Clad in green light and iron armor, sword at his side, an imposing presence emanated from his brows. A steely, battle-hardened aura concealed within, honed by countless wars, he was like a peerless divine sword.
Qing Ling stared, astonished. He had expected the Azure Dragon Ancestor to be an elder, not someone so young. Deep within his primordial spirit, the auxiliary spring divinity trembled violently, signaling to him that the person before him might be the God of Spring.
"Qing Ling pays respects to the Divine Lord."
The other's sharp eyes scrutinized the bowed Qing Ling for a long moment before speaking.
Only when Qing Ling began to think he would never be allowed to rise did he hear a clear voice say, "Rise."
"Many thanks, Divine Lord."
After a moment of silence, the other took two steps forward and said, "Were it not for the divine spirit's sensing and the spring god's aura on you, I wouldn't believe that my auxiliary god could be a Heaven Tier."
Qing Ling felt a touch of awkwardness, unsure how to respond.
"Forget it. No matter how weak, you are still my subordinate. I am merely a clone, only tasked with execution." The Azure Dragon clone shook its head, as if speaking to itself, "No wonder the main body made such arrangements. Heaven Tier cultivation is utterly useless."
Qing Ling could only continue to feign ignorance. Clearly, he had met his superior and was met with disdain. Remaining silent was the best course of action at this moment.
The Azure Dragon clone walked out of the grand hall alone, saying, "Follow me."
Qing Ling naturally followed, arriving at the peak of Azure Dragon Sacred Mountain.
Amidst the howling mountain winds, the Azure Dragon clone stood with hands behind his back, gazing down and declaring, "Another round of the Sacred Rite has begun!"
Hearing this, Qing Ling also looked down.
Before the magnificent crystal palace, a pure gold, nine-clawed dragon had appeared above the main hall. It was spectral yet real, its immense pressure forcing all races to prostrate themselves. Over a hundred thousand alien beings knelt in unison, performing the grand ceremony with their heads touching the ground.
However, at the very front of each race stood the Saintess and Saint Son, representatives of their respective clans. They knelt beneath the nine-clawed dragon. Even the Great Luo Supremes of each race bowed deeply, their proud spines no longer erect, though they did not kneel.
"Do you know why the Sacred Rite is the greatest event for the three races?" the Azure Dragon clone asked, his gaze still fixed on the sacrificial ceremony in the myriad races' plaza, without turning his head.
Qing Ling mused, then tentatively replied, "Because of 'Destiny'?"
"Indeed." The Azure Dragon clone nodded. "I shall let you witness the true Sacred Rite!"
Qing Ling's heart trembled. Matters concerning the Sacred Rite were absolute secrets. It seemed rather improper to allow a member of the Serpent race, not of the Dragon race, to witness it.
Before he could ponder further, the heavens above Azure Dragon Sacred Mountain shifted dramatically. From the Azure Dragon clone, a fierce and majestic azure dragon phantom ascended, circling Qing Ling before darting into his pupils.
In the next instant, the world viewed through Qing Ling's eyes lost all color. Mountains and rivers, everything, turned monochromatic.
Only the myriad races' plaza remained vibrant with color!
His pupils dilated instantly, and he stared intently at the shocking scene below.
Above the colorless crystal palace, an immeasurably vast golden divine dragon coiled. The dragon was radiant, its size immense. It was formed from the interweaving destiny of countless dragons – the Destiny Golden Dragon!
Yet, behind the golden dragon's glorious scales, there were numerous small, dark gray karmic energies and widespread bloody calamities.
Below, the manifestations of destiny for the myriad races and beasts each appeared.
There were the destiny divine whales of the seven Sea King races, the destiny divine turtles… and the colorful destiny manifestations of countless other races.
And now, as they prostrated themselves, endless streams of destiny flowed back like the tides, entering the body of the magnificent Destiny Golden Dragon. The Destiny Golden Dragon grew larger once more, and the bloody and black spots on its back shrank, its power surging even greater than before.
Below, the destiny flowed away from the Saint Sons of each race, not merely their own destiny, but the destiny offered by countless tribesmen prostrating themselves.
Upon seeing this, he hastily looked eastward. The eastern sea was a colorless expanse. Across the vast, distant ocean, above the ancestral lands of the clans possessing Saint Sons, various destiny manifestations also rose, all flowing towards the Destiny Golden Dragon of the East Sea Dragon Palace!
However, in the Eastern Desolation, the ancestral land of the Xishan Serpent race showed no loss of destiny.
Then, looking south, a giant phoenix spanning the heavens unfurled its wings, its every feather becoming more vibrant as the destiny of all birds in the world flowed into them.
Further to the west of Buzhou Mountain, the destiny of all beasts on land flowed towards the destiny divine images of the twin Qilin twins leaning back-to-back on Qilin Cliff.
Qing Ling turned back to look at Granny Hua Geng and her group in the myriad races' plaza. They too were losing destiny, which flowed into the golden dragon.
He looked again towards Xishan, still no anomaly.
Qing Ling's heart stirred, as if he understood. As he turned, his gaze flickered and noticed that on the brow of the salamander's destiny divine image in the southwest of the Eastern Desolation, a profound ancient jade disk was embedded.
A flash of shock went through his heart. Before he could examine it further, the ethereal energy in his pupils dissipated, and the world returned to being a vibrant, colorful place. All anomalies vanished.
The Azure Dragon clone asked, "Did you understand?"
"I did."
"Then explain it."
Qing Ling nodded and replied, "Yes. Then I shall speak without reservation.
The Dragon race's Sacred Rite, and indeed the Sacred Rites of the three races, are merely a facade. The Grand Competition of Saint Sons is a distraction. The true objective is to control the myriad races and devour their destiny to strengthen themselves, maintaining the prosperity of the Dragon race while suppressing the karmic calamities and death energies within the Dragon race.
The selection of Saint Sons from each race and granting them high status is merely a catalyst for consolidating the destiny of each race. Without the Saint Sons gathering their race's destiny, even the patriarch might not be able to represent the entire destiny of their race. The Saint Sons' noble status but lack of real power truly makes them symbols of each race's destiny.
As for those smaller races without even Taiyi cultivators, their destiny is too weak and fragmented; even if the Dragon race devoured it, it would be of little use.
All three races employ this method, implicitly understanding each other. In essence, they rule the world through destiny. While all races know that the three races will never coexist peacefully forever, their collective consolidation of the destiny of the Primordial World also serves as a means to jointly restrain all top-tier powerful beings, and even those higher existences."
Surprise flickered in the Azure Dragon clone's eyes. "What you said initially is quite accurate, but what you said afterwards is certainly not something an ordinary powerful being would see.
The realm of destiny you witnessed just now is something even ordinary powerful beings cannot observe so directly and completely. Your ability to grasp so much is also a matter of destiny and great wisdom. No wonder the main body arranged this for you."
Qing Ling asked, confused, "Arranged what?"
"Naturally, something good!" The Azure Dragon clone chuckled lightly, his clear laughter carrying an imperceptible trace of loneliness.