Thanks To My Unlimited Investment, I'm Admired By All Races - Xianxia

"So, this is the Phoenix Origin Secret Realm?"

At the peak of a black mountain, Li Xun stood gazing into the distance, his eyes deep and contemplative.

The Phoenix Origin Secret Realm was far more vast than he had imagined, with no visible boundary. Everywhere he looked, a pitch-black silence reigned. The entire world was shrouded in darkness, with only a few faint stars in the sky casting dim light.

Unfortunately, these faint glimmers were insufficient to dispel the oppressive darkness enveloping the realm.

Stepping forward, Li Xun landed on the ground. The soft breeze stirred by his landing caused the nearby skeletal remains of a demonic beast to disintegrate into dust.

It wasn’t intentional on his part—the beast’s remains had weathered untold years and had long since turned brittle. Just a slight breeze was enough to make them vanish completely.

"Just as Elder Xie described, this place was once an ancient battlefield for the demon race. Beast skeletons are everywhere—it’s no wonder divine beast blood still exists here."

Li Xun murmured to himself.

Before entering, Elder Xie had explained everything about the Phoenix Origin Secret Realm, including its origins.

During ancient times, a great war among the demon races took place here. All kinds of divine beasts, ferocious beasts, and demonic beasts participated—there were even legends of true phoenixes and celestial phoenixes falling in battle.

Their blood had drenched this land, and though countless years had passed, much of it had lost its vitality, becoming useless and dried.

However, some divine beast blood retained its potency and remained preserved within the Secret Realm to this day.

With enough luck, one might even find true dragon blood. Even if not, a single drop of active ordinary blood could yield immense benefits.

Of course, most of the realm’s treasures had already been harvested by the Great Zhou royal family over the years. Any remaining treasures would depend entirely on luck.

Fortunately, the realm’s abundant spiritual energy and unique environment sometimes allowed rare spirit herbs like Dragon Blood Grass or Phoenix Blood Immortal Grass to grow. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

These herbs, nourished by dragon or phoenix blood, were exceedingly rare. Finding just one could catapult a cultivator to new heights.

"I wonder where the others have ended up."

The Phoenix Origin Secret Realm was peculiar in that everyone who entered was randomly transported to a different location. The fellow disciples from the Profound Sun Sect who had entered with him were nowhere to be seen, their whereabouts unknown.

As Li Xun traversed the darkness, he searched for his fellow sect members while keeping an eye out for opportunities. Having come this far, returning empty-handed was not an option.

Suddenly, Li Xun halted. The darkness before him began to shift and writhe. In the sky, a hundred meters above, two blood-red lantern-like lights abruptly lit up.

A wave of menacing energy swept out, making his heart race.

"Hissss—"

A chilling sound echoed as the lanterns descended, drawing closer. Only then could their true nature be discerned.

It was a massive serpent, hundreds of meters long, its pitch-black body blending seamlessly with the surrounding darkness. Its icy, emotionless eyes were fixed intently on Li Xun.

"Barely inside the realm, and I’ve already encountered a Profound Elixir Realm demonic beast. Should I call myself lucky, or you unlucky?"

Li Xun raised his head, meeting the serpent’s gaze with an amused glint in his eyes.

Before he could finish his thought—

Boom!

The serpent moved without warning. Its tail lashed out, sweeping across the area with devastating force. A nearby hilltop was obliterated, collapsing entirely. A small mountain, tens of meters high, was reduced to dust with a single strike.

The violent gust from the serpent’s attack surged forth, accompanied by a suffocating sense of pressure.

"Courting death."

Li Xun remained motionless. With a resonant hum, he clenched his fist and struck forward. The speed of his punch was so great that it emitted a piercing screech, like divine gold resonating under immense force.

A torrent of golden energy erupted, illuminating the surrounding darkness for a thousand meters. It was as though a blazing sun had descended upon the land.

Bang!

Li Xun’s powerful punch struck the serpent’s tail with overwhelming force. The colossal body, hundreds of meters long, exploded into a cloud of blood mist as if struck by a meteor from the heavens.

Amidst the mist, Li Xun’s hand darted forward. When he retracted it, his palm held a fist-sized demon core.

"A Profound Elixir Realm demon core—this will fetch a good price. I might be able to sell it for a fortune when I get out."

Weighing the core in his hand, Li Xun quickly stored it and resumed his journey into the depths of the darkness.

Meanwhile, on a desolate black plain...

Qin Xueyi’s entire body radiated divine light, her hair flowing gently as if dancing in the wind. Her skin glowed like fine jade, and beneath her crimson lips, the jade flute in her hands sparkled with brilliance. Ethereal, melodious tones resonated as she played, soft and captivating, like the harmonious music of the heavens spreading in all directions.

It felt as though the entire Phoenix Origin Secret Realm was resonating with her melody.

Under the enchantment of her flute’s sound, the long-dead skeletal remains of demonic beasts began to glow faintly, shrouded in a mysterious aura. It seemed as if, in the next moment, they might fully revive.

This continued for a quarter of an hour before the music faded into silence.

Qin Xueyi raised her head to look in a specific direction, her eyes as clear as black gemstones, seeming to pierce through the void.

"Finally, I’ve found it!"

A hint of joy flashed across her delicate jade-like face.

She had entered the Phoenix Origin Secret Realm for one purpose: a single drop of Vermilion Bird’s blood. In her past life, she had only known that such blood had emerged in this realm, but she never learned who had found it or where it ended up.

The truth was that, in her previous life at this time, she had been too weak. Most of what she knew about these events was hearsay.

This time, however, she had employed specific methods, and they hadn’t let her down—she had already sensed the location of the Vermilion Bird’s blood.

It wasn’t far, just about a thousand miles away.

An hour later, Qin Xueyi, riding a flying treasure, arrived at her destination.

Before her stood an imposing mountain, towering thousands of meters high and entirely jet-black. The entire surface of the mountain was covered with layers of skeletal remains.

At the summit, a small crimson grass no taller than a palm swayed gently in the wind. It emitted a fragrance so rich and pure that it seemed to permeate the soul. If one listened closely, they might even hear the faint chirping of the Vermilion Bird.

Beside this crimson grass stood over a dozen massive demonic beasts, each on high alert against the others.

The strongest among them had reached the peak of the Profound Elixir Realm, while even the weakest were at the early stages of the Profound Elixir Realm. Their combined auras formed a vast oppressive force, surging in all directions like an unending tide of might.

An ordinary person would find it difficult even to remain standing in the presence of such power, let alone think of stealing the grass from these guardians.

"Phoenix Blood Immortal Grass, which often grows where Vermilion Bird’s blood is present..."

Qin Xueyi took a deep breath as she observed the crimson grass below, murmuring softly.

The appearance of the Phoenix Blood Immortal Grass meant one thing: the Vermilion Bird’s blood she sought was buried beneath it.

The problem, however, lay with the dozen or so Profound Elixir Realm demonic beasts guarding the grass. With her current peak Spirit Meridian Realm strength, claiming the treasure by force was nearly impossible.

"I’ll have to set up a slaughter formation first!"

Her expression turned cold and determined as she descended from the sky to the foot of the mountain.

If the beings vying for the Phoenix Blood Immortal Grass were humans, setting up a formation unnoticed would be nearly impossible. But since her opponents were demonic beasts, the situation was more favorable.

Once her array was complete, it would serve a dual purpose: to eliminate the demonic beasts and to provide her with a safe space to refine the Vermilion Bird’s blood after obtaining it.

It was a strategy that would accomplish two goals in one move.