71: Fourth Nirvana

The great war had persisted for tens of thousands of years, yet there was still no sign of it stopping.

The three clans attacked and slaughtered one another, each suffering heavy casualties.

This prolonged war had already brought irreparable trauma to the Primordial World.

Along the shores of the Eastern Sea, vast stretches of what was once crystal-clear seawater had been dyed a dark red. Countless corpses of the Water Clan floated upon it, emitting a decaying stench.

The Spiritual Veins beneath the sea were torn apart by violent magical combat, forming deep, bottomless chasms. What gushed out was no longer Spiritual Qi, but turbid Evil Qi.

The earth veins that the Qilin Clan had protected for generations became fragmented and shattered during the great war.

Spiritual fields turned into scorched earth, spiritual springs dried up, and ancient trees withered. Violent turbulent flows of Spiritual Qi erupted from time to time where the earth veins were broken, leveling nearby mountains and rivers.

Above the Nine Heavens, the astral winds channeled by the Feather Clan were in complete Chaos. The normally orderly rotation of the Zhou Tian Starry Sky was also affected, occasionally bursting with blinding light.

Star showers fell, smashing scorched deep pits into the earth.

In some places, cracks like eternal night appeared in the sky, revealing a heart-palpitating aura of Chaos.

The most tragic were the weak creatures.

The places where they originally lived had been beaten into shambles. Their homes were destroyed, and the survivors either chose to leave their homelands or hid in dark caves, shivering in fear.

Devilish Qi was chaotic everywhere, exacerbating the disorder of the Primordial World. Mountain spirits and wild monsters mutated one after another; docile white apes grew fangs, and auspicious immortal cranes lost their feathers.

The entire Primordial World was shrouded in a suffocating despair.

The Evil Qi generated by the conflict between the three clans condensed into thick clouds of blood that did not dissipate for days.

However, the Clan Chiefs of the three clans had not yet personally entered the fray, maintaining a final bottom line for this Great Tribulation.

To prevent the Devilish Qi from infecting the entire Primordial World, and also for his own path, the White-robed Daoist was traveling everywhere.

The other Chaos Gods and Demons felt something and emerged from seclusion one after another at this time. Another new great war was brewing... Within the Immortal Volcano, although it had not been affected by the fighting,

the thunderous sound of the Dragon Clan's war drums often drifted over, causing some impact on the earth veins.

Many living beings looked up one after another, their hearts inevitably filled with panic.

At this moment, the tolling of a bell rang out, soothing their unease.

Lu Shu transformed into his original form and ran between various earth vein nodes, using his Innate Divine Ability to maintain the stability of the earth veins.

Behind him followed a large black dog.

At this time, the Tiangou had a green face and fangs, and its body had grown several times larger to make itself look very majestic.

It still expressed a welcome for Lu Shu's arrival.

But as fellow exotic beasts, it was somewhat curious why Lu Shu could take human form and even be accepted as a Disciple by the Revered Master.

I, the Tiangou, am also never inferior to other beasts.

Thus, it kept following Lu Shu, wanting to see where it fell short.

"Brother Bai, there's no need to follow so closely," Lu Shu sighed slightly.

This address of "Brother Bai" was very pleasing to the Tiangou's ears.

The Tiangou howled twice, indicating that from now on, it would protect him on this mountain.

In truth, it was only because Lu Shu was modest and treated the Tiangou as someone of consequence.

Out of consideration for being fellow exotic beasts and respecting the order of arrival, he addressed it as "Brother"; everyone else just rode directly over its head.

"Brother Bai, Senior Sister's state seems a bit off."

Lu Shu stopped his pace and looked at the purple figure sitting beneath the bitter bamboo ahead.

At this time, Ling Ling held that short blade, her body enveloped in the various brilliant lights shed by the bitter bamboo, feeling a sense of loss in her heart.

She had been sent here shortly after her birth and did not have much of a sense of belonging to the Feather Clan.

However, the Old Ancestor's kindness to her was something she could not easily let go of.

The intensifying war between the three clans inevitably caused her some worry.

"Bitter—"

The bitter bamboo shook, unconsciously shedding its own divine charm, which added a few more layers of sorrow and bitterness to Ling Ling.

At this moment, Lu Shu and the Tiangou rushed over.

The latter had already changed into its small and adorable form, rubbing back and forth against Ling Ling's side.

Lu Shu let out a cry, dispersing the Dao Rhyme of Bitterness surrounding Ling Ling.

"Revered Master and Mistress are both in seclusion. Senior Sister, come patrol the mountain with me."

Ling Ling nodded, put away her blade, and followed Lu Shu.

Upon leaving, the Tiangou did not forget to leave a pile of filth beneath the bitter bamboo.

For disturbing someone's mood so recklessly, this is what you deserve.

"Extreme bitterness—" The Dao Rhyme of the bitter bamboo immediately became even more sorrowful... Deep within the Immortal Volcano, the blazing lava suddenly solidified, and the entire volcano fell into an eerie silence.

Qing Wu stood at the edge of the volcanic crater, four flags flying out from his sleeve to lay down layers of Restrictions in the Void Realm.

He looked toward the heart of the volcano with a slightly solemn gaze—there, a crimson figure was gradually blurring within the intense flames.

This was Yuan Feng's fourth Nirvana. She was no longer satisfied with relying solely on her own power and was instead using the undying divine fire within the volcano to complete a further transformation.

"It has begun..." Qing Wu whispered to himself, his fingers forming hand seals.

The fire spirit Qi between heaven and earth suddenly boiled, turning into thousands of flowing fires that converged toward the volcano.

Under his guidance, these flames intertwined in mid-air into green and red dao patterns, each stroke causing the Void Realm to tremble.

Within the volcano, Yuan Feng's true body had already transformed into a mass of pure Nirvana Dao Fire.

With the continuous increase of her strength, Yuan Feng had already sensed that her Opportunity should exist within the Immortal Volcano.

But with her current strength, she could not fully penetrate the center of the volcano and could only complete her Nirvana by borrowing the undying divine fire near the crater.

In the center of the flames, a red-gold Dao Seed could be vaguely seen taking shape, its surface flowing with Innate fire patterns.

As the Dao Seed rotated, the rock walls of the entire volcano began to peel away, revealing the crystalline fire jade marrow within.

The Dao Seed within the flames suddenly emitted a crisp cracking sound.

A red-gold lotus petal broke through the shell, followed by a second, a third... When the nine-petaled lotus fully bloomed, the lava of this Immortal Volcano evaporated instantly.

At the heart of the lotus, a brand-new figure gradually solidified—still in those fire-like red clothes, with more Nirvana Dao seals added to the phoenix pattern between her brows.

"Wutong..."

Wutong finally breathed a sigh of relief, only to see Yuan Feng suddenly open her eyes, her gaze filled with affection as she looked over.

Before Qing Wu could think further, that figure had already closed in on him.

A pair of jade hands rested on his shoulders; her beautiful eyes were calm yet held more charm, her tenderness like water, enough to make one's heart intoxicated.

"Mmhmm..."

With a slide, it became a two-armed embrace, as she hummed and kept wriggling in Qing Wu's arms.

Qing Wu knew that at this time, Yuan Feng was in a state where her consciousness had not yet awakened, and all her actions were purely subconscious.

Having absorbed too much undying divine fire, the dry heat within her body needed to be relieved.

And in this state, everything Yuan Feng vented was extremely precious nourishment for Qing Wu.

Ultimately, he chose to accept his fate and just lay down like that.

In the next moment, a fiery red bite mark appeared on his neck.

The four flags intertwined back and forth, constructing a great array that completely concealed this part of the world... Outside the Immortal Volcano, the White-robed Daoist, who had been waiting here for a long time, still received no response and could only spread his hands somewhat helplessly.

In the Primordial World, which powerful Cultivator could not be busy?

Especially the two Fellow Daoists who controlled the many living beings of the Immortal Volcano; it was even more so for them.

So Hongjun thought...