Primordial Era: Reborn as a Qi Immortal, Steadily Cultivating

Chapter 71 Assessing the Situation
Beyond the immortal volcano, the sky was bathed in crimson light.

Several Phoenix Clan cultivators, their bodies ablaze with divine flames, subtly formed a formation once more, attempting to surround Ma Yuan and Ao Xuan.

Faced with such a display, Ma Yuan remained calm and composed, as still as a deep well.

He simply stood calmly atop Ao Xuan's head, slowly digesting the immense power of merit that had just merged into the Golden Wheel of Merit.

This nonchalant and composed attitude further enraged the already arrogant Phoenix Clan cultivators, who were almost about to erupt on the spot.

However, just as this conflict was about to erupt.

The Phoenix Clan cultivator at the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, who was leading the group, slowly raised his hand to stop the indignant clansmen behind him.

This person was dressed in a seven-colored feather robe, tall and slender, with a beautiful face and skin as white as snow. Her gender was indistinguishable. If it weren't for the fact that she had no Adam's apple and her voice was clear and melodious, anyone would probably mistake her for a peerless female immortal.

His aura was equally vast and profound, and he stood firmly at the level of a Taiyi Golden Immortal.

His cultivation was far superior to that of the Phoenix Clan Golden Immortal cultivators around him.

His beautiful face was now covered with a layer of frost.

But deep within those fiery phoenix eyes, a rare calmness and rationality remained.

He took a deep look at Ma Yuan, and at the purple-gold jade ruyi above his head, which, though its brilliance had been subdued, still exuded extraordinary Daoist charm.

In the end, he suppressed his anger.

He bowed respectfully to Ma Yuan from afar, then spoke in a clear, cold voice: "Zhu Xiang of the Phoenix Clan greets fellow Daoist. My clansmen have spoken rashly and offended many, and we hope fellow Daoist will forgive us."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yuan slowly raised his eyes and looked at the Phoenix Clan Taiyi named Zhu Xiang. He said calmly, "Ma Yuan, a rogue cultivator from Skull Mountain, greets Fellow Daoist Zhu Xiang."

"This matter is due to our Phoenix Clan's inferior skills; we cannot blame you, fellow Daoist."

Zhu Xiang bowed deeply to Ma Yuan again, his voice tinged with melancholy, "Fellow Daoist, you possess great supernatural powers. It is a great achievement to eradicate this scourge from the southern part of our prehistoric world. We shall take our leave now, lest we disturb your peace any longer."

Having said that, he no longer hesitated.

He then coldly shouted at the several bewildered and indignant clansmen behind him, "Go!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he transformed into a streak of seven-colored light.

Without looking back, they sped off towards the immortal volcano.

Seeing this, the other Phoenix Clan cultivators, though unwilling, dared not disobey the orders of their elders and could only ride their escape lights to follow closely behind.

Until they were far away from that place of trouble, flying millions of miles beyond the periphery of the immortal volcano.

They landed on a remote peak of the immortal volcano.

"How can we let that rogue cultivator leave so easily?!"

The hot-tempered young phoenix, unable to contain his anger any longer upon landing, questioned Zhu Xiang.
"That merit should belong entirely to my Phoenix Clan! We have spent hundreds of years of effort, even at the cost of several of our clansmen, how can we let it be given to outsiders like this?!"

"Yes, although our Phoenix Clan has lost its ancient glory, it is by no means a group that can be bullied! If we join forces, we are not afraid of a mere rogue cultivator like him. Why won't you let us seek justice?!"

The other Phoenix Clan cultivators echoed their sentiments, filled with righteous indignation.

"justice?"

Zhu Xiang shook his head, a hint of desolation in his voice, "Do you think I don't want to ask for it?"

Do you think I am content with this?

He looked at these still young, proud clansmen before him, sighed deeply, and then slowly said: "Now that my cultivation has reached the Taiyi Golden Immortal level, I truly understand how troublesome the overwhelming karma that our Phoenix Clan carries is! That karma is like a maggot clinging to my bones, eroding my foundation of cultivation day and night."

Zhu Xiang's voice was filled with exhaustion, "If I cannot obtain a massive amount of merit to cleanse myself, I'm afraid my cultivation will stagnate in this lifetime."

"And that Great Luo Dao Fruit is even more of a mirage, absolutely impossible."

He looked at the still young and spirited clansmen in front of him and said in a deep voice, "You only saw the sixty percent of the lost virtue, but you did not see what kind of existence that rogue cultivator Ma Yuan was."

"That ferocious beast with malevolent energy is no less powerful than a mid-stage Taiyi Golden Immortal. You have just personally experienced its physical strength and the strangeness of its supernatural powers."

"We, with the combined power of the Southern Bright Fire Formation, over a dozen Golden Immortals, and myself, a Taiyi Immortal, have fought him for over five hundred years, and we can only slowly wear him down."

"But did you see that? How ferocious was that beast's dying counterattack? Yet it was easily blocked by a protective magic treasure. Then, with just a set of precious beads, it instantly killed the beast on the spot!"

A deep sense of apprehension flashed in Zhu Xiang's eyes.

"That protective jade ruyi has a restrained precious light and a natural Daoist charm. It is at least a top-grade innate spiritual treasure!"

Those twenty-four azure pearls possessed an even more vast aura, forming their own world. Their grade was so high that even during the peak of our Phoenix Clan's power, they were rarely seen.

"Moreover..." Zhu Xiang's gaze swept over the crowd, his eyes growing increasingly profound.

"Have you noticed that the black dragon mount he rides is also a Golden Immortal? Although its bloodline is mixed, its foundation is solid and its fortune is prosperous. It is willing to be a mount. How could its master's background be simple?"

"Most importantly, I observed that the rogue cultivator Ma Yuan had a flow of Xuanhuang merit energy around him, which clearly indicates that he is also a blessed immortal with great merit, favored by the Heavenly Dao."

"Our Phoenix Clan is already burdened with karmic debts and its fortune is waning. How could we dare to provoke such a person and add further karma to our clan?"

After he finished speaking, all the Phoenix Clan cultivators present fell into a long silence.

……

Meanwhile, Ma Yuan nodded inwardly as he watched the group of Phoenix Clan cultivators leave so decisively.

"They can be considered a group of people who can judge the situation and act accordingly."

He knew in his heart that the other party must have realized that he was not someone to be trifled with, which was why they chose to endure and retreat.

This saved him a lot of trouble.

Seeing the Phoenix Clan's attitude, Ma Yuan was unwilling to get entangled with them.

They did not linger there for long. After getting their bearings, they moved away from the Phoenix Clan's Undying Mountain and continued deeper into the southern part of the prehistoric world.

As he ventured deeper, the surrounding environment changed once again.

The intense heat of the Southern Ming Fire gradually faded from the air.

Instead, it exudes a powerful aura filled with wildness, antiquity, desolation, and boundless vitality.

On the land, some tribes with a rugged style, built of giant stones and animal bones, began to appear.

Even more impressive were the giants, burly and bare-chested, covered in strange tattoos, wielding massive axes and bone clubs, who roamed and hunted across the land.

A surge of murderous aura emanated from them, soaring straight into the sky!
Ma Yuan understood.

He had already arrived in the territory of the Southern Wilderness Witch Clan.

(End of this chapter)