Chapter 2826: The Predicament of the Primordial Wutong

**Winds Stir the Nine Provinces**

Lu Ye's primary purpose in coming to the Phoenix Nest this time was not simply to report Yang Qing's situation to Dragon Venerable, as that could have been recorded in the Dragon Chronicle. His main goal was to harness the immense power of the Primordial Phoenix Tree; otherwise, reaching the sensed location would take him an inordinate amount of time. With the current fusion of the Outer and Inner Realms, Inner Realm cultivators primarily face the influx of numerous weaker individuals and the new terrain from the Outer Realm, but the actual impact on them is not significant. The impact on Outer Realm cultivators, however, is substantial. Previously, in the Outer Realm, those who achieved Dao Fusion could be considered kings, but now, with the countless Dao Integration cultivators appearing, Dao Fusion is utterly overshadowed. The merging of the two realms is akin to blending a flock of sheep with a pack of wolves; the weaker party will undoubtedly face a grim fate. Therefore, Lu Ye had to rush there as quickly as possible. The Primordial Phoenix Tree was the only entity he could think of that might offer the assistance he needed.

"You want to borrow the power of the Primordial Phoenix Tree..." The Phoenix Matriarch heard this and smiled bitterly, "I'm afraid that won't be possible." Lu Ye was taken aback. He quickly replied, "I am willing to pay any price I can afford." "'You misunderstand,' the Phoenix Matriarch said, shaking her head. 'It's not that I'm unwilling to share the power of our clan's greatest treasure; it's simply that the Elder... is currently experiencing some issues.'" As she spoke, she looked at Lu Ye, "Do you remember the accident that happened when you first came to the Phoenix Nest?"

Lu Ye nodded; he remembered it clearly. Back then, he had acquired the cultivation method for the Spatial Dao Seed and was preparing to enter the secret realm within the Primordial Phoenix Tree. However, he was unexpectedly drawn into a spatial corridor, where he also encountered Zhu Yin, who was likewise cultivating. If not for a Phoenix elder arriving to rescue them, they would likely have struggled to escape that spatial corridor. He suddenly understood, "At that time, the Primordial Phoenix Tree already had problems?" The Phoenix Matriarch nodded, "Even before that, the Elder had shown some signs. After the recent fusion of the Outer and Inner Realms, this problem has worsened significantly. Now, not only can you not borrow its power, but even I... cannot!"

Lu Ye was aghast. The Primordial Phoenix Tree was the very foundation of the Phoenix clan; if such a supreme treasure were to encounter issues, it would profoundly affect the entire clan. "What exactly is wrong with the Elder?" Lu Ye asked in a deep voice. Dragon Venerable sighed, "Ultimately, it's that pervasive erosion. As you know, all cultivators dwelling in the Star Abyss are constantly afflicted by it. The stronger one is, the more profound the erosion becomes, just like Ba Qiu; if he were to achieve Saint status, he would transform into a puppet. And this erosion doesn't only affect cultivators!" Lu Ye suddenly understood, "The Primordial Phoenix Tree has also been eroded!" The Phoenix Matriarch confirmed, "Precisely. The Primordial Phoenix Tree is incredibly ancient; since its very existence, the erosion has been ceaseless. Though it is a supreme treasure, it cannot withstand the constant, lingering erosive power that has accumulated over countless eons. Currently, the Primordial Phoenix Tree is on the verge of losing its sentience."

Lu Ye was appalled. If the Primordial Phoenix Tree were to truly lose its sentience, it would likely become a mere puppet of the Abyss, much like the True Saints in the Origin Realm. Such an event would undoubtedly be a devastating blow to the Phoenix clan. He then suddenly recalled that in the Origin Realm, when the Blood Clan sacrificed a large number of human cultivators, not only did subordinate treasures descend, but a supreme treasure also fell from the sky, eventually being claimed by Xue Tianxing. Neither these subordinate treasures nor the supreme treasure appeared out of thin air; they always had an origin. Lu Ye had seen many subordinate treasures in the Star Abyss Treasury, and their origins were comprehensible, but what about the supreme treasures? It now appeared highly probable that those supreme treasures were the result of complete erosion. "So, I'm afraid I must disappoint you regarding your wish to borrow the power of the Primordial Phoenix Tree," the Phoenix Matriarch sighed. Dragon Venerable said, "Lately, the Phoenix Matriarch and I have been troubled by this matter, but we don't know how to resolve it."

"I understand," Lu Ye nodded. Given the current circumstances, his desire to borrow power was clearly unrealistic. The Primordial Phoenix Tree's sentience was on the brink of being extinguished by the erosion; it would have no remaining energy to respond to him. After a moment's thought, he spoke again, "Then I shall take my leave." The Phoenix Matriarch said, "Don't rush to leave; I have one more thing to ask you." Lu Ye looked at her, "Please instruct me, Phoenix Matriarch." "You just said that you and Xue Jiu fell into the Origin Realm together. Now you have escaped; what about Xue Jiu?" the Phoenix Matriarch asked. Blood Drink City had indeed been jointly annihilated by the Dragon and Phoenix clans. Currently, apart from a few scattered remnants, the influence of the Insect and Blood clans in the Inner Realm had been almost entirely eliminated. However, for the Phoenix Matriarch, as long as Xue Jiu remained alive, her great vengeance from that year remained unfulfilled. The Phoenix clan itself was not numerous, and Xue Jiu had murdered several Phoenix clan members and stolen their bloodlines, forever preventing the birth of several potential clan members. The Phoenix Matriarch had never forgotten this profound grievance; she would not find peace until she personally slew Xue Jiu.

"Xue Jiu remained in the Origin Realm," Lu Ye said. After a thought, he added, "And he should be close to advancing to Half-Saint." "Half-Saint!" The Phoenix Matriarch was startled. Dragon Venerable was also utterly bewildered. "Though Xue Jiu is one of the Ten City Lords, his foundation is not considered top-tier among them. How could he possibly have taken that step?" This was rather unbelievable, considering that even he and the Phoenix Matriarch currently lacked the qualifications to reach that stage. They could vaguely perceive the threshold but consistently felt something was missing. Lu Ye truthfully replied, "Xue Jiu and I cooperated in the Origin Realm and slew a Blood Clan Half-Saint. He acquired that Half-Saint's bloodline, and when I departed, he was in the process of refining it. Therefore, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he is certain to advance to Half-Saint status." Upon hearing this, both Dragon Venerable and the Phoenix Matriarch stared at Lu Ye in a daze, almost unable to believe their ears. Dragon Venerable's mouth twitched, wanting to ask Lu Ye if he truly understood the implications of his words. That was a Half-Saint! How could they be so easily killed? The Phoenix Matriarch narrowed her eyes, "You teamed up with Xue Jiu?" "There was a reason," Lu Ye replied, knowing full well what the Phoenix Matriarch was thinking. "Phoenix Matriarch, please rest assured, even if Xue Jiu truly advances to Half-Saint, I possess the means to restrain him." The Phoenix Matriarch stared at Lu Ye for a while, then finally nodded, "As long as you know what you're doing." Dragon Venerable looked troubled, "I still can't figure out how you and Xue Jiu, working together, could kill a Half-Saint!" Indeed, Lu Ye had previously displayed formidable strength, capable of fighting Xuan Wu-zong to a standstill and even repelling this Ten City Lord with Fu Wei's help. Yet, such power should still be insufficient to confront a Half-Saint. "Poison!" Lu Ye explained, "I concocted a potent poison that severely weakened that Half-Saint." Dragon Venerable's mouth twitched. It was hard to imagine what kind of poison it was that could affect a powerhouse at the Half-Saint level. Not intending to probe further, Dragon Venerable said, "Alright, there's no point discussing this now. With Xue Jiu remaining in the Origin Realm, we'll have no way to deal with him in the future unless you or I also advance to Half-Saint." Lu Ye opened his mouth, eager to mention that the Origin Realm was also highly likely to gradually merge, but ultimately, he held his tongue. After all, this was merely his conjecture, even if it was highly probable to occur. "Presently, two of the Ten Dao Integration Cities are gone, and the Outer and Inner Realms have merged. The Star Abyss will likely experience a period of chaos. If you have no pressing matters, do not wander aimlessly; cultivate diligently here instead," Dragon Venerable advised. "Yes."

Moments later, Lu Ye appeared on a branch of the Primordial Phoenix Tree. Su Yan's Phoenix Nest entrance was before him, but instead of entering, he simply sat down cross-legged. He glanced around, then closed his eyes in concentration, silently activating the power of his Talent Tree. Invisible root tendrils spread out, burrowing into the tree's body. He proceeded with extreme caution. It wasn't out of fear of being seen, but because the Primordial Phoenix Tree possessed its own sentience; in other words, this supreme treasure was a living entity. He didn't know if doing this would cause any reaction from the Primordial Phoenix Tree. Fortunately, the entire process was uneventful, with the Primordial Phoenix Tree remaining completely still. Lu Ye immediately realized that the Primordial Phoenix Tree's condition was truly dire; its sentience was likely on the verge of fading completely, or it would not have been entirely unresponsive to external stimuli. This immediately put him at ease, and his actions grew bolder. The root tendrils continued to spread, extending outwards along trunk after trunk, branch after branch. He could distinctly feel significant resistance as the root tendrils extended. If Lu Ye refining Dao Fish with the power of the Talent Tree was akin to smoothly plunging his hand into water, then this felt like forcing it into parched mud. Although the Talent Tree's roots could also pass through the Primordial Phoenix Tree, the more they spread, the greater the resistance. Only after about an hour did Lu Ye stop his actions. It had reached its limit; centered on him, the Talent Tree's roots had spread out nearly three *li*, unable to extend any further.

Lu Ye did not hesitate; he immediately activated the power of his Talent Tree, and an invisible incinerating force surged forth from countless tiny root tendrils. Upon learning of the Primordial Phoenix Tree's current plight from Dragon Venerable and the Phoenix Matriarch, Lu Ye immediately considered using the power of his Talent Tree to help the supreme treasure escape its predicament. The Primordial Phoenix Tree's current state stemmed, at its core, from an excessive accumulation of Star Abyss aura within it—the erosive power of the Abyss. Once this erosive power reached its peak, it would completely extinguish the Primordial Phoenix Tree's sentience, transforming the supreme treasure into a puppet to be used by the Abyss. Although Dragon Venerable and the Phoenix Matriarch were powerful, they were helpless in such a situation. Otherwise, previous Dragon Venerables would not have had to seal themselves within the Ancestral Abyss's restrictions. However, what they had no solution for, Lu Ye had a countermeasure. The power of the Talent Tree, from a long time ago, could not only be used on himself but also on others. The Merfolk under the Myriad Manifestations Sea, and the blood curse within Huan Qing's body, were all resolved by Lu Ye using the Talent Tree. However, this was his first attempt to apply it to a supreme treasure, and unsure of its success, he had not mentioned it to Dragon Venerable or the Phoenix Matriarch. He planned to try it first before saying anything. If it succeeded, everyone would rejoice; if not, it would spare Dragon Venerable and the Phoenix Matriarch from vain hope.