Candlefire Parasol Tree

Red Cloud entered the formation, his heart brimming with excitement.

An Innate Spiritual Root grew within the Innate Bing-Fire Formation. Its entire body was crimson red, its bark like dragon scales.

Red Cloud then used his Primordial Spirit to sense the Heavenly Dao and learned the Spiritual Root's information. This tree was none other than the Parasol Tree.

"Plant a parasol tree, and phoenixes will come of their own accord."

There was a saying in the Book of Songs: Greater Odes, "Juan A": "The phoenix cries upon that lofty ridge; the parasol tree grows beneath that morning sun," describing the auspicious sight of phoenixes roosting in parasol trees.

To phoenixes, the Parasol Tree was absolutely a supreme treasure of the Phoenix Clan. Even if they had to seize it by force, they would take it.

The Parasol Tree was a Superior-grade Innate Spiritual Root. It flowered once every three thousand years, bore fruit another three thousand years later, and ripened after another three thousand years. Each harvest yielded three thousand Parasol Tree Seeds.

The flesh of the Parasol Tree Seeds was crimson, while the kernels were thick and substantial. One seed increased cultivation by three thousand years and raised the fertility rate of avian creatures, which was also why phoenixes craved them.

Moreover, the Parasol Tree Seeds contained fragments of the Fire Law and could aid in comprehending the Fire Law.

Although the Parasol Tree was a Superior-grade Innate Spiritual Root, its efficacy was not much inferior to that of a Supreme-grade Innate Spiritual Root.

Besides being eaten, these Parasol Tree Seeds could also be used in alchemy to refine Fertility Pills and raise fertility rates.

Among Superior-grade Innate Spiritual Roots, the Parasol Tree ranked among the foremost. Especially its ability to raise fertility rates—if the Phoenix Clan learned of it, they would go mad.

Though the Three Clans were immensely powerful and possessed countless experts, their fertility rates were absolutely at the bottom among all races.

This was also due to the restrictions of the Primordial World's Fertility Law. The more powerful a creature was, the lower its chances of producing offspring.

Once this was exposed, all Three Clans would fight to seize it.

The Phoenix Clan wanted to raise its fertility rate, while the Dragon Clan and Qilin Clan did not want the Phoenix Clan to get what it wished for.

The Parasol Tree Seeds borne by the Parasol Tree could raise the fertility rate of avian creatures. If the Phoenix Clan seized it, it would absolutely shatter the tripartite balance of the Three Clans.

This was also what the Dragon Clan and Qilin Clan did not wish to see. No one wanted to watch the Phoenix Clan continue growing stronger.

At this thought, Red Cloud grew tense. A trace of foreboding rose in his heart. The emergence of the Parasol Tree might become the fuse that ignited the Three Clans Decisive Battle.

He, too, would slip into the center of the calamity storm.

But with such a precious treasure before him, if he shrank back and did not take it, Red Cloud himself would look down on himself. At worst, he would fight.

Suddenly, inspiration flashed through Red Cloud's mind.

"Qing Xuanzi said I would encounter a calamity to the southeast. Could it be caused by the Parasol Tree?"

At the thought of that possibility, Red Cloud's face darkened. But the same still held true—he could not possibly give it up.

Rather than immediately taking the Parasol Tree away, Red Cloud first searched the entire formation space. Innate Spiritual Roots were often accompanied by top-tier treasures, and he could not afford to overlook them.

"Haha, there really is one."

Delight appeared on Red Cloud's face. At the roots of the Parasol Tree, he discovered a top-tier fire-aspected treasure.

It was the Essence of Bing Fire he had once longed for.

Bing Fire was one of the Ten Heavenly Stems, the pure yang fire among the Five Elements. It corresponded to the sun and possessed the nature of Light Illuminates All. The Essence of Bing Fire was equivalent to a small sun.

If he placed the Essence of Bing Fire within the Hundred Herbs Diagram, the Sunlight Divine Water and Golden Crow Grass would have the foundation they needed to grow.

Red Cloud carefully transferred the Essence of Bing Fire into the Hundred Herbs Diagram, placing it inside the illusory sun within it. The moment he did, he felt an instant change. The light scattered by the sun seemed to gain vitality, and the Golden Crow Grass began condensing Sunlight Divine Water.

"Haha, with this Essence of Bing Fire, I shall never lack alchemy materials again."

Red Cloud thought excitedly. Previously, the Sunlight Divine Water and Golden Crow Grass would eventually be used up, but with the Essence of Bing Fire, they truly became inexhaustible.

After searching the entire great formation, Red Cloud's gaze fell upon the Parasol Tree. Innate Spiritual Roots were not like Acquired Spiritual Roots, which could be transplanted easily. One wrong move could damage their origin.

The Innate Bing-Fire Formation here was most suitable for the Innate Parasol Tree's growth. If Red Cloud moved it rashly, the Parasol Tree's origin would inevitably be harmed.

Once the Parasol Tree's origin was damaged, it would no longer bear fruit until its origin had recovered.

With that in mind, Red Cloud collected the Parasol Tree Seeds from the Parasol Tree. No more and no less—exactly three thousand.

Red Cloud casually tasted one Parasol Tree Seed.

A dense, explosive fire essence surged into his body, but Red Cloud swiftly refined it into cultivation power.

The cultivation power added by the Parasol Tree Seed was rather good, but it was not especially delicious. It was somewhat hard to eat, though chewing it released a bit of fragrance.

Red Cloud felt as though he were eating a nut.

After collecting all the Parasol Tree Seeds, Red Cloud began analyzing how to take the Parasol Tree away. Ideally, he would not harm its origin; if that proved impossible, he would choose the method that caused the least damage.

Next, with the aid of the Illustrated Record of Literary Fortune, Red Cloud began studying the Parasol Tree in depth. He communicated with it spiritually, hoping it would cooperate with his actions.

As an Innate Spiritual Root, the Parasol Tree possessed considerable intelligence. It also had karma with Red Cloud, so it was quite cooperative.

After studying it for over a thousand years, Red Cloud devised a plan that could minimize the damage to the Parasol Tree's origin. A completely harmless transplant was impossible.

"Parasol Tree, cooperate with me properly."

Red Cloud stroked the Parasol Tree's trunk. The Parasol Tree swayed its branches, conveying its agreement.

Then Red Cloud drew a deep breath and began transplanting the Parasol Tree. Everything was fine at first, but trouble soon arose—the formation protecting the Parasol Tree malfunctioned.

The Parasol Tree was the formation core of this Innate Bing-Fire Formation. Once the Parasol Tree showed abnormalities, the Innate Bing-Fire Formation began to destabilize, and the Parasol Tree's aura leaked out.

A fierce blaze shot into the heavens, treasure light overflowing in every direction. Anyone could tell that a treasure had been born.

Red Cloud inwardly cried that things were bad and sped up. With an Innate Spiritual Root emerging, the nearby experts would definitely sense it.

Especially avian experts—when facing a Spiritual Root like the Parasol Tree, they might receive a sudden prompting from their hearts.

Just as Red Cloud had expected, the instant the Parasol Tree's aura leaked out, countless birds soared into the sky, centered around the volcano where the Parasol Tree stood.

Avian experts among Golden Immortals, Primordial Unity Golden Immortals, and even Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals all turned their gazes in this direction.

At this time, when war among the Three Clans could erupt at any moment, the movement of avian creatures under the Phoenix Clan caused the scaled creatures under the Dragon Clan and the beasts under the Qilin Clan to move as well. The situation began to spiral out of control.

When Heaven gives rise to killing intent, stars shift and constellations turn; when Earth gives rise to killing intent, dragons and serpents rise from the land; when man gives rise to killing intent, Heaven and Earth overturn.

At Western Mount Sumeru, eastern Jade Capital Mountain, the South Sea, northern Measureless Mountain, and elsewhere, reclusive great powers watched the changes in heavenly secrets with varying expressions—Luohou's excitement, Hong Jun's gravity, Yang Mei's indifference, Yin-Yang Patriarch's calm...

The fuse of the Three Clans Decisive Battle had already been lit. The powder keg known as the Dragon-Han Calamity could explode at any moment.

All living beings were within the calamity; none could escape it. Even Innate Divine Beings yet to be born would be affected.

Just like the previous calamity, the Beast Calamity destroyed the northern Primordial World. As a result, during the Witch-Demon Tribulation, the north produced the fewest Innate Divine Beings.

Counting them all, only Kunpeng could be considered renowned. But Kunpeng's dojo was in the Northern Darkness, not the core of the northern Primordial World, so he suffered comparatively little impact.

The Dao-Demon Conflict then devastated the west, and in the end, only two Innate Divine Beings from the west truly rose to prominence.

The leaders of the Western Teaching: Jieyin and Zhunti.

No one could escape such systemic influence, and no one could remain apart from it, safe and serene.