The First Marquis of Daxuan

"Vermilion Bird? Never heard of it."

The white tiger lay on the ground, its enormous head shaking twice, and spoke in a deep voice.

It was suppressed beneath the transcendent Jin Hong and dared not lie at all.

"If what you say is true, Master Xuanxuan is a man of deep cunning, and he probably wouldn't tell the White Tiger the truth."

"The transcendent Jin Hong pondered."

"That's a bit troublesome."

Su Mu said.

The detached Jin Hong smiled slightly.

"It's rare to find something you can't do."

A hint of confidence flashed across his face.

As a detached individual, he rarely lacks self-confidence.

In the past, aside from the Great Calamity of Desolation, there was almost nothing he couldn't do in this world.

Until he met Su Mu.

In front of Su Mu, this transcendent being often felt like a useless person.

Su Mu, on the other hand, seemed like an omnipotent being.

This was the first time he had ever seen Su Mu helpless in the face of a situation.

This made him feel somewhat pleased.

Only at this moment did he feel like a transcendent being.

"I just discovered another strange place while exploring this universe. That should be the place where the Vermilion Bird, one of the Four Divine Beasts, resides."

"I am a transcendent being," Jin Hong said with a smile.

He is a transcendent being; there is no place in the myriad realms that he cannot reach.

He simply couldn't be bothered to pay attention to it before because it was too remote.

Having come with Su Mu this time, he had already used his transcendent abilities upon arriving in this universe, his divine sense instantly spreading throughout the entire universe.

Once the Transcendent One unleashes his omnipresent power, he understands everything about this universe almost instantly.

He discovered that the white tiger was hiding here.

Besides this place, he naturally discovered another strange place.

The legendary Four Divine Beasts have disappeared into the river of time, but Master Xuanxuan has recreated them using a special method.

However, these four divine beasts are not the same as the legendary four ancient divine beasts.

Su Mu and the transcendent Jin Hong were simply too lazy to distinguish between them.

However, Master Xuanxuan's methods were quite astonishing.

"Come with me."

"I am smug," Jin Hong, the detached one, said with self-satisfaction.

He released the white tiger and said calmly, "You can try to escape, if you think you can get away from me."

"Don't dare."

The white tiger lowered its head and said in a muffled voice.

run?
Where did they run off to?
The transcendent beings are everywhere; once they've set their sights on it, it has no choice.

It didn't actually intend to run away; it realized that neither the Transcendent nor the man named Su Mu wanted to kill it.

Otherwise, given the opponent's strength, it could easily have taken its life.

It seems the other party wants it to do something.

If that's the case, why would it risk angering the two of them by running away?
Since there's no way to escape, I might as well finish the job for them.

Moreover, Baihu was indeed curious about the relationship between these two people and Xuanzhu.

If they really want to harm the Lord, wouldn't it be good for me to stay by their side and keep an eye on them?
So the white tiger stayed without any qualms.

Seeing that the transcendent beings Jin Hong and Su Mu had transformed into two beams of light and shot into the sky, the white tiger did not delay and quickly followed after them.

Su Mu and the Transcendent Jin Hong need no further introduction regarding their strength. Even Bai Hu is a peak Dao Ancestor realm being.

The three of them moved quickly, but it still took them half a day to reach the place mentioned by the transcendent Jin Hong.

Of course, the reason for the slow pace is mainly to take care of the white tiger.

The white tiger was too slow, and Su Mu and the transcendent Jin Hong were unwilling to waste their energy carrying it...

Su Mu, along with the transcendent Jin Hong and Bai Hu, appeared one after another in a desolate place.

This place is a void; not even a single planet can be seen.

The surrounding area, spanning tens of thousands of miles, was utterly empty, filled with a suffocating stillness.

The white tiger looked left and right.

It had heard of the legend of the mythical beast Vermilion Bird, but had never seen a real Vermilion Bird in reality.

Moreover, it doesn't even know if the Vermilion Bird still exists in the world.

Judging from what Su Mu and the transcendent Jin Hong said, it seems that the Xuan Master has gathered the four ancient divine beasts.

No wonder he insisted on helping me activate the White Tiger bloodline back then, and even spent so much to preserve my bloodline, allowing me to revert to my ancestral form indefinitely.

The white tiger thought to itself.

However, we can't see Suzaku here either.

Does the Mystic Lord really have the ability to create a Vermilion Bird?

Suzaku is different from me.

After all, he possessed a trace of the bloodline of the ancient white tiger, and as long as his bloodline reverted to its ancestral form, that would be fine.

But the Vermilion Bird is probably extinct.

"You haven't come to the wrong place, have you?"

Baihu glanced at the transcendent Jin Hong and asked weakly.

Can beings like those who transcend mortality also make mistakes?
It was indeed somewhat curious, and also harbored some resentment.

Even those who transcend worldly concerns are no different; they make mistakes just like everyone else.

The filter I once had for those who transcended worldly concerns has now been mostly shattered.

The transcendent Jin Hong merely glanced at it before turning to Su Mu.

"This is it."

He said slowly, "The heat in this place is somewhat abnormal in the entire universe. From an energy perspective, there should be a sun-like entity here."

He looked around and suddenly stepped lightly.

hum!
A force rapidly spread through the void.

No sooner said than done.

A wave of energy seemed to surge forth in the boundless darkness.

boom!
After the waves crashed, a burst of flames suddenly appeared in the open space.

The flames appeared out of nowhere, without any apparent cause or reason.

In the very center of the flames was an enormous egg.

"It seems I didn't come to the wrong place."

The transcendent Jin Hong smiled faintly and said.

His words were clearly an answer to Baihu's earlier question.

Baihu chuckled awkwardly, inwardly thinking, "Does a transcendent being have to be so petty?"
I was just saying it offhand, okay?

You're so awesome, but in the end you only found an egg.
This egg is not a Vermilion Bird.

"It seems that Master Xuanxuan did not completely complete the arrangement back then."

The transcendent Jin Hong looked at Su Mu and continued, "The Vermilion Bird has not hatched, and the Azure Dragon is nowhere to be seen. Since the four ancient divine beasts failed to take shape, does it mean that Master Xuanxuan has failed?"

“Brother Jin, I said before that you’ve been living a high and mighty life for too long, so you don’t really understand how we people live.”

Su Mu smiled faintly and said.

"People like you?"

Jin Hong, the detached one, frowned slightly. "What kind of people are you?"
You said I've been high and mighty for too long, but your cultivation level isn't much lower than mine.

“They are different.”

Su Mu shook his head and said, "Everything that Master Xuanxuan and I have achieved to this day is the result of hard work and struggle."

Every step we take involves competing with countless people for roads and resources…

"Me too. When I transcended worldly concerns, there were many people competing with me."

The transcendent one, Jin Hongdao.

"But it cannot be denied that you come from a prestigious sect, and the cultivation techniques and resources that others dream of have been readily available to you since childhood."

When you need to fight, your strength has already reached an extremely high level.

Su Mudao.

The detached Jin Hong had a thoughtful expression on his face.

It seems that his life has been smoother than many others. Although he has fought with others, apart from the Great Calamity of Desolation, he was confident in all other battles.

If we're really talking about it that way, his tribulations were indeed less than those of Su Mu and Master Xuanxuan.

"Are you saying that you grew up through hardship, so you always have a backup plan?"

"I am a transcendent being," Jin Hong pondered.

Although he did not experience as many hardships as Su Mu and Master Xuanxuan, he was still an exceptionally intelligent person.

Su Mu's reminder made him realize it immediately.

"Yes."

Su Mu nodded and said, "It's always good to have a backup plan. Otherwise, I would have died countless times already."

The same goes for Master Xuanxuan.

Otherwise, I would have died when I fought against the power of the Desolate Heaven.

The same goes for Master Xuanxuan.

He looked at the giant egg engulfed in flames, a knowing smile appearing on his lips.

“I took away Black Dragon Ao Kun, and I also took away Xuanwu. This is something that Master Xuanxuan already knew.”

In other words, he already knew that it was impossible to gather all four ancient divine beasts before he devoured the desolate creatures.

But he still chose to devour the creatures of the desolate heavens. Knowing him as I do, he would never give up on himself.

Su Mu said.

He hadn't finished speaking.

suddenly.

The giant egg in the flames made a crackling sound.

The surface of the giant egg was covered with a dense network of spiderweb-like cracks.

The white tiger was startled and darted behind the transcendent being Jin Hong. Jin Hong glanced at it, his face full of helplessness.

"Do you really have the bloodline of the White Tiger, one of the four ancient mythical beasts?"

He couldn't help but ask, "The White Tiger is in charge of killing and warfare, how could it be so timid?"

"I think so."

The location of the White Tiger is uncertain, but the Xuan Master said it exists, and its appearance is indeed that of a white tiger.

Jin Hong, the detached one, sighed helplessly.

Times change, and perhaps if the White Tiger were alive today, it would really look like this.

He turned his gaze to the giant egg.

The cracks on the giant egg are increasing.

Su Mu and the transcendent Jin Hong both became somewhat solemn.

Both of them became more vigilant.

A violent aura emanated from inside the giant egg, and the flames that filled the void surged into the egg through the cracks.

Click!

Finally, a piece of the eggshell broke.

Immediately afterwards, a hand emerged from inside the eggshell.

call!
The remaining flames instantly surged into that palm.

That was a human hand.

Su Mu and the transcendent Jin Hong exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

They had assumed that the eggshell would hatch into the Vermilion Bird.

Has the Vermilion Bird already transformed into human form?

Su Mu actually had a thought in his mind: he always felt that Master Xuanxuan might have also included him in his plan.

Because he did indeed want to gather all four divine beasts in order to lure out Master Xuanxuan.

If Master Xuanxuan had taken his reaction into account, it would be terrifying, but not impossible.

As he watched the eggshell gradually break, the feeling of being tricked grew stronger and stronger.

"Brother Jin, something seems amiss. Be careful."

Su Mu said in a deep voice.

Jin Hong, the Transcendent One, nodded; he too sensed that something was amiss.

boom!
Just then, the eggshell finally shattered completely.

A person crawled out from inside and stretched right in front of them.

The flames in the air completely disappeared, the man's chest bulged high, and then he took a deep breath.

There is naturally no air in the void.

He absorbs the spiritual energy and power of the universe.

In an instant.

A visible energy tide appeared in the void.

The tide surged wildly into the man's body.

The aura emanating from that person continued to rise, reaching the peak of the Dao Ancestor Realm in the blink of an eye, and it was still increasing.

The transcendent Jin Hong narrowed his eyes slightly.

With each breath this person took, the entire universe was almost drained of its life force.

He certainly couldn't just stand by and watch that happen.

He snorted coldly and flicked his sleeve.

boom!
The energy tide was instantly interrupted, and the man took half a step back, looking at the transcendent Jin Hong with displeasure.

"If you want to die, I, Kim, can grant your wish."

"It is the transcendent Jin Hong who said coldly."

He certainly wasn't afraid of the other party.

As a transcendent being, he is virtually invincible.

This person wanted to turn a part of the universe into a desolate wasteland right in front of him, which was exactly the kind of behavior he abhorred the most.

A universe is like a fruit; if it becomes a place devoid of spirits, that fruit will quickly decay and wither.

The mission of those who transcend are to protect the fruit on the tree; how could they stand idly by and watch someone destroy it?

He was irreconcilably opposed to the Desolate Creature because the Desolate Creature wanted to destroy the fruit.

If the person in front of him wants to do that, then he will also be Jin Hong's enemy.

"With so many fruits in the myriad realms, what's wrong with me taking just one?"

The other party stared at Jin Hong and said in a deep voice.

“If it’s not yours, even if you take it temporarily, you still have to give it back.”

Su Mu suddenly spoke up, "Aren't you right, Xuanxuan?"

"Xuanxuan?"

Both Jin Hong and Bai Hu, who had transcended worldly concerns, were taken aback.

The person who hatched from the eggshell is not the Vermilion Bird, but the Mysterious Master.

A hint of surprise flashed in Jin Hong's eyes.

Wasn't Master Xuanxuan assimilated into a creature of the desolate heavens?

If the person in front of you is Master Xuanxuan, then who is on the desolate plain?
He had personally witnessed Master Xuanxuan devour the flesh and blood of the Desolate Heaven creatures and eventually become a Desolate Heaven creature himself.

Furthermore, because Su Mu purified the power of the Desolate Heaven with the Dao Scripture, that Desolate Heaven creature briefly regained its self-awareness.

All that he and Su Mu had been busy with was to capture the desolate creature that Xuanxuan Shangren had transformed into from the desolate plains.

Now that Su Mu suddenly said that the man in front of him was Master Xuanxuan, even the transcendent Jin Hong was a little confused for a moment.

He was also somewhat puzzled as to what was going on.

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you after all."

The man stared at Su Mu for a long time before he sighed and slowly spoke.

"No, you've already fooled me."

Su Mu shook his head and said calmly, "It's just that the unpleasant aura you exude is too strong."

It's so heavy that I can't help but want to punch you hard in the face.

"There can only be one person in the entire universe whom I despise so much—Master Xuanxuan. There can't possibly be a second."

Master Xuanxuan: "..."

Transcendent Jin Hong: "..."

Just because of this, you're certain he's Master Xuanxuan?

Isn't this a bit too hasty?
Besides, don't we need something from Master Xuanxuan?
Are you sure Master Xuanxuan will help you by talking like that?
Jin Hong, the transcendent being, knew that Su Mu wanted to find Master Xuanxuan because he wanted to know why Master Xuanxuan was able to maintain his self-awareness under the power of the desolate heaven.

This is something that almost no one can do, and it goes without saying that it is also a great secret of Master Xuanxuan.

Under normal circumstances, Master Xuanxuan would never tell others about such a thing.

According to Jin Hong, who transcends worldly concerns, one should have the proper attitude when asking for help, and at the very least, one should not speak ill of others.

Otherwise, why would the other party possibly help you?

If we can't get Master Xuanxuan to cooperate willingly, then even if we torture him, we probably won't get anything out of him.

After all, someone like Master Xuanxuan would not be afraid of severe torture.

That feeling of not being able to see through it and not understanding it surged back into my heart.

Jin Hong, the detached one, felt like an old thing abandoned by the times, completely unable to understand how young people handle things and get along.

Despite Su Mu's sarcastic remarks, Master Xuanxuan was not angry at all; instead, he smiled and shook his head.

"I see, I was careless."

Master Xuanxuan said, "I thought my escape was flawless, but I didn't expect the flaw to appear in this place."

With a flick of his sleeve, a magnificent temple appeared out of thin air.

Master Xuanxuan gestured for him to enter.

"You've come from afar, why don't you sit down and have a chat?"

Master Xuanxuan said.

"You're quite adept at turning the tables."

Su Mu said with a mocking expression, "Have you forgotten whose territory this is?"

As he spoke, he stepped into the temple, showing no sign of fear.

The detached Jin Hong smiled nonchalantly.

With Su Mu by his side, they could even venture into the desolate wilderness.

What kind of dragon's den and tiger's lair is this Xuanxuan Shangren's temple?
He stepped forward and followed.

The White Tiger hesitated.

"Master Xuan?"

It let out a hesitant cry.

"Xiao Bai, come on over too."

Master Xuanxuan smiled and said, "It's been many years since we last met, so it's a good opportunity for us to catch up on our old friendship."

Oh, right, from now on you are free.

Between us, we owe each other nothing.

"My Lord, that's not what I meant—"

Baihu's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said...

Although it had always hoped to repay the favor to Master Xuanxuan, when that day finally came, it suddenly felt uneasy.

It knows Master Xuanxuan very well.

Being friends with someone like Master Xuanxuan would certainly not be comfortable, but being enemies with him would be even more terrifying.

Over the years, every enemy of Master Xuanxuan that it had ever encountered had died.

This time it came with those two people. What if Master Xuanxuan misunderstands that it has betrayed him?
"My Lord, I—"

It explained nervously.

"No need to say more, I know everything."

Master Xuanxuan smiled and said, "Little Bai, come up and listen to my story with them. Then you will understand that I have truly given you your freedom."

After saying this, Master Xuanxuan turned and entered the temple.

Baihu hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and followed him inside.

Upon entering the temple, it found Master Xuanxuan, Su Mu, and the transcendent Jin Hong sitting opposite each other, with wine cups even placed before them. (End of Chapter)