Using her own external incarnation as the array eye, Chu Jiaohong activated the various formations. In an instant, the desolate, deathly silent wasteland of ruins began to shimmer like the brilliant stars of the night sky.
Since Chu Jiaohong had been preparing for many years and had already set up all the necessary formations, there was no need for further arrangements. The only concern was time. After all, she was using her own incarnation as the array eye. Although this incarnation was nurtured from a fragment of space from the Wu Dao Age and contained vast spiritual power, and despite Chu Jiaohong having cultivated for many years, making it truly unfathomable...
It was only unfathomable.
Unfathomable did not mean inexhaustible.
Moreover, to break the seal, she had laid out over ten thousand formations, each requiring powerful spiritual energy to sustain. With over ten thousand formations, she couldn't hold on for long.
As the formations operated, the seal began to loosen. Layer upon layer of powerful fluctuations surged forth like raging tidal waves, pressing down until Chu Jiaohong's face instantly turned pale.
At this very moment, Gu Qingfeng was still standing above, leisurely drinking his wine, looking completely unhurried.
"What are you waiting for? My external incarnation can't hold on much longer!"
Boom!
Crack!
The seal erupted with a violent sound, and Chu Jiaohong's external incarnation immediately became blurred and distorted.
Just as she had said earlier, her external incarnation could withstand the seal's power alone, and it could also sustain the operation of the various formations alone. But if it had to simultaneously endure the seal's power while maintaining the formations, it couldn't last long. Not only would it be drained dry by the formations, but it would also be crushed and scattered by the seal's power.
"What's the rush? I'm coming."
Gu Qingfeng leaped down, landing at the position of the auxiliary array eye.
The moment he steadied himself, several other formations activated. These formations channeled the power erupting from the seal, sending it rolling toward Gu Qingfeng. Terrifying force pressed down layer after layer, like mountains bearing down, making even Gu Qingfeng somewhat unsteady. He grunted with effort, "I say, big sister, this seal's power is much stronger than I imagined!"
"Hold on a little longer, it'll be over soon!"
Knowing time was critical, Chu Jiaohong waved her arms, her ten fingers forming seals. Dao after dao of spiritual incantations condensed and manifested, causing the formations to evolve and transform. The seal trembled even more violently, and the power erupting from it grew increasingly immense.
"I can't... I can't hold on much longer."
As he spoke, Gu Qingfeng's physical body suddenly became blurred and distorted.
"Your physical body isn't as strong as I imagined!"
For some reason, while a trace of worry hung on Chu Jiaohong's face, beneath that worry, there also seemed to be a hint of relief—as if a stone weighing on her heart had finally fallen—and even a touch of smugness.
"Nonsense... Do you think my physical body is indestructible?" Gu Qingfeng's body became even more blurred and distorted, and his voice grew increasingly weak.
"Hold on just a bit longer, it's almost done... I can give you two fragment crystals from the Wu Dao Age."
"I'm about to... about to collapse..."
Boom!
As Chu Jiaohong unleashed a formation sigil, the seal was completely shattered. The terrifying force blasted Gu Qingfeng away. In that moment, time seemed to stand still, with only the various formations collapsing one after another like fading stars.
And at some unknown time, Chu Jiaohong had also vanished without a trace.
An unknown amount of time later, when all the formations had dissipated and the seal's power had vanished like smoke, when everything had returned to calm, a bewitching red light bloomed forth, shooting straight into the sky. This red light was exceptionally dazzling, illuminating the entire secret realm brightly.
Whoosh!
A crimson great bird inexplicably appeared, soaring up with the red light, emitting sharp, piercing cries as it shot toward the heavens.
No!
Not one, but a flock—countless crimson great birds swarmed out, filling the sky, soaring through the secret realm.
Immediately after.
A figure emerged along with the red light.
It was a woman.
A woman dressed in resplendent, bright red attire, a woman of stunning, peerless beauty.
Graceful and noble, dignified and elegant.
Who else could it be but Chu Jiaohong.
The only difference was:
The Chu Jiaohong from before had nothing between her brows, but now, a crimson cinnabar mark adorned her forehead.
The Chu Jiaohong from before was dull and lackluster, but now, she was draped in a radiant red light, her demonic aura soaring to the heavens.
The Chu Jiaohong from before had an imposing aura, but now, her presence was majestic and overwhelming, shaking the very firmament.
When she appeared, countless crimson vermilion birds circled and flew around her, emitting sharp shrieks.
She stood there in mid-air until the rainbow light around her dissipated and the countless crimson vermilion birds inexplicably vanished.
She opened her eyes—a pair of pitch-black, beautiful pupils that seemed to flicker with hints of crimson.
Below.
Gu Qingfeng sat casually on the ground, slightly frowning as he observed the present Chu Jiaohong. He said, "I didn't realize your true form was actually a Monster Immortal. Wait, no, your existence isn't just that of a Monster Immortal. You're more like a Tianyao?
Hmm, you should be a Tianyao. And one cultivated from a Vermilion Bird, a descendant of the Vermilion Bird, into a Tianyao. Truly rare... exceedingly rare."
Whether demon, immortal, devil, or even human, as long as the character 'Tian' was attached, even in the Great Desolate Heaven Realm, one would absolutely have the qualifications to dominate a region. Their status and position were akin to Earth Immortals in this world, capable of obliterating any cultivator. As for the existence of a Tianyao, wiping out those Immortals would be a trivial matter. Moreover, this Chu Jiaohong was a Tianyao cultivated from a Vermilion Bird, possessing Vermilion Bird bloodline, making her even more extraordinary.
At the very least, during Gu Qingfeng's time in the Great Desolate Heaven Realm back then, he had seen very few Vermilion Bird Tianyao.
Chu Jiaohong paid him no mind, continuing to stand aloft in mid-air, looking down at Gu Qingfeng from her superior position.
"The seal is broken, your true form is released, and I'm exhausted, almost kicked the bucket."
Gu Qingfeng stood up and said, "Since that's the case, let's not waste any more time. We agreed on the fragment crystals. And I heard it clearly—when the seal was broken, you said you'd give me two."
"Heh."
Chu Jiaohong let out a light laugh, one filled with disdain.
"What are you laughing at?
Don't tell me you're thinking of going back on your word?"
"This palace keeps her promises. It's merely two fragment crystals from the Wu Dao Age."
As she spoke, Chu Jiaohong raised her hand, and in her palm appeared two crystals the size of an infant's palm. The crystals were murky and turbid, their interiors seemingly a chaos. Looking at the two crystals, Gu Qingfeng recognized them at a glance—they were indeed fragment crystals from the Wu Dao Age.
"Looks like you have quite a few of these things in hand."
"Of course. Not many, but certainly not few. And..." Changing her tone, a smile curved at the corner of Chu Jiaohong's mouth. "This palace holds not only fragment crystals from the Wu Dao Age but also a fragment core from the Wu Dao Age."