Volcano of Immortality

Yuan Jin invited Donghua here today, not just for thanks, but definitely for something else. However, he wasn't in a hurry.

After their pleasantries, the two began to chat casually, as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other in years.

But in reality, this was their first meeting.

After a short while, Yuan Jin said, "Fellow Daoist, I invited you here today because I have something to ask of you."

Donghua casually replied, "Mm, Fellow Daoist, please speak freely."

Yuan Jin deliberated for a moment before saying, "Back then, during the war between the Three Clans, the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans committed heinous atrocities. Trillions of lives were annihilated, many Innate Deities perished, and countless mountains and rivers were destroyed. This displeased and disgusted the nascent Heavenly Dao."

"As a result, the merits and destiny accumulated by the Phoenix Clan for expelling and eliminating the Fierce Beasts and maintaining the order of Heaven and Earth were completely depleted, and countless clan members suffered casualties."

Yuan Jin paused here, sighing deeply.

"When a great tribulation approaches, misfortune and fortune have no fixed abode; one invites them upon oneself. If our clan hadn't harbored ambitions of dominating the Primordial World back then, we wouldn't have suffered such dire consequences."

Donghua, however, thought to himself, Indeed, it's not suitable to dominate in the Primordial World. Domination leads to a dead end.

After a short while, Yuan Jin continued, "Later, Clan Leader Yuan Feng lamented the terrible consequences created by herself and the Phoenix Clan. She bore all the blame alone, willing to use her Dao body to eternally suppress the Volcano of Immortality. Until the volcano is pacified, Yuan Feng shall not emerge."

"Our clan also completely withdrew from the Primordial World, and now we have retreated to Tiannan to accompany the Primordial Phoenix Ancestor in guarding the Volcano of Immortality."

Donghua was also aware of this history. The war between the Three Clans had caused the Volcano of Immortality in Tiannan to erupt; the Four Seas were in turmoil, and the sea eyes were shattered; the continent's mountains, rivers, and earth veins were destroyed, inflicting indelible damage on the nascent Primordial World.

The Great Dao naturally wouldn't concern itself with the fate of the Primordial World, but the Heavenly Dao was different.

The Primordial World was like its home. If the Primordial World ceased to exist, the Heavenly Dao would naturally dissipate.

Yuan Jin said, "Fellow Daoist Tai Wei, what I ask of you today is for your help in guiding my clan through this tribulation."

Donghua asked in confusion, "Tribulation? Who would still dare to provoke the current Phoenix Clan?"

If it were the Dragon Clan, there might be something to say, as they still occupied the Four Seas. But the Phoenix Clan only had Tiannan. How could anyone possibly be an enemy of the Phoenix Clan?

Even a broken ship still had three thousand nails. Don't underestimate them just because the Three Clans were keeping a low profile now; they might still have hidden trump cards.

A race that could dominate the Primordial World for an era couldn't be simple.

Yuan Jin shook her head and said, "Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand. Our clan's tribulation is not an external threat, but an internal one. Fellow Daoist should understand how the Volcano of Immortality was formed."

The Volcano of Immortality was the fire from the primordial elements of earth, water, fire, and wind when Heaven and Earth first opened.

When Heaven and Earth first opened, the Heaven-Opening Axe transformed into the Taiji Diagram, the Pangu Banner, and the Chaos Bell. These three supreme treasures were born in response to the call of destiny, specifically to quell the earth, fire, water, and wind within Heaven and Earth.

Earth, fire, water, and wind were the constituents of Heaven and Earth, but at the beginning, they were incredibly violent and filled the cosmos. Thus, the three supreme treasures were created to stabilize them.

The three treasures indeed lived up to expectations, and eventually, the earth, fire, water, and wind subsided.

However, the source of the fire remained incredibly violent and was suppressed in Tiannan, known as the Volcano of Immortality.

Donghua exclaimed, "Could it be that the Volcano of Immortality is acting up again?"

Fire, being the most potent and yang element, was also the most difficult of the four natural calamities to handle. It had been a long time since the opening of the Primordial World, and it had indeed erupted violently before.

Yuan Jin nodded solemnly and said, "Precisely. In recent years, the Volcano of Immortality has been frequently erupting for reasons unknown. Several clan members on the outskirts have already perished. Ancestor Phoenix sent a message, instructing us to seek outside help, but said nothing further."

"Since Fellow Daoist Tai Wei is here, I seek your assistance. Fellow Daoist is renowned as a master of formations in the Primordial World."

This was indeed true. Dong Wang Gong was a master of formations himself. The Myriad Immortals Formation, one of the four great formations of the Primordial World, was created by Dong Wang Gong.

However, for Donghua at present, the Myriad Immortals Formation had not even manifested a single thread yet.

Donghua pondered for a moment and felt that he could agree to this matter. He would go and see the situation at the Volcano of Immortality first to determine if he could resolve it.

"Fellow Daoist, I am currently unaware of the volcano's condition. I will need to see it before I can give you an answer."

Yuan Jin nodded without hesitation.

The two then headed towards the Volcano of Immortality.

As they ventured deeper into the volcano, the temperature grew increasingly higher, and the surroundings became more desolate. All around, countless formation lights flickered.

At the formation nodes, members of the Phoenix Clan were maintaining the grand array.

Seeing this, Donghua couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "The people of the Phoenix Clan truly love Yuan Feng."

Donghua immediately recognized that these formations were not for suppressing the volcano but for sharing the power of its eruption, and by extension, sharing Yuan Feng's burden.

Regardless, this had indeed brought great merit to the Primordial World.

Donghua said, "The Phoenix Clan has brought great merit to Heaven and Earth!"

Hearing Donghua's words, Yuan Jin fell silent. In truth, she wished they didn't have to earn this merit. Ever since the Phoenix Clan withdrew from the center of the Primordial World, they had been stationed here guarding the volcano.

How could the sins committed by an entire clan be borne by Ancestor Phoenix alone? All members of the Phoenix Clan voluntarily took on the pressure to share it with Yuan Feng.

As a result, many clan members had already died here.

However, the Yao Race, in their pursuit of better control over Heaven and Earth and the establishment of the Heavenly Court's grand momentum, had begun to slander the Three Clans everywhere, detailing their past transgressions while completely ignoring their contributions.

This made the elders of the Three Clans, like themselves, extremely angry, yet powerless.

Now, Donghua had publicly acknowledged the great merit the Phoenix Clan had brought to Heaven and Earth, filling her with immense joy.

Even though it was just a simple statement, its significance depended entirely on who uttered it.

Donghua was an Innate Deity recognized by Heaven and Earth, the Eastern Wood Duke; he was the Eastern Emperor Donghua recognized by the God Path; he was the Head of Male Immortals personally appointed by Hongjun of the Immortal Dao; he was the Purple Mansion East King known to all beings.

Donghua's words, though simple, represented his status, the Dao he cultivated, and his acknowledgment of the Phoenix Clan.

Once these words were spoken, Heaven and Earth would naturally sense them, as would all beings cultivating the Purple Mansion methods.

This was the true power of a Great Power of Heaven and Earth, a ruler, and the holy might of a Quasi-Saint.

Individuals like Donghua, with his status, never made oaths or acknowledged things lightly, because their every word and action was already in harmony with the Dao.

Of course, not all Quasi-Saints possessed such might; the gap between Quasi-Saints could be as vast as the difference between Heaven and Earth.

Yuan Jin solemnly bowed to Donghua and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty King Dong, for your acknowledgment. This old one expresses her gratitude."

"There is no need for such formality. The sins of the Phoenix Clan should be known to the world, but their merits should not be forgotten. Merits are merits, and faults are faults."

Hearing this, Yuan Jin was overcome with emotion, tears welling up in her eyes.

She thought to herself, This East King Gong is indeed, as the Candle Dragon said, a truly virtuous Great Power. Our Phoenix Clan should foster good relations with him.

Donghua did not notice Yuan Jin's state, as he was drawn to a voice in his mind.

"Thank you, young friend. I, Primordial Phoenix, thank you!" This sentence echoed in Donghua's mind after he finished speaking.

Startled, Donghua immediately unleashed his Primordial Spirit power and the Pure World White Lotus, searching his body for abnormalities. He understood divine sense communication.

But for a voice to enter his mind so silently and without warning was terrifying.

At that moment, another voice came, "Young friend is quite cautious, but there's no need to worry. This seat is trapped inside the volcano and cannot get out."

Donghua did not cease his search, but he did say, "Senior truly possesses remarkable abilities. You are worthy of being the Phoenix Ancestor."

The voice chuckled, "I won't tease you anymore, junior. You are rather boring."

This time, Donghua clearly felt that the voice was coming from inside the volcano.

ps: Fellow Daoists, it's not that Wangyue's updates are slow. I've actually saved up a lot of drafts, but this book signed its contract quite late and hasn't gone through the recommendation process yet, so it's not advisable to update too much.

Please be patient, and there will be more updates in a few days.

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