Chapter 188

Qingluan has nowhere else to go; I beg the great deity to shelter her, to serve as the deity's carriage and horse, willingly bowing her head and obeying the deity's orders.

Qingluan's bearing has sunk to the utmost low; the Phoenix clan is now feeble, nothing like its former glory, and even the Earth‑Leaving Flame Banner that Yuan Feng painstakingly preserved has been taken away.

Qingluan lies within the Immortal Fire Volcano, able only to watch helplessly, her heart wrenched as if cut by a knife, her limbs devoid of strength; left with no choice, she adopts this desperate plan.

Given her power, she is considered a strong figure among the Great Luo Golden Immortals; in the three clans and even the primordial wilderness, very few innate deities rank above her.

Now she can only seek an innate deity, bowing low and kneeling, willing to serve as a mount, in hopes of gaining protection.

This at least allows her to travel the primordial wilderness and look after a few of her kin; although she loses her freedom, it is still preferable to simply waiting to die.

Nüwa sighed, aware of her predicament, but she replied with a refusal:

"You and I are both those who opened the Great Luo Heaven; we stand at the same level. You once had some fame in the primordial wilderness—why have you fallen to this state?"

Qingluan lowered herself even more and spoke loudly:

"Qingluan acknowledges her grave sins and understands the deity's worries, yet I implore the deity, for the sake of our former bond, to show a little compassion."

Nüwa sighed in resignation; recalling their past affection, she was unwilling to do this, hoping to retain some dignity for the Phoenix clan.

"Please, great deity, shelter her."

Nüwa gazed at Qingluan, her head bowed to the ground, feeling a pang of pity, and asked: "Are you truly determined?"

Qingluan answered without hesitation: "Qingluan has long been aware."

Nüwa replied resignedly: "If I cannot dissuade you, then have it your way."

"Thank you, great deity, for granting this."

Seeing Qingluan still bowed low, Nüwa said: "Since you have followed your will, why keep this posture? Please rise at once."

"Qingluan thanks her lord."

Nüwa did not want Taiyi and Fuxi to wait long, and the matter was not fit for early disclosure, so she dismissed Qingluan, saying: "I have some business to discuss with a few fellow cultivators; please wait in my cave for now, and I will summon you when needed."

"Yes."

Qingluan did not linger; she knew some matters were inappropriate for her present status to hear, and though people were kind and willing to take her in, she could not bring herself to cause such trouble.

After Qingluan departed, Taiyi spoke:

"I still recall this person somewhat; during the great war of the three clans, she also showed promise, yet I never imagined she would fall to such a state."

Fuxi nodded and added: "On the dragon clan's southern front, the imprisoned ox also endured much hardship because of her."

"Speaking of which, the dragon clan has now retreated into seclusion; why do we not see their situation worsen to this extent?"

Fuxi was somewhat curious, given that the three clans are the losers of the great calamity; the phoenix and qilin are already in such dire straits, yet we see no action from the dragon clan.

Nüwa explained: "At least the dragon clan still has Yinglong; though the ancestral dragon and the azure dragon can no longer appear in the primordial wilderness, their actions still accrue great merit."

"These merits have purged much karmic debt; the bonds on the Nine Offspring are far looser than those on Qingluan and her kin, so although they cannot act lightly, they still constitute a fighting force."

"Furthermore, due to the Ao Xing incident, Qi owed the dragon clan a karmic debt; the dragon clan invoked this to obtain a divine edict at Qi's domain, which also acts as a deterrent."

"Yinglong is also an innate deity; though newly reborn and not yet highly cultivated, she still retains some affection that people remember, preserving the dignity of innate deities." "When all these factors are combined, the pressure they face naturally increases considerably; although they likewise lose much of their resources, they are not reduced to the dire straits of the phoenix and qilin."

Upon hearing this, Fuxi suddenly understood and said:

"I see now; I was wrongly blaming my brother, focusing only on his interests, but how could I have been unaware of the edict?"

Taiyi laughed and said:

"At that time you were still drunk, not sober, and it wasn't a major matter, so I didn't bother to tell you."

Nüwa saw everyone drifting off topic, she steered the conversation back, saying: "Let's not discuss those matters; why did Di Jun order us to go to Mount Buzhou this time? We are both at Mount Fengqi, and Mount Buzhou is right beside us; its purpose should be explained."

Nüwa and Taiyi both turned their gaze toward Fuxi; this time the three of them had returned to Mount Fengqi, but their aim was to enter Mount Buzhou.

However, Di Jun did not inform Taiyi and Nüwa of what they were to seek; he only told Fuxi, to be revealed after they arrived.

Fuxi laughed and said:

"Since you are so eager, I will tell you: the purpose of this trip is simply to explore the summit of Mount Buzhou; we suspect the heavenly realm's gate lies there."

"Huh?" Nüwa and Taiyi did not understand; if it were merely this, why would they need to wait until reaching Mount Fengqi to be told?

Fuxi's smile grew even brighter as he explained: "Although the purpose is simple, the heavenly realm's emergence is still some time away; we still need to investigate the vicinity of Mount Buzhou a bit, so we must arrive early."

"If we had told you in advance, you would likely wait until the heavenly realm appears before setting out, and you would not accompany me on this reconnaissance."

After a brief pause, Fuxi teased again:

"My cultivation is low; without the aid of the two great deities, I would struggle to accomplish this, so I resorted to this plan."

Nüwa and Taiyi simultaneously rolled their eyes, feeling both amused and exasperated; after getting along for so long, they could not believe they were being distrusted in this way.

"Fellow Daoist Fuxi, after this journey ends, let us spar a bit; it has been too long since we last crossed hands, and you have even forgotten my brother's and my Taiyi's divine might."

Upon hearing Fuxi's teasing, Taiyi also went along with it, while Nüwa interjected:

"Don't forget that Daoist Di Jun is also involved; it wouldn't be fair for only my brother to take the blows."

"By then, Fellow Daoist Taiyi can also throw in my share, so they won't gang up to bully me, a weak woman."

"Easy, easy, though it's just a trivial matter."

Nüwa's face showed lively expression, Taiyi looked indifferent, while Fuxi wore a wounded expression and said:

"Never mind, never mind; I will apologize to you for now, and later when I return to Yunmeng Ze, I will first penalize myself with three cups."

"This matter was proposed by Fellow Daoist Di Jun; when the time comes, you can go find him yourself—I may call him a daoist friend, but we are not truly close."

The three burst into laughter at once, and as their figures vanished into the maple forest, only the red maple leaves that made all the mountains share the same hue remained, rustling faintly in the wind.

Meanwhile, Qingluan began to inspect Nüwa's cave dwelling, finding it shabby, not resembling the abode of celestial beings, lacking any vitality, and seeming more like a place rarely inhabited.

"Mount Fengqi is the dwelling of two innate deities; how can it be so simple?"

Qingluan found this hard to believe.

(End of Chapter)