"Hahaha, to think there's still someone in this world who remembers this old man," a withered old man emerged from the void, trembling.
The White Dragon, radiating a clear, sacred aura, said calmly, "The Life-Death Gu, the Gu of Ten Thousand Daos, who among the Primordial Gods and Demons does not know of it?"
"Oh? This old man has misjudged. I didn't expect you to be one of the Chaos Gods and Demons as well?" The old man chuckled. "But once I, Ku Rong Tai Shen, cast the Life-Death Gu, there is no way to undo it!"
The Phoenix Ancestor snorted, her gaze sweeping over the assembled individuals. "I, the Phoenix Ancestor, am not one to kick someone when they're down."
With that, she looked at the White Dragon, nodded slightly, and turned, stepping back into the void to return to Tiannan.
Since these individuals had shown up, the Ancestral Dragon would surely appear as well.
She, the Phoenix Ancestor, was formidable but not one to boast. She wouldn't capitalize on others' misfortune or gang up on them. This was her confidence, her pride.
One could call her stubborn, but no one dared to voice it, for those who did were no more.
The White Dragon Progenitor watched the fiery red of Tiannan, a hint of a smile in her eyes.
In the Eastern Desolation, Qingluan had not left, still joining forces with Xuan Yuan Daoist to trap Zhulong.
Heiqilin King watched the Phoenix Ancestor depart and was also about to retreat.
However, Yin Yang Patriarch turned and blocked his path.
"Heiqilin King, today, with the White Dragon eliminated, the Dragon clan's strength will plummet by thirty percent. The Qilin clan will face significantly reduced pressure from the Dragon clan in the future, allowing countless Qilin clan members to survive!"
Heiqilin King's steps faltered, his brow furrowed, but he was still determined to leave.
Yet, Yin Yang Patriarch continued, "The White Dragon is Yin, yet Yang is born from its Yin. The White Qilin King is also Yin, but to the extreme of Yin! The White Dragon and White Qilin are fated to clash, and one must perish!"
"Silence!" Heiqilin King roared, "Stop your nonsensical babbling."
Yin Yang Patriarch laughed, "Of the Nine Great Tai Shen, I, Yin Yang Patriarch, and the Yin Yang Two Origins, understand destiny and the interplay of Yin and Yang. In the world's two extremes, who can see clearer than I? Heiqilin King can discern this mystic secret with a moment's thought. Moreover, the Phoenix Ancestor acts on her whims because she can be reborn, cannot die, and even the Hunyuan cannot harm her. But does the Qilin clan possess such divine abilities? Phoe—"
"Hmph!"
A thunderous roar erupted from the void, and Yin Yang Patriarch fell silent.
The Phoenix Ancestor in Tiannan coldly glared at the glib Yin Yang Daoist. If he continued his nonsensical talk, it would be more than just a warning.
Heiqilin King was silent for a moment, then turned back.
Yin Yang Patriarch laughed heartily, "White Dragon, although you are at the cusp of Hunyuan, having entered this tribulation, you know that fate is unpredictable and the killing tribulation is inevitable!"
Heiqilin King, Yin Yang Patriarch, and Ku Rong Old Ancestor, three peerless powerhouses, surrounded the White Dragon Progenitor.
The White Dragon smiled faintly. She always maintained an air of serene detachment, as if untouched by the mundane world. Even her enemies found her appearance pleasing.
"Yin Yang Daoist, your eloquence far surpasses your cultivation of several thousand Yuanhui or thirty Heavens."
Yin Yang Patriarch was unperturbed. "Even if the Ancestral Dragon were to arrive today, he couldn't save you!"
The White Dragon smiled. "I still have my elder brother, the Ancestral Dragon, to come to my rescue. But who do you have to save you?"
Yin Yang Patriarch's face flushed with anger. This matter touched upon the secret of the merging of origins, a painful point for him.
"I shall trouble you, fellow Daoist," Ku Rong Old Ancestor said with a smile, but his eyes held a chilling gaze.
The White Dragon Progenitor casually remarked, "Ku Rong, the you of today is not the you of the beginning!"
Ku Rong Old Ancestor's heart tightened. These words carried a profound meaning. Had the White Dragon seen through him? But Yin Yang Patriarch couldn't see through his disguise, and the White Dragon could even see through the very imprint of his Dao, the Ku Rong Old Ancestor's Dao?
"Heh, things change, heaven and earth shift. I am no longer in the Primordial Realm, so of course, I cannot remain unchanged. I can only enter this tribulation to seek the Dao with myself."
Yin Yang Patriarch paid no heed to their exchange and struck first, unleashing the Tai Chi diagram and spreading it across the nine heavens.
The chaotic Yin and Yang energies intertwined, enshrouding the Eastern Sea and cleaving Yin from Yang.
Yin Yang Patriarch stood on the extreme Yang, while the White Dragon was pinned to the extreme Yin.
Heiqilin King raised his hand, bringing down the immensely tall Xuanhuang Divine Mountain, as if a universe was descending.
Ku Rong Old Ancestor slowly extended his hand, a withered, fleshless deathly palm striking towards the White Dragon. Simultaneously, the Life-Death Gu was activated, frantically draining the White Dragon's vitality.
In this moment of extreme urgency, no miracle occurred, no savior emerged to sacrifice themselves.
The White Dragon Progenitor smiled faintly amidst the overwhelming divine power, transforming into an immeasurably vast White Dragon. Swirling white mist obscured the sky and sun, and primordial mist enveloped heaven and earth.
This strange mist permeated the entire Primordial World, extending into the stars, into destiny, obscuring all the Daos of heaven and earth.
Within the vast mist, the Azure Dragon in the Northern Desolation heard words in his ear.
"Fourth Brother, little sister can no longer protect the Dragon clan. From now on, it is up to you four brothers. I have seen the future of the Dragon clan, disregarding the curses of the Great Dao, and it is a path to certain death! Therefore, this killing tribulation is the curse of the Great Dao descending upon me. My demise was a foregone conclusion; do not be disheartened and disrupt the overall situation, Fourth Brother. Our ally, the Rakshasa demons, are utterly untrustworthy. Their ambition is the world. They will first use the Dragon clan's power to destroy the Phoenix and Qilin, then destroy our clan, suppress the Hongjun Heavenly Dao, and rule the world as demons. Do not completely alienate Hongjun..."
At the same time, the Black Dragon in the Western Desolation, and Zhulong who was trapped, also heard the White Dragon's words in their ears.
Ku Rong Old Ancestor's ear also received a voice, "You may proceed without restraint. From now on, no one in this heaven and earth, this universe, will ever know your identity!"
In the Eastern Desolation, Qingling also heard the White Dragon's voice: "I am the White Dragon. Though your destiny is not high, you are the only one in the Primordial World whose fate I cannot fully comprehend. In the Life-Death Gu of Ku Rong Old Ancestor, I have understood the true meaning of life and death. Now, I transmit this to your heart and mind, to perfect your divine ability of the Eyes of Life and Death. Henceforth, your Luo Sheng Hua, one body of flesh and blood, can break through the Hunyuan! If the Dragon clan declines in the future, you must protect them with all your might, to repay my karma. If the Dragon clan perishes, you shall create a Dragon clan. I believe you can achieve this, Qing Ling, Ancestor of the Wood Dao!"
At this moment, no one knew how many messages the White Dragon had conveyed, not even heaven.
The vast, boundless mist enveloped the universe and the Primordial World, heaven and earth, profound and yellow, Yin and Yang, Qian and Kun, the myriad Daos of the heavens.
This moment was the true power of the White Dragon Progenitor, the only Lord of Destiny in heaven and earth!
Within the chaos, the Three Thousand Daos radiated divine light, heaven and earth rumbled, Buzhou trembled. Pangu's might deterred the aura of the Three Thousand Gods and Demons from the Primordial Realm, and eternal daylight reappeared.
At this moment, all beings in heaven and earth witnessed the true White Dragon Progenitor, the Gods and Demons. The God of Destiny, the True God of the White Dragon, with his left eye tracing the myriad ages of the heavens, his right eye exploring the three thousand futures, his dragon body adorned with white scales and long horns. He was the only God and Demon among the three thousand creators who had completely survived, for he was the God of Destiny, the ultimate escapee of the Three Thousand Gods and Demons.
"I, the God of Destiny, seeing me is seeing destiny. The will of the Great Dao shattered the Gods and Demons in creation. All life in the Primordial World and the universe returns to destiny. Yet, I have never controlled destiny. This time, I transform myself into destiny, using the past and future of the ages to set the hours, using the Primordial Realm as a chessboard. All beings, all worlds, and all life, are my pawns. I will contend against the Three Thousand Great Daos in another game, not seeking victory or defeat, but only for my heart to attain clarity for an instant!"
Heaven and earth were illuminated once more, returning to their original state. The Great Daos returned, heavenly mechanisms and earthly intentions resumed, Qian and Kun were re-established, Yin and Yang were re-formed. The Primordial World was still the Primordial World.
However, in the unknowable river of destiny, an unknowable change had occurred.
On Mount Yujing, an old Daoist sighed, "From now on, there will be no more gods and no more demons in the Primordial World."
In the West, Rahu remained lost in thought. He had underestimated the Primordial Universe, underestimated the Three Thousand Gods and Demons, and overestimated himself, a single member of their ranks.
Heaven and earth grew silent. White snow fell, without wind, rain, or clear skies, only desolate mountains and rivers covered in a thousand miles of snow.
Heaven shed white snow, the earth condensed white frost.
There was no sorrow of the Great Dao, for the God of Destiny had angered the Great Dao, and was subsequently removed from one of the Three Thousand Great Daos. But the Great Dao is heartless, while heaven and earth are sentient.
The Great Dao does not grieve, but heaven and earth do!
The waters of the Four Seas all froze into ice, and no river in the world flowed. It was heaven and earth bidding her farewell; it was the Four Seas and rivers mourning together.
Ten thousand miles of mountains were draped in white robes, and endless rivers and seas wore white silk.
Myriad dragons lay prostrate on the ice sea, their claws submerged in the frigid ice, their dragon heads lamenting to the heavens.
The countless sea creatures mourned for her alone. She had left them forever. She was the kindness and sanctity of the sea, the Mother of the Four Seas, the Mother of the Sea Clan. She had abandoned her children.
Heaven and earth mourned together, mountains grieved, the earth grieved, the Four Seas shed tears, the rivers wept.