Gao Wu: I became the minor villain that the protagonist was about to destroy.

Sui froze, as if struck by lightning, and after a long while let out a mournful wail: "What did you say?! You said I'm not even as good as an egg?! I've been through thick and thin with you for so long! I've taken a knife for you! I've taken beatings for you! I—"

"You took a knife for me?" Ye Ming raised an eyebrow. "When?"

Sui's wailing stopped abruptly, paused for a moment, and then his voice was noticeably lower: "...I blocked it mentally."

Ye Ming didn't reply. Instead, he found a flat spot, sat down cross-legged, gently placed the phoenix egg in front of his knees, formed hand seals, and channeled the primordial phoenix flame he had just acquired into the eggshell.

A crimson-gold light flowed slowly across the surface of the eggshell, emanating a warm and gentle aura.

Sui stood aside, watching Ye Ming actually begin to nurture the phoenix egg. He was so angry that he spun around in circles several times. Finally, he lay down on a rock indignantly, muttering to himself, "Forty-nine days... forty-nine days... I'll remember this egg... wait until it hatches, and see how I deal with it..."

However, the next moment, Ye Ming took out another egg from his spatial storage.

Sui rubbed his eyes. "Isn't this the dragon egg you took from the Dragon Clan's treasury?"

"Are you planning to roast it and eat it?"

"Young Ye, let me tell you, this won't do! If the Dragon Emperor finds out, he'll devour you alive!!"

Ye Ming retorted somewhat irritably, "Can't you think straight for once?"

"This egg was also turned into an egg by a secret technique, and I am now preparing to hatch it as well."

"What did you say?!" Such news undoubtedly shocked Sui to no end.

"It's all over! The egg that was always thought to be an ancient dragon egg, the egg that took thousands of years and exhausted all the rarest and most precious materials to hatch, turns out to be a phoenix egg! If the Dragon Emperor finds out about this, won't it be a disgrace to the entire Dragon family?"

"Oh my God!"

Ye Ming's forehead veins bulged as he listened to Sui's incessant chatter. "Shut up! When will you stop? This is a dragon egg, not a phoenix egg. I don't have time to explain to you right now!!"

"If you really have nothing better to do, then stay here and protect me. Shut your mouth, understand?!"

After Ye Ming roared at Sui, Sui finally quieted down. Although it still looked indignant, at least it didn't grumble anymore. It obediently lay on the rock, its six thin legs curled up under its body, and its compound eyes vigilantly scanned its surroundings, truly adopting the posture of a guardian.

Ye Ming took a deep breath and refocused his attention on the two eggs in front of him.

At this moment, we are outside.

After that day, Long Zhenting compiled the information Ye Ming had given about the Zerg seal, the ten-year period, and the three materials into a complete report through encrypted channels and submitted it to the highest psionic affairs conference in China.

This report, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, caused a violent shock at the highest levels of China.

That evening, an emergency closed-door meeting was held in the Heavenly Court of the capital. The Heavenly Court is located tens of thousands of meters above the three areas of the capital. Those who can enter the Heavenly Court are all the top people in the entire Chinese spiritual energy world, including figures such as the Three Ancestors and Two Emperors. Ye Ming's master, Li Wuyou, was here.

Inside the conference room, the lighting was soft and calm, and more than a dozen figures sat on either side of the long table. Each of them exuded a profound and unfathomable aura; any one of them, if placed in the outside world, would be a top-tier figure capable of shaking the entire region.

At the head of the long table sat a middle-aged man who looked to be in his early fifties. He wore a simple dark gray Zhongshan suit, his hair was neatly combed, his face was refined and gentle, but his eyes were as deep as the starry sky, as if they could see through all the illusions of the world.

He is the leader of the human race, and also the most powerful being recognized on this planet—Xuanyuan Wuji.

Xuanyuan Wuji didn't rush to speak. Instead, he carefully read through the report submitted by Long Zhenting from beginning to end, then slowly closed the folder. His gaze swept over the people on both sides of the long table, and his voice was calm and gentle: "Now that everyone has read the report, let's share our thoughts."

The old man sitting first to Xuanyuan Wuji's left spoke first. He had white hair and beard, a gaunt face, and wore a plain white robe. He was surrounded by an ethereal and otherworldly aura. He was none other than Xuan Qingzi, one of the three ancestors, the "Spirit Ancestor".

"I once read some scattered records about the sealing of the Zerg in a broken stone tablet in a secret realm. At the time, I thought it was just the imagination of our ancestors and did not investigate it further."

"Now it seems that the record was not unfounded." Xuan Qingzi said calmly, "If what is said in the report is true, then this matter concerns not only the safety of our country, China, but the survival of all human civilization."

Sitting opposite Xuan Qingzi was a burly old man with a resolute face, wearing a dark red martial robe. His hands were resting on the table, his knuckles were thick, and his palms were covered with calluses—Martial Ancestor, Xing Tiange.

His voice boomed like a bell, carrying an undeniable air of dominance: "I don't care what kind of insectoid they are. Since they dare to set their sights on us, then we'll fight back. However—ten years is indeed too short. I've never even heard of the three materials needed to reinforce the seal. Gathering them all will probably be difficult."

At this moment, everyone's gaze fell upon a young and beautiful woman sitting in the middle of the long table. She was Liu Qingluan, one of the two emperors, known as the "Medicine Emperor."

"Dragon-Phoenix Wood, Heart of the Earth Vein, Core of the Stars... I have indeed heard of these three materials. Dragon-Phoenix Wood is a divine tree formed by the blood essence of the dragon and phoenix clans, and it has long been extinct in the world."

The Heart of the Earth Vein can only be obtained by delving into the core of the earth's spiritual veins. Moreover, once obtained, the entire spiritual vein will wither away, causing tens of millions of hectares of land to lose their vitality, and there is no possibility of repair. It is extremely dangerous.

As for the core of a star, it's an object from outer space, something that can only be encountered by chance and is extremely rare. Frankly speaking, the hope of gathering all three within ten years is slim.

The atmosphere in the meeting room became somewhat heavy after those words.

Looking at Ye Ming mentioned in the report, Liu Qingluan felt like she had heard the name somewhere before.

"And then there's this little guy named Ye Ming. Doesn't that name sound familiar?"

At this moment, another beautiful woman sitting next to Liu Qingluan was one of the two emperors, the Ice Emperor, Yue Li.

"Isn't he this old guy's apprentice? He's been showing off to us quite a bit lately, and his apprentice is a well-known prodigy in the capital."

The middle-aged man sitting next to Lingzu, dressed in a floral robe, was Ye Ming's master, the Six Paths Ancestor Li Wuyou.

"Hehe, keep it low-key, keep it low-key. My apprentice is just too outstanding, there's nothing I can do!"