The three Golden Immortals' hearts turned cold. The power of an ultimate mid-grade Primordial Spirit Treasure was immense.
Without a second thought, they retreated, abandoning their attempts to intercept Qi's pervasive blade energy.
Confusion flickered in Qi's crimson eyes. He turned his head and saw the purplish-red sunset light streak past him, illuminating a green-robed man to the east. His face was like jade, his bearing elegant and handsome, a faint smile gracing his lips. His gentle, two-colored pupils gazed through the vast distance, fixing upon Qi.
Qi's crimson irises gradually faded, and the terrifying dragon and snake phantom image behind him also dissipated. With a mixture of excitement and slowness, he murmured, "Brother!"
Qing Ling smiled gently, his voice carrying like a spring breeze across a thousand miles, "Qi, it's been a long time."
As his words fell, he extended his hand again, summoning the Sky-Covering Rope. The blue silken net vibrated with a cascade of bell sounds. The wind chimes moved, and spring arrived. The ethereal illusory sounds infiltrated everywhere, resonating within the primordial spirits of the three Golden Immortals, their illusions and dissipations mere echoes of a thousand chimes.
Back then, he, merely at the Heaven Rank, could defeat the extraordinarily powerful Saint Son of the Violent Cold tribe. Now, though newly ascended to Golden Immortal, his combat power, even if not reaching Grand Unity, was not far off. Moreover, the divine profundity of a mid-grade Primordial Spirit Treasure demanded caution even from Grand Unity cultivators.
Thus, these three Golden Immortal Venerables, of average strength, were truly trapped by Qing Ling, unable to break free.
Qi's large, simple head shook, a long-unseen smile appearing on his face. He simply smiled foolishly, gazing at Qing Ling.
Qing Ling walked over, ruffled Qi's large head, and chuckled, "Why are you getting dumber as you grow? You always look like you'll never grow up."
Hearing this, Qi's expression dimmed, and he lowered his head, falling silent.
Qing Ling smiled, "What's there to be sad about? I know a saying from the foreign tribes: 'A true man, a great man, what is there to fear or be humble about?' Qi, you've stayed here for too long; it's time to go back."
As his words faded, Qing Ling vanished and reappeared in the sky.
He manifested his true form: a Spring God with a serpentine tail, his imposing divine form's hands outstretched, the colossal phantom seeming to grasp all life in one hand, his vertical pupils filled with pity for all beasts.
"I am the Saint Son of Xi Shan. Your eight tribes obstruct my army. Retreat, or perish!"
With his decree, Qing Ling's brow radiated divine runes. The battlefield below, a tapestry of blood and fire, transformed into lush green mountains, flowing spring waters, blooming mountain flowers, and vibrant, flourishing trees.
Standing tall in the heavens, the majestic deity waved his sleeve, sweeping across mountains and rivers. An unending spring breeze carried boundless vitality. All sixteen Golden Immortal Venerables felt their primordial spirits relax, as if bathing in a spring breeze, every pore inhaling the breath of spring, circulating through their bodies with invigorating ease.
However, while their primordial spirits found solace, their perception of their physical bodies was veiled by the infinite beauty of the spring. They failed to notice that their life force was subtly draining away. The sheer magnitude of life force from sixteen Golden Immortals, once siphoned, flowed entirely into Qing Ling's Dao Image, the Mystic Heaven Vine.
At present, the Mystic Heaven Vine fell far short of his vision for the Sky-Piercing Jianmu, rendering it unworthy of such a name. Thus, he merely called it Mystic Heaven.
Yet, the sixteen Golden Immortals were not ordinary. In mere moments, several of them saw through the lethal intent of the Spring Order Divine Diagram and their primordial spirits roared with fury.
But Qing Ling merely gestured again. A gentle breeze carried the golden bells, and strands of ethereal illusory sound wove through the Spring Order Divine Diagram, drawing the Golden Immortals' primordial spirits back into illusion.
Below, the Xi Shan Golden Immortals stared in stunned silence. This was their Saint Son! With a mere wave of his hand, he had subdued sixteen Golden Immortals. It was truly terrifying.
However, Qing Ling's primordial spirit was also extremely weary. Despite his formidable strength, he had to channel the power of an entire region to empower himself and suppress the primordial spirits of sixteen Golden Immortals with illusory sounds. He had reached his limit.
Apart from the ongoing army clashes below, the Golden Immortals circled Qing Ling, guarding him. No one dared to make a rash move, for within the Spring Order Divine Diagram, even without direct attacks, the Xi Shan Golden Immortals felt as if they were truly in a landscape of verdant mountains, clear waters, and picturesque scenery.
The Chi Venerable's eyes flickered, her primordial spirit trembling. She dared to attempt comprehending the Dao of Illusion on this unsafe battlefield using her primordial spirit. This was the Dao of Heaven, forged by divine authority channeling the power of heaven and earth, and it was three points superior to her self-comprehended Dao of Man.
Qing Ling's primordial spirit's deduction stalled for another quarter of an hour before he finally ceased delaying. He retracted the divine diagram, the thousand bells fell silent, and the illusory landscape vanished.
The sixteen Golden Immortals' primordial spirits broke free from the illusion, their faces a mixture of shock and rage, for they had lost an entire Epoch's worth of life force and magical power. It was utterly terrifying and infuriating.
The middle-stage Golden Immortal elder with yellow hair, who had been fighting the Chi Venerable, roared, "You evil beast, how dare you pilfer our true essence and life force with wicked arts! I shall report this to the Dragon Clan to uphold the Dragon Order."
Qing Ling instantly retracted his divine form. Maintaining a state of unity with heaven and earth for too long was too taxing on his mind.
Clad in red, he looked down upon the sixteen Venerables from the air. With over ten Xi Shan Venerables guarding him, his confidence swelled, leading to a touch of arrogance.
"Old beast, are your eyes failing you? I, this Saint Son, am using divine authority. Since when has it become an evil art? Furthermore, even if it were an evil art, your survival today is still uncertain. An Epoch's worth of true essence and life force is not easily replenished." Qing Ling maintained a two-point smile, his handsome face a pleasure to behold.
However, to the sixteen Golden Immortals opposite him, it was nothing short of terrifying. The yellow-haired elder's heart trembled. This Saint Son of Xi Shan was too bizarre. He had single-handedly suppressed sixteen Golden Immortals just now, and he didn't seem to have suffered any significant backlash from using forbidden arts.
Could it be that Xi Shan truly had the means to keep them here? With this thought, he swept his divine sense across the surroundings, fearing the sudden appearance of Granny Hua Geng.
The sixteen Golden Immortals on the opposing side remained silent. Qing Ling's smile widened by another three points. "Since none of you will answer, then this battle ends here today!"
Qing Ling pointed his finger, and the Sky-Covering Rope instantly descended. It was like a jade dragon piercing the chaotic battlefield, cutting through thousands of troops and beasts, separating the snake tribe's army from the beast tribe's army.
The opposing sixteen Golden Immortals were astonished. The Golden Immortal Venerable holding a mirror couldn't help but ask, "Is this true?"
"Naturally, it is true!" Qing Ling's smile faded, his tone becoming stern. "However, we have been warring with your eight tribes for a long time, and our people have suffered many casualties. If you wish for peace, so does Xi Shan. Both sides have sincerity. Xi Shan will not force you to cede land or retreat, nor will we oppress you. However, if any tribe harbors ill intentions again, then Xi Shan's Five Peaks Blood Banner will be planted upon that tribe's ancestral land!"
By the end of his statement, Qing Ling's voice had turned ice-cold, clearly reaching the ears of every Golden Immortal Venerable.
With these words, the Golden Immortals from all tribes shifted their expressions and began to retreat.
The two Venerables from the Spirit-Dwelling Honey Badger tribe shouted, "Everyone, do not be deceived by the beguiling words of the Xi Shan snake tribe! If we do not unite, how can we resist their snake soldiers' conquest?"
Upon hearing this, the opposing Golden Immortals hesitated again.
Qing Ling scoffed and looked at the male and female middle-aged Venerables who had spoken. "Your tribe truly spews lies. If our tribe truly had no intention of seeking peace, would all sixteen of your Venerables be alive today?"
As his words fell, the Mystic Heaven Vine Dao Image behind Qing Ling instantly manifested. The colossal, awe-inspiring phantom of a tree brought immense pressure, directly assaulting the primordial spirits of the Golden Immortals.
Simultaneously, the thirteen Xi Shan Golden Immortals, with keen insight, stepped forward. Thirteen Golden Immortal Dao Images manifested, their powerful Golden Immortal Great Daos linking together. The united Xi Shan Venerables were far superior to the eight tribes' Venerables with their divergent intentions.
At this, the sixteen Golden Immortals became utterly terrified, especially by the towering Jianmu phantom in the center, whose immense, ancient pressure instilled a sense of helplessness.
"Many thanks to the Saint Son of Xi Shan. My Nine Ridge Rat tribe voluntarily withdraws!" A Daoist in a yellow robe flew away without looking back. Below, the myriad beasts of the Nine Ridge Rat tribe also retreated.
Once one person took the lead, the psychological state of the rest immediately shifted. If they were leaving, why should I stay in this place of life-threatening power? As for the alliance with the Spirit-Dwelling Honey Badger tribe, what was it compared to the safety of one's own tribe?
Immediately, Golden Immortals one by one soared away. The eight-tribe allied army thus disintegrated!