76: The Three Clans' End

Due to the all-out war between the three clans, the Primordial World suffered immense damage, leaving behind scenes of ruin everywhere.

Heaven and earth shook as the Heavenly Dao finally awakened at this moment, stabilizing the Primordial World while descending boundless Karmic Obstruction upon the three clans that had triggered the Great Calamity.

Seeing the Heavenly Dao awaken, the Clan Chiefs of the three clans knew that everything they had schemed for had come to naught.

However, there was no time for excessive sorrow; the current priority was to find a way to ensure the survival of their respective clans.

The three clans had already suffered heavy losses in the great war, with their high-level combatants nearly wiped out and their populations reduced to less than one in ten thousand.

Now, weighed down by such heavy Karmic Obstruction, the clans' Luck was on the verge of collapsing at any moment.

Ancestral Dragon dragged his broken dragon body back to the Eastern Sea, the wounds on his body still constantly seeping dragon blood.

Looking at the shattered Dragon Palace and the few remaining Dragon Clan subjects, a look of determination flashed in his eyes.

"Candle Dragon."

Ancestral Dragon's voice was hoarse and heavy, "From now on, the Dragon Clan... is in your hands."

Candle Dragon looked up in shock: "Big Brother, what are you..."

Ancestral Dragon did not answer but raised his head to the sky, his dragon eyes bursting with a final radiance.

The dragon body slowly rose into the sky, its scales beginning to burn with innate essence, and a golden dao rhyme surfaced on its body.

"Heavenly Dao above! I, in the name of the Ancestral Dragon, swear—I am willing to suppress the Eye of the Eastern Sea forever, to complete the undersea Spiritual Veins with my dragon body, and to calm the resentment of the Four Seas with my dragon soul. I only ask to leave a sliver of hope for the Dragon Clan!"

As the oath was spoken, heaven and earth changed abruptly.

The dissipating Luck of the Dragon Clan suddenly stalled, and the erosion speed of the black mist of Karmic Obstruction slowed down significantly.

Ancestral Dragon took one last look at the ruined Dragon Palace, flicked his dragon tail, and rushed toward the Sea Eye without hesitation.

Moments before entering the water, the massive dragon body suddenly burst with dazzling golden light, and every scale turned into a Seal rune, intending to Seal himself permanently.

The moment the dragon's head submerged into the Sea Eye, the entire Eastern Sea fell silent.

The dissipating Dragon Clan Luck actually began to flow back slowly, eventually stabilizing at a certain level.

Although it was not even a tenth of its peak, it ultimately preserved the Foundation for survival.

The black mist of Karmic Obstruction entwining the Dragon Clan was also drawn away bit by bit by the suction from the Sea Eye, gradually reaching a state of equilibrium.

Candle Dragon knelt on the sea surface, his claws digging deep into his palms. He could feel that Ancestral Dragon's aura was undergoing Fusion with the Sea Eye, henceforth sharing the same lifespan as the Primordial World, yet never to be free again.

The Dragon Clan was considered preserved.

Similarly, after returning to Qilin Cliff, the First Qilin immediately swore an oath to the Heavenly Dao.

"Heavenly Dao above! I, in the name of the First Qilin, swear—I am willing to suppress the Central Earth Veins forever, to repair the Primordial World with my Qilin body, and to dissolve the resentment and baleful Qi with auspicious Qi. I only ask to preserve a sliver of hope for the Qilin Clan!"

Once the oath was made, the earth trembled.

The dissipating Qilin Luck stalled, and the black mist of Karmic Obstruction entwining the clansmen stopped its erosion.

The Qilin Clan also successfully continued its lineage.

When Ling Ming rushed back to Hurricane Canyon, he wanted to swear an oath but found himself unable to speak.

It wasn't that he was unwilling to sacrifice his final strength for the Feather Clan.

It was just that the phenomenon representing the Feather Clan's Luck was completely shattered, with no hope of condensing again.

With the Feather Clan's Luck gone, the Feather Clan was truly finished, never to be recognized by the Heavenly Dao again.

Ling Ling saw her Old Ancestor collapse to the ground. Although she didn't know the specifics, she felt anxious; if she had arrived earlier, perhaps there would still be time.

Ling Ming reached out and patted her head, signaling her not to blame herself.

In fact, if Ling Ling hadn't arrived, he, the Clan Chief of the Feather Clan, might have met his end right there.

At the critical moment, it was Ling Ling who arrived with the Tiangou and brought him back.

It was only then that Ling Ling realized that this Tiangou, which usually looked harmless and disguised itself as a cute spirit pet, was actually quite fierce when it came to a fight.

In its combat form, it took down the frenzied Cultivators of the three clans one by one, carving out a path of blood.

Although it had the protection of the Yuan Feng's dao rhyme, its own combat power was not to be underestimated.

Now, the Tiangou lay lazily on the ground, waiting for when it could return to the Immortal Volcano; the turbulent power of wind and thunder here was a bit too noisy for it.

The plume from the divine phoenix plume turned into a small firebird and perched on the Tiangou's head.

Some members of the Feather Clan dragged their broken bodies back, and seeing the current tragic state of Hurricane Canyon, they chose to leave the clan.

Ling Ming did not stop them; the clan's Luck had already collapsed, so there was no longer a Feather Clan to speak of.

However, for those who chose to stay, he had to find a proper way out for them.

After some thought, he decided it would be most appropriate for them to seek refuge under that Fellow Daoist.

Since Ling Ling could come out on this trip, it meant those two Fellow Daoists tacitly approved of this situation.

Thinking of this, Ling Ming immediately summoned the remaining clansmen.

When all the clansmen gathered, the number was almost unbearable to look at, not even matching a single team from the past.

But on second thought, he smiled with relief.

The fewer the number, the more loyal they were. Those two Fellow Daoists would find it easier to accept them.

"I am grateful that you haven't abandoned us, but the Feather Clan has declined; you should find a better place to settle."

"Now, follow Ling Ling and leave for the Immortal Volcano to join the Phoenix Lord's ranks."

"Old Ancestor, what about you?" one of the beings asked, seeing that their Old Ancestor had made such arrangements but had no intention of leaving himself.

Ling Ming slowly stood up, his broken wings trembling slightly in the wind.

He looked at the few remaining clansmen before him, a look of determination flashing in his eyes.

He chuckled and looked up at the rolling black cloud of Karmic Obstruction in the sky, "Though the Feather Clan's Luck has scattered, someone must bear this sin."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly took flight, his entire body igniting with the last of his thunder power.

Ling Ling cried out and tried to stop him, but the Tiangou bit her hem and pulled her back.

"Heavenly Dao above!" Ling Ming's voice was exceptionally clear amidst the thunder, "I, in the name of the Clan Chief of the Feather Clan, swear—I am willing to enter the Karmic Obstruction with my broken body and endure all manner of tribulations. The sins accumulated by the Feather Clan over the years shall be borne by me alone!"

In an instant, the thunderclouds of the Nine Heavens rolled, and the black mist of Karmic Obstruction surged like a tide.

Ling Ming did not dodge, allowing the black mist to wrap around him layer by layer.

Every wisp of black Qi that entwined him brought heart-wrenching pain; it was the resentment of countless souls who had died at the hands of the Feather Clan.

"Old Ancestor!" Ling Ling's face was covered in tears as she tried to rush forward.

The Tiangou firmly blocked her path, its eyes flashing with a strange light.

Within the mass of black Qi, Ling Ming's figure gradually blurred, but his voice remained firm: "Remember... do not forget the... pride of the Feather Clan..."

The voice stopped abruptly.

The storm of Karmic Obstruction suddenly contracted, shrank, and was then sealed within the Thunder Pool.

Hurricane Canyon returned to silence.

A Thunder Pearl slowly fell and was caught in the Tiangou's mouth. It turned to look at Ling Ling, its eyes filled with a bit of comfort.

Ling Ling tremblingly took the Thunder Pearl, feeling the powerful thunder dao rhyme within it.

She finally understood her Old Ancestor's final choice—to use himself as a vessel to Seal all the sins of the Feather Clan.

The firebird took flight, letting out a loud phoenix cry, guiding everyone toward the Immortal Volcano.

"Let's go." She wiped away her tears and said to the clansmen behind her, "To the Immortal Volcano. We must not squander the chance of survival that Old Ancestor traded his life for."

The Tiangou also returned to its combat form, its massive body clearing the way for everyone.