Kong Xuan's Birth

"Good!"

"Excellent!"

Fuxi, Nuwa, and Tai Yi all gladly assented.

On the mountaintop, auspicious clouds gathered and Dao resonance permeated the air, as a grand debate among Innate Deities commenced.

Zhongnan Mountain, Qing Huan's Cave Mansion.

The colossal egg, dormant for endless ages, suddenly erupted with violent and dazzling Five Elements Laws upon its surface!

"Crack... crack, crack, crack..."

A crisp, dense sound of shattering rang out abruptly, like silk and jade snapping inch by inch.

Across the eggshell, cobweb-like fissures spread at lightning speed!

"Clang—!!!"

A piercing, metallic shriek, brimming with the innate majesty of a king, tore through the tranquility of Zhongnan Mountain! The sound was clear and resonant, shaking the very soul!

In the cave mansion, Qing Huan's eyes snapped open, a flicker of surprise flashing within them:

"Hm? Has the moment of Kong Xuan's Transformation arrived?"

With a mere thought, his figure had already appeared on the peak platform.

Before him, Five-Colored Divine Light surged skyward—five pillars of red, yellow, cyan, white, and black intertwined and spun, illuminating the vast firmament in a dazzling spectacle!

The eggshell exploded with a thunderous blast, dissolving into countless specks of light that were instantly absorbed by the figure at the center.

A colossal bird, immense in size and supremely graceful, unfurled itself!

Its feathers were magnificently beautiful, its colors dazzling and resplendent, as if it had draped itself in the most gorgeous brocade of the world.

It raised its head and cried out, its long tail feathers trailing streaks of five-colored radiance as it circled and soared above Zhongnan Mountain, freely expressing the joy of its birth and the surging power of the Five Elements.

With every beat of its wings, it stirred the Five Elements spiritual energy of heaven and earth into tidal waves.

Qing Huan stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes filled with relief and approval.

After all, this was the first peacock in heaven and earth—its splendor and divine grace were nothing short of a miracle of creation.

Though not favored by the Great Dao like the Innate Deities, as the son of Yuan Feng, it bore the residual Luck of the Phoenix Clan, coupled with the unique foundational Luck of the first peacock in the world. Its roots were deep, its potential vast—by no means inferior to ordinary Innate Deities!

"Hahaha! I, Kong Xuan, have finally taken form and come into the world!"

The peacock's clear voice rang through the clouds, brimming with the pride of breaking free from shackles and soaring through the nine heavens.

At this moment, his cultivation base was firmly stabilized at the mid-stage Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm, with Five Elements Dao resonance flowing unceasingly around him and an immensely solid foundation.

He could clearly sense that with dedicated cultivation, within no more than ten thousand Kalpas, he would surely reach the late Primordial Unity Golden Immortal stage!

The rainbow light at the cave entrance gradually faded, and Kong Xuan had already transformed into his true Innate Dao Body.

A five-colored Dao robe shimmered with flowing light, setting off his jet-black hair like a waterfall and his extraordinarily handsome features.

He bowed deeply to Qing Huan, who stood quietly outside the cave, and spoke in a clear voice:

"Disciple Kong Xuan, pays respects to Master!"

Qing Huan's gaze was warm, and he nodded with a smile:

"Good! Kong Xuan, today you have achieved Transformation and taken form; your future path to the Great Dao holds great promise.

You should naturally venture out into the Primordial Wilderness to explore and seek your own opportunities."

He felt quite gratified for this disciple—gifted with extraordinary talent and enduring Luck. Had it not been for the Investiture of the Gods calamity in later ages, even the Witch-Demon Calamity would have struggled to shake his foundation.

Qing Huan also had no intention of making Kong Xuan walk the path of Slaying the Three Corpses; that road was fundamentally impassable... The Path of Hunyuan could be taken slowly, that was fine!

Kong Xuan, however, showed a trace of urgency in his eyes and pleaded earnestly:

"Master, at the moment of my Transformation, my heart stirred with a clear sensation—I felt my mother's call. I wish to set out immediately and return to the Phoenix Tribe."

His mother, Yuan Feng, was still enduring boundless suffering to suppress the Volcano of Immortality. As her direct and true son, how could he be at ease roaming freely outside?

"Heh, your filial piety is commendable; you should indeed return."

Qing Huan's tone was calm. "This is your duty, and I, your master, will not stop you.

But remember this: as you journey through the Primordial Wilderness, focus on cultivating your mind and body, and do not recklessly create Karma through slaughter. You are of the innate Phoenix bloodline—surely you understand the implications of such Karma."

Qing Huan specifically cautioned him. Peacocks were naturally fond of devouring living creatures; this habit needed restraint, or no amount of Luck would be enough to sustain it.

"Yes! This disciple will firmly remember Master's command and dare not disobey!"

Kong Xuan solemnly assented, and before his words had even faded, his figure had already swept over to a nearby giant egg shimmering with flowing light.

The aura within that egg was of the same origin as his—it was his younger brother, the Great Peng.

"Elder Brother!"

From within the egg came the Great Peng's Spiritual Sense, tinged with envy and a hint of loneliness.

"You have already taken form—how I long for that day! But my foundation is still lacking; I know not how many ages it will take..."

Kong Xuan gently stroked the giant egg and said warmly:

"Do not be anxious, my brother. Rest easy here in the Teacher's Dao Field to nurture your origin and cultivate with a focused mind.

On this journey, I shall both return to the Volcano of Immortality to visit our mother and wander the Primordial Wilderness to broaden my experience and sharpen myself. When matters are concluded, I will surely return to accompany you in cultivation."

With these words, a flash of five-colored light flickered around Kong Xuan. Without further hesitation, he transformed into a startling rainbow that pierced the protective mountain-array's barrier of flowing light in an instant, vanishing into the vast and boundless Primordial Wilderness, speeding straight toward the southern direction of the Volcano of Immortality.

Watching his disciple depart into the distance, Qing Huan withdrew his gaze and silently calculated the Heavenly secrets on his fingers:

"The second lecture at Purple Xiao Palace is only one Huiyuan Era away..."

He had already intended to wander the Primordial Wilderness for a time, and now the moment was ripe.

"Very well, then I shall go to Buzhou Mountain and see what lies there."

Thought moved, and his body followed. Qing Huan's figure had already appeared outside the great array.

Gazing up at the foremost divine mountain of the Primordial Wilderness—Buzhou—its peaks stretched to connect heaven and earth, vast and towering. Though eons of time had passed, and the oppressive might left by Pangu no longer suffocated all life as it had at the dawn of creation, the chaotic Gale Winds raging through the mountain remained as sharp as blades, albeit much weaker than in ages past.

Qing Huan mused to himself:

"The Heavenly Dao manifests, gradually imposing its restraints. Otherwise, how many could reach the Purple Xiao Palace beyond the Thirty-three Heavens?"

Buzhou Mountain was the sole path to the heavens beyond the heavens.

Among the undulating peaks, the presence of living beings had grown sparse.

Where once scales and armored beasts had gathered in droves, now only a few scattered Demon Race tribes huddled together, struggling to survive. It seemed the Witch Clan had made their move...

Qing Huan cared little for this. His purpose on this trip was clear: to seek the legendary Innate Gourd Vine!

Yet, even as his Spiritual Sense spread like a net, sweeping across the immortal peaks of Buzhou, treading every strange summit and hidden valley, searching for thousands of years, that heavenly-rooted spiritual vine, which should have been nurtured here, remained utterly absent.

"The opportunity has not yet come; forcing it is futile... In the end, I return empty-handed."

A trace of regret flickered through Qing Huan's heart.

Of the seven innate gourds on that vine, save for the seventh, which had not ripened fully and became merely a top-grade treasure, the other six were supreme-grade innate spiritual treasures that seized the very essence of Creation!

One of them was taken by Nuwa and refined into the Monster Summoning Banner, which commanded all demons.

Di Jun refined another into the Immortal Slaying Flying Knife, whose sharpness was unmatched, capable of blocking even a Quasi-Sage.

Only Old Ancestor Hong Yun obtained one, refining it into the Nine-Nine Soul Scattering Gourd of lesser power. Qing Huan felt that Hong Yun wielding this red gourd was a waste of heaven's gifts...

As for the Three Pure Ones? Their family wealth was deep; a gourd was merely icing on the cake.

"Enough. The time of the second lecture at Purple Xiao Palace draws near; I can delay no longer."

Qing Huan suppressed the slight disappointment of his failed treasure hunt. The Dao rhythm around him flowed, transforming into a formless, traceless Pure Light that soared straight into the nine heavens, piercing through layers of Gale Winds, thunder, and fire, heading toward the vague chaos beyond the Thirty-three Heavens—Purple Xiao Palace.