The heavens and earth have limits, and all myriad paths have their end, hence the supreme Da Luo Golden Immortal, beyond the shores of time, in the three moments of past, present, and future, in the chaotic four directions of heaven and earth, the supreme of all, the ultimate of the Dao.
The realm of Da Luo is too distant, vast, and ephemeral for billions of sentient beings to grasp.
Thus, beneath Da Luo lies Tai Yi, surpassing Golden Immortals and Venerables, yet not reaching the realm of Da Luo.
Even so, among the countless beings who rise above the rest, Golden Immortal Venerables are exceedingly rare, with less than a thousand emerging!
Today, by fortunate coincidence, one can be seen at Xi Mountain.
Hua Geng, the third generation patriarch of Xi Mountain, inherited the bloodline of the founding ancestor, Tai Geng. He cultivated for ninety-six Yuan Hui cycles, leading his clan to prosper and pass down their lineage for forty-seven Yuan Hui cycles. He gathered the residual destiny and fortune of the innate god and demon Tai Geng, along with the destiny of the Xi Mountain clan, further augmented by a trace of Qing Ling's innate divine essence. After ninety-six Yuan Hui cycles of arduous cultivation, amassing boundless primordial magic power, he finally reached the pinnacle of Golden Immortal.
Above Xi Mountain, three grand illusory manifestations of myriad Dao flowers appeared. The silver Dao flower, situated in the position of the Three Talents, suddenly bloomed. In an instant, the vast earth churned with primordial chaos and yellow energy, the mountains and rivers of the eight directions surged into its body. One silver flower bloomed, absorbing the ninefold gravity of the earth.
Then, the celestial flower, positioned at the Genius's place, slowly unfurled. As the flower opened, it illuminated the heavens and the ten directions of the universe. Boundless heavenly netherworld flowed into this flower, and one golden flower bloomed, drawing the profound mysteries of the thirty-three heavens from above.
Finally, at the Human's place, a yellow flower emerged. This was the Human Flower condensed by Hua Geng through nearly a hundred Yuan Hui cycles of cultivation and enlightenment!
The "Human" in the Human Flower did not refer to beings of the human race. Before the advent of the human race, the Dao patterns of "Man" already existed. The Dao patterns of "Man" represent the convergence of all sentient beings, both living and non-living, between the heavens and the earth.
The Human Flower, of yellow and black hues, displayed the essence of the Great Tai Geng Dao. It was a Dao derived from the great Dao of gold. Tai Geng's power was unparalleled, as invincible as flowing metal and stone in all directions. Its blooming brought hope, returning to the essence of gold and metal.
With the three flowers fully manifested, they ascended to the nine heavens, illuminating the great thousand realms, radiating three thousand rays of brilliance. Myriad golden flower Dao manifestations appeared between heaven and earth, and above these Dao manifestations were three colors, signifying the convergence of the three flowers atop the head!
This was the mark of a Tai Yi Golden Immortal!
The three flowers drew upon the primordial energy of millions of miles of heaven and earth. All the boundless power of gold was absorbed into the three flowers. A vast, unfathomable, and powerful aura surged upwards from Xi Mountain. The five cardinal directions of heaven and earth sent their five energies rushing for thousands of miles, returning to the mountains and rivers, and entering Hua Geng's body.
The five energies ascended, permeating the heart's spirit, the liver's soul, the spleen's intent, the lungs' corporeal soul, and the kidneys' essence. The five acquired energies transformed into innate energies, which then entered the five corresponding locations within the Dao body. Once these five energies were perfected and the "Chao Yuan" realm manifested, one could ascend to the thirty-three heavens of Da Luo!
Grandmother Hua Geng, wielding the Ten Thousand Serpent Staff, stood with a hunched figure on the Tai Chong Peak of Xi Mountain. The surrounding side peaks resembled four giant pythons, bowing to her. Though small and covered in wrinkles, her face, amidst the dazzling radiance, conveyed an awe-inspiring presence.
Standing atop the highest mountain stretching for millions of miles, the mountain itself was like a python bowing in worship, and the pythons were like mountains, ten thousand serpents paying homage!
"Congratulations to the Patriarch for achieving the Tai Yi fruit!"
"Congratulations to the Patriarch for achieving the Tai Yi fruit!"
...
Across millions of miles of Xi Mountain, countless snakes and pythons bowed their heads. Tens of thousands of spiritual snakes converged on Xi Mountain, and millions of giant pythons prostrated themselves in respect.
Qing Ling, having come from the Primordial World, had never witnessed the grandeur of Da Luo, but the Tai Yi might of Grandmother Hua Geng at this moment deeply shocked him.
Even from a distance, on the edge of the clan territory, he could still feel the formidable and peerless divine power of his grandmother, as vast as an abyss!
This was the pinnacle of Golden Immortal, the beginning of Da Luo, the Tai Yi Dao fruit!
Amidst his shock, Qing Ling felt an urgent desire for strength and a fervent pursuit of the Dao. He too wished for a day when he could witness such a spectacle, with countless beings bowing before him, just as his grandmother did today.
Grandmother Hua Geng did not act. Even though she had achieved Tai Yi, the Twelve Ranks of the Dragon Clan remained an inviolable decree, and even Da Luo Golden Immortals were bound by it. However, she faced southwest, and a gale swept across ninety thousand miles, clearing away all wisps of clouds, revealing a vast expanse of azure sky. A magnificent Dao sound echoed across the ten great tribes.
"Retreat from my Xi Mountain clan territory within three days, or I shall personally visit the ancestral lands of the four tribes!"
Grandmother Hua Geng's voice stirred the wind and clouds in the sky, scattering them. Her words reverberated for tens of thousands of miles, reaching the territories of the Crimson Fire Toad and Crimson Wood Toad tribes to the west, and the Spirit Spot Hyena and Spirit Centipede tribes to the east. All the Golden Immortal Venerables of the four tribes shivered, and they immediately activated their clan communication channels, ordering their respective groups to withdraw from Xi Mountain territory as quickly as possible, daring not to delay.
The countless toads, hyenas, and centipedes surrounding Xi Mountain's defense line retreated like a tide, their aggressive posturing vanishing. They fled in disarray.
Even the remaining tens of thousands of Green Lizard tribesmen at the foot of the Eastern Green Wood Great Wall retreated, daring not to linger.
In the west, amidst the blood-soaked corpses, the swirling smoke gradually weakened, and the sounds of battle subsided. Every member of the snake clan, covered in blood, raised their heads and laughed. Qi, also covered in wounds, sheathed his long saber, a foolish grin on his face. Beside him, Du, whose body was riddled with injuries, clapped Qi fiercely on the shoulder and said, "Little brat, we won!"
In the east, Qing Ling stood up, facing the wind, and whispered, "We won!"
"We won!"
"We have triumphed!"
...
One by one, the voices, the expressions, the words, were conveyed amidst the joy of every member of the snake clan.
They had won! They had welcomed victory!
The recuperation for one Yuan Hui in the future would be enough to make the already powerful Xi Mountain surpass the motley crews of the surrounding tribes!
In the next War of Ten Thousand Beasts, the snakes of Xi Mountain would tread upon every inch of the territories of the Crimson Fire Toad and Spirit Spot Hyena tribes. Today's hell of blood and fire, and scattered corpses, would be reenacted upon the ancestral lands of those few tribes!
There was no need for supervision of their retreat; the lingering Tai Yi aura above Xi Mountain served as the best enforcer.
Within a mere three days, no tribesmen from the four clans remained within Xi Mountain's territory. Even the borders on the east and west sides had voluntarily retreated by thirty thousand miles.
After all, the Tai Yi realm was far too terrifying for these smaller tribes.
Because the Twelve Ranks of the Dragon Clan did not classify Tai Yi Golden Immortals as belonging to the Da Luo realm; the Tai Yi realm was still considered part of Golden Immortal. Therefore, there were no restrictions on Tai Yi beings taking action against Golden Immortals!
A single Tai Yi could battle and defeat three to five Golden Immortals. If it were a one-on-one engagement, or if sneak attacks and underhanded tactics were employed, even Golden Immortal Venerables would find themselves in dire straits. Even if they did not die, their Dao bodies could be destroyed, their primordial spirits shattered, and they could truly perish back into the heavens and earth!
Thus, smaller tribes with a Tai Yi being held far greater deterrence over other small tribes than major tribes that only possessed Da Luo beings.
Therefore, aside from the major tribes explicitly designated by the Dragon Clan as Da Luo superior tribes, there was also a circulating belief among the smaller tribes that clans possessing a Tai Yi being were considered intermediate clans.
Although the Xi Mountain snake clan had suffered considerable casualties, their morale was extremely high. They began to slowly restore order within their clan territory, clearing the battlefield, healing injuries, and tending to their wounded. Everyone became busy.
Thus, the War of Ten Thousand Beasts for one Yuan Hui cycle in the entire Eastern Barrens finally concluded, drawing to a close.
Qing Ling still had not returned. As the sole Sky-tier being stationed here, he could not easily leave.
Furthermore, the remaining tens of thousands of clan members still required his care and supervision, tending to the wounded, healing the snakes, arranging for their phased return to Xi Mountain, and selecting some clan members to guard the borders.
It wasn't until more than ten years later, when the Profound Snake Bell hanging on the four side peaks of Xi Mountain chimed forty-nine times, its special snake language vibrating and transmitting information, that all Sky-tier clan members and Earth-tier transformed clan members were summoned back to Xi Mountain to deliberate on clan affairs!