Lingyan Old Ancestor was a Mahayana Old Ancestor of the Zhengyang Sect.
While the Zhengyang Sect's status on the Nine Provinces Continent was not comparable to the five great sects, it was still a major sect that many cultivators aspired to join with all their might.
Hundreds of years ago, Lingyan Old Ancestor suddenly perished, causing a sharp decline in the fortunes of the Zhengyang Sect, which was at its peak.
Although the Zhengyang Sect still occupied a place on the Nine Provinces Continent today, it was far from as glorious as it was in its heyday.
Ji Buwang had been old enough to remember then. He, along with many cultivators on the Nine Provinces Continent, believed that Lingyan Old Ancestor had failed in his ascension and met an unfortunate end. They never expected that he would die at the hands of the bearded cultivator and the stone spirits.
Upon suddenly learning the truth, Ji Buwang couldn't help but sigh for Lingyan Old Ancestor.
"That Lingyan Old Ancestor fellow was simply too greedy, attempting to drain all the spiritual energy from Fire Burning Mountain. He deserved his fate."
In the bearded cultivator's opinion, Fire Burning Mountain was not only his dwelling but also the divine mountain that protected the Vermilion Bird's growth.
He could tolerate cultivators coming to this place to cultivate, but he could not tolerate them causing destruction here.
Xu Yi and Ji Buwang listened silently, refraining from voicing their opinions.
What concerned them more at the moment was the egg cradled in the bearded cultivator's arms. Was it truly the legendary Vermilion Bird Egg?
That was the descendant of a divine beast.
As Xu Yi and Ji Buwang thought of the legends surrounding divine beasts, their breathing quickened slightly.
The bearded cultivator finally noticed the unusual gazes of the two. He hugged the Vermilion Bird Egg tightly, turned his back to them, and spoke vigilantly, "You promised me you wouldn't have any designs on it."
Xu Yi smiled slightly, "We are merely curious, no, we revere divine beasts and wish to witness their majesty. I wonder if we have such an opportunity?"
Xu Yi was a cultivator with fire spiritual roots, and the Vermilion Bird was the divine beast that commanded fire.
Xu Yi felt an innate affinity towards the Vermilion Bird.
If there was an opportunity, she naturally wanted to see the true form of the divine beast with her own eyes.
After saying this, Xu Yi waited for the bearded cultivator's reaction.
She expected the bearded cultivator to arrogantly lift his head and speak at length as before. However, she didn't know which of her words had been amiss, as the bearded cultivator's expression visibly soured, and the light in his eyes dimmed considerably.
Xu Yi and Ji Buwang exchanged a glance in silence, neither urging him.
After an unknown amount of time, the bearded cultivator sighed heavily.
He looked down at the Vermilion Bird Egg in his arms and said in a very low voice, "Let alone you, even I don't know if there's an opportunity."
The bearded cultivator did not know why the Vermilion Bird and the other three great divine beasts had disappeared from the Nine Provinces Continent.
From the moment he knew this egg was a Vermilion Bird Egg, he had eagerly awaited the Vermilion Bird's hatching and its soaring flight through the nine heavens.
However, as time passed, he gradually noticed many anomalies.
For the Vermilion Bird Egg to hatch, it would surely require a vast amount of energy.
Yet, he had stayed by the Vermilion Bird Egg for a long time but had never seen it absorb magma or the drifting fire spiritual energy within the mountain. He had never heard any sound from within the Vermilion Bird Egg either.
It seemed there was no life within this egg.
In other words, this egg might be a dead...
The bearded cultivator dared not think further; this realization was difficult for him to accept.
He had asked the stone spirits for more detailed information about the Vermilion Bird Egg, but the stone spirits did not know much. They would only repeat two words to him.
Guard.
Guard, guard. The stone spirits' task was to guard this egg.
They followed their instincts, without questioning the reason or considering the consequences.
The bearded cultivator could only deceive himself, telling himself that it must not be the right time, which was why the Vermilion Bird could not hatch from within.
As long as he stayed by the Vermilion Bird Egg, sooner or later, the Vermilion Bird would descend upon the Nine Provinces Continent again.
He spent day after day within Fire Burning Mountain with this conviction.
After listening to the bearded cultivator's slightly mournful narration, Xu Yi was silent for a moment, then forced out a wisp of Earth Core Green Flame from within her body and sent it towards the bearded cultivator.
"What are you doing?"
The bearded cultivator frowned in confusion as he looked at the ball of green flame floating before him.
"This contains a trace of the origin power of the Earth Core Green Flame. Perhaps it can help it."
This "it" naturally referred to the Vermilion Bird Egg.
Xu Yi did not know if this egg was a Vermilion Bird Egg, nor did she know if the Vermilion Bird could hatch from it.
But she was moved by the bearded cultivator's persistence and wanted to contribute her humble effort.
Perhaps persevering a little longer was the right thing to do.
The bearded cultivator looked into Xu Yi's eyes and saw that her gaze was clear and her expression firm, with no hint of jest. For some reason, his heart inexplicably felt a pang.
He snorted lightly and said reluctantly, "Fine. Seeing as you've apologized in time, the Vermilion Bird Lord won't blame you."
The bearded cultivator took Xu Yi's gesture as an apology for her previous offense towards the Vermilion Bird.
He carefully brought the Vermilion Bird Egg closer to the small flame Xu Yi had sent.
When the Vermilion Bird Egg was less than a foot away from the flame, the flame seemed to receive a special summons. Without Xu Yi's control, it suddenly shot directly into the Vermilion Bird Egg.
A faint green light shone through the white eggshell, appearing before Xu Yi and the other two.
"This, this, this..."
The bearded cultivator's eyes widened, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't free his hands right now, he would have rubbed his eyes to see if he was hallucinating again.
"Did you... did you see that? Did you see it! It's alive! It's alive!"
The bearded cultivator suddenly laughed up to the sky, his laughter containing countless complex emotions.
At this moment, his years of faith finally had meaning.
Those were not his delusions.
The Vermilion Bird was real! It was real!
Behind him, the stone spirits seemed to understand the meaning of what was happening before them. They began to jump wildly, emitting excited shouts.
Xu Yi's lips curved slightly, a gratified smile on her face.
It took a long time for the bearded cultivator's emotions to finally calm down.
His gaze towards Xu Yi and Ji Buwang no longer held the hostility and wariness of before. Instead, it was replaced by infinite warmth and closeness.
They now shared a common secret.
"You two wait here. I'll be right back."
The bearded cultivator, holding the Vermilion Bird Egg, vanished from their sight like a gust of wind.
The stone spirits were stunned for a moment, then let out strange cries and chased after him in a mighty throng.
The previously noisy flat ground was instantly left with only Xu Yi and Ji Buwang.
"If the legendary Vermilion Bird truly exists, then what about the other three divine beasts..."
Xu Yi's words were left unfinished, but Ji Buwang already understood her implied meaning.
He looked up at the sky and said calmly, "Whether the Four Great Divine Beasts are real or not, they have become the past."
He paused, then turned to Xu Yi, "This continent belongs to us now."
Xu Yi was taken aback, then burst into hearty laughter.
"You're right. The current Nine Provinces Continent is our arena."
And she was ready to defend her spot.