Boom!
Yuanfeng crashed onto a deserted island, creating a hundred-zhang-deep crater. Nirvana Divine Fire set half the island ablaze.
Lu Chen crouched at the mouth of the cave, staring at the flames soaring in the distance as his heart pounded.
"Yuanfeng... She's that badly injured?"
The Phoenix Clan's leader, a Peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal, now had an aura as weak as a candle flame. A wound pierced her chest, and Dragon Qi intertwined with Kirin baleful energy around it. Clearly, Ancestral Dragon and Shi Qilin had joined forces to inflict this grievous injury.
The Heavenly Phoenix Egg in her arms was cracked as well, and Nirvana Divine Fire was desperately trying to repair it.
"Chirp..." Little Golden Phoenix poked its head out from Lu Chen's arms. It gazed at its distant kin, sorrow flickering in its eyes.
Lu Chen stroked its head. "You want to go save her?"
Little Golden Phoenix nodded, then shook its head. It knew it would be dangerous.
Just then, a dragon's roar and a qilin's furious bellow rang out from the horizon.
"Yuanfeng! Today, you're doomed!"
"Hand over the Heavenly Phoenix Egg, and we'll leave your corpse intact!"
Ancestral Dragon and Shi Qilin descended with murderous intent, followed by dozens of powerful Grand Unity Golden Immortals from the Dragon Clan and Kirin Clan.
The deserted island was surrounded in an instant.
Lu Chen held his breath and pushed the concealment functions of the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner and Qiankun Diagram to their limits.
I can't let them find me... or I'm dead.
In the crater, Yuanfeng struggled to her feet. Her wings were stained with blood, but she remained proud. "You want to kill me? You think you're worthy?"
She burned the last of her essence, and Nirvana Divine Fire surged into the sky, taking the shape of a thousand-zhang-tall fiery phoenix.
"She's fighting to the death," Ancestral Dragon sneered. "Attack together!"
The three clan leaders clashed once more, and the entire deserted island began to collapse.
Lu Chen watched in terror. The shock waves from a battle of this caliber could kill him.
I need to get out of here, fast...
He quietly backed away, preparing to escape beneath the sea.
But the moment he reached the shore, something unexpected happened!
Vmm—
The Kirin Elder Token in his arms suddenly grew hot and flew out on its own, shooting toward the center of the battlefield!
"What?!" Lu Chen's expression changed drastically.
The token turned into a streak of yellow light and landed right in front of Yuanfeng.
Yuanfeng froze, then seized the token. She swept it with her Divine Sense, and her expression changed. "A list of traitors in the Kirin Clan?! And a secret record of the pact between the Three Clans... This..."
She abruptly looked up at Ancestral Dragon and Shi Qilin, hatred flickering in her eyes. "So that's how it is... The Dragon Clan colluded with the Kirin Clan long ago to destroy my Phoenix Clan!"
Ancestral Dragon and Shi Qilin were both taken aback.
"What list?" Shi Qilin frowned.
"Still pretending!" Yuanfeng shrieked, her voice filled with anguish. "You conspired together to lure me into this calamity... Fine! Fine! Fine! If that's how it is, then we'll all die together!"
She went completely berserk and poured all her blood essence into the Heavenly Phoenix Egg.
"With my life, I shall bring you rebirth through Nirvana—my child, avenge your mother!"
Boom!
Yuanfeng's body exploded, turning into boundless Nirvana Divine Fire that surged into the Heavenly Phoenix Egg.
The shell shattered completely, and a three-legged Golden Crow wreathed in golden flames emerged—not a phoenix, but a pure-blooded Golden Crow!
"This is... the Golden Crow Bloodline of the Solar Star?!" Ancestral Dragon exclaimed.
The Golden Crow raised its head and cried out. Its aura climbed higher and higher, breaking through to the Grand Unity realm in an instant—and it kept growing stronger!
"Bad news! She's sacrificing herself to hasten the birth of a Grand Unity Golden Crow!" Shi Qilin roared. "Stop it!"
But it was too late.
The Golden Crow opened its eyes, filled with hatred and sorrow. It opened its beak and inhaled, swallowing all the divine fire formed from Yuanfeng. Its aura stabilized at Mid-Stage Grand Unity.
"Mother..." The Golden Crow's voice was still childlike, but its killing intent was overwhelming. "You're all going to die!"
It spread its wings, and Solar True Fire scorched the heavens and boiled the seas.
"Retreat!" Ancestral Dragon made the decision at once.
No one wanted to face a berserk Grand Unity Golden Crow fighting with its life on the line.
"You think you can leave?!" the Golden Crow shrieked, turning into golden light as it gave chase.
The three clan leaders fought as they fled, vanishing at the edge of the Eastern Sea in the blink of an eye.
The deserted island fell silent again, leaving only wreckage behind.
Lu Chen surfaced from beneath the sea, still shaken.
"Yuanfeng's dead... One of the three clan leaders has fallen. The calamity is about to end."
He looked toward the center of the battlefield. A few of Yuanfeng's own feathers lay scattered there, along with the now-dim Kirin Elder Token.
"The token's been exposed. The truth about the traitors in the Kirin Clan won't stay hidden... But that's fine. While the Three Clans tear each other apart, I'll have a chance."
He collected the feathers and token, then prepared to leave. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened.
At the bottom of the crater, embedded in a fragment of the Heavenly Phoenix Egg, was a scarlet crystal—Yuanfeng's Heart Core!
"A Heart Core from a Grand Unity Peak powerhouse... I've struck it rich!"
Lu Chen rushed over and was about to take it when the Heart Core suddenly turned into a streak of red light and shot into his brow.
Vmm—
A flood of information poured into his mind:
The complete Nirvana True Scripture
Three thousand secret arts of the Phoenix Clan
Yuanfeng's lifelong cultivation insights
And... a warning:
[To whoever comes after me: if you obtain my Heart Core, you must promise me one thing. Protect my child, the Golden Crow, and don't let the calamity consume it.]
Lu Chen gave a wry smile.
Another dying request to look after someone's child.
Still, Yuanfeng's Heart Core was valuable enough that accepting this karmic obligation was worth it.
"I'll do my best," he promised the empty air.
The Heart Core fully merged with him, and Lu Chen's cultivation broke loose once more, advancing toward the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.
But he had no time to go into seclusion.
The bell at Purple Firmament Palace had already rung three times. The lecture was about to begin. He had to reach Chaos as soon as possible; if he missed the first lecture, he would lose every opportunity that followed.
"I'll go to Purple Firmament Palace first. I can deal with everything else later."
Lu Chen determined his direction and flew toward the boundary between the Primordial World and Chaos.
A month later, he reached the edge of the Primordial World.
Ahead stretched a gray, turbulent Chaos Qi Flow, wild and disorderly. Even a Golden Immortal risked death by entering it.
"According to the original story, you had to be a Grand Unity Golden Immortal to attend the first lecture... At my level, I might not even make it through Chaos."
Lu Chen frowned.
As he pondered, laughter drifted over from the distance.
Three figures approached together: a white-haired old man with an immortal air, a beautiful woman in palace robes with a cool demeanor, and, finally...
He wore a robe as red as fire, had a hearty smile, and carried a red gourd at his waist.
"Ancestor Hong Yun!" Lu Chen's eyes lit up.
The Primordial World's number one good Samaritan was destined to be surrounded and killed over the Primordial Violet Qi in the future. For now, he was still a carefree wandering immortal.
Maybe I can catch a ride with them...
Lu Chen straightened his robe and went to meet them. "Three fellow Daoists, please wait."
The three stopped and looked at him.
Hong Yun sized Lu Chen up and smiled. "Are you heading to Purple Firmament Palace to attend the lecture too, young friend?"
"Indeed." Lu Chen cupped his hands. "But this junior's cultivation is shallow, and I'm afraid I won't be able to cross Chaos. Might I travel with the three of you?"
The white-haired old man, Zhen Yuanzi, frowned. "Chaos is perilous. Bringing you along could lead to trouble."
The woman in palace robes, Queen Mother of the West, added coolly, "Anyone below the Grand Unity realm has almost no chance of surviving a trip into Chaos."
Lu Chen had already prepared for this. He took out Qiankun Ancestor's jade slip. "This junior is a successor of Qiankun Ancestor and has an Innate Spiritual Treasure to protect him. I won't be a burden to the three of you."
"A successor of Daoist Qiankun?" Zhen Yuanzi was taken aback. "But... didn't he perish?"
"My master left behind a fragment of his legacy, which I was fortunate enough to obtain." Lu Chen's answer was half true and half false.
Hong Yun laughed heartily. "If you're a successor of Daoist Qiankun, then you're one of us. Come along, young friend. My Nine-Nine Soul Scattering Gourd is more than enough to protect you through Chaos."
"Thank you, Senior Hong Yun!" Lu Chen was overjoyed.
The four of them traveled together into Chaos.
Hong Yun brought out his red gourd. Scarlet mist poured from it, enveloping everyone and shielding them from the erosive Chaos Qi Flow.
Zhen Yuanzi held the Earth Book, stabilizing the space around them.
Queen Mother of the West held the Kunlun Mirror above her head, illuminating the way ahead.
Lu Chen quietly followed behind, observing the three future powerhouses.
Hong Yun was warm and talkative, explaining the wonders of Chaos to Lu Chen along the way. Zhen Yuanzi was steady and taciturn, but even his occasional pointers benefited Lu Chen greatly. Queen Mother of the West was aloof, though she seemed somewhat curious about Lu Chen's identity as a "successor of Qiankun."
"Young friend, since you've inherited Qiankun's legacy, do you know what came of his debate on the Dao with Dao Ancestor Hongjun?" Queen Mother of the West suddenly asked.
Lu Chen's heart stirred. "My master never explained the details. He only said... the Dao of the Dao Ancestor might not be the only one."
All three were shaken.
"Well said! It might not be the only one!" Hong Yun clapped his hands and laughed. "Daoist Qiankun is just as arrogant as ever."
Zhen Yuanzi gave Lu Chen a long look. "Don't repeat those words to anyone else."
"This junior understands." Lu Chen nodded.
Halfway through their journey, the Chaos Qi Flow suddenly turned violent.
"Watch out! It's a Chaos Vortex!" Queen Mother of the West cried.
A vortex ten thousand zhang wide appeared ahead, devouring everything. Even the light couldn't escape it.
Hong Yun summoned all his strength to drive the gourd, and the scarlet mist struggled to hold back the vortex.
"We can't hold on! The vortex is growing!" Zhen Yuanzi said gravely.
As Lu Chen watched the vortex draw closer, a line from the jade slip suddenly flashed through his mind: [A Chaos Vortex is actually a spatial node that can lead to fragments of Chaos.]
"Senior, this vortex may be an opportunity!" he shouted.
"What opportunity? It's a dead end!" Queen Mother of the West frowned.
"Let's take a gamble!" Hong Yun grinned. "Young friend, how do you suggest we proceed?"
"Charge into it!" Lu Chen pointed at the center of the vortex. "Space is thinnest there. We might be able to break through and open a passage!"
"Good! I'll trust you this once!" Hong Yun said boldly, steering the gourd toward the center of the vortex.
Zhen Yuanzi and Queen Mother of the West had no choice but to follow.
Boom!
The gourd slammed into the vortex, and space twisted.
Lu Chen felt the world spin around him. When he came to his senses, he was inside a shattered space in Chaos.
It was only a hundred li wide, surrounded by solidified walls of Chaos. Something floated at its center—
A strand of purple qi swirled in a hazy light. Daoist runes were contained within it, and it radiated an aura of eternal immortality.
Primordial Violet Qi!
The foundation of Sainthood!
Hong Yun and the others were all stunned.
"Is this... Primordial Violet Qi?!" Zhen Yuanzi's voice trembled.
A burning eagerness flickered in Queen Mother of the West's eyes.
Hong Yun burst into laughter. "An opportunity! What an incredible opportunity! Young friend, you truly are a lucky star!"
Excited, he rushed toward the purple qi.
Lu Chen's pupils contracted.
In the original story, Hong Yun had obtained the Primordial Violet Qi after the first lecture, then been hunted down and killed!
But now, it had appeared ahead of time?
And... something seemed wrong with this strand of purple qi.
The fragment of the axe haft inside Lu Chen trembled slightly, sending him a warning—
There was something wrong with this purple qi!
"Senior, wait!" Lu Chen cried out.
But Hong Yun had already reached out to grab the purple qi.
The moment he touched it, the purple qi erupted in a blinding light and enveloped him.
Hong Yun grunted and was thrown back three steps, his face deathly pale.
"This purple qi... It has an owner?!" he exclaimed.
Lu Chen's heart sank.
As expected, it was a trap!
Inside the fragment of Chaos, the Primordial Violet Qi floated in the air, and Hong Yun had been injured.
Outside the fragment, several terrifying auras were rapidly drawing closer—Kunpeng, Minghe, Di Jun, and Taiyi!
They had clearly been lying in wait, ready for someone to trigger the trap! The four of them were trapped inside the fragment, with powerful enemies outside and strange purple qi within. Disaster had struck once again!
Worse still, the Kirin Elder Token in Lu Chen's arms suddenly resonated with the strand of purple qi. Deep within it, the faint image of a qilin appeared. Could this be... Shi Qilin's scheme?!
Before you continue