The matriarch returned to Xishan, and atop the Jianmu tree, Qingling once again sat alone.
From this day forth, Duguan would not only have Qingxuan Dao Master, a great potentate, but also an ancestral progenitor of the serpent race.
Qingling’s primordial spirit channeled the life force of the Jianmu, drawing it into his Dao body. Verdant energy flowed through his meridians and dantian, soothing his entire being as the hidden wounds within his flesh and blood gradually healed.
To conceal injuries from the eyes of mighty Da Luo powerhouses was not a matter of mere pretense. He had to control every single wound within his body, every fragmentation of the Four Seasons Great Diagram that had rebounded through his viscera.
Yet, Qingling’s primordial spirit manipulated his flesh and blood to shift positions, concealing them with his corporeal form. Every wound was hidden beneath each of his scales, the serpent scales closing tightly, his divine Dao body capable of shielding them.
A flash of light, and his serpentine tail, three thousand *zhang* long, swayed and dangled from the summit of the Jianmu. His human form’s eyes were closed, his serpent tail undulating with the wind, mysterious and unfathomable like a dragon’s tail amidst the clouds.
Amidst the celestial clouds, upon the pillar of Jianmu, his serpent tail entwined, wind, clouds, rain, and snow swirled.
Within the ice and snow of the second heaven, the Jianmu’s growth stagnated.
Qingling sat in contemplation for a hundred thousand years.
The Dao body’s wounds were fully healed.
For the first time, he felt the difference between the realms of the potentates. It was difficult for a potentate to be injured, but once injured, recovery was arduous.
To recuperate from wounds could take ten thousand years, or even longer.
He had merely healed his injuries, and another Yuanhui had passed.
This was the fifty-first Yuanhui, and also a Yuanhui where his cultivation had not advanced.
However, his body was like jade, his pure and unblemished form made even purer.
The three-thousand-zhang serpent tail retracted. His divine form transformed back into human. Qingling smoothed his loose black hair. The Miyantian Silk proactively flew up, its strands weaving through his hair, tying his straight locks.
He reached out again to adjust his robes, his attire neat and proper.
He was like jade, ethereal as an immortal, noble as a deity – all three converged in one being.
Qingling sensed something and raised his head to look westward.
A resounding dragon’s roar vibrated through the heavens and earth, seemingly traveling extremely far. By the time it reached the Eastern Wilderness, the sound had weakened.
Yet, the brilliance of the great Dao of Water in the west could not be obscured by distance.
Blue water luminescence swirled in the heavens, a true dragon soul lost in the light of the Dao. A rare, heavy rain began to fall across the entire western region.
The pitter-patter of rain fell into the hearts of countless beings.
Or perhaps, these drops of rain were part of the great tide of the era, pushing all beings in heaven and earth toward the unknown.
"Boom—"
The dim heavens seemed to collapse.
A ray of light slowly descended, a dragon soul dissipated into the heavens and earth, sinking into the river of time. Its true spirit shattered and returned to the river of destiny.
"A dragon has fallen!"
Innumerable beings were shaken and terrified. A fallen dragon, dead and lifeless!
A true dragon, a Da Luo Golden Immortal, had perished!
Moreover, its true spirit was shattered, its physical body destroyed.
The Da Luo Dao Treasury realm had sunk into the Primordial World. Each Da Luo possessed an inner Dao realm; when a Da Luo perished, their world would sink and merge with the Primordial World, becoming a minor world.
From afar, the old Daoist of Yujing murmured, "Another minor world has appeared. The Heavenly Dao can advance another step!"
As minor worlds merged into the Primordial World, the Heavenly Dao, unable to advance directly in this world where ancestors vied for dominance, would indirectly infiltrate the minor worlds left behind by fallen Da Luo. As these minor worlds merged with the Primordial World, their Heavenly Dao wills also integrated into the world.
Although the amount was small, merely one hundred thousandth and eight thousandth, the Heavenly Dao had infinite patience to wear down these old ancestors and potentates.
With the death of every potentate, the Heavenly Dao gained control of another hundred thousandth and eight thousandth of the world. With the death of every great potentate, it gained another ten thousandth. If a supreme potentate like Ancestor Tai Geng were to perish, the Heavenly Dao would gain control of one thousandth of the world!
Therefore, the Heavenly Dao greatly desired the demise of beings, especially potentates. If potentates did not perish naturally, the Heavenly Dao would actively instigate tribulations and calamities, death, and misfortune.
The death of a potentate was an absolutely profitable transaction for the Heavenly Dao. It not only gained a share of dominion over the world but also eliminated a being that could disregard the Heavenly Dao. Furthermore, it returned spiritual energy to the world, nurturing more weaker beings for it to control.
These matters were not intentionally interfered with by Hongjun; they were autonomously initiated by the Heavenly Dao. Hongjun’s will was Hongjun’s will, and the Heavenly Dao’s will was the Heavenly Dao’s will; the two would never be entirely consistent.
The sky was pressed down by boundless dark clouds, lowered by who knew how many *zhang*.
Great waves rose in the East Sea, and a thousand *li* of wind and clouds surged. One dragon fell in the west, and a hundred dragons came from the east!
"Rumble rumble rumble~"
"Crack~"
Within the dark clouds, a hundred true dragons traversed, shaking the Primordial World. Even the potentates retreated to their abodes.
"Roar~"
Dragon roars shattered the firmament, and the universe seemed to collapse.
A colossal black dragon stood proudly in the ninth heaven, followed by a hundred dragons, its dragon might crushing everything.
The black dragon, extending for billions of *zhang*, roared, "Who extinguished my kinsman?"
Each Da Luo of the dragon race was a foundation that the dragon clan could not afford to lose, and it concerned the dignity of the entire clan. Fury ignited among the hundred dragons, burning hotter and hotter.
On the Qilin Cliff in the west, the black and white Qilin kings emerged. The black Qilin said solemnly, "This dragon dared to destroy our clan's ancestral land's脉, and has already been suppressed by this king at the bottom of Qilin Cliff!"
The black dragon’s eyes widened in rage, roaring, "Qilin King, do not say that my clan's Da Luo would do such a thing. Even if they did, it would not be for you to take their life!"
The black Qilin said, "Presumptuous! Even if Ancestral Dragon himself came, he would not dare to roar like this. Black Dragon, you have gone too far!"
"Heh! Qilin Twin Kings, you overestimate yourselves. If Ancestral Dragon were here today, your Qilin Cliff would cease to exist!" the black dragon’s tone was icy, and it looked directly at the black and white male and female figures standing atop Qilin Cliff – the twin kings of the Qilin clan!
From atop the cliff, a nine-colored light ascended. The Nine-Colored Deer clan’s ancestor, along with the Qilin clan’s twin kings, the only supreme potentate besides them, the Nine-Crowned Elder, spoke to persuade, "Everyone, today’s matter is likely a scheme. Please do not be enraged.
This matter between the two clans is of great importance; a war should not be easily initiated."
"Silence!" The Black Dragon Ancestor bellowed, "What if it is a scheme? Today’s matter must not pass. The blood of my clan must be paid in kind!"
"Such bold words, who in the world dares to be arrogant before this king?" the black Qilin sneered.
"Heh, Qilin Twin Kings, the era has changed! But the scales of the dragon race, once touched, will result in death!" The Black Dragon Ancestor roared to the heavens, "Where are the hundred dragons?"
"We are here!"
"Accompany me to avenge our kinsman's blood!"
"Fight!"
The hundred dragons flew into the sky. The black dragon coiled around the thirtieth heaven, the pinnacle of a supreme potentate. Below it, eighteen Heavenly Dao potentates, white dragons, stood on the tenth heaven. Dozens of divine dragons occupied the lower heavens, and the hundred dragons surrounded the cliff.
Among the Qilin Twin Kings, the woman in white chuckled and said, "Black Dragon, you are not strong enough for this!"
The white Qilin had always remained as calm as still water, completely opposite to the black Qilin’s fiery temper. Her exquisite serenity flowed around her like a gentle stream.
White light permeated the air, and white water reached its limit. A pure white domain of light pierced the darkness.
The leisurely woman, despite her seemingly fragile body, was, like the Black Dragon Ancestor, at the thirtieth heaven realm.
The black Qilin was also at the thirtieth heaven, the peak of a supreme potentate. With the black and white combined, the Twin Kings controlled the heavens. This pair of the most powerful Dao companions in the Primordial World could, in unison, contend with a thirty-second heaven Da Luo Golden Immortal, nearly at the level of Hunyuan.
Heaven and earth trembled. The black and white divine light on Qilin Cliff swallowed the sun and moon. The hundred dragons coiled around the thirtieth heaven, forming a chaotic great array, with the Black Dragon Ancestor at its center, empowering the heavens. United as one clan, with the blood of their kin, they could unite their strength to battle the world.
Dragon roars echoed through the Primordial World, and billions of lightning bolts surged, covering the Qilin Cliff's billions of *zhang* mountains. The dragon’s roar drowned out all other sounds.
But atop Qilin Cliff, the man in black held the hand of his beloved. Black and white intertwined, exuding kingly demeanor, unmatched in beauty.
Water rose and earth sank, black and white intertwined, forming a primordial egg. Indestructible and irrepressible.
The hundred Da Luo dragons, eighteen Heavenly Dao potentates, and eighty-eight Da Luo dragons of the dragon race found it difficult to subdue the black and white kings on Qilin Cliff.
This was not only due to the Twin Kings' strength but also because this was Qilin Cliff.
The white Qilin’s expression still held a faint smile, as if she were unconcerned by the dragon race’s invasion of their sacred land.
She and he were the kings of the billions of mountains and rivers in the Primordial World, rulers who controlled half the land. Who would they fear?
However, the demise of a Da Luo of the dragon race had not occurred for over a hundred Yuanhui. This was the dragon race’s most fundamental bottom line, and once crossed, it meant an endless battle.
The black Qilin scoffed, "Black Dragon, if you wish to spar, have Ancestral Dragon come himself."
A black and white light screen enveloped billions of *li* of land. Even with billions of lightning bolts roaring, they could not damage the Qilin Divine Cliff.
In terms of defense, Qilin and Xuanwu were equally renowned throughout the Primordial World.
But if the Twin Kings combined their strength, trod upon the earth, stood on Qilin Divine Cliff, and wielded the might of the mountains and rivers, even Xuanwu would pale in comparison.
However, just then, a green light from the east broke through the sea, and a long cry ascended beyond the heavens. A thousand Xun arose, and ten thousand swords severed the heavens and earth.