Chapter 409: Unyielding Heart

Confirming that the Wutong Forest barrier had regenerated, Hua Changxi relaxed her mind slightly before turning her gaze to her body, which had been ravaged into a bloody mess by the Fire Phoenix's impact.

Blood mixed with scorched flesh had pooled beneath her into a dark red, nearly black stain; her Dharma robe was burned full of holes, revealing wounds underneath so deep they exposed bone.

The gruesome wounds curled open, their edges still retaining the residual heat from the licking flames.

Had this happened to an ordinary cultivator, being pierced through by a Fire Phoenix would have long since caused their body to explode and die, or shattered their meridians inch by inch, reducing them to a cripple.

Yet she could still move freely, her very breath carrying a steady rhythm.

This was the mystery of the Nine-Turn Mystical Art: at the beginning of body refinement, one uses the 'Nine Turns' method to polish the flesh layer by layer, from skin and membrane to muscles and tendons, from bones to internal organs, with every step undergoing tempering beyond what ordinary people can imagine.

Precisely because of this, when the Fire Phoenix pierced through her, the violent impact force it unleashed, sufficient to shatter metal and stone, found her physical body still standing firm.

From the outside, although her flesh and blood were a mess, only the skin, membrane, and superficial muscles had borne the most direct impact; those gaping wounds, though terrifying to behold, had actually avoided all critical meridians and acupoints.

Through cultivating the Nine-Turn Mystical Art, her physical body had already been forged in a thousand temperings and a hundred refinements, establishing an 'indestructible foundation' far surpassing that of ordinary people.

For Hua Changxi, this Fire Phoenix impact was a test of her physical body, and the Nine-Turn Mystical Art finally revealed its true value at this moment.

The number one body-refining technique for the physical form; its reputation was well deserved.

Blood continued to seep from the scorched wounds; steadying her mind, Hua Changxi closed her eyes and activated the divine ability 'Myriad Fires Pay Homage.'

In an instant, the dormant fire spiritual energy within the Wutong Forest surged toward her broken body like an awakened torrent of molten lava.

All the crimson-red leaves in the forest moved without wind, fine sparks oozing from cracks in the tree bark; the entire forest seemed to transform into a massive fire spiritual furnace, with her as the sole absorption core at its center.

At this moment, Hua Changxi was like a black hole, rapidly devouring the fire spiritual energy in the forest, which quickly transformed into warm currents that nourished and repaired her body.

Nourished by these warm currents, the exposed wounds wriggled and scabbed over at a speed visible to the naked eye; the charred epidermis sloughed off, revealing new flesh beneath, white and smooth as jade.

Simultaneously, with the infusion of pure fire spiritual energy, the sea of qi in her dantian, which had been on the verge of drying up, rapidly filled once more.

When the last trace of charred skin fell away, revealing flawless skin underneath, Hua Changxi ceased her cultivation and opened her eyes, which sparkled with bright light.

The divine ability 'Myriad Fires Pay Homage' was not only a powerful technique for subduing enemies but also an astonishing ability for healing injuries.

With her injuries completely healed, Hua Changxi finally felt at ease and had the mood to take a proper look at this blessed land and cave heaven of the Wutong Forest.

After the Nine Heavens Phoenix Cry Zither acknowledged her as its master, she gained an omniscient perspective over the Wutong Forest.

Like the Zhurong Tomb, the Wutong Forest was divided into three progressive zones.

The outer perimeter of the Wutong Forest: cleansing the marrow and purging the meridians, purifying the bloodline; the middle region of the Wutong Forest: igniting potential, questioning one's true heart; the heartland of the Wutong Forest: comprehending the Great Dao, undergoing nirvana and rebirth.

Hovering high above the Nirvana Dao Wutong tree, Hua Changxi moved her thoughts slightly, causing the residual fire spiritual energy in the forest to recede like a withdrawing tide; her vision suddenly expanded, taking the entire Wutong Forest in at a glance.

"Hmm?"

Hua Changxi detected a faint trace of spiritual energy fluctuation; her figure flashed, vanishing from the sky, and when she reappeared, she stood before a Wutong tree several meters in diameter in the middle region of the forest.

The trunk required several people to encircle it, and hanging from a horizontal branch several zhang above the ground was a large cocoon swirling with red light.

"This is..."

Hua Changxi focused her mind and activated her Eye of Truth, her gaze piercing through the cocoon shell to reveal a fledgling Fire Butterfly inside, frantically fluttering.

Crimson-gold wings wrapped around its slender body; every beat of its wings caused the fire spiritual energy within the cocoon to boil, stretching the shell walls until they were covered in spiderweb-like cracks.

It had clearly reached the edge of breaking out of the cocoon but was stuck at the final step due to exhausted spiritual energy; without assistance, it would likely be trapped and suffocate within the cocoon.

Hua Changxi watched for a moment before extending her right hand to channel spiritual energy into the red cocoon.

Fire spiritual energy seeped into the red cocoon like a thin stream; instantly, the fire patterns on the cocoon's shell blazed brightly.

First, fine cracks spread like lightning, followed by a crisp "crack" as the top of the cocoon burst open, and a Fire Butterfly shimmering with red light drilled out fiercely!

Having successfully broken out of the cocoon, the Fire Butterfly seemed extremely jubilant; it spread its wings and danced, its crimson-gold base color flowing with glazed fire patterns, while the fire feathers along the edges trembled like living things, each flap stirring up tiny sparks that traced golden-red trajectories in the air.

The Fire Butterfly flew toward Hua Changxi and hovered before her.

Then, the red light from the Fire Butterfly flared intensely; its wings, antennae, and fire feathers one by one dissolved into streams of light, replaced by a luminous cocoon enveloping a young girl.

"Bang!"

The luminous cocoon shattered, and a naked young girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, petite in stature, with skin white and smooth as jade, appeared in Hua Changxi's line of sight.

Before Hua Changxi could react, the girl smoothly dropped to her knees with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly to Hua Changxi: "Die Wu pays respects to Master; thank you, Master, for the grace of saving my life."

Hua Changxi quickly took out a set of Dharma robes: "Put these clothes on first."

The girl's face lit up with joy; she picked up the clothes, spun around, and had them on in an instant, then knelt again: "Thank you, Master."

Hua Changxi was quite curious about this suddenly appearing demon clan member who had just advanced to the Spirit Platform realm: "Why do you call me Master?"

The girl replied with a serious expression: "Master is the lord of the Wutong Forest; since Die Wu transformed into human form within the Wutong Forest, I naturally ought to serve Master as my lord."

"Moreover, without Master's appearance, which repeatedly drew the fire spiritual energy in the Wutong Forest to gather, and without Master just now infusing me with fire spiritual energy, I would never have been able to break out of the cocoon as a butterfly; sooner or later, I would have suffocated to death inside the cocoon."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi asked again: "How did you enter the Wutong Forest?"

Die Wu replied: "After the Wutong Forest barrier was broken, many human cultivators and demons rushed into the forest; that was when my mother brought me in."

Speaking of this, Die Wu lowered her head, an aura of sorrow emanating from her.

"Mother was fast; she could avoid the spatial rifts and successfully brought me into the Wutong Forest."

"But not long after we entered, Mother died in the collateral damage of a battle between a human cultivator and several Fire Phoenixes."

"The reason Die Wu survived is that after entering, I immediately formed a cocoon; Mother hid me on this Wutong tree."

"I tried many times to break out of the cocoon, but failed every time."

Die Wu looked at Hua Changxi, her eyes sparkling: "Fortunately, Master arrived; the spiritual energy in the Wutong Forest surged, injecting vitality into me."

Hua Changxi neither affirmed nor denied Die Wu's words; she condensed a Soul-Chasing Seal in her palm: "If you wish to follow me, you must imprint this Soul-Chasing Seal into your consciousness sea."

Die Wu looked at Hua Changxi and, without a second word, opened her consciousness sea.

Hua Changxi glanced at Die Wu and flicked the Soul-Chasing Seal into her brow.

"From now on, you will help me guard the Wutong Forest."

Die Wu hurriedly agreed: "Die Wu obeys your command."

Having acquired a Spirit Platform realm butterfly as a gatekeeper, Hua Changxi, in good spirits, went to the entrance of the Wutong Forest to set up a teleportation array.

As soon as the teleportation array was set up, she left the Wutong Forest.

Hua Changxi returned to the Lingguang Hall and had just finished setting up the teleportation array connecting to the other side of the Wutong Forest when she received Yu Fu's distress message.

"Master, Princess Lingyuan has falsely accused disciples of Danyuan Peak of stealing her spiritual pet; she has brought a group of cultivators to breach Danyuan Peak and demands to conduct a search there."

"Wan Feng sought out the Pavilion Masters of the Qihuang Pavilion and the Lingjing Pavilion, asking them to intervene and stop Princess Lingyuan, yet they took no action whatsoever, allowing Princess Lingyuan to cause trouble unchecked."

"Among the cultivators Princess Lingyuan brought are those at the Spirit Platform realm; Jia Lu and I may not be able to hold them off for long."

After reading the message, a look of annoyance flashed across Hua Changxi's eyes.

The imperial family simply will not rest until her identity is thoroughly confirmed.