Leaving the peaceful and tranquil Longevity Mountain, Xuan Wazi rode a streak of light straight into the Ninth Heavens. The higher he went, the clearer and brighter the stars became, and the richer and purer the power of the stars grew. His destination was the Solar Star, hanging high above the Primordial World and radiating endless light and heat!
The Solar Star had been formed from Pangu's left eye. It was the source of ultimate yang and a symbol of light in the Primordial World. Ordinary living beings could not even approach it; staring at it for too long would burn their eyes. Yet for Xuan Wazi, who possessed the Primordial Dao Body and had begun refining the Chaos Bead, this much True Solar Fire remained within his tolerance.
The closer he came, the more he could feel that vast, overwhelming power of ultimate yang capable of incinerating all things. The enormous star was like an eternally burning fireball, golden flames flowing across its surface. Massive solar prominences erupted from time to time like fire dragons soaring into the sky, their might terrifying.
"Good heavens, at this temperature, it'd be perfect for roasting sweet potatoes." Xuan Wazi clicked his tongue in amazement. A thin layer of Chaos Qi automatically emerged around him, shielding him from the scorching heat and violent True Solar Fire. He did not charge directly into the Solar Star's core. That was Di Jun and Taiyi's lair, protected by layers upon layers of restrictions.
He concealed himself and slowly flew around the Solar Star's outer edge, his divine sense spreading silently like a delicate spiderweb as he investigated. Before long, he sensed two immensely powerful auras near the Solar Star's core, like twin cores of the star itself. One was regal and domineering, while the other was sharp and blazing. They were Di Jun and Taiyi! Both had already reached the late stage of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, and their auras continued to rise. Clearly, they were cultivating with the aid of the Solar Star's origin.
Besides them, there were many signs of Demon Clan activity on the Solar Star. Powerful Golden Crow guards and Fire Crow soldiers patrolled the area, constructing crude palaces and defensive fortifications. They looked very much like they were building a foundation for themselves.
"Tsk, they've got quite the ambition." Xuan Wazi stroked his chin. "Unifying the Demon Clan and establishing the Heavenly Court? It's a good idea, but unfortunately... it's destined to be a rough road." Knowing the future plot, he naturally knew the fate of the Demon Clan's Heavenly Court.
"Since I'm already here, shouldn't I give the future Heavenly Emperor and Eastern Emperor a little 'gift'?" Xuan Wazi's mischievous side stirred again. A direct assault was definitely out of the question. Those two, together with the Chaos Bell, were not easy to provoke. He needed to think of a clever method.
His gaze fell upon the True Solar Fire constantly erupting and flowing across the Solar Star's surface. An exquisite—though rather underhanded—idea sprang to mind.
He quietly moved to a relatively remote area where the True Solar Fire was still active. Then, with extreme care, he took out... a drop of [Primordial Phoenix Blood Essence] from the system space!
The moment the Primordial Phoenix Blood Essence appeared, the aura of the king of innate divine beasts and the ultimate flame origin immediately spread outward. Though it was fiercely suppressed by the Chaos Bead's aura, it still caused the nearby True Solar Fire to stir slightly.
What Xuan Wazi intended was not an attack, but rather... "seasoning"!
He circulated his mana and, with utmost slowness and secrecy, guided the trace of True Meaning of Nirvana and the origin aura of Southern Bright Leaving Fire contained within the drop of Primordial Phoenix Blood Essence into a massive solar prominence that was taking shape, like ink dripping into water.
Yuanfeng's Southern Bright Leaving Fire was also a flame of ultimate yang, but its nature leaned more toward "rebirth amid destruction," carrying the conception of nirvana. The Solar Star's True Solar Fire, meanwhile, was pure "burning and destruction," incomparably tyrannical. Though both were top-tier flame origins and shared certain similarities, they did not come from the same source.
What Xuan Wazi wanted was for this "seasoned" solar prominence to scatter the faint aura of Yuanfeng's flames into the Solar Star's core during its eruption.
It would then blend into the Solar Origin Di Jun and Taiyi absorbed during cultivation!
This minute foreign flame origin would have no effect in the short term. Its superior quality might even make Di Jun and Taiyi feel that their flames had become more "lively," bringing them some benefit in cultivation. Yet over time, this tiny foreign origin would be like a seed, subtly influencing their control over the True Solar Fire's purity. Especially when they tried to break through to higher realms in the future, or fully activated the Chaos Bell and River Diagram and Luo Script, it might create an extraordinarily faint yet discordant sense of obstruction!
It was like burying a tiny impurity within a flawless diamond. Normally, it would have no effect at all, but under extreme pressure, it could become the starting point of a fracture!
"Hehe, a 'warm' greeting from the Phoenix Clan. I hope the two future Heavenly Emperors enjoy it." Once Xuan Wazi finished his work, he immediately retreated far away to observe. He watched the solar prominence containing Yuanfeng's aura roar toward the depths of the Solar Star like a golden dragon before gradually merging into that endless sea of blazing flames and vanishing without a trace.
Perfect! No one knew, no one noticed!
Having done all this, Xuan Wazi was thoroughly satisfied and prepared to slip away. However, just as he turned to leave, the corner of his eye caught sight of a relatively "cool" area on the other side of the Solar Star—though it was still scorching hot. There seemed to be some unusual plants growing there, radiating dense fire spiritual qi and stellar essence.
"Is that... the Fusang Tree?" Xuan Wazi's eyes lit up. The Fusang Tree was an Innate Spiritual Root born alongside the Solar Star, one of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots and the divine tree inhabited by the Golden Crow clan! Its branches and leaves were all top-grade materials for refining fire-attribute and star-attribute artifacts and setting formations!
"Since I'm already here, I can't leave empty-handed, can I?" Xuan Wazi rubbed his hands together, his thieving impulses rising again. He could not provoke Di Jun and Taiyi for now, but stealing... ahem, borrowing a few Fusang Tree branches and leaves should be fine, right?
He concealed himself once more and silently approached the grove of Fusang Trees. Towering trees tens of thousands of feet tall stood rooted in the True Solar Fire, their entire bodies seeming to have been forged from red gold, their leaves like flames. The largest among them possessed an especially ancient and vast aura. It was presumably the mother tree.
Xuan Wazi picked out a Fusang Tree near the edge with a comparatively weaker aura and extended his "sinful" hand. He did not dare use too much mana for fear of alerting the two at the core. Relying only on his precise control over power, he held two fingers together like a blade. Chaos Qi curled around his fingertips like the sharpest carving knife as he carefully cut toward a branch as thick as an arm and filled with pure solar essence.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the branch—
"Bzz—!"
A faint bell chime rang out, as though it had sounded from the depths of his soul! Though extremely weak, it carried supreme might capable of suppressing primordial chaos and stabilizing heaven and earth!
Xuan Wazi's entire body stiffened, and he felt the surrounding space and time freeze for an instant! The Chaos Bell! Taiyi had sensed something unusual?!
He made an immediate decision without the slightest hesitation. He instantly gave up on the branch, his body retreating at high speed as he fully activated the Chaos Bead to conceal himself!
At the very instant he withdrew, an incomparably sharp divine sense carrying scorching killing intent swept across the spot where he had just been, like a tangible streak of sword light!
"Who is it?!" Taiyi's cold voice rang like clashing gold and iron, echoing above the Solar Star. A figure wearing a Golden Crow imperial robe, with a stern face and eyes as sharp as an eagle's, appeared above the Fusang Tree grove. It was Eastern Emperor Tai Yi! He held a small chaos-colored bell in his hand. Though the ringing had ceased, its invisible pressure caused all the Solar Star's flames to stagnate.
Xuan Wazi hid under the Chaos Bead's protection, scarcely daring to breathe as he inwardly cried out at his narrow escape. Taiyi was far too alert! No wonder he was the future Eastern Emperor!
Taiyi's divine sense swept back and forth through the Fusang Tree grove and its surroundings several times, his brows tightly furrowed. He had indeed sensed an extremely faint yet extraordinary spatial fluctuation and foreign aura just now, but it had vanished in the blink of an eye. Even he could not lock onto it.
"Could it have been an illusion?" Taiyi pondered for a moment, then inspected the Fusang Trees. Finding nothing missing, he snorted coldly. "Hmph, you sneaking rat. If you dare come again, I'll make sure your body and soul are destroyed!"
After saying that, he transformed into a streak of golden light and returned to the Solar Star's core.
Only after Taiyi's aura had completely vanished did Xuan Wazi finally let out a long breath and wipe away cold sweat that did not exist.
"Damn, I nearly capsized in a ditch! This Eastern Emperor Tai Yi truly lives up to his reputation." Still shaken, he gained an even clearer understanding that none of the Primordial World's top great powers were easy to deal with.
Although it was somewhat regrettable that he had failed to obtain a Fusang Tree branch, he had successfully planted a "mine" for the two future Heavenly Emperors. This trip was not a loss.
"This place isn't safe to stay in. Time to run!" Xuan Wazi did not dare linger any longer. His figure melted into the void as he silently headed toward the Lunar Star opposite the Solar Star.
"I gave the Solar Star some 'warmth.' The Lunar Star should get some 'coolness' too, shouldn't it? I hear those two goddesses are famous cold beauties in the Primordial World..." As Xuan Wazi flew, he stroked his chin, that mischievous grin appearing on his face once again—the kind that made the scalps of those familiar with him tingle.
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