The Phoenix Clan was a vast group, and it consisted of more than just phoenixes. There were five other great clans as well. As the former leaders of the Flying Birds, many clans considered it an honor to join the Phoenix Clan.
As the saying went, there were five kinds of phoenixes, each in a different color: the red Vermilion Bird; the yellow Yuan Chu; the green Azure Luan; the purple Yue Zhuo; and the white Hong Hu.
The five great clans all belonged to the Phoenix Clan, with the Phoenix Clan at their head. They shared the same lineage.
With Yuan Jin's introduction, the leaders of the Azure Luan, Vermilion Bird, Yuan Chu, Yue Zhuo, and Hong Hu clans paid their respects to Donghua in turn, expressing their submission.
The Vermilion Bird Clan had few members, but every one of them naturally commanded Southern Bright Li Fire. They were all exceptionally gifted and powerful fighters.
The Azure Luan Clan, also known as the Cangluan, were messengers of the wind. The Yue Zhuo Clan were mostly black or purple. Impulsive by nature, they were also unyielding and fiercely loyal, making them renowned warriors of the Phoenix Clan.
The Hong Hu Clan were white and were also known as Phoenix Birds. They were noble in temperament and cultivated the Light Law. The Yuan Chu Clan were mostly yellow, proud by nature, and also known as the Imperial Birds.
The five clan leaders were all Quasi-Saints, though only Quasi-Saints in terms of magical power. In a real fight, Donghua could take on ten of them without suffering a scratch.
After meeting the five leaders, he also visited the Volcano of Immortality and had a long talk with Yuanfeng.
Yuanfeng said she would no longer interfere in the affairs of the Phoenix Clan. Unless the clan faced extinction, she would leave its affairs alone.
Only then did Donghua leave with peace of mind. He didn't want the Phoenix Clan, which he had supported with his destiny and fortune, to end up being snatched away by Yuanfeng. Since they had already submitted to the Purple Mansion, they had better behave.
Donghua spent the next few days thinking about the Phoenix Clan's future. Now that they had joined him, he had to take responsibility for them.
Leaving Southern Heaven was out of the question. The Phoenix Clan still had to help Yuanfeng guard the Volcano of Immortality, and they couldn't leave lightly.
Thinking about it gave Donghua a headache. The Phoenix Clan's submission had really been more trouble than it was worth. If not for the Nine Heavens Primordial Yang Ruler, he never would have agreed.
Although he had gained the support of Yuanfeng and the Vermilion Bird, and acquired six Quasi-Saints as subordinates, he still didn't think it was worth it.
That was half of the Purple Mansion's destiny and fortune. Just thinking about it made Donghua's chest ache.
In the end, he could only make a simple arrangement for the Phoenix Clan: some of their elite juniors would go to the Purple Mansion to cultivate, with each clan sending three Grand Unity Golden Immortals to accompany them.
"Fellow Daoist Tai Wei, you've been out of seclusion for several days. What have you been busy with? You haven't even come to discuss the Dao with me."
That day, West Queen Mother Taizhen came to see him, sounding displeased.
"Please forgive me, Fellow Daoist Taizhen. I gained a little insight these past few days and have been in seclusion to contemplate it. I neglected you, sister. Please forgive me."
Taizhen shot Donghua a glance but didn't expose his lie.
"The matter of the Volcano of Immortality has been settled. We're preparing to leave as well. Before we go, Elder Sister Nuwa wants to discuss the Dao with us, so she asked me to invite you."
"Elder Sister Nuwa?"
Taizhen smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Nuwa and I have gotten along well these past few days. We're kindred spirits, so we've taken to calling each other sisters."
Only then did Donghua understand. The two of them left the main hall and went to an ordinary mountaintop.
Tongtian, Fuxi, and Nuwa were already waiting there.
Donghua hurried forward to apologize for arriving late. They each took their seats, with a Great Dao beneath each of them, each one a world of its own.
Nuwa said, "Fellow Daoists, I invited you all here today for a chat. This is our first time sitting down to discuss the Dao since the Zixiao Palace. I'll begin."
"I have a divine ability called Mysterious Creation. It can shape Heaven and Earth and probe the mysteries of creation. It can bring something out of nothing, turn death into life, and transform all things."
Nuwa didn't explain her Dao, but instead spoke of a divine ability she had created herself.
But Donghua knew how powerful it was. It was no longer merely a divine ability—it could be called the Creation Great Dao.
Cultivated to its utmost, Mysterious Creation could evolve Heaven and Earth and create all things.
Donghua didn't dwell on it. He immersed himself in Nuwa's explanation of Mysterious Creation.
"Whence comes fate? Whence comes its end? Though all things are created by the mind, their workings are truly in Heaven's hands. Heaven gives birth to the fortunate to make up for what destiny lacks. They stand between Heaven and Earth, shaping creation. Their achievements lie with them, their fate comes from Heaven, and the Dao is revealed through humankind."
"All living beings in the Primordial Wilderness may be called human. They are the manifestation of the Human Dao. Fate comes from Heaven, and the Dao is revealed through humankind..."
Beginning with the divine ability Mysterious Creation, Nuwa explained her Creation Great Dao, moving from the shallow to the profound.
Nuwa's three flowers appeared, each in full bloom with twelve petals. The Five Qi in her Chest evolved into a world. In the Auspicious Cloud above her head, treasures such as the Map of Mountains and Rivers, the Heaven and Earth Cauldron, and the Red Sleeve Ball were revealed.
Nuwa explained things in great detail, starting with a single divine ability and moving from the shallow to the profound. She then discussed the Lesser Yin Great Dao, before explaining how it evolved into the Creation Great Dao.
Nuwa had originally been born from the Lesser Yin within the Great Dao. Now she had completely transcended the Lesser Yin and forged her own Creation Great Dao. She was truly a genius without equal across the ages.
In truth, none of those present minded others cultivating their own Dao. At their level of Dao Realm Cultivation, they actually hoped others would cultivate their own paths.
Those who learned from me would survive; those who imitated me would perish! No one foolishly wanted to be the latter.
No, there did seem to be someone like that in the Primordial Wilderness: Randeng.
After Randeng became a disciple of Primordial Heavenly Venerate, his Dao Realm Cultivation had made no progress. That didn't mean Primordial Heavenly Venerate hadn't taught him the Yuqing Immortal Dao; it simply wasn't suited to him.
It wasn't until later, after leaving the Chan Teachings and joining the Western Teachings, that he found a Dao of his own. Only then did he reveal his true nature as an Innate Deity, advancing all the way until he became a major power in his own right.
After Nuwa finished speaking, it was Fuxi's turn.
Fuxi spoke directly about the Lesser Yang Great Dao. Lesser Yang was the combination of Yang Qi and Yin Qi: Yang attached to Yin, one Yin and one Yang, which was called "Lesser Yang."
Donghua listened carefully to Fuxi's explanation of the Lesser Yang Great Dao and found it convincing.
Fuxi was still somewhat inexperienced. He hadn't yet comprehended the Six Directions and Eight Trigrams Great Dao from the Lesser Yang Great Dao. Later, when he created the Innate Eight Trigrams Great Dao, that would be his true peak.
The Innate Eight Trigrams?
A light appeared in Donghua's eyes at the thought. Who said only Fuxi could create the Innate Eight Trigrams? Why couldn't he?
The Eight Trigrams Great Dao didn't yet exist in the Primordial Wilderness. If he could create it, he would be the Dao Lord who pioneered that path. Wouldn't Fuxi's achievements in later generations then come easily to him?
Wuji gives rise to Taiji; Taiji gives rise to the Two Modes; the Two Modes give rise to the Four Symbols. Within them are the Three Talents of Heaven, Earth, and Man, as well as the Five Elements of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.
Those words could sum up the Primordial Wilderness as it was now. But Donghua, who had come from the future, knew there was another line: the Four Symbols give rise to the Eight Trigrams, with the Six Directions contained within.
The more Donghua thought about it, the more possible it seemed. By the time Fuxi created the Innate Eight Trigrams, the Six Saints had already emerged, and Donghua himself had reincarnated as a human to cultivate anew.
Just look at Fuxi's achievements after creating the Innate Eight Trigrams: he became the foremost beneath the Saints, the Heavenly Sovereign of the Human Race.
Forget about cause and effect. In the Primordial Wilderness as it was now, there weren't even any Eight Trigrams. Where would the cause come from? Where would the effect come from? If creating the Innate Eight Trigrams brought him cause and effect, that would be a huge joke.
Even after Fuxi finished speaking about his Lesser Yang Great Dao, Donghua remained lost in thought about the Innate Eight Trigrams.
Fuxi saw this and said unhappily, "Fellow Daoist Tai Wei, was there something wrong with my explanation?"
Only then did Donghua come back to his senses. He hurriedly said, "Not at all. You explained it very well. I simply had an insight while you were discussing the Dao, but couldn't grasp that fleeting trace of Dao resonance. It troubled me and made it seem as though I was distracted. Please forgive me."
Fuxi felt embarrassed at that. He had thought his interruption had stopped Donghua from grasping an insight.
When cultivating the Dao Realm, a sudden flash of insight could be extremely important. If one caught hold of it, making three advances in a single day would be no problem.
"Fellow Daoist Tai Wei, I'm truly sorry. I didn't realize you were comprehending the Dao."
Donghua waved a hand. "It's nothing. It was only a concept, not even a vague outline yet. How could you have disturbed me?"
In an instant, the advantage had shifted.
Fuxi privately thought Donghua was magnanimous and kind, while Donghua silently apologized to Fuxi.
One really couldn't judge a person by appearances.
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