Imperial Cultivation Chapter 1499 - 1495: Breaking the Formation

Song Chaoge said, "This action also carries risks."

Both looked at her.

Song Chaoge’s expression was solemn, "Opening the Secret Realm requires enormous expenditure and very high demands. A slight mistake leads to serious injury or even death."

"Then Miss Li...?" Cheng Qian hesitated.

Not considering the monk but considering the Buddha.

The good relationship between Li Hongzhao and Chu Zhiyuan is well known.

Given Chu Zhiyuan’s status, one shouldn’t place Li Hongzhao in a dangerous situation.

Then he thought of the Phoenix Bloodline entering the New Cave Heaven this time, despite the fortuitous encounters, it is extremely dangerous.

His mind subtly shifted.

Could it be because of Chu Zhiyuan that Li Hongzhao faced rejection from the Phoenix Lineage?

The Phoenix Lineage is closely tied to the Court, they are like one.

Chu Zhiyuan’s relationship with the Court is very delicate, even becoming a Spirit Venerable does not change this delicacy.

This implicated Li Hongzhao?

They exchanged glances, filled with tacit understanding, both thinking of this point.

Song Chaoge took a faint glance at their silent communication, secretly smiling.

Let the world believe that Li Hongzhao is not favored, creating a smokescreen, has many benefits.

Within the Phoenix Bloodline, her position is undoubtedly elevated.

Outsiders, however, are unaware.

This provides an extra layer of protection for Li Hongzhao, avoiding gathering all enmity.

There are many masters in the world who resent the Phoenix Lineage, both orthodox and unorthodox.

Her crystal-like fingers, long and smooth, transformed again, elegantly and gracefully forming another handprint.

The tightly closed Bronze Gate began to move slowly.

"Boom!"

The ground trembled.

The gate opened.

From a crack to being fully opened, it took only a few breaths.

Once opened, Cheng Qian and Cheng Kun couldn’t resist looking through to the other side of the gate.

They were extremely curious about the Phoenix Secret Realm.

Yet within the copper gate was a Void, nothing visible.

They turned to look at Li Hongzhao.

Li Hongzhao’s eyes were icy, just like the Seven-Colored Phoenix in the sky above her.

Her white jade hand swirled, forming another handprint, poised elegantly.

The void Phoenix suddenly let out a clear cry.

Seven-colored light slowly emanated from its body after transforming into a blazing radiant orb.

As the Seven-Colored Phoenix spread its wings, the radiant orb floated slowly into the Bronze Gate.

Under the orb’s light, every detail of the Bronze Gate became distinct, and the phoenixes on the doors suddenly moved.

They leaned in to peck at the radiant orb.

The next moment, the phoenix cry soared into the sky again, resonating throughout the world, lingering for a long time.

The phoenix cry echoed in the minds of Cheng Qian and Cheng Kun for a long time, continuously.

The Bronze Gate started to glow slowly.

It gradually became transparent, like a crystal door, and then melded with the surrounding void.

Finally, completely disappearing before everyone.

Cheng Qian and Cheng Kun looked around in amazement, unable to resist stepping forward to touch.

Unexpectedly, they grasped at empty air.

"Huh, where’s the door?" Cheng Qian turned to look at Li Hongzhao, who was slowly retracting her jade hand, "Miss Li, is it open or not?"

"It is open."

Li Hongzhao nodded lightly, her gaze indifferent, still like a phoenix overlooking all beings.

"But this..." Cheng Qian was puzzled.

Cheng Kun also touched, shaking his head.

Nothing could be felt; even concentrating on sensing resulted in emptiness.

Song Chaoge smiled, "Hongzhao, well done."

The speed at which Li Hongzhao advanced was astonishing.

If it wasn’t for cultivating right under her own nose, one might assume she encountered some fortuitous event.

Ultimately, it was her deeper understanding of the Phoenix Burning Heaven Scripture, more aligned with the true meaning of the Phoenix.

Li Hongzhao smiled faintly.

"You may return to call them here," Song Chaoge said.

"Yes," Li Hongzhao responded.

She stepped gracefully forward, disappearing before Cheng Qian and Cheng Kun.

"So that’s it!" Cheng Qian suddenly realized.

Cheng Kun laughed, "No wonder no one can invade the Phoenix Secret Realm; the gateway is invisible."

Song Chaoge laughed, "Gentlemen, interested in taking a look into the Phoenix Secret Realm?"

"Is it possible?" Cheng Qian asked eagerly.

Song Chaoge shook her head, "It’s not that we don’t want to let you in, but the Secret Realm itself refuses outsiders’ entry."

"How does the Secret Realm reject?"

"You can try." Song Chaoge said, "See if you can get in."

"Shall we really try then?" Cheng Qian laughed, "What if we really get in?"

Song Chaoge said, "I will never go back on my word."

Cheng Qian’s face was full of smiles, "I’ve long admired the Phoenix Secret Realm gate, today I’ll give it a try!"

He lightly pushed with his right palm.

A flesh-colored handprint clearly appeared a foot in front of his palm, identical in size and shape to his hand, as if his palm had detached from his wrist.

The handprint slowly flew forward.

Heading straight towards where Li Hongzhao had disappeared earlier.

It flew out more than twenty meters without dispersing, turned back, and returned.

Back at Cheng Qian’s position, it veered again, adjusted its trajectory by a meter.

This handprint wandered around where Li Hongzhao disappeared, crossing back and forth for more than ten rounds, eventually returning to Cheng Qian’s sleeve.

Song Chaoge discovered that the handprint was not merely condensed from Spiritual Essence, but rather a Spiritual Artifact.

This Spiritual Artifact was extremely deceptive, often mistaken for Palm Force, thus causing one to underestimate its power, which was akin to overconfidence.

This move could very likely decide the battle, establishing an advantage in one fell swoop.

Cheng Qian frowned: "Strange."

Cheng Kun didn’t bother so much, he stepped directly forward, precisely where Li Hongzhao had disappeared earlier.

His body tensed, his robe fluttering without wind, concentrating and sensing the subtle changes around him.

Yet he felt nothing.

It was as if the Bronze Gate had disappeared, or even never existed.

Song Chaoge laughed, "Gentlemen, how is it?"

Cheng Qian and Cheng Kun did not give up there but still sought to find this portal.

They unsheathed their swords and swung them around, then let out several long cries, followed by four palm strikes, observing the surrounding reactions amidst the violent surge of power.

Song Chaoge shook his head with a smile, turned around, and looked towards the direction of the dense mist, furrowing his elegant brows.

"Master."

Li Hongzhao’s voice sounded.

Soon followed by a series of clear and pleasant sounds.

"Hehe, Master!"

"Master, we’ve arrived!"

"Wow, what a Grotto Heaven!"

...

The quiet desolation was instantly dispelled by these dozen graceful figures in colorful clothes.

Cheng Qian and Cheng Kun retreated helplessly, forced to cease their actions.

Their gaze was fixed on the place where they appeared.

They had clearly explored repeatedly, checked, and researched over and over again.

The place was empty, there was nothing, just a Void.

Yet it was precisely the portal to the Phoenix Secret Realm.

They knew of the door but could not enter.

This experience made them exceedingly itchy yet utterly helpless.

As Song Chaoge said, it wasn’t that she wouldn’t let them in, it was the Secret Realm that repelled outsiders.

"Master!"

"Hehe, greetings to Master!"

"Did Master encounter any danger?"

"There’s no one here, what danger could there be?"

"What treasures are there? ... It’s not like what we imagined."

After greeting with myriad tongues, they began to discuss on their own.

Song Chaoge’s face turned serious.

Only then did the women shut their mouths and look at her obediently.

Song Chaoge snorted, "No manners, this is Senior Cheng, Elder Cheng Er, haven’t you greeted them yet!"

The women saluted with clenched fists, and the air was filled with harmonious chatter.

The two returned the salute blandly.

They were rather reserved.

After all, they were Spirit Venerables, while the women had not yet reached Venerable Perfection; even though they were Holy Vein Disciples, they had no need to lower themselves.

In their eyes, the women were different from Li Hongzhao.

Song Chaoge said, "Enough rubbish, set the array!"

"Yes, Master..."

The women responded in sweet voices, taking their positions seriously, their expressions turning solemn.

Li Hongzhao was not in the array, standing beside Song Chaoge.

"Activate the array!"

A young girl shouted sharply.

Sixteen girls instantly began to move, and invisible forces began to surge.

Cheng Qian and Cheng Kun grew solemn.

They felt a different kind of power surging, distinct from True Yuan and Spiritual Essence.

Sitting cross-legged inside the cave, Chu Zhiyuan knew this was the power of the Phoenix Bloodline.

They were concentrating their power, intending to break the array with Phoenix power.

Red light overflowed from the bodies of sixteen girls, converging in the air to form a hazy, indistinct Phoenix.

The two-meter-high Phoenix was somewhat sluggish, somewhat blurry, far less refined than what Li Hongzhao had previously condensed.

Yet as time passed, the two-meter-high Phoenix became increasingly clear.

With its clarity, it grew increasingly lively.

The divine light in its eyes grew more and more intense, more and more indifferent, overlooking all beings.

Cheng Qian and Cheng Kun shook their heads in trepidation.

Every time they saw this Phoenix, they had to bear tremendous pressure.

If they were to battle against it, they feared only seventy percent of their strength could be exerted.

"Coo!"

A cry soared skyward.

The Seven-Colored Phoenix spread its wings, soaring upward, rushing straight into the sky a hundred meters high, then diving into the dense mist on the mountainside.

"Boom!"

A muffled sound echoed, the mountain peak shook a little, and the earth trembled along with it.

Chu Zhiyuan was surprised.

The power gathered by these sixteen girls was so formidable.

This power was special, particularly adept at impacting arrays and the forces of the world.

Regarding impacting arrays, even multiple Spirit Venerables united could not compare.

The mountain peak shook, while inside the cave was as serene as ever.

The four of Huang Zhengyang lying in front of the cave were still asleep, oblivious.

Chu Zhiyuan activated the Little Demon Suppression Divine Tree again to suppress the residual power of the Six Ferocious Beasts, keeping the outside array at bay.

The dense mist quickly dissipated.

Song Chaoge and the four below the mountain revealed smiles.