Chapter 333 – You… Damn it!

“Ancient creatures usually surround most of the wondrous items within secret realms. They seem to grow stronger by absorbing the energy dissipated around these items…

The reason we didn’t encounter anything when we harvested that golden vine earlier was probably due to our luck…”

Lan Chen’s face immediately changed as he saw the red giant bear emerge.

Switching to combat mode, Lan Chen quickly assessed the strength of the giant bear in front of him while urgently speaking to Lu Yuan.

But before he could finish his sentence, a loud explosion erupted, and Lu Yuan had already charged forward.

A huge energy light sphere instantly formed on Lan Chen’s chest.

However, before he could launch his energy attack, he saw the forms of Lu Yuan and the giant bear crossing paths in the distance.

It seemed like platinum Thunder flashed through the air.

When Lan Chen’s sight found Lu Yuan again, he saw him standing beside the Serpent Fang Red Fruit, gently picking the red-glowing fruit and holding it in his hand.

Meanwhile, the six-meter-tall, blood-red giant bear gradually split into two halves and crashed to the ground like two small mountains, blood spilling everywhere.

“Uh uh…”

The data flood in Lan Chen’s eyes stopped, and the energy light sphere on his chest slowly dissipated.

He hadn’t even calculated the giant bear’s strength level, and the battle was already over.

“Sigh…”

Lan Chen sighed lightly and walked up to clean the battlefield.

He felt like he had wasted his anxiety once again.

“The evil deity factor content per unit volume is higher than that of the golden vine, but the total amount is much less…”

The blood sphere inside him whirled energetically as Lu Yuan assessed the Serpent Fang Red Fruit in his hand.

Instead of immediately absorbing the evil deity factor within, he first activated [mysterious perception] on the fruit.

Soon, some fuzzy and fragmented images flashed in his mind.

“Just like the formation of the golden vine, it all started with an ordinary plant absorbing the golden-red light fog falling from the sky, eventually evolving into this…”

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered as he guessed what the mysterious golden-red light fog might be.

But the information was too scarce, making it difficult to piece anything together.

“Crack-“

Lu Yuan casually tossed the Serpent Fang Red Fruit into his mouth.

There are advantages to small fruits; you can eat them in one bite. However, the texture was less than ideal. It felt like chewing on a piece of raw iron, which then slowly turned to wax as he chewed.

A large amount of evil deity factor energy flooded into his body, combined with the essence absorbed from the dead giant bear’s flesh and blood.

The blood sphere inside him continued to grow…

“Boom!”

Accompanied by a muffled sound only he could hear, Lu Yuan’s body shook slightly, and he distinctly felt his muscles swell a bit.

[Strength points: 29 (limit break 1)]

“Two wondrous items have saved me four attribute points, bringing me closer to achieving a second limit break in all four basic attributes…”

Feeling the power surging through his body, Lu Yuan was in a very good mood.

By this time, Lan Chen had finished cleaning up the giant bear’s corpse and walked over, examining Lu Yuan with a curious look, as if wondering where he had stashed the golden vine and the freshly acquired Serpent Fang Red Fruit.

However, he didn’t feel comfortable asking.

“Lu Yuan, your embers ranking has made it into the top three hundred…”

Lan Chen glanced at the embers ranking displayed on his chip and told Lu Yuan, his tone full of emotion.

It hadn’t been long since Lu Yuan entered the embers mountain secret realm, yet he had already surged into the top three hundred.

When you’re strong, you rise quickly.

However, as the exploration deepens and the danger level of the secret realm reaches the limit of personal capabilities, this ranking will stabilize.

Unless someone gets incredibly lucky, it won’t vary much from their combat power level.

Lan Chen was now very curious-how high would Lu Yuan ultimately rank?

“No wonder he is Lord Tong’s disciple. He hasn’t been a part of Yellow Bear for long, yet he’s already making a name for himself… Is this what they call a genius? You really can’t compare people…”

Lan Chen sighed inwardly.

After absorbing the entire Serpent Fang Red Fruit, Lu Yuan wasted no time in trying to locate the next spot where the evil deity factor gathered.

Suddenly.

He heard a “Cuckoo Cuckoo” bird call near his ear…

“Boom!”

A large clump of soil erupted beneath Lu Yuan’s feet as white steam burst from his pores, and he shot into the sky like a swimming dragon.

“[Three Flowers]!”

Buzz-

Flesh Flower, Qi Flower, Divine Flower!

The three flowers bloomed together.

The white steam around him thickened, and his speed increased several times over.

If it weren’t for the ear-piercing sound created by breaking the sound barrier, Lu Yuan – darting between the trees with his figure blurred like light and mist – would look like an ethereal, otherworldly being, impossible to capture.

However…

Even an otherworldly being has their limits.

No matter how hard he tried, his blurred figure like light and mist could not catch the flame-like flicker of orange-red.

Lu Yuan exploded in power several times to increase his speed, but he couldn’t get any closer to the near-elusive bird’s shadow.

Finally… he decided to give up.

“Huff-“

Lu Yuan landed, the white steam dispersing like clouds, the three flowers vanishing as he stood calmly on a protruding rock formation.

He looked up and could see, perched on the branch of a towering ancient tree dozens of meters away, a Hoopoe with a regal crest leisurely preening its feathers.

Occasionally, it glanced down at him.

Its eyes seemed to carry a faint, almost imperceptible hint of mockery.

“Interesting…”

Lu Yuan’s mood completely calmed.

The Hoopoe’s strangeness was already evident.

Both his strength and agility points had just increased, and with the three flowers blooming together, he was nearly at his peak speed in a normal state…

Yet, he couldn’t catch it.

Lu Yuan couldn’t be bothered to shift into another, stronger form to try again.

It wasn’t necessary.

“Why am I getting worked up over a bird?”

Lu Yuan shook his head, staring calmly at the Hoopoe on the tree branch, which also quietly watched him.

One man and one bird locked eyes for several seconds.

Lu Yuan turned around.

After taking a few steps, he turned back, raised his middle finger at the high-and-mighty Hoopoe on the branch, and said, “Damn cuckoo.”

“!”

Lu Yuan accurately caught the moment the Hoopoe’s pupils contracted, and his mood instantly improved greatly.

The Hoopoe with the crest atop its head suddenly gazed at Lu Yuan with an ice-cold look.

Lu Yuan remained unaffected.

[Chaos Divination] had foretold that he would encounter this Hoopoe.

Although the bird is traditionally seen as a symbol of good luck in folklore, Lu Yuan’s intuition told him that this creature had other intentions.

Thus, he didn’t mind offending it. If a few words could compel the Hoopoe to reveal its true purpose, it would be advantageous to him.

If birds had expressions, the Hoopoe’s face would probably look quite unpleasant right now.

The bird gave Lu Yuan one last deep look before flapping its wings and soaring into the sky, disappearing from sight.

“Boom!”

Accompanied by the roar of surging energy, the long-awaited Lan Chen finally arrived.

“Lu Yuan…”

Lan Chen was just about to ask why Lu Yuan had suddenly decided to bolt when, suddenly…

A massive and strange ripple emanated from behind them.

Lu Yuan’s heart skipped a beat as he abruptly turned around.

The next second…

He froze in place.

…

A vast expanse of orange-red light engulfed the primeval forest in front of them.

A warm gust of wind swept through, causing the surrounding grass and trees to rustle and sway.

An indescribably magnificent and radiant figure appeared above Lu Yuan and Lan Chen.

Both of them stood, stunned, gazing at the dazzling and beautiful creature that seemed to have just flown out from a legendary painting.

A Phoenix.

The same one they had seen before-the legendary creature that had previously triggered a frenzy among exploration team members-was now hovering above them.

It was likely only tens of meters away from them.

Observing such a legendary creature at such close proximity was an awe-inspiring and breathtaking experience.

Enveloped in orange-red flames, the bird’s form seemed almost ethereal.

It circled above Lu Yuan and Lan Chen, emitting a clear and melodious sound that was unlike any instrument in the world, yet impossibly beautiful.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, a figure shrouded in a brilliant light leapt up from a distance, recklessly releasing powerful waves of energy.

Within the light, a face filled with fervor and greed could be seen clearly.

Then…

A second figure, a third, and a fourth followed…

Figures were rushing toward them from all directions, causing the energy field within a radius of more than ten kilometers to be as chaotic as boiling porridge.

The gorgeously radiant Phoenix had suddenly become a gigantic, luminous magnet, attracting powerful members of nearby exploration teams.

Lu Yuan snapped out of his brief shock, his mind racing as he quickly pieced everything together.

Without wasting a second, he grabbed Lan Chen’s arm and prepared to leave, aiming to distance themselves from the impending center of chaos.

However…

Just as Lu Yuan was about to make his escape, an unexpected turn of events occurred.

The Phoenix that had been circling above them suddenly exploded with a “boom!”

It burst into a flurry of orange-red and golden colors, like a grand and brilliant firework display.

The sudden burst of dazzling light momentarily mesmerized Lu Yuan, causing him to pause.

Immediately afterward…

Lu Yuan noticed a glimmer of golden light within the burst of colors.

His pupils contracted as he focused on the source of the golden light.

It was an unbelievably exquisite golden feather.

About a foot long, the feather glowed with a golden-red radiance, as if it were crafted from the world’s most precious metal, and its beauty was beyond words.

At present, this feather was perched in the beak of a Hoopoe, crest atop its head, its small orange-red body almost comically oversized for the splendid feather.

The Hoopoe, feather in beak, darted frenetically through the air, tracing one brilliant golden arc after another.

“Phoenix Feather! That’s a real Phoenix Feather!” a voice full of excitement shouted from afar.

In an instant, Lu Yuan saw dozens of radiant streaks flash across his vision.

Exploration team elites, their speed maxed out, lunged toward the airborne Hoopoe, all intent on capturing that gleam of gold.

Yet, just as Lu Yuan had earlier experienced, each attempt to snatch the feather ended in failure as the Hoopoe deftly evaded their grasp.

“Phoenix Feather!…”

Lu Yuan watched everything unfold beneath him, his eyes flickering rapidly with excitement.

He had previously pulled Lan Chen away from succumbing to greed, yet now he found himself irresistibly drawn in.

The allure of the feather was simply too overwhelming!

Setting aside the Phoenix’s secret of immortality for now…

The fact that it was a legendary level material was undeniable.

He needed this to unlock his legendary professional panel, and there was a chance he could also access powerful professional panels by uncovering the unique properties of the Phoenix Feather embedded within.

It was no exaggeration to say that the main reason Lu Yuan had ventured to Embers Mountain was to obtain a Phoenix Feather!

Confronted with this monumental opportunity within arm’s reach, Lu Yuan hesitated, torn by indecision…

“Ah-“

He took a deep breath, his grip on Lan Chen’s arm tightening, causing Lan Chen-who had been lost in a feverish trance-to snap out of it instantly. Lan Chen glanced at Lu Yuan, then at his own overwhelmed exoskeleton armor, a look of confusion and existential doubt on his face.

Finally!

Lu Yuan made up his mind.

“Let’s go!”

Even if he intended to fight for the Phoenix Feather, now wasn’t the best time.

With a determined heart, Lu Yuan decided to drag Lan Chen away from the chaotic vortex at the center of it all.

However…

Just as he moved a short distance…

A streak of golden light silently descended from the sky like a falling star.

Lu Yuan watched in disbelief as the Hoopoe, with the golden feather in its beak, traced a graceful arc in mid-air.

With agile wings fluttering, it gently landed on his shoulder.

Lu Yuan instinctively reached out to grab it a couple of times.

Unsurprisingly, he missed.

But the Hoopoe didn’t budge an inch, as if glued to his shoulder, refusing to leave.

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

“Boom boom!”

Figures plunged from the sky, waves of powerful energy surging around Lu Yuan.

Fiery gazes, seeming hot enough to ignite the air, fixated on Lu Yuan.

He looked at the faces that were now consumed entirely by fervor and greed, then turned to the Hoopoe on his left shoulder, which seemed rooted in place.

The bird’s eyes exuded a mischievous glint.

“Ah-“

Lu Yuan took a deep breath, his expression gradually calming.

“You… Damn it…”

“So this is how you want to play it, huh?”

He couldn’t hold back.

Looking at the Hoopoe on his shoulder, Lu Yuan cursed under his breath.

…