Yuanfeng had once been a top-tier Great Power, and she certainly lived up to her reputation. Though Donghua couldn't see through her cultivation, he figured she was probably at the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm.
At the height of the Three Clans' power, all the divine beings across the world had been so thoroughly suppressed that they could barely hold their heads up. With such immense clan fortune behind them, who wouldn't feel intimidated?
Those divine beings included Hongjun and Luohu.
In a one-on-one fight against the clan leaders, Hongjun and Luohu would certainly lose.
But if the clans had deployed their full forces, Hongjun and the others would probably have had to retreat.
Still, the sides had never truly fought, so no one knew how it would have ended.
In Donghua's view, Hongjun and Luohu back then were like the Three Pure Ones facing the Witch and Monster Two Clans now. In single combat, the Three Pure Ones would undoubtedly come out on top. But if the other side deployed their full forces, even the Three Pure Ones would be hard-pressed.
The clan leaders had mastered the Divine Dao. They were only one final step away from attaining the Dao, yet for some reason, no one had managed to attain it through the Divine Dao to this day.
"Senior Yuanfeng, your strength is truly impressive. I'm Tai Wei. I pay my respects."
Yuanfeng let out a sigh, her voice mournful. "I'm just an old relic on the verge of returning to the Dao. The Primordial Wilderness belongs to you now. The future of you divine beings is truly limitless."
Yuanfeng herself had taken form through the Great Dao Law. But if one wanted to argue about who was Heaven's favored child, it was undoubtedly the Innate Deities of Donghua's generation.
Heavenly Dao treated them so well, it was practically spoon-feeding them.
"It's truly enviable!"
Donghua both agreed and disagreed. Being born early had its advantages, just as being born late had its drawbacks.
All things in the world were accompanied by yin and yang. Nothing was absolutely good or bad.
Those born early, like Dao Ancestor Hongjun, could reign supreme across the Primordial Wilderness and become the first Saint of Heaven and Earth, with no one in later generations able to surpass them.
Those born later, like the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa, could become Hunyuan Grand Unity Golden Immortals, revered as Saints, but Hongjun still stood above them.
"Senior, what changes have taken place inside the volcano?"
Yuanfeng didn't answer at once. After a while, she finally spoke. "It's not something I can explain in a few words. Come inside and see for yourself."
Donghua didn't enter immediately. He hesitated.
But then he thought it over. There was nothing to fear. Yuanfeng couldn't make a move against him. If she dared to emerge and attack him, the Great Dao and Heavenly Dao would destroy her. Oaths weren't something one could make lightly.
He crossed the formation and entered the volcano.
Inside lay an enormous valley, its sky a dull gray. Thousands of stone pillars stood throughout the valley, linked together and centered around Yuanfeng's immense true form, suppressing the Volcano of Immortality.
The ground trembled, as though something beneath it were shaking the earth. Much of the formation on the ground had already been damaged. The volcano's molten rock was faintly visible, and the earth had turned a dark, reddish black.
None of that surprised Donghua. What shocked him was that demonic energy was coming from beneath the volcano.
"How is this possible?"
Yuanfeng's voice sounded again. "If the formation were the only thing damaged, my clan could still handle it. But now it's not just a matter of the formation. Someone has tampered with things."
"Only recently did I understand. Our Three Clans War brought about such an overwhelming slaughter partly because we sought to attain the Dao, our Dao Hearts grew clouded, and we turned on one another."
"But Demon Ancestor Luohu provoked us as well. In particular, the final battle caused Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind in the Primordial World to run wild once more, bringing boundless karmic sin upon us. Looking back now, Luohu must have plotted it."
"How could the three of us, before attaining the Hunyuan Dao, have made Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind re-form all at once?"
"Only when the Volcano of Immortality erupted recently and demonic energy swept through did I finally realize the truth. It was that damned demon Luohu."
"If only we'd known, we should have joined forces and destroyed that demon first."
Yuanfeng's grief-stricken voice continued to ring out. Donghua could hear the anger and sorrow in it.
It was only natural. Anyone caught up in something like this would be out of luck.
Luohu had indeed meddled, but it had also been your battle that sent Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind into chaos and made them re-form. The Primordial World had nearly been destroyed.
If the karmic consequences didn't fall on you, then who would they fall on?
Donghua released his Primordial Spirit Power and carefully sensed the demonic energy and the volcanic world below. He wouldn't act this time without complete confidence.
This was nothing like Taotie in the East Sea. Taotie was only a Mid Quasi-Saint, and one who cultivated only the Great Dao Law. He was terrifying, but Donghua wasn't intimidated.
This time was different. This was the Volcano of Immortality. As long as the Primordial Wilderness remained intact, this place would exist forever.
The Volcano of Immortality was so dangerous that Yuanfeng, a top-tier Quasi-Saint, had to suppress it herself with the aid of a formation.
And the Vermilion Bird, one of the Four Spirits of Heaven and Earth, had to help from time to time for them to keep the volcano in check.
Now Demon Ancestor Luohu, a massive unknown factor, was involved too. Who knew how Luohu had caused the Volcano of Immortality to erupt back then, or what formidable methods he had used?
The risks and unknowns here were enough to bring about Donghua's downfall.
Donghua carefully sensed the world below. The moment his Primordial Spirit Power entered, he detected the pure demonic energy. It was completely different from what he'd encountered last time.
The demonic energy within was restrained and pure. Even a wisp of it was far more formidable than Ri Yan's had been.
Donghua knew this demonic energy all too well. He had witnessed the battle between immortals and demons in the Western Region with his own eyes.
"Demon Ancestor Luohu definitely came to the Volcano of Immortality himself."
Besides the pure demonic energy, the depths also held a violent essence of fire. That part was normal enough.
Deep within, the volcanic magma roiled, as though some living creature were stirring it.
Donghua tried to probe it again, but the spiritual sense he sent out was swallowed by the demonic energy.
The sudden strike caught him off guard, forcing him to stagger back several steps.
When he recovered, Donghua spoke at once. "Senior Yuanfeng, I can't help with this. Please ask someone else from the Phoenix Clan. I'll take my leave."
Without waiting for Yuanfeng to reply, he turned to leave.
Yuanfeng snapped, "Wait! I haven't even told you what I want you to do, and you're already in such a hurry to leave?"
"Precisely because you haven't told me what you want yet, I can leave without hurting our relationship. You know perfectly well I truly can't help with this."
Yuanfeng sighed. "You may leave today, but you'll have to come back eventually. If I can't hold out, the demonic energy will erupt along with the Volcano of Immortality. Sooner or later, the responsibility will fall on all of you."
Donghua shook his head. "Please rest assured, Senior. With Dao Ancestor here, the sky won't fall."
Donghua planned to seek out Dao Ancestor Hongjun. Resolving this matter would take someone of his stature.
"Don't go. Hongjun can't come."
Donghua froze, at a loss for words.
"Though I don't know what Hongjun is doing, I can sense that he can't come. Besides, I sent word to Vermilion Bird earlier and asked her to find Hongjun. The only response was complete silence."
At that moment, Donghua could only think that the old man was truly unreliable.
The most terrifying thing here wasn't the demonic energy or the volcano. It was the presence lurking somewhere unknown.
Though Donghua hadn't sensed what it was, the immense terror that struck him the moment his Primordial Spirit Power vanished had been real.
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