Now that I'm out of seclusion, I came to see you first thing. Isn't that enough?

Yuan Huang's gaze carried complexity.

She had once believed she had caught up to Long Zang, at least enough to walk shoulder to shoulder with him.

But now, she realized Long Zang had long since walked ahead of her.

This gap stirred a trace of bitterness in her heart.

Long Zang looked at her, his smile laced with tenderness: "What are you staring at me for?"

Yuan Huang shot him a glare, but resentment rose in her heart: "You left for tens of millions of years."

Long Zang shrugged, yet his tone was gentle: "I was in seclusion. Now that I've emerged, the first thing I did was come see you. Isn't that enough?"

His words eased Yuan Huang's heart slightly, but her expression remained displeased.

Soon, she collected herself, her demeanor turning solemn: "Given the current situation in the Great Desolation, what do you think the Phoenix Clan should do?"

She knew that since Long Zang had returned, his opinion could sway the entire clan's future.

Long Zang said gravely, "Do not foolishly vie for supremacy over the Great Desolation."

His gaze was cold and sharp, his words resolute: "Take it step by step. Guarding yourself is what matters most."

Yuan Huang nodded lightly.

In truth, she had long felt the same.

The Ferocious Beast Clan—how glorious had they once been?

And now? They were left gasping for breath.

She had witnessed that immense fall with her own eyes.

One wrong step, and the Phoenix Clan would inevitably meet the same fate.

"As for Ancestor Dragon and First Kirin..." Long Zang chuckled lightly. "If they want to fight, let them."

In his eyes, these two had been blinded by ambition, unable to see the true situation in the Great Desolation.

It wasn't because they were foolish, but because those caught in the game were blind to it.

Yuan Huang's heart trembled at his words, but she fell silent.

Long Zang spoke slowly, his voice calm yet striking like a great bell, shaking her very soul:

"The Great Desolation World will never have a true Co-Lord of the Great Desolation."

Yuan Huang looked up in shock.

No Co-Lord of the Great Desolation?

Long Zang's gaze seemed to pierce through past and future, seeing both what had been and what would be.

"This seat of authority exists in theory, yes. But the prerequisite is that you must be able to suppress the entire Great Desolation."

He sneered, adding, "Let alone Ancestor Dragon and First Kirin—even if they became Sages, they could never achieve it."

Yuan Huang was stunned. She had never heard such a claim.

Long Zang continued, "The Sages of later ages attained the supreme, but did they become Co-Lords of the Great Desolation? No. Because that is impossible."

So-called Co-Lord of the Great Desolation was nothing but a pitfall.

It existed in theory, but no one could bear it.

Whoever stubbornly fought for it would ultimately become a laughingstock, dragged into the abyss by fate.

He murmured softly, "If there truly is a Co-Lord, then it can only be the Heavenly Dao of the Great Desolation itself. No living being... not even me."

The seat of Co-Lord of the Great Desolation existed in theory, but in reality, it was an unattainable phantom.

Long Zang had said it before: no one could truly hold that position.

Because to become Co-Lord, one first had to subdue every living being in the entire Great Desolation—a step that was already impossible.

The Innate Demon Gods were each prouder than the last; who would bow their head? Even if suppressed, they would rather fight to the death than yield.

Moreover, Immeasurable Calamities raged, each one slaughtering billions upon billions of lives, their corpses enough to drown countless worlds.

Even if you managed to ascend to the Co-Lord's seat by luck, your forces would be whittled away calamity after calamity, until nothing remained.

And the Great Desolation never lacked old schemers, their plots interwoven.

Even if you truly sat upon that throne, you could never be sure you wouldn't be toppled one day.

Thus, this position was not nonexistent—it was simply fated that no one could hold it for long.

Time passed like a white colt flashing past a crack.

Long Zang remained in the Phoenix Clan's small world, idling day after day, seemingly eating and drinking his fill, but in truth waiting for the situation to unfold.

The Great Desolation, however, churned with undercurrents. Experienced Great Supernatural Beings had long sensed an omen: a great calamity was approaching!

Ancestor Dragon was the first unable to hold back, leading the Dragon Clan to stretch their reach into the lands of the Great Desolation.

This was a blatant declaration: the Dragon Clan was about to expand!

Immediately after, the Kirin Clan could no longer hold back, and the Western Land began to fall under their control.

The three clans stirred restlessly, and the peace of the Primordial World was shattered once more.

Everyone understood that so-called peace was nothing but an illusion; the true main theme was always the great calamity!

Yet, tens of millions of years of tranquility had caused many beings in the Primordial World to forget the terror of the Immeasurable Calamity.

They might have thought they could still pass through safely this time, but the truth was often far crueler than they imagined.

Long Zang, however, remained unmoved.

He had this confidence... strength was the ultimate trump card.

Meanwhile, the Chat Group was buzzing with activity.

[Tsunade: So, how's everyone's training going?]

[Kasumi Utaha: It's so hard, this stuff isn't meant for humans to cultivate!]

[Aqua: What are you all talking about?]

[Keisha: Is it possible your world's level is just too low?]

[Kasumi Utaha: ???]

[Tsunade: I think it's okay, at least I'm a hundred times stronger than before!]

[Aqua: What's that? Aqua doesn't understand at all.]

[Keisha: Didn't you cultivate the Body Refining Method the Group Leader gave?]

[Aqua: You mean that Basic Body Refining Method?]

[Tsunade: Yeah!]

[Aqua: ...No.]

[Keisha: 6, as expected of you.]

Just then...

[Ding: Group Leader sent a designated red envelope: Keisha!]

[Tsunade: ???]

[Kasumi Utaha: What's going on? Why is it a designated red envelope?]

[Aqua: Aqua wants a red envelope too!]

Red envelope opened...

[Keisha received: One Million Year Vermilion Fruit!]

[Keisha: Thank you, Group Leader!]

At that moment, the group instantly exploded.

Million year? Vermilion Fruit?

This was simply unbelievable!

Tsunade gasped, and Kasumi Utaha even suspected she had misread it.

But one sentence from Long Zang left them completely stunned:

[Long Zang: That's right, it's a million-year one. I don't have anything lower on hand. 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 result left her utterly dumbfounded.

The energy contained within the Vermilion Fruit was comparable to a star!

If she really swallowed it in one go, even she dared not imagine the consequences.

No wonder Long Zang had warned her to use it carefully.

This wasn't a fruit at all—it was an edible star!

Keisha's heart was complicated, and she couldn't help but ask:

"Group Leader, this thing is very precious, isn't it?"

Long Zang smiled faintly and replied:

"Precious? To you, yes. But to me, it's just a fruit to quench thirst. As for the slightly better ones, don't even think about using them before you become immortals."

This one sentence left the group members completely silent.

Tsunade and Utaha were filled with shock, even a little envious.

And Long Zang's final addition made their hearts tremble:

"In my domain, what matters is equivalent exchange. Keisha promoted the cultivation method and helped me gain the World Will's favor, so I returned the courtesy."

Equivalent exchange!

That was Long Zang's logic.

No charity without reason, no favor without cost.

Everything he gave had its own cause, effect, and value behind it.

As for whether others could bear it—that was a separate matter.

Tsunade fumed in the Chat Group, well aware that Konoha was far from what it appeared on the surface.

Even with her ample strength, her heart couldn't harden enough.

The Konoha Elder Council, the Third Hokage, Orochimaru's betrayal, the annihilation of the Uchiha clan, and even Nawaki's death... none of these events were simple. They left her emotions tangled, even stirring a sense of helplessness.

She muttered to herself, "Forget it. I'll take it one step at a time."