Chapter 408: Art of Nirvana

Activating the "Heaven and Earth Avatar" divine ability consumed energy rapidly, and Hua Changxi couldn't contend with the ancient zither for long.

She noticed that when she pulled the ancient zither with brute force, nine Nirvana Dao Wutong trees would emit nine-colored light.

Then, the nine-colored light, like nine nine-colored chains, surged toward the ancient zither, hooking it tightly and fixing it firmly in the void; no matter how hard she pulled, the zither's body remained motionless.

Upon discovering this, Hua Changxi stopped futilely trying to force it and instead devoted part of her mind to controlling the fire laws within the Wutong forest.

In an instant, the flames on the branches and leaves of all the Wutong trees in the forest, as well as the free-floating fire-attribute energy in the air, were forcibly drawn out by her.

These energies wildly converged and compressed, emitting brilliant flames, ultimately transforming into a fiery axe—entirely crimson and wreathed in flames.

The moment the fiery axe took shape, Hua Changxi unhesitatingly swung it, chopping down at the nearest chain!

"Clang~"

A deafening metallic clash exploded!

Where the fiery axe struck the chain, a blinding light burst forth.

A violent energy shockwave erupted in a ring, shaking the entire Wutong forest and radiating outward at a visible speed.

"Zheng~"

The next moment, the chain was severed by the fiery axe, causing the ancient zither to tremble and emit a sharp cry; an invisible sound wave spread outward from the zither.

This sound wave was formless and intangible, yet it contained a terrifying power that directly struck the soul.

Outside the Wutong forest, cultivators who had come to spy with intentions of picking up scraps or fishing in troubled waters were hit head-on by the sound wave; those with weaker cultivation immediately bled from seven orifices, while the stronger ones were shaken with surging qi and blood, staggering backward.

Hua Changxi, at the center of the battle, also suffered; the sound wave stirred turbulent waves in her sea of consciousness, and her body seethed with surging qi and blood.

She let out a muffled groan, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, the taste of rust instantly filling her mouth.

However, her expression was invigorated.

For one reason only: the fiery axe could indeed sever the nine-colored chains.

But the next moment, her brows furrowed again.

After the chain was cut, the nine-colored light gathered again and formed new chains, but this time the chains were noticeably thinner.

The fiery axe struck down again...

Only after a full nine strikes did no new chains form.

Hua Changxi panted heavily, sensing that she couldn't maintain the "Heaven and Earth Avatar" for much longer.

With one chain missing, the ancient zither's stability clearly declined, beginning to wobble slightly.

Seizing the opportunity, Hua Changxi poured all her remaining power into both hands, exerted force suddenly, and—like when she split the Zhurong tomb's egg-shaped space—used all her strength to move the ancient zither, forcibly dragging it away from above the Nirvana Dao Wutong!

However, the moment the ancient zither broke free from the chains' control, another anomaly occurred!

"Li~"

A piercing phoenix cry that could split metal and stone rang through the sky, and the entire ancient zither burst with blinding red light.

On the zither's body, streaks of fire patterns moved like living things, finally converging at the center of the strings. The next moment, a phoenix bathed in flames burst forth from the zither!

This fire phoenix was not physical; it was formed from nine-colored divine light and the ancient zither's divine essence.

The fire phoenix's eyes were like torches, its claws and beak sharp, carrying the momentum to burn all things, charging straight at Hua Changxi.

The fire phoenix appeared too suddenly and was too close; before Hua Changxi could react, the phoenix passed through her body.

"Boom~"

The "Heaven and Earth Avatar" could no longer hold; Hua Changxi's body rapidly shrank, yet even so, she didn't forget to firmly grip the ancient zither.

"Rip~"

Having returned to her original size, Hua Changxi staggered several steps; at the same time, her clothes tore, revealing skin that was a bloody mess with flesh split open.

"Li~"

High in the air, the fire phoenix circled, its gaze locking onto Hua Changxi again, then dove down.

Watching the fire phoenix attack again, Hua Changxi ignited her battle soul, directly sat down on the constantly vibrating ancient zither that wanted to fly back above the Nirvana Dao Wutong, using it as a cushion; then, with a "boom," she was bathed in flames all over.

At that moment, she mobilized all the spiritual power within her body and simultaneously ignited the power of her bloodline.

Her qi and blood surged, and a resplendent Vermilion Bird manifested.

Then, a cry even more piercing and majestic than the phoenix's call just now rang out...

The Vermilion Bird, radiant with flowing light, flew out from Hua Changxi's body. The moment it appeared, the temperature of the entire parasol tree forest soared, and the fire elements in the air converged toward it madly.

The Fire Phoenix dove down, while the Vermilion Bird soared upward.

"Boom~"

The collision of flame against flame triggered an earth-shattering impact, and dazzling light instantly swallowed everything.

The cultivators from all sides outside the parasol tree forest were forced to close their eyes by the glare.

When the light faded and heaven and earth regained clarity, everyone opened their eyes to find the parasol tree forest had returned to peace.

"It's over already?"

Outside the parasol tree forest, the cultivators from all sides felt a lingering desire for more—a battle of that caliber wasn't something you could see just anytime.

"So what was the result?"

"Did the lord of Lingguang Hall get the zither?"

The cultivators were all anxious to know the outcome of the battle just now; some of the more impatient ones wished they could charge into the parasol tree forest and see for themselves.

Deep in the parasol tree forest, Hua Changxi lay on layers upon layers of sycamore leaves, with more leaves still falling from above.

She slowly opened her eyes, the scene of the Vermilion Bird and Fire Phoenix colliding head-on still flashing in the depths of her pupils.

The Vermilion Bird was unstoppable, its might terrifying; the moment the Fire Phoenix met it, it collapsed and disintegrated with a roar, scattering into golden-red runes.

Those runes all sank into her brow, surged into her sea of consciousness, and coalesced into the ultimate secret inheritance of the Phoenix bloodline—the Nirvana Art.

After obtaining the 'Nirvana Art', the Nine Heavens Phoenix Cry Zither automatically acknowledged her as its master and fell into her arms.

In an instant, her divine sense connected with the entire parasol tree forest.

She sensed the lingering wills of countless Vermilion Bird soldiers who had cultivated here—some with the arrogance to look down on the world, some with the compassion to protect all beings, some with the unyielding persistence in seeking the Dao... A vast torrent of information struck her spirit, carrying a heavy sense of responsibility and entrustment.

After a while, Hua Changxi sat up, rubbing her swollen forehead, then looked at the zither in her arms and gently stroked its strings.

The zither's notes vibrated, their sound deep and distant, resonating mysteriously with the bloodline power within her.

She felt that there was no longer any barrier between herself and this heaven and earth; the billions of branches and leaves of the parasol tree forest rustled joyfully without wind, as if every sycamore tree was expressing delight and submission to her.

With a slight thought from Hua Changxi, the burning flames in the forest rose and fell docilely; wherever her mind directed, the sycamore trees cleared a path for her.

At this moment, she seemed to have become the embodiment of the parasol tree forest's will, possessing a seamless, intimate control over this piece of heaven and earth.

"Look, the spatial rifts are disappearing."

Outside the parasol tree forest, the cultivators saw a soft curtain of light spreading outward from the forest's center.

Wherever the light curtain passed, the area outside the parasol tree forest that had been covered in fierce spatial rifts melted away like snow under the sun, until finally, all the spatial rifts vanished completely.

The barrier of the parasol tree forest was regenerated, and that magnificent world of flame disappeared from everyone's sight.

"Buzz~"

Amid the crowd, Yun You felt his Yiniantong vibrate and immediately picked it up to look.

Palace Lord: "Gather people, enter the parasol tree forest to mine!"