Chapter 407: Tug of War

Knowing the imperial house wished to verify her identity, Hua Changxi still sent Yu Fu a message saying, "Ignore it."

Before this, whether it was the Qihuang Pavilion or the Lingjing Pavilion, whenever they convened meetings, they had always specifically requested her attendance, yet she had never appeared.

This time, if she obediently showed up, the imperial house might even suspect she was feeling guilty.

She had now figured it out: regardless of whether she admitted to being the Hall Master of the Lingguang Hall or not, the outside world would waver between belief and disbelief.

Since responding or not responding would both lead to doubts, she might as well let outsiders guess.

Unwilling to expend too much mental energy on such trivial external matters, Hua Changxi redirected her focus back to cultivation.

Amidst repeated silent recitations of the Clear Heart Mantra, the black flames finally stabilized, and the turbulent emotions churning within her heart subsided.

Hua Changxi exhaled, stood up, and continued walking deeper into the Wutong Forest.

In the outer perimeter of the Wutong Forest, one purifies their bloodline.

In the middle region of the Wutong Forest, one awakens their potential.

The assistance the Wutong Forest provided to cultivators truly exceeded Hua Changxi's imagination.

As the scorching heat in the air continued to rise, Hua Changxi looked at the several towering ancient trees in the heart of the Wutong Forest and the guqin floating above them; usually fearless and straightforward, she now hesitated.

She hesitated over whether to venture deeper!

She knew that to obtain the guqin and become the Master of the Wutong Forest, she would inevitably have to undergo trials.

Having just experienced that sudden lightning tribulation, she felt timid.

She feared that during the trials, she would be influenced by the black flames again.

Should she withdraw from the Wutong Forest now?

Absolutely not.

The Zhu Que Army needed the Wutong Forest; the wutong trees within it, as well as the fire spirit mines, were resources urgently required by the Zhu Que Army.

Hua Changxi sighed, leaning back wearily against a wutong tree, feeling the warm pulsations returning from the tree while gazing at the several Nirvana Dao Wutong trees deep within the forest.

There were exactly nine Nirvana Dao Wutong trees, arranged in a perfect circle according to some mysterious trajectory.

The nine trees were equally spaced, their root systems connected to underground meridians, as if forming a natural Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Formation, with every leaf circulating with glazed treasure light.

The Nine Heavens Phoenix Cry Guqin floated in the sky above the encirclement formed by the nine Nirvana Dao Wutong trees.

The surface of the strings shimmered with a faint halo, as if flames were dancing within.

The body of the instrument was ancient and majestic in style, yet exuded a sacred and inviolable majesty, as if condensed from the most primordial power of heaven and earth.

To the Phoenix clan and humans with ancestral Phoenix bloodlines, the Nirvana Dao Wutong might hold a fatal attraction for purifying their bloodlines, but for Hua Changxi, what she perceived was the 'Dao Rhyme' emanating from the Nirvana Dao Wutong.

The 'light chain' within Hua Changxi's body, originally dim and lightless due to the chakra seal, upon sensing the 'Dao Rhyme,' trembled violently like withered grass encountering timely rain after a long drought.

On the originally gray and withered chain, star-like specks of faint light first seeped out; then, these points of light merged like fireflies into streams as fine as hair, slowly flowing along the trajectory of the light chain.

Summoned by the 'Dao Rhyme,' all hesitation vanished from Hua Changxi's heart; suppressing all concerns, she stepped forward toward the Nirvana Dao Wutong.

"Zeng~"

The moment Hua Changxi stepped into the circular domain formed by the nine Nirvana Dao Wutong trees, the Nine Heavens Phoenix Cry Guqin floating in the air seemed to be infused with life.

The seven strings moved without wind, plucking at speeds indistinguishable to the naked eye, emitting a clear note capable of splitting metal and stone.

The sound waves spread, and a nine-colored Nirvana True Fire ripple, imbued with the intent of creation and destruction, surged directly toward Hua Changxi.

"Hong~"

The fire wave suddenly expanded, and Hua Changxi was instantly pulled into a boundless, fiercely burning sea of fire.

Being situated within a sea of fire was something Hua Changxi had experienced countless times, so she showed no sign of panic.

However, within merely a few breaths, she discovered to her horror that this sea of fire was completely different from those she had encountered before.

Her body, which had been tempered to become extremely powerful, now began to show signs of dissipating in wisps, like snow thrown into boiling water.

It was not being burned away, nor carbonized, but being decomposed at the very essence of existence.

Hua Changxi's pupils contracted sharply.

What place was the Wutong Forest?

The dwelling place of the Phoenix.

Phoenix...

Nirvana...

"This is... a Nirvana Sea of Fire!"

Hua Changxi instantly understood the guqin's intention.

This was not an ordinary trial, but the most direct Nirvana ritual!

Nirvana means being born from death; first one must die, and only then can one live.

What the guqin wanted her to experience was the entire process of a Phoenix bathing in fire and being reborn through ten thousand tribulations.

This meant she had to actively release all defenses, completely merge herself into this fire of destruction, allow her physical body to be dismembered and dissipated within the flames, and then, from the ashes, use her Nascent Soul as a seed to reshape her physical body.

If the Nirvana succeeded, she would be able to completely control this Wutong Forest, becoming the true "Master of the Wutong Forest."

Turbulent waves surged in Hua Changxi's heart; when she had cultivated the 'Law of Heaven and Earth Manifestation,' she had held back due to the fear of losing herself, daring not to fully merge with heaven and earth.

And now, the guqin's trial actually required her to actively abandon her life and personally destroy the physical body she used.

Hua Changxi naturally could not do it, nor was she willing to.

Feeling the erosion of the Nirvana True Fire on her body becoming increasingly severe, her right arm already turning semi-transparent, and her consciousness beginning to blur under the oppressive pressure of the flames, Hua Changxi's heart once again panicked uncontrollably.

Once panic set in, fear sprouted like a gangrene clinging to the bone.

The black flames on her Nascent Soul immediately shot out like venomous snakes, growing wildly and rapidly amplifying her fear.

Having previously suffered the terrifying experience of being completely swallowed by fear, Hua Changxi this time did not hesitate for a moment; she poured all her power into her legs, turning into a lingering shadow as she dashed desperately toward the direction she had come from!

"Hu hu hu~"

Leaning against a wutong tree, Hua Changxi gasped heavily; although lingering palpitations and aftermath fear from being in the Nirvana Sea of Fire remained in her heart, when she looked at the guqin above the Nirvana Dao Wutong, there was not the slightest intention of giving up.

She would not allow herself to be truly controlled by the Black Flame, nor would she allow herself to be defeated by it, yet at this moment, she truly had no way to deal with the Black Flame.

If she did not confront the Black Flame directly, meaning she could not face the Nirvana trial head-on, then she would have to devise another method to seize the ancient zither.

Accepting the trial was the proper path.

Since she now intended to bypass the trial, her only option was... to take it by force.

Once her emotions settled, Hua Changxi immediately unleashed the divine ability 'Fa Tian Xiang Di'.

Her body instantly shot upward and expanded!

In the blink of an eye, a giant appeared, taller than the Nirvana Wutong, radiating infinite pressure!

Standing outside the Nirvana Wutong like a god or demon towering between heaven and earth, Hua Changxi stretched out a colossal hand that blocked out the sun and sky, grabbing fiercely at the suspended ancient zither!

"Zeng~"

Hua Changxi had anticipated the zither's counterattack; disregarding the waves of sound, she swiftly seized the instrument.

Because she did not stand in the center of the Nirvana Wutong, she was not pulled into the sea of Nirvana fire, yet the fire waves emitted by the zither struck her flesh like countless sharp blades.

At the same time, the sound of the zither could shake the divine soul.

Relying on her formidable physical body, Hua Changxi forcibly withstood the zither's heavy blows.

"Hong~"

The ancient zither was instantly enveloped in flames; the fire not only burned Hua Changxi's hand viciously but also spread along her arm to other parts of her body, as if determined to reduce her to ashes.

"Ten Thousand Flames Pay Homage~"

Once this divine ability activated, the flames emanating from the zither caused little burn damage to Hua Changxi.

However, she still could not budge the zither, nor could she move it away from above the Nirvana Wutong.

Meanwhile, outside the Wutong forest, cultivators from various factions who had been watching the scene witnessed an unprecedented tug-of-war—a straining giant versus an immovable ancient zither.

High above the Central Sacred Land, Wei Zhenjie helplessly lowered his head, covering his forehead with his hand.

What is a zither meant for?

To be played.

What kind of nonsense is wrestling with a zither?

This Hall Master of the Lingguang Hall truly lacks intelligence.