Fire Virtue Recedes; The Demonic Calamity Rises Again; A Pack of Wolves Devours the Tiger

In Ziwei Imperial Palace, Lu Yuan sat cross-legged atop a Cloud Bed. The Earth Fan, Water Fan, Wind Fan, and Fire Fan floated before him, breathing in Innate Dao Charm as they manifested the cycle of the four elements: Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind.

Above his head, Auspicious Clouds and his Dao Fruit appeared. The Profound Yellow Dao Fruit traced out the incomplete cycle of the Four Symbols. Each deduction set the four fans humming in resonance.

"The Fire Virtue cycle has reached its peak and begun to wane... The tide of the world's great forces has finally begun to recede."

Lu Yuan opened his eyes slightly. Profound Yellow Two Energies flowed through the depths of his pupils like a river of stars.

He could clearly sense that, three thousand years ago, when Shennong ascended to the throne of Heavenly Emperor, the Fire Virtue's divine radiance had shone like a blazing sun across the Star Sea, melting gold and refining demons. Now, as the Heavenly Emperor's authority became firmly established, that radiance was quietly drawing inward.

Like the receding tide, that power of purification was rapidly withdrawing from the Star Sea.

Feeling a familiar pang of pain from somewhere beyond his sight, a strand of Profound Yellow Qi at Lu Yuan's fingertip suddenly went taut like a plucked string. It pierced through endless space and time, pointing straight to Qingming Star in the Azure Dragon Star Domain.

An image appeared before his eyes: Qingmingzi, who had attained the Dao as a plant spirit, drawing upon the power of the entire star from the Xuanji Cliff to wear down the Chaos Star Spear and condense a Golden Immortal Dao Fruit.

Back then, the faint "Merit of Enlightenment" and "Power of Faith" had been no more than tiny specks. Now, those glimmers