"Heavenly Dao is above!"
Above the Nine Heavens, Yuanfeng stood proudly on a cloud of fire. Endless Southern Bright Lihuo and Nirvana Fire surged and condensed around her, transforming into billions of brilliant divine feathers. Each feather was inscribed with the immense power to incinerate all directions and the spiritual essence to create all things.
"I, Yuanfeng, command Lihuo and preside over Nirvana! I am willing to lead the Phoenix Clan and uphold the will of the Heavenly Dao."
"To rule the skies of the Primordial Great Land, commanding all winged spirits! All feathered flying creatures shall revere the Phoenix Clan as their elders and obey my commands!"
"My Phoenix Clan shall be the lord of birds, harmonizing Yin and Yang, presiding over the seasons, bestowing blessings upon all feathered beings, and protecting all living creatures! May the Heavenly Dao bear witness!"
The flames around Yuanfeng illuminated mountains, rivers, and peaks. Billions of flying creatures, no matter where they were, simultaneously ignited a faint spark of life fire on their wings, symbolizing submission and resonance.
Boom—!
Above the Nine Heavens, the Law roared, and the Heavenly Dao acknowledged Yuanfeng's grand vow.
Amidst billions of golden lights, ten thousand acres of heavenly dao merit descended from the sky. Sixty percent fell into Yuanfeng's body, thirty percent into the Phoenix Clan, and ten percent dispersed among the flying creature race.
The moment the heavenly dao merit surged into her body like a torrent, Yuanfeng's Cultivation erupted like a volcano, fiercely breaking through that seemingly indestructible invisible barrier, instantly achieving the Realm of Hun Yuan Golden Immortal.
Among the three clans, the Qilin Clan was the slowest to act. Many Immortal Caves and blessed lands on the Primordial Great Land had Innate Deities residing in them, which meant the Qilin Clan's dominance had always been lukewarm.
Coupled with the previous setback in their conquest of the starry sky, many creatures secretly mocked the Qilin Clan, leading to fewer races choosing to submit to them. Races with even a little strength followed the Fox Ancestor's example and fled to the starry sky.
The Qilin Clan was able to catch up with the pace of the other two clans so quickly thanks to the efforts of Beginning Qilin's youngest son, Bai Mu.
Bai Mu had already matured. He had the support of many creatures and had already proven his Dao as a Great Overarching Emperor Lord in the Early Stage. Now, he held a significant position within the Qilin Clan.
And with the help of his mother, nearly half of the five-colored Qilin had become Bai Mu's followers. In the eyes of his followers, Bai Mu was a true Wind God.
"Heavenly Dao is above! I, Beginning Qilin, command Wutu and preside over auspiciousness! I am willing to guard the thick earth of the Primordial Great Land."
"All beasts of the Primordial Great Land shall revere the Qilin as their elder and obey my decree!"
"The Qilin Clan is willing to embody profound virtue, nurture all living beings, and bless all creatures from this moment forth!"
As Beginning Qilin's voice fell, streaks of profound yellow Dao essence emanated from Kirin Cliff. These profound yellow Dao essences spread rapidly in all directions across the Primordial Great Land, carrying a heavy aura of suppressing all directions and bearing all things.
All living beings standing on the Great Land felt a genuine sense of security.
As Beginning Qilin's words fell, golden light filled the sky, and ten thousand acres of heavenly dao merit descended from above.
Sixty percent of it merged into Beginning Qilin's body, thirty percent fell into the Qilin Clan, and ten percent dispersed into the beast race.
However, this time it was somewhat different from the other two clans. After Beginning Qilin absorbed sixty percent of the heavenly dao merit, he did not successfully Breakthrough to Hun Yuan Golden Immortal, feeling as if he was just a hair's breadth away.
Beginning Qilin was extremely anxious, as he had already sensed the two sharp gazes from the Undying Volcano in the south and above the East Sea.
In desperation, Beginning Qilin could only intercept one-tenth of the Qilin Clan's Karma and merge it into himself. This time, amidst the expectant gazes of many Qilin, he successfully broke through to Hun Yuan Golden Immortal.
At this moment, many creatures who favored the Qilin Clan couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
From then on, Ancestral Dragon, Yuanfeng, and Beginning Qilin all broke through to Hun Yuan Golden Immortal by virtue of Luck and heavenly dao merit.
At this moment, the Primordial Great Land once again became vibrant and prosperous, but many powerful beings of the Primordial Great Land knew that this was merely the calm before the storm... On Mount Sumeru, Rahu observed all of this, a bloodthirsty smile on his lips, not at all worried that Ancestral Dragon and the others' Breakthrough would cause him trouble.
"Hmph, merely a fleeting resurgence. They are just slightly stronger ants, perfect for providing me with Evil Qi and Killing Intent."
"Lord of Heart Demons, how are things progressing with what I asked you to do?"
Rahu withdrew his gaze and turned to walk towards his Immortal Cave. Behind him, a wisp of Devilish Qi appeared out of thin air from the Void Realm, then gradually grew stronger, eventually forming a blurry, pitch-black figure.
"Reporting, Demon Ancestor, we have secretly demonized some creatures within the three clans, but because the Great Tribulation has not fully erupted yet, these creatures are relatively peripheral within the three clans."
The Lord of Heart Demons stood one step behind Rahu, speaking respectfully.
"No matter. As long as we can monitor the movements of the three clans, we can incite a war between them at a crucial moment."
Rahu stopped in front of his Immortal Cave, tilted his head slightly, and glanced at the Lord of Heart Demons from the corner of his eye, speaking in a domineering and unquestionable tone.
"Remember, before the war between the three clans is incited, the Demon Race's plot must never be exposed."
The chilling might emanating from Rahu caused the formless and intangible figure of the Lord of Heart Demons to waver.
"Yes, I respectfully obey the Demon Ancestor's command."
After the Lord of Heart Demons bowed and accepted the order, Rahu turned and entered his Immortal Cave, while the Lord of Heart Demons also transformed into Devilish Qi and disappeared between heaven and earth... On Yujing Mountain, Hongjun withdrew his gaze from the direction of the three clans. His eyes were deep and calm, as if he could discern the operating Laws of all things in the world.
The Great Tribulation was about to begin, but he hadn't yet figured out how to deal with the great hidden weapon Rahu possessed. Moreover, he had encountered some difficulties on the path of severing the three corpses.
His good corpse used a fragment of the jade disc of creation, and his Cultivation Realm had reached the Quasi-Saint Middle Stage in one fell swoop. However, to this day, he had not found the second fragment of the jade disc of creation.
For the three corpses to merge and for the severed corpse to use the Origin of an Innate Spirit Treasure, they must be of the same Origin. This concerned his future Dao and could not be treated with the slightest carelessness.
But the current situation was urgent; he no longer had that much time or choice. Either he would switch to Cultivating as a Hun Yuan Golden Immortal, or he would use other Innate Spirit Treasures to sever a corpse and win this Dao struggle.
"Alas~."
On Yujing Mountain, Hongjun sighed deeply. Ever since Mount Zhou fell, his Luck had also fallen considerably. Now, when he traveled, he could no longer obtain so many Innate Spirit Treasures.
The situation with the primordial heavens dao was also unclear; its guidance to him had become less frequent and less clear.
Hongjun once speculated that Rahu had obtained that fragment of the jade disc of creation first, causing the primordial heavens dao to favor him more.
Severing the distracting thoughts in his Heart Demon, Hongjun began to sort out the current situation. If he were to switch to Cultivating as a Hun Yuan Golden Immortal now, he would certainly fall behind other top powerful beings. Whether he could reach the Hun Yuan Golden Immortal Late Stage before the Dao struggle began was still an unknown.
If he continued to Cultivate severing the three corpses, then he would have to go out and search for the fragment of the jade disc of creation now. If he truly couldn't find it, then for the sake of the Dao struggle... Hongjun's gaze fell upon the pangu banner. In that case, his best choice would be to use the pangu banner to sever a corpse.
Although the Pangu Axe had split into three innate supreme treasures, innate supreme treasures were still among the top tier in the current Primordial Great Land. The known innate supreme treasures could be counted on one hand.
The jade disc of creation contained the Three Thousand Great Daos, and perhaps it could encompass other Innate Spirit Treasures, but this hope was very slim, and Hongjun did not hold too much hope for it.
Hongjun sat cross-legged on a futon, contemplating the future direction of his Cultivation.
If he were to use the pangu banner to sever his corpse, then the last Innate Spirit Treasure for severing the corpse would either be a fragment of the jade disc of creation from Rahu after winning the Dao struggle, or the Taiji Diagram from Old Ancestor Yinyang, which he would have to find an Opportunity to acquire.
Both options carried risks, but the latter's risk was clearly smaller. Moreover, if he acquired the Taiji Diagram and successfully severed his corpse before the Dao struggle, he would have a very high probability of winning against Rahu.
For a moment, even Hongjun couldn't make up his mind. After much thought, he decided to try and search for the fragment of the jade disc of creation again.
If he still hadn't found it by the time the Karma of the Primordial Great Land began to grow, he would decisively choose to sever his corpse with the pangu banner.
However, what Hongjun didn't expect was that he didn't find the fragment of the jade disc of creation; instead, he encountered the Demon Race first.
While touring the Primordial Great Land in search of Opportunity, he accidentally came across a member of the three races who had been demonized. To others, the being seemed normal, but in Hongjun's eyes, the being's Origin had been polluted by Devilish Qi, and its Dao Heart had become twisted.
He had to stop Rahu's schemes, but before that, he needed to understand the full scope of the plan.
It would be even better if he could follow the clues to catch a big fish and obtain information about the ominous object beneath Mount Sumeru.
So, Hongjun had his good Clone secretly investigate the Demon Race, while he himself went to search for the fragment of the jade disc of creation.
The contest between Dao and demons thus began.
Other top mighty figures in the Primordial Great Land, such as Old Ancestor Yangmei, Old Ancestor Yinyang, and Old Ancestor Qiankun, chose to repay the Karma of the Primordial Great Land during this period, paving the way for their future attainment of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm... The Primordial Starry Sky now also had many living beings, but most of them were created by Wang Chen. They hadn't been born long and hadn't yet matured.
As for the beings from the Primordial Great Land who settled in the starry sky, they were arranged by the Northern Emperor. He selectively placed a portion of the races into the Mountain Sea Realm, while for the remaining races who were entangled with Evil Qi, the Northern Emperor created separate worlds for them to live in.
Overall, the starry sky was very peaceful. Everyone lived their own quiet lives, cherishing their current existence.
Of course, a big forest has all kinds of birds. There were also some races that actively caused slaughter and provoked conflicts. All these races were thrown by Wang Chen into the worlds on the World Tree.
The World Tree had undergone earth-shattering changes. Its trunk was now enormous; its current size could rival a Middle Thousand Worlds, and it could continue to grow.
Wang Chen tried to let it grow in the chaos bead, and unexpectedly, it worked. Moreover, it grew faster than absorbing Innate Spiritual Qi outside. Its ability to survive in Chaos Qi seemed to be largely due to a part of the hollow willow's Innate foundation.
Wang Chen modified all the memories of the Primordial Great Land's beings, making them believe they were native beings of the World Tree, and then left them to their own devices.
Originally, the Northern Emperor's idea was that since these races loved slaughter and conflict so much, they should be thrown back into the Primordial Great Land to see what they were made of during the great tribulation. However, Wang Chen intervened and claimed them.
Since they were all going to contribute, rather than perishing in the great tribulation and strengthening Rahu, it was better to put them into the World Tree to contribute to Wang Chen.
Heavenly Realm, Demon Realm, Immortal Realm, Human Realm, Ghost Realm, Spirit Realm.
Wang Chen placed the six largest Minor Thousand Worlds on the World Tree together, forming a cycle.
Among the Six Realms, the Human Realm was the foundation. Although this world was the largest, the Realm of the beings living there could not exceed the Immortal Rank or God Realm. If they wished to achieve Immortal Ascension or become a God, they could only Ascend to one of the Immortal Realm, Demon Realm, or Spirit Realm.
Among the Six Realms, the Heavenly Realm and Ghost Realm held special authority. The Heavenly Realm contained the core of the Six Realms; whoever controlled the Heavenly Realm could become the Dominator of the Six Realms.
The Souls of all deceased beings in the Six Realms would enter the Ghost Realm. The Ghost Realm was both the place of Reincarnation for the Six Realms and the habitat for ghost Cultivators.
The Demon Realm, as its name suggested, was the world inhabited by beings who Cultivated the Demonic Path. As future opponents, this method allowed for a slight study of them, while the existence of the Demon Realm also served to promote the Six Realms.
The Immortal Realm was naturally the Holy Land for Cultivating the Immortal Dao and martial arts.
Among the Six Realms, the Spirit Realm was the world where Immortal birds and exotic beasts lived, somewhat similar to the later Yao Realm. However, the Spirit Beasts here Cultivated the essence of heaven and earth. Spirit Beasts primarily Cultivated Bloodline Power, honing their bodies and Cultivating Divine Abilities.
Wang Chen did not provide any assistance to the beings of the Six Realms. This time, he was not in a hurry; what kind of Dao path these beings would forge depended entirely on themselves.
As for those Primordial Great Land beings, Wang Chen had thoroughly modified their memories and perceptions. They not only believed they were native beings of the World Tree, but all their previous memories of Cultivation had vanished, and they wouldn't even have physical instincts.
The only things that remained unchanged were their Bloodline kinship and their own Aptitude and foundation.
Wang Chen was very much looking forward to what kind of Cultivation Dao paths these beings would forge... Thirty thousand years passed in a flash. Karma had already begun to breed in the Primordial Great Land, without any earth-shattering commotion; everything happened silently.
As the great tribulation began, the heavenly secrets became chaotic, making many things difficult to deduce easily. Karma and retribution became blurred. Killing other beings no longer brought down Karma, but rather a more terrifying Evil Qi.
Beings entangled with Evil Qi might kill each other at the slightest disagreement, and Evil Qi would also cause Cultivators' Dao Hearts to become clouded, leading them step by step towards destruction.
During these thirty thousand years, Hongjun also learned of the existence of the four swords of zhu xian. Although he only knew the name of this innate supreme treasure, it had already given Hongjun immense help, allowing him to infer many things.
The reason Hongjun was able to learn the name of the four swords of zhu xian was because he followed the clues and found the 'Eye' among the Six Desire Demon Venerables of the Demon Race.
The Eye, Ear, Nose, Tongue, Body, and Mind were six Grand Unity Golden Immortal-level Demon Venerables. To investigate the secrets beneath Mount Sumeru, Hongjun forcibly Soul-searched the Eye Demon Venerable. To ensure the authenticity of the information, he even used the Eye Demon Venerable as a medium to cross the river of time and examine it.
(In this book's setting, powerhouses at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal, Great Overarching Emperor Lord, Hun Yuan Golden Immortal, and World God Realms all transcend the river of time, but only from the Primordial Great Land's river of time.
Powerhouses of the same Realm cannot see each other's existence in the river of time. Only by obtaining something closely related to the other party can a higher Realm, using that object, indirectly reveal the other party's actions in the river of time.)
Although he only saw a corner before being interrupted by the enraged Rahu, Hongjun had already obtained the answer he sought. However, a great battle was inevitable, as Rahu came charging with the god slaying spear.
Vast and mighty Devilish Qi surged from the west, transforming into a pitch-black long spear that struck towards Hongjun.
A point of crimson was faintly visible on the dark spear tip, which was none other than the supreme-grade innate spirit treasure, the god slaying spear.
The god slaying spear was formed from the lotus stem of the Chaos Green Lotus, and it possessed immense destructive power against the Physical Body and Primordial Spirit of cultivators, making it one of the few unique killing treasures in the Primordial Great Land that could directly threaten Saints.
Hongjun had already experienced the god slaying spear when it was in Shen Ni's hands, so he naturally dared not be careless now.
Hongjun was well prepared; the Heavens Celebration Cloud stood above his head, rendering all Dharmas ineffective and all evil retreating.
The Heavens Celebration Cloud had golden lamps, golden lotuses, yingluo, and hanging pearls, continuously cascading down and enveloping Hongjun's entire body.
Within the Heavens Celebration Cloud, a banner, neither cloth nor silk, appeared, seemingly woven from the lotus leaf veins of the Chaos Green Lotus, displaying the warm, translucent Green Lotus Treasured Flag.
As soon as the Green Lotus Treasured Flag appeared, the surrounding space was enveloped by an Aura of tranquility, auspiciousness, and resilience, and all negative elements such as resentment, hostility, and Evil Qi were completely eliminated.
The pangu banner appeared in Hongjun's hand, and with a slight shake, several Heaven-Opening Qi Blades slashed towards Luohu.
These Heaven-Opening Qi Blades appeared slow but in reality ignored space and time, splitting everything in their path in two.
Luohu saw this and did not dodge, as the Twelfth-Grade World Destroying Black Lotus appeared beneath his feet, protecting him, and he then charged towards Hongjun at an even faster speed.
Most of the Heaven-Opening Qi Blades were annihilated by Luohu with the god slaying spear, while the remaining ones were neutralized by the World Destroying Black Lotus.
The aftershocks of their clash spread outwards like surging tides, shattering the Void Realm in their wake, with spatial cracks crisscrossing, mountains collapsing, and rivers vanishing.
Luohu's eyes were icy cold, and his fierce Killing Intent turned the heavens and earth blood-red.
He let out a cold snort, and the god slaying spear burst forth with ten thousand feet of blood-red light, piercing fiercely towards Hongjun with an overwhelmingly dominant Aura, as if the blood-red light wanted to dye the entire world crimson.
Hongjun's expression was solemn; the Heavens Celebration Cloud and the Green Lotus Treasured Flag shone brightly, and a chaotic light emerged from the pangu banner, with the power of creation surging wildly as a slash spanning heaven and earth instantly reached Luohu's face.
Luohu dared not be careless either; Devilish Qi surged around him, and endless Devilish Qi, Evil Qi, and Killing Intent poured into the god slaying spear, instantly turning the god slaying spear from crimson to pitch black, with violent destructive Dao 蘊缠繞 the god slaying spear, Luohu used a point to break the surface, and pierced through the Heaven-Opening Qi Blade.
Luohu's Killing Intent remained undiminished, and Hongjun also knew that this matter could not end well, so he simply stepped into the Void Realm and headed towards the Inner Chaos, to prevent their battle from causing more harm to the Primordial Great Land.
One was a Quasi-Saint in the Middle Stage, and the other was a Hun Yuan Golden Immortal in the Middle Stage; the destruction caused by their battle was immeasurable. If they continued to fight on the Primordial Great Land, this tribulation might have been initiated by them.
Although this earth-shattering battle was short, it allowed the three clans to witness the strength of the top mighty figures of the Primordial Great Land. Even among Hun Yuan Golden Immortals, the gap was immeasurable. Ancestor Dragon, Primordial Phoenix, and Shi Qilin watched the battle from afar and fell silent.
Something called ambition took root and sprouted within the three clans, with the Dragon Clan being the most prominent. If the three clans dividing the Primordial Great Land's Luck could allow someone to become a Quasi-Saint, then unifying the Primordial Great Land would surely make a Grand Unity Golden Immortal achievable. Most importantly, the Grand Unity Golden Immortals within the three clans also desired to progress.
In the starry sky, Wang Chen also sensed this battle, but he did not pay too much attention, merely glancing at it before retracting his gaze.
Wang Chen knew very well that both Luohu and Hongjun were currently wary and would not fight with all their might. Most likely, neither would be able to do anything to the other, and they would eventually return home.
Moreover, he was currently busy refining the sun moon crystal wheel. With this battle attracting attention, no one would discover his refining of the Acquired Merit Spirit Treasure.
To ensure that the Sun Crystal Wheel could become a supreme-grade Acquired Spirit Treasure, he had taken the little sun to the Sun Star to absorb a considerable amount of True Fire of the Sun.
Wang Chen had spent a lot of effort to forge this Acquired Merit Spirit Treasure, and now he was finally about to see the results.
The Innate Formation of Ziwei Star was opened by Wang Chen, and the ziwei fate plate concealed the heavenly secrets here. This time, there were no tribulation clouds; only boundless heavenly dao merit poured into the sun moon crystal wheel.
When he previously verified the method of breaking through to a World God, he had opened up hundreds of worlds. Although the heavenly dao merit bestowed by these worlds varied, combined, it was a considerable amount.
Wang Chen roughly calculated that the previously obtained heavenly dao merit, plus the heavenly dao merit from opening those hundreds of worlds, amounted to approximately 270,000 mu of heavenly dao merit. He didn't realize it until he calculated it, and he was shocked.
However, if spread across each world, it would only be two or three hundred mu, which only goes to show that such a large amount of heavenly dao merit was accumulated by the sheer number of worlds created.
These worlds created by Wang Chen were unprecedented in the Primordial Great Land, and each world contained different Dao Laws. If someone were to imitate Wang Chen and continue to create such worlds now, no heavenly dao merit would be bestowed.
The primordial heavens dao would only grant Karma to the creator. Even imitation requires one's own innovation to obtain heavenly dao merit, just like Old Ancestor Minghe learning from Nuwa to create living beings.
Under the washing of heavenly dao merit, the dao patternss within the sun moon crystal wheel gradually transformed into Restrictions, except that these Restrictions emitted a faint light of Karma.
Wang Chen had integrated forty-eight dao patternss into each of the two sun moon crystal wheels, but under the washing of Karma, a few dao patternss disappeared and did not form Restrictions.
Wang Chen ignored this and continued to inject heavenly dao merit, intending to integrate all the heavenly dao merit into these two Spirit Treasures this time.
What Wang Chen did not expect was that as heavenly dao merit continuously integrated into these two supreme-grade Acquired Merit Spirit Treasures, they actually began to evolve new Restrictions on their own.
Unfortunately, the chasm between supreme-grade Spirit Treasures and ultimate treasures was like an insurmountable gulf. Even after Wang Chen integrated all 270,000 mu of heavenly dao merit into them, no new Restrictions evolved.
However, Wang Chen was already very satisfied with the current sun moon crystal wheel. Both supreme-grade Acquired Merit Spirit Treasures contained forty-eight Restrictions, and the Restrictions evolved from heavenly dao merit within the two Spirit Treasures were quite profound.
After refining the other Restrictions, Wang Chen began to wholeheartedly comprehend the few Restrictions evolved from heavenly dao merit.
These few Restrictions were like a stroke of genius, perfectly connecting the previous Restrictions in these two supreme-grade Acquired Merit Spirit Treasures, increasing their exerted power by several magnitudes.
Wang Chen had witnessed the evolution of these few Restrictions from nothing, so through his meticulous comprehension, he truly gained a lot of insight.
The more Restrictions a Spirit Treasure has does not necessarily mean it is stronger; the mutual connection and interlinking between Restrictions are indispensable.
If the dao patternss Wang Chen previously integrated into the Spirit Treasure had both addition and multiplication effects among them, then after Wang Chen comprehended the Restrictions evolved from the myriad heavenly dao merit, he could guarantee that most of the dao patternss he would inscribe in the future would have a multiplicative effect on each other, which would undoubtedly make the Acquired Spirit Treasures he refined more perfect.
As Wang Chen expected, the battle between Hongjun and Luohu ended after a brief probing by both sides.
At this point in time, everyone was very busy, and a battle without a clear outcome was a waste of time for both parties; a slight oversight could cause their plans to fall through.
After this battle, the top-tier great powers of the Grandmist seemed to have an unspoken agreement and all disappeared, intentionally clearing the stage for the Three Clans.
Several millennia passed, and the Three Clans finally couldn't hold back, beginning constant small skirmishes.
The Three Clans were all testing each other's bottom lines, from assassinating lower-Realm disciples of the opposing side to secretly slaughtering clans that had submitted to the other, and even intentionally crossing boundaries to occupy the other's territory, leading to standoffs and small-scale battles; all sorts of overt and covert methods were employed.
Of course, the Demon Race's instigation was indispensable behind this; the Lord of Heart Demons would secretly influence the emotions of some of the Three Clans, and those of the Three Clans with low Realms who were affected would not even realize they had fallen under the influence of Heart Demons.
The first to be affected were those in the Three Clans who assassinated the opposing side's disciples; the Lord of Heart Demons would cause their inner hearts to gradually swell, ultimately guiding them to assassinate the direct descendants of some important figures within the Three Clans.
Success or failure was not important; what was important was to anger the other side and intensify the conflict between the Three Clans.
The tranquility of the Grandmist was thus broken; the Three Clans began to wage war against each other, constantly killing for Opportunity, Spirit Treasure, and Luck; this bloody slaughter suddenly erupted and quickly swept across the entire Grandmist.
The great powers within the Three Clans silently watched this scene, having witnessed a higher vista, and since Ancestral Dragon, Primordial Phoenix, and Shi Qilin had already succeeded, it was impossible for them not to have their own ulterior motives.
Some great powers also knew that there was something fishy about this Three Clans Great War, but they didn't care; as long as they defeated the other two clans, they would be the rulers of the Grandmist, and then their Clan Chief would have the chance to become a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, while they themselves would have the chance to become a Hun Yuan Golden Immortal. Under such temptation, who could easily give up?
However, what they didn't expect was that this approach completely violated the grand vows they had made in the beginning. From then on, the Tribulation officially began, and tribulation Qi proliferated between heaven and earth, with subsequent developments no longer under their control... On Mount Sumeru, Luohu's face showed a bloodthirsty smile; the plan was progressing smoothly, and the Three Clans offered no resistance at all.
The next steps were simple: enhance his own strength. Now, slaughter, destruction, and death were happening every moment in the Grandmist, and in this environment, his Cultivation speed would greatly accelerate.
At the same time, he would refine the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation to make its power even stronger. This was his trump card against Hongjun and the others. Although the name of this innate supreme treasure was known to Hongjun, the power of this supreme killing treasure was beyond their imagination.
One must know that when Luohu himself obtained this innate supreme treasure, he was shocked by its Heaven-Defying offensive methods. Now, with the blessing of the Tribulation, coupled with the absorption of the boundless Evil Qi and Killing Intent created by the Three Clans, he believed that this innate supreme treasure would surely give Hongjun and the others a big surprise.
Luohu's face couldn't help but reveal a hint of a smug smile. The Tribulation would make the Three Clans preoccupied, and by then, the only top-tier great powers in the Grandmist would be Hongjun, Old Ancestor Yangmei, Old Ancestor Qiankun, and Old Ancestor Yinyang. Luohu was confident he could take them down.
For a moment, a somewhat smug and arrogant laugh echoed from the Immortal Cave, where Devilish Qi swirled... On Yujing Mountain, Hongjun sat cross-legged on a futon, the pangu banner floating before him. The grey banner slowly unfurled, each subtle tremor causing the surrounding space to silently tear, revealing the surging Chaos Qi behind it.
He had already decided to use this innate supreme treasure to sever his corpse. However, the pangu banner possessed the power to tear apart Grandmist Chaos, the strength to shatter all heavens and time-space, the merit to command all Dao Profound Truth, and the ability to open up heaven and earth. Moreover, it could control the might of heaven and earth, making its offensive power paramount among the Heavenly Dao.
Its Heaven-Opening Blade had four major functions: "Break, Establish, Prohibit, Annihilate."
"Break" means tearing Chaos time-space and opening up heaven and earth; "Establish" means separating Yin and Yang, ordering the Five Elements, and evolving earth, water, fire, and wind; "Prohibit" means correcting the Chaos of Primordial and reversing the universe; "Annihilate" means destroying all things in heaven and earth and annihilating infinite worlds.
To use the pangu banner to sever his corpse, Hongjun needed to make many preparations, and no amount of caution was too much, as he had not yet fully refined this innate supreme treasure. A slight mishap could lead to a failed corpse-severing, causing Dao injury to himself.
At this point in time, Hongjun could not afford any accidents to happen.
On the futon, Hongjun adjusted his own state while also calculating all possible events that might occur... While the Three Clans were attacking each other, some great powers within the Qilin Clan had a cunning idea. Previously, Shi Qilin was frustrated in the starry sky because he hadn't attained the Hun Yuan Golden Immortal Realm. Now that he had become a Hun Yuan Golden Immortal, surely he could deal with the starry sky?
Moreover, the number of living beings who had fled to the starry sky was not small; perhaps ruling the starry sky could also bring more Luck to the Qilin Clan.
Thus, several Grand Unity Golden Immortals immediately agreed and together found Shi Qilin, explaining their idea.
Upon hearing this, Shi Qilin recalled his experience of being severely beaten by True Man Kong Ming, and anger surged within him. He had, in fact, not forgotten the humiliation of that time.
"Currently, the top combat powers of the Three Clans have tacitly refrained from intervening. I am just afraid that if we go to the starry sky, the Dragon Clan and the Phoenix Clan will attack our clan," Shi Qilin said to the elders, suppressing his Killing Intent towards True Man Kong Ming.
The elders smiled upon hearing this. Since the Clan Chief said so, he must have been tempted. His words now were asking if they had a solution.
"Clan Chief, rest assured, the other two clans will not attack us. On the contrary, they will watch everything from the shadows. As long as the starry sky has no power to resist, the other two clans will not let go of this lucrative piece of meat either."
"Clan Chief, you might not know yet, but there are now hundreds of thousands of worlds in the starry sky where living beings reside. This news was even revealed to me by a Grand Unity Golden Immortal of the Phoenix Clan; presumably, they are also very covetous."
With just a few words, the Qilin Clan elders convinced Shi Qilin. Currently, the Dragon Clan was powerful, and the Qilin Clan and Phoenix Clan had a tacit understanding to jointly resist the Dragon Clan. They believed the Phoenix Clan would not join the Dragon Clan to deal with the Qilin Clan at this critical juncture, as that would be tantamount to suicide.
As long as he seized this Opportunity to rule the starry sky, he might be able to advance further. With greatly increased Luck at that time, he would have the confidence to contend with the Dragon Clan.
The more Shi Qilin thought about it, the more tempted he became, and he eagerly led the elders, preparing to conquer the starry sky.
Feng Qingxuan observed all the actions of the Qilin Clan. Tens of thousands of years ago, the starry sky had cut off contact with the Grandmist Continent. The information received before that was that the starry sky was setting up a great Formation, whose name seemed to be the Zhou Tian Star Sword Formation.
Not long after that Formation took shape, no more news came from the starry sky.
Feng Qingxuan had personally investigated. The starry sky was enveloped by a Formation. Below the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm, entry was permitted but exit was not. Above the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm, anyone who approached would feel a fatal threat.
Anyway, Feng Qingxuan didn't dare to force his way in. So, he subtly hinted to the Qilin Clan, and someone voluntarily went to scout the way for him.
A smug smile played on his lips. Now it was time for Feng Qingxuan to enjoy the show; no matter which side suffered setbacks, he would be very happy.
"Father, has the Dragon Clan made any moves?"
At Kirin Cliff, Bai Mu was expounding the Dao to the Five-Colored Qilin when he noticed his father, accompanied by several Grand Unity Golden Immortal-level Clan Elders, gathering the Taiyi Golden Immortals of the clan. It seemed as if something major had occurred, prompting his inquiry.
Beginning Qilin heard this and looked at his anxious youngest son, falling silent for a moment.
He knew that Bai Mu yearned for the Great Emperor Ziwei in the starry sky, and out of love for the Great Emperor Ziwei, he was also very friendly towards the starry sky. However, this punitive expedition was inevitable, both for himself and for the Qilin Clan.
"Ah, it's Your Highness Feng. We are going to conquer the starry sky to win more Luck for our clan."
One of the Clan Elders, named Cang Yue, seeing Beginning Qilin's silence, quickly smiled and explained.
He was one of the Clan Elders previously threatened by Bai Mu's mother. Since then, as long as it didn't involve the Qilin Clan's interests, he would always raise some objections regarding matters related to Bai Mu.
However, this situation rarely occurred after Bai Mu proved his Dao as a Great Overarching Emperor Lord. Now that he had finally caught an opportunity, he naturally wouldn't let it go.
Bai Mu's gaze remained fixed on Beginning Qilin, completely ignoring Cang Yue's words, not even glancing at him.
"Must you go?"
Bai Mu didn't understand why his father disliked the starry sky, nor why he didn't heavily rely on the clan members who Cultivated the Innate Divine Dao. Was it really as those beings said, that his father and the Great Emperor Ziwei were enemies?
"We must go, Mu'er. This is all for the future of the Qilin Clan."
Beginning Qilin ultimately offered an explanation to his youngest son, whom he doted on greatly.
Even his outward display of dislike for the Innate Divine Dao was to push those who Cultivated the Innate Divine Dao towards Bai Mu.
He rarely allowed Bai Mu to participate in the wars between the three clans, precisely to protect him.
Although he was confident in defeating the other two clans and unifying the Great Desolation, failure was not impossible.
With his Realm, he naturally detected the tribulation Qi in the world. If the Qilin Clan failed, he hoped Bai Mu could lead the Qilin Clan forward. This was a father's small selfish desire.
Watching his father and clansmen disappear into the sky, Bai Mu felt deeply disheartened. He couldn't quite understand his father's actions. He was already strong now, capable of helping his father and even the Qilin Clan. Why wouldn't he be allowed to participate in important clan matters?
A gentle hand stroked Bai Mu's head, and his mother Xuan Yao's soft voice came through.
"He loves you. However, as the Clan Chief of the Qilin Clan, he carries a heavy burden. There are some things he cannot speak to you about. You must listen to him, and don't overthink things, alright?"
"Mhm, Mu'er understands and will definitely listen."
Bai Mu silently apologized to the Great Emperor Ziwei in his heart. This time, he hoped his father would succeed... Beginning Qilin, using his great magic power, led many clansmen to the edge of the starry sky. Only upon arriving did he discover that the starry sky was enveloped by a grand Formation.
Beginning Qilin's gaze fell upon Cang Yue, hoping he could provide an explanation.
"Clan Chief, I know a little about this grand Formation. It is said that those below Grand Unity Golden Immortal are allowed in but not out, and forcing entry at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm is somewhat dangerous."
Cang Yue honestly stepped forward and explained what he knew.
Beginning Qilin's brows furrowed tightly upon hearing this. At this moment, he finally realized that the Qilin Clan had been used.
This Formation before him, let alone for a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, even he, as a Hun Yuan Golden Immortal, felt a sense of danger upon careful perception.
Ever since they arrived, this Formation had clearly begun to operate. The light of the primordial heavenly stars could be felt converging in one direction. Faintly, three long swords could be seen there, commanding countless long swords formed from starlight, pointing towards their location from afar.
At this, the Grand Unity Golden Immortals of the Qilin Clan also felt a fatal threat. The sharp Sword Qi seemed capable of severing all things in the world. Even from hundreds of millions of miles away, these Grand Unity Golden Immortals felt waves of stinging pain.
Beginning Qilin took a deep look at the starry sky, then spoke with a somewhat heavy tone: "Let's go. With this Formation guarding the starry sky, even a Hun Yuan Golden Immortal would not gain any advantage."
As he finished speaking, Beginning Qilin had already disappeared from his original spot, heading towards Kirin Cliff.
He was now annoyed just looking at those Clan Elders. They couldn't even see through such a simple trick; truly foolish!
The Clan Elders looked at each other. Seeing that the Clan Chief had already left, they dared not linger and quickly followed, fearing that the Formation would attack them if Beginning Qilin wasn't present.
Thus, the Qilin Clan's plan to conquer the starry sky ended with a whimper.
In Ziwei Palace, Wang Chen was Cultivating. He had only paid a little attention to this matter and hadn't taken it too seriously.
After he modified the Zhou Tian Star Sword Formation, its power was incomparable to what it once was. With Vermilion Bird and Northern Emperor presiding over the Formation, as long as Ancestral Dragon, Primordial Phoenix, and Beginning Qilin didn't all come, if only one or two came, with their Early Stage Hun Yuan Golden Immortal cultivation, they wouldn't gain any advantage.
The Zhou Tian Star Sword Formation indeed possessed power, but if the Formation were fully activated, the three Divine Artifacts that mobilized the starlight would not be able to withstand such immense power.
Therefore, this Formation could currently only deal with two Hun Yuan Golden Immortals simultaneously at most, and could hold out for a while against three.
Seeing the Qilin Clan retreat, Northern Emperor, Vermilion Bird, and White Tiger each retrieved the Divine Artifacts they were presiding over.
"I will remain here. You two may continue your travels through the starry sky."
Northern Emperor's gaze swept over Vermilion Bird and White Tiger, his dark robe fluttering without wind.
"Very well." The two nodded in assent, then transformed into streaks of light, vanishing in an instant into the boundless starry sky.
With nothing else to do, Northern Emperor casually opened up a Small World and placed all the long swords formed from starlight into it. He allowed those with similar Dao essence to merge, viewing this as a small game to pass the time when bored.
In Ziwei Palace, Wang Chen withdrew his attention and fully immersed himself in Cultivation once more. He allowed the Heavenly Dao Laws he had nurtured within himself to resonate with the Heavenly Dao Laws of the Great Desolation. At times, they intertwined and merged; at other times, they collided and generated friction. Both sides learned from each other, making progress together.
This was the inherent advantage of the Innate Divine Dao. In the Early Stages, Innate Divine Spiritss Cultivated rapidly by leveraging their affinity with the Heavenly Dao Laws. In the later stages, once Innate Divine Spiritss matured, both sides could benefit mutually...
Feng Qingxuan, who had intended to watch the show from afar, saw Beginning Qilin return so quickly and knew that the good show was ruined. It was likely that Beginning Qilin also knew about his instigation of the Qilin Clan Elders.
Feng Qingxuan unhesitatingly turned and transformed into a streak of light, fleeing towards the direction of the Undying Volcano. Unfortunately, the moment he looked at Beginning Qilin, the latter had already sensed him.
Previously, Beginning Qilin hadn't wanted to bother with this Phoenix Clan Grand Unity Golden Immortal. Now, seeing him flee upon his return, it was clear that the exploitation of the Qilin Clan's Clan Elders was definitely related to him.
Having become a target of exploitation himself, how could Beginning Qilin easily let him go?