That voice belonged to Yang Chen.
"Did you hear that?"
This thought was calm and indifferent, yet carried a trace of undisguised mockery. Like a cold wind blowing from the depths of the Nine Nether Abyss, it pierced precisely into the very core of Phoenix Ancestor's and First Qilin's remnant souls.
Dead silence.
Within the Sea of Karmic Force, the two vast wills that had once stirred the primordial world were completely frozen in that instant.
Of course they had heard it.
Through the omnipresent threads of karma, every detail of that earth-shaking spectacle of "acknowledging one's ancestors and returning to the clan" outside Kunlun Mountain had been branded clearly into their perceptions.
They had heard Ao Guang's frenzied roar from the depths of his soul, gathering the humiliation and hopes the dragon clan had endured for countless years.
They had heard how those several thousand dragon clan elites had shouted in unison that they wanted to grind them to dust and deny them eternal rebirth.
And they had heard Yang Chen's casual remark about a "minor problem," which had cleanly pushed all responsibility away from himself.
"My 'filial sons and worthy descendants' are a little too worked up."
Yang Chen's thought echoed unhurriedly through the dark abyss like Death's whisper. Every word was like a heavy hammer smashing viciously against Phoenix Ancestor's and First Qilin's wills.
There was not the slightest hint of blame in his tone. Instead, it carried the indulgence and "helplessness" of an elder toward the mischief of juniors.
"They're going to deal with you."
Phoenix Ancestor's blazing soul flame, bright as a star, suddenly contracted.
At the edges of the flame, the Southern Bright Divine Fire capable of incinerating all things revealed a dimness on the verge of extinction for the first time.
Her proud will was utterly drowned beneath an icy torrent called absurdity.
They were the creditors.
They were beings who had come to settle accounts while upholding the oldest and most fundamental karmic justice between Heaven and Earth.
Yet now, this greatest debtor had not only somehow acquired a group of powerful "filial sons and worthy descendants" who hated them to the bone, but was even speaking as though he were bestowing charity to "mediate" this dispute.
Was there anything in this world more shameless, more utterly black-and-white reversed than this?
First Qilin's will, as heavy as a mountain range, trembled violently as well, releasing a deep, suppressed growl, as though he might collapse at any moment beneath this extreme humiliation and fury.
Yang Chen's thought did not pause and continued at an unhurried pace.
"Of course, I'm not an unreasonable person."
These words caused the wills of Phoenix Ancestor and First Qilin to ripple ever so faintly at the same time.
Could there still be a turning point?
"I'll give you a choice."
At this moment, Yang Chen's thought finally carried a cold, tangible sharpness like a blade.
"Either you wait for my 'filial sons and worthy descendants' to use the dragon clan's entire providence to set up the Myriad Dragons Paying Homage Array and crush your remnant souls into ash, leaving you without even a chance at reincarnation."
"Or..."
Yang Chen's thought paused.
That brief pause brought an oppression heavier than all his previous words combined.
The amusement in his tone grew even stronger, becoming naked, undisguised extortion.
"You can be sensible and hand over the 'compensation' yourselves."
"Perhaps, seeing how sincere your attitude is, I can have them go a little easier on you."
"You choose."
These words were like two poisoned daggers, stabbing with absolute precision into the vital points of Phoenix Ancestor's and First Qilin's remnant souls.
This was no longer a threat.
It was the final verdict.
And it was him trampling the last shred of dignity they possessed as ancient overlords beneath his feet, crushing it under his sole, then grinding it back and forth!
What did he mean by "go a little easier"?
They understood the implication perfectly, loud and clear.
No matter what they chose, they could not escape the fate of being hunted down by the dragon clan!
The only difference was whether they would hand over their most fundamental treasures with dignity and of their own accord, then be "gently" beaten to death by their former mortal enemies.
Or resist to the bitter end and be blasted by the dragon clan's providence array until not even a trace of their True Spirit could remain between Heaven and Earth!
For a time, these two overlords who had once looked down upon all living beings and held the authority of Heaven and Earth fell completely into an abyss called despair.
Only now did they truly understand.
What they faced was not a cultivator who could be negotiated with, threatened, or tempted by profit.
It was a temperamental demon king who held the ultimate trump card of "perishing together" and was ready at any time to overturn the entire primordial world's gaming table!
And now, this demon king had even recruited the force within the primordial world that hated them most. They were sharpening their blades, their killing intent soaring.
Trouble within.
Enemies without.
Heavenly Net and Earthly Net.
This was a complete dead end!
Phoenix Ancestor's blazing soul flame swayed violently.
Within the flames was reflected the supreme glory of the ancient era, when she commanded hundreds of millions of birds, shone alongside the sun and moon, and endured as long as Heaven and Earth.
Her pride had once made even Saints cast sidelong glances.
Her Nirvana Fire was the ultimate mystery of all life between Heaven and Earth, the foundation upon which the phoenix clan had relied to suppress an entire era.
But now, all of it had become a joke.
She knew very well that if she continued resisting, her fate would only be a hundred times more miserable than that old rival of hers, the Ancestral Dragon.
The Ancestral Dragon had at least merely been fleeced, and his remnant soul still remained.
But she and First Qilin would likely be completely erased from this world by Yang Chen and the dragon clan working together, leaving behind no trace of their existence!
Dignity?
Before complete annihilation of the soul, it was worthless.
At last.
That soul flame, which had burned for countless years and never bowed to any existence, dimmed completely.
A divine thought filled with endless unwillingness, humiliation, and resentment was transmitted with difficulty from the depths of Phoenix Ancestor's remnant soul.
"...I..."
That single word seemed to exhaust all her remaining strength.
"...am willing... to offer the Phoenix Clan Origin..."
Her will trembled.
"...to quell... Fellow Daoist's... anger..."
A silent, victorious curve rose at the corner of Yang Chen's mouth.
Yet his thought did not soften in the slightest. Instead, it became even more casual.
"Oh? Offering your origin?"
"That sounds fairly decent."
He spoke slowly, like a merchant weighing the value of his goods.
"However, my 'filial sons and worthy descendants' seem to be ready to set out already."
"I value affection most. It wouldn't be right for me to reject their filial intentions."
Those light words were the final straw that crushed an ancient divine mountain, completely shattering every psychological defense Phoenix Ancestor's remnant soul possessed.
There was no more hesitation.
She no longer dared to cling to any hope of luck.
"Cry—!"
A phoenix cry so tragic it reached the extreme, yet completely soundless, exploded throughout the Sea of Karmic Force!
It was not a sound. It was the silent wail of a soul being forcibly torn apart!
A corner of Phoenix Ancestor's dim soul flame suddenly exploded!
A fist-sized ball of origin fire, as though it contained a newborn universe within, burned with seven-colored divine flames. She forcibly and resolutely stripped it from her own remnant soul!
As this origin left her body, Phoenix Ancestor's soul flame instantly withered, its glow becoming as faint as a candle flame flickering in the wind.
That ball of seven-colored fire pierced through layer upon layer of the Sea of Karmic Force, ignored the barriers of space, and appeared directly before Yang Chen atop Kunlun Mountain.
It floated quietly, yet the heat it released was enough to instantly vaporize the Dao body of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal.
This was the phoenix clan's foundation.
It was the source of the laws they took such pride in, allowing them to be reborn from fire and proclaim themselves undying and indestructible—the origin of Nirvana Fire!
At the instant the phoenix clan's remnant soul made its choice and offered up its origin,
the cold system notification sounded in Yang Chen's mind once again, right on cue.
[Ding!] [The host used thunderous methods to successfully make the phoenix clan's remnant soul feel extreme fear and voluntarily offer its origin!] [The reward has automatically been converted into the highest-quality portion: Nirvana Fire Origin x1!]
Yang Chen extended his hand and allowed the Nirvana Fire, capable of burning away all things, to land docilely in his palm.
He could clearly sense the incomparably vast vitality contained within it, as well as the profoundly mysterious laws of fire.
This thing would not only grant him an extra life in a desperate situation of Death of Body and Dao.
It would also allow him to directly command a top-tier primordial fire divine ability comparable to the Southern Bright Divine Fire.
The gains were enormous.
Satisfied, he put away the flame. Only then did he send a trace of "kindly" intent back toward the depths of the Sea of Karmic Force, where the phoenix clan's remnant soul was already on the verge of collapse.
"Very good."
"You made a wise choice."
His thought carried a magnanimous sort of "approval."
"Don't worry. I'll tell my good grandsons not to set off firecrackers outside your doorstep."
That casual sentence was more vicious and more heart-piercing than any previous threat.
"Pfft—"
The phoenix clan's remnant soul could no longer maintain its form. That weak soul flame shuddered violently, nearly spitting out a mouthful of origin soul blood on the spot. Its entire remnant soul withered, almost completely dispersing.
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