenix feather, holy flames will engulf them. Their bodies and souls will swiftly turn to ash in the raging fire..." A passage from the legends about the Phoenix flowed through Lu Yuan's mind.

He took a deep breath, his heart slightly shaken.

Is it a trap... designed to wipe out intruders like us, those with impure motives?

After spending so much time in Ash Mountain, Lu Yuan felt, for the first time, the terror of a Legendary Level Secret Realm.

This horror wasn't a physical or spiritual assault, but a divine manipulation of the human heart.

The phrase "mystery of immortality" drove many people to madness, compelling them to throw themselves into meaningless battles one after another.

This feeling was entirely different from exploring the Secret Realm of the Elephant God.

The chasm between a decaying, dead Secret Realm and one that was still "alive" was immense.

BUZZ—

Lu Yuan heard a faint engine vibration beside him. Turning his head, he saw Lan Chen, no longer able to suppress his eagerness, preparing to rush headlong towards the distant "Phoenix."

The magnificent form of the Phoenix-like creature seemed to possess some mysterious magic, potent enough to bewitch Lan Chen—whose Spiritual Power was already at the second rank—even from such a distance.

Lu Yuan's eyes flickered.

Suddenly, a dense, peerless white-gold Universe Qi surged from his hands.

His five fingers formed a claw, tearing through the air and dragging out trails of white-gold light like leaping thunderbolts as he suddenly lunged for Lan Chen beside him.

A translucent energy shield automatically burst from Lan Chen's azure exoskeleton in response.

BANG!

With a muffled thud, the energy shield vibrated violently. In less than half a second, it shattered like a fragile bubble.

A sharp, cold whistle cut through the air. Lan Chen, locked onto by a chilling killing intent, felt his scalp tingle and scrambled backward.

In his daze, it seemed a colossal, bird-like claw flashed and vanished.

It was as if some terrifying legendary creature had silently, invisibly, reached out a claw from the void.

The aura it briefly released caused a large expanse of air to distort and oscillate...

「A few seconds later.」

Two figures stood silently in mid-air.

Lan Chen, his exoskeleton pushed to its limits, was covered in countless azure electric sparks that danced and flowed over his body. Yet he stood rigid, his face pale and beaded with sweat, not daring to move a muscle.

A long, powerful hand was loosely clasped around his neck, its fingers emitting sharp white-gold light that continuously pricked his skin, raising tiny goosebumps...

It seemed that if he moved even the slightest bit, the hand would unhesitatingly snap his neck.

"Lu... Lu Yuan..." Lan Chen stammered, as if doused with cold water.

"Awake now?" Lu Yuan asked calmly. He then nonchalantly retracted his hand and turned away as if nothing had happened. "If you're awake, let's go."

"Uh..." Lan Chen was stunned for a moment before he understood why Lu Yuan had suddenly attacked him.

Upon reflection, he realized just how perilous the situation had been, and his face immediately paled.

Damn, he had almost gotten involved in the chaos earlier! He, a mere rookie who had just broken through to SSS-rank and was ranked over six hundred on the Ash List—where did he get the audacity to dream of plucking a Phoenix feather? Was he worthy?!

WHEW—

Lan Chen exhaled a long breath of shaky relief and hurried to catch up with Lu Yuan.

"Speaking of which... couldn't you have woken me up differently?" Lan Chen muttered, rubbing his neck where the goosebumps still lingered. "I really thought you were going to kill me just now..."

Without turning his head, Lu Yuan casually replied, "Well, was it effective or not?"

"..." Lan Chen was speechless, a belly full of pent-up frustration.

But recalling Lu Yuan's attack, that frustration transformed into sheer shock.

Previously, seeing Lu Yuan demolish two third-rank Modification System experts with his fists had been shocking, but it hadn't struck him so deeply.

Only after being personally confronted by Lu Yuan did he truly grasp how terrifying his combat strength was.

In less than a second, his entire defense system had been torn apart like paper.

He hadn't even had a chance to try to escape.

In other words, if Lu Yuan had truly wanted to kill him… it would only have taken a second.

"Starry Sky Martial Path... is it really that powerful?" Lan Chen sighed softly, then couldn't help but ask Lu Yuan, "What's your current rank on the Supernova Leaderboard?"

Lu Yuan glanced at him, disinclined to speak.

They walked in one direction for a while before Lan Chen suddenly felt something was amiss.

"I just discovered another Treasure; aren't we going for it?"

"No."

Lu Yuan had no intention of accepting any more so-called "blessings from the Goddess of Fortune." The fruitless pursuit of the mysterious Hoopoe bird had left him feeling uneasy about it.

He suspected it was deliberately leading him somewhere. There's no such thing as a free lunch; Lu Yuan didn't want to get caught in some dangerous vortex for meager profit. Without its guidance, I can still find Treasures myself...

Lu Yuan stopped, releasing his Spiritual Power.

His current Spiritual Power detection range was nearly ten kilometers, which wasn't insignificant.

But in the vast, complex primeval forest, this range seemed trivial.

Moreover, within the Secret Realm of the Evil God, numerous things could shield Spiritual Power, making it impossible to inspect things as clearly as one could outside.

Maybe I should try a different approach...

Lu Yuan pondered for a moment, then abandoned the idea of searching inch by inch with his Spiritual Power.

Instead, he focused his senses on the omnipresent particles of the Evil God in the air.

Thanks to the blood ball, he could faintly perceive the distribution of these Evil God particles in his surroundings.

These entities, officially termed Legendary Qi, were not static within the environment.

In some areas, they were concentrated; in others, sparse.

And they were constantly in motion...

Slowly, Lu Yuan seemed to perceive the trajectory of these Evil God particles.

In his "mind's eye," the world before him appeared entirely different.

He "saw" many scattered red light dots. Most of these dots danced randomly, like dust motes in a sunbeam.

Others, however, coalesced, forming flocculent masses that slowly drifted in a specific direction.

Lu Yuan tried following a concentration of more active Evil God particles, wanting to test an idea he had.

Lan Chen trailed closely behind, not daring to speak, seeing Lu Yuan was deep in thought.

Gradually, as they ventured deeper, Lan Chen's expression shifted from confusion to slight shock, and finally, to utter disbelief.

「Twenty minutes later.」

The two of them stopped. Lan Chen stared at a strange, snake-tooth-shaped fruit hidden in nearby bushes. Its scaly skin flashed with red light and emanated astonishing energy fluctuations. He then looked at Lu Yuan, incredulous.

"How did you do that?"

Lan Chen had followed Lu Yuan closely, witnessing the entire process of him finding this Treasure.

Except for a few brief pauses, Lu Yuan had shown no signs of being "lost." He had come straight to this location, as if he already knew a Treasure was here and was simply following a map.

"Try using your brain more often," Lu Yuan answered casually.

Lan Chen looked completely baffled.

Lu Yuan, however, was in quite a good mood; his idea had been successfully tested.

He could indeed find "Treasures" by sensing the distribution and flow of Evil God particles in the air.

The concentration of Evil God particles around "Treasures" was particularly high; one only needed to pay attention to discern the pattern.

Lu Yuan didn't advance immediately. He first confirmed that the strange Hoopoe bird was nowhere in sight, proving to himself that he had found this Treasure through his own abilities, not by so-called "luck."

Then, his Spiritual Power detected something hidden behind the nearby snake-tooth-shaped fruit.

Lu Yuan squinted and took a couple of steps forward.

Soon, he saw the bushes behind the snake-tooth-shaped fruit rustle.

Immediately after, two fiery red lights ignited in the darkness.

A bear-like creature, over six meters tall and covered in crimson fur, slowly emerged from the shadows...

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