The End of the Three Tribes

The sky was as red as blood, and the earth wept tears.

At the foot of Buzhou Mountain, the land that was once the most prosperous and sacred in the Primordial World had now become a hellish purgatory. On the scorched black earth, mountains of corpses lay piled high—dragon scales mingled with phoenix feathers, broken Kirin horns and shattered armor covering every inch of the ground. Thick, foul-smelling blood plasma gathered into streams, then into lakes, dyeing the once-brown soil a shocking dark red. The air was thick with an unbearable stench of blood and fiendish energy, so dense it condensed into a visible pale red mist; breathing it in stirred violence and desire within the heart.

The remnants of the three clans had long since been driven mad by bloodlust—or rather, whatever shred of reason they had left had been completely devoured by the pervasive Tribulation Fiend Qi. Fighting was no longer for victory or survival; it had become an instinct, a reckless, all-consuming madness to destroy the enemy at any cost!

A green dragon, its body severed in half, roared as it detonated its inner core. A blinding green light mixed with destructive energy engulfed several fire phoenixes and earth Kirins nearby, annihilating them all together.

A colorful phoenix with a torn wing let out one last mournful cry, its body igniting with unstable Nirvana Fire. Like a meteor, it crashed into the Kirin ranks, exploding in a blaze that incinerated everything.

A blind, horn-broken Ink Qilin, ignoring the dragon spears and phoenix feathers embedded in its body, charged madly toward the Dragon Clan's position. Just as it neared the core, it self-detonated its Qilin Pearl, and the violent earth-element primal power turned that entire area to dust.

Self-detonation! Self-detonation! Still self-detonation!

Scenes of ultimate tragedy played out across every corner of the battlefield. Life had become utterly cheap; its only value seemed to be taking as many enemies as possible before its end. The chain of hatred was unbreakable—only total annihilation could bring a moment of peace.

As the earth-shaking cries of battle, explosions, and wails gradually faded, and the figures still standing on the battlefield grew few, the supreme combatants of the three clans were finally reduced to the three emperors who once ruled the Primordial World with disdain.

Ancestral Dragon's ten-thousand-zhang dragon body was broken into several pieces, held together only by a wisp of undying imperial Dragon Qi. Golden dragon blood, like a bursting river, gushed from countless wounds deep enough to show bone, splattering across the void in a tragic rain of blood. One of his horns, symbol of supreme authority, was snapped off. On his majestic dragon head, scales were shattered; one dragon eye was dim and lifeless, the other bloodshot and filled with a near-numb madness.

Primordial Phoenix's once-dazzling feathers, which could outshine the sun and moon, were now scorched and broken like silk burned by fire. Her lifebound True Undying Fire had dwindled to a few faint sparks flickering around her, as if about to go out completely. Her beautiful neck hung limply, and from the edge of her phoenix beak dripped blood that could melt metal and forge iron. Each breath carried the sound of shattered organs.

Beginning Qilin, the most auspicious and benevolent being, had his armor—symbol of the earth's blessing—completely shattered. The colorful auspicious clouds that once surrounded him had turned into a dead, gray-black cloud of karmic evil. He lay prostrate on the broken earth, his holy body stained dark red by the blood of his kin and the filth of his enemies. Every time he struggled to rise, the light around him flickered violently—a sign that his origin was rapidly collapsing.

Just as these three broken figures faced each other, preparing for a final, inevitably mutual-annihilation strike—

"Boom!!!"

A thunderous roar, surpassing all sounds in the world, exploded from the nine heavens!

The World-Destroying Thunder Tribulation had finally descended!

Black tribulation clouds, like solid blocks of ink, covered billions of miles of sky. From the center of those clouds, the first bolt of lightning struck! It was purple-black, not only devastating in power but also imbued with the absolute will of "ending," "returning to nothing," and "erasure."

This purple-black lightning did not strike directly at the three emperors. Instead, like a whip of heavenly punishment, it lashed fiercely at the areas where the remnants of the three clans were most densely gathered!

No explosion. No flames.

Where the lightning passed, space silently annihilated like fragile glass. Dragons, phoenixes, and Kirins—regardless of cultivation level or injury—disintegrated upon contact with the purple-black electric light. Their bodies collapsed, their Primordial Spirits dissolved, and every trace of their existence was erased from the Primordial World! Not even a speck of dust or a wisp of remnant soul remained!

Then came the second, third... more World-Destroying Divine Thunders poured down like a storm, mercilessly cleansing the land soaked in sin and fiendish energy. Every flash of lightning meant another area of the three clans' remnants was completely "cleared."

Ancestral Dragon, Primordial Phoenix, and Beginning Qilin, relying on their extraordinary strength—surpassing ordinary quasi-sages—and their imperial luck, barely held on against the aftermath of the thunder tribulation. Some used their broken dragon bodies to endure, others built barriers with faint true fire, or gathered the power of the earth to form shields. But the power of the World-Destroying Divine Thunder was too terrifying. Each flash of lightning caused their already crumbling origins to violently shake, worsening their injuries. The shadow of death had never loomed so clearly over their hearts.

Yet it was this threat of ultimate destruction, along with the horrific sight of their clans being mercilessly erased by the Heavenly Dao, that—like the coldest current—shattered the barriers of madness clouding their minds!

Agony! Not just physical, but the deepest pain in their souls!

In Ancestral Dragon's bloodshot dragon eyes, the madness receded like a tide, replaced by boundless pain and regret. He looked down at the Four Seas Water (stirred up by the great battle), which had drowned countless beings, at the mountains of corpses of his kin and enemies, at the few surviving young dragons trembling under the thunder tribulation... An unprecedented sense of guilt, like a venomous snake, gnawed at his heart.

Blood tears fell from Primordial Phoenix's eyes. She recalled the arrogance of the Phoenix Clan's true fire burning the eight wastelands, the countless beings wailing in the flames, and the reluctant, sorrowful gaze of Beginning Phoenix before her eternal sleep... So this was what the glory of a hegemon was built upon—such profound sin.

Beginning Qilin let out a low, mournful whimper. He felt the painful groans of the earth beneath his feet—the consequence of the Kirin Clan trampling mountains and rivers, tearing apart Earth Veins. Auspicious? Had they ever brought true peace? Only endless slaughter and destruction.

The three emperors looked at each other from afar, seeing the same emotions in each other's eyes—endless regret, acceptance of their own fate, and a final glimmer of hope for their clans' slim future.

They could fight no longer.

For the sake of the Primordial World, and for the possible remnants of their bloodlines.

Ancestral Dragon moved first. With his last strength, he raised his scarred, massive head toward the thunderous sky. His voice was no longer majestic but hoarse, mixed with blood, like an oath branded into the Heavenly and Earth Laws:

"Heavenly Dao above! I am Ancestral Dragon of the Dragon Clan! Today, I am entangled in karma, truly my own fault! I seek not to survive; I only wish to use my broken body and my dragon soul to eternally seal the Sea Eye of the Four Seas, to regulate the water veins of the Primordial World, and atone for my clan's sin of overturning the Four Seas and flooding the land! I beg the Heavenly Dao to grant my clan a thread of life. The Dragon Clan is willing to forever move clouds and spread rain for the Primordial World, to repay this karmic debt!"

With these words, his massive, broken dragon body suddenly ignited with golden dragon flames! This was not the flame of battle, but the fire of sacrifice! The dragon flames, carrying his remaining blood essence, dragon soul, and imperial origin, transformed into a golden shackle spanning heaven and earth, radiating endless sealing power. With a tragic resolve, it charged toward the deep, restless Sea Eye of the Four Seas! He would use himself to forever lock the violent water-element power that the Dragon Clan had unleashed!

Then, Primordial Phoenix let out her final cry. The sound was beautiful and resolute, like weeping blood:

"Heavenly Dao bears witness! I am Primordial Phoenix of the Phoenix Clan! My clan's sins are heavy; we burned the eight wastelands, causing countless beings to suffer. Today, I am willing to atone with my body! I am willing to scatter my soul and throw myself into the South Bright Undying Volcano, using my body to eternally suppress the earth fire, preventing the Earth Veins from erupting and harming the living! I only beg the Heavenly Dao to show mercy, to allow the Phoenix Clan's bloodline not to be severed. I am willing to forever guard the volcano, to atone for this sin!"

She cast one last, lingering glance at this world, lowered her noble head, and ignited with Nirvana Fire. This flame, carrying the meaning of eternal stillness and suppression, wrapped around her broken phoenix body, turning into a brilliant and tragic streak of light. Like a falling star, it plunged into the depths of the eternal, restless South Bright Undying Volcano!

Finally, Beginning Qilin let out a heavy sigh, like the earth's lament:

"Heavenly Dao, hear me! I am Beginning Qilin of the Kirin Clan! My clan trampled the mountains and rivers of the Primordial World, our sins are heavy, and we have no face to stand between heaven and earth. I am willing to transform into an auspicious sign, to scatter my Dao across the Primordial World, using my broken body to nourish all things, repair the Earth Veins, and atone for our sins! I pray to the Heavenly Dao to pardon my clan. From now on, the Kirin Clan will be an omen of good fortune. Only where there is true virtue will a Kirin appear. We will never again involve ourselves in conflict!"

His body began to dissolve from the tips of his limbs, transforming into countless golden light rains filled with life, peace, and blessings. Like the gentlest sweet dew, they fell upon the devastated, shattered Primordial Earth below. Where the light rain touched, the great chasms torn open began to slowly heal. On the scorched black earth, tender green sprouts stubbornly emerged. The broken mountains seemed to ease their pain. With his most fundamental power, he gave back to the world his clan had so deeply harmed.

The three emperors, in three different ways, uttered the final vows of their lives. These vows, carrying their endless regret, their last love, and their hope for their clans' survival, merged tragically and devoutly into the Heavenly Dao Laws.

In an instant, the rolling World-Destroying Thunder Tribulation in the nine heavens gradually quieted, its rumbling fading until it finally stopped and dispersed. In its place came deep, distant Dao sounds, as if heaven and earth were sighing at the emperors' fall. Endless bloody rain fell upon the Primordial World—the tears of the Heavenly Dao's compassion, and the beginning of washing away sin.

The Tribulation Fiend Qi that filled the world began to slowly recede. The terrifying karmic shackles that had nearly wiped out the three clans, though not completely gone, were no longer an immediate death sentence. They transformed into eternal bonds and curses, branded deep in the blood of every surviving member of the three clans:

The Dragon Clan, bound by Ancestral Dragon's oath, would forever guard the Sea Eye of the Four Seas, bearing the duty of moving clouds and spreading rain. Yet they were also trapped in the Four Seas, unable to leave the waters.

The Phoenix Clan, bound by Primordial Phoenix's wish, would forever guard the South Bright Undying Volcano, bearing the duty of calming the earth fire. Yet they were also trapped in the volcano, unable to gain freedom.

The Kirin Clan, bound by Beginning Qilin's prayer, would become an omen of good fortune. They would only appear where virtue was deep and luck abundant. They would never again contend for dominance in the Primordial World, hiding from the world.

The Dragon-Phoenix Calamity—this world-shaking karmic tribulation that swept across the Primordial World, buried countless beings, and forever changed its landscape—finally ended with the tragic curtain call of the three emperors, drawing a bloody period.