74: The time is coming

The great war outside naturally could not reach the Immortal Volcano.

Yet, even in such a place far removed from the battlefield, the numerous living beings were still shaken by the immense scale of the war between the three clans.

Often, some volcanic craters were stirred by the Evil Qi filling the world, nearly erupting.

Fortunately, they were suppressed by a Green Wood dao rhyme that enveloped this region.

Qing Wu had already emerged from seclusion, but it was now Yuan Feng's turn to enter seclusion.

The two of them took turns in seclusion to ensure that while one remained to hold the fort, they could both maintain their optimal state as much as possible.

Watching the fires of war ignite everywhere, staining the Primordial World blood-red, Qing Wu could not help but sigh softly.

"Why has it come to this..." Qing Wu murmured, his eyes reflecting the shattered mountains and rivers of the Primordial World.

He tapped his fingertip lightly, and a wisp of Green Wood dao rhyme flowed out, soothing a nearby volcanic crater that was about to erupt.

He had lost count of how many times he had done such things in recent days.

Below the mountain, a group of small fire spirit beasts curled up uneasily in their nest.

Although they had not personally experienced the battlefield, they were trembling in fear from the Evil Qi permeating the world.

Qing Wu flicked his sleeve, scattering specks of green light to construct a pure land for these small creatures.

"Luo Hou..." He whispered this name, his gaze gradually turning cold.

Even without him, this tribulation of the world would have arrived sooner or later.

However, Qing Wu still felt disdain for such an opportunist who used the world's tribulation to verify his own Dao.

Qing Wu knew very well that the day the three clans were both left defeated and injured would be the day the Demon Ancestor appeared.

At that time, he hoped the team assembled by Hongjun would give him a sound beating.

Just at this moment, two familiar figures appeared outside the Immortal Volcano.

Qing Wu smiled faintly; it was truly a case of speak of the devil, and then his figure flickered, disappearing from where he stood.

In an instant, he appeared outside the Immortal Volcano.

"Fellow Daoists, it has been a long time. Why not reveal yourselves?"

The people opposite withdrew their concealment, revealing their forms; it was none other than Yin and Yang and the Five Elements.

Yin and Yang Daoist wore a black and white Daoist robe, with Taiji dao rhyme flowing around his body. Hearing this, he stroked his beard and smiled.

"Fellow Daoist Qing Wu, it has been many years. This Immortal Volcano has become increasingly endowed with spiritual beauty."

The Five Elements Daoist, dressed in five-colored cloud robes, immediately retorted upon hearing this, "Old man Yin and Yang, is your vision failing? This is clearly Fellow Daoist Qing Wu using the Dao of mutual generation of Wood and Fire to harmonize the violent Qi of the earth veins."

"It is the wonder of the proper rotation of the Five Elements."

The Yin and Yang Old Ancestor snorted, "What do you know? This place is clearly a phenomenon of the intersection of Yin and Yang."

He pointed at the smoke rising from the volcanic crater, "Yin Qi sinks, Yang Qi rises; the mutual assistance of Yin and Yang—this is the foundation."

The two of them argued endlessly as soon as they met, yet they never reached a conclusion.

Between them, it manifested as Yin and Yang struggling to evolve into the Five Elements, and the Five Elements unable to revert to Yin and Yang; how was this not a marvelous state?

Seeing that the two were about to argue again, Qing Wu quickly raised his hand to interrupt, "You two didn't come here just to argue about this, did you? Why not come inside and talk?"

The two nodded, and together with Qing Wu, they arrived at a place for Dao Discussion.

After the three of them sat down, the Heavenly Dog flipped over, carrying a pot of tea in its mouth.

Seeing this, the two exclaimed in admiration.

"This spirit pet is truly remarkable; it can even flip."

"Fellow Daoist, you have deep fortune to be able to find such an obedient and well-behaved spirit pet."

The Heavenly Dog lifted its head proudly upon hearing this, only to be chased away by Qing Wu shortly after.

"Fellow Daoists, what brings you here today?"

Knowing they had come at this time, Qing Wu realized they were not here for a Dao Discussion, so he simply decided not to engage in one.

Everyone was very busy now, and it was not suitable for a long Dao Discussion.

Yin and Yang Daoist said solemnly, "To be honest, we have come because of the tribulation."

"The war between the three clans has reached a white-hot stage, and the Clan Chiefs have already entered the fray personally. I fear the tribulation has reached its final moment."

The Five Elements Daoist also added, "That scoundrel Luo Hou is up to something in the West again, which always makes us feel somewhat worried."

"Coincidentally, Hongjun came to see us a while ago, wanting us to join forces to deal with Luo Hou."

"Although we have agreed, we still feel some unease in our hearts. We came here this time to ask for your insights, Fellow Daoist."

Qing Wu set down his teacup, "Since you two have already decided, why come to find me?"

He did not think he had the ability to persuade these two, as both were obsessed with the fanatical pursuit of the Dao.

Upon hearing this, the two did not know what to say for a moment; it seemed their coming here was indeed superfluous.

The Five Elements Daoist paused before speaking, "We have likely already entered the tribulation and have no choice but to fight, but we still wanted to hear your opinion, Fellow Daoist."

Qing Wu thought for a moment and poured fresh tea for the two, "If I say that there may be a danger of falling, can you two let go of your obsession with the Dao?"

In fact, with their current cultivation level, they should have been aware of the risks hidden in this struggle between the Dao and the Demon.

But Qing Wu believed that they would still go, simply because of their hearts seeking the Dao.

Sure enough, upon hearing Qing Wu say this, Yin and Yang laughed first, "In that case, this time it is truly a must-go."

Although the Five Elements Daoist did not speak, he nodded in agreement.

Seeing the two so resolute, Qing Wu felt quite moved.

He changed to a pot of wine and poured it for them again.

The three drank it all in one gulp and smiled at each other.

At this moment, Yin and Yang Daoist suddenly asked, "Why is Fellow Daoist Yuan Feng not here again?"

The Five Elements Daoist rarely chimed in, "Yes, why have we not seen Fellow Daoist Yuan Feng several times? Is it because you have been together for too long and have grown distant?"

Hearing this, Qing Wu shook his head, slightly speechless, and did not pay much attention to it.

You won't feel angry because someone says your cultivation is insufficient, unless you think so yourself.

He and Yuan Feng were doing just fine; how could these two understand?

Come to think of it, what was up with these two guys always asking about Yuan Feng's situation?

They had specifically asked once during their last visit, which made Qing Wu somewhat suspicious.

Seeing that Qing Wu ignored them and was staring at them with a gloomy face, they immediately thought of something bad and quickly explained:

"Fellow Daoist, please do not blame us. It is not that we are disrespectful to the two of you; it is just that we have not seen Fellow Daoist Yuan Feng for a long time, and we cannot help but miss her."

"To tell you the truth, Fellow Daoist Yuan Feng gives us a feeling of intimacy."

The more they spoke, the more absurd it became. Qing Wu even wondered if these two were drunk and if they were going to call Yuan Feng "Mother" next...

Thinking of this, Qing Wu suddenly realized something.

In the original timeline, after the great war, while returning to the Immortal Volcano, Yuan Feng was infected by a wisp of Five Elements Origin and Yin and Yang Origin.

At that time, Yuan Feng was severely injured and could not suppress those two wisps of Origin, so she had to swallow them into her belly.

Later, under the communion of heaven and man, she gave birth to two phoenix eggs, which were Kong Xuan and the Golden-Winged Great Peng.

Kong Xuan cultivated the great Divine Ability—Five-Colored Divine Light, known as the number one person beneath a Saint.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng also had his Yin and Yang Qi Bottle.

Both were extremely extraordinary; could it be that they were born inheriting the Dao of these two guys!

Although it was absurd and Qing Wu found it hard to accept, many things suddenly made sense.

Why he and Yuan Feng would meet these two guys, and why they would feel a sense of intimacy toward Yuan Feng.

Thinking of this, the way Qing Wu looked at these two changed somewhat.

If Yuan Feng was their mother, then wouldn't he be...

Seeing Qing Wu looking at them with a somewhat strange gaze, Five Elements and Yin and Yang were a bit confused.

"Fellow Daoist, what is wrong?"

Qing Wu waved his hand, still not having recovered from the realization.

At this moment, everyone's attention was drawn by a heaven-shaking roar from the battlefield.

The long-drawn-out battle between the three Clan Chiefs seemed to be about to reach a conclusion.

"Is the time coming!"

"Fellow Daoist, we will take our leave now."

Five Elements and Yin and Yang no longer lingered and returned to their respective dojos to make final preparations.