The Fire State was one of the 3000 mystical states in the Huangtian Mystic Realm.
Its area was far smaller than the Emperor State where the Jun family was located. In fact, it was only one percent of the Emperor State.
Even so, the Fire State was still a vast state.
The Fire State didn't have any major forces.
The Ancient Kingdom of Phoenix ruled over the entire Fire State.
The Ancient Kingdom of Phoenix was an ancient kingdom with a long history. Although it was not as prestigious as the Clan of the Ancients, it still had a deep heritage and was renowned for its prowess.
Aside from the Ancient Kingdom of Phoenix, there were also the Ancient Kingdom of Dragon, the Ancient Kingdom of White Tiger, and the Ancient Kingdom of Black Tortoise.
The four ancient kingdoms were known as the Four Symbols Ancient Kingdoms.
At that moment, in a splendid hall within the royal palace of the Ancient Kingdom of Phoenix…
A middle-aged man wearing a golden robe with the color of a vermillion bird was lying on the bed. His glabella was dark, and his aura was weak as if he was severely ill.
He was none other than the king of the Ancient Kingdom of Phoenix.
Beside the bed stood a beautiful woman.
She was wearing a red feathered robe on the table. She had a slim figure, long legs, and fair skin.
Her long red hair looked like dancing flames.
She had a pair of beautiful crimson eyes, a tall nose, bright red lips, and sparkling white teeth.
The red mark on the center of her eyebrows made her look even more alluring.
That woman was none other than Bai Yu'er, the princess of the Ancient Kingdom of Phoenix.
Bai Yu'er bit her lip and said, "Father, I will definitely find the Immortality Herb to save you."
"Yu'er, it's been hard on you. The Immortality Herb isn't something that can be forced…" The king shook his head slightly. His voice was extremely weak, but it was also tinged with despair.
Immortality Herbs were extremely rare.
Even the supreme orthodoxies and undying forces couldn't possibly have much in stock.
There was no way they would be so kind as to hand it over to the Ancient Kingdom of Phoenix.
While the Ancient Kingdom of Phoenix had plenty of top-tier sacred herbs, they didn't have a single stalk of the Immortality Herb.
After all, the emergence of a stalk of the Immortality Herb in the outside world would trigger a storm of blood. It would be too late to fight for it, so how could it be sold to someone else?
"Don't worry, Father. With my abilities, I will definitely be able to get my hands on the Immortality Herb!" Bai Yu'er's eyes were filled with determination, turning sorrow into strength.
Who was she?
The princess of the Ancient Kingdom of Phoenix had the Divine Fire of the Phoenix between her eyebrows, granting her extraordinary talents.
Not to mention her looks, she was considered one of the best in the Huangtian Mystic Realm.
Many young geniuses from various forces were Bai Yu'er's lackeys.
As a result, Bai Yu'er developed a noble and aloof personality.
She believed that she had the power to save her father and the entire Ancient Kingdom of Phoenix.
"The young geniuses of those forces are all good-for-nothings. They can't afford the Immortality Herb when we need them."
"There's also my fiancé, Xiao Chen. Despite being the crown prince of the Ancient Kingdom of Dragon, he still couldn't get his hands on a stalk of Immortality Herb."
Bai Yu'er walked out of the palace with a sullen expression.
Several years after her father's death, the Ancient Kingdom of Phoenix's power declined.
Afterward, the Ancient Kingdom of Dragon came to propose marriage.
Back then, the Ancient Kingdom of Dragon promised to give the Ancient Kingdom of Phoenix an Immortality Herb.
Bai Yu'er and Xiao Chen, the crown prince of the Ancient Kingdom of Dragon, had known each other ever since they were children. Although they had always kept a distance from each other, they were considered childhood friends.
Bai Yu'er only agreed after weighing the pros and cons in her mind.
In the end, after such a long time, the engagement was already decided, but the Immortality Herb was nowhere to be seen.
The Ancient Kingdom of Phoenix was currently too weak to demand anything from the Ancient Kingdom of Dragon.
As such, Bai Yu'er had to find the herb herself.
"What should I do? Father can't fall…" Bai Yu'er couldn't help but feel rather anxious.
"By the way, how come I almost forgot that my best friend is Jun Linglong?" Bai Yu'er suddenly remembered something.
She once met Jun Linglong by chance in a mystic realm and got along pretty well with her.
Although they didn't get to know each other much after that, given Jun Linglong's personality, she probably wouldn't just ignore her.
Furthermore, the Jun family definitely had the Immortality Herb.
Bai Yu'er's breathing hastened at the thought. She hurriedly took out a jade scroll and sent a message.
On the other side of the Jun Residence, Jun Linglong also received the message.
"The king of the Kingdom of Phoenix is gravely ill and needs the Immortality Herb to cure him?" Jun Linglong knitted her eyebrows slightly when she heard the news.
To be honest, she would have forgotten about her "best friend" if Bai Yu'er hadn't sent her a message.
Although Bai Yu'er was the princess of the Ancient Kingdom, she was of noble status.
However, Jun Linglong was the genius of the Clan of the Ancients.
Despite her current status as Jun Xiaoyao's maid, she was still a noble lady of the Jun family who was adored by everyone outside.
Jun Linglong frowned slightly. "She asked for a stalk of the Immortality Herb as soon as she opened her mouth. She sure has a big appetite, but we're still acquaintances after all."
The problem was that she didn't have the Immortality Herb.
At that moment, a telepathic message entered Jun Linglong's mind.
"Linglong, make some tea."
Jun Linglong immediately stood up. Jun Xiaoyao was asking her to make tea.
Jun Xiaoyao's upper body was naked in a pool of steaming, celestial water. His body looked like it was carved out of divine jade, glowing with light.
Jun Xiaoyao, who was already eight years old, had a slender build.
Jun Linglong entered from the side and handed Jun Xiaoyao a cup of Comprehension Tea.
As Jun Linglong watched Jun Xiaoyao gradually grow up to become more handsome and dashing, she felt as if she was raising him to be her future husband.
"What's the matter?" Jun Xiaoyao sipped his tea and asked casually.
"Nothing." Jun Linglong's eyelashes trembled slightly.
"Say it. Can you hide it from me?" Jun Xiaoyao shook his head and smiled.
Jun Linglong bit her lip and eventually told him about Bai Yu'er.
Jun Xiaoyao shrugged. "I see. Immortality Herb, huh? I'm not short of that."
Back at the Old Tablet of Taiyue, he obtained three stalks of the Immortality Herb. Subsequently, the Eighteenth Ancestor gave him five more stalks of the herb.
Over the years, Jun Xiaoyao had only refined three stalks. He still had five left.
Jun Xiaoyao waved his hand and said, "Since she's your best friend, you might as well give her one. Tell her to come here."
"That's it?" Jun Linglong was slightly stunned.
She truly didn't understand the world of the rich!
However, Jun Linglong still nodded slightly and replied to Bai Yu'er.
Jun Xiaoyao wore a faint smile on his face.
He naturally didn't want to be a good person, but he had his own thoughts and plans.
It was better to let the Orthodox Dao's backers be the righteous ones.
People like her were not suited for him.
Although Jun Xiaoyao didn't think much of the Immortality Herb, he wasn't generous enough to give it away so easily.
"Not only do the sequences of the Jun family have the support of various lineages, but they also have vassal orthodoxy forces."
"Even Jun Zhangjian has vassal forces like the Ancient Sword Sect backing him."
Such a vassal force would not submit to the Jun family, but to someone else.
"Although the Ancient Kingdom of Phoenix has been declining in recent years, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. I can take it over. Maybe I can also take in the other three ancient kingdoms as vassal forces."
Jun Xiaoyao thought to himself.
After all, he was Sequence Zero. If he didn't even have a vassal force behind him, that would be rather shabby.
He still had to have what he deserved.
As for Bai Yu'er, how could she possibly get her hands on the Immortality Herb for free?
Jun Xiaoyao was not a philanthropist. He would never do something that wouldn't benefit him.
Bai Yu'er, who received Jun Linglong's reply, was also overjoyed.
It felt like rain had finally come after a long drought.
However, Jun Linglong's message made Bai Yu'er fall into deep thought.
That was because Jun Linglong was not the one who wanted to give her the Immortality Herb.
"A genius of the Jun family agreed to give me a stalk of the Immortality Herb. Is he interested in me?"
Bai Yu'er couldn't help but wonder.
She was quite confident in her appearance; she was the number one beauty of the Ancient Kingdom of Phoenix.
It was quite a prestigious title in the entire Huangtian Mystic Realm.
She thought that the man who was willing to give her a stalk of the Immortality Herb must be lusting after her body.
"As expected, even the geniuses of the Jun family are no exception." Bai Yu'er felt rather disappointed for some reason.
The geniuses of the Jun family didn't seem to be as extraordinary as she thought.
"Regardless, I have to get the Immortality Herb to save my father first."
Bai Yu'er shook her head and set off for the Emperor State.