Phoenix Clan's Plea

Vast merit power was drawn from within his body, and after circulating through one hundred and eight cycles, it transformed into Pure Yang magical power that converged into the Purple Mansion World.

Time and again, until at a certain moment, a sound rang out from the Purple Mansion World, and the One Hundred and Eight Heavens began to expand wildly, absorbing boundless heaven and earth spiritual energy until they finally settled into form.

Donghua's magical power cultivation also reached Mid Quasi-Saint. Thereafter, he continued to channel merit power to cultivate the Pure Yang Profound Technique, tempering his physical body.

He had no intention of becoming merely a "mage"; physical cultivation absolutely could not be neglected. The Three Paths Cultivation was the true path.

Thus time passed!

While Donghua cultivated, the others also made breakthroughs of their own.

Tongtian, through this battle, finally gained insight and began to Slay the Corpse, strolling along the River of Destiny, gathering and converging Desire and Obsession.

"Slash!"

With a single cry, Tongtian slew his Evil Corpse.

"Hahaha!" Tongtian laughed heartily.

"Second Brother, this time, I have walked ahead of you."

The three brothers were all born from Pangu's Primordial Spirit combined with the Three Pure Ones' Great Dao. Since their transformation, they had debated and compared with each other in cultivation, each refusing to concede defeat.

Taizhen and Fuxi also smoothly broke through to Mid Quasi-Saint, but they still had no clue about the path of Slaying the Corpse and could not grasp its method.

At Nuwa's cultivation site, the fluctuations were also considerable.

If Donghua and the others could see it, they would absolutely be stunned. Nuwa's cultivation was at Mid Quasi-Saint, and more importantly, she had already slain both the Good and Evil Two Corpses.

The Dao Realm Cultivation of slaying two corpses—this was something even Taishang had not accomplished, yet Nuwa had completed it first.

As mentioned earlier, the most difficult part of Slaying the Corpse lies in the "slaying" itself. One must use one's own Great Dao cultivation to sever one's own desires.

One's desires are also oneself, possessing an understanding of the Dao, but biased toward different directions like good, evil, and obsession. Successfully slaying a corpse means repeatedly surpassing oneself.

Donghua's previous success in slaying a corpse was also a matter of chance.

With memories of a later life, after fully mastering his Quasi-Saint cultivation, Donghua was very familiar with his memories of Earth. He could recall parts of those classic Daoist and Buddhist scriptures.

Those scriptures that could expound the ultimate principles of the Great Dao—Donghua had been contemplating them all along. Even so, it was only through a stroke of luck, an elevation of his state of mind, and the eruption of his Three Corpses that he succeeded in slaying one.

As for Nuwa being able to slay two corpses, her Dao Realm Cultivation was certainly not low, and it was no wonder she was the first to Attain Sainthood in later ages.

Approximately eight hundred King Pan Memorial Days later, Donghua and the others emerged from seclusion one after another.

"Emperor Lord, congratulations on your great advancement in cultivation."

After Donghua came out of seclusion, he encountered Jin Feng. To say "encountered" might be better described as "was awaited by."

"You are not bad either; your strength has also improved greatly."

Jin Feng smiled bitterly. "The Phoenix Ancestor did not use her own merit power but gave it to us. I also received a share, which is how I made progress."

Donghua was silent for a moment upon hearing this, but he made no comment on the matter. Everyone has their own choices.

"Don't overthink it. Improvement in strength is a good thing. Greatness Returns to Oneself—that can never be wrong."

Jin Feng nodded and said, "Emperor Lord, our Grand Elder invites you to come over."

"I wonder if Fellow Daoist Taizhen and the others have emerged from seclusion?"

"Reporting to the Emperor Lord, the several seniors have all come out of seclusion."

Donghua did not know why Yuan Jin was looking for him, but he still followed Jin Feng.

In a palace, he met Yuan Jin.

"May I ask what matter you have summoned me for today, Fellow Daoist?"

Yuan Jin did not answer immediately. Instead, she activated a formation to seal off and isolate this space before speaking.

"Please forgive me, His Majesty King Dong. What I am about to say today concerns a matter of life and death for my clan, so I must be cautious."

Donghua was very puzzled. What did the life and death of your clan have to do with This Seat?

"I have heard that His Majesty King Dong has already formed an alliance with the Dragon Clan..."

Before Yuan Jin could finish, Donghua heard these words. His aura burst forth, and his Dharma Eye locked directly onto Yuan Jin, his posture suggesting he was about to strike.

In fact, Donghua truly thought so. The matter of his alliance with the Dragon Clan was confidential. How did the Phoenix Clan know of it?

Yuan Jin quickly said, "Please calm your anger, Your Majesty King Dong. Hear me out."

"Speak!"

Yuan Jin: "Your Majesty King Dong, my clan and the Dragon Clan formed an Offensive and Defensive Alliance after the Dragon Han era."

"Although the two clans once fought to the death, with the calamity of extinction looming, we had no choice but to ally. The matter of Your Majesty's alliance with the Dragon Clan was informed to me by Fellow Daoist Candle Dragon, and no one else knows of it."

Upon hearing Candle Dragon's name, Donghua withdrew his aura and said angrily, "How could Candle Dragon be so reckless? Without This Seat's permission, he dared to inform your clan of this matter. He truly seeks death."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Jin could say nothing more. Better the fellow Daoist die than the poor Daoist; she was no match for Donghua.

The gap between Quasi-Saints can sometimes be as vast as heaven and earth, and precisely such a gap existed between her and Donghua.

"Fellow Daoist Candle Dragon acted out of the bond of our two clans' alliance in informing me. I beg Your Majesty King Dong to calm your anger."

Donghua ignored Yuan Jin's plea. As for Candle Dragon, that matter could be settled another day. Today, he needed to understand what the Phoenix Clan meant.

He asked in return, "Then why did your Phoenix Clan summon This Seat here today?"

Yuan Jin sighed inwardly. Fellow Daoist Candle Dragon, I can only help you this far today.

"Our Phoenix Clan wishes to pledge allegiance to the Purple Mansion under His Majesty King Dong, to heed the Emperor Lord's teachings."

Donghua was taken aback, unable to fathom this. He had only formed a simple alliance with the Dragon Clan as a precaution—just in case the Demon Race lost their heads and attacked the Purple Mansion, he would have a backup.

But the Phoenix Clan wanted to directly submit to the Purple Mansion. This truly baffled him.

"Your Phoenix Clan possesses a supreme inheritance, with Senior Primordial Phoenix and Senior Vermilion Bird still present. What is there to fear? Why would you stoop to pledging allegiance to This Seat?"

Yuan Jin shook his head helplessly. "His Majesty King Dong, the Phoenix Ancestor cannot leave the Volcano of Immortality. Even with her heaven-reaching divine power, it is of no use."

"As for Senior Vermilion Bird, strictly speaking, she is no longer a member of the Phoenix Clan. Moreover, she must guard the Southern Pole and cannot act unless it concerns a matter of the Heavenly Dao."

"Our Phoenix Clan has now retreated to Southern Heaven, so naturally we are no longer a thorn in the side of the Witch and Monster Two Clans."

Donghua said, "Then why still pledge allegiance to This Seat?"

Yuan Jin let out a mournful sigh. "But our Phoenix Clan warriors are afflicted by the Heaven and Earth Karma. Not even a Quasi-Saint can be achieved—even a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal is beyond reach. Their lifelong attainment is merely a paltry Grand Unity."

"This, this—how is this any different from extinction? I now govern the Phoenix Clan, and I cannot bear to see such a state continue."

Donghua was stunned by this revelation. He had never considered such a thing.

After all, although the Dragon Clan lacked the fortune to break through to Quasi-Saint, reaching Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal was still no problem for them.

Why could the Phoenix Clan not even break through to Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal?

"During the Three Clans War, the Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind ran amok. The worst of it was the Volcano of Immortality. Had Venerable Vermilion Bird not intervened back then, the Southern Primordial World might now be no different from the Western Continent."

"Moreover, our Phoenix Clan is now few in number. Even if the same Karma descends, each individual bears far more than a member of the Dragon Clan."

Yuan Jin lamented deeply. He could see the current state of the Phoenix Clan, worry gnawing at his heart, yet he knew no way to resolve it.

After hearing Candle Dragon's telepathic message, he discussed it with Primordial Phoenix, deliberated deeply, and finally made up his mind to follow the Purple Mansion.

Because they, who had lived through the Three Clans War, held no favorable view of the current Witch and Monster Two Clans.

They had witnessed Donghua's conduct over these past few days. To follow such a virtuous lord, an ambitious hero with lofty aspirations, was hardly a bad thing.

Even if Donghua ultimately failed in his bid for supremacy, they could accept it. The worst outcome would be retreating to the Volcano of Immortality. Would the Witch and Monster Two Clans truly dare to defy all propriety and annihilate the Phoenix Clan?

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