Qing Ling felt a chill run through her heart in an instant.
Even the Dragon Clan had managed to reclaim the nine Dinghai Divine Pearls that were stolen by the Phoenix Clan.
Wouldn't the three Dinghai Divine Pearls hidden in Xi Mountain have already been in the Dragon Clan's sight?
Why did the Dragon Clan not retrieve them?
It was likely that the time was not yet right, and it was also a means to cover their tracks.
While it appeared on the surface that this spiritual treasure was damaged and incomplete, in reality, the Dragon Clan had already secretly gathered them all, but kept it hidden, waiting to give their enemies a "surprise"!
In the southern part of the Primordial World, thirty-three layers of heavens suppressed the Undying Volcano.
For the first time, anger appeared in the Phoenix Ancestor's eyes. She stood tall in the southern sky, her body as one with the heavens, her form as vast as the Undying Mountain.
Her crimson robes fluttered, her phoenix coronet and robes ablaze, the woman raised her head, her burning eyes sending shivers down one's spine.
She revealed her True Heavenly Phoenix form, that beautiful and sacred, inviolable giant phoenix.
Phoenixes in flight, their feathers rustling, also gather and alight.
Phoenixes roam the Phoenix Terrace, but the phoenix is gone, and the river flows by itself.
The thirty-three layers of heavens descended one by one, and with each descent, the divine phoenix in the southern sky bore an additional layer of weight.
How high were the thirty-three layers of heavens?
Even the first phoenix in the world would struggle to bear their full weight!
Ancestral Dragon watched with cold eyes as the heavens grew heavier.
With a high-pitched cry, the Heavenly Phoenix unleashed a beam of fire, and a scarlet banner soared into the sky. The essence of the Lihuo controlled the power of the four directions.
Earthly fire erupted from the Undying Volcano, obscuring the sky and the sun. Infinite divine fire threatened to spread across the entire Primordial World.
The phenomenon of the heavens also slowed, nine layers of which were scattered by the endless earthly fire.
The most crucial among these was that divine banner, adorned with thirty-six layers of dao prohibitions, it was the Lidi Yan Guang Banner, one of the five innate banners of the five directions.
Ancestral Dragon let out a cold snort and waved his hand.
The winds and clouds in the Four Seas stirred again, the vast ocean water poured in, and the surging Yangtze River boiled.
The southern region of the heavens became a world of fire, with fire everywhere, from the sky to the earth.
But outside the southern region, rain poured down like a deluge, the waters of the hidden rivers converged, and the waters of the Four Seas rushed in.
Outside the southern region, a vast ocean had already risen, encircling the southern region, and the waters submerged the divine mountains!
The towering giant waves had risen to a height of a million zhang, piling up to form a solitary island out of the southern region.
High mountains rose from flat ground, the earth transformed into a vast ocean, mountains and rivers twisted and turned, heavens were created and destroyed, dragons roamed the sea, and phoenixes soared through the sky.
Changing the heavens and the earth, overturning the Primordial World, peerless experts acted as they pleased, dominating the world.
In the repeated shifting of mountains and seas, countless beasts and creatures were innocently affected, unable to even stir a ripple.
They were not guilty, but because they were weak, their very existence was a sin, and even their breathing was a transgression.
Ancestral Dragon turned and left, the heavens retreated, and the vast ocean flowed back.
The earth, the sky, the Four Seas, and the Eight Directions were all marked by him, Ancestral Dragon.
No phoenix roamed the high terrace, the mighty Yangtze River flowed into the sea.
The Phoenix Ancestor retracted her wings and returned to the earth's core. The world fell silent.
The battle between Ancestral Dragon and the Phoenix Ancestor, though seemingly a mere touch, resulted in the Phoenix Ancestor's defeat.
Although the southern region remained intact, it was still confined by Ancestral Dragon. The Phoenix Ancestor, though not defeated, had revealed her true form.
This was not to say that the Phoenix Ancestor was not powerful or peerless, but rather that Ancestral Dragon had already ascended beyond the heavens.
Ancestral Dragon had reached the highest point of the thirty-three heavens; he was the foremost figure within the Primordial World!
Even Hong Jun and Luo Hu were inferior by three points.
When the Dao reached a certain height, it was no longer merely about meditating alone in the deep mountains.
Though Hong Jun and Luo Hu were strong, there was only one supreme clan in the Primordial World, and that was Ancestral Dragon's Dragon Clan!
The destiny of the supreme clan, the momentum of the supreme clan, was something they could not compare to.
In the Great Demon Heaven of the West, a flicker of apprehension appeared in Luo Hu's eyes.
On Jade Capital Mountain, the old Daoist's eyes widened in surprise, and he fell into deep thought. He had grasped something: "Destiny"!
From Ancestral Dragon, he had learned "momentum."
From the Primordial World of the three clans, he had discerned the word "all beings."
This was a landscape different from his solitary contemplation on the mountain. The view seen through Ancestral Dragon's magnanimity and vision was surely no less magnificent than his mountain view?
In the Eastern Wasteland, Qing Ling sighed. This time, he was certain that the Dragon-Han Tribulation had truly arrived!
Under figures like Ancestral Dragon and Yuan Feng, Qing Ling realized that in the tide of the era, he could only drift alone, powerless to resist.
No other great powers dared to make a move against the Dragon Clan. After this great disaster, they should have seized the opportunity to expand their gains amidst the Dragon Clan's chaos.
However, due to Ancestral Dragon alone, all the great powers were intimidated. Who dared to act? Who could act?
The schemes of all the great powers in the world were defeated by the courage of one man!
Qing Ling learned one thing from Ancestral Dragon: as long as one's strength was sufficient, all conspiracies and enemies would vanish like smoke. A single chopstick could surpass the solidity of millions of chopsticks!
Ancestral Dragon returned to the Ancestral Dragon's Lair and went into seclusion again.
He was to heal his hidden injuries.
Ancestral Dragon's strength was such that he could achieve Hunyuan at any moment, but there was still a final restriction.
The changes during the Saint Sacrifice and the calamities from the four directions had caused a significant decline in the Dragon Clan's destiny.
And while the world only knew that Ancestral Dragon cultivated the Dragon Clan's inherent Dao, few knew that he secretly cultivated the Dao of Destiny, gathering the power of the world to achieve his Great Dao.
The sharp decline in the Dragon Clan's destiny had caused a flaw in his cultivation, but Ancestral Dragon still suppressed his injuries and emerged, otherwise, the Dragon Clan would have descended into even greater chaos.
The Primordial World returned to peace, but everyone knew it was a temporary calm.
The Dragon Clan's Saint Sacrifice continued.
The saint sons and saintesses of various clans offered their customary worship.
However, there was no Grand Competition for Saint Sons.
These events originally had little impact on Xi Mountain, but Zhu Long's words dragged Xi Mountain into the tribulation.
During the Saint Sacrifice, Ancestor Zhu Long ordered the Saintess of Xi Mountain to also participate in the Dragon Clan's worship!
Originally, according to Ancestor Qing Long's instructions, Xi Mountain would avoid the segment of ten thousand clans paying homage during each Saint Sacrifice. However, this time, Zhu Long was presiding.
Qing Long was still suppressing the Western Dragon Sea and had not yet returned.
In Budao, on top of the Jianmu tree, Granny Hua Geng returned with a worried expression.
Qing Ling sighed and said, "This was bound to happen."
"Why?" Granny Hua Geng asked. "Can't Ancestor Qing Long make the decision?"
"Precisely because he is an Ancestor of the Dragon Clan! Although Elder Brother Qing Long holds considerable weight, he cannot control the will of the Dragon Clan."
Qing Ling raised the Ten Absolutes Heavenly Lamp. The divine lamp illuminated the sky, and a giant green python coiled around Xi Mountain.
However, dark spots had already appeared on the giant python's body.
These were like maggots on the bones, the aura of tribulation, similar to those on the Dragon Clan.
"The Dragon Clan's destiny has been greatly diminished, losing four-tenths of its essence, a severe blow.
Once, Xi Mountain was a small clan, and its existence or non-existence made little difference.
But now, Xi Mountain, the ancestral land of all snakes in the world, one of the Eight Royal Clans, possesses immeasurable and powerful destiny.
Such immense destiny is something the Dragon Clan cannot overlook."
"Moreover, even without this Saint Sacrifice, Xi Mountain would have entered the tribulation sooner or later. After all, Xi Mountain's strength owes half its rise to the Dragon Clan. How could this karmic debt not involve them in the tribulation?"
Qing Ling said calmly, "Prepare for war, the snakes of Xi Mountain have been at peace for too long."
Granny Hua Geng's face became solemn. "Very well! I will begin preparations immediately.
However, I will send a group of our clansmen to Budao later. You must watch over them."
Qing Ling nodded. "I will watch them grow and leave them as a contingency for Xi Mountain. However, no more than ten people! More than that, and we will not be able to hide it."
Hua Geng returned to Xi Mountain and began busy deployments, summoning clansmen from all sides back to the clan.
Qing Ling gazed south for a long time, only when the wind blew his long hair did he murmur, "The wind has risen."
The wind rose in the southern sky, the wind rose in the western lands, the wind swept, spreading across the heavens and earth.