Chapter 516: Nirvana Success

The blood energy and black mist were too heavy; I could only see Dìshì's silhouette, unable to clearly see his facial expression.

But I could imagine that his mood right now was certainly not pleasant.

Everything had spiraled out of control.

Although he wasn't out in the open, he was the one pulling the strings behind the Feng Clan.

He had painstakingly built it up over many years, yet the Feng Clan was basically destroyed in an instant today.

Mount Cangwu collapsed, the wutong tree spirits withered, and the large flocks of birds he had carefully raised and trained all died.

Even Dìluán vanished completely.

In the end, all that seemed left for him was that one evil bone.

How could he not feel heartbroken?

If his disposition were even slightly worse, he would have coughed up blood and gone mad.

However, for me, there remains the most crucial gate before true Nirvana success.

Success or failure hangs on this single move.

Dìshì moved.

He stepped forward step by step, and as he approached the fire sea, I saw a fireball hurtle straight at him, flashing with lightning.

He instantly retreated two steps, then returned to his original spot.

The superimposed dual formations of the Ancestral Tomb Formation Array and the Nirvana Fire Sea were unprecedentedly strong—so strong that even Dìshì could not easily approach.

Although I couldn't move at the time, a continuous stream of mana was forcibly poured into my body, and I could feel the warmth of that power.

I couldn't help but feel grateful—having a backing feels truly great!

Dìshì could ignore me, toy with the entire Feng Clan in the palm of his hand, even set up formations in advance to meddle during the Nirvana Fire's cooldown, but when facing those seniors inside the ancestral tomb, he also knew to back down.

But I also understand that, from his standpoint, he could never simply resign himself to withdrawing completely, after all the Feng Clan is merely his stepping stone; he still has deeper schemes elsewhere.

The seniors are aiding my Nirvana; once it ends, whether successful or not, the power of the Ancestral Tomb Formation Array will completely dissipate.

By then, it will be the moment Dìshì makes his move against me.

So he temporarily withdrew.

He waited patiently.

I no longer pay attention to Dìshì; I calm my mind and breath, striving to transform the mana infused into my body into internal force—how much I can convert and absorb depends on my ability.

I will not let down the seniors' efforts on my behalf.

I will give my all to receive this rare and precious gift!

When I closed my eyes and focused all my essence, energy, and spirit inward, my sensitivity to those powers became sharper.

Soon, I entered a wondrous realm.

I saw my spiritual body sitting cross-legged in midair, surrounded by rings of people with immortal bearing—men and women, oldsters with white hair and beards, and young women in the prime of youth.

They too sat cross-legged, one hand forming seals, the other supporting a palm, all facing me in unison.

Layer upon layer of spiritual power and mana surged into my body; at first, I only felt as if my body were being scorched.

But soon I noticed that my spiritual body seemed to be gradually veiled in a layer of red gauze.

The red gauze piled up layer by layer, the light grew dimmer, the space I occupied shrank, and the temperature rose higher.

In the end, I found myself wrapped like an egg, with firewood piled beneath it, constantly roasting me.

I saw the flesh and blood that had previously grown on me melt away bit by bit; once it reached a certain degree, new flesh and blood regrew.

Over and over.

I was like a piece of iron forged through a thousand hammerings.

Only after a hundred refinements does one become steel!

When flesh and blood re-covered my body and new skin grew, my head of white hair fluttered wildly in the heat wave; with a tremendous boom, a bolt of thunder struck down from nowhere, slamming hard into the eggshell.

At the same moment, I jerked my neck upward, feeling once again the urge to let out a long, skyward howl.

But this time, when I let out that high-pitched cry, my physical form suddenly changed!

I saw my human form transform into a huge bird, its bare wings spread wide, spanning several meters; from every pore, golden feathers sprouted frantically, and the white hair on my head turned into golden feathers.

The feather mark between my brows turned into a blood-red plume.

I was overwhelmed with excitement—my true form had returned at last; I had become the Golden Phoenix again!

I flapped my wings awkwardly, constantly tumbling through the fire sea, relishing the exhilaration of free flight at this moment.

But just then, an unprecedentedly huge thunderbolt struck me out of the blue.

I was knocked straight down from midair, my body plummeting uncontrollably.

Fortunately, I soon stabilized my posture, and the seniors below promptly formed a formation to catch me.

I broke out in a cold sweat from fright, raised my head, and let out several cries toward the sky.

Will this heavenly thunder ever end!

No sooner had the sound faded than several more heavenly thunderbolts struck; I dodged left and right but still sustained some injury.

Though I wasn't seriously wounded, my whole body of glittering golden feathers still shed in a flutter.

After a brief moment of tension, I saw that where the golden feathers had fallen, new feathers were already growing back.

And the newly grown wing feathers were actually colorful!

It turned out the Golden Phoenix was merely my original form; after Nirvana success, regardless of the original color, the feathers of the Nirvana Phoenix must be colorful!

What's even more astonishing is that my true form's tail feathers already had a certain length, growing proportionally like a peacock's display.

But now, after all the tail feathers had shed, the newly grown colorful tail feathers reached an astonishing length—both frightening and breathtakingly beautiful.

At that moment, I even hovered in midair, head lowered, gazing at my tail feathers, stunned by their splendor.

Soon I came to my senses, for amidst such joy I spotted something that spoiled the mood.

At that time, I was the first to see Feng Wu.

During my Nirvana transformation, as my natal magic item, Feng Wu also underwent the tribulation and transformed along with me.

The bow's limbs doubled in thickness, the surface of the paulownia wood looked as if plated with a layer of Golden Light, and at the upper end of the bow's handle, where Golden Scale had once been inlaid, there were now three more……Nirvana fire?

Wouldn't that mean that the flames Feng Wu shoots in the future are Nirvana flames?

The bow transformed into a human form; the little one seemed to grow tall in the wind, and in the blink of an eye became a tall, graceful young lady.

No, tall and graceful isn't accurate; it should be described as spirited and heroic bearing.

Not far from her, a small hexagonal palace lamp floated in midair, rising and falling with the airflow.

I stared at it for a good while, and for a moment I didn't dare to recognize it.

It looked like an infinitely miniaturized version of the Soul-guiding Lamp, except the handle was missing.

If it weren't for the few ferocious ghost faces still on the tiny lamp chamber, I wouldn't have dared to recognize it.

The Soul-guiding Lamp belongs to Yin; wherever there had been Nirvana fire before, I never dared to bring it.

I never expected that this time, during my Nirvana, it would also successfully undergo the tribulation together with me.

I saw a tiny flame beating at the forehead of each ghost face; they too had been empowered by Nirvana fire.

This was nothing short of an unexpected delight.

If there weren't still another fellow behind them, I would be even happier…