The crimson mist condensed into a blood-red hue.
Space distorted beyond recognition, and fine cracks began to appear.
An endless pressure permeated the Vermilion Bird Tomb.
Xu Yi felt her body being fiercely compressed by an immense force.
She extended her palm and was shocked to find her body shifting unstoppably between corporeal and incorporeal states.
Though what Xu Yi saw was clearly a recreation of past events, she felt as if she were there in person.
Xu Yi once again confirmed that this mysterious power must originate from the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire.
It was truly terrifying.
Xu Yi looked at the Vermilion Bird Ancestor with trepidation, wanting to know his reaction.
The spiritual fire in the Vermilion Bird Ancestor's hand continued to churn, showing no signs of stopping.
His expression was solemn, and the light in his eyes grew increasingly intense, with a hint of madness lurking within.
The Vermilion Bird Ancestor was making a desperate gamble, preparing to fight to the bitter end.
Simultaneously, Xu Yi noticed that the impurities outside the Chastisement Rod had almost entirely peeled away, gradually revealing the rod's squared form.
Boom—
It was as if a spark exploded in Xu Yi's heart.
Xu Yi's spirit tensed to an unbelievable degree.
She abruptly looked up at the sky.
Here it comes!
The red mist drifting in the air suddenly gathered towards a single point.
A peculiar, invisible force was rapidly brewing.
In the blink of an eye, the red mist that had once occupied the entire sky condensed to less than the size of a grain of rice.
The Vermilion Bird Tomb began to shake violently, vast swathes of space collapsing, the rumbling sounds merging into one continuous roar.
Xu Yi watched the scene, akin to the end of the world, with shock, her reverence for the Vermilion Bird soaring to its peak.
"Hahaha, come on! To die under the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire, I can consider myself to have died contentedly."
The Vermilion Bird Ancestor laughed heartily, his tone unrestrained and showing no fear.
As if understanding the Vermilion Bird Ancestor's words, the rice-sized red mist suddenly exploded from within.
Caw!
Accompanying a deafening cry,
Innumerable fireballs, trailing long fiery tails, scattered from the sky in all directions.
Intense flames immediately filled the entire space.
Xu Yi's eyes widened; this was the culprit responsible for the pockmarked ground of the Vermilion Bird Tomb.
"Excellent!"
The Vermilion Bird Ancestor shouted, placing his hands together before his chest, then forcefully pushing them outward.
The Vermilion Bird Ancestor's own spiritual fire, carrying the Chastisement Rod, rapidly spread outward.
In an instant, the spiritual fire rose to a hundred zhang, colliding with the countless fireballs.
Instantly, Xu Yi's eyes were dyed red by the flames.
Everything within her sight was reduced to brilliant firelight.
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
Xu Yi fell into a peculiar state.
The scenery around her kept changing, yet her mind was frozen at the moment of impact.
After an unknown duration, Xu Yi regained consciousness.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her eyes were filled with bewilderment.
What had just happened to her?
Xu Yi looked around, only to find herself in a sea of fire.
And the Vermilion Bird Ancestor was nowhere to be seen.
Had the Vermilion Bird Ancestor perished?
A guess flashed through Xu Yi's mind.
While she had been disoriented, the outcome had already been decided.
Xu Yi felt a touch of melancholy, yet also a sense of relief.
Although she hadn't witnessed the subsequent events, she also didn't have to face the scene of the Vermilion Bird Ancestor's death.
The Vermilion Bird Ancestor was an ancestor worthy of respect, and Xu Yi did not wish to see the scene of a hero's decline.
Just as Xu Yi thought everything was over, a dark shadow suddenly shot out from the sea of fire.
Xu Yi only had time to recognize the shadow as the Chastisement Rod before she was struck by it.
Numerous fragmented images flashed before Xu Yi's eyes.
The images flickered too quickly for Xu Yi to capture the specific details, only vaguely seeing a fiery red phantom.
As the images ended, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in Xu Yi's ears.
"This item is fated to be with you; cherish it dearly."
A blank expression appeared on Xu Yi's face.
This was indeed the Vermilion Bird Ancestor's voice!
He had seen her?!
Xu Yi found it hard to believe.
How could the Vermilion Bird Ancestor have detected her presence when she was clearly…
Xu Yi's expression froze as she recalled the scenes that felt as if she had personally experienced them.
Were those not illusions?
If they were not illusions, she would have been unable to survive in such an environment and would have been melted by the terrifying heat.
And yet, she was standing perfectly fine in the sea of fire now, completely unharmed.
What on earth was going on?
Xu Yi was utterly bewildered.
Just as Xu Yi was struggling to understand, she felt a peculiar sensation emanating from her palm.
She instinctively reached out and grasped, and the sea of fire before her quickly extinguished, replaced by flat, open ground.
The sparse spiritual energy around her was a reminder that she had returned.
Back to the true Vermilion Bird Tomb.
And the cold sensation in her hand was from the Chastisement Rod.
Xu Yi abruptly turned to Ji Buwang, "How long have I been meditating?"
Ji Buwang turned his head, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes, "Only for the time it takes to draw a breath."
In fact, Ji Buwang had not even closed his eyes to meditate before Xu Yi spoke, the interval so short it was almost negligible.
Xu Yi breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, the time flow within the illusion was different from here.
Xu Yi remembered she had promised to return to the sect for the grand ceremony. If she had truly delayed for too long within the Vermilion Bird Tomb, it would be difficult to explain to the elders.
"What did you experience just now?"
Ji Buwang asked.
From Xu Yi's reaction, he was certain that something special had happened to her.
And this matter was definitely related to the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire.
Xu Yi carefully considered her words, then said, "I saw the Vermilion Bird Ancestor just now, right here in the Vermilion Bird Tomb."
Ji Buwang's pupils contracted.
The Vermilion Bird Ancestor had perished over a thousand years ago; how could Xu Yi have seen him?
Then Ji Buwang immediately understood; what Xu Yi had seen should be an illusion, perhaps a memory left behind by the Vermilion Bird Ancestor within the Vermilion Bird Tomb.
Xu Yi described the scenes she had witnessed in the Vermilion Bird Tomb in detail, then picked up the Chastisement Rod with a puzzled expression, saying, "I can't understand why the Vermilion Bird Ancestor could detect my presence, let alone why he would say such a thing."
Xu Yi had always believed that the Chastisement Rod choosing her was a mere coincidence.
But now, it seemed that was not the case.
Before Ji Buwang could speak, Xu Yi took out a scroll from her storage ring and slowly unrolled it.
"This is a painting Hóng Jǐng gave me. It depicts my past self. Look, I'm holding the Chastisement Rod in my hand as well."
Xu Yi pointed to the area of her hand in the painting.
This had always been a great puzzle to her.
If Liu Jinghong had not existed, her natal artifact from two thousand years ago would also have been the Chastisement Rod.
It was as if the Chastisement Rod was destined to be her natal artifact.
The bond between her and the Chastisement Rod was deeper than she had imagined.
Furthermore, from the scenes just now, Xu Yi realized that the Chastisement Rod was not forged from the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire, but rather seemed to be a treasure that even the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire could not harm.
This was simply too unbelievable.