Location: The Southern Sky Secret Realm in the Southern Primordial World, also known as the Phoenix Realm.
Time: The centennial anniversary of King Pan's death.
The parasol trees blanketed the mountains in bloom, their golden and emerald leaves drifting through the air.
The pleasant sound of a qin spread through the valley, while birds danced around the golden phoenix in the sky.
Donghua reclined beneath a parasol tree, listening to the music and admiring the birds' dance. Behind him, two Phoenix Women massaged his shoulders, occasionally feeding him a Spirit Fruit or refilling his cup.
"Now this is how immortals are meant to live!"
After the last battle ended, they had followed Jin Feng to the Phoenix Clan to recover. They had only emerged from seclusion a few days ago.
That last battle had truly been perilous. If Qianyu hadn't warned him in time, who knew what might have happened?
But the spoils of victory had been truly abundant.
At the thought, Donghua waved for the Phoenix Women attending him to leave.
Then he took out a banner and a diagram. The banner was the King Pan Banner, and the diagram was the Sun Moon Diagram.
The King Pan Banner had originally been the Heavenly Tribulation Banner, a Top-tier Innate Spiritual Treasure and King Pan's life-bound treasure. Somehow, though, that old schemer King Pan had turned it astray.
A Top-tier Innate Spiritual Treasure originally meant to embody the Way of Heavenly Tribulation had instead been used by King Pan to enhance the power of his Gu insects and poison. It had never unleashed the might a heavenly tribulation ought to possess. What a terrible waste.
Holding the Heavenly Tribulation Banner, Donghua considered it carefully and decided there was much he could do with it.
As everyone knew, the Primordial World had no such thing as heavenly punishment.
Whether beings transformed into their true forms or advanced in cultivation, they faced only tests from the Heavenly Dao. No heavenly tribulations descended upon them.
Even those tests from the Heavenly Dao had only appeared after Hongjun attained Hunyuan Dao, achieved the Position of Sage, and the Heavenly Dao became more complete.
When Innate Deities like them had first appeared, there had been no heavenly tribulations or tests to speak of.
Instead, the Great Dao had resounded, and the Heavenly Dao had sent its blessings, as if eager for them to attain Hunyuan Dao at once.
Innate Deities were born of the Great Dao itself. Back then, the Heavenly Dao was still incomplete, and every deity born into the world represented a further step in its perfection.
How could it possibly send down a heavenly tribulation?
They were the very darlings of the Great Dao and the Heavenly Dao.
Of course, there were many kinds of Innate Deities, including some special ones, such as the Three Pure Ones and the Twelve Ancestor Witches.
The Three Pure Ones had been formed from Pangu's primordial spirit as he transformed into the Dao. Each had been born accompanied by a Great Dao, and each had emerged as a Grand Unity Golden Immortal (Emperor Realm). Taiqing, Yuqing, and Shangqing were not merely names; they were Great Daos in their own right.
It was just like Donghua's Pure Yang Great Dao. Donghua the Emperor Lord could also be called the Pure Yang Emperor. Pure Yang was both his Dao and his name.
The Twelve Ancestor Witches were the same. They had been formed from Pangu's Dao-blood as he transformed into the Dao, and had emerged as Grand Unity Golden Immortals.
There were also other beings in heaven and earth who could rival them.
Nuwa, Donghua, Fuxi, Di Jun, Taiyi, and other Innate Deities had all emerged as Grand Unity Golden Immortals.
This was what people usually meant by one's birth and lineage. That lineage was the Great Dao from which one had been born.
There were naturally also ordinary, lesser deities, such as Donghua's eldest disciple, Qing Xuan. Though he contained the Yin Yang Two Energies, he was among the lowliest of the deities.
As for the greatest Innate Deity in the Primordial Wilderness when it came to Yin and Yang, that was the Yin-Yang Ancestor of the ancient past.
Alas, Luohu had killed him.
After examining the Heavenly Tribulation Banner, Donghua began studying the Sun Moon Diagram.
The Sun Moon Diagram was the spiritual treasure King Pan had tried to trade for the Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin.
What Donghua couldn't understand was why it had been in King Pan's possession.
This diagram was a treasure of the Starry Sky.
By rights, it should have belonged to one of these: Doumu Yuanjun, the Ziwei Emperor, Di Jun and Taiyi, or Wangshu.
Donghua didn't concern himself with that. Now that it was in his hands, it was his. He branded it with his mark and placed it in his Purple Mansion, planning to refine it properly in seclusion when he had time.
This time, Donghua's spoils amounted to one Top-tier Innate Spiritual Treasure, two High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, three Mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, and five Low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.
He had struck it rich.
By then, Crown Prince Changqin and the others had finished playing and come over.
"Greetings, Your Majesty King Dong."
Donghua said, "Mm. There's no need for formalities. You aren't my subordinates, so make yourselves comfortable."
The three youngsters quickly sat down beside Donghua.
Donghua smiled helplessly. After spending the past few days together, he had grown very familiar with these three young phoenixes.
The most lively and mischievous was Qingluan Bird, whose name was Qing Niao. She wore a long, blue-green dress and was like a child who would never grow up.
The most proper was Jin Feng, the Golden Phoenix. She spoke and acted with impeccable courtesy and was also the princess of the Golden Phoenix Clan, a person of high standing.
The last was Hong Hu, whose name was Feng Niao. He was studious and diligent, and wore white.
Donghua looked at them and said, "We were strangers who happened to meet, yet because of King Pan, we became friends who would risk our lives for one another. What a remarkable bond."
Qing Niao quickly said, "Emperor Lord, are we really friends now?"
Donghua nodded. He approved of these young friends, especially their character. As for their backgrounds and such, those meant little to him.
"That's wonderful! When I get home, I'll tell Mother that East King Gong, the Head of Male Immortals, is my friend."
Donghua smiled. He truly enjoyed spending time with these youngsters, perhaps because he was a "youngster" himself.
Qing Niao suddenly hesitated, seeming to want to say something, but in the end she held her tongue.
Seeing this, Donghua said, "If you want to say something, just say it. We're friends now, so why are you hesitating?"
At once, Qing Niao said excitedly, "Emperor Lord, I wanted to ask: are you and Her Majesty the West Queen Mother Dao Companions?"
Donghua tapped Qing Niao on the head and said, "You little girl, you don't know your place. How can you gossip about someone behind her back? Fellow Daoist Taizhen is a Quasi-Saint Great Power. If you say her name, she'll naturally sense it. If she finds out, she might pluck you bare and roast you."
Qing Niao immediately clutched her chest and looked around in fright, as if afraid someone would pluck out her feathers at any moment.
The others burst into laughter at the sight. Even Qianyu, who rarely smiled, joined in.
Only then did Qing Niao realize that the Emperor Lord had been teasing her. She pouted unhappily.
Donghua stopped laughing and said, "Little girl, still don't believe me? If I weren't here today, Fellow Daoist Taizhen would certainly have heard what you said."
Qing Niao replied timidly, "I was just curious."
"Then let me teach you a lesson today: in this Primordial World, curiosity is the one thing you must never indulge. It can cost you your life."
Qing Niao spoke slowly. "I understand. I won't be curious anymore."
Seeing Qing Niao like that, Donghua felt bad for her, but the Primordial World was simply this cruel. The Phoenix Clan was now in decline, and the ancestor of the Qingluan Clan had also perished in the Three Clans War.
Without powerful backing, Qing Niao would surely invite disaster if she kept saying whatever she pleased.
Just look at Bixiao and Qiongxiao in later generations. They had actually dared to insult a Saint, utterly out of control. If they didn't die, who would?
"Fellow Daoist Taizhen and I aren't Dao Companions, but we are very good friends." In the end, Donghua offered an explanation. He couldn't bear to discourage the little one.
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