Five years later, in the territory of the Phoenix Clan.
Qing Cang folded his wings and landed. Seeing this, the clan members eagerly gathered around.
"Clan Chief, how's the situation in the distance?"
"Is there enough food? Is the environment suitable for living?"
Five years ago, strange phenomena occurred in the sky.
Yao Hua was taken away from the Cangling Hall by her father and brothers. Just as she arrived at the territory of the Phoenix Clan, a "meteor shower" suddenly fell from the sky.
Huge meteorites wrapped in blazing, unquenchable flames rained down from all directions. Floods and tsunamis broke out simultaneously across the Three Realms. Fires burned on the desolate land for nearly a month, and the air was filled with the stench of death.
The accident came so suddenly that some small clans were even wiped out on the spot.
After the shock subsided, all clans found that there were very few surviving plants. Those that managed to survive were also contaminated by the meteorites that fell from the sky, and the amount of food suddenly decreased.
The Three Realms were hit by a catastrophic disaster. Creatures were suffering, and the land was filled with the sounds of mourning.
In recent years, life has become increasingly difficult for all clans. In comparison, the Phoenix Clan is still doing relatively well.
The clan members looked at Qing Cang expectantly. Qing Cang remained silent. He took out the Golden Feather Pouch, placed it on the ground, slowly shook his head, and said heavily, "The situation is very bad. Everywhere is barren. I searched dozens of mountains in the surrounding area, but only managed to find this little bit of food."
"What shall we do now!"
Someone in the crowd shouted, which triggered a series of responses.
"If this continues, not only our Phoenix Clan but also the entire Beast Clan will starve to death!"
"This little bit of food is not enough to go around. The newborns are still waiting to be breastfed. Now both the young and the old are hungry. God is determined to destroy our Phoenix Clan!"
"I haven't had a full meal for a month..."
For a moment, moans filled the air. As the clan chief, Qing Cang felt deeply guilty, and the bright red feathers on his body dimmed.
Yan Ling shouted to stop them, "Complaining is useless. Listen to what the clan chief has to say!"
"Clan Chief, tell us. What should we do now?"
"How should we distribute this half - bag of food?"
Qing Cang took out the food from the Golden Feather Pouch. The Golden Feather Pouch is a treasure of the Phoenix Clan with a huge capacity. Thanks to it, they managed to keep some provisions. Other races didn't manage to save anything.
Qing Cang said, "Our clan is not the only one suffering from this disaster. In difficult times, we need to unite and overcome this difficulty together. As you can see, this is all the food we have."
"Yan Ling!"
"Here, Father."
"Distribute the food to the children in the clan first."
As the eldest in the family, Yan Ling naturally had to take on this responsibility. He took the food and distributed it door - to - door.
Some clan members were so hungry that their eyes turned red. They stared intently at the food in Yan Ling's hands, but no one made a move to snatch it even after Yan Ling finished distributing.
If one day they really couldn't survive, the children would be the hope for the continuation of the Phoenix Clan.
The atmosphere of fear spread, and there were soft sobs in the crowd.
Qing Cang flapped his wings, "Everyone, disperse. Yan Ling, you and a few others stay."
If they discussed it, they would surely come up with a solution.
"Now all the seeds are contaminated. Not only do they grow slowly and with difficulty when planted, but the fruits they bear are also inedible, and the yield is extremely low." Qing Cang frowned worriedly, "What shall we do?"
Someone suggested, "Clan Chief, why don't we try to explore further? There can't be no place suitable for survival in the whole world, right?"
Feng Jing frowned, "It's not appropriate. Five years ago, after the great disaster, the Three Realms were in turmoil. If there were really any remaining places, we couldn't have heard nothing about them. Moreover, the clan chief has explored within a radius of nearly a hundred kilometers. Without food supplies, the clan chief barely managed to return. Who can guarantee a safe return? We must not take risks!"
"Feng Jing is right." Qing Cang said, "The number of our clan members has decreased sharply. We must not take risks anymore."
"But if we continue to stay in the territory, the food will surely run out one day. Aren't we just waiting to die?"
"We're going to die anyway. Why not take a chance! Clan Chief, I'm not afraid of death. Please allow me to set off!"
The clan members began to argue heatedly, each holding their own views. They automatically divided into two factions, and the two sides reached a deadlock.
Just when they were at a loss, a small hand was raised high, "I have a solution!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice. It was Yao Hua.
"I'm here! I have a solution!"
Yao Hua struggled to stand on tiptoe among the phoenixes. Compared with the thick feathers and tall figures of her father and brothers, she looked bald and small.
After Yao Hua was brought back to the territory by the clan members, she immediately became the beloved little baby of the Phoenix Clan.
However, the good times didn't last long. The amount of food decreased suddenly. Although the Phoenix Clan tightened their belts, they never lacked food for her.
After five years, Yao Hua was no longer the skinny and weak little chick.
"Yao Yao?" A kind smile appeared on Qing Cang's face, "Why aren't you playing with your brothers?"
The clan had finally welcomed a little girl, but he couldn't give Yao Hua the best. This made him, the clan chief, feel guilty and annoyed.
Several people stepped aside, leaving a gap in the middle for her to pass through.
Yao Hua squeezed through the crowd of phoenixes and ran all the way to Qing Cang.
"Here, Father, take a look!"
She made a fist with her chubby little hand and motioned for Qing Cang to open his hand.
Feng Jing stroked Yao Hua's soft hair, "Be good, Yao Yao. The clan chief is busy. Come on, brother will take you to play with your little friends."
"Second Brother, I'm not playing around."
Yao Hua shook her head and shrugged off Feng Jing. She insisted that Qing Cang stretch out his hand.
Qing Cang wasn't angry. He cooperatively stretched out his phoenix claw in front of Yao Hua. A few tiny particles as small as sesame seeds fell into Qing Cang's hand.
"Yao Yao, what is this?" There was a look of confusion in Qing Cang's huge beast pupils.
Yan Ling leaned forward. His pupils trembled, and he said in disbelief, "Father! They're seeds! Fresh, uncontaminated seeds!"
Bingo! Big Brother got it right!
Hearing this, everyone rushed forward. A group of phoenixes stared at the tiny "sesame seeds" in Qing Cang's phoenix claw. They were all stunned for a moment, and their eyes were filled with indescribable joy.
"It's true!" Feng Jing excitedly ruffled Yao Hua's little head, "Yao Yao, how did you get these seeds?!"
All the phoenixes turned their gazes to her in unison. Yao Hua blinked her eyes and said in a milky voice, "I dug them out when I was playing in the back mountain."
"The back mountain? Is it that barren mountain?" Yan Ling pointed to a mountain not far away and asked.
Yao Hua nodded, "That's the one."
Overjoyed, Qing Cang transformed into his human form. He held Yao Hua under her armpits with both hands and lifted her high into the air. He laughed and said, "Yao Yao! You're simply the lucky star of our Phoenix Clan!"
"Yes, with these clean seeds, what else do we have to worry about?"
Yan Ling exclaimed, "The Phoenix Clan is saved!"
Everyone echoed, "A lucky star descends! The Phoenix Clan is saved!"
Yao Hua was held in Qing Cang's arms, receiving the respectful looks from the clan members from all directions.
Well... she had just lied. These seeds weren't found in the back mountain at all.
Yao Hua accidentally discovered that she had a planting system. Just now, when she heard her father mention the seeds, she just thought about it, and suddenly there were a few fresh seeds in her hand.
This discovery made Yao Hua overjoyed. She then closed her eyes and thought about food and other things, but it didn't work.
Before the cheers of the crowd died down, a new problem emerged.
"Clan Chief, now all the land is contaminated. Even if we find clean seeds, we can't guarantee that we can grow fresh plants. What shall we do?"
One stone caused a thousand ripples, and someone else echoed.
"Yes, if that's the case, won't we still have no food in the future?"