Chapter 146: Humanity's Prosperity, All Within My Grasp

"Hu-ha, hu-ha, hu-ha."

Hongyun frowned and stopped refining the All-Heaven Celebration Cloud.

He suddenly heard a childish, immature voice echoing softly.

The Fire Cloud Cave had gained sentience and carried him away to other places; had Di Jun and Kunpeng found him so quickly? Sitting upright on his cloud bed, Hongyun looked around with a dark face, his Divine Sense enveloping the entire cave dwelling.

Aside from him, there were no fluctuations of any living beings; no one was approaching the Fire Cloud Cave.

"Strange! How could I not detect them?" Hongyun stood up, his eyes filled with confusion.

Although Di Jun, Kunpeng, and the others had a level of Dao cultivation above his, this was his own Daoist temple; it was impossible for them to evade his perception.

Only upon listening carefully did Hongyun discover that the voice was somewhat peculiar; it was not ringing in his ears, but rather sounding from deep within his heart, communicating with him in a unique way.

The voice was very faint; if he had been in deep meditation, he might not have heard it at all.

"Master! It's me!" Just as Hongyun was feeling puzzled, a light, childish voice spoke up.

Hongyun:????? Hongyun was stunned, his face filled with astonishment, and then he saw a faint will drifting about in the surroundings; his eyes widened instantly.

"You—you are the Fire Cloud Cave?" Hongyun opened his mouth wide, still finding it somewhat unbelievable.

Although he knew that the Fire Cloud Cave had a gathering of will and possessed decent spirituality, there was no reason for it to communicate so directly.

Did the Fire Cloud Cave also possess its own life?

Hongyun was momentarily stunned on the spot; even with his breadth of knowledge, he found it inconceivable.

You could say the Fire Cloud Cave had spirit, nurtured Dharma treasures, or nurtured living beings, but for the Fire Cloud Cave itself to become a living being?

Having traveled north and south and roamed the Great Desolate land for no short time, this was the first time Hongyun had encountered such a situation.

"Yes, Master, I am the Fire Cloud Cave, hu-ha."

The childish voice sounded again, followed by the continuous "hu-ha" sound.

The dazed Hongyun naturally asked, "What are you doing?"

"Master, the prosperity of Humanity lies in your hands and mine; I am inhaling and exhaling Humanity Luck!"

The crisp, childish voice made Hongyun freeze on the spot once more.

However, from the other's words, Hongyun also knew that the Fire Cloud Cave was not lying; he was, after all, the true Humanity Lord.

Regaining his composure, Hongyun immediately mobilized the Humanity Will and instantly felt the other's existence clearly.

After some exchange, Hongyun could not help but look up and laugh loudly again.

He knew he was the Humanity Lord, but he had never expected his own cave dwelling to be so extraordinary.

Just as the Fire Cloud Cave said, they were closely linked to Humanity Luck; they would prosper together and suffer together! Hongyun had never expected that he would be entrusted with such a great responsibility.

The first thing that came to Hongyun's mind was Mount Buzhou, and he couldn't help but ask with a hint of curiosity: "Little Fire, does that mean Mount Buzhou also has... has gained sentience?"

Earlier, when Tian Yuan drove Mount Buzhou to sweep through the Ancestral Witches and then entered the Buzhou Mountain Consciousness Space, he had already suspected as much, but it hadn't been convenient to ask; now, he finally had the chance.

After only a moment, the Fire Cloud Cave's childish voice came through. "Of course, Big Brother Mount Buzhou woke up long ago, but the world is restricted, so I cannot communicate with him for the time being."

His words were full of respect.

A flash of brilliance crossed Hongyun's eyes, but he did not ask about anything else.

Tian Yuan has Mount Buzhou, and now I have the Fire Cloud Cave; I, Hongyun, am finally going to rise up.

Excitedly pacing back and forth in the cave dwelling, Hongyun suppressed the urge to run to Wuzhuang Temple to show off to Zhenyuanzi.

"For the sake of all things and all spirits in the Great Desolate, I should work even harder at my cultivation." Hongyun looked up at the firmament and thought to himself.

Yet, back on his cloud bed, he was too agitated to calm his mind.

Taking a deep breath, Hongyun forcibly suppressed the restlessness in his heart and began to refine the All-Heaven Celebration Cloud in his palm.

Since the world had entrusted him with such a great responsibility, he naturally could not let people down, nor could he let Tian Yuan down.

Without Tian Yuan, he would not have become the Humanity Lord, would not have obtained the All-Heaven Celebration Cloud, and the Fire Cloud Cave would never have awakened.

In the Buzhou Mountain Consciousness Space, after bidding farewell to Houtu, Tian Yuan headed toward the Southern Land.

It had been a while since he captured the ten Little Golden Crows, and Tian Yuan wanted to see how they were doing.

Before he even got close, many voices reached him.

"Wuu wuu... My Imperial Father is the Demon Court's Demon Emperor, and my uncle wields an Innate Supreme Treasure; you cannot do this."

"We are the Crown Princes of the Demon Court; how can you abuse us!"

"Wuu wuu wuu, my Imperial Father will surely send billions of the Demon Race to raze this place to the ground."

"Big Brother! My stomach is so full, I can't eat any more."

"Those Ancestral Witches are busy clearing the Earth Veins, so stop your clamoring. There are so many flames in the Southern Land, all waiting for you to absorb them; don't you dare slack off."

"That's right, if you anger the Master, he'll roast you and eat you!"

Huluwa led Gungun, walking to one side with an air of authority, supervising the ten Little Golden Crows.

The disheveled Little Golden Crows were gulping down the flames erupting from the ground, their eyes filled with anger and fear.

It was truly miraculous; Tian Yuan had previously tried to eliminate the flames of the Southern Land, but the effect had been minimal.

Even if he wiped away the flames on the surface, they would immediately recur after a few breaths.

Now, as the ten Little Golden Crows opened their mouths to inhale, the flames of that land dimmed, revealing the crimson earth.

Just as he had thought, the Three-Legged Golden Crows were indeed the best candidates for clearing the southern flames. It was just that these ten Little Golden Crows were too weak; if Di Jun or Taiyi were to come, they could likely swallow millions of miles of flames with a single breath.

However, Tian Yuan was not in a hurry; this was already a very good start, and he was quite satisfied.

The ten Little Golden Crows devouring these flames was also a form of cultivation. Once they started working, they would naturally realize it after some time.

After just one glance from afar, Tian Yuan turned and left.

Seeing the smallest Golden Crow, whose belly was swollen round and from whose mouth and nose flames were constantly surging, Huluwa, who was playing with his Treasure Gourd, said in a deep voice: "If you can't swallow any more, sit still and refine it; if anyone dares to slack off on purpose, don't blame me for serving you with Divine Thunder."

Huluwa was naturally familiar with the process; as long as the Little Golden Crows understood the benefits of devouring the flames, they would surely work hard for the sake of revenge.

Once a habit was formed, it would become second nature, and as for wanting to leave, that was impossible.

The smallest Little Golden Crow heard this and immediately sat quietly amidst the flames, beginning to absorb the fire within his body.

Although the remaining Little Golden Crows were annoyed by Huluwa's commanding tone, they dared not make the slightest move, and subsequently, more Little Golden Crows began to refine the flames within their bodies.

After a short while, the Little Golden Crows in meditation all had their eyes brighten, and they exchanged glances with one another.

Unaccountably, the speed at which each of them refined and absorbed the flames became significantly faster.

Huluwa, off to the side, had seen it all clearly long ago, yet he showed no reaction, sitting on the sidelines and boredly fiddling with his Treasure Gourd.

In the Primordial Starry Sky, deep within the Sun Palace of the Thirty-Three Heavens, Di Jun hurried inside.

In the distance, a figure sat quietly, surrounded by surging Great Sun Golden Flame and thick luck.

Taiyi opened his eyes faintly, his gaze filled with doubt.

Since his battle with Tian Yuan last time, he had come to the depths of the Sun Palace to use the Demon Court's luck to refine the final restriction of the Chaos Bell.

Unless it was a matter of great importance, his elder brother would never come to find him.

"Brother!" Taiyi stood up and went to meet him.

Di Jun's face was sullen, and he said with a grave expression: "Will! The Fire Cloud Cave, Hongyun's dojo, has also birthed a will."

He then recounted the matter regarding Demon Master Kunpeng in detail, especially the changes in the Fire Cloud Cave.

Listening to this, Taiyi's expression clearly froze; it was one thing that Mount Buzhou had birthed a will earlier, but now even the Fire Cloud Cave had birthed one.

Mount Buzhou was the Heavenly Pillar, standing between heaven and earth, bestowing blessings upon all things and spirits in the Primordial world; the Fire Cloud Cave was merely Hongyun's dojo, so how could it be so miraculous?

Taiyi did not speak, and the two exchanged a look before exiting the Sun Palace, heading straight for the Sun Star.

This matter was indeed very serious; no wonder his brother had come to seek him out at this time.

They did not know the origins of the Fire Cloud Cave, but there was a way they could attempt to find out.

They were born from the Sun Star, and by joining forces, they could communicate with the Sun Star Will; he figured the Sun Star would surely give them a hint.

The Demon Court's renowned Zhou Tian Star Formation was not something they had comprehended themselves, but rather something that came from the Sun Star.

Before long, the massive Sun Star was before them.

Amidst the raging Sun True Fire, two imposing three-legged Golden Crows manifested; they connected head to tail, transforming into a Yin Yang Fish pattern.

Under the golden Great Sun Golden Flame, a faint will rose, and on the Sun Star before them, a will likewise surged out.

They merged in the air, entwining together, and an inexplicable message was transmitted.

"The place of Humanity Luck!"

Within the hearts of the huddled Di Jun and Taiyi, faint, intermittent words came through, until it became silent.

The will dissipated, and Di Jun and Taiyi transformed into human forms, their eyes filled with shock.

"Humanity Luck!!!" Di Jun looked at Taiyi, his face filled with disbelief.

They were merely ordinary Innate Sacreds of the Primordial world; he had not expected Hongyun to have such a background.

They were not other creatures of the Primordial world; Di Jun knew the Heaven Earth and Man Three Daos very well, and he also knew what Humanity represented.

The foundation of the Demon Court and the basis of their cultivation was luck, and now that Fire Cloud Cave was actually a place of Humanity Luck.

At this very moment, the two finally understood why Hongyun could obtain a strand of Hongmeng Purple Qi.

Since the Fire Cloud Cave was a place of Humanity Luck, Hongyun was naturally even less simple.

"Hongyun! Must be killed!" Taiyi also had a sullen face, his expression incomparably solemn.

Such a special place should be in their hands; even if they could not control it, it must not be used by others.

More importantly, Hongyun now had a very close relationship with Tian Yuan.

Mount Buzhou had already birthed a will, and now, added to a place of Humanity Luck, it was an absolute major trouble.

"With a will shrouding it, that Fire Cloud Cave has already fled to who knows where." Di Jun frowned, feeling very uneasy in his heart.

Although the two brothers could communicate with the Sun Star Will, they were severely limited; it required both of them simultaneously, and each time was also very short.

They had communicated with the Sun Star Will for many years, and it had always been them initiating it.

But just now on the Primordial land, he could feel the difference in the Fire Cloud Cave's will.

"Find him! No matter what, we must find Hongyun!" Taiyi had never been so serious.

The Stone Man of Buzhou Mountain was troublesome enough; he did not want a Hongyun to pop up now as well.

The two did not speak again and fled together toward the Thirty-Three Heavens.

(End of this chapter)