Savoring the long-lost sense of ease and freedom, Feng Yan stretched elegantly, her entire being radiating a lazy and satisfied aura.
She turned her head to look at Lin Qingyue, a hint of a smile in her clear eyes.
"Little friend, where do you plan to go next?"
She paused, then added, "In consideration of your 'retirement' story, I will give you a ride."
"Just consider it... the retired Goddess's final overtime service."
Her words carried a touch of a young girl's playfulness, making the atmosphere between them even more harmonious.
"Then I will accept your generous offer."
Lin Qingyue complied readily, without the slightest hesitation.
She skillfully pulled a rather crudely drawn regional map from her backpack and spread it on the ground.
Her fingertip pointed to the dark green area at the easternmost edge of the continent.
"Let's go here."
She looked up to meet Feng Yan's gaze, the corner of her mouth curving into a smile that suggested she was eager to see some trouble unfold.
"Let's go and meet Senior Azure Dragon, that aloof and erudite elder whose rules are so numerous they could carve an entire mountain."
Hearing this, Lin Xiyue, Su Wan, and Xia Lian all felt their spirits soar.
They had just dealt with a hot-tempered elder sister, and now they were going to challenge the ultimate old fossil.
The pace of this Dungeon was so fast that it left them no time to even catch their breath.
However, this feeling of continuously challenging powerful beings, far from being exhausting, actually made their blood burn with excitement.
"Oh? You chose him?"
Feng Yan followed her finger, a knowing smile spreading across her face.
"Well alright, that old fossil knows the most. Starting with him is indeed the best choice."
She then changed her tone, adding a touch of teasing amusement.
"By the way, go and check if that old guy has turned himself into a real piece of wood over the long ages."
She withdrew her smile, her expression turning serious.
"Now, stand firm."
The moment her words fell.
A majestic and indescribable life aura erupted violently from within her body!
Her crimson palace dress transformed into a stream of light, and her flame-like long hair surged towards the sky.
Screech!
A high-pitched, clear phoenix cry, capable of piercing clouds and splitting stone, echoed across the heavens!
In that cry, there was no longer the slightest trace of sorrow or anger, only endless majesty and the joy of rebirth!
The vision of Lin Qingyue and the other three was completely swallowed by the dazzling golden flames.
When the light faded, Feng Yan's figure had already disappeared, replaced by a magnificent divine bird with a wingspan exceeding thirty meters!
The divine bird's posture was more majestic than the legendary phoenix, more awe-inspiring than the deities on the murals.
Its wings shimmered with flowing colors; every single feather seemed to be composed of the purest flames and life crystals, yet no heat could be felt emanating from them.
On the contrary, what everyone felt was only a wave of dense, almost palpable life aura washing over them.
This was the true form of the Vermilion Bird, the Deity who presided over rebirth and flame!
Su Wan's knuckles, gripping her staff, turned white from the force as her powerful elemental perception screamed a warning, telling her that every cell of the creature before them contained the law-defining power to overturn nature.
Xia Lian's mouth hung open, and she couldn't even close it after a long while.
She had never imagined that a creature could define the words "beauty" and "power" so perfectly.
"Sis... is this... Senior Feng Yan?"
Lin Xiyue asked with a stutter. She felt her heart trembling wildly; it wasn't fear, but the instinctive awe from the depths of her soul when facing a higher-level lifeform.
"What else could it be?"
Lin Qingyue, however, remained calm and even found the spare time to comment sarcastically.
"A retired god's re-employment, temporarily working as a part-time chauffeur."
A gentle power materialized out of thin air, steadily lifting Lin Qingyue and the other three, gently placing them on the fiery bird's broad, flat back.
The texture of the feathers was not as hard as they had imagined, but instead felt like the finest cloud brocade, soft and elastic, providing an incredibly stable seat.
The fiery bird lightly flapped its wings.
There was no raging wind, no air turbulence.
It simply flapped its wings with an elegant motion, and its body, like a bolt of golden lightning, instantly shot into the clouds!
The mountains and rivers beneath their feet rapidly shrank and blurred in their field of vision, finally turning into a colorful mosaic.
This experience was far more shocking than riding in any vehicle.
The fiery bird instantly pierced through the cloud layer, reaching an altitude of over ten thousand meters.
Below them was a surging sea of clouds, like a milky-white ocean stirred by an invisible giant hand.
Above was a a deep blue, washed-clean sky, and the sunlight seemed to grow a little closer.
The raging winds were shut out by an invisible golden barrier, allowing them to clearly look down upon this magnificent world.
"Too... too fast!" Xia Lian's voice was filled with shock.
Judging by her sight, the flight speed of this fiery bird had probably already far exceeded the speed of sound.
As for Lin Xiyue, after her initial shock, she boldly stood up, opened her arms, and let out an excited cheer.
Amid the sound of the wind, Feng Yan's gentle voice resonated directly in their minds, carrying a hint of amusement.
"Sit tight. I haven't flown this comfortably in thousands of years, so I might accidentally exceed the speed limit."
Lin Qingyue faced the gale of the high altitude, her pink hair fluttering behind her.
She did not immerse herself in the thrill of flying, but instead pondered calmly.
"Senior Feng Yan, about the 'Ancient God,' you said before that His existence predates even your birth?"
Feng Yan's voice paused for a moment before speaking again, this time with a touch more gravity.
"Yes."
"That period of history is too ancient, even that old fossil Azure Dragon is reluctant to speak of it. I have only captured some fragmented pieces in the oldest inherited memories."
"That was an era when 'God' and 'Sin' had not yet separated."
"It is said that there was a Supreme Being, who was both the source of all things and the end of all things."
"His emotions were the fundamental rules that constituted the world."
Lin Qingyue's heart stirred: "The Seven Sins?"
"More than that." Feng Yan's voice grew increasingly serious, "The Seven Sins might just be His most superficial emotions, the ones most easily understood and amplified by living beings."
"Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, Lust..."
"Rather than 'Sins,' these are better described as the 'nature' of that Being."
"We, the Celestial Gods of the Four Directions, in a sense, were also nurtured by this world after that Being fell asleep, in order to resist His existence."
"We were born to resist the erosion of these 'Sins.' Otherwise, we would be completely devoured by our corresponding 'Original Sin,' just as I was before."
These words made everything clear to Lin Qingyue in an instant.
She finally understood why this Dungeon was so sensitive to emotions, and why even the Celestial Gods could be trapped by the "Seven Sins."
Because these rules had already eroded the very source code of this world!
The Celestial Gods were merely antivirus software with higher privileges; once a bug appeared in themselves, they would be infected by the virus just the same.
"I strongly suspect that the 'World Heart' you are searching for is the core where that Ancient God sleeps."
Feng Yan's tone carried an unprecedented solemnity.
"And the 'Shadow of the Ancient God' you mentioned... I'm afraid it means that Being... is showing signs of awakening."
"His power can pollute and control everything by inducing the 'Sins' of living beings. Including 'Celestial Gods' like us."
"I correspond to 'Wrath.' Once I lose control, I will transform into a blazing fire that destroys all."
"And the Azure Dragon you are going to see..."
Feng Yan paused, her voice turning somewhat strange.
"He is calm in temperament, prides himself on being learned, and considers himself the Mentor of All Things, guarding the Vitality and Order of the continent."
"The 'Sin' he corresponds to is very likely... 'Pride.'"
"An old guy who believes he is always right and regards his own rules as the ultimate truth of heaven and earth is much harder to deal with than a madman who can only throw a tantrum."
Feng Yan's warning echoed in the wind, giving Lin Qingyue a clearer understanding of the challenge she was about to face.
Dealing with a hot-tempered patient could be done through psychological counseling.
But trying to persuade a scholarly celestial, an ultimate Pride monster who was stubborn and opinionated... the difficulty level was directly maxed out.
During the conversation, a boundless emerald green surged from the horizon.
That green was so overbearing, like spilled paint, instantly staining the entire world.
It was a vast forest.
Every tree could be called a towering giant, their massive canopies connecting to form a green sky.
A majestic aura of life rushed toward them, carrying the fragrance of damp soil and plants. Just taking a breath made their entire bodies stretch and relax.
Even Feng Yan beneath them let out a cozy chirp.
The Forest of Jianmu, they had arrived.