Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan Chapter 1884 - 1411: Completion

"You might not know this, Fellow Daoist, but the instant you entered the Southern Domain, I dreamed about you."

A subtle gleam flashed across Li Zhirui’s gaze; as one’s Realm advances, their Spirit Sense grows ever more potent. Yet, experiencing such a vivid and full dream was utterly unheard of to him.

Instead of explaining right away, the Phoenix Ancestor began narrating a tale gradually, adding, "Thus, the following day, I ordered the Phoenix Clan to probe into your background and soon uncovered details of your earlier exploits."

"That’s when it hit me why I’d dream of some unknown person—you’re the one who can purge the fire poison that’s built up inside me over endless ages!"

"Fire poison?" Li Zhirui felt a bit shocked. Phoenixes inherently command the Five Elements, with a special mastery over the Fire Attribute. As a leading powerhouse among them, how could the Phoenix Ancestor fall victim to fire poison?

Noticing his look, the Phoenix Ancestor guessed his thoughts and gave a wry laugh, explaining, "All the magma and fires in the Undying Volcano originate from the depths below, inevitably laced with Earth Evil Qi."

"At the start, I managed to dispel it, but over time, the Earth Evil Fire Poison piled up relentlessly in my body, leaving me helpless and in constant agony. I can’t even reveal my real form anymore."

"I believe that dream of you was probably the Heavenly Dao signaling to me that you could fix the lurking threat in my core. Otherwise, at this pace, in mere thousands of years, I’d be forced into Nirvana!"

"Without me holding it back, the Undying Volcano would turn wildly unstable, always teetering on explosion! It wouldn’t be just a couple of volcanoes, but hundreds or thousands, throwing the whole Southern Domain and South Sea into chaos and disaster."

Ultimately, her voice carried a subtle hint of mockery and bitterness.

Truly, back in Ancient Times, the clans clashed in brutal wars, ripping apart the skies and shattering the lands, almost dooming the entire realm to ruin. These mighty entities of Great Ability, driven by remorse and a fierce will to preserve their bloodlines, willingly shouldered the task of watching over various territories.

Still, after countless years, how could resentment not brew in the depths of one’s soul? All the more so when bearing solitary, unrelenting suffering around the clock.

Li Zhirui pondered intensely; he’d visited the Southern Domain before for tempering, so why hadn’t the Phoenix Ancestor’s Spirit Sense noticed him then?

Maybe it went beyond his Cultivation being too weak back then; perhaps it stemmed from his prior cleansing of the Earth Core and its impurities, etching him firmly into the Heavenly Dao’s awareness.

Therefore, when the Phoenix Ancestor faced a comparable impurity crisis, the Heavenly Dao recalled him and sent her that subtle cue.

"Phoenix Ancestor, I can’t promise I’ll succeed in cleansing the Earth Evil Fire Poison from you—just that I’ll give it my best shot. Should it fail, you’d need to turn to other specialists," Li Zhirui avoided firm vows, preferring to keep an escape route open.

"Fellow Daoist, unleash your skills without restraint. Should it not work, the fault isn’t yours," the Phoenix Ancestor refrained from heaping too much expectation on him.

Truth be told, the issue wasn’t quite as dire as the Phoenix Ancestor portrayed. Even if she reached her breaking point and entered Nirvana, the Phoenix Clan boasted several Heavenly Immortals ready to rotate duties and secure the Undying Volcano, more than enough to hold until her comeback.

However, should Li Zhirui manage to cleanse her Earth Evil Fire Poison, she’d escape the daily anguish and spare the Phoenix Clan’s Heavenly Immortals from splitting her burdens.

In truth, differences among Heavenly Immortals run deep; the Phoenix Ancestor had quelled the Undying Volcano for eons, yet for her clan’s other Heavenly Immortals, a span of thousands or even tens of thousands of years might mark their utmost endurance.

Besides, this event would confirm whether the Purification Principle could ease or outright eliminate the Earth Evil Fire Poison plaguing her.

With that knowledge, she could pick a promising youth from the Phoenix Clan to grasp the Purification Principle, ensuring that once they ascend to Heavenly Immortal, they’d avoid such torment forever.

"Are we ready to start?" Li Zhirui drew in a steadying breath and asked with grave intent.

"Yes!"

The Phoenix Ancestor, of course, agreed without delay and swiftly shifted into a fiery projection to show the path, directing him deeper into the earth.

They lost track of the depths they plunged, but about an hour in, they came to a halt.

A fiery realm stretched before Li Zhirui, brimming with molten rock, haze, and blazes. The ambient heat scorched so fiercely that he burned through a good deal of mana just to shield himself from the blistering intensity.

Meanwhile, the Phoenix Ancestor rested in her authentic form upon the magma sea’s central isle; her Five-Colored Spirit Light had faded to a feeble glow, and her formerly vibrant, lustrous plumage now bore clear streaks of dark crimson and ebony.

Those marks must represent the Earth Evil Fire Poison she mentioned.

"Here’s a tail feather for you, Fellow Daoist—it’ll spare you the harm from these scorching conditions." With those words, a lengthy tail plume drifted into Li Zhirui’s arms.

A soft crimson radiance emanated from the feather, wrapping around him and swiftly cooling the air, freeing him from the need to expend mana on defense.

"Phoenix Ancestor, I must inspect your form closely to pinpoint the Earth Evil Fire Poison and attempt an initial cleansing. This might bring some unease and sharp pain; please bear it and refrain from fighting back."

Li Zhirui laid out all that lay ahead, since his current cleansing subject wasn’t an inert Pill or Earth Core that would stay passive.

"Fine, proceed!" The Phoenix Ancestor consented firmly, showing no second thoughts.

One had to concede, her bravery was remarkable!

After all, this meant handing her very existence over to Li Zhirui completely; should he hold any malice and strike amid the ritual, the Phoenix Ancestor could perish on the spot!

Sigh—

Immense mental strain weighed on Li Zhirui, aware that a total failure would just mean an unsolvable puzzle, with no fault pinned on him.

His greatest dread was succeeding in the cleansing yet hitting snags along the way!

In that case, peril would strike not just the Phoenix Ancestor, but him too!

For the Heavenly Dao cared little for fine points; it would merely perceive Li Zhirui’s meddling as the cause of the Phoenix Ancestor’s harm, the Undying Volcano’s outburst, widespread death and ruin, and havoc across earth and heavens.

On that note!

Li Zhirui approached the magma’s heart island with utmost caution, channeling his inner mana and drawing on the Power of Purification to delicately probe the Phoenix Ancestor’s inner state.

His initial scan left him stunned by what lurked inside the Phoenix Ancestor.

What he’d anticipated as a vibrant, scarlet vitality was instead swarmed by slender black-crimson filaments, thickly clustered and grim to behold.

"What is it?" The Phoenix Ancestor inquired, catching his over-the-top response.

"The affliction within you could be far worse than you let on!" Li Zhirui’s lingering Spirit Division declared in a deeply grave voice.

If a single term captured it, that word would be ‘incurable’!

Upon closer scrutiny, he discovered the Earth Evil Fire Poison had seeped not only into the tissues but also corrupted the vital organs.