Ancient Phoenix City.
In the Departure Fire God Realm, it was considered the most ancient city of all.
It was said that this city’s history stretched back even further than the Departure Fire God Realm itself.
Among the people, there was an old saying:
"First ca the Ancient Phoenix, then ca the fire. Departure Fire was born after the ancient city."
The aning was simple enough.
Long ago, a phoenix descended from the heavens, carrying blazing flas that engulfed the world.
The phoenix had co here to transcend its tribulation, but unfortunately, it failed.
When the phoenix died, heaven and earth wept.
A great fire raged for three whole years, a fire that no power could extinguish.
Only after three years did the flas suddenly die out. The lands that had been burned were nad the Departure Fire Region. And the place where the phoenix had fallen, the birthplace of that great inferno, beca Ancient Phoenix City.
That was the story of the city’s origin.
The teleportation formation in Ocean Sage City led directly to Ancient Phoenix City.
However, the city had long since been overrun by the Water Beasts.
For that reason, Ocean Sage City had not used the teleportation formation in many years, no one knew what awaited on the other end.
So even suggested destroying the formation, to prevent anything from Ancient Phoenix City from crossing over.
But after long deliberation, the Dragon Lord decided to keep it, though sealed indefinitely.
Now, Xu Zimo and the Violet Mist Saint Sovereign stood upon that teleportation formation.
Though dormant for ages, the formation remained stable and intact.
Xu Zimo looked to the Violet Mist Saint Sovereign and asked, “Have you heard any news of Moonlight Fairy?”
The three of them had entered the Inferno Crucible Heaven together, but after separating, there had been no contact.
The Violet Mist Saint Sovereign shook his head with a weary smile.
“I’ve inquired before, but still no trace. We’ll find her in ti. With her strength as a Saint Sovereign, there are few beings capable of harming her.”
Xu Zimo nodded. That wasn’t what worried him anyway.
“This ti in Ancient Phoenix City, we must be careful,” he said. “That place might be the lair of the Water Beasts. If danger cos, don’t worry about . Protect yourself first, even if you have to flee. I have my own ans of survival.”
He said it as a reminder.
At their level, surviving their own battles was already difficult, helping another was nearly impossible.
Xu Zimo himself was unafraid, but he worried that the Violet Mist Saint Sovereign might fall.
The enemies this ti, the alliance of the Heavenly Court and the Water Beasts, were quite formidable.
After what felt like a long ti, they sensed a shift in the void around them.
That ant Ancient Phoenix City was near.
Both grew alert, focusing on the end of the teleportation path.
Xu Zimo chuckled. “What do you think we’ll find at the end?”
“Infinite waves of Water Beasts?” guessed the Violet Mist Saint Sovereign.
“I don’t think so,” Xu Zimo replied, shaking his head. “The beasts are for large-scale wars. Against people like us, they’re not much use.” He smiled. “Ever heard the saying ‘to lure the enemy into the urn’?”
The Violet Mist Saint Sovereign frowned slightly. “You an they’re laying a trap?”
“I’d say the net’s already spread,” Xu Zimo said with a grin.
They spoke casually, as though unbothered. But inwardly, neither of them relaxed for a second.
Finally, the light at the front of the formation burst open, and the two figures erged from the void as the pull of space faded.
Xu Zimo looked calm, while the Violet Mist Saint Sovereign imdiately grew tense, scanning the surroundings, ready to fight.
But all around was silence.
No sign of battle, no trap, not even the faintest presence of danger.
The city was quiet, eerily quiet.
They looked around. The ancient city wasn’t the ruin they had imagined.
The buildings stood intact, untouched by destruction.
Aside from the lifeless stillness and absence of people, Ancient Phoenix City showed no sign of Water Beast invasion.
The place was old, ancient beyond words.
They stood in what seed to be a central plaza.
From all directions stretched countless stone paths, worn and moss-covered.
Cobwebs hung between corners, trembling gently in the lonely breeze.
The air was thick with an ancient aura. There wasn’t a single Water Beast in sight.
“You win,” the Violet Mist Saint Sovereign said with a faint smile. “You guessed right, no attack. Which sohow makes this place even more unsettling.”
“No,” Xu Zimo said, shaking his head. “The attack already began the mont we stepped in.”
The Violet Mist Saint Sovereign blinked, then extended his senses.
Monts later, his expression changed.
“The entire Ancient Phoenix City is sealed,” he said gravely. “And the seal is strong, strong enough that even as Saint Sovereigns, we can’t break it.”
A brief probe told him all he needed to know.
Xu Zimo nodded slightly.
“There’s sothing strange about this seal. I can’t see through it either.”
“It’s fine,” he continued calmly. “The Heavenly Court’s been around long enough to have so divine artifact capable of sealing space. Nothing surprising there.”
He smiled. “Let’s walk around first. Right now, it’s a matter of patience.”
Xu Zimo was here for the blue man.
The Heavenly Court, on the other hand, was likely waiting to ambush him and the Violet Mist Saint Sovereign.
Now it was a test of endurance, who would act first.
Xu Zimo was in no hurry. If they had gone to the trouble of sealing the city, their move would co soon enough.
Besides, he was intrigued by this ancient place.
A city older than the entire Departure Fire God Realm.
A place sealed away for countless years, untouched since the rise of the Water Beasts.
“I’ve always wondered...” said the Violet Mist Saint Sovereign, breaking the silence.
“About what?” Xu Zimo asked.
“The Water Beasts, attacking cities, conquering lands, what’s their real purpose? I do not believe they an to rule the entire Inferno Crucible Heaven. That seems impossible.”
“And what about the ones behind the Water Beasts?” Xu Zimo countered. “What if the beasts are only their weapons?”
The Violet Mist Saint Sovereign frowned.
It made sense, but sothing still felt wrong, he just couldn’t say what.
“I’ve wondered the sa thing,” Xu Zimo admitted with a faint smile. “What’s the real aning behind the existence of the Water Beasts? That’s why I ca to the Departure Fire God Realm and dared to step into Ancient Phoenix City, to find that secret.”
There was sothing he hadn’t told anyone.
Hidden within the God World was a certain blue man.
That being was different from all others of its kind, and different from the Water Beasts as well.
What role did it play among them?
Was it good or evil?
That was what Xu Zimo wanted to know.
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