The sealed Chi Wu, forbidden for several epochs, finally saw the world again.
However, all that met his eyes was a sea of blood, rife with killing intent, and a landscape of corpses and gore.
Chi Wu turned his head, meeting Qing Ling’s heterochromatic eyes.
In that instant, he seemed to have grasped the profound essence of life and death, seeing both.
The sky filled with killing intent like a tidal wave, murderous intent like blades, and murderous aura like a river. The heavens and earth were filled with death, a final, absolute kill!
He felt himself dying, a sense of annihilation.
A Bian Hua bloomed abruptly, not in his heart, nor in his body, but as a red flower on his true spirit.
The red flower swayed, the destiny of the Chi Wu clan reversed, death qi flowed into Chi Wu’s body, and destiny flowed into the Bian Hua.
Chi Wu’s true spirit dissipated bit by bit, returning to heaven and earth bit by bit!
With every bit of Chi Wu’s destiny that diminished, Qing Ling’s destiny above his head increased by one point.
This was the gift of the White Dragon Ancestor, the ability to devour destiny.
Destiny returned to fate; fate preceded destiny, and destiny could determine fate, while destiny could aid fate. The two were in a relationship of principal and auxiliary, with fate controlling destiny.
Chi Wu, suppressed within the Bian Hua for hundreds of thousands of years, had long been weakened in destiny and permeated by death qi, his tribulation qi rampant. Even if Qing Ling hadn’t killed him, he would have perished in this vast heavenly tribulation.
As Chi Wu’s true spirit dissipated, on the Undying Volcano in the Southern Wasteland, the Golden Peng Ancestor roared in fury, taking a step into the void to arrive.
But Zhulong, guarding the outskirts of the Southern Wasteland, sneered. His eyes opened and closed, time reversed, and the void was forcefully severed, causing the Golden Peng Ancestor’s figure to reappear.
Zhulong embraced the void with both palms, the universe within his grasp, the cosmos as his center. A world of creation blocked the Golden Peng Ancestor’s path.
The Golden Peng Ancestor roared, “Zhulong!”
“I’m here, no need to shout so loud. After all, I’m still young and my hearing is good,” Zhulong said contentedly, looking around with his arms crossed.
“A supreme being of our clan has fallen, in the Eastern Wasteland! I don’t want to tangle with you, get out of my way! Otherwise, today will not end well!” The Golden Peng was enraged.
“Oh? That’s truly cause for celebration!” Zhulong’s smile widened, and he slowly said, “Back then, Qing Luan delayed my return to the East Sea, preventing me from rescuing the White Dragon. Today, you are like me back then. It is truly the cycle of karma, retribution is inescapable!”
By the end, Zhulong’s eyes were filled with cold light.
The Golden Peng Ancestor laughed in fury, “Well said, Zhulong. Do you truly believe these armies can stop the might of our Phoenix Clan?”
“Haven’t they been stopped for over three hundred thousand years?”
Hearing this, the Golden Peng was furious, almost losing his mind and wanting to shatter Zhulong’s venomous mouth.
“Everyone, today let these four-legged crawling creatures witness the divinity of our Phoenix Clan!”
As his voice fell, Qing Luan Ancestor also emerged, instantly transforming into her true phoenix form. Behind her, ten thousand phoenixes cried out, and countless phoenixes flew in a sky-shattering wave towards the Dragon Clan army.
The Dragon Clan army immediately engaged, a hundred dragons roaring, the might of a hundred supreme beings crushing the ten thousand phoenixes!
But the ten thousand phoenixes showed no fear, charging forward to fight, abandoning all defense and pursuing only attack in a frenzied slaughter!
Millions of sea creatures stirred up colossal waves, engulfing how many proud phoenixes, and how many sea creatures were incinerated by the Heavenly Phoenix True Flame?
Fires blazed in the four directions of heaven and earth, filled with roars and cries of despair, fear, unyielding will to fight, endless killing intent. Millions of corpses littered the ground, and hundreds of billions of lives were lost.
The waters of the South Sea were dyed vermillion, and the great waves of the South Sea buried countless souls.
Zhulong, alone, faced the Golden Peng and Qing Luan, yet the battle was still evenly matched.
After all, Zhulong’s realm of thirty-one heavens and combat power of thirty-two heavens was only three points weaker than the Phoenix Ancestors.
Far in the Eastern Wasteland, Qing Ling saw the sky ablaze in the south and smoke rising from the Undying Volcano. He understood, this was likely happening because of him.
But he did not panic. He picked up the Bian Hua, at the center of which a black and red dao light flickered – the essence of Chi Wu’s great dao.
Qing Ling slowly lowered himself and planted the Bian Hua beneath the Jian Mu.
Yang Ji, the ancestor of the Yang Yu clan, watched with trepidation and fear.
Qing Ling ignored him, his primordial spirit sensing the Bian Hua’s connection with the Earthly Dao.
The essence of Chi Wu’s great dao slowly seeped through the Bian Hua into the nine netherworlds of the earth, flowing into the Earthly Dao.
In the Earthly Dao, a new curse dao was added.
Chi Wu was the ancestor of the ominous black crow, and his great dao should have directly led to the curse dao. However, with the Golden Peng Ancestor as his guide, he practiced the Phoenix Clan’s Heavenly Fire Dao. Though he gained rapid progress with the blessing of the Phoenix Clan’s destiny, he had already taken a wrong turn.
Qing Ling invoked the authority of the Earthly Dao. From the countless Bian Hua he had planted, residual dao power flowed into the Earthly Dao.
If Hongjun won in the future, then beneath the Heavenly Dao, there would be three thousand great daos.
Then, his Earthly Dao must also have three thousand great daos!
As the master of the Earthly Dao, he was unknowingly gradually matching the master of the Heavenly Dao, deviating from his original intentions.
However, the master of the Heavenly Dao did not yet exist, nor would they in the future.
The Earthly Dao had a master because the earth was weak and the dao was strong, hence it could be called a master.
But the Heavenly Dao had no master because the Heavenly Dao was too strong; even Hongjun could not suppress it. Therefore, Hongjun, the master of the Heavenly Dao, was merely a concept.
The battle in the Southern Wasteland continued, but this time it was different from before; the Phoenix Clan was too ferocious!
Even as they died, the Heavenly Phoenixes dragged countless sea creatures to their deaths!
Influenced by this, the Qilin clan in the west also launched a counterattack. Countless behemoths and ancient beasts shook the earth, their roars echoing throughout the Primordial World.
Divine abilities and techniques abounded, mountains and seas were moved, and the entire Primordial World trembled.
The pressure of Buzhou Mountain also began to weaken and dissipate as it protected the mountains and rivers.
Qing Ling also received a divine decree from the White Dragon Saintess.
The White Dragon Saintess was the highest-ranking cultivator of the White Dragon lineage below the White Dragon Ancestor. With the White Dragon deceased, the White Dragon Saintess’s status was equivalent to that of a high priest!
The Dragon Clan had decided to truly annihilate the Qilin clan.
The two Qilin Kings were not allowed to intervene. Nearly seventy percent of the Qilin clan's subsidiaries had already been incorporated or annihilated by the Dragon Clan. Moreover, the Qilin clan's direct lineage was the weakest, making it the best point of breakthrough.
The Dragon Clan mobilized their last remaining forces, the sea creatures were all deployed. The East Sea’s vast ocean had become an empty nest, with only the Lobster and Giant Crab clans guarding the Dragon Palace.
Even all affiliated clans were required to send troops!
As one of the eight royal clans, the Xishan Serpent clan naturally had to lead its clan to send troops.
The tribes of the Eastern Wasteland gathered once more.
This time, Qing Ling descended from the Jian Mu and arrived at the peak of Mount Taichong. Beneath him, millions of serpent soldiers formed a vast army formation, their sounds shaking the surroundings.
“Greetings, Ancestor!”
The armies of the Eastern Wasteland tribes all bowed and said, “Greetings, Dao Master!”
A biting wind blew, and a solemn and imposing atmosphere permeated Xishan.
Qing Ling spread his arms, “Rise!”
Hundreds of millions of soldiers rose.
“Today, in accordance with the grand tide of the Dragon Clan and obeying the dragon decree of the White Dragon Saintess, we, the tribes of the Eastern Wasteland, will lead our armies to campaign against the Qilin clan, attacking from the southeast of the Qilin territory. We will form the third great army with nine other armies, commanded by the White Dragon Saintess, to surround the Qilin clan with the army of the Azure Dragon Ancestor in the northeast and the army of the Black Dragon Ancestor in the west, breaking through the Qilin Sacred Cliff!
There will be casualties in this expedition, but our warriors need not worry.
Heaven and Earth have a sound named Tai Xu, echoing throughout the eight directions for all to hear.
No matter where you are, whether alive or dead, no matter the ten directions of heaven and earth, when you hear this bell, it will be the time for Xishan to welcome you home!”
“Ding~”
“Clang~”
The Tai Xu Divine Bell swayed with the wind, its sound clear and distinct. Each chime was etched into their souls.
Millions of serpents bowed their heads in silence.
Existing in the great tribulation of heaven and earth, with life and death uncertain, they were like ants unable to escape the tribulation. They had to stop killing with killing, and break the tribulation with killing.
Death might come at any moment. They were not afraid; they fought for their clan.
But they were afraid of the vastness of heaven and earth, with no home to call their own. After death, their souls would wander the heavens and earth, rootless and adrift.
The pursuit of the great dao, of ultimate freedom and unfetteredness, was the pursuit of the supreme beings.
They, like ants, sought the dao, not for the dao itself, but for their hearts, their clan, their loved ones, their desires.
Qing Ling stood at the peak of Mount Taichong, watching the ten billion soldiers depart.
The Eastern Wasteland army would rendezvous with other Dragon Clan subsidiaries in the Southern Wasteland, and then be led by supreme beings of the Dragon Clan to the Qilin Cliff, millions of miles away!
Qing Ling did not participate in the battle. He was to remain at Xishan, guarding the Jian Mu.
The Eastern Wasteland Jian Mu, the twelve years of the East Sea coast, and the East Sea Dragon Palace formed the eyes of a formation, creating a super array that protected the East Sea, the foundation of the sea creatures.
He could not leave. Even if he died, the Jian Mu could not fall.
If the Jian Mu fell, his dao would be severed, and the retreat of the sea creatures would be lost, leading to the defeat of the Dragon Clan. Then, Xishan, beneath the fallen nest, would also perish.
Ninety percent of Xishan's forces and people were gone. The remaining were only newborn young snakes.
There were no old snakes left in Xishan, for those who had dedicated their lives to the clan were going to the battlefield to contribute their last value, leaving behind more young lives for the clan.
This was not just Xishan; all affiliated clans were the same.
Elderly individuals who had been in slumber stirred, walking against the wind, their hair white, facing death without fear.
They were destined to die, for on the battlefield, they would save their young clan members at the cost of their own lives, trading old lives for new.
No clan dared to hide their strength, for the supreme beings of the Dragon Clan would patrol all the clans. If any clan was found to be withholding their forces, their entire clan would be annihilated!
The war of the three clans was not just a battlefield for supreme beings; it was also a stage for the tears and blood, love and affection of countless ordinary lives.
But the heavens and earth do not remember the ants, and the times forget the ants. In the years to come, all beings will only remember the great figures standing at the highest peak, ignorant of the countless bones that piled up to lift them there!
The rain that fell from the heavens was merely blood rain.
The wind that rose from the heavens was merely a foul wind.
Qing Ling did not shield himself from this wind and rain, letting the foul wind and bloody rain drip onto him.
He knew that the era of the three clans was coming to an end, the final struggle of an era.
Without experiencing the storm, how could one see the future?
On the Phoenix Stage in the Southern Wasteland, the Phoenix Ancestor sat in silent contemplation. Looking towards the Qilin Sacred Cliff in the west, her eyes held a hint of distraction.
In the extreme west, Rahu was exhilarated. Endless killing intent, death qi, resentment, and all negative energies of sentient beings flowed into the demonic path. He slowly said, “The demonic path is no longer in the west, but in the hearts of all beings.
It is time to begin!”
On Mount Yujing in the east, Hongjun sat as usual on his futon, unstained by dust. The external storms and rains could not enter this White Jade Capital, nor could the foul winds and bloody rains defile this pure, jade-like divine mountain.
At the furthest reaches of the four cardinal directions, four peerless divine swords silently absorbed the malevolent qi of heaven and earth. Beneath the central land of Buzhou, a blood-colored ancient diagram was gestured from Pangu’s malevolent qi, and four fierce beasts waited there for a long time!