A Rebuke from Above, Fishing

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Feng Xi locked onto his prey, sharpening his blade with eager anticipation, ready to strike it rich.

However, there's a saying that goes:

Even when beating a dog, you must consider its owner!

And so, he fell.

He fell completely.

With a muffled thud, he was knocked unconscious, utterly incapable of resistance.

His last thought before losing consciousness was about the job he was responsible for.

"Oh no, oh no!"

"I'm carrying everyone's fortune on me!"

"If I lose it... the resentment of those who placed their hopes in me..."

Feng Xi was filled with regret.

If only he hadn't been enticed, greedily pursuing the prize, and thus stirring up trouble... how could such a vexing situation have arisen?

The path of life is always fraught with various temptations, leading people astray from their intended goals, causing them to stumble and fall, never to return.

Self-control, unwavering resolve, and steadfast determination... these are the paths to success.

While the sudden blow to the head certainly felled Feng Xi, it also helped to set him back on the right course in life.

Crisis, crisis – it is danger, but also opportunity.

Of course, the insights gained from this experience would only come into play after he woke up.

If he had died here... it would have become a poisonous bowl of chicken soup, a tragic tale used by later generations to educate others.

After an unknown amount of time.

Feng Xi, who had been unconscious, regained consciousness.

Although the process was arduous, in his hazy, intermittent consciousness, he seemed to see a great divine being again—

Houtu, the Ancestral Witch!

And the scene behind Houtu, the Ancestral Witch, was something Feng Xi would forever engrave in his heart, unable to forget.

It was the background palace from when he was tricked into joining the Witch Clan, striving for the noble status of the Human Race as the protagonists of heaven and earth!

What did this signify?

The world after death!

The method of the sudden blow was truly terrifying... one strike sent Feng Xi's three souls flying and his seven spirits ascending, nearly killing him outright.

However, the psychological trauma inflicted by Houtu, the Ancestral Witch, back then, and the renewed threat of reincarnation, instantly scared his three souls and seven spirits back into his body, where they settled like a mountain, breaking free from the allure of death.

Only then did he regain consciousness and control over his body... feeling the vibrant life force within, Feng Xi almost wept with joy.

Of course, he didn't show it.

He hadn't forgotten the reason for his unconsciousness... the situation was unclear, and it was best to remain still and assess his safety.

Maintaining his unconscious state, Feng Xi cautiously probed, starting with his own condition.

'Hands? Still here.'

'Feet? Also here.'

'Are my heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys intact?'

'Thank goodness... these parts are all inside my body, safe and sound.'

'Hiss... besides the spot on my head where I was hit, which is very painful, I'm completely unharmed?'

Feng Xi was a little surprised, then inexplicably relieved.

This was good news—facing someone who had completely lost the ability to resist, the attacker hadn't resorted to killing him. The situation wasn't dire.

However, it would be even better if the Cosmic Mustard Seed, which contained everyone's fortune, was still with him!

'To die with money unspent... that's a very sad thing.'

'But to be alive and have no money... that's even sadder!'

'Is there anything sadder than this?'

'Yes!'

'That is, to be alive, have no money, and be deeply in debt, owing astronomical sums...'

The thought of hundreds of thousands of resentful Witch Clan members staring at him simultaneously... Feng Xi's mind began to race as he considered the possibility of fleeing.

Even if the enraged Witch Clan warriors jointly requested the Ancestral Witches to use their divine powers to shout across the Primordial Era:

"Scoundrel Feng Xi, absconding with the funds, despicable and shameless... Give us back our hard-earned money! Give us back our hard-earned money!"

He couldn't worry about that much anymore.

Of course... if this situation could be avoided, that would be for the best.

After all, in a world where beings like Grand Unity exist as cheaters, how far could running away actually get you?

He'd probably barely get anywhere before an Ancestral Witch reset time and mockingly watched him—keep running!

The situation probably isn't that dire... They say people kill for treasure. If my huge fortune was really stolen, why wouldn't they come after me?

Besides, the being who attacked me could overpower me so easily, their strength and realm must be far beyond a Golden Immortal... The wealth of hundreds of thousands of Golden Immortals probably wouldn't be on such a person's mind, right?

Thinking this with unease, Feng Xi didn't dare to open his eyes, but he turned his hearing to the maximum.

The Witch Clan did not cultivate the Primordial Spirit, lacking means of detection like divine sense, but that absolutely did not mean their sensory systems were weak.

--They possessed extremely powerful five senses and six perceptions!

When their eyes opened, they could see through things, observe from all angles without blind spots, looking up at the sea of stars and down into the nine netherworlds.

When their ears moved, they could listen to the sounds of the Great Dao and discern the various vibrations of the universe.

Their five senses and six perceptions were incredibly powerful!

When raised to the extreme, tracing back to the origin of their bloodline, the Great God Pangu, they could truly see the past, present, and future before their eyes, with the prayers of all heavens echoing in their hearts.

Moreover, compared to divine sense, which required active outward projection and was easily detected; the Witch Clan's abilities were activated entirely within themselves, possessing extreme stealth.

At this moment, Feng Xi's hearing was the most acute, taking in all sounds from millions of miles of mountains and rivers... the sound of the howling wind, the sound of the great river surging and flowing, the "crunch crunch" sound that seemed to be a strange beast gnawing on something...

And also, a resentful voice--

"Outrageous... Outrageous!"

"The Phoenix Lineage... has degenerated!"

"And those Feathered Clans... where is their backbone? Where has it all gone?"

"Someone holds a big stick, offers a sweet date... and then they just hand over all the information so readily?"

It was a very clear female voice, but it used the most intense words to criticize, denigrating the Phoenix Lineage and the Feathered Clan as utterly worthless.

Feng Xi was very curious.

Which mighty figure could be so bold as to curse like this.

The Grand Unity level Phoenixes on Phoenix Perch Mountain, their names were all implicated and included in the targets of criticism.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry..." another gentle voice sounded, attempting to persuade.

This made Feng Xi tremble all over--this was the being who had knocked him down with one blow.

And he wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but the voice sounded very familiar...

I feel like I've heard a very similar voice somewhere before... a thought flashed through Feng Xi's mind.

"You can't blame those little guys for all of this!"

"It's not that they lack backbone, but someone is holding Kong Xuan's tail feathers, representing the will of the Phoenix Lineage's future successor... What else could they do?"

"If they are loyal and dutiful, they worry about offending Kong Xuan... Their spines might be stiff for a moment, but who knows when they might be held a grudge by a possibly resentful leader and be sent to charge forward or take the blame in the future?"

"If they are not loyal and dutiful, and something goes wrong, they become the target to be made an example of, a sacrifice to warn the others."

"It's difficult... This is the sorrow of the little people, why must you still blame them?"

After this speech, the female voice fell silent.

Feng Xi inwardly gave a thumbs-up--he rarely encountered a being so understanding and considerate of their subordinates.

Must give them a like!

After a long silence, the female voice spoke again.

However, this time, she changed the subject, venting her complaints onto Kong Xuan.

"That child Kong Xuan... is too, too naive!"

"Someone just tricks him with a couple of sentences, and he gets so muddled into their scheme!"

"With such a mindset, how can he inherit the great cause of the Phoenix Tribe in the future?"

"You can't say it like that..." the previous person said nonchalantly, "Who hasn't gone through a naive phase?"

"How long has Kong Xuan been born? Such performance is also normal."

"At the very least, he's much better than someone back then..."

"You still have the nerve to say that?" the female voice suddenly became loud, "You... "

"Alright... Don't be angry, don't get agitated," the person changed the subject, "Look, look... a fresh big fish has taken the bait!"

"Tsk... another unregistered transmigrator."

"Hmm, let me see, what good stuff has this one brought?"

"Hm?" As if very surprised, "Dragon's essence blood?"

"Ha! The black hand manipulating this transmigration has invested quite a bit!"

"A drop of Grand Unity True Dragon essence blood... this guy, after transmigrating and cultivating for a while, will become a Grand Unity!"

"Come, come... here are your snacks, see if they suit your taste?"

"Don't change the subject! I'm telling you..." The female voice was filled with dissatisfaction, still rambling, but soon it turned into a "Awooo," "Huh? It actually tastes pretty good?"

"Of course it does..." someone said with a smile, "The aura in this drop of essence blood looks very familiar... it seems to be from that Ancestral Dragon fellow."

"Heh... looks like that old dragon is restless again."

"Downstream in time, wielding Grand Unity authority, tracing through space-time, placing pieces in the past... what are they trying to subvert? Or change?"

"In all these years I've been fishing here, I've caught no less than eighty drops of Dragon Clan essence blood, if not a hundred!"

"Ancestral Dragon... Hmph, this guy is still as restless as ever." Satisfied with her appetite and with important matters at hand, the female voice calmed down, "But he doesn't consider... has he not suffered enough beatings and fallen into enough traps?"

"The more one cannot obtain something, the more desperate they become to change it... especially when they've bet everything, and victory is just a step away." The person chuckled, "Human Race... Heh! Human Race!"

"The kings of the Human Race have a tacit understanding, playing a grand game."

"Poor old dragon, his life is tragic... who knows when he'll get a chance to turn things around?"

"You, the angler, are hardly in a position to say that, are you?" the female voice held a hint of disdain, "Who is it that's been fishing here, sealing off epochs of time and space, and plucking away the pieces arranged by the old dragon one by one?"

"An accident... it's all an accident!"

"I cast the bait, the big fish took it, what could I do!"

"But now, the bait is used up... Hmm, no, that little Witch over there pretending to be unconscious looks like a suitable fish for the bait?"