Chapter 76

Yuan Feng's gaze calmly swept over several people; seeing their current demeanor, he felt that his past teachings seemed to have had no effect on them.

He spoke calmly and coldly:

"Speak up, explain—what reason could make you all act in unison or collude to commit such a grave betrayal?"

"I give you a chance to explain, but I advise you to think before you speak; I have no patience now to listen to your sophistry."

Yuan Feng gave them a chance; he wanted to hear what reason could have turned the entire phoenix clan into its present state.

At the crater of the central volcano, the Qi Luck Colored Phoenix's behavior confused him; he could sense that it remained very close to them.

But it seemed to have started diverging from them; from that moment, Yuan Feng knew that another voice existed within the phoenix clan.

Compared to the two of them, that voice was more endorsed by the clan, representing what the people desired more than the current situation.

The former Yuan Feng didn't care, but now he has stirred up such trouble, so he wants to listen carefully.

He wanted to see whether they had previously ignored this need, or whether the clan had been blinded by profit, becoming short-sighted and unable to see the future.

Regardless of the reason, Yuan Feng felt he should listen; his position was now too high, as if he hadn't heard the voices from below for a long time.

Yuan Feng half-leaned in his chair, one arm crooked to support his head; prolonged mental tension, plus forcibly waking from sleep, had left him exhausted.

"Have you thought it through? Who will come forward to explain?"

Yuan Feng's voice had no fluctuation and had lost its former gentleness.

The five clan leaders exchanged glances; finally Hong Gu stepped forward and said:

"Chief, this matter was initiated by me; the other clan leaders joined only after seeing that you had not noticed it."

Yuan Feng heard this, his brows slightly raised, and said:

"It's you, Hong Gu; among you, you have the loftiest ambitions, and I have always trusted you most, never thinking you would be blinded by greed—tell me your reasoning."

Upon hearing this, Hong Gu's mind settled a little; he organized his words and then said:

Since the chief divided the Bei Fang lands' interests with the Great Beast Calamity, our phoenix clan's qi luck surged; we then led the flying creatures, monopolizing the qi luck of heaven, earth, and man.

Although some hawks and falcons resist discipline, they generally acknowledge the phoenix clan as the leader of flying creatures, its control of the skies unshakable, and the heavenly qi luck also exclusively ours.

Yuan Feng, hearing this, opened his mouth with slight curiosity and asked:

"Isn't this a good thing? The three clans' share of Bei Fang continent's benefits is roughly equal, and I have never let the phoenix clan suffer loss—how does this relate to what you have done?"

Hong Gu then explained:

"Naturally, there is; the three clans divided with different emphases, the phoenix clan monopolizing qi luck, thus material benefits are naturally much less."

"The qilin clan's actual material gains are huge, but their initial investment is equally huge, and since the famous mountains and rivers belong to the innate divinities, they gain little qi luck."

"The dragon clan's gains are the most balanced and best; they obtained Bei Fang's water luck, and the harvest of various material benefits from the water systems is also considerable, laying the groundwork for their designs on the water systems of the eastern and western continents."

Hearing Hong Gu say this, Yuan Feng's interest slightly rose, and he said:

"In other words, although the three sides appear balanced, the dragon clan actually reaps the most, right? That makes sense, for through water qi they can undertake too many operations."

Hong Gu affirmed Yuan Feng's thought and continued:

"In the present wilderness, the qilin clan is the wealthiest, the phoenix clan's qi luck is the richest, and if not for this flood disaster, the dragon clan would be the most hopeful of unifying the wilderness—I believe you, sir, can see that as well."

Yuan Feng did not interrupt Hong Gu's words, merely nodding slightly to show agreement.

"For the phoenix clan to catch up, the only way is to fill this gap; the chief, understanding this, therefore constantly strives to conquer the grotto-heavens, right?"

"But we clearly possess the Undying Volcano, a vast natural treasury; we can fully rely on it to achieve our ambitions!"

"Whether it is the divine fire and strange fire within, or the fire qi and fire crystals, they can bring great profits to the phoenix clan, right?"

"These are more than enough to fill the phoenix clan's material void, and there is no need for the youths to constantly explore the grotto-heavens."

"This undoubtedly would reduce conflict between the phoenix clan and the innate divinities, and we could even ally with them as the dragon clan does."

At this moment Hong Gu's expression was excited, for he believed this was the phoenix clan's only way to catch up with the dragon clan.

He has done just that; in recent yuan-hui periods, the phoenix clan's influence in the wilderness has indeed increased greatly.

This made him more confident that he was walking the correct path.

Hearing this and seeing Hong Gu's demeanor, Yuan Feng's brows knit tightly.

He also knew the Undying Volcano was a treasury; unfortunately, the difference in their horizons limited Hong Gu's vision.

Having understood the circumstances, Yuan Feng then explained to them:

"You are too narrow-minded, always thinking of dominating the wilderness while forgetting your duty; an irresponsible person—do you really think he could become the lord of all under heaven?"

"The Undying Volcano is indeed a treasury, but it is like a bamboo shoot smeared with poison—looking sweet, yet its fruit would overturn the phoenix clan."

"If the Undying Volcano erupts on a large scale, its impact will encompass the three continents; do you think the phoenix clan could bear such immense heavenly and earthly karmic consequences?"

"Moreover, the innate divinities affected will surely be many; do you think the phoenix clan, even if strong, could withstand the wrath of so many innate divinities?"

"Once the divine fire from the volcano is also carried out and falls upon the wilderness, what chance would ordinary living beings have of survival?"

"Think it over well."

Yuan Feng turned again and said to Yuan Huang:

"This time I have forcibly awakened; I am about to return to sleep, so Huang, please trouble you to lead them and fully suppress the Undying Volcano during this period."

"When I awaken, I will go to the major water systems to contact their water gods and borrow water; this period will be hard on you."

Yuan Feng's voice was warm, but his fatigue could not be concealed.

Yuan Huang felt heartbroken but could do nothing; he could only nod heavily in response to Yuan Feng's instructions.

"Mm, you may rest easy in your sleep; during this time I will guard the phoenix clan and the Undying Volcano well."

Hearing these words, Yuan Feng felt reassured and returned beneath the parasol tree, sinking back into sleep.

PS: Today's update is complete; yesterday's game victor was reader Bai Yu; hope you continue to strive.

Continue working hard to write and store drafts; scheduled for release on the 31st at noon; I must strive hard!

(End of chapter)