In the primordial era: the Wu tribe ceased its struggle for supremacy, and Hongjun collapsed!

Chapter 36 Meeting Yuan Feng

Cai Feng bowed respectfully: "Senior, your insight is truly remarkable. I was rude just now, and I hope you will forgive me."

Tianxuan waved his hand slightly, indicating that it was alright.

Just then, Cai Feng's expression suddenly froze.

She took a deep breath, bowed deeply to Tianxuan, and said in an unprecedentedly solemn tone: "Senior Tianxuan, Clan Chief—please come to the core of the Undying Volcano for a chat."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Kong Xuan was struck dumb, turning sharply to look at Cai Feng, his voice trembling, "Elder, what—what did you say? Clan Chief? My mother—she didn't perish?!"

Kong Xuan had always believed that he was an orphan.

When he hatched from his shell at Luofeng Slope, all he could see were the five-colored divine light and inherited memories left by his mother, but he could not see his mother's figure.

Although the inherited memories do not explicitly mention the fate of Yuan Feng, it is widely rumored among the beings of the primordial world that the three overlords, Zu Long, Yuan Feng, and Shi Qilin, perished together during the Great Tribulation.

He had imagined his mother's appearance countless times in his dreams, only to be met with the cold reality upon waking.

But now, Cai Feng actually says that her mother wants to see her master?

Looking into Kong Xuan's eyes, which were filled with hope yet also fear and disappointment, Cai Feng felt a pang of pain in her heart. She sighed and said softly, "Young Master, Her Majesty—she is indeed still alive."

"only----"

Cai Feng paused, a deep sense of heartache and helplessness appearing in her eyes. "Back then, during the great war between the three races, the primordial world was shattered, and countless lives were lost. The Heavenly Dao unleashed boundless karma, and the leaders of the three races bore the brunt. The Ancestral Dragon eternally suppressed the sea eye, the First Qilin transformed into Qilin Cliff, and His Majesty Yuan Feng—in order to preserve the last trace of the Phoenix Clan's bloodline, swore an oath to eternally suppress the Undying Volcano, using this merit to offset part of the karma."

"Over the years, Your Majesty has been trapped in the fiery depths of the earth, suffering the torment of being burned day and night, while also having to use your own magic to suppress the raging volcano, unable to take even a single step outside. It's not that Your Majesty didn't want to find the young master, but rather—you were simply not in control of your own destiny!"

By the end, Caifeng was in tears.

"Mother----"

As Kong Xuan listened to all this, he felt as if his heart was being squeezed tightly by a giant hand, and he was in so much pain that he couldn't breathe.

He had assumed that his mother had abandoned him or had already passed away.

Little did I know that my mother was enduring such terrible torment for the sake of her people and to leave him a chance to live!

The eternally burning volcano!

What loneliness and pain that must have been!

"Master—" Kong Xuan turned his head and looked at Tian Xuan, his eyes full of pleading.

He knew that if anyone in this world could save his mother, it would be this unfathomable master before him.

Tianxuan looked at Kong Xuan's red eyes, nodded slightly, and patted his shoulder: "No need for further words, I understand. Now that we're here, we should naturally go and meet this former leader of the birds."

Tianxuan was indeed quite interested in Yuanfeng.

As one of the leaders of the three innate races, Yuan Feng carries the "Dao" and "Li" of the previous great eon.

He also wanted to see what Yuan Feng's lifeline looked like.

This may have great reference value for perfecting his "Tao".

"Lead the way," Tianxuan said calmly.

"Yes! Senior, young master, please follow me."

Cai Feng tidied her appearance and turned to lead the way.

The three of them passed through the long-dried protective array and officially entered the interior of the immortal volcano.

Upon entering, an even hotter and more violent aura rushed towards you.

The space here is distorted, with flowing lava and erupting pillars of fire everywhere.

However, what touched Tianxuan and Kongxuan even more were the Phoenix Clan members living here.

They saw many phoenixes.

There are fledgling phoenixes whose wings are not yet fully grown, and there are also old phoenixes whose breath is dying.

But regardless of their strength, they all have one thing in common.

Their bodies were all wrapped in those black karmic threads.

Those fledgling phoenixes, who should have been the darlings of heaven and earth, were now entangled in karma, born with deficiencies, and even finding it extremely difficult to transform into human form. They huddled in the corner of the rock, emitting weak, mournful cries.

Most of the adult phoenixes were in seclusion, meditating with furrowed brows and pained expressions. They were not cultivating, but using their life's cultivation to fight against the karmic force within their bodies that was like a persistent affliction, to prevent themselves from falling into demonic possession or becoming immortal.

The entire interior of the immortal volcano was deathly still, filled with a sense of despair and gloom.

This is the fate of those who fail in the Great Tribulation.

This is the price of defying the will of Heaven and wantonly destroying the primordial world.

Tianxuan walked calmly, but his mind was constantly making calculations.

"Karma — Cause and Effect — The Way of Heaven —"

Looking at the suffering phoenixes, he thought to himself, "This so-called karma is essentially a marking and punishment mechanism of Heaven for those who disrupt order. It's like a virus that not only affects individuals but also continues through bloodlines. Unless one performs great deeds to cleanse it, this phoenix clan is destined to slowly wither away and eventually disappear completely from the river of history."

As Kong Xuan watched this scene unfold, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, drawing blood without him noticing.

These are his people.

This is his home.

An unprecedented sense of responsibility erupted within him.

He wants to become stronger!

Not only for himself, but also to save his people who were struggling in despair, and to free his mother from the suffering of eternal imprisonment!

"arrive."

Cai Feng stopped in front of the entrance to a huge cave.

The entrance was like a gateway to hell, from which flowed not ordinary magma, but a terrifying torrent of purplish-black "Nanming Fire" and turbid "Earthly Fiend Poison Fire".

"Senior, Young Master, His Majesty is in the Earth's core world below," Cai Feng said respectfully, a hint of fear in her eyes. "The flames there are too domineering. Apart from His Majesty, even I dare not venture too far in."

"It's alright."

With a wave of his sleeve, Tianxuan unleashed a hazy radiance that instantly enveloped Kong Xuan and Caifeng.

That was a combination of pure spatial laws and creative laws.

Under the protection of this radiant light, the terrifying heat that was enough to incinerate even a Great Luo Golden Immortal was instantly shut out, becoming as gentle as a spring breeze.

The three of them leaped into the cave and plummeted rapidly towards the depths of the earth's core.

The further down you go, the more open the space becomes, and the more bizarre the color of the flames becomes.

After an unknown amount of time, the view suddenly opened up before me.

This is a vast and boundless underground magma world.

The magma here is no longer liquid, but seems to have a life of its own, slowly writhing and roaring.

In the very center of that ocean of lava stood a colossal altar forged from countless pieces of dark red divine gold.

There was no one on the altar.

There was only one—a phoenix so enormous it defied description!

The phoenix was engulfed in seven-colored divine fire, and each feather seemed to be formed from the purest laws of fire.

Although its eyes were closed and its breath was weak, the majestic aura of a king who once ruled the sky and looked down on the primordial world still made people want to bow down and worship.

However, what is most shocking is that the phoenix is ​​wrapped with nine thick chains.

Those are not physical chains.

That is a "shackle" formed entirely by karma!

One end of the chain pierced deep into the phoenix's body, gradually eroding her primordial spirit, magical power, and true spirit. At the same time, the raging fire veins below were constantly burning on the surface of the phoenix's body. The phoenix clan leader, who was born with the power to control the Southern Bright Fire, had to endure the scorching heat of the fire.

However, Tianxuan was not interested in these things. What truly interested him was Yuanfeng's fate line, which was different from those of the other Phoenix Clan members.

P.S.: Happy New Year everyone! May the new year bring you all the best, smooth sailing, and prosperity!