While others were in the midst of swords, shadows, and power struggles, she was picking tea and playing Go… though she did seem quite busy.
“I really don’t understand her. She clearly has such great strength, yet she insists on pretending to be weak and is willing to be a nobody.”
“Maybe she knows something we don’t?”
“But regardless, in an EX-rank dungeon, lying low is useless. Sooner or later, you’ll be crushed by the tides of the world.”
“Something this abnormal must have a hidden reason.”
There was a time difference between the inside and outside of the exam paper, and the many screens advanced rapidly.
Suddenly, someone shouted, “There’s a change at Kunlun Palace!”
In the projection, Jiang Ziya was kneeling before the Jade Void Palace, and the voice of Yuanshi Tianzun rang out, “The Shang Dynasty’s fortune has run dry; the Zhou Dynasty is destined to rise. It is time for you to descend the mountain.”
The crowd erupted in an uproar upon hearing this.
“Yuanshi Tianzun spoke personally? This is a clear stand for Xiqi!”
“If the Saint said so, then it means one must side with Ji Chang, the Marquis of the West!”
The test takers in the exam hall moved upon hearing the news.
Some tried to play both sides, some tried to assist Jiang Ziya, and some even prepared to betray the Sect of Interception and join the Jade Void gate…
Without exception, everyone began to frantically gravitate toward the main storyline of the “Zhou Dynasty.”
Then, someone looked at Su Fu’s screen.
She was still farming.
Watering, picking fresh spiritual tea…
The crowd in the proctoring room: “…..”
‘Plant, plant, plant!’
‘Just stay there and keep planting in your pathetic little plot of land!’
“What a waste of time. By the time Su Fu comes to her senses, she’ll have missed the golden opportunity. She’s truly letting herself go.”
***
On Mount Wuyi, the spirit fields had expanded from the initial few acres to the entire hillside.
The Cloud Mist Immortal Tea was lush and green, and Su Fu had just finished today’s watering with the Jingping Ganlu.
During this period, she had maintained her persona as a “Spiritual Plant Master,” occasionally giving the two men carefully refined pills and rare spiritual tea to taste.
When they had nothing to do, they would play Go and discuss the Tao.
She had successfully become “sworn siblings” with Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao, and her way of addressing them had changed from “Fellow Daoist” to the much more intimate “Brother Xiao” and “Brother Cao.”
She looked toward the distant mountains and thought, ‘The time to leave has come.’
The bait has been buried; it’s time for the next step.
As for Mount Wuyi, she would only need to return occasionally in the future to maintain the relationship.
And as for Chao Ge, the spiritual pills she had refined during this time would be enough to last the Hundred Grasses Hall for at least three years.
Now, Jiang Ziya has entered Chao Ge, and the plot has begun to move.
This means that the Saint’s eyes are currently entirely focused on the struggle for human fate.
She can finally act!
Early the next morning, Su Fu went to the pavilion to bid farewell to the two.
Xiao Sheng was somewhat reluctant and asked, “Sister, are you truly leaving?”
Su Fu sighed softly, “A Spiritual Plant Master needs to travel far and wide to collect rare flowers and herbs. Mount Wuyi is wonderful, but I want to see other spiritual lands of the Great Desolation.”
“That’s true, that’s true.” Cao Bao nodded, “With your talent, being trapped in the mountains is indeed a waste. Go with peace of mind. We will help you look after these spirit fields and wait for you to return at any time.”
“Thank you, brothers.” Su Fu smiled and then took out two bottles of pills and said, “These are Jade Spirit Pills and Mind-Nourishing Powder I recently refined. They are beneficial for cultivation.”
“Thank you, Sister. Be careful on your journey. If there is danger, return to the mountain quickly.” Xiao Sheng urged her earnestly.
The three said their goodbyes, and Su Fu’s figure gradually faded into the distance.
Xiao Sheng lamented, “Sister Su is truly a good girl.”
Cao Bao nodded, “Simple, hardworking, and kind-hearted… In this day and age, such cultivators are rare.”
Once they were out of the Mount Wuyi area and she had confirmed no one was around, Chesia said excitedly, “We finally get to leave!”
The snake tail tapped her wrist excitedly, “The scenery of this mountain is beautiful, but looking at it every day made me bored to death.”
“Tao Tao couldn’t even come out to play with me. It was boring as hell.”
Su Fu replied, “…Tao Tao is a Peach of Immortality. The Great Desolation is full of powerful beings, and there’s no guarantee one of them won’t notice her.”
“We have to keep a low profile.”
In fact, it wasn’t just Tao Tao; many of her abilities had to be used discreetly.
Chesia tilted her head and asked, “Alright, so where are we going now?”
Su Fu looked into the distance and said softly, “Nanming Undying Mountain.”
“Huh?” Chesia was stunned, “To a volcano? You’re not going to roast me, are you?”
Su Fu laughed, “No, I’m going to log into my main account!”
Chesia: “???”
“You have another identity behind my back?”
“Don’t you just have your initial account, Su Er’ya, and the Mount Wuyi Spiritual Plant Master, Su Qing?”
“That shouldn’t be…”
“How did I not notice?”
Su Fu had actually been thinking about where to go in the Great Desolation for some time.
One must know that although the Great Desolation was large and full of opportunities, it was also full of dangers.
And just gathering treasures wouldn’t work; without the strength to keep them, it would be for nothing.
The ultimate goal was still to achieve physical sanctification during the Investiture of the Gods war.
In the world of the Great Desolation, one’s foundation determined their limit.
Human cultivators had limited potential.
Unless they gained Heavenly Dao merit like the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, it was difficult to achieve great things.
After all, it had only been ten thousand years since Nuwa created humans; the human race was still a “rookie race” in the Great Desolation.
The Chan Sect seemed to have the Saint’s backing, but Yuanshi Tianzun valued foundation above all else.
It was difficult for anyone who wasn’t a primordial being to enter the inner circle.
Even though Reverend Huanglong was of the Dragon Clan, he had a miserable time among the twelve Golden Immortals, let alone someone like her who joined halfway.
The Sect of Interception was even less of an option.
It seemed to accept all students without discrimination, but it was the side destined to lose in the Great Tribulation of the Gods.
The main point was that wandering around the Great Desolation without a background or a backer was simply too dangerous.
Just look at Lady Shiji; her cave was smashed whenever someone felt like it, and her life was taken just as easily.
Finally, after much thought, Su Fu came up with an idea—
She already had an identity!
Phoenix.
Lest we forget, she could summon a phoenix.
After the Great Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation, the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans were heavily wounded.
Among them, the Phoenix clan lived in seclusion at Nanming Undying Mountain, suppressing the underground magma, and rarely appeared in the world.
But as a top-tier primordial race of the Great Desolation, their heritage remained profound.
Moreover, the Phoenix clan currently had the least karma and was untouched by the disaster.
After all, after their retreat, they suppressed the leyline magma to repay their karmic debt and rarely participated in the struggles of the Great Desolation.
The Great Tribulation of the Gods?
What did that have to do with the phoenixes?
They had already gone through it once, and they were so miserable that not many of them were left.
The Heavenly Dao had implicitly accepted that the Phoenix clan had “already paid their dues.”
As long as they didn’t actively enter the tribulation, the karma of the disaster would automatically bypass them.
Secondly, the phoenixes controlled the Nanming Li Fire and were reborn through nirvana, which perfectly fit the “physical sanctification” route.
It was a hundred thousand times stronger than the fragile human body.
And they also possessed the trait of immortality.
After one nirvana, a stronger phoenix would rise from the ashes.
Wouldn’t the opponent be in despair?
In addition, phoenixes possessed many divine powers.
A phoenix could spread its wings for ten thousand miles and travel through space…
They were also symbols of auspiciousness.
The so-called “Phoenix chirping at Qishan” referred to a phoenix, which meant they came with their own luck.
Su Fu stated, “I can already summon a phoenix. It’s perfectly reasonable for me to go develop within the Phoenix clan, right?”
Chesia was happy to hear this, but then she became nervous and asked, “Based on what you said, wouldn’t a Saint pay attention to such an ancient race?”
Su Fu explained calmly, “That is why I waited for Jiang Ziya to descend the mountain before taking action.”
“Right now, the Saints’ focus is entirely on the rise and fall of the human race in the Shang-Zhou transition, the struggle for sect fortune between the Chan and Interception sects, and quickly grabbing conscripts to fill the Investiture of the Gods list.”
As for the Phoenix clan?
They were neither a key element of the tribulation nor the protagonists of the Heavenly Dao (humans).
Therefore, they weren’t being heavily targeted or recruited, and they happened to be outside the Saint’s line of sight.
“And there’s one more thing: the Phoenix clan suppressing the Undying Mountain is working for the Heavenly Dao, which means they have merit.”
“If a Saint suppressed them for no reason, they would have to answer to the Heavenly Dao karma first.”
The Heavenly Dao of the Great Desolation emphasized “karmic balance” most of all.
Even Yuanshi Tianzun had to find an excuse like the “Great Tribulation” to plot against the Sect of Interception.
How much more so for a race with merit?
“So this is an excellent place for my early development. As long as the Phoenix clan doesn’t do anything stupid, I can take advantage of this gap to increase my strength.”
“Only when my strength is sufficient will I have a voice.”
Chesia couldn’t help her excitement and said, “So… your true identity is—?”
Su Fu smiled and replied, “Luckily, a wisp of a true spirit was reincarnated during the Great Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation, and now…”
“It is time to return to my position.”
“I get it!” Chesia flicked her snake tail and said, “You want to use the fact that you can summon a phoenix phantom to pretend you’re a lost descendant of the Phoenix lineage?”
Su Fu chuckled and replied, “Your brain is getting smarter.”
“The phoenix I summon has the aura of the true Primal Phoenix of heaven and earth. It couldn’t be more real.”
Chesia raised her head proudly, “Of course! I am a—”
“However…” Su Fu shook her head and said, “That isn’t enough.”
“Huh?” Chesia froze and asked, “Why?”
Su Fu said seriously, “Because I am currently in a human body, and that cannot be changed.”
“Even if I can summon a phoenix phantom, I will only be seen as an “outsider” rather than one of their own. After all, the Phoenix clan is proud by nature and born noble. They won’t recognize anyone who isn’t pure-blooded or pay attention to anyone who isn’t strong.”
“And we are currently in the sensitive period of the Investiture of the Gods. With the tribulation approaching, the Phoenix clan’s vigilance toward outsiders is at its peak.”
Chesia wailed, “Then… then what should we do?”
Su Fu took it as a matter of course and said, “When there’s a problem, find mother.”
“Let the true Goddess Nuwa take action, and everything will be solved.”
As the Saint of the demon race, Nuwa held a very high status and possessed immense power in the world of the Great Desolation.
At the same time, her appearance could obscure the heavenly secrets for Su Fu, which was the most important thing.
Develop quietly; don’t make a scene.
All below the Saints are ants; this was the iron law of the Great Desolation.
If her identity was recognized by Nuwa, or even if it was a decree issued by Nuwa, the Phoenix clan would assume it was the Saint’s arrangement.
She would definitely be accepted.
The Phoenix clan would not only have to recognize her but also be extremely polite.
From then on, her human body would be a legitimate reincarnation, and her phoenix powers would be due to a bloodline awakening.
Who would dare to question it?
And she could actually summon a phoenix, so it was as real as it could get.
Chesia’s snake eyes widened, “This plan is feasible! This really is your main account!”
“Quick, quick, let’s go home!”
***
Nanming Undying Mountain.
The sky seemed to be stained red, and the volcanoes stretched like a dragon’s spine, the mountains glowing as red as blood.
From time to time, a stream of crimson magma erupted from the mountain peaks, shooting straight into the clouds before slowly falling back down, forming a spectacular rain of fire.
Even from a great distance, one could still feel the scorching breath blowing against their face.
‘Sizzle… this pressure, as expected of the phoenixes’ nest.’
Although Su Fu was mentally prepared, she still felt a bit nervous when she actually faced this divine mountain of the Great Desolation.
After all, this was the Great Desolation but thinking of Goddess Nuwa, she didn’t panic.
An incredibly powerful and reliable backer!
“Goddess Nuwa—”
“Help me!”
‘Invoking the gods!’