The golden immortal Venerable's methods, renowned across ten thousand miles, were by no means ordinary.
Vast golden radiance erupted, causing all spiritual treasures to churn chaotically within its divine domain, losing control. A thousand golden spiritual flowers scattered, exploding one after another.
"Boom~"
"Rumble~"
"Rumble rumble~"
Immense roars shook the firmament. A colossal mushroom cloud, spanning ten thousand li, ascended. Powerful gusts of wind swept in all directions, enshrouding everything nearby, even crushing Qi's thousand-zhang blade energy with its might.
Thousands of the lizard horde below were inadvertently injured, countless numbers perishing. Fortunately, after Qing Ling broke through to the Heavenly rank, he gained a sliver of control, preventing any harm to the Green Wood Great Wall.
In an instant, Qing Ling swung the Sky-Covering Rope, splitting it into nine, ensnaring the three Heavenly rank giant lizards heavily wounded by the golden immortal's strike.
As for the others, six were directly obliterated, and three were saved by the Saintess named Miao.
Miao's face flickered with surprise and anger, never expecting such a life-saving divine ability from a minor golden immortal clan!
The three remaining Heavenly rank clansmen were now utterly terrified, cowering behind the Saintess, daring not to move an inch.
Qing Ling, suppressing the turmoil in his mind and the restless, surging spiritual energy within his body, maintained a calm demeanor. "Saintess, do you not plan to retreat yet? Although the various clans are forbidden from attacking Saintess and Saint Sons, you may not be able to protect everyone else." As he spoke, his gaze drifted towards the three Heavenly ranks behind Miao.
The trio flinched at his words, looking towards Miao with hopeful anticipation.
Miao's expression shifted between anger and contemplation. She then spoke, "And what if I insist on attacking?" As she said this, a mysterious talisman in her hand glowed, exuding an aura of tidal laws, unfathomably profound.
Qing Ling remained unfazed. "Saintess, though the talisman in your hand can suppress innate spiritual treasures, that is only when the treasure is masterless or the master is severely injured. Do you truly believe that a single talisman can contend with the marvel of an innate spiritual treasure now?"
As he spoke, the Sky-Covering Rope autonomously ascended, transforming into a jade-green ribbon that re-tied Qing Ling's scattered hair. The jade belt drifted gracefully with the wind, exuding an air of innate spirituality. It even extended a tendril of its belt, playfully fluttering a few times towards Miao.
Miao's face grew grim. After a moment of consideration, she prepared to turn away. But Qing Ling added, "Saintess, it is best to be cautious. While I may have lost the life-saving ability of a golden immortal Venerable, my clan's patriarch, my father, is a golden immortal Venerable. The golden immortal might of the bloodline secret technique can far surpass ordinary golden immortal methods! Qi, come closer, let the Saintess see if I speak the truth."
Qi immediately flashed to Qing Ling's side. His bloodline power subtly stirred, and a faint aura of a golden immortal Venerable swept outwards.
Miao inwardly raged. She withdrew the golden immortal methods from her mind, snorted, and declared, "Let's go!"
The three lizard clan Heavenly ranks fled instantly, disappearing into the horizon.
It was at this moment that reinforcements from Xi Mountain arrived. Two Heavenly rank clansmen hurried over. One was Ke, the most renowned in the clan. Despite being the most beautiful female serpent, her icy aura alone was enough to make others recoil. She was the clan's unique and rare ice-element spiritual serpent, at the mid-Heavenly rank.
The other was a tall and sturdy, robust man, who had transformed from a five-pace viper. His potent poison abilities were terrifying. His name was Du, at the late-Heavenly rank.
Upon arriving, Ke's usually aloof voice softened slightly as she asked, "How is Little Qing's injury?"
Qing Ling retracted his divine technique, clutching his chest where the oppressive energy churned. "It's nothing, just needs some time to rest."
Du's face relaxed upon hearing this. "It's good that you're alright. Thank you for your hard work, Little Qing. You should go recuperate quickly; the three of us are sufficient here."
Qing Ling smiled. "Then I shall trouble you both. The Saintess of the Black Lizard Overlord clan may not have left yet; you must both be careful and cautious."
After giving a few instructions, he flew into the Green Wood Great Wall, sat down cross-legged, and began to mend his internal injuries.
Even though his divine body had been implanted with Granny Geng Hua's abilities twice, he could not do so again. From now on, he would have no golden immortal methods for self-defense. After all, abilities that could retain golden immortal energy were exceedingly demanding. If it were that simple, every Heavenly rank clansman would likely have life-saving abilities bestowed by a golden immortal Venerable!
Qing Ling released wisps of life force from his primordial spirit, circulating them throughout his body to mend his injuries. He also continued to refine the life force of the five Heavenly ranks.
The Sky-Covering Rope, with its innate spirituality, rose and spun, forming a hemispherical jade-green dome to protect Qing Ling as he cultivated.
On the Green Wood Great Wall, Du marveled, "Little Qing truly has grand ambitions! To build this eight-hundred-li long wall single-handedly."
Ke simply nodded indifferently, then flew to perch on a hundred-zhang giant vine, releasing her divine sense to patrol and keep watch.
Seeing this, Du waved to Qi. "It's just us two here now. Ke is like that; no amount of persuasion will work on her. Hey, let me tell you, Qi." He beckoned Qi, who looked on curiously, closer. Whispering into his ear, Du said, "Ke, she's an eighty-thousand-year-old female serpent and still no male snake dares to approach her."
Qi's vertically slit pupils suddenly widened, as if in surprise and curiosity. He then replied, "But, Clan Brother Du, you're twelve thousand years old and still alone?"
At this, Du's face flushed crimson and then pale. He coughed twice. "You're only five thousand years old, what do you know? I'm looking for a Dao companion! Not just a female snake for procreation! That's the saying from Kunlun Immortal Mountain. You little snake cub don't understand, so don't spout nonsense. How many female snakes in the clan are worthy of me?" He then tilted his head and snorted.
Qi's mind was a bit muddled. What was a Dao companion? How could a snake's life be without reproduction and mating? Regardless of the species, procreation was an unavoidable matter.
Du, however, looked down at the lizard horde, which had retreated ten thousand zhang, his scalp tingling. "I detest these four-legged reptiles the most. If it weren't for the Dragon Clan's twelve cycles, I would have killed them all with my own hands."
Ke, who was nearby, spoke for the first time. "If you're so capable, go kill a few Heavenly rank lizards. Don't just boast here."
Du, having been retorted, opened his mouth but dared not argue back. This ice serpent was a rare treasure of the clan elders.
Qi, after a long period of confusion, cleared his mind and then asked, "Clan Brother Du, has the War of Ten Thousand Beasts already begun?"
"Yes, it broke out months ago. The clan has already dispatched three hundred thousand members to the southern border of the Red Fire Toad clan, and over five hundred thousand to the western border of the Spirit-Spotted Hyena clan. Twenty Heavenly ranks have been sent there, it's the most brutal. Du's expression turned solemn and grave.
Qi, hearing this, also looked somber. "Then the clan will likely suffer many casualties this time."
Du nodded, gazing into the distance, and sighed. "It's beyond our control. All thousand clans of the Eastern Desolation have entered the War of Ten Thousand Beasts. If we don't engage in internal conflict, we can only attack the Qilin or Phoenix clans. But the Dragon Clan has not yet digested its expanded territory. The three clans mutually restrain each other, and this tacit understanding will likely last for at least several eons."
Qi's gaze became distant. "I wonder if I can live to see the day the three clans engage in war!"
Du patted Qi's head and smiled, "You certainly can! After all, our clan has a Primordial God!"
As the sun set, the Green Wood Great Wall was gradually engulfed by twilight. The grasslands were silent. Beneath the giant trees, myriad snakes resided, and the three Heavenly ranks stood guard on the giant trees.
To the west and south of Xi Mountain, the brutal scenes of the War of Ten Thousand Beasts continued. Serpents and toads devoured each other, water and fire raged, and innate abilities clashed. A hyena battled ten snakes and was outmatched, its fangs injecting venom into the snakes. A small serpent was torn in half by a hyena's sharp claws and beak, its severed body still struggling valiantly in its immense agony.
Across the vast Eastern Desolation, spanning hundreds of billions of li, with thousands of clans and myriad beasts at war, beasts roared, and birds shrieked in terror. Various clans fought relentlessly in the mountains, in the waters, and on the barren plains.
Above the Eastern Desolation, endless malevolent energy, killing intent, and even death qi and resentment qi, slowly condensed, obscuring the beast of fortune of the thousand clans. They then gradually transformed into strands of incomparably dark tribulation qi, dispersing to all corners of the world.
Within the Dragon Clan's four seas, and the other vast territories they ruled, the Qilin's dominion, and the Phoenix clan's dominion, while not experiencing the anomalies of the Eastern Desolation, each region had its own methods of conflict. Such as the Sea Clan's holy sacrifice in the East Sea every ten eons, or the West Sea War held once every ten thousand years in the West Sea, the Divine Bird Competition of the Phoenix clan every hundred thousand years, or the Spirit Seizing Battle of the Qilin clan every three eons...
In countless eras and myriad regions, each place had its own life-and-death struggles. The endless malevolent energy, killing intent, resentment qi, death qi, and despair qi from infinite territories gradually transformed into tribulation qi.
However, at this moment, the world was protected by the four divine dragon fortunes of the four seas, the divine Qilin's auspicious sign in the center, and the giant phoenix spreading its wings in the south. The fortunes of the three clans were immeasurably prosperous, shielded by Xuanhuang merit and the aggregated vague fortunes of myriad beasts. This tribulation qi was far from enough to overturn them.
On the Western Continent, atop Mount Sumeru, a man in black robes looked eastward. Below him, endless demonic energy surged, and millions of demonic beasts rampaged. In his eyes was a world of demons and a demonic earth. "This world will be temporarily managed by you three clans for a period. Heh heh, I, Luohu, will ultimately reclaim it."
North of Mount Buzhou in the central land, within Jade Capital Mountain, a gray-robed old man, ordinary as dust, gazed upon the unfolding of infinite Dao and Dharma. The cosmos underwent cycles of destruction and rebirth, and the transformations of all phenomena occurred in an instant. The Daoist looked towards the Eastern Desolation and sighed, ultimately restraining his raised hand. If he were to wave his sleeve, the five hundred billion li of the Eastern Desolation would be cleared of malevolent energy, and the sky would be clear. But what then? It would be the same after one eon! The same would be true in countless other places!
In the East Sea's vast secret realm, on Fangzhang Immortal Island, each island was a world. At the center of the world stood an immeasurably majestic and towering hollow willow, like the center of the universe, evoking the meaning of the World Tree at the end of myriad worlds. A long-bearded, white-haired Daoist emerged from the hollow willow, giving birth to a realm with each step, and unifying realms with every stride. The Daoist smiled lightly. "The two have already begun, how can I, Yang Mei, fall behind?"
On Mount Qiankun in the southwest of the continent, Patriarch Qiankun; in the Two Poles Cave in the southeast, Patriarch Yin Yang, Patriarch Tai Li, Patriarch Wu Xiang, Patriarch Chaos, Patriarch Jiu Tian, Patriarch Xuan Yuan... Various transcendent patriarchs, whether remnants or reincarnated into the Primordial World, were gradually awakening. They awakened with the complete passing of the Great Tribulation of the Primordial Fierce Beasts!
This was the era of the three clans, and the era of countless Daos contending for dominion over heaven and earth!