A sword from the sky, a dragon from the east.
The sword qi surged like a tidal wave, like the Eastern Sea, like a vast ocean, thundering with immense power, an ocean stretching wide. Underneath the single sword strike, heaven and earth seemed to shatter.
The Xuntian Sword emerged, the Azure Dragon arrived, initiating a war across the four directions, ceaseless slaughter, a tribulation descending upon all realms!
The great powers, trembling in their respective immortal caves, were all astonished. The Azure Dragon Ancestor, the master of conquest and expansion, had ceased expanding the dragon tribe's territory since their seclusion hundreds of kalpas ago.
The Xuntian Sword was the symbol of conquest. It fused with the dragon tribe's destiny and authority, a supreme innate spiritual treasure with thirty-six layers of prohibitions, forged from Pangu's very eyebrows. How magnificent!
The vast sword tide surged eastward, merging with the sea of lightning. The thunder roared, the sword light flashed, as if the chaos was being born anew.
"Rumble~"
A colossal sound, like the creation of the world, echoed. Fissures began to appear on the previously resilient black and white light barrier.
The White Qilin King's face flushed, the backlash of energy coursing through her, causing her to cough up a mouthful of vital blood.
The Black Qilin King rushed to support her, his face filled with concern. "Where are you injured? Let me heal you."
The White Qilin's eyes reflected the man who was unparalleled in bravery, who, even when surrounded by countless enemies, thought only of her. She couldn't help but smile, her voice clear and steady. "I'm fine, just a backlash from the Xuntian Sword qi."
Anger flared in the Black Qilin King's eyes. He turned to the newcomer and roared, "Azure Dragon, you can injure me, but if you hurt White, you deserve to die."
With a single sword strike across the eastern sky, the golden radiance of the great sun behind him, clad in battle armor, he descended like a god of war, like the embodiment of hope and vitality. The Azure Dragon coldly retorted, "Your clan understands the vow of eternal devotion, so why don't you understand that our divine dragons are born in the Eastern Sea and shall only fall in the Eastern Sea?"
The Black Qilin King and the Azure Dragon locked eyes, a palpable tension in the air.
One was a devoted lover, the most doting husband in the Primordial World, showering the world with affection. The other was the god of war, the god of battle in the hearts of all dragon warriors.
These two men, among the most supreme beings in existence, felt their anger ignite.
On Qilin Cliff, Qilin powerhouses began to appear, most of them in pairs, one male and one female, or sometimes two males or two females.
The most loyal race in the Primordial World was the Qilin.
Once a Qilin found its mate, it would be devoted for its entire life, only loving that one Qilin. They would live and die together, an unbreakable bond.
Thus, Qilin bloodlines were rarely passed on, and their numbers were few.
This stood in stark contrast to the dragon tribe's inherent lustfulness and frequent pairings.
At the peak of the Jianmu tree, Qing Ling sighed. If there were a next life, he wished to be born as a Qilin auspicious beast, free from worldly worries, living in seclusion, away from the turmoil of the Primordial World. He imagined walking side-by-side with his mate through mountains and rivers, their love boundless and eternal.
He shook his head, dismissing the unrealistic thought. He then turned his gaze westward.
A hundred dragons guarded the thirty heavens, a hundred qilins occupied billions of divine cliffs. Heaven and earth, mountains and seas, boundless winds and waves, a magnificent and thrilling spectacle.
This world was so vast, the Primordial World so expansive, one should surely go and see it.
Only in this era was the heaven the purest, and the earth the most profound.
After the era of the three tribes, a Heavenly Dao emerged between heaven, earth, and all beings, forever obscuring the primal purity.
Since arriving in the Primordial World, he had never ventured out to explore the world. He had remained confined to a corner of the Eastern Wilderness, a regrettable oversight.
After the era of the three tribes, heaven and earth underwent a drastic change, no longer resembling the primordial Primordial World. He wished to seize the opportunity while time permitted, to witness the world, traverse the mountains and rivers, and marvel at Pangu's magnificent land.
In the past, he had lacked the qualifications to even consider such a journey, but now, he possessed them.
As a great power, remaining in seclusion offered little advancement. Traveling the world and gathering luck from all directions could lead to greater achievements.
The Jianmu tree was suppressed by four innate spiritual treasures and bore the karma of supporting the heavens. Unless a supreme being arrived, his presence here would be futile.
Qing Ling transmitted his voice to the four directions: "I need to embark on a journey. You all shall guard your respective territories within the Du Guang domain and remain vigilant."
The four guardians respectfully bowed, "We shall obey the Dao Master's decree."
Qing Ling walked to the base of the Jianmu tree, patted its trunk, and said with a sigh, "Jianmu, I'm going out for a while.
Although I'm leaving, you must continue to grow taller, three feet three inches a day, do not slack off."
The Jianmu tree's trunk pulsed with green light, showing signs of reluctance, even a hint of fear. Since its growth began, it had never been separated from Qing Ling for an extended period.
It and he had long been one, their intentions intertwined.
Qing Ling set off with simple attire, carrying no baggage, no burden.
The Jianmu tree shed three vine leaves to bid him farewell. Luo Sheng flowers swayed in a parting gesture. In the west, the derived Pagoda Spirit rejoiced. In the north, the Bei Xu flowers bloomed. In the south, the Zi You lotus opened. In the east, red leaves of the Chun tree fell in a thousand layers, dyeing the sky-spanning ropes.
Thus, one of the nine sky-spanning ropes, a strand of green silk, transformed into a red thread.
"Ding-a-ling~"
The spring bell rang, and Qing Ling departed step by step, his solitary silhouette stretching in the setting sun.
Qing Ling set out amidst chaos, born into an era of great contention. Carrying the destiny of the snake tribe and the dragon tribe within the great trend of chaotic luck, Qing Ling stepped into the world.
Chaos persisted in the west, drawing the attention of all great divine abilities. Compared to the dragons and qilins, who would pay attention to him, a mere fledgling?
The Azure Dragon and the Black Qilin of the west ascended to the thirty-first heaven. Black and azure hues hung high in the sky, transforming the heavens of the entire Primordial World.
On Qilin Cliff, black and white colors clashed. The White Qilin, as one of the Qilin clan's dual kings, possessed strength slightly superior to the Black Dragon Ancestor. Though wounded by the Azure Dragon's sword strike, she showed no signs of defeat.
A hundred dragons entangled with nearly a hundred qilins, shaking the thirty-third heaven. Heavenly light flashed wildly, divine abilities and techniques emerged in rapid succession, causing all beings to tremble in fear.
Qing Ling measured his steps, his green robe flowing gently, golden bells tinkling. The spring breeze was warm, and wherever he passed, spring arrived.
He watched the Azure Dragon Ancestor advance. On the thirty-first heaven, dragon roars and Qilin cries echoed, sword light spanning billions, black patterns stretching infinitely, Dao seals clashing with swords, shaking the world.
However, there were no earth-shattering formations, only awe-inspiring spectacles.
At this level of the thirtieth heaven, the mastery of law and power was near perfection. Not a single ounce of energy was wasted. There was no flashy destruction of heaven and earth, only a vast and passionate battlefield.
Qing Ling walked step by step, leaving the Eastern Wilderness. He would follow the chaotic lands, entering the buffer zone between the Qilin and Phoenix tribes, a more elongated chaotic region.
Then, he would travel west for a hundred billion miles, stepping onto the Western lands. From the eastern border of the Western region, he would head north to witness the northern scenery, then descend to the Pangu Mountain Range, and finally return northeast to Xi Mountain.
This circuit would only trace the borders of the four regions of the Primordial World – east, west, north, and south. He would not enter the central Western, Northern, or Southern regions, merely circling the Pangu Mountain Range before returning.
This was because the central Southern region was the domain of the Phoenix tribe. The central Western region was inhabited by remnant ferocious beasts and the forces of the Demon Ancestor. The north was home to various dragon tribe subsidiaries, as well as the forces of the Azure Void Supreme and the Black Tortoise Supreme. The Eastern lands, apart from the dragon and Qilin subsidiaries, also contained ancestral mountains like Kunlun Yujing.
Qing Ling journeyed for a hundred years, the sky never ceasing its dazzling display of colors.
The battle in the west raged for a hundred years, solely because of the fall of a Grand Unity True Dragon.
Finally, a high-pitched, piercing cry echoed from the southern sky, and the Golden Roc Ancestor revealed itself.
The Golden-Winged Great Roc fed on celestial dragons. Each time its cry resounded across the land, it would devour five hundred lesser dragons and a Dragon King in a single day.
Of course, the dragons mentioned here were not true dragons, but beasts possessing dragon bloodlines.
As this cry sounded, the old Daoist on Mount Yujing lightly brushed his sleeves and stood up.