Primordial Era: Starting with the repair of Penglai Immortal Island

The Vermilion Bird pierced through the waves of fire and arrived at the center of the inferno.

There, a phantom of a seven-colored divine phoenix, its length unknown, lay coiled, each feather flowing with Dao runes, suppressing the flames of the entire Undying Volcano with every breath.

"Yuan Feng," Zhu Que called softly, her voice piercing through layers of flame barriers.

The phantom of the seven-colored divine phoenix trembled slightly, and a pair of eyes that seemed capable of piercing through time and space slowly opened. Its gaze fell upon the Vermilion Bird, carrying an ancient sense of vicissitude and weariness.

"It's Suzaku... You've come here, has something happened in the primordial world?" Yuan Feng's voice was right next to Suzaku's ear, carrying the lingering echo of rising and exploding flames.

Zhuque nodded and recounted in detail how the Southern Lands received divine blessings, how Huanglong led the Dragon Clan to restore the land, and how they received a great reward from Heaven.

Her tone was calm, but the anxiety and urgency deep in her eyes could not be hidden from Yuan Feng.

"...The golden light of merit permeated heaven and earth, and the aura of the dragon race was renewed. According to my observation, the karmic obstacles that plagued the dragon race's fortune have indeed been weakened somewhat," Zhuque added at the end, his voice somewhat hoarse.

The sea of ​​fire suddenly began to churn violently!

The phantom of Yuan Feng suddenly brightened, and a terrifying pressure transformed into a hurricane that blew through Zhu Que's bright hair.

Shock, resentment, and anger flashed in those phoenix eyes, eventually turning into deep weariness and helplessness.

"The Dragon Clan... has actually taken the lead." Yuan Feng murmured, each word causing the earth's fire to rise. "Repairing the earth, conforming to the way of heaven... what a brilliant Huanglong! He actually came up with this method, and what's even more remarkable is that he was able to persuade those proud mudfish to spend ten thousand years doing this 'arduous task'!"

Zhuque stepped forward and said urgently, "The Dragon Clan has gained the upper hand with this move. If they continue to accumulate merit in this way, they may indeed break free from the shackles of Heavenly Karma before our Phoenix Clan! At that time, the Phoenix Clan's situation will be even more difficult!"

The three races of dragon, phoenix, and qilin fought together for supremacy over heaven and earth, and together bore the immense karma of shattering the primordial world and destroying countless lives.

The Qilin clan, led by the First Qilin, transformed into the Dao to repair the earth, thus offsetting the karmic obstacles of heaven and earth on their bodies. At the same time, the Qilin clan also transformed into auspicious omens of heaven and earth, which can be considered as repaying their own karma.

The Ancestral Dragon and the Primordial Phoenix were unwilling to simply merge into the primordial world. Therefore, the Dragon Clan suppressed the Sea Eye, and the Phoenix Clan suppressed the Undying Volcano. They both waited for the day when they could reappear in the primordial world.

Now the dragon race has found a way to "eliminate karmic obstacles", put it into practice, and has already reaped considerable benefits!

If the Dragon Clan were to completely rid themselves of the karmic burdens, while the Phoenix Clan were still forced to guard this immortal volcano and suffer the torment of the karmic forces of heaven and earth, wouldn't that make the Phoenix Clan appear incompetent?

The idea of ​​dragons and phoenixes being equally famous would be a joke!

What's even more frightening is that if the Dragon Clan gets rid of their karma and recovers some of their fortune first, will they turn around and suppress the Phoenix Clan?

Yuan Feng remained silent for a long time, and the sea of ​​fire gradually subsided.

"Huanglong... is a disciple of Yuqing Yuanshi, a Great Luo Golden Immortal, possessing the orthodox destiny of the Xuanmen," Yuanfeng said slowly. "His ability to accomplish this matter may well be due to the influence of the Three Pure Ones. Does the Xuanmen wish to use Huanglong merely to maintain the primordial world, or are they plotting something else?"

Zhuque said sternly, "Yuanfeng means..."

"Regardless of Xuanmen's plans, the Dragon Clan's receipt of this wave of merit has indeed served as a wake-up call for our Phoenix Clan." Yuan Feng's voice became serious. "Karmic burdens are like a malignant tumor clinging to the bone, constantly eroding the clan's fortune and are ultimately not a long-term solution. Our Phoenix Clan also needs to find its own 'method of accumulating merit'."

"But.......!"

Zhuque looked troubled. "Suppressing the immortal volcano and preventing it from wreaking havoc on the prehistoric world is a meritorious deed."

"But this is a forced action, and the merit gained can only maintain the survival of the clan and barely sustain the status quo. Actively repair the world? Our Phoenix Clan is skilled in fire, and excels in destruction, but creation and restoration... are not our forte."

This is precisely the most awkward situation for the Phoenix Clan.

Dragons control water and the earth's veins, giving them an innate advantage in restoring the land.

The Phoenix Clan controls fire primarily to burn and purify; to restore shattered landscapes "from nothing" like the Dragon Clan would be far more difficult.

A thoughtful look flashed in Yuan Feng's phoenix eyes: "It's not necessarily about imitating the Dragon Clan. The merits of Heaven lie in restoring the balance of Heaven and Earth. The eruption of the Undying Volcano is rooted in the imbalance of the Earth's fire. Perhaps... we can start by harmonizing the Earth's fire. In addition, there are many volcanoes in the south, but few living beings. Perhaps we can try to guide the Earth's fire to quell the eruption, refine it into pure innate fire essence, and create a unique habitat for fire-type creatures..."

She paused, then looked at Zhuque: "These can be discussed later. The most urgent task is to find out the dragon clan's next move, and... that yellow dragon."

"What does Fengzu mean?"

"Find a suitable opportunity, bring an innate spiritual treasure, and go to meet this rising star of the dragon race." A sharp glint flashed in Yuan Feng's eyes. "As fellow survivors of the calamity, he can lead the dragon race forward, and perhaps... he can also point out a path for my phoenix race."

"The Phoenix Clan's treasure trove is open to him if he so desires!"

Even if we cannot, it is still necessary to ascertain their intentions and understand both ourselves and them.

Zhuque was startled. Yuanfeng was actually going to take the initiative to approach and befriend Huanglong?

This is something that has never happened to either the Dragon or Phoenix clans since the calamity of the three races!

But she quickly realized what was happening.

Circumstances are beyond human control, and countless karmic burdens weigh heavily upon them. If the Dragon Clan and the Phoenix Clan were in the same situation, the Phoenix Clan would naturally ignore the Dragon Clan.

However, the situation is quite different now. The dragon race has a chance to revive, and past pride and hatred must be temporarily set aside in the face of the survival of the race.

The Phoenix Clan cannot afford to fall behind again.

"I understand. Once the turmoil outside has subsided, I will go there myself," Zhuque solemnly agreed.

In the sea of ​​fire, the phantom of Yuan Feng closed its eyes again, leaving only a barely perceptible sigh that dissipated in the flames.

If we were to say which of the great beings in the primordial world paid the most attention to Huanglong's restoration of the earth, it would surely be the two sages on Mount Sumeru in the west.

At the summit of Mount Sumeru, beside the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, under the Bodhi tree, two Taoist priests sat facing each other.

The guide was pale and thin, with a sorrowful expression, as if he were burdened with all the sorrows of the world.

Zhun Zhunti was thin and had a sorrowful yet anxious expression on his face; he was the Sage Zhunti.

As Huanglong led the dragon clan to begin repairing the primordial land, the eyes of the two sages, Zhunti and Yi, remained fixed on Huanglong, watching his every move closely.

As Huang Long took out the golden pills and transplanted them into the earth's spiritual veins, the radiant light of the spiritual treasures emanating from his body made the two saints drool.

If it weren't for the aura of the Three Pure Ones constantly surrounding Huanglong, these two sages would probably have already made their move.