Primordial Era: I, Hongyun, take charge of the literary path

"Good, good, very good!"

The crane gave a cold laugh and turned to leave.

But the crane did not give up. Although the scent of the phoenix tree was concealed, as long as Hongyun was still in the primordial world, the Phoenix Clan would find him sooner or later.

On the other side, the red cloud had already traveled hundreds of millions of miles and stopped in a remote valley.

"It was really lucky that we managed to escape this time."

Hongyun was still shaken; the crane's power had left a deep impression on him.

The gap between a Great Luo Golden Immortal and a Taiyi Golden Immortal cannot be bridged by treasures and elixirs.

If it weren't for the escape methods left to him by the Cangwu Ancestor, he would have been in grave danger this time.

But Hongyun knew that the crisis was far from over. The Phoenix Clan would not give up easily; they would definitely continue to investigate the whereabouts of the Wutong Tree.

Moreover, news of the phoenix tree has already spread, and the Dragon Clan and the Qilin Clan will also get involved.

"We must leave here as soon as possible and find a safer place."

After a moment's thought, Hongyun decided to proceed according to the original plan.

Mount Buzhou was the weakest point in terms of the three races' power. The three races had relatively little influence there, and the mountainous terrain made it suitable for hiding.

Just as Hongyun was about to set off, he suddenly sensed several powerful auras approaching rapidly from afar.

"They caught up so quickly?"

Hongyun's expression changed, and he immediately used earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a technique in Chinese metaphysics) to sink into the ground. However, his divine sense continued to monitor those auras, and he discovered that those auras did not belong to the Phoenix Clan, but to the Dragon Clan.

Dragons?

Hongyun's heart sank. His worst fears had come true. News of the Wutong Tree had indeed reached the ears of the Dragon Clan, who had sent powerful warriors to hunt him down.

The dragons' desire for the parasol tree is no less than that of the phoenixes. Although the parasol tree seeds can only increase the birth rate of birds and have no direct benefit to the dragons, the dragons will never allow the phoenixes to obtain the parasol tree.

Once the Phoenix Clan obtains the Wutong Tree, their birth rate will increase, and their clan will grow stronger, breaking the tripartite balance of power among the three clans—something neither the Dragon Clan nor the Qilin Clan wants to see.

Therefore, the Dragon Clan and the Qilin Clan had the same attitude: either seize the Wutong Tree or destroy it; in short, they could not let the Phoenix Clan obtain it.

Hongyun hid underground, concealing all his presence, not daring to utter a sound.

Three dragon figures swept across the sky, their fierce winds whipping up sand and stones from the ground.

Those were three enormous dragons, covered in dark green scales, with two horns on their heads and whiskers under their chins, exuding a powerful dragon aura.

All three were highly skilled, with the leading dragon reaching the peak of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, on par with the Fire Phoenix. The other two were also at the late Taiyi Golden Immortal stage.

"Strange, I could clearly sense that kid's presence here, so why did he suddenly disappear?" The leading dragon frowned, scanning the ground with his divine sense.

"Big brother, could it be that the kid used some secret technique to hide his aura?" another dragon asked.

"Possibly. That kid must have some skill to have escaped from the Phoenix Clan."

The leader of the dragons pondered for a moment, then said, "Search separately. We must find him. The clan chief has ordered that we must find him alive or dead, and we must get our hands on the phoenix tree."

The three dragons dispersed and searched in three different directions.

Hongyun hid underground, secretly lamenting her misfortune.

The arrival of the dragons has made the situation even more complicated. He now has to evade not only the pursuit of the phoenixes, but also the pursuit of the dragons.

After searching for a while without any results, the leading dragon suddenly roared to the sky, letting out a deafening dragon's cry.

The dragon's roar transformed into ripples that spread in all directions, penetrating the earth's layers and penetrating thousands of miles underground.

Hongyun felt a strange fluctuation sweep over his body. Although he had concealed his aura, a trace of magical power still leaked out.

"Found it!"

The lead dragon's eyes lit up, its gaze locking onto the location where Hongyun was hiding. The other two dragons immediately changed direction and rushed over.

Knowing he could no longer hide, Hongyun decided to stop hiding and burst out of the ground, hovering in mid-air.

Three dragons formed a triangle around him, and the leading dragon looked Hongyun up and down, a contemptuous smile appearing on its lips.

"Late-stage Taiyi Golden Immortal? With your meager cultivation, you dare to snatch something from the Phoenix Clan?"

"You've got some nerve."

Hongyun looked calmly at the three dragons, but her mind was racing with calculations.

Three coiled dragons, one peak-stage Taiyi Golden Immortal, and two late-stage Taiyi Golden Immortals—this lineup, while powerful, is not invincible. If he finds the right opportunity, he still has a chance to break through.

"I got the parasol tree first; I didn't steal it from the Phoenix Clan," Hongyun said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Did you get it first?"

The leading dragon sneered, "You really are lucky. But luck is useless. Hand over the phoenix tree, and I might spare your life."

Hongyun shook his head: "I have already refined the phoenix tree, so I cannot hand it over."

This was naturally a lie told by Hongyun.

A hint of killing intent flashed in the eyes of the leading dragon.

"You've refined it? Then I'll kill you and extract the essence of the phoenix tree from your body."

Before he finished speaking, the three dragons attacked simultaneously.

The leading dragon opened its mouth and spewed out a jet of water. The water jet looked ordinary, but it actually contained a terrifying chill. Wherever it passed, the air was frozen into ice crystals.

The other two dragons attacked from both sides, one spewing lightning and the other spewing poisonous mist. The three attacks intertwined, blocking all of Hongyun's escape routes.

Hongyun's expression was solemn. He drew his Ice Soul Sword, and a streak of azure sword light met the Xuanbing Dragon Breath.

At the same time, the Wen Yun Tu Lu behind him emitted a dazzling light, and countless golden characters flew out and transformed into a golden shield, blocking the lightning and poisonous fog.

boom--

The sword rainbow collided with the Xuanbing Dragon Breath, unleashing a violent energy surge. Hongyun staggered back several steps, his arm numb; the power of the Xuanbing Dragon Breath had exceeded his expectations.

"He has some skill, but it's not enough!"

The leading dragon snorted coldly, its body suddenly growing larger, transforming into a gigantic dragon ten thousand feet long, opening its massive mouth to devour Hongyun.

The dragon, transformed from a giant dragon, blotted out the sky and sun. Its gaping maw was like a bottomless abyss, and a terrifying suction force emanated from its mouth, sucking in the surrounding air, clouds, and even the rubble on the ground.

Hongyun steadied himself and swung the Ice Soul Sword several times in front of him, unleashing several sword energies towards the dragon. However, when those sword energies landed on the dragon's scales, they only sparked a few bursts of fire, leaving not even a trace.

"The dragons' defenses are indeed as good as they say."

Hongyun sighed inwardly, then flashed away, avoiding the dragon's devouring attack.

However, he was still a bit too slow. Pulled by the suction, he staggered and almost got sucked in.

The other two dragons were not idle either; one controlled lightning, and the other controlled poisonous mist, attacking continuously from both sides.

Lightning slithered through the air like silver snakes, each strike carrying destructive power; poisonous mist spread out, enveloping the space for miles around, and inhaling even a trace would result in poisoning.