56: The beginning of the conflict

In the Primordial World, years are not counted; compared to the harmony and tranquility of the Immortal Volcano, the rest of the Primordial Land appeared somewhat chaotic and unclear.

Zu Long and the First Qilin completed their Breakthroughs one after another, attaining the Realm of Hunyuan Golden Immortal, and established their respective clans, officially becoming major powers governing thousands of tribes.

Both sides were working hard to realize their own ambitions.

Above the East Sea, the Dragon Clan's war drums never ceased day or night.

Zu Long used his Hunyuan might to re-establish the order of the four seas; the nine main water spirit veins were refined into nine Coiled Dragon Pillars to guard the four sea regions.

The nine sons of the Dragon also began to show their prominence at this time, each displaying their Divine Abilities.

Qiu Niu, with a Dragon's head and a bull's body, cultivated the Great Dao of Melody, mastering 84,000 types of rhythms; he could calm a storm with one tune and awe the Divine Soul with another.

Ya Zi, with a Dragon's head and a jackal's body, was born in the bloody battlefields of the West Sea, transforming after drinking the blood of millions of living beings; he specialized in the arts of slaughter. Wherever he went, thousands of aquatic tribes trembled and submitted.

Bi'an, with a Dragon's head and a tiger's body, could see through Karma and sin with his eyes, wielding the path of divine punishment, deciding life and death with a single word... The others all possessed their own Divine Abilities and were highly valued by Zu Long.

These nine were the most outstanding Dragon sons among the billions of the Dragon Clan in this generation.

Although they were descendants born from Zu Long's union with powerful Innate beings from different tribes...

They were bound to the Dragon Clan's war machine and were doing their best to contribute to the clan's development.

Each of the nine sons performed their duties, infiltrating the Dragon Clan's influence into every corner of the four seas.

Their existence allowed the Dragon Clan's rule to quickly dominate the vast waters of the four seas.

Similarly, the Qilin Clan was not to be outdone.

After the First Qilin completed his Breakthrough, he also brought thousands of beast tribes under his command.

Unlike the Dragon Clan's iron-blooded suppression, the Qilin Clan favored a policy of conciliation, which was inseparable from the First Qilin's mature and prudent character.

Whenever a place was conquered, a Qilin would arrive on a cloud, bringing auspiciousness while also sprinkling Wutu Essence Qi to improve the local environment.

Having gained benefits, these tribes were not so repulsed by the Qilin Clan's rule; instead, they voluntarily linked their tribal Luck with the mountain and river qilin seal, making the Qilin Clan's Luck as thick and unbreakable as the earth.

After a long period of development, the Qilin Clan's sphere of influence was no longer limited to the Central Land and began to expand in all directions.

But this strategy was ultimately less efficient, and it was also a fact that the Qilin Clan's high-level combat power could not match that of the Dragon Clan.

The Dragon Clan remained the greatest overlord.

Meanwhile, Ling Ming, who had returned to his clan after settling his concerns, finally made up his mind to take that step.

Leveraging the massive Luck of governing thousands of tribes, he helped himself recover from his Dao injuries while simultaneously impacting the Realm of Hunyuan Golden Immortal once again.

Finally, witnessed by billions of beings in the Primordial World, Ling Ming successfully broke through to the Hunyuan Golden Immortal Realm.

However, he did not establish a clan in the name of his own tribe, but instead led the thousands of feathered birds as the 'Winged Clan.'

Thus, the Dragon Clan ruled the four seas, the Qilin Clan trod upon the earth, and the Winged Clan shouldered the heavens.

The situation of the three clans standing in a tripod Formation was officially formed.

At Jade Capital Mountain, Hongjun was shrouded in a heavy atmosphere.

The Creation Jade Plate floating before him constantly flashed warnings, but he only glanced at it before turning his gaze toward the west.

The three clans each had their own fate, and he had no intention of meddling.

He just didn't know why the one in Mount Sumeru caused him some concern... At the peak of Mount Sumeru, Devilish Qi swirled continuously, and the devilish flames dancing in Luo Hou's eyes grew even more.

His fingertips lightly stroked the God-Slaying Spear, the tip of which was shattering the scenes manifested by the three clans' Luck.

"What a grand show..." Luo Hou chuckled softly, his devilish pupils seemingly foreseeing the chaos that would occur in the Primordial World in the future.

The three clans competed for hegemony, each thinking of devouring the other's Luck to achieve their own Dao.

But their increasingly greedy expansion was exactly what could be utilized as the best nourishment for the Dao of Slaughter.

The God-Slaying Spear continued to vibrate, and Luo Hou's fingertips gently rubbed against it, stabilizing the spear's Killing Intent.

He was waiting; the three clans had not been established for long, their spheres of influence had not yet spread across the entire Primordial Land, and the entanglements of Karma between them were not yet sufficient.

He had already arranged some methods within the three clans.

Waiting for the moment when the three clans' Luck was most tightly intertwined—that would be the perfect time for harvesting... After a long period of development, the spheres of influence of the three clans had spread throughout the Primordial World.

Accompanying this, various frictions and disputes inevitably occurred.

At first, it was just small skirmishes, not enough to attract the attention of the high-ranking members of the three clans.

It wasn't until a Cave-Heaven near the East Sea emerged that this long-accumulated conflict finally erupted completely.

This Cave-Heaven was a rare Innate blessed land in the Primordial World, containing the Mother Qi of Xuanhuang, which could help Cultivators comprehend the Law of the Earth, making it particularly suitable for the Qilin Clan.

When the Qilin Clan Elder Mo Lin was patrolling the earth veins with his clansmen, he accidentally discovered the entrance to the Cave-Heaven and immediately sealed the surroundings with Wutu Divine Light while sending a messenger back to the clan to report.

The clan was overjoyed, and the Clan Chief, the First Qilin, personally ordered several Elders to take the mountain and river qilin seal to guard it, intending to designate this blessed land as a Holy Land for the Qilin Clan's cultivation.

However, how could news near the East Sea escape the surveillance of the Dragon Clan?

Zu Long was furious upon hearing the news and sneered, "All the waters of the Primordial World are under the jurisdiction of the Dragon Clan. Since the Xuanhuang Cave-Heaven is near the East Sea, how can that old Qilin be allowed to touch it!"

He immediately summoned the eight Dragon Lords of the East Sea and used the Sea-Overturning Formation to seal the sky, grandly pressing toward the Xuanhuang Cave-Heaven.

Seeing the Dragon bodies covering the sky and the sea waves hanging upside down, Mo Lin shouted sternly, "This place was first discovered by my clan. Does the Dragon Clan wish to destroy the harmony between our two clans?"

The leading Dragon Lord, Ao Cang, let out a sneer: "Harmony? Who's having harmony with you!"

Before his voice could fade, a Dragon claw had already torn through the Wutu barrier, forcefully knocking Mo Lin back millions of feet.

The Qilin Clan Elders were furious and manifested their true forms one after another; for a time, mountain-like Qilins roared on the ground, and earth and stone surged like waves.

The experts of the two clans confronted each other outside the Cave-Heaven, their Killing Intent piercing the sky.

On the Dragon Clan's side, several Dragon Lords were perched among the clouds, lightning coiling around their Dragon bodies, and the waters of the East Sea poured into the sky, turning into billions of ice blades hanging overhead.

Dragon Lord Ao Cang held the 'Xuanming Halberd,' and wherever the halberd pointed, the Void Realm froze.

The Qilin Clan also refused to yield an inch; the ten Elders formed the Nine Mountains Dragon Locking Formation, and the power of the earth veins transformed into a Formation cage, locking the Dragon Clan's original forms and preventing their combat power from being exerted.

The Dragon Clan was somewhat at a loss by this sudden restraining Formation.

The Dragon Clan's powerful bodies were their reliance in battle, and many Divine Abilities also needed to be performed in their original forms.

Being unable to manifest their original forms undoubtedly greatly limited their strength.

This strike truly caught them off guard.

At this moment, Zu Long descended upon the battlefield, his Dragon pupils scanning the many Kirin clansmen; his Dragon prestige was displayed, causing the Qilin Clan members present to change color in unison.

The Zu Long Pearl was sacrificed, about to forcibly break the Formation.

Immediately after, the First Qilin also appeared, wielding the mountain and river qilin seal to confront Zu Long head-on.

In the end, it was the Qilin Clan that obtained ownership of the Cave-Heaven.

Zu Long accepted this setback and led the many members of the Dragon Clan back to the East Sea.

But the seeds of hatred had been planted, and he would surely seek revenge in the future.

This matter required long-term planning.

This battle also allowed the Dragon Clan to witness some of the Qilin Clan's methods.

That Nine Mountains Dragon Locking Formation was specifically designed for his Dragon Clan.

On the Qilin Clan's side, they also caught a glimpse of the depth of the Dragon Clan's foundation.

In this battle, except for the necessary guards, almost all the elites of the Qilin Clan were deployed, and they only barely managed to repel the Dragon Clan by virtue of the advantage of setting up the Formation first.

One must know that this was only the Dragon Clan of the East Sea lineage; if the Dragon Clan of the four seas arrived together, what would the consequences be?

While the other clansmen were immersed in the joy of victory, the First Qilin would not be so.

He had to be ten steps ahead in his calculations, making long-term plans for the clan...