Chapter 229: Crossovers

Several days passed, and the young phoenix’s body emerged from its shell once more. She revealed a faint smile, saying, “Finally, I am reborn.”

She stretched her body. Having just been reborn, she was still too weak, her energy almost depleted; she would need time to recover to her peak. Suddenly, she turned her head to see three golden-haired elders from another world, dressed in peculiar clothes, along with their two twin apprentices, still hiding and trembling in the dense forest.

Ariel, with her golden hair and staff, hugged her legs, which were clad in round black stockings, and huddled in the shadowy corner of the forest. She murmured, “Where is this place? It must be a dream, a dream!”

Miki also curled up into a ball. She asked, “Sister, have we perhaps traveled to another world? Can we ever go back?”

The two apprentices were too naive and inexperienced; it was their first time out for training, and they had encountered such bizarre events. Their teacher, Pike, an epic hero who had lived for over five hundred years, was also crestfallen, yet held a calm acceptance of his fate as he silently awaited how this deity would deal with the three of them.

“I was in too much of a hurry then and forgot to leave them behind, so I brought them back to the Ancient Barren World instead,” the phoenix mused. With a gentle flick, she unfurled her inner world, sitting on a wooden chair within the small space, gazing at the three individuals before her.

“Oh, great deity…”

Pike quickly, respectfully, pulled the two sisters down to kneel.

The phoenix sat on the wooden chair, tapping her fair fingertips, and chuckled softly: “Emperor of the other world, tell me about your potion system!”

Pike trembled all over and immediately began to explain.

The phoenix listened with great interest, occasionally sipping tea, completely engrossed. It was as if a new world had opened up before her.

The potion system had significant flaws.

It relied on Medusa as its foundation, yet it offered a wide array of professions, seven combinations, and endless possibilities. It could even mimic all cultivation systems. Many professions within it imitated previous types of wizards—psychic, curse, wind, fire, and lightning—and it could even potentially imitate their incense-based cultivation system…

Its prosperity had already surpassed that of the Wizard World in its prime!

In the Wizard World of old, there were only a handful of Monarch Emperors in each era, easily counted on one hand.

However, in the current Potion Era, each of the three kingdoms openly boasted several Epic-level professionals, each suppressing a region, while the hidden powerhouses were almost innumerable.

As the phoenix learned more, she grew increasingly astonished. “It’s simply limitless in possibility! Each person is like a miniature Cthulhu evil god. Even the geniuses there might imitate the Daoist arts I left behind, reverse-engineer our world’s civilization system, and even begin to develop professions similar to ‘Daoists’!”

Cultivation in the Ancient Barren World was difficult, meaning there were relatively fewer strong individuals.

In contrast, cultivation in the Wizard World was simpler, leading to a more widespread presence of powerful individuals and a vast prevalence. Each world had its unique characteristics.

“Moreover, with Medusa’s personality, she will inevitably retaliate against my Ancient Barren World.” She took a deep breath, her heart heavy, understanding the dread of being targeted by such a formidable supernatural world.

Space travel was paradoxically both difficult and extremely simple.

A deity, given the right idea, would eventually figure it out. All that was needed was a space, and they had the Rubik’s Cube.

“My world’s coordinates have likely been recorded. Within a century, the Wizard World might be able to enter our Ancient Barren World.” The phoenix closed her eyes slightly, pondering before arriving at an answer: “War is about to begin.”

She did not rule out war.

In fact, other deities and Heavenly Emperors did not reject war either!

For only in times of chaos, bathed in blood, with a great catastrophe approaching, could Heavenly Emperors achieve enlightenment and the opportunity to reach the Hunyuan realm!

“I just didn’t expect that my intention to leave the Ancient Barren World and travel through the myriad realms would lead me to the former Wizard World, causing the situation to develop to this point.” She slowly stood up.

She had no regrets.

Reaching the Wizard World had been her greatest opportunity!

If she had gone to an unknown world, she might have faced deities of unknown power, with too many variables; she might have been killed outright, without the chance to be reborn from ashes.

But with Armin, she knew the details; the opponent couldn’t kill her. She could repeatedly seek out Armin for challenges, continually growing stronger through “phoenix rebirth.”

“Through this, I can enter the mid-Saint stage, then the peak-Saint stage, and only then consider the path to Level Nine afterward.”

With a path to becoming stronger laid out before her, she naturally wouldn’t let it slip by.

Ordinarily, for a deity to advance even a small stage, it would take countless long years. Armin, after over a thousand years, had only entered the mid-level deity stage; it would likely take another two to three thousand years for her to reach the high-level deity stage…

“However, if war breaks out between the two worlds, the Ancient Barren World is too weak…” The Western Era had only just ended less than a century ago, a time of transition with few new talents. “In the mortal realm, the strongest were merely at the Fifth Stage Dao Palace! And in the Celestial Realm, there were only seven Heavenly Emperors. The other side had prospered peacefully for a millennium, exceptionally strong and untouched by significant trauma. A single supernatural world, including its subordinate gods in the Underworld, boasted hundreds of Epic Emperors, and countless legendary powerhouses…”

The Phoenix Daoist Monarch spent several days thoroughly studying the potion system.

Pike’s profession was Flame Astrologer, skilled in fire spells.

Ariel’s profession was Flame Master, and Miki’s was Frost Master. The two twins shared a telepathic understanding, and when they combined their efforts, they became the hidden legendary profession: Ice-Fire Manipulator.

Next, the phoenix had no intention of keeping the three of them, nor did she wish to kill them. With a flick of her hand, she cast them out into a certain mountain range, leaving them to fend for themselves in this Ancient Barren World.

“Teacher, what should we do…”

“Are we never going back?”

The twins held their ice and fire staffs, still dressed in the exquisite black uniforms of Saint Firefly Academy. They gazed at the completely new world around them, where plants and animals were utterly different, strange and unfamiliar.

“Let’s just consider this our academy training trip,” Pike said. He took a deep breath, somewhat bewildered, and comforted his two students as they began their journey. “You’ve always been cultivating without ever getting your hands dirty; this can be considered a tempering experience from the academy.”

They continued their journey, walking through the dense forest for several days until they gradually reached a street paved with bluestone.

In a town nestled at the foot of a large mountain, wisps of cooking smoke gently drifted upwards. On the bluestone slab paths, two or three young children played in the street. From time to time, swordsmen passed by, dressed in green robes and carrying long swords on their backs.

Not far away were teahouses and taverns, with scholars and literary figures occasionally entering and exiting. Of course, there were also some beautiful courtesans soliciting customers, though they only performed arts and did not sell themselves.

Suddenly, a child’s voice could be heard.

“In three days, the Immortal from the mountain, who comes once every ten years, will arrive to recruit disciples! He’s looking for prodigies with extraordinary physiques. Those who learn can go up the mountain to cultivate and apprentice themselves to the Earth Immortal Ancestor…”

The surroundings buzzed with excitement.

An Immortal coming to our small town to take disciples?

“The path of Immortality is vast and hard to grasp.”

Inside the tavern, a swordsman clinked cups with another, observing the bustling scene outside with a calm expression. “The Earth Immortal Patriarch, Martial God Duan Qianyu,” he said, “has long since left the martial world, living in seclusion on the Ethereal Immortal Mountain, cultivating ginseng fruit trees, and reaching directly to the Fifth Stage Dao Palace! He once declared that the world was too lonely, pointing at the sky, asking, ‘Are there any gods?’”

“Martial God Duan Qianyu has transcended the martial world and become a terrestrial immortal, having lived for over a hundred years. Even if one day the martial world is crossed, and he shatters the void to ascend to the immortal realm, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Suddenly, a whooshing sound came from nearby.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!!

Amazing fighting erupted, with flashing blades and glinting swords.

Everyone looked to see a middle-aged man with a pointed chin and monkey-like cheeks, wielding two bone-breaking knives. Behind him was a swordsman with a large saber, chasing him across rooftops and performing acrobatic wall-runs.

“That’s Liu Chengfeng, the Flower Thief, the South’s most wanted criminal, infamous and hated by all!” A drinking swordsman exclaimed, slamming his wine cup down. “The one chasing him is Linghu Fei of the May Sword Sect!”

Liu Chengfeng was a notorious expert of the Divine Treasure Realm. Linghu Fei, though a young swordsman, might not be his match.

Liu Chengfeng’s lightness skill was exceptional; he laughed heartily as he darted across rooftops and walls. Suddenly, he looked down at a street below and saw two adorable twin beauties, his eyes instantly glowing with greed.

“Oh no! He’s found new prey! Whose young ladies are those? How dare they walk so boldly on the street, without even trying to hide?”

Linghu Fei’s gaze flickered, following his line of sight.

To his surprise, they were two golden-haired women, dressed in outrageously revealing attire that was an affront to decency.

They wore envy-inducing black stockings, dark red high boots, and mini-skirts. They carried grayish-black staffs and exuded an exotic beauty. They were happily eating candied haws, invented by the Earth Mother Green Vine, and various other street foods, their faces beaming with contentment as they curiously observed the surrounding streets.

Swish!

Liu Chengfeng’s eyes gleamed wickedly as he swiftly landed.

“Girls, run!” the green-robed swordsman behind him roared. He knew what a terrible fate awaited such beautiful and radiant twin girls if they fell into the hands of the Flower Thief.

“Those girls, run!!”

“Damn it! In broad daylight, where are the major sects that such a villain is allowed to run rampant?!”

On the surrounding streets, in the taverns, and in the teahouses above, scholars and swordsmen alike watched with anxious eyes.

Just then, a young local Confucian scholar, Hu Ren’nong, with a small white fox perched on his shoulder, strode forward and exclaimed, “Girls, quickly move away! The imperial court’s law enforcement is here to bring that martial world bandit to justice!”

The twins, realizing the situation, put down their candied haws. To the utter astonishment of the surrounding swordsmen, they slowly raised their staffs, held them in front of themselves, and began to chant:

“Oh, great Demon God of All Things, please hear my plea! Fiery flames (gentle water currents), obey my call! Fifth-tier spell…”

“Twin Streams of Water and Fire!!”

The staffs erupted with mental fluctuations. Blue and fiery red currents swirled and converged, instantly sending Liu Chengfeng, the martial world’s Flower Thief, flying backward.