Imperial God Emperor

The [Red Lotus Hellfire] raged, burning everything in its way.

The [Cloud Top Cauldron] remained suspended in the Void like a divine link and released strands of bright-yellow silk ribbons. These ribbons dangled from the cauldron, protecting the entire mountain from the relentless attacks of the raging [Red Lotus Hellfire]. No matter how it raged, it was unable to break past the silk ribbon barrier.

Thirty minutes later.

"Crack!"

A faint cracking sound came from the giant red egg at the bottom of the parasol tree.

"Crack!"

The sound of an eggshell cracking open resounded again.

Under the parasol tree.

The giant red egg shook slightly.

The cracking noises increased in frequency as the giant red egg shook even harder and more intensely than before. Suddenly, there was a loud cracking sound, as though something had broken, and a crack that was an arm's length appeared on the shell of the giant egg, which was made out of flesh and blood.

Suddenly—

"Crack!"

The giant red egg broke apart.

A smooth, dainty white hand, which looked like it was carved from exquisite jade, emerged from the eggshell.

Next, an arm emerged.

Delicate and fair, slender but powerful.

Then, there was a loud bang as the eggshell exploded.

A handsome figure emerged from the egg.

His face was like beautiful jade, warm and handsome. His features were like an exquisite carving, sculpted and angular. He had a pair of dashing eyebrows, his eyes were like stars, dark and deep, and the bridge of his nose was high and straight.

His long, waist-length hair was tied loosely behind his head and it danced gently in the wind.

The glow from the yellow mist was imprinted on his long white robe.

Ye Qingyu gave off a dazzling flow and an ethereal, elegant aura, as though he was an Immortal who had descended from the Ninth Heaven. Those who saw him could not help wanting to bow at his feet.

His original face and body had been restored.

Not a trace of the injuries he had sustained remained. He was now completely healed, his sculpted muscles were like jade crystals and gave off a mysterious glow. His muscles were not bursting out of his skin, but looked both powerful and beautiful, as though his entire being had been carved from jade. His skin was flushed with a healthy red glow, surging with blood qi that was full of vitality.

As the sun shone down on him, Ye Qingyu's skin, flesh, bones, and even his tendons were full of the purest form of power and gave off a healthy, smooth glow.

"Phew..."

Ye Qingyu exhaled loudly.

When he had been inside the giant egg undergoing nirvana, he had remained conscious throughout the process, so he had an idea of what had changed within him. He could not hold back his happiness from spreading across his face.

He lifted his hand and a brand new power slowly appeared.

This flame resembled a candle flame, flickering in the air, as though it could be put out by a passing breeze. However, on his fingers, it was full of spiritual energy. It bore an uncanny resemblance to the chaotic mist silk ribbons that dangled from the [Cloud Top Cauldron], but its aura was much purer.

"This is such a mysterious power. I sense a shred of Immortal will... Could this be the power of Immortals?"

He pointed his middle finger.

That yellow mist encircled his finger like a flame, transmitting an affectionate consciousness, as though it was a child who had developed a strong attachment to Ye Qingyu.

"Never would I have thought that these three powers would merge together under the influence of the rainbow power from the Phoenix blood. Now that such a transformation has occurred... this is very interesting. This is truly a blessing in disguise. I never expected to be able to undergo nirvana, which must have happened because of that drop of Phoenix blood that was given to me by the Celestial Phoenix Maiden. Yes, and this parasol tree must have played a part too..."

Ye Qingyu quickly surmised what must have happened.

This power, which resembled Immortal power, that encircled his finger was no longer a sole yuan qi, and it was no longer the power of lightning, wind, or ice flame, but was now a brand new, pure power that contained the primeval power of the Magical Great Dao.

"I'll just call it 'Immortal power' for now. Haha. I can't believe that I managed to cultivate Immortal qi." Ye Qingyu was slightly proud of himself.

The yuan qi that had been repressed within him was now totally restored—not just that, it was now many times denser than before. After undergoing nirvana, he had not just managed to cultivate a trace of Immortal qi, but Ye Qingyu felt like he had been born again. His powerful physical cultivation had also increased many times over and was now unbelievably powerful.

As he stood under the parasol tree, Ye Qingyu felt like his bones, blood, and cells were all filled with an incredibly powerful energy.

He used his divine consciousness to peer within his body.

He discovered that there was a brand new vitality that continually roamed around his entire body. As for the boundless waves in his dantian world, they had become purer and smoother, the waves crashing up to the heavens. He even noticed that he felt more relaxed than before with every breath he took.

It was just as though the power within him had peeled back all the layers and transmitted the purest aura of the heavens into his heart and dantian.

Rebirth after nirvana.

That was the marvelous thing about nirvana.

It's no wonder that, according to legend, a Phoenix would undergo nine transformations after nirvana and could even surpass fiendgods to be one of the most terrifying beings in the universe. Even during the ancient Fiendgod Age, the Phoenix Race was not one to be trifled with.

Then, Ye Qingyu looked up at the top of the parasol tree.

"Why... why is the Celestial Phoenix Maiden still an egg?"

Ye Qingyu was astonished.

That giant rainbow egg was still securely nestled in the Phoenix nest. This meant that the Celestial Phoenix Maiden had not been reborn after nirvana.

He looked around again.

Outside the protective yellow mist barrier from the [Cloud Top Cauldron], the hellfire still raged violently and continued to attack the thin light curtain. He unleashed his divine sense and did not detect any trace of the auras of the Four Stars holy girl and the others in the Void.

"A long time must have passed since the Celestial Phoenix Maiden and myself have undergone nirvana," he mused to himself.

It had definitely been more than four hours since the Celestial Phoenix Maiden underwent nirvana. Could something have happened?

He turned to stare in concern at the giant rainbow egg.

At that moment.

Something strange happened.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The power of laws in the sky started to descend into chaos, as though someone had flung a large rock into a calm river, causing ripples to spread rapidly.

Once the laws of the universe changed, the surrounding area could also change without warning.

The beautiful scenery suddenly turned gloomy as thunder and lightning rumbled across the clear sky, turning it dark, as if a thick layer of clouds had blanketed the heavens.

The sky darkened.

An unknown aura began to spread across the area.

The earth rumbled and the mountains shook.

The primeval power that had gathered in midair shattered into tiny pieces and rained down on the ground. A wild, chaotic, murderous spirit spread across the primeval Heaven and earth, instantly filling the entire space.

"What is happening?"

Ye Qingyu was shocked.

The calm Heaven and earth were suddenly brimming with murderous spirit.

"If the sky releases murderous spirit, the stars' positions will change. If the earth releases murderous spirit, all sorts of divine creatures will appear..." Ye Qingyu squinted. Up in the sky, the stars seemed to flicker brightly. On the ground, the earth kept shattering as though serpentine monsters were rolling under it. According to ancient texts, these were the signs of the murderous spirit of Heaven and earth.

This murderous spirit of Heaven and earth had the power to kill gods and demons alike.

This was a sign of a great disaster!

Ye Qingyu instantly realized that time was almost up and the Door of Life was about to shut!

Once the Door of Life slammed shut, there would be great changes to the 18th district.

Once the Door of Life closed, this district would become a death trap that could kill even a Quasi-emperor.

Time was of the essence.

"Damn it... What do I do... The Phoenix egg is still showing no signs of hatching... If we continue to waste time here, we will all be trapped." Ye Qingyu suddenly grew anxious when he realized this.

He stared at that giant egg above the tree. It still showed no signs of moving.

Should he take the egg with him?

He thought quickly as he examined that giant egg.

"This won't work..."

He immediately dismissed that idea.

If he removed the Phoenix egg from the parasol tree, it would be highly likely that the Celestial Phoenix Maiden's nirvana transformation would fail.

He looked at the sky and the earth again and closely observed the rate of change before he started estimating how much time he had left.

"If I'm not wrong, we only have under four hours left before the Door of Life shuts..."

The problem was, it was at least several hundred thousand kilometers from here to the Door of Life's exit. After they left this small tombstone universe, they would have to pass through the sea of hurricane lilies and walk past the sea of tombstones and the ancient fiendgod city to reach the exit. This would take at least two hours or more.

He really did not have much time left.

What should he do?

Should he abandon the Celestial Phoenix Maiden and leave?

Ye Qingyu shook his head.

The Celestial Phoenix Maiden had taken care of him on the journey here and he owed his nirvana transformation to her as well. He owed her this. He could not make such a choice.

Thus... he could only wait.

He could only hope that the Celestial Phoenix Maiden would awaken at the crucial moment.

Ye Qingyu paced back and forth under the parasol tree.

Time ticked by—second by second, minute by minute.

There was still no movement from the giant golden egg.

Every second that passed felt like a year to Ye Qingyu, and he only grew more anxious. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do but continue to wait under the tree.

He did not even know how much time had passed.

Ye Qingyu was in such a state of anxiety that his face was covered in cold sweat.

At that moment, his ears suddenly moved.

He could hear the muffled sound of something cracking at the top of the parasol tree.

An expression of delight flashed across Ye Qingyu's face.

Tiny cracks, each as thin as a strand of hair, had appeared on the rainbow-colored eggshell.

"Crack!"

He heard it again, the sound of an eggshell cracking open.

"Boom!"

A figure shot up toward the sky.

The Celestial Phoenix Maiden transformed into flowing light and broke out of her shell.

Eggshell pieces flew everywhere.

She took a large gulp of air and summoned all the broken pieces of her eggshell into her mouth before she slowly descended onto the ground beneath the parasol tree.

She was still clad in her purple armor, which from behind made her look elegant and noble, just like a lotus that had bloomed in clear water. The rainbow floating light and the magical glow only served to enhance each other's beauty as they encircled her figure, as though they dressed her in a rainbow fairy dress.