Qin Chuan watched the departing figure of the Heavenly Fire King and exhaled softly, a relaxed smile appearing on his face.
He had neither killed the eight elders of the Phoenix Clan nor the Heavenly Fire King. Under such circumstances, it would seem unnecessary to show mercy.
But after all, these grudges were stirred up by him; in other words, he had caused this situation by meddling without any real reason.
To put it plainly, he was somewhat at fault.
Though there may be no one to uphold so-called justice, everyone has their own inner balance scale. One should try to act in a way that doesn't go against one's conscience.
Yes, try.
In reality, no one can completely live without guilt because everyone has selfish desires. It's impossible to be entirely selfless.
"This time, I owe you all a debt of gratitude. If you don't mind, please come to my humble abode, and let us host you properly," Qin Chuan said, cupping his hands towards Chu Zhongtian, Jin Zhi, and the others. Although they were all acquaintances, the situation now was different.
Everyone was now a giant, and basic courtesy still needed to be observed.
"Alright."
"It would be rude to refuse such hospitality."
"Thank you for your invitation."
The group smiled and nodded, accepting the offer.
Soon, they left the peak of the heavens, completely ignoring the other giants from Xuanhuang Heaven who had been watching.
These people had somewhat embarrassed expressions but did not act out, knowing that their earlier indifference had been rather disgraceful.
"Sigh."
They sighed, each leaving in their own direction.
Soon, the peak of the heavens was empty, leaving only vast expanses of shattered space that were slowly repairing themselves...
At the same time.
The Phoenix Clan was facing a massacre.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"Ah!!"
"I don't want to die, no—"
One after another, figures let out tragic screams as their bodies exploded on the spot, turning into clouds of blood mist. Some transformed into massive phoenixes and soared into the air, but just as they flapped their wings, they were obliterated.
This once powerful and proud clan was now utterly defenseless, at the mercy of others.
Their enemies were none other than giants!
"Sigh, such a long-standing clan has been destroyed like this. It's quite a pity," one of the towering, indistinct figures in the sky sighed.
"A common saying holds: 'A person without sin will be envied for their wealth.' A declining clan guarding a treasure trove? It's no surprise they would face destruction."
Another figure remarked coldly.
"Haha, people often speak of the Phoenix Clan's deep foundations, but they don't realize it's nothing but a clan that has tarnished the name of its ancestors."
"Indeed. The ancestral phoenix was once so powerful, but now, its descendants are so weak. It's truly lamentable."
Other giants shook their heads as well.
In the sky, there stood more than thirty giants, even including several who had previously left Xuanhuang Heaven.
While the Phoenix Clan had mobilized to Xuanhuang Heaven to capture Qin Zi, their home had been left vulnerable to a sneak attack by other forces!
"Everyone, let's work together to unearth the Ancestral Phoenix's remains. The source of the Ancestral Phoenix will be ours to comprehend!" one of the giants suggested.
"Agreed!"
The others responded, and with a wave of their hands, torrents of vast power surged downward.
"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"
In the next moment, ancient formations appeared, forming a radiant ring in the sky, resisting the collective force.
Within the formations, the runes sparkled like stars and danced like tadpoles, displaying infinite mysteries.
"A mere formation, and you think it can stop us?"
"Break it!"
The giants in the sky roared, and boundless divine power poured down, clashing against the formations below.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The formations quickly dimmed and eventually shattered. Under the power of the giants, the region where the Phoenix Clan resided was torn apart, with pieces of the earth rising and floating into the air.
"Boom—"
Finally, a pillar of light shot up from the ground, like the dawn breaking through the darkness and returning to the world!
This beam of light was ancient and magnificent, with countless golden particles rising within it, dazzling beyond belief.
"It really is underground!!"
The giants were overjoyed, their eyes gleaming with greed. The source of the Ancestral Phoenix—it was their hope to further their cultivation!
The world believed that the giant realm was the pinnacle of cultivation, but they knew there was another mysterious realm beyond it.
According to legends, the Phoenix Clan's progenitor had once reached that realm, though the details had long been lost to time.
Initially, they had thought it was merely a rumor, until countless eons ago, "That One" had stepped forward, obliterating the once-flourishing Xuanhuang Heaven. Only then did they realize that such an invincible existence did indeed exist!
From then on, their ambitions stirred. They spared no effort, desiring to reach that ultimate realm.
According to scattered ancient texts, they learned that the Ancestral Phoenix's remains were buried beneath the Phoenix Clan's land, and within it, perhaps the Ancestral Phoenix's essence remained. This was their only hope of advancing to that realm!
At least for now, it was the only hope.
"There's a small world underground. Let's break in!" one of the giants said with burning desire in his eyes.
"Let's go!"
Without hesitation, the giants dove downward, one after another. After all, at their level, there was little left to fear.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
However, as they collided with the pillar of light, they were repelled, as if they had slammed into a steel barrier. Their bodies trembled with numbness.
"Hmph, seems like we'll have to put in some effort. Let's all work together and shatter it!"
One of the giants said coldly.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Immediately, the giants launched a ferocious bombardment against the pillar of light. Their power was immense, and there was little in the world that could withstand them. Before long, a small crack appeared in the pillar.
The crack was tiny, but like an ant hole in a thousand-mile-long dike, it indicated that the barrier could be broken!
The giants increased their power, and waves of terrifying energy continued to pour out, almost flipping the entire sky upside down!
Meanwhile.
Beneath the pillar of light, within the small world, two bloodied figures, leaning on each other for support, stumbled repeatedly but continued to rise to their feet.
One was a dignified and imposing man, while the other was a woman in a white dress—none other than the Phoenix Clan's patriarch and Lin Yi's mother!
"Thud!"
The imposing man fell to the ground again, and the woman in white hurriedly supported him, tears streaming down her pale face.
"Brother!!"
The imposing man struggled to get up, kneeling on one knee. Weakly, he said, "Don't worry about me. I've been gravely wounded and am at the end of my rope. If not for my concern for you, I wouldn't have fled. As the patriarch, I should have perished with the rest of the clan."
He pointed weakly ahead and said, "The remains of our ancestor lie on the altar just ahead. Go there. If you can control the ancestor's remains, perhaps you can fight them, or at the very least… escape..."