Yuan Huang's gaze was complicated.
She had thought she'd caught up with Long Zang and could at least stand by his side.
But now she realized that Long Zang had left her far behind.
The gap filled her with a faint bitterness.
Long Zang looked at her, his smile tinged with tenderness. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
Yuan Huang glared at him, a trace of resentment rising in her heart. "You left for tens of millions of years."
Long Zang shrugged, his tone gentle. "I was just in seclusion. Now that I've emerged, I came to see you first. Isn't that enough?"
His words eased Yuan Huang's heart a little, though she still looked displeased.
She quickly composed herself, her expression turning serious. "Given the current state of the Primordial World, what do you think the Phoenix Clan should do?"
She knew that now Long Zang had returned, his opinion could shape the future of the entire clan.
Long Zang said solemnly, "Don't even think about trying to dominate the Primordial World."
His gaze turned stern, his words ringing out with conviction. "Take things one step at a time. Protecting ourselves is what matters most."
Yuan Huang nodded gently.
In truth, she already felt the same way.
How glorious had the Ferocious Beast Clan once been?
Yet now, all that remained was a desperate struggle to survive.
She had witnessed that enormous fall with her own eyes.
If they made the wrong move, the Phoenix Clan would sooner or later meet the same fate.
"As for Ancestor Dragon and First Kirin..." Long Zang chuckled. "If they want to fight for it, let them."
In his eyes, the two had been blinded by ambition and could no longer see the true state of the Primordial World.
It wasn't because they were foolish, but because those caught up in a situation often failed to see it clearly.
Yuan Huang was shaken by his words, but fell silent.
Long Zang spoke slowly, his voice calm yet resonant, shaking her to the core:
"There will never be a true Co-Lord of the Primordial World."
Yuan Huang looked up in astonishment.
No Co-Lord of the Primordial World?
Long Zang's gaze seemed to pass through time, seeing both the past and the future.
"In theory, such a position does exist. But the prerequisite is that you must be able to keep the entire Primordial World in check."
He scoffed and added, "Forget Ancestor Dragon and First Kirin—even if they became Sages, they still couldn't do it."
Yuan Huang stared at him, stunned. She had never heard such a thing.
Long Zang continued, "The Sages of later generations attained supreme power, but did they become Co-Lords of the Primordial World? No. Because it's impossible."
The so-called Co-Lord of the Primordial World was nothing but a trap.
It existed in theory, but no one could bear its burden.
Anyone who insisted on fighting for it would only become a laughingstock in the end, dragged into the Abyss by fate.
He murmured softly, "If there's truly such a thing as a Co-Lord, then it can only be the Primordial World's Heavenly Dao itself. No living being... can do it. Not even me."
The position of Co-Lord of the Primordial World existed in theory, but in practice, it was an unsolvable illusion.
Long Zang had said it before: no one could truly hold that position.
To become Co-Lord, one would first have to subdue every living being in the Primordial World. That alone was already impossible.
The Innate Demon Gods were all proud beyond measure. Who would bow their heads? Even if they were suppressed, they would rather die fighting than submit.
On top of that, Immeasurable Calamities ravaged the world, each one killing countless lives. Their corpses were enough to drown countless worlds.
Even if you were lucky enough to claim the position of Co-Lord, your forces would be weakened by one Immeasurable Calamity after another, until nothing remained.
What's more, the Primordial World had never lacked schemers, and their machinations were tangled together.
Even if you really took the position, there was no guarantee you wouldn't be toppled one day.
So it wasn't that the position didn't exist. It was that no one was destined to control it for long.
Time passed in the blink of an eye.
Long Zang remained in the Phoenix Clan's Small World, doing nothing day after day. He seemed to be living off them without lifting a finger, but in truth, he was waiting for the situation to change.
The Primordial World was seething beneath the surface. The Great Supernatural Beings with experience had already sensed that danger was near: a Great Calamity was coming!
Ancestor Dragon was the first to make a move, leading the Dragon Clan to extend their reach into the Great Desolation World.
It was an open declaration: the Dragon Clan was expanding!
Soon after, the Kirin Clan could no longer hold back either, and the Western Land began falling under their control.
The three clans stirred, and the Primordial World's peace was shattered once again.
Everyone understood that peace was nothing but a dream; the true theme of the world would always be calamity!
But after tens of millions of years of quiet, many inhabitants of the Primordial World had already forgotten how terrifying an Immeasurable Calamity could be.
They might have thought they would weather this one safely as well, but the truth was often far crueler than they imagined.
Long Zang remained unmoved.
He had the confidence to do so... strength was the surest trump card.
Meanwhile, the Chat Group was buzzing with activity.
[Tsunade: By the way, how's your cultivation going?]
[Kasumi Utaha: It's so hard. This isn't something a human can cultivate!]
[Aqua: What are you all talking about?]
[Keisha: Could it be that your world's level is just too low?]
[Kasumi Utaha: ???]
[Tsunade: I think it's going pretty well. I'm at least a hundred times stronger than before!]
[Aqua: What? Aqua doesn't understand at all.]
[Keisha: Don't tell me you haven't cultivated the body-refining method the Group Leader gave us?]
[Aqua: You mean the Basic Body Refining Method?]
[Tsunade: Yeah!]
[Aqua: ...No.]
[Keisha: 6. Just what I'd expect from you.]
Just then...
[ Ding: The Group Leader sent a red packet to Keisha! ]
[Tsunade: ???]
[Kasumi Utaha: What's going on? Why was it sent to just one person?]
[Aqua: Aqua wants a red packet too!]
Red packet opened...
[Keisha received: One Million Year Vermilion Fruit!]
[Keisha: Thank you, Group Leader!]
The group erupted in an instant.
A million years old? A Vermilion Fruit?
It was simply unbelievable!
Tsunade drew in a sharp breath, while Kasumi Utaha wondered if she'd read it wrong.
But one line from Long Zang left them utterly stunned:
[Long Zang: That's right, it's a million years old. I don't have anything younger. I suggest you use it slowly. Don't swallow it all at once.]
In the Super Seminary World, Keisha stared at the Vermilion Fruit, her mind shaken.
She scanned it with her Biological Engine, and the results left her dumbfounded.
The energy contained in the fruit was comparable to that of a star!
She didn't even dare imagine what would happen if she swallowed it whole.
No wonder Long Zang had warned her to be careful with it.
This wasn't a Vermilion Fruit at all—it was an edible star!
Keisha's feelings were complicated, and she couldn't help asking:
"Group Leader, this must be very precious, right?"
Long Zang smiled calmly and replied:
"Precious? To you, yes. To me, it's just a fruit to quench my thirst. You won't be able to use anything a little better until you become Immortals."
Those words left the group members completely silent.
Tsunade and Shi Yu were both shocked, and even a little envious.
Long Zang's final remark shook them even more:
"Where I'm concerned, everything is an equal exchange. Keisha promoted the cultivation method and helped me receive a gift from the World Will, so I'm returning the favor."
An equal exchange!
That was Long Zang's logic.
There was no such thing as charity without cause, nor any favors that came cheap.
Everything he gave had its own cause and value.
Whether others could bear it was another matter.
Tsunade was growing restless in the Chat Group. She knew Konoha wasn't as simple as it seemed.
Even with enough strength, she still couldn't bring herself to be ruthless.
The Konoha elders, the Third Hokage, Orochimaru's betrayal, the destruction of the Uchiha Clan, and even Nawaki's death... None of it was simple, and it left her feeling conflicted and even helpless.
She murmured to herself, "Forget it. I'll take it one step at a time."
Before you continue