Following this passage, they gathered every fourth-tier Beast Crystal and various spirit stones and materials, amounting to nearly ten million in value.

Zong Shou became overwhelmed, so he had Zong Yuan assist by summoning the Thunderwing Flood Dragon as well.

Little Gold, perched on his arm, chirped excitedly from time to time; many of the ores here were ones it had never consumed before.

Han Xi, leading the way ahead, showed no intention of stopping, as if nothing inside was worthy of her attention.

However, the deeper they flew, the stranger Zong Shou found the environment. The four walls of this cavern showed traces of scorching and sandification.

The stony residue left behind after the death of the Gold-Devouring Beast itself was a material beyond the sixth tier; what kind of astonishing temperature could melt it?

The more he pondered, the more uneasy he felt, yet there was no particularly fierce aura emanating from the location.

The various birds that had previously nested here had mostly been driven out by Han Xi already.

In just a few breaths, the Seven-Star Altar entered a considerably wider space.

This was a cavern approximately three hundred zhang in circumference, containing spiritual materials and ores far richer than before, with countless glints flashing along the cave walls.

Zong Shou took one look at its shape and instantly knew this must be the stomach of the Gold-Devouring Beast.

While directing Zong Yuan and the Thunderwing Flood Dragon to scour the area with smaller Qiankun Bags, Zong Shou vigilantly scanned his surroundings.

He watched Han Xi dive in and, ignoring everything else, rush to one side of the cavern. She grabbed handfuls of black crystals laced with silver threads and tossed them before Zong Shou.

Her amethyst eyes were filled with entreaty.

Zong Shou realized with a flash of understanding that these must be what those few mutated Silver Ants craved. This was why Han Xi had rushed here regardless of everything else.

With a slight wave of his sleeve, he gathered all the crystals, over a hundred in total, yet they were incredibly heavy. They were only manageable because they were contained within the Qiankun Bag, which formed its own internal space.

Knowing the reason, Zong Shou didn't pay much further attention. Then, the next moment, his gaze was seized by a mass of flames not far away.

Upon approaching, he discovered a substantial pile of Fire Obsidian, spread over twenty zhang. These spirit treasures, inherently fire-attributed, when stacked in such vast quantities, spontaneously generated a fierce crimson blaze.

Nearby lay the remains of several rare beasts. A cursory glance revealed they were all fire-affiliated, and there were over a hundred Beast Crystals, mostly seventh-tier, though several eighth-tier ones were also present.

Zong Shou's eyelids twitched involuntarily; his bad premonition grew stronger.

He looked again into the mass of flames and clearly saw several feet-sized, scarlet fire eggs lying quietly within.

Zong Shou beckoned, unafraid of the scorching heat, and grasped one of the eggs.

When a wisp of spiritual sense probed inside, his pupils contracted slightly.

"Sixth-tier, Phoenix Blood—"

Though he didn't know what kind of rare beast this was, it was undoubtedly incubating the purest Fire Phoenix bloodline. Zong Shou was initially startled, then felt a slight regret. A sixth-tier Phoenix Blood avian would be worth nearly as much as his Thunderwing Flood Dragon.

However, these Phoenix Eggs were likely destined to remain outside his reach.

He already possessed five guardian spirits; his soul power was limited, and he couldn't control more. Being able to simultaneously maintain five spirit contracts was already a sign of exceptional, heaven-sent talent. This was partly because he only had one soul beast, and the Thunderwing Flood Dragon was a natural guardian, while Little Gold and Han Xi functioned almost like innate protectors, requiring little drain.

While this Phoenix Blood avian was excellent, its utility overlapped with Han Xi's. In terms of aerial speed or the Divine Art of Sacred Fire, this innate anomaly, born of fierce aggression and destined for countless calamities, would surely not be inferior to a true Fire Phoenix in the future. Furthermore, it could divide and reproduce, commanding offspring only half a tier weaker.

Unless he resolved to strike down Han Xi, this Fire Phoenix would be useless to him.

Before stepping onto the Immortal Path, he did not plan to take on many more guardians; currently, his offense was sufficient, but his defense was lacking. A single Demonic Eye Silver Bear offered terribly thin protective power. The last remaining slot needed to be used with extreme caution.

The moment the thought of replacing the Silver Ant with this Fire Phoenix descendant crossed his mind, Han Xi's amethyst eyes revealed a flicker of murderous intent directed toward the Phoenix Eggs. A moment later, the fierce light faded again.

Zong Shou sneered coldly, choosing to ignore it. He swiftly gathered all four Fire Phoenix Eggs into his Spirit Pet Bag. Then, he swept up all the remaining Beast Crystals and the Fire Obsidians. Beneath the Phoenix Eggs, there was also a thick layer of feathers, which were also valuable goods.

Next, he retracted the Seven-Star Altar and uttered a single word, "Go," to Zong Yuan. Zong Yuan understood immediately, abandoning any further consideration of the minerals, and instantly teleported over.

With another mental command from Zong Shou, the Thunderwing Flood Dragon nearby rapidly shrank its body, allowing Zong Shou and Zong Yuan to each grasp one of its dragon horns. Then, a burst of electrical light enveloped its body, and it shot out of the cavern, moving toward their entry point with near lightning speed. They flew without pause, the seven Flying Ants leading the way.

With Han Xi clearing the path, every rare beast blocking their way was swiftly executed.

Less than half an ke time after the two individuals and one beast plunged into the 'Spirit River,' a piercing shriek echoed from behind them, followed by a vast surge of flame power in hot pursuit.

This flame also pierced into the Spirit River, its speed several times greater than the Thunderwing Flood Dragon's, causing the temperature within to rise madly.

Zong Shou sighed inwardly; it was just as he suspected. Weren't those hundreds of fire-attributed avians near the Gold-Devouring Beast's carcass the 'Hundreds of Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix'? Those avians must have been guarding the Phoenix Blood offspring.

As for the Beast Crystals, they were likely intended as food for the unhatched young phoenixes.

And any creature capable of birthing sixth-tier Phoenix Eggs must itself possess at least Immortal Realm strength.

But asking him to return the Phoenix Eggs was absolutely out of the question. He knew the moment they entered the Phoenix Nest and became tainted with its aura, that high-tier rare beast possessing pure Phoenix Blood would never let them go. It was better to simply loot everything inside.

After surging forward for another two hundred breaths, the oppressive spiritual pressure from behind finally reached them through the void.

Zong Shou felt his limbs grow weak, almost completely powerless, and his soul felt as if it were splitting from pain. Fortunately, the Thunderwing Flood Dragon also possessed the purest True Dragon bloodline and refused to yield. Although fine traces of blood seeped from the scales across its body, causing immense pain, it was as if all its potential had been unlocked, increasing its speed by another third.

Zong Shou frowned, quietly drawing out a Yuan Mie Chaotic Spirit Talisman from his Qiankun Bag.

At that very instant, a deafening roar suddenly erupted behind him. Segments of spirit runes flashed across the void.

Looking back, he saw a Scarlet Fire Golden Phoenix with a wingspan of ten zhang slam against an invisible barrier.

The tremendous impact instantly shattered the barrier, but the rushing momentum was violently stalled, slowing its speed slightly. This event caused the entire space to shudder violently, and the previously stable spatio-temporal wall wavered, showing countless black markings.

Zong Shou's expression eased slightly, and he returned the Yuan Mie Chaotic Spirit Talisman to storage. The reason this Spirit River was inaccessible to rare beasts and demons above the seventh tier was indeed due to the spiritual formation set up by the Cang Sheng Dao, not solely the repulsion of the Yun Realm itself.

After advancing for about two hundred breaths more, the Scarlet Fire Golden Phoenix struck an invisible force field almost every few moments.

The distance between them steadily increased, and the pursuing Golden Phoenix gradually lost its momentum.

Until they had pulled a lead of at least one hundred breaths, the Thunderwing Flood Dragon finally exhausted its strength and slowed to a halt.

Zong Shou and Zong Yuan both looked back with lingering dread. Had they been slightly slower just now, they would likely have perished at the hands of the Scarlet Fire Golden Phoenix.

This time, they had truly escaped by the narrowest of margins.

Seizing the time, Zong Shou quickly swallowed several elixirs, not forgetting to give some to the Flying Ants ahead. He then watched the stopped Scarlet Fire Golden Phoenix turn its gaze upon them with venomous hatred. Suddenly, it let out another piercing cry that did not cease for a long time. Just as Zong Shou was catching his breath, confused, he saw countless seventh-tier avian rare beasts swiftly flying toward them!

These avians were not obstructed by the spiritual formation, surging toward them like a scarlet tide.

Zong Shou’s face immediately registered astonishment.

Almost simultaneously, Xuan Ye, carefully navigating the Spirit River, also looked around with a bewildered expression.

The entire space was shaking, and countless spatio-temporal rifts flickered in and out of existence nearby.

Just as Xuan Ye was filled with suspicion and uncertainty, a thunderous crash accompanied by a sharp cry suddenly reached his ears.

"—Is that a Phoenix Cry?"

And not just any phoenix cry, but one from the purest bloodline.

What exactly had happened ahead? Were those two people still alive?

In the Cang Sheng Realm, in the Scripture Pavilion B Building, Han Fang, who had been watching Shi Ruolan practice her forms diligently with a smile, also froze slightly, his face showing surprise.

"Strange! Why would an Immortal Realm expert breach the border for no reason?"

With a slight wave of his hand, a spiritual mirror materialized before him, seemingly piercing through the void. An image abruptly appeared before him.

When he saw Zong Shou, Han Fang was startled once more.

"It's that brat. What terrible thing did this fellow do to provoke this Fire Phoenix as if they shared a deep, bitter hatred?"

He shook his head slightly, perplexed. But in the next instant, Han Fang’s gaze was drawn to several silver-white figures.

Their speed of evasion was so swift that even his treasured mirror could only sometimes capture their afterimages.

Finally, his gaze settled upon a figure that seemed almost humanoid.

"—This is a Heavenly and Earthly Anomaly!"

Han Fang suddenly clenched both fists and stood up straight, startling Shi Ruolan, who had been focused on her martial practice nearby.

Han Fang's complexion shifted rapidly between red and white, fluctuating between joy and anxiety.

"These six flying ants share the same origin; they should be its progeny. Is Junior Brother Zong truly one of the people of our Cang Sheng Dao? Heavenly and Earthly Anomalies are born imbued with the inherent wrath of karmic calamity. If our Cang Sheng Dao had possessed such an anomalous beast back then, Patriarch Xizi would not have perished—"