Primordial Phoenix in Jail (Seeking Follow-ups)

Donghua had no one to tell of his helplessness—at the critical moment, the Dao Ancestor had let him down.

Primordial Phoenix sighed and said, "If I had possessed your temperament back then, I would not have ended up like this today, nor would the Phoenix Clan have met such a fate."

Donghua shook his head. "What use is there in speaking of this now? The key is to resolve the matter at hand. As I see it, this formation can hold out for at most another five hundred years."

"Does Phoenix Ancestor have any wise counsel? Is there a solution?"

Primordial Phoenix's voice came through: "As for the specifics, I already have a rough idea in mind, but the time is not yet ripe."

"Hm?"

"After I sought help from Hongjun and got nothing, I and Vermilion Bird each performed our own deductions. We calculated that there is still a thread of life in this matter—we need only wait quietly for the fated person."

Donghua's eyes widened. "Don't tell me you think I'm that fated person."

"Heavenly Secret is unclear; I do not know. Before I saw you today, I thought it was you. But after seeing you today, I feel it is you, yet not you."

Truly, hearing a gentleman's words was like hearing a gentleman's words.

Donghua did not press further. Asking more would be pointless.

He turned and began studying this great formation.

The formation here had no known name, but it was laid out overall according to Yin-Yang, Two Modes, Three Talents, Four Symbols, and Five Elements.

Each layer interlocked with the next, cycling endlessly without cease.

Donghua's mind sank entirely into this formation. The mana within his body surged and flowed on its own, circulating through the great array.

Wuji gave birth to Taiji; Taiji gave birth to Two Modes; Two Modes gave birth to Four Symbols—and within them, the Three Talents of Heaven, Earth, and Man, and the Five Elements of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, all took their places.

The formation leveraged the momentum, taking the initial eruption of the Volcano of Immortality and applying the concept of Wuji birthing Taiji to begin its evolution, guiding the force while keeping it within the bounds of Taiji.

Taiji gave birth to Two Modes, transforming the torrential volcanic assault into the two modes of Yin and Yang. In an instant, the wave of attack was split in two, yet still under control.

The Two Modes of Yin-Yang, paired with the Three Talents of Heaven, Earth, and Man, further converted the assault into Four Symbols, splitting it again into four streams of attack.

Then, using the Five Elements Spiritual Objects and the principle of mutual generation and restraint among the Five Elements, the formation thoroughly suppressed the surging Volcano of Immortality.

After Donghua finished examining this great formation, he clapped his hands in praise: "A great mind, a great mind! I wonder who laid out this formation?"

The brilliance of this formation lay in how each sub-array merged and complemented the others, leveraging momentum to break down an enemy's attack piece by piece until it was finally annihilated.

This was nothing less than a formation of unmatched defense.

Yet at this moment, Donghua was thinking: if he used this same principle to set up a formation, turning defense into offense, could he gather the power of many into a single point?

"Myriad Immortals Formation?"

Thinking of this, Donghua blurted it out in surprise.

Primordial Phoenix: "Hm? What Myriad Immortals Formation?"

Donghua shook his head. "Nothing. Senior still hasn't said who laid out this formation. Truly a great mind."

"This formation was not completed by one person. Back then, I, along with Yin-Yang, Five Elements, and Hongjun, jointly conceived and arranged it."

Donghua nodded in acknowledgment.

The brilliance of this formation was not in how powerful it was, but in the integration and fusion between the arrays.

As far as Donghua knew, all formations in the Primordial Wilderness so far were relatively simple; there was no such comprehensive formation yet.

"Senior Primordial Phoenix, I humbly ask—may I know why you do not appear to meet me in person?"

For a while, Primordial Phoenix's voice did not come through. Donghua then felt that his question had indeed been a bit presumptuous.

Before long, Primordial Phoenix's furious voice rang out: "Do you think I don't want to come out?! My body is suppressing the Volcano of Immortality, and my Primordial Spirit is sealed by the Heavenly Dao within this world to guard the volcano!"

"Do you know what it feels like to stay in one place for over ten kalpas?"

"Do you know what it feels like to do only one thing for over ten kalpas?"

"Do you know what it feels like to be unable to cultivate for over ten kalpas?"

"If it weren't for my clansmen keeping me company, I would have gone mad long ago!"

Donghua, startled by this sudden shrewish outburst, stepped back. In his heart, he thought: This old woman's temper is still this explosive. No wonder you're stuck in prison.

The world fell silent. Donghua didn't know what to say—anything would be awkward.

After a long while, Primordial Phoenix's voice came again, this time as cool and clear as before.

"This Seat just lost control for a moment, eroded by demonic energy, and spoke some nonsense. Surely, Daoist friend won't speak of this?"

Donghua blinked, then said innocently, "Er, this junior does not understand what Senior means. Just now, I was comprehending the formation and heard nothing. Did Senior say something?"

Primordial Phoenix thought to herself: Good lad. You know how to play along.

The two fell silent again, neither speaking. Donghua found the atmosphere too awkward, so he lowered his head and resumed studying the formation.

As he delved deeper into this great formation, Donghua also came to understand that the hardest part was the connection and fusion between the various sub-arrays.

This required a very profound comprehension of the Daos of Taiji, Yin-Yang Two Modes, Three Talents, Four Symbols, Five Elements, and so on—otherwise, it could not be accomplished.

With deeper study, Donghua began to evolve this formation within his Purple Mansion World.

The world of the Volcano of Immortality thus fell quiet, leaving only the volcanic magma beneath the land ceaselessly battering the great formation.

The fiery red patterns on the ground grew more numerous, then were gradually suppressed by the operating grand formation. But each impact inflicted irreversible damage upon the formation.

Studying this formation not only improved one's understanding of formations but also advanced the Great Dao Law by leaps and bounds.

Time passed like this, little by little.

Southern Primordial World.

"Sister, the Primordial World Continent is now nearly the domain of the Witch Clan. We ought to cultivate diligently—why come here so lightly? Zhu Rong is no Houtu; we are not familiar with him."

"Especially you. The Dao Ancestor accepted you as his disciple and bestowed the Primordial Violet Qi upon you. You should be comprehending the Hunyuan Great Dao, yet you think of wandering the Primordial World."

Two figures approached from afar, their steps not touching the earth as they strolled leisurely.

The man wore a simple green Daoist robe, his hair loose and unbound, plain and unadorned, chattering on about something.

The woman was clad in a magnificent crimson gown, with red silk stockings and even her boots dyed red. A crown adorned her head, regal and splendid.

The two were none other than Xi Emperor Fuxi and Empress Nuwa.

"Elder Brother, you've been nagging the whole way. Is there an end to it? I grew restless from stillness, and a sudden impulse stirred in my heart—can't I act on it?"

"And would Zhu Rong dare to trouble me?"

Nuwa wore an impatient expression.

She couldn't stand her elder brother's nagging any longer, which was why she had planned to travel and clear her mind. She hadn't expected Fuxi to follow along.

"Look at you—how can a cultivator be so restless? How many times have I told you? Calm your heart, calm your breath..."

As Fuxi continued on, Nuwa silently activated the Art of Closed Hearing, nodding along from time to time, putting on a look that said, "You're right."

After a while, Fuxi stopped speaking, satisfied that his sister had recognized her mistakes. How could a female cultivator be so fond of battle?

Seeing that Fuxi had fallen silent, Nuwa dispelled the Art of Closed Hearing.

"Elder Brother, look—have I made a single move along the way? Rest assured."

What was it like to invent a spell just to avoid listening to nagging?

Nuwa knew all too well.

Her elder brother was perfect in every way, except that he was far too talkative around her. She could never understand how the same man who was so gentle and refined before others could be so long-winded with her.

This journey was partly to escape his nagging, but the sudden impulse in her heart was genuine as well.

In truth, Fuxi had also sensed the resonance between heaven and man, but he hadn't expected to run into his sister, who was trying to sneak out.

With his sister's current strength, a mere Zhu Rong was no threat at all—Fuxi had that much confidence.

ps: Thanks to Primordial World Little World and Maple Leaf Drifting Ning for their voting support.

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