59: Visiting Qingqiu

Walking upon the earth and strolling amidst the mountains and rivers, they shed their Hunyuan pressure, allowing them to observe the most authentic appearance of this world from the most ordinary perspective.

They decided to head to the famous land of Qing Qiu; rumors said that various races lived there together in harmony. It was the best place to witness the way the creatures of the Primordial World interacted.

Qing Qiu was home to many foxes, but it was not inhabited by the Fox Clan alone.

In the mountains, Dragon-scale Horses walked upon the clouds; by the streams, Guan-guan Birds sang like songs; in the forests, Zheng Beasts prowled; and the Nine-tailed Fox Clan resided at the mountain peaks, ruling the region without ever oppressing the weak.

The two suppressed their auras and transformed into ordinary appearances, stepping into this elegant and beautiful land.

The Golden Bell at Qing Wu's waist trembled lightly from time to time, as if waiting for someone who could respond to it.

Ahead, they saw a group of Nine-tailed Fox cubs playing with Dragon-scale Horses.

The fur of the Fox Clan younglings was as red as fire, while the Dragon-scale Horses were covered in black and white dragon scales, their four hooves treading on the wind.

The two groups chased and played with each other, without a hint of ferocity.

A young Nine-tailed Fox accidentally fell into the stream, and a Dragon-scale Horse immediately lowered its head, gently lifting it out with its horn.

The fox cub shook its wet fur; instead of being angry, it affectionately rubbed against the Dragon-scale Horse's neck.

Seeing this, Yuan Feng blinked her phoenix eyes. "The Fox Clan and Dragon-scale Horses... can actually live in harmony."

One side was of the Beasts, while the other was of the Scaled Species; it was rare to see them getting along so well under the current circumstances of the world.

Qing Wu smiled and said, "The Fox Clan is skilled in Illusion Arts, and the Dragon-scale Horses possess spirituality. With each other's company, the Fox Clan can use the spirituality of the Dragon-scale Horses to stabilize their minds, while the Dragon-scale Horses can use the Fox Clan's Illusion Arts to avoid natural enemies."

"The two are quite complementary."

As they spoke, a clear and melodious flute sound drifted from the distance.

Looking up, they saw a Fox Clan girl sitting on a blue stone playing a flute. The lingering notes of the flute drew the Guan-guan Birds in the forest to perch on the branches, chirping in harmony.

Walking deeper, they saw a Zheng Beast—shaped like a red leopard with five tails and a single horn. It was originally a fierce creature, but now it lay quietly under a tree, allowing Guan-guan Birds to peck for food on its back.

The Zheng Beast squinted its eyes and made a low purring sound from its throat, clearly enjoying itself immensely.

The Guan-guan Birds were not afraid of it either, occasionally pecking its ears mischievously; the Zheng Beast only shook its head, not at all annoyed.

The Zheng Beast has a fierce nature, yet the Guan-guan Bird can make it calm.

When the Zheng Beast hunts, the Guan-guan Bird provides an early warning to help it avoid traps.

In return, the Zheng Beast allows the Guan-guan Bird to nest in its territory, free from the intrusion of other predators.

The creatures of Qing Qiu, though of many different races living together, had their own rhythm.

They did not fight or snatch, each taking what they needed.

The Primordial World should have been like this; the world is so beautiful, and its creatures so diverse.

All living beings coexisting in the world, each following its own Dao and benefiting one another, is the only way to make the Great Dao flourish and Luck endure.

Unfortunately, this could only be seen in a place like Qing Qiu, which was isolated from the outside world.

In the current situation of the Primordial World, battle has already become unavoidable.

The harm of war goes far beyond the death and injury of living beings.

When Spiritual Veins are destroyed, they are difficult to recover within a million years.

Just a single conflict can ruin the environment of a region.

If the earth's Qi is disrupted, plants will find it hard to grow.

If resentment accumulates, it will breed Demonic Obstacles.

Across the land, wisps of black Qi were slowly rising everywhere... After staying in Qing Qiu for a short while, the two felt the urge to leave.

On one hand, they could not bear to bring any unwarranted Karma to this paradise, which might break the harmonious scene of this land.

On the other hand, although they had searched far and wide here and seen creatures of many races, they ultimately did not encounter the destined person who could make the Golden Bell at Qing Wu's waist ring.

Staying here any longer would be meaningless.

Just as the two were about to depart, an elderly man of the Fox Clan led some members of the clan to find them.

"Seniors, please wait."

"Please accept a bow from this old man!"

This elder looked much older than the two of them, yet he still addressed them as Seniors.

He was self-aware; these two had been in Qing Qiu for a long time, and he had been observing them for just as long, yet he still could not see through their backgrounds.

But seeing that they bore no ill will, and that under their influence, Qing Qiu seemed to have become more vibrant with more Luck gathering as a result.

As the Clan Chief of the Fox Clan, the largest race in Qing Qiu, he naturally had to come and express his gratitude.

However, the thank-you gifts he brought out were not anything Qing Wu and his companion would value.

Nevertheless, Qing Wu symbolically accepted some, so as not to make the elder feel he owed them Karma.

Those Fox Clan women, however, were quite charming and moving.

Qing Wu did not look at them much, as his every move was being closely watched by the person beside him.

In that gaze, there was indeed some heat... When leaving Qing Qiu, Yuan Feng looked back.

The mountains were still peaceful, the Fox Clan youths played with the other races, and the Guan-guan Birds coexisted with the Zheng Beasts, as if the shadow of war had never reached this place.

"If all beings in the Primordial World could be like Qing Qiu and my Immortal Volcano, perhaps the Great Tribulation would not descend," she whispered.

Qing Wu shook his head. "The struggle between the Three Clans cannot be simply expressed, nor can it be explained in a single sentence."

The Dragon Clan occupies the four seas, the Qilin occupies the Central Land, and the Phoenix Clan rules the Nine Heavens. These three are essentially the manifestations of the world's authority.

What the Three Clans seek is essentially the power of control over the Primordial World.

But the Primordial World belongs to the Myriad Races; it does not belong to a single race.

This power of control should not belong to one race alone, nor can it be held by a single race.

"So, this power of control either does not exist, or it is held in the hands of the Myriad Races."

"Either it doesn't exist, or it's in the hands of the Myriad Races..." Yuan Feng listened thoughtfully, but then she realized that there seemed to be no difference between the two, or rather, they meant the same thing.

If one says this power of control does not exist, it means all the Myriad Races of the Primordial World can control their own destinies.

And if all races can control their own destinies, it also means that this power of control does not exist in the first place.

Then, what kind of existence would the Great Dao's control over living beings be?

Thinking about things that were a bit too profound, Yuan Feng shook her head.

"Then let's just treat it as if it doesn't exist. According to that, wouldn't all Three Clans end in failure!"

This was not a question, but a surprise and bewilderment following an Epiphany.

Could it be that the paths of the Three Clans were all wrong?

Wouldn't that mean she herself had almost chosen this wrong answer?

As for what the outcome would be, she gradually did not dare to think further.

Yuan Feng found it somewhat hard to believe, yet she could find no reason to refute it...