Ying Bing: "Is it delicious"

Dongli Village.

Inside the residence.

The young man silently opened his eyes, the fiery light in them—almost materialized—gradually subsided.

Disciples of the Qingyuan Sect living nearby all sensed varying degrees of scorching heat.

Yet before they could fully grasp it, the warmth dissipated as if it had been an illusion.

"Nascent Mystic Core."

Li Mo exhaled softly.

A pity.

Late last night, the small vial of accumulated Golden Crow blood he had saved up was completely exhausted.

The other rare treasures he had were far less effective, which was why he had no choice but to halt the condensation of his Mystic Core midway.

"Under the heavens, has anyone ever had such a difficult time forming their Mystic Core?"

Li Mo sighed.

Truth be told, his progress was already fast enough to make most inner-energy martial artists call him a freak.

But one had to consider his expenditures.

A single drop of Golden Crow blood would be enough to make an ordinary inner-energy cultivator ascend on the spot.

Yet after consuming an entire vial, his Mystic Core still hadn’t fully formed.

If he relied solely on slow, steady cultivation to break through, who knew how long it would take?

"I hope the Blood Phoenix Secret Realm can bring me some surprises."

Patting the booklet tucked in his robe, Li Mo stepped out of his room.

He paused at the neighboring door.

A majestic pressure radiated from within—cold, transcendent, and godlike.

"The ice block’s made progress too."

......

Inside the room.

A True Phoenix feather hovered before the girl’s chest, faintly glowing as if resonating with the divine mark between her brows. Two streams of inner energy intertwined, sweeping through the space like a cleansing tide.

Ying Bing looked even more sacred and untouchable than before.

"Finally regained mastery of the True Phoenix Transformation."

Her delicate brows relaxed as she withdrew the feather.

Throughout the journey, she had been comprehending the power within the True Phoenix feather.

This was no longer mere martial arts—it could rightfully be called a divine ability.

With the True Phoenix feather protecting her, her Radiant Phoenix Qi and physique had strengthened further, surpassing even the refinement she had undergone with the power of the Lunar Yin by twenty to thirty percent.

Several martial arts she had once prided herself on in her past life could now be executed in their preliminary forms.

If she could obtain the Blood Phoenix Essence...

Even in the current Central Divine Continent, she was confident she would stand unrivaled as the undisputed number one.

The next ranking update was in ten days.

"This time..."

Ying Bing rose slowly, her entire body seemingly draped in resplendent phoenix feathers—noble and enigmatic. Her long, dark hair swayed faintly, casting an ethereal glow.

It was as if an ancient True Phoenix had descended, taking the form of a divine maiden.

She would win.

Wrapping the ice pops at the corner of the room in Radiant Phoenix Qi, she pushed the door open.

"...Did you add special effects?"

Li Mo was nearly blinded.

Holy moly.

Why did the ice block look like she’d manually applied a million-dollar visual upgrade after training?

It took Li Mo a while to recover.

He couldn’t help but wonder:

Why could the ice block have both strength and beauty, while he had to choose one or the other?

"Ice pops."

Her fair hand picked up a SpongeBob-shaped one and placed it in his palm.

"Ah, thanks."

Li Mo had actually wanted the Patrick-shaped one.

He liked watermelon flavor.

However.

After one lick of the SpongeBob pop, he realized something was off.

Huh?

Why did this ice pop taste so good?

And...

After that single lick, his dantian felt as if it had been nourished by sweet rain, boiling with excitement.

Even his Mystic Core seemed to solidify slightly.

"What did you make this SpongeBob out of?"

"Divine Nectar."

Ying Bing tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and picked up a Patrick-shaped pop.

"......"

Li Mo was speechless.

"Does it taste good?" Ying Bing asked.

"......"

Young Li didn’t know how to respond.

Ying Bing raised her eyes, gazing at him earnestly. The morning light spilled into her irises, still faintly glowing with divine radiance, rendering her unbearably beautiful.

She repeated:

"Does it taste good?"

"......"

Li Mo’s emotions were complicated.

"It’s delicious. Thanks."

"Mm."

Only then did Ying Bing bring the Patrick pop to her lips, giving it a couple of delicate licks.

How to put it...

The contrast between her cold, sacred demeanor and the way her jade-like lips parted slightly as she seriously licked the ice pop was striking.

The two stood side by side in silence, leaning against the corridor as they ate their pops.

After a while.

A cautious voice came from behind.

"I mean... I might be interrupting,"

Old Xiao’s lips twitched,

"But we really should get going now."

A short while later.

The three arrived at the entrance of Dongli Village.

Xue Jing distributed some pills to the group—antidotes, healing medicines, and the like.

Yin Huaxuan’s expression was darker than before, but he still carried out his duties, briefing everyone on the types of exotic beasts they might encounter in the secret realm.

Qian Bufan stepped forward, shared some precautions, offered words of encouragement, and urged everyone to support one another in the secret realm.

And rightly so.

The Blood Phoenix Secret Realm was no benevolent place.

Not only did it harbor dangers inherent to the realm itself, but one also had to constantly guard against the treachery of others—often the more terrifying threat.

After all, inside the secret realm, no one cared about your background. Kill or be killed, with little hope of tracing the culprits afterward.

Thus, the disciples could only rely on each other.

Li Mo’s "Understood!" was particularly loud.

Once preparations were complete.

Qian Bufan summoned a war chariot from his spatial treasure and instructed everyone to board.

The chariot consumed vast resources to operate, but its imposing presence served as a deterrent to would-be troublemakers.

......

In just ten minutes.

The massive war chariot arrived before Red Maple Mountain.

The mountainside was already teeming with people, a lively scene. The Qingyuan Sect was among the later arrivals.

Ying Bing stood with her sword, drawing countless gazes.

Meanwhile, Li Mo activated his Heavenly Fate Divine Eye, scanning the crowd as streams of information flowed through his vision.

He recorded details as he went, but something felt off.

There was still no sign of anyone named Han Zhen.

With the secret realm about to open, all participants should have arrived by now.

If Han Zhen intended to enter, he should be here.

Yet if he wasn’t joining, why had the ice block warned him to be cautious of Han Zhen?

Very strange.

"Haah... the Blood Phoenix Secret Realm."

"I hope I can break through to the Jade Liquid Realm this time!"

Xiao Qin clenched his fists, psyching himself up.

"Don’t aim for the Blood Phoenix Essence just yet. If you can find a few accompanying spiritual materials, that alone would be a tremendous opportunity,"

the Thousand Forms Martial Venerable chuckled within his mind.

"Master, I’ll definitely bring back the Phoenix Blood Spirit Grass for you!"

Xiao Qin declared fervently.

The Phoenix Blood Spirit Grass was crucial for his master’s physical reconstitution. Substitutes would pale in comparison.

This herb grew exclusively in the Blood Phoenix Secret Realm. Missing this chance might mean waiting years for another.

"Your determination is enough. But remember, your strength places you in the lower tier among the secret realm’s entrants,"

the Thousand Forms Martial Venerable said, his tone conflicted. He yearned for the spirit grass yet feared his disciple’s safety.

After a pause, he added:

"If possible, stick close to Young Friend Li Mo. It’ll be safer, and you might even gain more."

"Right!"

Xiao Qin nodded vigorously.

He was tenacious, not stupid.

Why wouldn’t he cling to a solid thigh?

Half an incense stick later.

BOOM—

The sound of stone doors grinding open echoed, accompanied by a phoenix cry that pierced through metal and shattered rock, reverberating across the heavens.

The entire mountain seemed to tremble.

From a bird-beak-shaped cave on Red Maple Mountain, a sinister crimson light pulsed.

Every pair of eyes snapped toward it, burning with fanaticism.

The secret realm had opened!

Every individual has the chance to seize an opportunity, rise to greatness, and carve out their own legend across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.

Even Ying Bing's gaze grew solemn.

"Whew..."

"This is a massive undertaking."

Li Mo stretched his limbs, his mind focused on a single thought.

After gathering potential investments for so long, today was finally the day to act.

Of course, the main event still revolved around that ice block.

To be thorough, he activated his Heaven's Mandate Divine Eye one last time and cast a final glance at Ying Bing.