Chapter 120: with translation of chapter title

【Time has already flowed backward……】

【……Faced with a dilemma, you choose: (?)】

【A: Continue to accumulate, wait until you cultivate the Ten‑Slope Sword God, then come down as a heavenly deity striking three times, mercilessly smashing the three clans' ancestors to their knees! B: Follow the three ancestors, imitate their method to build a great power, thereby preventing the future great war!】

Zhao Si, having experienced one failure, could naturally no longer harbor the dream of the Ten‑Slope Sword God, after all, under the watch of the three ancestors, hiding surely cannot last; dreams can only remain dreams.

Moreover, this kid Jiao Ming truly lacks talent; from the hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix to the birth of Luo Hu, although no calendrical calculations were made, there were at least a hundred great cycles in between.

Because during such a long time, the three clans went from initial formation to flourishing civilization, then to expanding their land until they filled the wilderness, after which a great war erupted; the prolonged great war then triggered the birth of Luo Hu, officially ushering in the end of the three clans.

【But, you who seek freedom never imagined that one of your great kindnesses would soon become the origin of all evil……】

The message‑bearing phoenix offspring fluttered anxiously:

【You brought wisdom to all beings, yet you did not bring them civilization, nor did you bring them order.】

Thus many phoenix clans, dazed, joined the bird‑snatching grand competition!

Meanwhile, such a scene also appeared at the Qilin Cliff in Central Province and the Crystal Palace of the East Sea.

Everyone listened, entranced, and involuntarily began to fantasize about the wonderful days ahead when they could summon and command their slaves:

……

【So, as an ordinary being, can I truly grant wisdom to all beings?】

「Impossible! Absolutely impossible! 」

【Aside from having no distinction of species, you also do not, like the three ancestors, reduce all beings to slaves; instead you let them live and reproduce, this ancestor of yours does not meddle in trivial matters, nor do you have the leisurely elegance to oppress all beings.】

【The Phoenix Ancestor is, the Dragon Ancestor and the Qilin Ancestor are likewise, and even Grandmaster Hongjun is the same; they have no parents, unlike you, who, although inexplicably born with spiritual awareness, are ultimately an ordinary being born of parents……】

【Free birds never consider what the world will become when everyone can enjoy unlimited freedom.】

Hmm? That seems off, Jin Bing is the human clan's great chieftain, his merit is off the charts—he's the one who's cheated, while Jiao Ming is actually a normal person……

The Phoenix Ancestor himself can only grant wisdom to birds; the old sea worms of the East Sea can open scales and aquatic kinds, the old oxen and horses of Central Province can open beasts; it's not that they don't want to grant wisdom to more species, they simply cannot!

Moreover, you've granted wisdom to all, so what are we supposed to open?

「You…… who exactly are you? 」

【In your previous life, you once followed the Phoenix Ancestor's order, together with other second‑generation phoenix offspring, to enlighten the phoenix clan; only a drop of bloodline was needed to awaken the spiritual awareness of those foolish beasts.】

Enlightening was merely for enlightening, not for enslavement or profit……

「All of them! All of them! 」

Boundless magical power naturally invites pursuit, but limitless power is even more intoxicating; after all, you calculate boundless magical power, and to accomplish anything you must act yourself, draining magical power, time, and energy—how troublesome!

【This discovery, while exciting, also led you to completely discard the Phoenix Ancestor's deceitful "Opening Heaven Myth": what innate divinity, source of wisdom—I, a mere ordinary being, can't I also awaken spiritual awareness in beings!】

【Huh? Why do I suddenly feel a strange sense of superiority?】

Southern Wasteland, Great Volcano.

But power is different; you need not expend anything at all, yet a single word can make countless people run themselves ragged, have whatever you want, even decide life and death with a single sentence!

Even a bit of effort, even if it yields a hundredfold return, still isn't as satisfying as pure free‑riding……

【Such is your nature—you love freedom dearly; you yourself are free and you allow others freedom; in your eyes, freedom is the most precious treasure!】

【Just like those little birds you enlightened in your past life using the Phoenix Ancestor's bloodline, they too have awakened wisdom they never possessed.】

【That old charlatan Phoenix Ancestor, truly unreliable!】

【You have fully absorbed the lesson from your past life, when your meditation was ruined by Luo Hu destroying your life, and decisively chose another path.】

【Having been reborn once, you naturally won't believe its so‑called "Bird God Opens Heaven" claim, but as for whether it is a manifestation of the essence of heaven and earth, there's naturally nothing to doubt—the Phoenix Ancestor's innate divinity is precisely the essence of heaven and earth born of heaven and nurtured by earth!】

Suddenly, a second‑generation phoenix offspring came running to report:

「I don't know why, but many of the beasts outside have gained spiritual awareness! 」

【You quickly cast aside that strange sense of parental superiority, after all, having parents is tantamount to having none; honestly, it's actually worse than being born parentless……】

【Not long after, under your tense and curious gaze, this fellow little red bird, from its initial fright, gradually grew calm, and even its originally Chaos‑filled eyes began to gleam with lively color.】

Upon these words, all the phoenix offspring who had been dreaming of a bright future froze:

In the face of an unknown enemy's threat, the primordial three clans were forced to begin early land expansion, snatching birds, beasts, and scaled aquatic creatures.

Moreover, what kind of "source of wisdom" could ignore racial differences and yet grant wisdom to all beings?!

There's no way; if we don't hurry and seize, the era of the three clans will end before it even begins!

【You chose option B, emulating the three ancestors, imitating their method to build a great power, thereby preventing the future great war!】

【Holding doubts, you decided to conduct a small experiment.】

The Phoenix Ancestor was passionately promoting education to his carefully nurtured second‑generation phoenix offspring, teaching them language, writing, ethics and morality, and how to collect slaves to serve himself.

From birth to the brink of extinction, in this long span Jiao Ming managed only to reach the Great Luo Golden Immortal—even Jin Bing falls short!

【In your past life you asked this of the Phoenix Ancestor, who then brought forth the "Bird God Opens Heaven Myth", solemnly explaining: your bloodline possesses such divine power because it is the refined essence of the "Heaven‑Opening Bird God", thus it is the "source of wisdom", naturally destined to rule over all beings in the wilderness……】

Shocked, an unprecedented shock!

What's more shocking is that, although countless beings have been enlightened with spiritual awareness, they show no trace of civilization or order, as if the mysterious person who enlightened them only cares about birth, not education.

【Just now, the phoenix clan hasn't yet begun expansion; if you want to build your own power to later stop the three clans' great war, now is the best time!】

The Phoenix Ancestor was so startled he flew out of the Great Volcano in a hurry, observing everything closely.

「What kind of beast? A land beast? An aquatic kind? 」

The Phoenix Ancestor's hysteria made all the phoenix offspring promptly obey, shouting in unison:

「Yes! 」

【Thus you were formally titled "Jiao Ming the Elder", settling on the Small Volcano, while those who follow your love of freedom—second‑generation myriad beings—continue your work; whenever they pass a stretch of land, they awaken spiritual awareness in all manner of beings living there.】

【One tells ten, ten tell a hundred, a hundred tell ten thousand, ten thousand tell a hundred million……】

【A strange scene appeared: this little red bird that had consumed your ordinary bloodline actually drew near affectionately, and after a few tentative attempts, you finally excitedly confirmed that this little red bird now possesses true spiritual awareness!】

【After venting a few more complaints about the Phoenix Ancestor, I couldn't help but feel my heart surge: since the first one succeeded, let's begin expansion! In this life, I too want to taste what it's like to be an elder!】

But soon, it no longer doubted, immediately returned to the Great Volcano, and ordered the second-generation phoenix seeds still in a daze:

"Go! Immediately go enlighten the bird tribe! While they haven't yet enlightened all the bird tribes, snatch as many as possible!!!"

【At some time, before the three tribes had begun large-scale expansion, a small volcano in the Southern Wilderness was the first to ignite the fire of wisdom!】

Anyway, there's no need to think about hiding anymore.

Spiritual wisdom? Isn't that a divine power only we second-generation phoenix seeds possess?

What, has it become as cheap as cabbage?

Zu Feng's pupils contracted even more, and it hurriedly asked:

Zu Feng felt bewildered, even beginning to doubt bird life.

Zu Feng: ……

【So, you feel doubtful about whether you still possess that divine power to awaken the wisdom of all living beings.】

【But back then, that kind of divine effect existed only because of Zu Feng's blood; in this life you have not received phoenix blood, essentially you are just an ordinary little bird that mysteriously awakened spiritual wisdom.】

"Choose B!"

【You nervously took a drop of your own blood, then made it consume it, and watched the changes……】

【You lavishly bestowed your bloodline, awakening the wisdom of all spirits; unlike the Three Ancestors, you are not limited to a single species—whether birds, beasts, scaled creatures, or aquatic tribes, you equally awaken their wisdom.】

"Not good, clan chief!"

Which overstuffed guy pulled this stunt?!

【Your "descendants" are exploding at an exponential rate, radiating from a corner of the Southern Wilderness to the entire Southern Wilderness!】

Looking at this, it became even more foolish:

Beasts have spirit, scaled aquatic tribes have spirit, even the bird tribe you had planned for now has spirit……

【Seeing this, your heart eased, and you then gently let it go.】

【With your Mystic Immortal cultivation, you casually caught a same-type red-feathered little bird; although it lacked true wisdom, the sudden change still frightened this counterpart greatly, making it continuously squawk "ga-ga" and flap its wings and claws nonstop.】

"They are all savage beasts!"

【……】

In a short span of time, the ancient, savage, silent wilderness became bustling in a flash, a scene of chickens flying and dogs jumping……

……

(End of chapter)