Kirin Blocks the Door, Auspicious Qi

The three walked slowly. At this point, soaring on clouds exerted immense pressure, so it was better to move by earth escape technique on the ground.

Several hundred years later, the outline of Phoenix Mountain was faintly visible in the distance.

Suddenly.

Two dark-green figures rose from the direction of the mountain gate, blocking the path ahead. They were two Qilins who had just barely touched the threshold of Primordial Unity.

One of the Qilins stepped forward slightly with its front hoof and spoke in a commanding tone: "We greet the two Sacreds of Phoenix Mountain. The Crown Prince invites you; please proceed immediately."

Fuxi frowned, halting his cloud, and asked: "Who is your Crown Prince?"

The other Qilin raised its head high, its scales gleaming with a cold green light, its tone arrogant: "The second son of Ancestor Qilin, His Highness the Ink Qilin."

At that moment, a voice transmission from Nüwa rang in Guiyuan's mind, rapid and urgent: "After the Ancestor Qilin gave birth to the Six-Unlikeness, it mated with the Innate Earth Spirit to produce the Ink Qilin. Its cultivation is on par with ours, also at Peak Primordial Unity."

Guiyuan's heart tightened.

So the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin were indeed the clans favored by the Heavenly Mandate in this era. The second-generation members of these three clans had at most an Origin Foundation of Innate Beings. He hadn't expected their cultivation to rival that of Innate Sacreds.

The Origin Foundations of Primordial World races could be roughly divided into three tiers: Postnatal Beings, Innate Beings, and Innate Sacreds. At present, there should be no Postnatal Beings in the Primordial World; most were Innate Beings born from Innate Sacreds.

Innate Sacreds were born embodying a Dao. Even someone like Guiyuan upheld the Defense Dao. Although he had not yet reached Daluo, it was only a matter of time. But for Innate Beings, breaking through to Daluo was nearly impossible, unless they had other means—such as luck or merit.

The subtlety of these two things was something even Guiyuan could not fathom, because the Eternal Life Great World simply had no such concepts. No wonder the Three Clans were so fervent in their conquests, expanding their territories and numbers. After all, the Three Ancestors who had once led many beings to defeat the Ferocious Beast Emperor Shen Ni were no simple characters. If there were no profit to be gained, why would they fight to the death?

Hearing the Ink Qilin's reply.

Fuxi's expression remained unchanged, but his tone turned colder: "Your eldest Crown Prince once said that we siblings could remain neutral and not involve ourselves in disputes. Please inform the Ink Qilin Crown Prince that we appreciate his goodwill, but it is inconvenient for us to go."

"How dare you!"

Both Qilins roared simultaneously, the sound waves churning the clouds. The one who had spoken earlier flashed murderous intent in its eyes: "The Crown Prince invites you as a courtesy! And you dare refuse?!"

Before the words faded, two surges of Primordial Unity aura, mixed with the heavy Wutu Qi of the Earth Qilin Clan, pressed down on the three like a mountain. The atmosphere instantly froze.

Fuxi's face darkened, and he was about to speak.

But Guiyuan, who had been silent all along, suddenly stepped half a pace forward. His gaze swept calmly over the two Qilins, and he said flatly: "They don't want to go. Can't you understand?"

His voice was not loud, but it cut through the oppressive atmosphere like a cold spring. The pressure from the two Qilins, upon reaching him, dissolved like ice and snow, vanishing without a trace.

Though the two Qilins sensed the vast aura of Peak Primordial Unity emanating from Guiyuan, they showed no fear. Instead, they raised their heads and sneered: "What, do you dare to contend with our Qilin Clan? The Ink Qilin Crown Prince is favored by the Heavenly Mandate and will one day wield the authority of the Qilin lineage..."

Guiyuan narrowed his eyes, said no more, and did not leak even a hint of killing intent.

In an instant.

Before the two Ink Qilins could react, Guiyuan summoned the Xuanyaun Controlling Water Flag. Dark light rippled, and the phantom of the Northern Abyss Sea cascaded down, completely sealing off the heavens and earth for ten thousand li. At the same time, he struck out profound and unfathomable Great Karma Technique runes, disrupting Heavenly Secrets and obscuring fate.

Seeing this, Fuxi's expression shifted, and he was about to speak to stop him. But Nüwa reached out and tugged his sleeve, transmitting her voice swiftly and calmly: "Elder Brother, this matter can no longer end peacefully. Whether we go or not—if we go, we'll be dragged into the quagmire of the Three Clans; if we don't, we'll offend the Qilin Clan. Both are trouble."

Fuxi paused, falling silent.

He knew Nüwa spoke the truth. The Qilin Clan was too powerful to reason with. And this was not the first time. The Six-Unlikeness could still be reasoned with—as long as Fuxi and Nüwa didn't join the Dragon or Phoenix Clans, it said they could stay at Phoenix Mountain. But how long had it been since then? Now the Ink Qilin had come again. This likely involved not just the conflict among the Three Clans, but also an internal struggle for luck.

Within the great formation, light flickered violently, faintly carrying the enraged roar of a qilin and the energy fluctuations of its struggle, but soon all fell into dead silence.

A mere moment passed.

The Xuanyuan Controlling Water Flag retracted, and the dark light scattered completely. In its place were clear winds and bright sun—where were the traces of those two qilins now?

Not even a wisp of their aura remained, as if they had never existed.

Guiyuan turned to look at Fuxi and Nüwa. "It seems our trip to Phoenix Mountain for dao discussion will have to be postponed."

"Though we have severed the karmic ties and disrupted the Heavenly Secrets, two Taiyi qilins failing to return for so long will surely arouse the Ink Qilin's suspicion. He will definitely come to Phoenix Mountain to investigate."

"Daoist friends, why not accompany me to the summit of Mount Buzhou for a stroll? The journey spans ten thousand li, perfect for discussing the dao along the way."

Fuxi gazed toward Phoenix Mountain, a soft sigh in his heart, then nodded. "I shall follow the daoist's suggestion."

Nüwa raised no objection either.

The three turned at once, no longer looking back at Phoenix Mountain, and headed straight for the pillar that held heaven and earth—the spine of the Primordial World.

Along the way.

Guiyuan discussed the dao with Fuxi and Nüwa, occasionally touching upon the profound truths of the Eternal Life Great World's great dao.

Those subtle insights often made Fuxi clap his hands in wonder, while Nüwa's eyes shimmered with light; both felt they had gained immensely.

Fuxi remarked with emotion, "Daoist Guiyuan's comprehension of the great dao has already taken on the shape of a self-contained system. I fear you have long since found your own Daluo path."

At the same time, Guiyuan split his mind in two, secretly refining the Innate Treasure—the Human Yuan Pearl—he had obtained from the valley.

As layer after layer of restrictions were broken, his control over the pearl deepened, and he could already begin to activate its power.

With a flicker of thought, he retrieved the still-intact corpse of the Ink Qilin he had stored in the pagoda and cast it into the Human Yuan Pearl.

In an instant, the pearl trembled slightly, its dim yellow radiance swirling.

The qilin's corpse rapidly dissolved, transforming into pure origin essence.

Fragment after fragment of the heavy, majestic Earth Element Law.

Were continuously absorbed by Guiyuan. In that instant, his comprehension of the earth law had already touched the Taiyi level.

Along with the law fragments, there was also a unique aura imbued with peace and auspicious radiance.

"Auspicious Qi," extracted by the pearl, appeared clearly in Guiyuan's sea of consciousness.

This caught Guiyuan by surprise. This Auspicious Qi was rather interesting—it could protect the true spirit and could also be consumed, allowing one to achieve a state of "all wishes fulfilled" for a period of time.

"So that's how it is. Grinding away the qi of living beings to obtain their divine abilities and origin—this is the wonder of the Human Yuan Pearl."

Guiyuan understood in his heart.

He suddenly recalled his hesitation when first obtaining this treasure, as well as the later legend of Nüwa molding clay to create humans.

A thought flashed through his mind like lightning: "Could it be that this pearl's destined opportunity was originally meant to fall into Nüwa's hands?"