Chapter 150: Ancestor Phoenix Starts the Show!

East Wasteland, Jade Capital Mountain.

This private immortal mountain of Old Daoist Hongjun, after experiencing countless kalpas of tranquility, finally welcomed bustle……

"Adoptive father! Just take us out to play!"

Number Three Little Bird Taiyi hopped onto Jiaoming's shoulder, begging incessantly:

"Just play a little bit, that's all……"

"No!"

Jiaoming, clad in a red robe, sat cross-legged beneath the old tree's spiritual root; no matter how Taiyi begged, he merely straightened his face and refused.

Looks like I need to get my brothers accustomed to the new role ahead of time……

Taiyi, however, had a bigger playful heart, always wanting to go out and see and play; although he never neglected his cultivation, Jiaoming just couldn't stand his wandering about……

Doing this, even the Ancestor Dragon couldn't attain the Dao.

【Soon, the light of civilization's fire began to burn amidst the Four Seas; the Dragon Clan arose with the times, breaking the ancient barbaric state!】

Upon seeing Old Daoist Hongjun leave the mountain, Taiyi, who was being chased by his older brother and running all over, hurriedly flew to Jiaoming's side and begged again:

"Adoptive father, may I go down the mountain with my master? I won't run around……"

"No!"

"What's this……"

Having merely slain an Ancestor Qilin, he unexpectedly achieved the result that requires the Triple Slay ability……

There's no other reason—simply not enough time!

And perhaps differing experiences caused him to lack certain opportunities and insights……

Jiaoming's mouth twitched:

"What on earth is wrong with you? In your previous life you never acted like this……"

Jiaoming looked bewildered:

The plan underwent a major change; the Ancestor Phoenix neither wanted to awaken its spirit, nor to attain the Dao, nor to help the Ancestor Dragon slaughter slaves.

Taiyi: ……

Before Jiaoming could speak, Di Jun, who was nearby fiddling with a formation using twigs, immediately couldn't sit still, his head tilting as his eyes flashed with bewilderment:

【Ancestor Dragon: ……】

As three siblings born from the sun's essence, how could their personalities differ so greatly?

Xihe had a bad temper, liked to bully his two younger brothers, yet was earnest in his cultivation.

After thinking, Jiaoming earnestly asked the Ancestor Phoenix:

……

The Ancestor Phoenix glanced at him:

"You lack the ability to awaken all spirits; you are therefore destined not to attain the Dao…… you'll be safer."

【And her new residence was thus decided upon Jade Mountain……】

Jiaoming sighed.

Some time had passed since the Ancestor Qilin's fall, and after slaying it, its death and last words seemed to stimulate the Ancestor Dragon, causing his already considerable vigilance to heighten further.

"You're not like it."

Jiaoming: ……

The Vermilion Bird was always meticulous in thought, subconsciously glancing at the male bird beside the clan chief…… no, that should be called a man.

"Do I look like an idiot? Knowing full well that slaughter would help it attain the Dao, while I myself have no present desire to attain the Dao, why would I help it? If it breakthroughs, it might kill me, this threat to its Dao, together—what then?"

Indeed, Xihe was the most diligent of the three siblings; no matter how much Jiaoming and Hongjun taught her, she always fully understood, being hardworking and ambitious—daily cultivation, pill concoction, geography, astronomy…… all posed no difficulty.

【Thus, the Ancestor Dragon repeatedly went in person to the Southern Volcano to urge the Ancestor Phoenix to awaken its spirit, but the Ancestor Phoenix inexplicably responded coldly.】

"No, what does this have to do with me?!"

"Let's hope……"

The Ancestor Phoenix's wistful words left Jiaoming somewhat at a loss:

"But I also took part in the encirclement and slaughter……"

Saying this, she commanded the Phoenix Clan's chief backbone, the Vermilion Bird:

"From today onward, our Phoenix Clan will reside on Jade Capital Mountain; remember to keep disturbances low and not disturb this place's tranquility."

"Yes! Clan Chief!"

Anyway, Jiaoming never expected his biggest flaw to be this guy……

However, the original plan to jointly slay the Two Ancestors with them now seems difficult to achieve……

【But…… an unexpected event occurred: when the Dragon Clan's civilizational fire, blazing from a corner of the East Sea, spread wildly toward the Four Seas, the Phoenix Clan of the Southern Volcano unexpectedly fell silent……】

Although ages have passed, the scene of the two brothers hiding together from Rahu remains vivid; now meeting again, their identities are utterly different, inevitably evoking sentiment……

"That older brother of yours also goofs off all day; why don't you discipline him?"

"Sigh……"

One could say that the reason his plan is riddled with loopholes lies entirely with that old fogey Hongjun……

【Next, the Ancestor Dragon instituted slavery, just as in his previous life, imposing his absolute rule over the Primordial Heaven and Earth……】

【You know all this, yet you have no reason to stop it; you can only watch helplessly as the civilizational fire consumes all beings as fuel and ignites.】

Jiaoming once again brought out his father's sternness:

……

Hongjun sighed and rose to his feet.

Taiyi, feeling wronged:

After a round of play, the three little rascals accepted this outsider, and they had a great time together……

Jiao Ming asked again.

Moreover, Jade Capital Mountain is not bad either.

Ah?

Upon receiving this unexpected answer, Jiao Ming was momentarily dazed:

What's going on?

In your previous two lives, weren't you that crazy for attaining the Dao?

Zu Feng saw his confusion, her gaze drifting as she said:

"We three have known each other for countless aeons, our bond is deep; we originally planned to attain the Dao together and govern the wilderness, but who would have thought that Old Changchong, for a chance at the Dao, would actually strike down Old Niuma."

"So, you don't want to awaken your spirit and attain the Dao?"

【Even because Zu Long urged hastily, causing Zu Feng to directly take the few hundred second-generation phoenix offspring and move en masse!】

Fortunately, temperament does not affect cultivation talent; the three little golden crows all showed extraordinary talent, and at this rate, becoming a Great Luo Golden Immortal won't take long.

Zu Feng sighed.

Hongjun was also helpless:

"Fellow Daoist, I think I'd better go out for a walk; just sitting in meditation, I fear I'll never succeed in slaying the corpse……"

Watching this harmonious scene, then looking toward the group of second-generation phoenix offspring digging earth, chopping wood, and repairing bird nests in the mountains, Jiao Ming silently muttered about his landlord, the old man Hongjun:

But why does the clan leader refuse to move elsewhere, yet insists on moving to this Jade Capital Mountain?

Zhu Que received the order and withdrew.

Zu Feng sat casually under the old tree and said offhand:

"Nothing much, just hiding from that Old Changchong……"

Then does this count as a roundabout clearance?

Meanwhile, while Jiao Ming was brainstorming over this, Zu Feng quickly adapted to everything on Jade Capital Mountain, and with a casual gesture summoned the three little golden crows perched in the tree.

【You: ……】

Di Jun is usually aloof, but his mind is full of twists and turns; he likes to play with intricate things, such as formations.

Jiao Ming still finds it hard to understand; this is a direction he never planned.

Go out to encounter some opportunity?

"Then I wish you fellow Daoist smooth sailing."

After the two exchanged farewells, Hongjun left, leaving only Jiao Ming and the three siblings Xi He in the vast Jade Capital Mountain……

Once the little rascals want to play, Jiao Ming immediately starts scolding—this hardly needs learning.

"Look at your sister, then look at you! All you know is to play……"

Jiao Ming fell into thought.

Unexpectedly, Zu Feng let out a soft sigh:

"Because of Old Niuma's death, I feel that attaining the Dao is also meaningless."

Cough!

Zhu Que silently reminded herself:

"That also makes some sense: reading ten thousand volumes is no match for traveling ten thousand miles; perhaps Hongjun's inability to slay the corpse stems from his not wandering about as he did in his past life."

Once war with the two ancestors is openly declared, at most both sides would suffer mutual destruction; true victory is impossible……

After settling the affairs of Ancestor Qilin, Zu Long directly chose to immediately begin mass enlightenment of the scaled-armor aquatic clan, intending to further increase his cultivation to gain an advantage over Jiao Ming.

Jiao Ming did not sigh; it was Hongjun who sighed.

"What about the slaughter on Zu Long's side?"

【At some certain yuan, meeting, and fortune, you joined forces with Hongjun and Zu Long, then deceived Zu Feng into not coming to rescue, thereby managing to slay Ancestor Qilin!】

【You are quite confused about this, not knowing what Zu Feng is up to, but Zu Long directly panicked!】

"Is this called neglecting my duties?! You, stand still!"

Zhu Que dared not speak back, simply obeyed the order and withdrew, conveying the clan leader's command to the other second-generation phoenix offspring.

Jiao Ming really wanted to tell her the fact that he too could awaken his spirit, to see if she would remain so calm, but after thinking it over, he restrained himself:

I don't know if it's because the profession of father inherently carries stubborn and firm traits, but anyway, Jiao Ming, who had never been a father, after being called 'adoptive father' by the three little birds, suddenly awakened something within.

Not to mention merely moving to Jade Capital Mountain; even if the clan leader said everyone should henceforth live in that cesspool of the Sea of Blood, they could only hold their noses and jump in……

"Why don't you go enlighten the sentient beings' spirits? This concerns attaining the Dao……"

Had he been able to slay an evil corpse as in his previous life, the three ancestors would already be dead by now.

"At least for now, I don't want to."

The three siblings' personalities are also quite odd.

Intuition tells it that the clan leader exists for him……

The old Daoist Hongjun also sat under the old tree, his eyes filled with a sense of helplessness, and he said softly:

"Fellow Daoist, I still can't slay an evil corpse……"

"It could strike Old Niuma today, who knows if it will turn on me next… After thinking it over, I suddenly feel that attaining the Dao isn't so wonderful……"

This is undoubtedly bad news for Jiao Ming, yet he truly has no recourse; it's a stalemate, for he cannot immediately plot to slay Zu Long, which would only result in the two ancestors banding together for mutual survival.

Jiao Ming smiled and gave a salute.

【It's fate; Zu Long, to eliminate the threat you pose to his strength, has formally begun mass enlightenment of sentient beings— a drop of dragon blood, and the spirit awakens.】

Although leaving the accustomed southern volcanoes is uncomfortable, the Phoenix clan essentially are slaves to their clan leader by nature; naturally, whatever the clan leader says, goes.

There's no need to make enemies.

While Zhu Que glanced sideways at Jiao Ming, Jiao Ming was also looking at this good brother from his past life.

"Oh? You said move house?"

"How would I know!"

"Stay put in the mountain and cultivate honestly; if you slack off again, I'll… I'll lock you up together with Di Jun!"

"Ah!"

Tai Yi flicked his wings in disdain and flew off, making Di Jun chase after him all over in anger……

Jiao Ming looked at them helplessly, then glanced up at Xi He cultivating in the treetop, and couldn't help but sigh:

This……

On Jade Capital Mountain, Jiao Ming stared dumbfounded at the red‑clothed Ancestor Phoenix, held it in for a while, then finally managed to say:

After all, in this life, ever since he came to Jade Capital Mountain, he has been discussing the plan to kill the three ancestors on the mountain with himself, hardly ever going out, and has literally been shut in as a recluse!

This way, it will definitely be different from his past life's experiences.

"Only an idiot would stand still!"

Tai Yi's talent and comprehension are somewhat better than his sister's and brother's, but precisely because everything comes too easily to him, he doesn't really focus on cultivation or other skills, just wants to go out and play, with the most unrestrained personality……

Thus, the alliance between the two sides is in name only; Ancestor Dragon has already prepared to turn against him!

Ancestor Phoenix gave him a sideways glance and said angrily:

"Fellow Daoist, if you don't come back, your home will become the Phoenix Clan's home, ah……

……

(End of chapter)