One such group of Ancient Phoenixes was valiantly marching their way through the Western Beast Range.
This particular youth group had a distinct appearance and presence compared to the average genius.
Leading the three-person team was a tall, handsome man who had a bright, carefree smile gracing his lips. His bright red Phoenix robe glowed with noticeable heat energy.
The fabric was actually infused with unique Spirit energy that continually exuded heat with each step he took.
This young man’s confidence is etched deep within his bones. There wasn’t a hint of worry about the surrounding cruel environment or other recent events.
In this young man’s hands was a long crimson-colored sword that shined with a blood-red tint.
Drips of fresh blood still trailed off the tip of the blade. Each drop of blood that touched the ground sizzled with great heat.
Behind the young man were two other beautiful youths.
One was male, and the other was female. They both wore the same special Phoenix robes and carried crimson-colored swords that dripped with fresh blood.
Though they looked the same, their expressions heavily differed from their group leader.
Both the young man and woman appeared tired, nearly exasperated.
After traveling for so long, the young woman felt the need to speak up. “Senior Brother Wu, are we done? I know you said you wanted to go for a while, but this is just a little bit much.”
The Senior Brother Wu, the girl, was referring to wasn’t any ordinary Senior Martial Brother.
For as he is actually the Ancient Phoenix Sect’s number one genius, a youth who far surpassed previous generations’ geniuses at their age, Liao Wu!
Liao Wu was undoubtedly befitting of his genius title. He diligently cultivated to the 6thfall stage and has combat prowess that is at near peak upper-tier.
At higher fall stages, it became increasingly harder to skip minor boundaries.
Just upper-tier prowess wasn’t enough to eclipse the prowess of the 7thfall stage.
𝑜𝒱𝓛xt.𝑪𝞸𝐌
However, against most other 6thfall Divine origin genius, Liao We would have a clear advantage. More often than not, he can simply suppress opponents at the same fall stage.
As for his Martial siblings, they similarly weren’t ordinary. On the contrary, they both were peak geniuses of the Ancient Phoenix Sects.
It was at a level comparable to the Royal descendants of the Huang Dragon Imperial Family!
The woman was named Huo Lei, and the man was Huo Lian, both 3rdfall Divine origin geniuses.
A group of geniuses like this can undoubtedly strive for a long time within the outer ridge of the Western Beast Range.
Although, going for hours on end can wear down anyone’s mental state.
Neither Huo Lei nor Lian possesses the crazed determination of these superior peak geniuses. Their mental states are naturally more prone to taking rest and going step by step.
Huo Lian didn’t speak up, but the look on his exasperated face showed he was in complete agreement with Lei.
However, their pleads went unanswered.
Liao Wu simply acted as if he didn’t hear them at all. Instead, he briefly paused, flicking his gaze towards the right of him.
And at that moment, a scorching atmosphere exuded from Liao Wu’s body. His Inner World surged, causing Fire Law essence to engulf his Crimson Sword.
Liao Wu then rapidly waved his Crimson Sword, going at speeds that seemed as if he didn’t move his arm at all.
The quick movement unleashed a powerful stream of Fire Law essence from Crimson Sword’s tip.
The Fire Law essence’s speed was nearly lightning-like.
Neither Huo Lei nor Lian could even react. All they sensed was a tremendous amount of power engulfing the area.
At the same time, a streak of red tore through the air.
The Fire Law essence stream converged in mid-air, forming into a brilliant flaming Phoenix!
The essence Phoenix crashed right down to a seemingly ordinary spot on the forestry ground mere hundreds of meters away.
With a loud bang akin to metal exploding, wisps of Fire Law essence scorched the ground.
Simultaneously, a miserable Dao Vicious beast cried out in anguish.
“Rwaa!!”
The Dao Vicious beast’s deathly wails grew loud for only a second before rapidly dying out.
Moments later, its life aura wholly dissipated.
Liao Wu didn’t even regard the swift kill. He calmly looked back at his Martial siblings, noting their slight surprise.
His carefree smile grew wider as he said, “See that? If you spend less time talking and thinking, there will be zero hesitation in your actions. Imagine if that was some powerful beast in the Sea Realm? What would happen to us if we were caught off guard?”
Huo Lei and Lian quietly furrowed their brows. It felt a bit annoying that they couldn’t honestly refute Liao Wu’s logic.
They’re more than aware that the slightest careless mistake could be their last. But at the same time, both Huo Lei and Lian had questions stirring.
Huo Lei relented with a quiet sigh, asking, “I get it, Senior Brother. But still! Just why are you putting so much focus on this? We’ve all been through experiences that can still haunt us to this day. How does hesitation training connect so closely with the sea realm? Beyond just the basic principle.”
Finally, against Huo Lei and Lian’s intent stares, Liao Wu relented a bit. He casually shrugged his shoulders while shaking his Crimson Sword, wiping away the fresh blood on it.
He slowly explained with his same carefree smile, “This is actually a bit of a secret, you know. Not entirely sure why but Sect Master explained to me some pivotal secrets about the Sea Realm.”
“Sect Master actually personally helped you?” Huo Lian exclaimed in real shock. “What has suddenly changed Sect Master’s mind? I can’t even remember the last time she gave any of us a shortcut.”
“Mn. Does Sect Master have some plan regarding the Sea Realm?” Huo Lei asked while in a similar state of shock.
Their reactions weren’t really exaggerated at all.
Huo Lian, Lei, and Liao Wu are all top geniuses of the massive Ancient Phoenix Sect. They shined brightly like piercing sun among hundreds of thousands of other strong and talented geniuses.
This trio evidently holds far more value than the average-rated genius.
And yet, Sect Master Qiao Tu still stayed firm with them. She never gave an inch to them, never once spoiling them.
These top disciples all had to work for their silver spoon rewards and continue to work in order to keep all of their benefits. Even for the smallest of things, Sect Master Qiao Tu wouldn’t bother to show herself.
But apparently, now, after all these years, Sect Master Qiao Tu has a change of heart?
Huo Lian and Lei were understandably confused. They expected some type of answer, not even hoping for the whole story.
However, Liao Wu went even below their expectations as he helplessly shook his head. “Don’t ask me about Sect Master’s actions. Sect Master is still as enigmatic as the first day I met her. The only thing I know is that she is providing me with far more generosity than ever before. Sect Master started changing right around the time the Nightmare Realm incident erupted.”
A sudden thought streaked through Huo Lei and Lian’s minds. Their bodies shuddered as an ominous feeling caused goosebumps to bubble up their skins.
Huo Lei breathed out a slightly shaky breath. “Just thinking about the incident is still so chilling. I still can’t believe our junior Martial siblings had so easily perished at the Huang Dragons’ hands, and he got away scot-free. And now…that Huang Dragon is high far into the skies.”
“This…” Huo Lian knitted his brows before shaking his head. “Nothing can really be done about that, especially after Sect Master’s reaction. Perhaps she got a sudden premonition at that time? It would at least slightly explain how Sect Masters’ actions differ so much compared to the past.”
Liao Wu had an attentive gaze as he observed the Huo siblings. A similar chilling sensation crept through his bones. But he forcefully suppressed it, retaining his same casual smile. He appeared the least affected by the reputation of the Divine Mortals.
His confident eyes shined as if it was just another regular piece of news to him. “Still so shaken up by that Prince and Princess? Really, everyone needs to stop worrying about them. I already accept the fact those two will live far away from our realm. But by then, we will be long on our Martial Road.”
Even Liao Wu’s tone carried unshakable confidence. His firm presence subtly affected the Huo siblings, causing them to stand just slightly taller.
Liao Wuo slightly nodded and continued to say, “Well, enough about them. Back to what we were talking about. From the book I studied, apparently, the Sea Realm ancestor is a figure who hailed from the Primal Vaiser era! His lifespan is actually beyond all logic and comprehension. He survived all the way through the era with his cultivation intact.”
“Eh? Really? But wasn’t it said the Primal Vaiser era lasted for around a million years? In that era, even mythical Heavenly Venerate Masters were known to have a shockingly short lifespan!” Huo Lei curiously tilted her head.
Huo Lian’s expression was contemplative as he said, “Don’t tell me…the Sea Realm ancestor somehow used the realm to survive for so long?”
“Oh, survive? He did more than just survive.” Liao Wu’s tone had honest admiration. “The Sea Realm ancestor actually used the entire Sea Realm to kill many invincible Vaisers demons during that era. That book explained he was actually a feared and well-renowned Heavenly Venerate master during his era. His true feats far surpassed what is told today. He is one of the rares that can control the full power of a completed Mystic Realm! Because of this, it allowed him to slaughter those Vaisers demons.”
“Such a thing actually possible?” The Huo siblings sucked in a cold breath. Though their eyes flicked with slight doubt.
Seeing the doubt, Liao Wu’s smile grew wider as he explained, “It’s actually an intriguing tale of how the ancestors took control of the sea realm. You see, the ancestor, like nearly all other races in that era, was relentlessly pursued by powerful Vaisers demons. He struggled right to the edge of his life without giving up once. And one day, at the end of his pursuit, the ancestor willingly chose to jump into the depths of an abyss that was completely controlled by the Vaisers demons. He had zero hesitation, and I think he didn’t even expect to die. And, instead of dying as you would expect, he took reigns of that entire abyss place, the current Thunderous Collision Sea realm. As for the specifics of this tale, I’m not really sure. The book was very sparse on these details.”
Huo Lei and Lian quietly listened in.
Moments later, Huo Lei slowly said, “Well, I’ve read some about the previous geography of the God Galaxies. Apparently, the landscapes of the Void Space were massively different to almost an unrecognizable point. Maybe abysses were actual hidden Mystic Realms? But in any case, did the book explain anything about what was actually in the abyss?”
Liao Wu nodded. “The rewards and inheritance are very plentiful. There are high-grade Heavenly Rank resources, powerful weapons, and above all, Sea Qi Crystals and Sea Law Crystals. Those rewards were always hidden deep within the Sea realm. But to get there, we will need to venture deep within. Plus, none of us can show absolutely zero hesitation. If we do, apparently, we will forever fail to get any rewards or inheritance.”
“Deep within?” Huo Lian had a slightly aghast expression. “I’ve heard from previous generations that we should never venture too deep within. Don’t you remember it? One of our oldest Senior Martial Brothers ventured far into the Sea realm with an 8thfall cultivation. He even had middle-tier 7thfall prowess. But even with his prowess and amazingly strong talisman and Spirit Artifacts, that Senior Martial Brother perished within the Sea Realm. Not only him, his group as well! And that Senior Martial Brother wasn’t an arrogant one. He meticulously planned out everything, and yet, that happened to him…”
Liao Wu scoffed, waving off such concerns with a casual smile. “That’s the past, and this is now. We can simply learn from that Senior Martial Brother’s mistakes and adapt. Now that we’re more aware of the treasures, we can scout out the Sea Crystals to greatly enhance our cultivation. The best thing is that these crystals have zero negative effects in doing so. Once we grow enough, we will cautiously check out more into the sea realm. And once we feel even slightly off, we will promptly escape out of there.”
