Chapter 541: Awakening Mind's Eye, Phoenix Cry Descends

Chapter 541: Awakening the Mind's Eye, the Phoenix Cry Descends

The insect maiden Caidie conceived this suspicion, and flew toward the hot spring, skimming close to the water's surface like a dragonfly.

She had searched many places in the Divine Wood Abyss, but this hot spring she had not yet examined in detail.

Seeing this, Shen Lingxuan quickly draped her clothes over herself and dove to the bottom of the hot spring, listening intently.

"The sound of chopping wood, the sound of flames..."

Faint sounds reached her, and she tried to distinguish them.

Perhaps they were too far away; she could not hear them clearly.

"Break for me!"

With a soft shout from the insect maiden Caidie, a peculiar wave of power struck the weakest point of the hot spring, but the bottom remained utterly still.

"It seems... we cannot open this." Disappointment showed in the insect maiden Caidie's eyes. "The rumors are true—unless one has a special fate, even encountering the Divine Wood Abyss does not grant entry."

"What is inside the Divine Wood Abyss?" Shen Lingxuan asked curiously.

The insect maiden Caidie's gaze grew complex. "I do not know either... only that there are many fortunes within, and it is also the safest place in the Green Mountain Realm."

Now, hiding in the Divine Wood Abyss with Shen Lingxuan, the insect maiden Caidie was actually quite anxious.

The Chaotic Star Domain was almost entirely under the control of the Radiant Assembly.

The strong of the Radiant Assembly were constantly patrolling the realms, searching for the Chosen.

If it were before, she and Shen Lingxuan could have hidden safely in the Divine Wood Abyss and lain dormant for a long time.

But... the news that Shen Lin Qi Yuan had slain the Seven Gods would surely draw the attention of the Radiant Assembly.

If the Radiant Assembly sent powerful beings to descend upon the Green Mountain Realm to search for Qi Yuan, they might very well find the two of them.

With their current strength, opposing the Radiant Assembly would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—utterly futile.

Thus, finding the Divine Wood Abyss was absolutely necessary.

...

Sunset Cliff.

Chen Kangbao was eating steamed buns, his belly round and full.

Ji Wuyun, dressed in an emerald green long skirt, looked at Chen Kangbao with helplessness in her eyes. "Aren't you worried about your young master? What if something... happens to him?"

Having agreed to meet through the Divine Wood Token, Ji Wuyun had still chosen to come.

"My young master is a god descended to earth; you could choke to death before he ever dies," Chen Kangbao replied truthfully.

Ji Wuyun, who was eating a steamed bun, suddenly found it tasteless.

Just then, footsteps sounded, and a man in black appeared.

On his forehead was a pattern, as if a character was carved into it, giving him an especially sinister look.

A smile was perpetually on his face, but that smile felt dangerous.

This man was a staff member of Thornblood, the NPC gold-medal commentator Xianling Yingjun.

But now, his expression was somewhat grave. "There's a troublesome matter. The Phoenix Cry Great Lord of the Radiant Assembly has descended upon the Green Mountain Realm, likely for the Chosen."

"The Phoenix Cry Great Lord?" Ji Wuyun's face immediately showed fear.

To Ji Wuyun, neither Thornblood nor the Radiant Assembly were good people.

"He is no ordinary Great Lord. His true form is one of the top three in combat power among the Five-Step Sky-Treading of the current era of the Radiant Universe!" Mentioning this, Xianling Yingjun's face bore deep dread.

He himself was at the Three-Step Sky-Treading, and among those at that level, he was a top-tier powerhouse.

But... how vast was the Zhou Universe? Considering only the Three-Step Sky-Treading in the Void Paradise, in terms of combat power ranking, he would be placed after three hundred.

Top three... what kind of existence was that?

A single breath could likely slay him.

"My young master is invincible. A mere Phoenix Cry, slain with one sword!" Chen Kangbao was utterly unconcerned. As he ate his bun, perhaps feeling his boast was too exaggerated, he added, "If one sword won't do, then two."

Xianling Yingjun gave a helpless smile. "The Phoenix Cry is different from previous opponents."

Shen Lin was strong, unmatched in the Green Mountain Realm.

He could be considered the strongest in the Green Mountain Realm.

But that scope was limited to a single world.

The Phoenix Cry, however, operated on a cosmic scale.

Comparing Shen Lin to the Phoenix Cry was like comparing a village school to a galactic university.

"I hope he doesn't find this place... If Brother Qi Yuan is truly in the Divine Wood Abyss... perhaps he can avoid the Phoenix Cry," Xianling Yingjun said.

...

"I've built a ladder to see the exit more clearly and awaken the Mind's Eye.

When the ladder is fully complete, would you like to climb it and leave?" Qi Yuan continued forging the ladder.

Now, the ladder was more than half finished.

The blind girl shook her head. She looked up at the grain-sized speck of light in the sky, but her eyes saw only emptiness.

"This exit cannot accommodate me," the blind girl said, shaking her head.

She wanted to leave, but this exit would not work.

"Oh, are you very tall?" Qi Yuan glanced at the blind girl, tempted to touch her to see if she was indeed tall.

But from her breathing and heartbeat, Qi Yuan felt that although the blind girl was slender, she was hardly a giant.

The blind girl paid him no heed and instead asked, "Have you mastered the Art of Artifact Refining? Have you awakened the Mind's Eye? Have you forged a divine artifact?"

Three questions in a row.

Qi Yuan gave an awkward smile. "No."

He didn't want to talk to the blind girl either.

Why was she so harsh?

"Alas, the Eight Gates Art of Artifact Refining is too difficult; I've only reached mastery so far."

"...A bit slow," the blind girl finally judged after a long hesitation.

She set down the fruit and went off to the place where she often swung on the swing.

Qi Yuan set up the repaired ladder, towering high, a full several dozen zhang.

He carefully climbed up, finally reaching the top out of breath.

He began to look again at the grain-sized gleam.

Being closer, he could see it more clearly.

"Why... do I hear the sound of water?"

"Could it be that this exit leads to a river?"

"Alas, the mind's eye is too hard to grasp."

"If only I had a progress bar."

"You glanced ahead—proficiency increased by one."

Qi Yuan rambled nonsense.

"The ladder really helps; feeling closer... I comprehend more."

A breeze swept by. Qi Yuan stood on the ladder, his blind eyes sizing up that grain-of-rice-sized glimmer.

Time slipped past; nearly a year had passed since Qi Yuan came to the Divine Tree Abyss.

The ladder had finally reached its top.

After setting the ladder in place, Qi Yuan climbed up with joy.

"I see the exit—big and round—can I still not comprehend?"

Focusing on one thing for so long, Qi Yuan felt... that his awakening of the mind's eye might come in an instant.

Perhaps, when he touched that grain of light, he could awaken the mind's eye.

With the mind's eye's help, his artifact-forging speed would likely increase.

Maybe the blind artifact master's wish could be fulfilled, achieving perfection in both playing the Divine Descendant and the blind artifact master.

With this thought, Qi Yuan had already climbed to the ladder's highest point.

The wind was strong; the ladder swayed.

He stared at the grain-like speck of light, held his breath, and watched intently.

The wind stopped; his heart calmed.

"The so-called mind's eye is merely another angle to observe things."

"Eyes can deceive, but the heart cannot."

"No, my eyes won't deceive me, nor will my heart."

In that instant, Qi Yuan felt a stirring.

"The heart is an extension of the eye..."

A profound, mysterious sensation spread through Qi Yuan's eyes.

Suddenly, he felt the world become clear and bright, no longer black and red.

"Still blind... but my perception... has grown much stronger."

This boost in perception was like a little golden finger for Qi Yuan.

His perception had always been strong; now it had risen again. He continued to look toward the grain-like speck of light.

Suddenly, a flicker of doubt crossed his eyes: "This light... big and round."

He seemed to see it big and round.

Of course, it was only seeming.

His eyes were still blind; he merely sensed a certain outline.

"Who?"

A sharp cry rang out. A long dress draped over Shen Lingxuan's graceful figure, her eyes wary.

The insect girl Caidie fluttered her wings and flew over, staring at the hot spring with caution.

"That voice sounds familiar..." Qi Yuan murmured.

As if separated by a world, the voice was somewhat muffled.

But Qi Yuan had a good memory; he quickly figured out who it was: "Shen Lingxuan... is that you?"

This woman was the wife of the live-in son-in-law Qi Yuan.

She was also the final link to complete his role as the live-in son-in-law.

"You are..." Shen Lingxuan's cold expression showed confusion.

Beside her, the insect girl Caidie looked astonished: "What voice? I didn't hear anything?"

She naturally didn't know that Qi Yuan's communication with Shen Lingxuan now relied on his special ability.

Qi Yuan's ears could hear some sounds, and upon hearing them, he could reply.

Back then, he had used this ability to converse with the soundless voice.

Now, hearing Shen Lingxuan's voice with his ears, he quickly answered with his superpower.

Caidie naturally couldn't hear it.

Shen Lingxuan's eyes showed confusion.

She couldn't understand why Caidie hadn't heard such a loud voice.

With doubt, she replied, "Is it you?"

That familiar voice reminded her of the young gentleman she had met twice before.

Back then, that young gentleman had slain a lecherous bandit with a single sword strike, leaving a deep impression on her.

He... actually knew her?

And how was he... beneath the Divine Tree Abyss?

"You recognize me?" Qi Yuan was a bit pleased. "Lingxuan, I've searched for you for so long, never finding you. I never expected to meet you here."

Caidie was baffled, watching Shen Lingxuan talk to the air.

She wondered if Shen Lingxuan had lost her mind.

She hovered quietly.

Shen Lingxuan's face showed surprise: "You're looking for me? Who exactly are you?"

She sensed a hint of conspiracy.

That young gentleman had been searching for her all along.

"I am your husband... Qi Yuan."

"What?" Shen Lingxuan's body trembled slightly, her cold, beautiful face showing disbelief—her features paling, yet still stunning.

Wasn't he a live-in son-in-law?

Zhi Shuang had said he was a weak, powerless... waste.

"I went to the Ten Thousand Mountain Range to find you some time ago, but I searched everywhere and couldn't find you.

Oh, and that Fifth Wei who tried to abduct you as a maidservant—I killed him with a casual strike."

Hearing this, Shen Lingxuan's disbelief deepened.

Then she heard Qi Yuan continue: "Don't worry about the Raksha Kingdom's revenge. I went there not long ago and killed Fifth Bufan."

"Wait... are you the Divine Descendant Qi Yuan?" Even though Shen Lingxuan was as cold as a jade carving, her emotions calm, at this moment a storm raged in her heart.

The one who had slain seven gods, the divine Lin Qiyuan, was actually her husband, that son-in-law who had married into her family.

How could this not shock her?

It was like on Blue Star, a woman suddenly discovering that her live-in husband was the strongest post-80s on the surface.

Beside her, the insect woman Caidie was frantic, like an ant on a hot pan, spinning in circles; or like a short girl trying to watch a commotion, jumping up but still unable to see because the crowd blocked her view—that kind of frantic.

Shen Lingxuan looked at the insect woman Caidie, her voice as icy as ever, yet through that coldness, one could feel the tremor in her words.

“The one speaking to me… is my… husband, that is, the divine Lin Qiyuan.” When she said the word “husband,” a blush crept up her snow-white face, like flowers piled on a tree, making her even more enchanting.

“Wait… your husband is him? Where is he?” The insect woman Caidie was also shocked.

Could there really be so many coincidences in this world?

“He’s down below.” Shen Lingxuan looked at the hot spring, her face growing even redder, more delicate and alluring.

Because she recalled the first time she met him, when he had said… he wanted to ride her.

Back then, she had only thought he was insane.

Now, thinking back, her heart fluttered. That “ride”… her mind couldn’t help but conjure that image. The ice-cold fairy-like woman quickly pushed the thought away, feeling a bit annoyed.

And in her heart, a strange gratitude toward Qiyuan arose.

He had ventured deep into the Ten Thousand Mountains, slain the Fifth Unparalleled, and saved her.

“Fate, truly you search high and low but find nothing, and now I’ll try to come up and find you.”

After saying this, Qiyuan squeezed toward that grain-sized speck of light.

A piercing pain struck him, like knives slicing through his flesh.

“It hurts a bit,” Qiyuan remarked.

Indeed, it hurt terribly, like suffering a thousand cuts, or even worse.

Probably, an ordinary Yang God, facing this pain in mortal form, would faint.

But Qiyuan had long grown accustomed to pain; this little bit meant nothing to him.

Shen Lingxuan watched the hot spring below, curiosity in her eyes, along with some anticipation and hesitation.

She had never seen her “husband,” and she felt uneasy about meeting Qiyuan, unsure how to face him.

Now that Qiyuan was about to appear, her mind was in turmoil.

What if Qiyuan said again that he wanted to ride her… how should she respond?

But just then, her expression suddenly froze.

Beside her, the insect woman Caidie also suddenly looked up at the sky, terror in her eyes.

They saw above the Divine Wood Abyss, a majestic figure descending.

White robes fluttering, a sword on his back, he stood in the void, miles away.

Yet even so, the insect woman Caidie still felt an invincible pressure.

As if that man, with one sword stroke, could shatter heaven and earth.

“Someone from the Radiant Assembly!” the insect woman Caidie said, her face pale. “A Great Venerable!”

Shen Lingxuan also felt that surging sword intent.

She recognized the man—the one who had slain her with a single sword in her past life, that outsider from beyond the heavens.

Back then, she had only thought he was a divine-level being.

Now, with greater strength and broader knowledge, she understood that he was no ordinary divine.

This was a Great Venerable!

Not just any Great Venerable.

Feng Ti stood in the void, his eyes falling upon the Divine Wood Abyss, gleaming with sharp light.

“Did you think hiding beneath the Divine Wood Abyss would let you escape me?”

A mocking expression flashed in Feng Ti’s eyes.

The sword on his back trembled constantly, and heaven and earth shuddered in response.

Suddenly, the sword left its sheath, like a swimming dragon.

Boom!

A mighty sword strike, sharp and fierce, cutting through all things.

In an instant, the protective barrier above the Divine Wood Abyss shattered.

That barrier, enough to block attacks from divine-level beings and even ordinary Great Venerables, was broken in that moment.

Feng Ti’s gaze fell on Shen Lingxuan and the insect woman Caidie, a sneer in his eyes. “Little bugs that only know how to hide, this time, I wonder if you can live another life.”

He recognized Shen Lingxuan.

At that moment, Shen Lingxuan, frozen with cold, felt an immense pressure. Her body trembled involuntarily, and she looked at the hot spring, unable to help but say,

“Don’t come out! It’s dangerous outside!”

Only by hiding in the Divine Wood Abyss could she be truly safe.

Her husband Qiyuan was strong, but the man opposite… was a Great Venerable, and not an ordinary one.

If her husband came out, he would surely die.

At this moment, she felt a trace of worry for Qiyuan.

(End of chapter)