Deep within the South Bright Volcano, Ling Xiao sat in meditation, the mechanical voice of the System suddenly echoing in his mind.
"Crap, did Hongjun finish Merging with the Dao already?"
Ling Xiao felt a jolt of shock, his expression turning grave. This was too sudden. How could Hongjun already know his every move and even be enraged by it?
[Notice to Host: At this moment, Hongjun has not yet successfully Merged with the Dao!]
The System's mechanical voice followed up with a helpful reminder.
"System, you even know stuff like that?" Ling Xiao asked, genuinely surprised.
"Basic operation," the System replied. Though it was a toneless mechanical voice, Ling Xiao swore he heard a trace of "acting cool" in its response. He silently gave it a thumbs-up and focused back on the two choices.
He didn't hesitate. He made his choice instantly.
"I choose Option Two. No compromise!" Ling Xiao's will was as firm as iron.
The first choice was absurd—asking him to stop his promotion to Grand Unity Golden Immortal (Saint) and go to Zixiao Palace to apologize? That was basically asking him to find his own grave and hand someone the shovel. Even if he survived, he would end up as a Heavenly Dao Puppet, no different from the Sanqing. He didn't care if the reward was the God Slaying Spear; no weapon was worth his soul.
[Rewards have been distributed...] The System went silent.
Ling Xiao wasn't in a hurry to refine the Law Fragment. Now was not the time. Since Hongjun hadn't finished the merger yet, this was his window of opportunity. There was no path of retreat—only forward. Being noticed by Hongjun meant that a crisis could descend at any second.
With a thought, the divine fires of the South Bright Volcano began to riot. They flared up and dimmed, turning from fierce to docile in a rhythmic dance. He was deep underground, where the endless flames formed a world of their own, similar in scale to a Major Thousand Worlds. It was a sun-bright ocean of fire where any ordinary Immortal would be reduced to ash instantly. To Ling Xiao, however, this was a supreme charging station.
As Ling Xiao began to refine the energy, a clear, sharp Dao-sound (Dao Sound) suddenly rang out.
"Fellow Daoist, do you not know that this place already has an owner?"
The voice vibrated throughout the space, its origin impossible to pinpoint. Ling Xiao remained unmoved, like a statue. "An owner? Are you referring to the Phoenix sealed here?"
He wasn't surprised. He had expected this. Based on his knowledge of the "plot," who else could be in the South Bright Volcano besides Yuan Phoenix? It certainly wasn't going to be the First Qilin or the Ancestral Dragon.
"Since you know, then I must ask you to leave. This is my place of Nirvana."
After a brief silence, the voice continued. A divine bird slowly emerged from the ocean of fire below. It had no physical form, being composed entirely of condensed flames. It was gargantuan—the size of an ancient star—radiating a heat that seemed capable of incinerating the universe.
"I'm just borrowing it. I'll repay the favor later," Ling Xiao said seriously.
"I see that you also cultivate the Law of Fire. I fear you have another purpose for coming here!" Yuan Phoenix spoke pointedly, releasing a surge of pressure to drive away the intruder. She had been sleeping here for eons, but the commotion of Ling Xiao's cultivation had woken her. Though she couldn't see his exact level, she could feel his power—he was a threat.
"Oh? You just reminded me. Compared to the flames here, you might actually be more useful."
Ling Xiao let out a sound of surprise. He slowly opened his eyes, surveying the Yuan Phoenix with a look of genuine interest.
"What... what do you intend to do?" The Phoenix faltered, internally regretting her slip of the tongue.
Ling Xiao's gaze was profound. "Ever since the Great Calamity of the Dragon and Han, your three clans have submitted to the heavens. You've become Heavenly Dao Brands, mere projections used to manifest 'auspiciousness' for the world..."
"And so what if we are?" Yuan Phoenix cut him off sharply, clearly unwilling to discuss the matter.
"Nothing. I was just speaking casually." Ling Xiao smiled. But no matter how he looked, it didn't seem like a casual remark.
He had heard of this. The former hegemons of the Dragon-Han era had become shadows of the Heavenly Dao. The common phrase "The Dragon and Phoenix bring prosperity" (龙凤呈祥) came from this reality. Whenever there was an event worth celebrating in the Great Desolation, the phantoms of the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin were usually summoned to put on a show.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Yuan Phoenix barked. The more Ling Xiao acted this way, the more she felt something was wrong. But Ling Xiao had already turned into a "riddle-man," simply shaking his head at her questions.
"Hmph! Whatever you're planning, this is my territory. Since you refuse to leave, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Yuan Phoenix snorted. Endless flames erupted as a massive furnace rose from the fiery sea, inhaling and exhaling fire like a living sun. This was her Lifebound Treasure: the Yuan Phoenix Cauldron.
Rumble!
The cauldron whipped up a tidal wave of fire, carrying a world-destroying might as it sought to suppress Ling Xiao. As a Supreme Grade Innate Spirit Treasure and the Phoenix's own life-tool, it could easily refine an entire world.
Facing this overwhelming momentum, Ling Xiao remained seated. As the cauldron drew near, he simply raised a hand and unleashed the Five-Colored Divine Light.
With a single "snatch," the Yuan Phoenix Cauldron suddenly froze. The towering flames were extinguished, and the weapon became incredibly docile, landing softly in Ling Xiao's palm.
"This is..." Yuan Phoenix's gaze froze. In that split second, she had lost all control over her own cauldron.
"Returning it to you!"
Ling Xiao flicked his finger. The cauldron was encased in an infinite power of Law and instantly smashed back toward the Phoenix's divine form.
A sharp, clear cry echoed through the world. Yuan Phoenix struck out in a rage, and the entire world of fire began to boil. The South Bright Volcano entered a state of total riot, looking as if it might erupt and destroy the southern continent. Every living thing in the South felt the vicious Aura and trembled in fear.
After an unknown amount of time, the South Bright Volcano suddenly went out.
The temperature in the Southern Honghuang plummeted. No living being had expected that the "eternal" volcano would ever be extinguished.
"What happened inside?" the great powers of the South asked in shock. They knew Ling Xiao had entered, and they had felt the aura of a battle. But for the volcano to go dark—what did that mean?
Rumble...
On this day, the heavens and earth shook violently. Above the South Bright Volcano, the clouds changed color and the Great Dao roared. Endless Laws of Order interlaced, radiating an aura of the end of days.
"Sky Rage?".
The living beings of the world looked up at the vault of heaven, their very souls trembling. This boundless pressure was so great that their Dao Hearts (Dao Heart) felt as if they were about to collapse!
At that moment, from the depths of the extinguished South Bright Volcano, a single Aura shot out. It climbed higher and higher with an unstoppable, relentless force, as if it intended to pierce the very firmament.
Across the Primordial World, from the four seas to the eight directions, every living thing felt it!