Peerless Empress: One Woman, One Sword, Slaying Through Myriad Realms

For several days in a row, Ye Wuxi, Duan Hong, and Liu Yu'er would go out to rob and hunt monsters during the day, and then find a random place to cultivate at night...

Ye Wuxi's cultivation level couldn't break through in a short time, so she took this opportunity to condense another breath of Five Elements True Essence, just in case.

On the eighth day of the trial, a powerful aura erupted from a valley in the inner perimeter.

Outside the valley, Ye Wuxi and Liu Yu'er exchanged a glance. A moment later, Duan Hong strolled out, his cultivation having reached the fifth level of the Xuanwu realm.

Ye Wuxi said with a smile, "Brother Duan, that's a good breakthrough!"

Duan Hong smiled, "Not as good as Wuxi..."

Liu Yu'er hung her head, "Stop talking. Spending time with you guys makes me feel so useless."

Suddenly, a deafening bird cry rang out, and Ye Wuxi, Duan Hong, and Liu Yu'er couldn't help but look towards the direction from which the sound came.

There, on the horizon, seemed to be a raging fire, and the birdsong seemed to emanate from within that flame.

"Is that the depths of a secret realm?"

Ye Wuxi asked in confusion, the scene before her was truly shocking.

"Could it be that some sacred beast has been born?"

Duan Hong pondered for a moment, after all, the elder had said that there were even Xuanwu level nine demonic beasts here.

Ye Wuxi suddenly remembered something, slapped her forehead, and said, "I forgot about this."

She remembered seeing a special spot marked on the map of the secret realm, but since the three of them didn't need the map anymore after they met up, she didn't pay attention to it.

As the map was slowly unfolded, Duan Hong and Liu Yu'er gathered around.

Ye Wuxi pointed to a spot and said, "Look, according to the disciples before, this mountain is very strange. It's shrouded in a powerful, mysterious force. Anyone who gets close will be attacked. They warned everyone to avoid this place. Do you think the strange phenomenon on the horizon that day might have come from here?"

Duan Hong lowered his eyes. "Judging by the location, that's a good spot."

Liu Yu'er frowned. "Should we go over and take a look?"

Since this secret realm is intended for new disciples to practice, some of the truly powerful dangers within should have already been removed by the sect's experts. However, the elders have also warned that level two, ninth-level demonic beasts still exist, and the owner of that bird's cry is clearly no weakling...

"I want to go and see, maybe there's some opportunity. If there's real danger, I can just crush my token and give up the trial."

Ye Wuxi pondered for a moment, then said seriously, "That was clearly not a sound that an ordinary demonic beast could make. Perhaps, as Duan Hong said, some sacred beast has been born..."

Duan Hong answered without hesitation, "I'll go with you..."

Seeing that both of them were going, Liu Yu'er gritted her teeth and said, "Then I'll go too. If there's any danger, you two don't need to worry about me. I'll prepare my waist token in advance."

Ye Wuxi and Duan Hong nodded, and then the group quickly flew towards the location marked on the map.

They encountered many disciples along the way, but the group had no intention of robbing them. They had already robbed enough; securing a top-three finish in the competition was a foregone conclusion, and a couple more days wouldn't make a difference.

Following the map's directions, the group quickly located the mountain deep within, where the raging fire still burned atop its peak.

"It really is this!"

The mysterious power surrounding the entire mountain still lingered. Ye Wuxi, Duan Hong, Liu Yu'er, and the other disciples who had come with them did not rush forward, but stopped at the foot of the mountain.

After a while, Ye Wuxi whispered, "This mysterious power is slowly disappearing."

Duan Hong nodded and said in a deep voice, "The flame above is also becoming ethereal..."

"Could it be a divine beast...?"

"That's impossible. How could a divine beast appear so easily in a secret realm..."

As they were talking, several figures landed around them with a few "whoosh" sounds. Gradually, Jiang Chen, Fang Tao, Hua Zhou, Yuan Xin, and the others also arrived.

However, the four of them tacitly distanced themselves from Ye Wuxi, Duan Hong, and Liu Yu'er.

Ye Wuxi and Duan Hong paid no attention to them, their eyes fixed on the waning flames above...

Suddenly, another bird call rang out, and the ball of flame abruptly dispersed, revealing a bird entirely crimson. Though small, the aura emanating from it was chilling.

At the same time, Ye Wuxi and the others sensed that the mysterious power enveloping the entire mountain had also disappeared.

"That's the Vermilion Bird..."

"It's actually a young Vermilion Bird!"

Exclamations erupted around them. Ye Wuxi's eyes narrowed slightly. The Vermilion Bird was one of the Four Symbols, along with the Black Tortoise, White Tiger, and Azure Dragon, and yet it had appeared here...

"With the birth of the Vermilion Bird, there must be a rare fire-attribute treasure in the mountains, and there might even be the Vermilion Bird Sacred Flame..."

Those with fire-attribute constitutions felt a surge of excitement, and even those without fire-attribute constitutions were stirred. If there truly were rare and precious treasures, even if they couldn't be used, they could still fetch a good price, especially since the mountain's restrictions had been lifted.

Thinking of this, some disciples stepped forward and quickly headed into the mountain...

Seeing this, Ye Wuxi, Duan Hong, and the other four geniuses did not make any rash moves. Did they think it would be so easy to seize treasures from the sacred beast?

Sure enough, the disciples hadn't been inside long when the Vermilion Bird circling on the mountaintop spotted them and suddenly spewed several mouthfuls of flames at them.

The disciples who went inside didn't even have time to scream before they were burned to ashes, leaving not even a trace of their bodies.

Ye Wuxi and the others, who remained on the periphery to observe the situation, frowned...

Duan Hong said in a low voice, "Although it was just born, this Vermilion Bird already has a cultivation level close to the Earth Rank..."

Liu Yu'er said with some fear, "The difference in cultivation levels is too great, should we leave..."

The appearance of the Vermilion Bird is beyond the control of these new disciples; even the sect's elders probably never imagined that there would be a Vermilion Bird among them.

However, judging from the current situation, it's clear that the mountain has been claimed as Suzaku's territory. As long as they don't step onto that mountain, Suzaku shouldn't attack them proactively...

Ye Wuxi was unwilling to leave just like that. Fortune favors the bold. Thinking of the fire-attribute treasure and the Vermilion Bird Sacred Flame they had just mentioned, she knew that if she obtained them, they would greatly benefit her cultivation. If she missed this opportunity, the benefits of the Vermilion Bird would not be available to them, the new disciples...

Duan Hong seemed to read her mind and turned his head, saying, "How about we take a gamble? Our fire affinity is quite strong, which could be a significant opportunity for us..."

Liu Yu'er muttered, "You two are crazy!" She was of water element, and the things on this Vermilion Bird wouldn't be of much use to her; there was absolutely no need to take the risk...

The other four geniuses were clearly also hesitant. Their strength was obviously insufficient to contend with this Vermilion Bird, but they were unwilling to leave just like that...

But they had no chance to hesitate. The Vermilion Bird circling on the mountaintop let out a sharp cry and suddenly charged towards them, clearly not intending to let them go...