Chapter 611: Battle Against a Phoenix Race Elder

As Hei Chen watched his two proud, genius disciples turn into mindless fools, his expression grew increasingly ugly. The two he had sent were both eliminated, leaving them with no one inside the Phoenix Ruins. In other words, they stood to gain nothing at all.

“This level of attack… It must have been an extremely powerful Soul Attack to achieve this,” Hei Chen said, his face grim. “I believe that aside from humans, or perhaps the Demon Fox Race, none of those other fools are capable of such a thing!”

Hei Chen immediately narrowed down the possibilities. The Charm Technique of the Demon Fox Race was certainly powerful enough to achieve this. But since no one from the Demon Fox Race had entered, how could they have used it inside? That left only one likely culprit: Lin Xuan!

“A human. It was definitely the work of that human!” Hei Chen’s rage surged, his eyes practically spitting fire. When he looked up at Jin Wei, he was met with a mocking gaze.

“Good. Good. Good!”

Hei Chen’s face grew increasingly grim. He was furious to his very core. First, his son had been killed, and now two of his clan’s most outstanding geniuses had been turned into fools. The rage in his heart was truly at its peak!

For him, this was an absolute nightmare. How could he not be furious after suffering such heavy losses? He had not underestimated Lin Xuan; that was precisely why he had dispatched two powerful experts. He never expected both to be eliminated. Beyond anger, he felt profound shock. Hei Chen knew what his two disciples were capable of. When they joined forces, they were unmatched by anyone within the Spirit Pill Stage. And yet, Lin Xuan had defeated them with ease. This could only mean that Lin Xuan’s strength had grown even greater!

“Once this is all over, you will all die!” Hei Chen snarled, gritting his teeth. He was furious, but he didn’t dare make a move. Or rather, he *couldn’t* make a move for the time being.

Meanwhile, Jin Wei’s faction was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. The more upset the Black Dragon Race became, the more delighted they were.

Following this small interlude outside, the situation inside the Phoenix Ruins was also undergoing a slight change.

After being enveloped by the red light, Lin Xuan reappeared in a new location. The dense forest of Parasol Trees was gone, replaced by a simple, wide corridor that stretched straight ahead. He had no idea what awaited him at the unknown exit.

“Where is this…?”

Lin Xuan had just regained his bearings and was taking in the simple corridor when, before he could get a clear look, the Stone Slab in his hand suddenly pulsed with red light that surged entirely into his body!

An immense tide of Fire Elemental Power flooded into him, crazily charging through his meridians until he felt like he might burst.

‘Such dense Fire Elemental Power! Isn’t this the Red Energy the Stone Slab absorbed earlier? I can’t believe it was all Fire Elemental Power…’

Lin Xuan quickly took control, activating the Phoenix Essence Blood within him to rapidly absorb the immense Fire Elemental Power. The energy was incredibly pure; without his Phoenix Essence Blood, he would have found it nearly impossible to absorb.

The sheer volume of it forced him to sit down cross-legged and focus on absorbing the pure Fire Elemental Power. A long while later, he finally finished absorbing all of it. His entire body glowed bright red, and he felt as hot as a forged piece of iron.

“Whew. It would have been a real shame if I couldn’t absorb this. As expected of ruins designed specifically for the Phoenix Race. For anyone without a Fire Attribute constitution, this would be a complete waste…” He could already imagine other members of the Demon Race passing this trial only to be unable to absorb this pure Fire Elemental Power. It would be a terrible waste.

“My Cultivation has increased a little more…” Lin Xuan’s eyes lit up. After absorbing the vast amount of Fire Elemental Power, his Cultivation had skyrocketed. He was already on the verge of breaking through to the Sixth Layer of the Spirit Pill Stage. The speed was simply astonishing.

This was the reward for passing the first trial. The tests weren’t designed to be pointlessly difficult; they were a true measure of strength, with corresponding rewards for those who passed.

This was one such reward, though whether one could actually absorb it depended on their own physical constitution.

A moment later, once he had finished absorbing everything, Lin Xuan stood up, feeling a renewed sense of anticipation for the trials ahead. He was excited for anything that could increase his strength. He figured this must have been why Bingxin wanted him to enter in the first place.

If there were no such benefits, and the only goal was to retrieve the Heart of the Fire Phoenix, she might as well have had him stay at the Ice and Snow Tower. Why come here? It was not only filled with danger but also offered no other rewards, making it a poor bargain.

Of course, such rewards were not common. Each person was only allowed to enter twice in their lifetime; after that, entry was impossible. If people could come and go as they pleased, the most talented disciples would have reached unfathomable levels of power by now.

Furthermore, the Phoenix Ruins could not be entered at will. They only opened once every fifty years! This was a very long interval, meaning one couldn’t enter whenever they wished, even if they held a key.

After traversing the corridor, Lin Xuan arrived in a wide-open area. The moment he stepped in, the path behind him was sealed shut. This meant there was no retreat. Unless he threw out the Stone Slab, there was no escaping this place.

“Oh? The one participating in the trial this time is a human…?” A somewhat surprised voice drifted down from the sky.

Lin Xuan looked up to see a massive Phoenix circling in the sky. Upon spotting Lin Xuan, it transformed into a human and slowly descended. It took the form of a woman who, like all others of her race, was an unparalleled beauty.

However, there was something strange about her. The peculiarity was that she was formed from condensed Energy, not a true, living Phoenix. To put it bluntly, she was like the Youlan Emperor—a lingering wisp of a soul, a Divine Thought left behind, not a physical being.

“That’s right, I’m human,” Lin Xuan replied, looking at the woman before him. He knew the trial was about to begin.

“This is the first time a human has ever entered the Phoenix Ruins. You are the very first… But there’s no need to be nervous. We don’t discriminate here. As long as you can make it inside, you are qualified to accept the trial.” The female Phoenix smiled, looking him up and down before continuing, “Your Cultivation is quite good, at the Fifth Layer of the Spirit Pill Stage. For a human of your age, you’re a remarkable genius. Since that’s the case, I’ll set my own Cultivation to the Fifth Layer of the Spirit Pill Stage to match yours. As long as you can defeat me, you will pass this trial.”

The trial for this stage was simple: defeat a Phoenix of the same Cultivation level. If Lin Xuan’s Cultivation were at the Core Formation Stage, his opponent would be at the Core Formation Stage. If he were at the Void Spirit Stage, she would be at the Void Spirit Stage as well.

“Are you sure you want to fight me at the same Cultivation level?” Lin Xuan asked the woman before him with a faint smile.