52: Attention

The sky above the Immortal Volcano suddenly darkened.

It wasn't dark clouds blotting out the sun, but rather the canopy of that heaven-reaching Wutong Tree extending infinitely.

Starlight flowed atop every cyan-gold leaf, and the essence of Yimu, as brilliant as a galaxy, coursed through the veins of the leaves.

The entire volcano seemed to be pulled into another space-time, with only that Emerald Dao Fruit atop the canopy becoming increasingly solid.

The main body of the Wutong Tree continued to stretch, filling the entire world.

It was as if within this space-time, it was the absolute supreme existence of this world.

Immediately after, Yuan Feng's true form unfurled, dyeing the entire sky golden-red.

Her wings no longer possessed the past violence that could incinerate the eight desolations; instead, they flowed with the endless True Intent of Nirvana.

From the tip of every feather hung a wisp of glazed, wondrous color, like ten thousand silk ribbons wrapping around the Wutong Tree branches.

As the Hunyuan Qi overflowed from the canopy, Yuan Feng suddenly let out a long cry.

Folding her wings, her body bathed in flames and transformed into a golden-red bridge of light, with one end connected to the top of the Wutong Tree and the other piercing through the layers of the nine heavens.

Such a phenomenon was difficult for outsiders to detect, despite being concealed by a grand array.

However, all living beings upon the Immortal Volcano looked up one after another, bathing in this heavenly phenomenon.

Atop the golden bridge, an Emerald Dao Fruit had completely solidified, radiating a powerful Hunyuan dao rhyme.

That cyan phantom also slowly appeared, accompanied by a circling crimson Phoenix phantom, as he slowly stepped onto the golden bridge, intending to pluck his own Hunyuan Dao Fruit.

With one step forward, treading on thin air, a phantom image of green wood gathered beneath his feet.

Upon reaching the center of the golden bridge, all the leaves of the Wutong Tree vibrated simultaneously, playing the Heavenly Sound of the Great Dao.

That Phoenix phantom transformed into a divine rainbow and swept downward, yet all the phenomena dissipated the moment it touched Qing Wu's sleeves, coming to rest on his shoulder.

The two looked at each other and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Then, the Fire Phoenix once again unleashed her Divine Ability, flapping her wings and soaring upward, leading the cyan phantom toward the end of the golden bridge.

At the end of the light bridge, the Emerald Dao Fruit suddenly bloomed.

There was no world-shaking momentum, only a rain of cyan-gold light falling down.

Every drop of light rain contained the True Intent of the Reincarnation of Flourishing and Withering; wherever it touched, withered wood met spring and stubborn stones sprouted.

As the phenomenon dissipated, Yuan Feng had already descended, gazing at that cyan figure.

Beneath the Wutong Tree, Qing Wu opened his Hunyuan Pupils.

His left eye reflected the Phoenix Dao Seal on Yuan Feng's forehead, while his right eye mirrored the ten thousand living beings of the Immortal Volcano.

He gently took Yuan Feng's hand, and their dao rhymes blended naturally, complementing and sustaining each other.

At this moment, their dao rhymes broke through the concealment and spread to every corner of the Primordial Land.

But it was merely a fleeting flash, causing a jolt in the hearts of all beings in the Primordial World, who remained unaware of what had happened.

After all, when Ancestor Dragon achieved his Breakthrough, the world-shaking phenomenon was so manifest that he wished for the entire Primordial Land to know of his success.

Ancestor Dragon's high-profile move was intended to announce the Dragon Clan's current strength to the Primordial World.

It was also in preparation for the subsequent establishment of his clan.

In contrast, Qing Wu and Yuan Feng had no such considerations.

The Breakthrough was simply following the natural course; they didn't care about phenomena.

While ordinary beings might not have known, the powerful experts truly felt it: another Hunyuan Golden Immortal had been born in the Primordial World.

In the Crystal Palace of the East Sea, Ancestor Dragon suddenly raised his eyes from his throne, looking toward the Nanming Undying Volcano.

Under the concealment of their aura, he couldn't see very clearly.

Then, he performed a Divine Ability, tearing through the Void Realm with his dragon claws and looking through the rift using a water mirror.

There, he could vaguely see the phantom of a towering Wutong Tree accompanied by a fire-bathed Phoenix; the pressure from the two was overwhelming, causing even him to be secretly alarmed.

"The Phoenix perches on the Wutong..." he mused over those words.

Suddenly, the water mirror shattered, and the phantom dissipated.

Ancestor Dragon, however, found it difficult to remain calm.

Fortunately, that person had not chosen a path in opposition to him.

If that were the case, under the pressure of two Hunyuan Golden Immortals, he would truly have to weigh whether his Dragon Clan could still hold the position of the number one clan in the Primordial Land.

Not just him, but the First Qilin, who was in seclusion at Qilin Cliff, also slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes narrowed into slits beneath white eyebrows, yet he ultimately could not pierce through the heavenly secrets of that place, which left him somewhat astonished.

Following Ancestor Dragon, he had also completed his Breakthrough, becoming the second publicly known Hunyuan Golden Immortal in the Primordial Land.

And following the example, he established the Qilin Clan to rule over the beasts of the Primordial Land, gathering massive clan Luck.

While in seclusion to stabilize his Realm, he also sensed the powerful dao rhyme pressure coming from the south.

"Is it them?"

The First Qilin performed a slight calculation, hoping to find some clues to confirm that this dao rhyme pressure originated from the Immortal Volcano.

However, the heavenly secrets of that region had been entirely concealed, and even with his power, he could not see through them.

At the thought of those two, the First Qilin's mood became complicated.

He had still underestimated the Dragon Clan's strength; with the Qilin Clan's current power, it was somewhat difficult to contend with them.

Had he been a bit more firm back then and managed to win those two over, the Qilin Clan's situation would likely be very different now.

Shaking his head, the First Qilin closed his eyes once more.

The pressure from the Dragon Clan was too great; he could only continue to increase his strength, wait for changes, and find a way to break the deadlock.

In Hurricane Canyon, Ling Ming had also been keeping a close eye on the situation at the Immortal Volcano.

He had indeed seen the fleeting image of the Phoenix born from fire, accompanied by the Wutong phantom.

This meant that both of them had completed their Breakthroughs.

If he had previously held a sliver of hope about catching up to Yuan Feng, he now had no such thought at all.

His obsession resolved, his state of mind also improved significantly; his Breakthrough should happen now.

However, the Dao injury left from his previous failure still throbbed with pain, becoming a thick shackle to his Breakthrough.

But he had already found a solution, which was to follow the example of the Dragon and Qilin Clans by establishing a great clan to lead ten thousand races.

By then, with the help of this massive power of Luck, he might be able to break through this shackle and achieve that step.

Only, he vaguely felt that once he took this step, there would likely be no turning back.

Not that he was afraid; his Dao was here, so what if it led to destruction?

What truly concerned him was the small figure before him.

Having finally found a Bloodline Legacy that satisfied him, he did not want her to follow him down that path of no return.

With a thought, he called her over. "Ling Ling, come with me for a journey through the Primordial Land."

A small Thunderbird landed before him, transforming into a delicate and handsome young girl, with arcs of lightning flickering in her eyes.

Seeing Ling Ming, the girl gave a very respectful salute. "As you command, Old Ancestor."

...