The Teng Snake clan guarded the great goddess Nuwa, who was destined to become a Heavenly Dao Saint. Thus, the world acknowledged Nuwa's lineage, not a separate branch of the snake race. This was not merely due to the saint's prestige, but also because the snake clan could not bear the fortune of a saint.
As the guardian race of Nuwa and Fuxi, the Teng Snake clan would acknowledge them as supreme upon Nuwa's emergence, establishing a new clan separate from the snake race.
Elder Hua Geng was profoundly shocked and exclaimed, "Teng Snake elders, our clan's ancestor Tai Geng spread the teachings to all snakes in the world. Though we have since branched into three, we still uphold Tai Geng's ancestral law and bloodline. Can such ancestral kindness be severed so easily?"
Teng Ni's expression dimmed slightly, and he sighed, "Ultimately, our Teng Snake clan has failed the snake race. If the Sea Serpent Royal Clan and the Xi Shan Snake Clan face peril in the future, our Teng Snake clan will naturally lend its aid."
Qing Ling understood. Lending aid, not exerting all effort. Though not with utmost sincerity, they at least still valued their kinship.
"Since you have long harbored the desire to leave, I have nothing more to say. However, I implore you to remember that you were once part of the snake race, even if it's for that innate deity born from its womb!"
Teng Ni's expression flickered. After a moment of contemplation, he replied, "Agreed!"
Qing Ling nodded. His agreement not only acknowledged the Teng Snake clan but also implied that Nuwa and Fuxi owed a debt of gratitude to him, the ancestor of the snake race!
"If that is so, I, in the name of the Snake Ancestor, proclaim the unification of all snakes under heaven. The Teng Snake branch shall establish its own clan and no longer belong to the snake race!"
Hua Geng's face was grim, but out of respect for Qing Ling, he refrained from an outburst.
However, the three representatives of the Sea Serpent Royal Clan could not remain calm. Yuan He roared, "Teng Snake elders, you are abandoning your ancestors and your clan! If you truly secede, our Sea Serpent Royal Clan will not acknowledge it."
Teng Tu frowned, "Yuan He, you are not the ancestor yourself. What does your acknowledgment matter?"
Yuan Kui sneered, "Oh? Our clan's only ancestor was Tai Geng. This second one is none other than Yuan Kui!"
Teng Ni said with a half-smile, "But the Ancestral Mark does not belong to Elder Yuan Kui. Our Teng Snake clan abides by the ancestor's will. Whoever possesses the Ancestral Mark, we shall honor them as the ancestor!"
Upon hearing this, Hua Geng's expression softened considerably.
Yuan Su shook his head, "If the Teng Snakes leave the snake race, they have no right to interfere in our internal affairs. The ownership of the Ancestral Mark is not a matter for you to decide."
"However, if the Sea Serpent Royal Clan does not acknowledge our secession, then with two branches against one, the Ancestral Mark can only go to the Xi Shan clan! Therefore, today, our clan's secession and the ancestor's position are at stake. Your Sea Serpent Royal Clan must choose one!" Teng Ni stated calmly.
The three members of the Sea Serpent clan looked grim; they were truly in a difficult position.
As for Qing Ling, he was indifferent. He stirred the Snake Ancestor's Mark, and the fate of the Feng Qi Mountain branch of the snake clan scattered. One transformed into a Teng Snake, coiling around Feng Qi. Another ascended, becoming a python that returned to the Xi Shan clan's destiny.
From then on, only the Sea Serpent Royal Clan and the Xi Shan Snake Clan remained in the world.
Yuan Su, who had been standing silently to the side, transmitted a message to Yuan Kui for a long time. After Yuan Kui's expression shifted several times, he finally made a decision. He said solemnly, "Since the Teng Snake clan's decision to secede is final, my opposition is futile. However, this matter of the ancestor will be contended between our Sea Serpent Royal Clan and the Xi Shan Snake Clan. Thus, we shall decide it by strength."
Hua Geng immediately shook his head, "This is unacceptable, Elder Yuan Kui. You are a Heaven and Earth Great Power who has lived for hundreds of epochs. To contend with our Xi Shan would be to bully the weak."
Yuan Kui chuckled, his clouded eyes gleaming. "In the Primordial World, all laws and order are determined by strength. Since when has fairness been a consideration? Very well, for the sake of kinship, I will only make three moves. If you, young one, can withstand them, the position of ancestor will be yours, and our Sea Serpent Royal Clan will grant you some respect."
Qing Ling did not hesitate and immediately replied, "Agreed! It shall be decided by three moves!"
Hua Geng's expression remained troubled. A Heaven and Earth Great Power and a Great Power, though differing by only two words, represented a chasm of difference! Not to mention three moves, even one move could surpass a peak Da Luo Golden Immortal. They were separated by an entire major realm.
Teng Ni watched this and did not intervene. She was now an outsider to the snake race and should not interfere. However, she still called out, "Elder Yuan Kui, since we are all of the same clan, I implore you not to be too heavy-handed." She too understood the gap between a Heaven and Earth Great Power and a Great Power, and could only ask him to show restraint.
Yuan Kui's expression was impassive. "That is natural. We are all of the snake lineage, how could we fight amongst ourselves? Come, let me see what strength you possess, you Da Luo who has climbed the one hundred and eight thousand steps!"
Qing Ling's demeanor was as calm as autumn water. He stood above the Jianmu tree and smiled leisurely, "Please, Elder!" His words carried no urgency, only composed confidence.
Yuan Kui waved his hand. Yuan He and Yuan Su retreated, as did Teng Ni and Teng Tu. Elder Hua Geng's face was tense, but she said no more. After all, what Old Ancestor Yuan Kui had said about strength being the sole principle in the Primordial World held true. Even as a direct descendant of Ancestor Tai Geng, she was powerless to influence the matter of the ancestor's position.
Old Ancestor Yuan Kui's expression grew solemn. He slowly raised his verdant right hand and grabbed at the air. The void in all four directions was sealed, and a colossal palm phantom appeared in the sky. From within the palm emerged a green flood dragon, a serpentine body! The Sea Serpent Royal Clan, as one of the seven great royal clans of the Dragon race, had long since refined the Dragon race's formidable bloodline. Although their strength had greatly increased, they had also become part of the Dragon bloodline clans, rather than possessing an independent bloodline.
The python-dragon's body shot forth, all four claws extended. The world turned a dark green, and the laws of poison permeated for thousands of miles, forming a poison domain. Within this domain, everything was poisoned.
Qing Ling pointed a finger. His eyes opened simultaneously, with life and death, Yin and Yang opposing each other. A vast Tai Chi and Two-Forms phantom slowly rotated. The power of life and death formed Yin and Yang, comprehending the Great Dao of Tai Chi and Two Forms. Although he did not cultivate Tai Chi as his primary path, his mastery of the fusion of life and death allowed Qing Ling to gain insights into the Great Dao of Tai Chi. The Tai Chi phantom divided Yin and Yang, life and death, and the opposition of life and death maintained a marvelous balance, which in turn gave rise to myriad things.
The dark green Great Dao of poison pierced through the void, crisscrossing to form an absolute domain, yet it could not erase that single point of black and white! Qing Ling's two hundred mu of auspicious clouds rose above his head, and immense magical power was poured into the Tai Chi and Two-Forms phantom of life and death. Amidst the dark green poisonous mist, it flickered and teetered on the brink of collapse, but it was enough to maintain the last thread of stability.
After Old Ancestor Yuan Kui made his move, he withdrew. Once a strike was made, he would not rely on his realm to suppress his opponent. Observing the poisonous mist, Yuan Kui stroked his beard and chuckled, "This strike, I used forty percent of my strength. No one in the five heavens could easily withstand it." All present understood. Hua Geng, though worried, was not anxious, as she did not believe Qing Ling would be defeated so easily.
Within the vast poisonous mist, life and death and Yin and Yang protected him. The void was ravaged, yet the black and white of life and death remained untainted. This was not only because the Great Dao of Life and Death Tai Chi was a supreme Dao, ranked higher than the Dao of Poison, but also because Qing Ling's Nascent Soul cultivation was incredibly formidable. The Dao of Life, the Dao of Death, the Dao of Withering and Flourishing, the Dao of Time, the Dao of Wind, the Dao of Tai Chi – each Dao he comprehended did not exist independently, but rather all six were integrated into the Wood Dao. Each Dao represented a stage of cultivation. Coupled with his physical realm at the second heaven of Da Luo, his true strength far surpassed a mere second heaven.