C1161 Sky Bird Forest

Deep within the Boundless Land, nestled in the heart of the Desolate Swamp, the barefoot Old Ape, clad in a sackcloth coat and girded with a hemp rope, contentedly puffed on his pipe. He gazed at the forest where a large bird's nest, brimming with spiritual energy, had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Zu Ann, adorned with a feathered crown and wielding the Skywatch Mirror, also observed the nest, which had withdrawn its destructive capabilities. Together with the Desolate God, he had welcomed the Luan Bird from the Outer Star River and established its nest in this very spot.

The Luan Bird's demon soul had taken residence within, enabling the nest to briefly transform into its corporeal form, revealing its mystical powers.

The Luan Bird's demon soul cried out from within the nest, drawing the attention of both the Desolate God and Zu Ann. All demons loyal to the Old Ape were, for the time being, forbidden from entering this sacred space.

"It's been half a month, and the Empress who reigns over the Death Nest hasn't shown the slightest sign of activity," grumbled the gray-haired Old Yuan, clearly growing impatient. "Old Monster Zu, I've heard that the young lady took your friend with her. Under mysterious circumstances, the two of them vanished without a trace in the Serene Starfield."

"Hong Qi..." Zu Ann murmured, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Having ascended to the Primordial Spirit Stage after taking over Lee Tianxin's position in the Primordial Yang Sect, he never imagined that Yu Yuan, whom he had covertly watched over, was not his old friend's successor but the old friend himself.

Every time he recalled Yu Yuan's demeanor and the way he looked at him, Zu Ann couldn't help but feel irked. "Once Hong Qi returns to the Boundless Land, we're going to have a serious conversation," he huffed.

Suddenly, within the Destruction Nest, the Luan Bird's demon soul materialized. It cast a timid glance at the Desolate God and Zu Ann, its ethereal green wings folding in as it uttered a sharp, human-like cry, "Near Horror Land, within the Heavenly Bird Forest, there's something causing this nest to respond."

"What kind of response?" Zu Ann inquired, his interest piqued.

The Luan Bird, in its spiritual form, replied urgently, "Resonance!"

"Resonance?!" The Desolate God exclaimed, taken aback by the revelation.

Nestled beside the Horror Land on the Quietus Continent, the Heavenly Bird Forest has been a cradle for countless birds and mystical avians for tens of thousands of years. It was this prolific breeding ground that earned the forest its celestial name.

Many of the spiritual birds that now thrive across the Boundless Great World and the Outer Star River, such as the Golden-winged Roc, the Peacock, and the Thunder Condor, originated from the Heavenly Bird Forest. This includes the reigning Peacock King and the Luan Bird before me, both of whom hail from this very forest.

The Luan Bird, now merely a demon soul merged with the enigmatic Death Nest, claimed there was something within the Heavenly Bird Forest that resonated with the Death Nest. What could this signify?

"Is it truly the Heavenly Bird Forest?" Zu Ann inquired with caution.

The diminutive Luan Bird bobbed its head in an eager affirmation.

"Let's have a look."

Zu Ann focused his thoughts, and the Skywatch Mirror he commanded unfurled in the skies above the Great Swamp. Bolstered by his divine power, the mirror instantly projected the verdant forest teeming with avian life.

He posed a series of questions, to which the Luan Bird swiftly indicated the direction. Shortly thereafter, a peculiar tree, barely ten meters tall with leaves shimmering like green jade, materialized within the Skywatch Mirror. Towering, robust giants surrounded it, their lofty branches blotting out the sun, but it was this modest tree that stood out with its astonishingly vibrant leaves.

"Ah!" The Luan Bird's spectral form let out a sharp cry upon glimpsing the tree.

For years, this very tree had haunted its dreams and memories, appearing time and again. Yet, in its recollections, the tree's leaves were never this tenderly green nor did they radiate such brilliance, making it rather unremarkable and easily overlooked.

Each dream, each memory of the tree, brought it back to the moment it discovered an abandoned infant beneath its boughs. Indeed, the infant was none other than Chen Qinghuang, who would grow to be the Luan Bird Queen. The Luan Bird had stumbled upon her by chance and, from the shadows, had watched over her, eventually ensuring she was placed in the care of the Chen family's ancestor who wandered through the Heavenly Bird Forest.

In its myriad dreams and memories, the tree was a constant, as was the enigmatic baby girl, sculpted as if from jade. The Luan Bird had always believed that its enduring recollection of that scene, of that unassuming tree, was due to the deep bond it later formed with Chen Qinghuang.

Zu Ann's eyes narrowed as the Yin God at his brow suddenly soared out, merging with the Skywatch Mirror.

In a blink, his Yin God materialized within the Skywatch Mirror.

Precisely speaking, he traversed instantly to the Skybird Forest, arriving beneath the bizarre tree that had just revealed its splendor.

Zu Ann's Yin God lightly brushed against the trunk, and a burst of tender green light erupted. The leaves, resembling green jade, suddenly sharpened into clarity, as if they held within them the mysterious and profound truths of the Great Dao.

"The power of rebirth!"

Zu Ann, still in the Great Swamp, involuntarily inhaled deeply.

Simultaneously.

Deep within Horror Land, a towering white skeleton, as if it could touch the sky, silently appeared.

"Ghostly White Bone!"

Zu Ann's Yin God was startled, glancing over Horror Land from within the Skybird Forest.

"Bring that tree to me!"

The soul thought of the white bone pierced through space, reaching Zu Ann's Yin God and the strange tree, "The exalted one from the Demon Palace has awoken from their deep slumber, all because of this strange tree."

Zu Ann was profoundly moved.

"No time to delay, I must go ahead. We'll continue this later."

Following his Yin God, Zu Ann's physical form entered the Skywatch Mirror, instantly arriving at the Skybird Forest. He wielded the mirror to bore through the earth, taking the strange tree with him as he dashed toward Horror Land.

Back in the Great Swamp, Old Ape, having set aside his pipe, gazed at the Luan Bird's Demon Soul within the ruined nest, "What exactly is that tree?"

"I believe it's the third nest of the Secular Bird."

The Luan Bird, not daring to conceal anything, timidly shared its thoughts.

"The Nest of Rebirth."

The Desolate God nodded slightly, instantly grasping the sequence of events and all the hidden secrets.

"So it is. The third nest, fervently sought by the many powerful beings of the Outer Star River, capable of resurrecting the Secular Bird, is not beyond the skies but within the Boundless Land itself."

"No wonder, it all makes sense now."

Old Ape's laughter was harsh and wheezing, like a cut windpipe, "Fascinating, truly fascinating! Neither gods nor ghosts would have imagined that the main Nest of Rebirth, the one most likely to revive the Secular Bird, would manifest within the Boundless Land!"

A hundred thousand years ago, the Phoenix of Immortality, besieged within the Oblivion Starfield by the mightiest warriors from various races at the Peak of Tenth Level, was the archenemy of the Demon Phoenix.

This World-Ending Bird, a harbinger of destruction and death, was considered the common foe by all. Whether it was the formidable beings from other races or the vast Demon Gods, everyone wished for her swift demise.

At last, their wish was granted.

"I understand now," Old Ape said, his voice resonating with realization.

In the Death Nest, the spirit of the Luan Bird, sensing the odd movements of the peculiar tree and hearing Old Ape's soliloquy, beat its wings furiously and screeched, "So that's it! So that's it!"

...

On the Origin Blood Continent, the ethereally beautiful Chen Qinghuang placed her hand on Yu Yuan's shoulder and whispered, "I'll take care of it."

"What?" Yu Yuan responded, taken aback.

"I'll handle this," Chen Qinghuang assured him softly.

Tan Junshan, Yu Yiyi, and Yu Zhu all wore expressions as if they were looking at a fool.

"Since the Dragon Slash Platform is also known as the Heaven Opening Divine Stone, let's harness its power to forge our path to the heavens."

​