Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Chapter 599 - 365: Attitude_2

"It’s just unknown whether this person will accept our recruitment; after all, the last two times the Longevity Star Palace Master went to him, he declined. "

"Hmph, at this point, if he still dares not to accept, it would be to defy the Emperor and the Heavenly Court’s dignity. Even without the Dragon Palace and Netherworld matter, we would have to capture him. The West already has Buddhism; the South Observance Continent cannot be allowed to foster another True Immortal of the Tao lineage."

"..."

The civil and military officials of the Heavenly Court had various thoughts.

The Heavenly Court’s assembly was full of unpredictable changes.

Meanwhile...

South Observance Continent, Golden Crow Mountain, Chaoyang Cave!

This mountain was also a famous one in South Observance, originally the sect of Zhaoyuan, until a Great Demon King with Golden Crow blood lineage appeared from nowhere. With vast divine powers, he burned down the sect, eradicated Zhaoyuan, extinguished his Tao lineage, and occupied this place as his lair, reigning supreme for countless eons, his cruel fame spreading far across the realms.

Until a hundred years ago, when Wuzhuang Temple took the lead, and the righteous Daoist cultivators formed an alliance to sweep through the demons of South Observance. Seeing the bad turn of events, the Golden Crow King flapped his wings and left, fleeing South Observance, and peace was finally restored to this land.

And now...

"Screech!!!"

A beautiful and clear cry echoed throughout the ten realms.

From within Chaoyang Cave, a fire stream flew out, soaring into the high sky and reverting to its original form—a Phoenix, as proud as the sun, with a tail of five colors, stunningly beautiful.

"Boom boom boom!"

As soon as the Phoenix flew out, thunder roared, the clear skies turned dark all of a sudden, and threatening clouds rolled in, blanketing the sky and oppressing the spirit.

Indeed...

"Mahayana Heaven Tribulation!"

"Phoenix Song Lord is finally going to reach Mahayana?"

"After this, we should rightly call her True Monarch Phoenix Song!"

"Great Immortal Zhen Yuan, truly has discerning eyes like a torch; how many new Mahayana have there been in recent years?"

"Including True Monarch Phoenix Song, it makes thirty-six."

"Among them, twelve were seen at the Pill Origin Gathering, but I’ve never heard of True Monarch Phoenix Song and the other twenty-three. More so, many have demon bodies. Could it be that the Monster Nation intends to influence South Observance significantly?"

"How could that be possible? True Monarch Phoenix Song and the other Mahayana True Immortals, all received Great Immortal Zhen Yuan’s endorsement to occupy a Spirit Mountain site, refine Immortal Spirits, advance into Mahayana. How could they be related to the Monster Nation?"

"Great Immortal Zhen Yuan is a Taoist Master of moral virtue, who teaches without discriminating. Although True Monarch Phoenix Song and the others are not human spirits, they practice the orthodox way and do no harm, so it’s only natural for Great Immortal Zhen Yuan to endorse them."

As the colorful Phoenix braved the tribulation, a crowd of cultivators also gathered to watch around Golden Crow Mountain.

But they were just spectators, with no ill intentions, and no one would dare have any.

Since the righteous Daoist alliance a century ago culminated in the eradication of demon skills, South Observance’s ethos shifted for the better, and disputes became increasingly rare. Each major Tao lineage and even wandering loose cultivators began a rare period of peaceful development.

Demon and evil paths, with hundreds of Mahayana, either fled with their lives or died and faded away, leaving behind a mass of Spirit Mountain sites and cultivation resources, enough to satisfy South Observance’s needs for a time.

Moreover, in these years, Wuzhuang Temple has been hosting the Pill Origin Gathering, promoting trade and exchange among all parties. A new order of the righteous path gradually replaced the original chaos of South Observance.

Not to mention that Phoenix Song Lord is an orthodox Daoist cultivator who, with the Wuzhuang Temple’s endorsement, rightfully took over Golden Crow Mountain, even ordinary cultivators crossing the tribulation rarely face someone daring to take advantage during the process.

Because the consequence of seizing such an opportunity is to be branded as evil, and it is not necessary for Wuzhuang Temple to take action, as the allied righteous paths would initiate the purge themselves.

Now in South Observance Continent, most Mahayana belong to the righteous path or neutral upstanding individuals. There is no ground for evil demons to survive, at least not before that banner falls.

Hence, people came merely as spectators.

"Boom boom boom!"

In a mere moment, the tribulation arrived. The Phoenix beat its wings and cried, turning into a flow of five-colored light, charging directly into the vast tribulation clouds.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the clouds disappeared, the thunder vanished, leaving only a five-colored glow.

In the glow, a beautiful Phoenix danced, its colors brilliant and unmatched.

Finally, the Phoenix transformed in a twist, taking on a human shape—a stunningly beautiful young girl with a red flaming crown adorned with golden rays, cloaked in a five-colored rainbow celestial feather robe, so exquisite that for a moment, the heavens paled, and the sun and moon lost their luminance.

"She’s succeeded!"

"As expected!"

"South Observance Continent now has another Mahayana True Immortal!"

"I wonder when will Zhen Yuan advance into the Calamity Immortal realm?"

"As soon as the Great Immortal steps into the Tribulation Realm, our South Observance can become a great Tao lineage. Not that we can contend with the Heavenly Court or Buddhism, but matching the Dragon Palace and Netherworld should not be difficult."

"At that time, the Great Immortal can reopen the Pill Origin Gathering, no longer having to be threatened by those two."

As the Phoenix completed its tribulation, the cultivators were even more moved.

Phoenix Song was not verbose and went back to the mountain.

Inside Chaoyang Cave, a person stood with hands behind his back, waiting for her.

Phoenix Song stepped forward quickly, kneeled on one knee, and joyfully said, "Daoist Master, Phoenix Song has succeeded!"

"Not bad!"

Xu Yang nodded his head and helped her up with an open hand, examining her: "But the divine power lacks perfection. If it were complete, transforming at will and using the opportunity of the Heavenly Tribulation could refine the Phoenix True Blood!"

"It is due to Phoenix Song’s poor aptitude, failing to meet the expectations of the Daoist Master!"

Phoenix Song, upon hearing this, gritted her teeth: "I will certainly train harder in the future, and not fall short of the Daoist Master’s expectations."

"Ha!"

Xu Yang laughed, gently stroking her crown feathers: "Hastiness does not bring success. It is the natural way for things to evolve in due course. You may aim for this, but you must not rush."

Hearing this, Phoenix Song relaxed, enjoying his hand stroking her while changing how she addressed him, affectionately saying, "Ming’er understands!"

Xu Yang, seeing this, was also helpless.

A hundred years ago, Scholar’s Palace ascended, rising to the Immortal Realm, following the original plan carrying along a hundred Integration cultivators, three thousand Return to Void cultivators, and tens of thousands of Deity Transformation, millions of Nascent Soul.