"Dragon Calendar, after the Ninth Holy Sacrifice, the Phoenix Clan, the Qilin Clan, and our clan became enemies, initiating war in the Eastern Wilderness, spreading to the Western Sea, and then to the Eastern Forest Secret Realm."
A hundred years later.
Outside the Salamander Clan's territory in the Eastern Wilderness, in the Hengduan Mountain Range.
The sky, once clear, suddenly turned dark as an endless expanse of dark clouds swept from southwest to northeast.
Following this, countless raucous cries shattered the eardrums of the creatures beyond the border.
The Salamander Clan's Golden Immortal guards frantically transmitted messages and fled for their lives in panic.
However, to everyone's surprise, the dark clouds in the sky merely brushed past the Hengduan Mountain Range, entered the vast swampy marshes of the Salamander territory, and continued to fly directly northeast.
On Sky Monarch Sacred Mountain, the Eleven Cave Lords were also filled with shock. The Ninth Cave Lord trembled, "Old Ancestor, are we... doomed?"
The First Cave Lord in the center, also known as Old Ancestor Xuanji, glanced at him and said indifferently, "That's right.
Our clan has already pledged allegiance to the Heavenly South!"
"What!!"
"Old Ancestor, you cannot do this!"
"Old Ancestor, how is this possible!"
"Old Ancestor, how can you place our clan in such a position!?"
...
All eleven Cave Lords opposed, shocked, and even terrified!
They knew too well that betrayers were only exploited, mere ants used as cannon fodder by the powerful.
Moreover, the might of the Dragon Clan suppressed all clans, none daring to disobey. The consequence of rebellion was nothing less than annihilation!
Old Ancestor Xuanji waved his hand, stopping the objections of the eleven Cave Lords, and said, "The Dragon Clan is nearing its end.
The hegemons of the Primordial World for eight hundred Yuanhui will eventually reach their conclusion.
Our Sky Monarch Salamander Clan, as a race born from the transformation and conveyance of Chaos Salamanders, how could our bloodline be weaker than the Dragon Clan's?
Joining the Phoenix Clan is undeniable!
Because..."
Old Ancestor Xuanji smiled faintly. A halo appeared behind him, rotating slowly, its vast brilliant light shining into the primordial spirits of the eleven Cave Lords.
The primordial spirits of the eleven Cave Lords lost themselves, sinking into an endless light.
They only snapped back to reality as if from a dream after what felt like an eternity, having experienced countless lifetimes.
Old Ancestor Xuanji continued with a half-smile, "Because our Sky Monarch Salamander Clan is a race manifested from a fragment of Old Ancestor Hongjun.
I am a clone of Hongjun, ranked at the highest realm."
The eleven Cave Lords were awestruck, and no one spoke for a long time.
...
In the Wilderness of Duguan, at the summit of the Jianmu tree, Qing Ling watched the billions of flying birds soaring through the heavens below and sighed.
Life is difficult, life is easy. Difficulty lies in survival, ease in death.
The four guardian clans of Duguan, in all directions, raised their weapons and stood in battle formation.
At the same time, the four peaks of Xishan, behind Duguan, rang eighty-nine seventy-two times with golden bells, the sound echoing across the land.
The Great Ape Clan, countless apes stood on the mountains, their roars echoing, their might unmatched by even the myriad mountain ranges.
The ten thousand apes leaped across the land, rushing towards Duguan.
The Great Crocodile Clan, countless terrifying and ferocious divine crocodiles crawled out of the swamps, shaking the earth. Amidst the dust, ancient crocodiles awoke and rushed to the distant battle.
The Black Lizard Clan, nimble lizards of all sizes, swiftly traversed the land, heading southwest.
All five Great Clans of the Eastern Wilderness mobilized their entire race.
But the most striking sight was the eighty million strong army of Xishan!
Each snake soldier was powerfully built, having transformed from human form, their snake tails coiling, their vertical pupils cold. Their weapons were even colder, forming orderly formations, a million-mile-long snake tide!
The Xishan snake soldiers were war machines, their existence dedicated to war!
They were the guardian gods of the Xishan Snake Clan, divine weapons that protected the Dao, warriors in life, and battle souls in death!
Endless flying birds soared through the sky, their speed far exceeding that of the land-bound armies of the four Great Clans.
Two figures appeared beside Qing Ling.
"Black and White Impermanence pay respects to Lord of the Underworld!"
"Rise."
"Yes!"
Qing Ling watched the approaching beast tide of birds and said unhurriedly, "You know what to do, right?"
Black and White Impermanence trembled and replied in unison, "Your subordinates will obey the decree of Lord of the Underworld!"
Although Qing Ling and Qing Xuan could be considered one person, to Black and White Impermanence, they felt like two distinct individuals.
In Qing Ling's presence, their hearts were constantly tense, not daring to relax even slightly.
Behind the sky-covering bird tide, a divine bird as large as a mountain, with nine heads, flapped its fiery wings. On its back rested a palace of unparalleled grandeur, resplendent and dazzling.
On a cloud bed within the palace, shrouded by golden veils, lay a divine maiden, graceful and noble, yet captivatingly alluring. Her robes were half undone, her dress low-cut, her snow-white legs and proud figure enough to drive males mad.
The divine maiden lay on her side, propped up by her arm, with two attendant goddesses fanning her outside the golden veils.
"What territory have we reached?"
The divine maiden's voice, husky and seductive, drifted out.
"Reporting to the Holy King: We have entered the Eastern Wilderness and are approaching the Wilderness of Duguan, the territory of Dao Master Qing Xuan."
The fanning goddess spoke softly and respectfully.
"Heh heh, since we're here, release that rebellious fowl. Let him have a taste of revisiting his old haunt."
"Yes, as the Holy King commands!"
The giant nine-day bird spread one leg, and a prison appeared beneath its claw, hanging like a birdcage.
Inside the prison was a battered and bruised fowl. If not for the few vibrant feathers on its head, no one would have believed this dying bird was a Golden Phoenix.
The Golden Phoenix let out a mournful cry. The divine chains piercing its wings and feet suddenly turned red, searing it with intense heat and divine fire.
The wounded bird cried out again, but could only whimper feebly.
Then, the chains turned from red to blue, and terrifying extreme cold enveloped the crippled bird. With the repeated torment of extreme cold and heat, accompanied by ultimate pain that seeped into its primordial spirit.
The eyes of the crippled bird were filled with bloodstains, no longer possessing the radiance of a divine Phoenix.
On the Jianmu tree, the temperature in Qing Ling's eyes plummeted. He raised his hand and unfastened the long hair tied behind his back.
The wind from the East Sea lifted his hair, his robes fluttered, and his hair grew to three hundred million li. Countless giant azure pythons suddenly appeared in front of the bird tide, opening their massive mouths to devour hundreds of flying birds.
Facing the colossal azure pythons, countless eagles, vultures, and raptors had no power to resist and all fled.
In mere moments, nearly ten million birds were swallowed by the azure pythons.
"How dare you!"
With a furious roar, a colossal Chongming bird swept across the sky. Its divine eyes flickered, unleashing myriad light blades towards the countless azure pythons.
Qing Ling sneered, turned his head, and the infinite azure pythons instantly retracted, turning back into black strands hanging behind him. However, each strand of hair was incredibly lustrous, appearing well-maintained.
"Chongming, it's been a long time. Your boldness has grown considerably."
Qing Ling said with a smile, looking at the newcomer.
"Do you want to revisit your old haunts again? The Jianmu of today is no longer the Jianmu of the past."
The Chongming bird transformed into an old man. The old man's eyes were the same as those of the elder who was brought back to the Phoenix Clan by Qu Cong and Duguan back then.
Now, he too had become a supreme being, reaching the realm of the Twelfth Heaven.
Chongming's heart pounded fiercely, and he involuntarily took two steps back, the shadow of being suppressed by the person before him still lingering.
However, he was not alone. Thinking of the person behind him, his courage increased considerably.
He chuckled, "Today, for me, it is a return to a familiar place, but for some, it is also a return.
Holy King Black Phoenix, please!"