"Come, all of you come. To be able to contribute to our clan is an honor for you," the figure in the depths of the underground palace said quietly.
Not long after, many people had already arrived before the magnificent and splendid palace complex at the central location of the continent.
In truth, this was an extremely massive city. Within it, palaces that towered high and radiated billowing divine light were everywhere. Several enormous mountain ranges spanned the city center, and a roaring, mighty river cut through the city. The buildings within the city were densely packed, most of them majestic and grand.
"It seems this must be the true core of the True Phoenix Divine Clan headquarters. If the True Phoenix Divine Clan truly left behind treasures or inheritances, then they would undoubtedly be hidden here," everyone who arrived before this city at the center of the continent was excited, their gazes burning with desire as they looked at the vast, resplendent city before them.
"I wonder if this city has any defensive formations. The True Phoenix Divine Clan is a powerful race; their headquarters must certainly be guarded by terrifyingly formidable formations. Getting inside might not be that straightforward for us."
"No need to worry. Even if this headquarters of the True Phoenix Divine Clan was indeed protected by exquisite Formations, after such a long passage of time, even the most ingenious formations would have weakened. Their energy must surely have been mostly depleted. If we all join forces, we should definitely be able to breach them."
"Good. Time is of the essence. Let's take action immediately. We should assault it together now. Otherwise, with more and more people arriving later, the competition will only increase."
...
After some discussion, the first group of arrivals began to move. They summoned their magic treasures, preparing for the assault on the city.
Boom! Roar!
Activated magic treasures one after another launched violent attacks towards the city gates.
The next moment, contrary to everyone's expectations, there was no city defense formation. Instead, the two massive gates were simply pushed open by their bombardment.
"Opening the city gates is that easy?" Those who had joined the attack were somewhat incredulous.
"How could this be? This is the true headquarters of the True Phoenix Divine Clan! Logically speaking, it should be guarded by extremely profound grand arrays. Even after such a long epoch, some remnant power should have remained in those ancient, sophisticated formations. But it seems there are absolutely no defensive city formations here."
"Could there be hidden, intricate and mysterious restrictions inside the gates? Regardless, we still need to be careful. Along the way here, many of the cities and structures we encountered had Formations or restrictions guarding them, and the majority of those defenses had significant power. This is the true headquarters of the True Phoenix Divine Clan. It's possible some mysterious and fearsome restrictions are hidden here. Being cautious definitely won't hurt."
"How about this: we'll use our magic treasures to pave the way as we attack and enter the city together."
After saying this, many people channeled their magic treasures to blast towards the city gates.
Boom! Bang! Crash!
One magic treasure after another, carrying immense energy, whistled forth, crossing through the gate and smashing inside the city, encountering not the slightest hindrance.
"It seems there really aren't any formations or restrictions around the gates. Excellent! Let's go in immediately." Seeing the treasures pass through the gateway without obstruction, everyone felt reassured. They surged in, rushing through the gates and began searching everywhere inside the city.
"Wonderful! This city actually has no Formations or restrictions! We can move about freely!" Quickly, those who had entered the city discovered that the city seemed devoid of any Formations, restrictions, or other dangers. What stirred even greater excitement was that many palaces were piled high with all sorts of divine-grade cultivation resources.
"Hahaha... This is fantastic! I actually got so many divine crystals and divine pills. I've struck it rich! I found twenty divine-level magic treasures. Every one of them is a good grade. Even if I don't use them myself, selling them would bring in a fortune!" Soon, one excited shout after another rang out within the city walls. Simultaneously, more and more people were continuously pouring into this vast, magnificent city.
Not long after, Ye Yunfei, Cui Hong, and Xiao Xiao also arrived here.
"This should be the core of the True Phoenix Divine Clan headquarters, right?" Cui Hong spoke.
"Yes, elder. This is the heart of this continent. Many high-ranking members of the True Phoenix Divine Clan resided within this city. It's said that beneath this city are several large-scale Divine Meridians, providing the city with energy throughout the years. The city holds a staggering quantity and variety of treasures. In that era, the True Phoenix Divine Clan was among the most powerful races in the world. Generation after generation of accumulation meant the wealth they amassed, both in quantity and value, is beyond imagination," Ye Yunfei said slowly, gazing at the city before them. All this information came from the memories of Wu Dechang.
"Young Master Ye, how do you know all this?" Cui Hong and Xiao Xiao were a little startled hearing Ye Yunfei's words. How could he even know how many Divine Meridians lay beneath the city?
"I learned it from that old fellow who tried to seize my body earlier," Ye Yunfei replied.
"I see," Cui Hong nodded.
"However, Elder, Miss Xiao Xiao, this city before us is called the True Phoenix City, and it's filled with terrifying killing intent. In ancient times, not many dared to barge into this city. So, once we enter, we must be extremely vigilant. If anything seems amiss, we must retreat immediately. Don't be greedy for the treasures inside. After all, our lives are what's most important," Ye Yunfei continued.
"Young Master Ye, did that creature who wanted to seize your body tell you something?" Cui Hong asked immediately, sensing an unusual seriousness in Ye Yunfei's tone. Entering a secret realm to explore for treasures inherently carried risks, something one anticipated beforehand. He didn't understand why Ye Yunfei was suddenly being so grave and cautious.
"Elder, Miss Xiao Xiao, in that era, the Patriarch of the True Phoenix Divine Clan paid high prices several times to invite famous masters of divination to perform grand prognostications. They all reached the same conclusion: the True Phoenix Divine Clan would not face extinction, but would undergo a great calamity and be buried. Then, after a relatively long historical epoch, the True Phoenix Divine Clan would have the opportunity to return to glory, reborn from the flames, reappearing in the world and becoming a powerful race once more. For some reason, I vaguely have a feeling that the sudden opening of the True Phoenix Tomb, which houses the True Phoenix Divine Clan, might have been deliberately manipulated. It's quite possible the True Phoenix Divine Clan is not truly extinct, but hidden within this True Phoenix Tomb. Now we're about to enter their core headquarters, essentially to ransack their home. If the True Phoenix Divine Clan truly hasn't perished, the consequences are unimaginable," Ye Yunfei said in a grave tone. Having acquired Wu Dechang's memories, Ye Yunfei had deep understanding of the True Phoenix Divine Clan, as Wu Dechang had lived on this continent for a long time. In those memories, the True Phoenix Divine Clan was immensely powerful; it couldn't have been so easily exterminated. Back then, Wu Dechang, leading the Puppet Hall and his large number of puppets, participated in that horrific war. During the conflict, high-ranking members of the True Phoenix Divine Clan used Sound Transmission to tell Wu Dechang to find a place to hide and wait to rise again later. However, Wu Dechang sustained mortal injuries in the ensuing battles and ultimately perished.
"What?! Young Master Ye, you suspect the True Phoenix Divine Clan hasn't truly been extinguished, but is most likely hidden within this True Phoenix Tomb?!" Cui Hong and Xiao Xiao were greatly shocked by Ye Yunfei's words, their expressions changing instantly. The continued existence of such a powerful race was frightening to contemplate.
"I can't say for certain, but I do have this feeling," Ye Yunfei replied after a moment of thought.
"How is that possible? The world's legends say the True Phoenix Divine Clan was annihilated in ancient times, and the void where they resided has become a forbidden land, burying their past. Young Master Ye, now you actually suspect the True Phoenix Divine Clan hasn't been destroyed and is hidden here... That is incredible," Xiao Xiao couldn't help but say.
"No, Miss Xiao Xiao, what Young Master Ye suggests is not impossible. Don't forget, our Fire Clan back then also had to retreat into our ancestral land due to a powerful enemy invasion. If not for Young Master Ye's help later, our Fire Clan might still be hiding within the Small World of our ancestral land. Moreover, Young Master Ye's cultivation in Mental Force energy is quite good. Anyone who cultivates Mental Force energy develops a certain intuition, which can sometimes be highly accurate. It's said some powerful masters of Mental Force energy can develop a Sixth Sense, with terrifyingly precise intuition," Cui Hong suddenly interjected.
"Elder, are you saying the True Phoenix Divine Clan might be like your Fire Clan, also hiding within a Small World within their headquarters, and not truly extinct?" Xiao Xiao was taken aback by Cui Hong's words, then asked.
"That possibility is not non-existent," Cui Hong replied.
"Elder, Miss Xiao Xiao, regardless, we must be extremely careful once we enter this city, constantly vigilant for any dangerous situations. The moment we sense something wrong, we must immediately find a way to escape," Ye Yunfei said.
"Alright, Young Master Ye. Since you have this feeling, we must be even more cautious," Cui Hong nodded.
At this moment, more and more people were arriving before the city gates, all rushing in aggressively.
From inside the city, excited shouts could be heard from time to time, clearly indicating that those who had entered were already finding good gains. This only made everyone else more eager to charge in and search for treasures.
Ye Yunfei, Cui Hong, and Xiao Xiao also entered the city. Inside were majestic, splendid buildings everywhere, and densely packed streets crisscrossed like a chessboard.
Since many had already entered earlier, the areas near the city gates probably had few treasures remaining. Therefore, most people, upon entering, immediately charged deeper into the city.
The trio sped up, steadily advancing. Before long, they arrived at a large street within a certain district of the city.
On either side of this street were shops selling pills and magic treasures. Many people had already arrived on this street, rushing into the shops lining the sides and rummaging within.
"Let's go check it out too," Cui Hong flickered and rushed into a magic treasure shop beside the street. Ye Yunfei and Xiao Xiao followed.
"Scram! All the treasures in this shop belong to us! Get out if you don't want to die!" As soon as Cui Hong, Ye Yunfei, and Xiao Xiao entered the shop, they saw seven Deities already inside, collecting treasures from the shelves. These seven Deities all barked threats at the newcomers.
At least one-third of the magic treasures in this shop were of the Deity level.
"Who says these treasures belong to you? Whoever grabs them first gets them!" Cui Hong's face darkened. He certainly wasn't going to be intimidated by these seven. He reached out to grab several treasures placed on a corner shelf.
"Seeking death!" A middle-aged man in a green robe immediately glared angrily at Cui Hong. He gripped a long saber and slashed it towards Cui Hong's hand.
"Elder, Miss Xiao Xiao, you two collect the treasures. I'll deal with them," Ye Yunfei flickered in front of Cui Hong and sent a Sound Transmission to both Cui Hong and Xiao Xiao. Simultaneously, he threw a punch towards the incoming saber.
*Clang!* Ye Yunfei's fist directly smashed the saber away.