Candle Dragon's Scheme, Visiting Primordial Phoenix

As East Prince Gong was meticulously preparing matters for the Immortal Court, deep within the Dragon Palace of the East Sea, Candle Dragon coiled amidst the mists of time, his dragon eyes that saw through all ages gleaming with calculating light.

Di Jiang's assertion that day, "The supreme overlord of the Primordial World is none other than you, fellow Daoist, and I!" along with his guidance to unite the myriad races and establish a sect to earn merit and wash away karma, had cast a massive stone into the tranquil lake of his heart, stirring up monstrous waves.

After deep consideration, Candle Dragon began to secretly lay his plans, consolidating his strength. And his primary targets, naturally, were the Qilin and Phoenix, both of whom were among the ancient three tribes! Once the three tribes were subdued, the other races of the Primordial World would naturally submit, and the establishment of his own tribe would then be a natural progression!

The Qilin tribe, on the surface, now only had one Fire Qilin at the mid-stage of Golden Immortal to maintain appearances. Their overall strength was even inferior to some of the powerful vassal races that were once under the Qilin tribe's banner, such as the great beast tribes like lions, tigers, and wolves. The Qilin tribe's title of "Overlord of Beasts" had long been a mere formality.

More importantly, the Kunlun Mountain where the Qilin tribe now resided was the dojo of the Three Pure Ones! Those three, Pangu's True Lineage, were newly advanced Quasi-Saints!

Pangu's True Lineage. With Di Jiang's previous example, he also felt a trace of apprehension towards the Three Pure Ones. To provoke the Qilin tribe at Kunlun Mountain at this time would be tantamount to confronting the Three Pure Ones directly, inevitably leading to unforeseen complications and outweighing any potential gains.

"The Qilin tribe will be spared for now."

Candle Dragon decisively made his decision, turning his gaze towards the Immortal Volcano in the south, perpetually surrounded by flames.

There lay the ancestral land of the Phoenix tribe! Candle Dragon could clearly sense the familiar aura deep within the Immortal Volcano, an aura that, though restrained, was still vast and boundless, carrying the true intent of Nirvana. Primordial Phoenix's cultivation, he suspected, was like his own, trapped at the Primordial Golden Immortal stage, weighed down by karma, making progress impossible.

Besides Primordial Phoenix, the Phoenix tribe had a Crown Prince, and a rising star who even made him take notice—Kong Xuan! This child had an extraordinary origin, being the first peacock in heaven and earth, possessing the Five Elements Power of innate origin. Although he had not attended the lectures at Purple Heaven Palace, he had a cultivation at the late stage of Golden Immortal, with boundless potential.

With Primordial Phoenix presiding and talents like Kong Xuan, the Phoenix tribe's dominance over the various bird races still existed, far from the nominal Qilin tribe.

Most crucially, Primordial Phoenix, like him, desperately needed immense merit to cleanse the vast karma that clung to her like a persistent scar! This was their shared pain point, and also the basis for cooperation!

Uniting the myriad races of the Primordial World and establishing a great tribe in line with the grand trend of the Heavenly Dao was one of the fastest and most effective ways to obtain merit. On this matter, Primordial Phoenix would surely not refuse. Candle Dragon was certain!

Thus, Candle Dragon immediately made arrangements. On one hand, he dispatched several Golden Immortal elders of the Dragon tribe, bearing heavy gifts, to secretly travel to various parts of the Primordial World to contact and invite the leaders of powerful beast tribes, such as Overlord Tiger, Nine-Headed Lion, and Howling Moon Celestial Wolf, to explain the situation, promise great benefits, and initially consolidate the strength of the beast lineage.

In addition, Kunpeng, a newly emerged Golden Immortal expert with decent strength and no backing, was also included in his invitation. However, he did not invite the Di Jun and Taiyi brothers from the Southern Wilderness, nor the Fuxi and Nuwa siblings who were on good terms with them!

On one hand, these four were now Quasi-Saints and would greatly dilute his merit from establishing the tribe. Furthermore, Di Jun was not an ordinary individual who would be content to be beneath him. Thus, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble!

The main event was that he, the Dragon Ancestor, decided to personally set out for the Immortal Volcano to visit his old rival, and also old friend—Primordial Phoenix!

He intended to personally discuss with Primordial Phoenix the grand undertaking of uniting the birds and beasts to establish a tribe and earn merit! He believed that in the face of common interests and similar predicaments, Primordial Phoenix would make a wise choice.

A mysterious ripple of time spread, and Candle Dragon's massive dragon body quietly vanished from the Dragon Palace of the East Sea. The next moment, he had already sped towards the Immortal Volcano in the south.

Candle Dragon traversed endless mountains and rivers, quietly arriving at the Immortal Volcano. This ancestral land, perpetually shrouded by Southern Bright Leaving Fire, had an extremely high temperature, causing even space to slightly distort, but for an existence like him, it was as easy as walking on level ground.

"Patriarch Primordial Phoenix, it has been a long time!"

Primordial Phoenix was quite surprised by Candle Dragon's sudden visit. The two old rivals, who had not met since the Dragon-Han Calamity, felt a surge of emotion upon meeting.

"Oh? Why have you come, fellow Daoist?"

Upon seeing Candle Dragon arrive, Primordial Phoenix manifested as a middle-aged beauty in a seven-colored feathered robe, her appearance noble and graceful, yet her brows carried a hint of weariness and vicissitude that was difficult to dispel!

As Candle Dragon's divine sense meticulously swept over Primordial Phoenix, his heart suddenly jolted! He had initially thought his own karma was heavy enough, but the density and depth of karma entwined around Primordial Phoenix far exceeded his imagination!

That karma was like dark shackles, almost staining Primordial Phoenix's radiant phoenix origin with darkness, its heaviness making Candle Dragon's heart palpitate.

"Fellow Daoist, you have actually shouldered the karma of the entire bird race onto yourself?"

Candle Dragon was astonished, instantly understanding why the Phoenix tribe could still produce such a brilliant junior as Kong Xuan, and why the Phoenix Crown Princes could maintain relatively pure Dao foundations. It turned out that Primordial Phoenix had borne it all single-handedly! This decisiveness and sacrifice moved even Candle Dragon, who had exhausted himself for the Dragon tribe, making him feel ashamed and inferior!

Primordial Phoenix's expression was calm, as if the karma that could crush a Primordial Golden Immortal did not exist. She merely spoke lightly:

"Were it not for this, my Phoenix tribe would have long ceased to pass down its lineage. Fellow Daoist Candle Dragon, you would not have come today merely to lament my karma, would you?"

Candle Dragon collected his thoughts, knowing this was not the time for sighing. He directly stated his purpose, revealing Di Jiang's idea of uniting the myriad races to earn merit and pointing out that this was an excellent opportunity to wash away karma and seek a way out for their tribe.

Primordial Phoenix listened quietly, her eyes flashing. Knowing her own situation, even if a great tribe were established, the merit obtained would likely only cleanse one or two-tenths of her karma, and the road ahead remained long. But as Candle Dragon had said, this was the only path that offered hope.

The more realistic pressure was that the current Phoenix tribe was indeed in dire straits. Due to the karma afflicting her, she could barely leave the Immortal Volcano and dared not easily use her full power. Moreover, the Southern Wilderness, originally ruled by the Phoenix tribe, was now being encroached upon by the Sun Palace forces established by the Di Jun and Taiyi brothers!

Her most outstanding son, Kong Xuan, though already at the late stage of Golden Immortal and possessing the Five-Colored Divine Light ability, was no match for the two equally brilliant Quasi-Saints Di Jun and Taiyi, who possessed powerful forces and Spiritual Treasures. He was fighting a losing battle, and the Phoenix tribe's sphere of influence in the Southern Wilderness was constantly shrinking.

Furthermore, Di Jun and Taiyi seemed to have invited Nuwa and Fuxi from Fengqi Mountain to join them. This meant the Phoenix tribe urgently needed external aid! Candle Dragon's proposal, along with the strength of the Dragon tribe, was precisely what she needed now.

After much deliberation, Primordial Phoenix raised her eyes, looked at Candle Dragon, and made her decision:

"Fellow Daoist Candle Dragon, what you say is true. Establishing a tribe to earn merit is indeed a glimmer of hope for us to wash away karma. My bird race can join."

"However, since it is a cooperation, the Dragon tribe must help my Phoenix tribe stabilize the situation in the Southern Wilderness and curb the expansion of the Sun Palace."

Candle Dragon's heart settled upon hearing this, knowing the matter was settled. He nodded in agreement: "Naturally. With the Dragon and Phoenix joining forces, why should we fear those two flat-feathered crows? The Dragon tribe will absolutely not stand idly by regarding the matters of the Southern Wilderness."