"Your Majesty, why have so many Dao Lords in the Primordial Great Land established Divine Demon Imperial Dynasties?"
"Naturally, for the destiny of heaven and earth."
Upon hearing Elder God Cangmu's question, the Tianshui Emperor immediately gave his answer.
During the Archaic Era, the Heavenly Emperor, Earth Emperor, and Human Emperor established the Primordial Heavenly Court and ruled over the three origins of the Primordial Great Land.
They sought to use the destiny of all heavens as fuel and the Dao bodies of Turbid Fiend Divine Demons as their foundation, reversing themselves into Pangu Dharma Images to attain the Dao of Hunyuan.
Though they had ultimately failed.
That did not prevent the surviving branches of the Primordial Divine Race from following the example of the Three Sovereigns and gathering destiny for cultivation.
After the Primordial Heavenly Court collapsed, the divine race split apart.
Dao Lords of all heavens entered the fray one after another, establishing Divine Demon Imperial Dynasties and gathering the destiny of heaven and earth.
Some Dao Lords even harbored lofty ambitions, wishing to elevate their Imperial Dynasties into Divine Courts and emulate the Three Sovereigns.
"Yes, we established Divine Demon Imperial Dynasties for the destiny of heaven and earth."
"Then naturally, other factions will seek to contend with us."
"After all, the destiny of the Primordial Great Land is limited."
"The more we claim, the less others receive."
Elder God Cangmu said gravely:
"Those two Dao Lords of Phoenix Perch Mountain concealed themselves within the Zhou Tian Universe during the Archaic Era."
"Now that the Dragon-Han Crimson Bright Tribulation has passed and the Four Seas and Eight Wastelands are at peace."
"Beings like them naturally cannot bear to remain idle."
He addressed the Dao Lord Tianshui and the gathered Divine Demon Cultivators:
"The conflict between our Tianshui Imperial Dynasty and the Phoenix Perch Mountain lineage, as well as our conflict with the Myriad Races Alliance that suddenly emerged, did not begin only recently."
"They have clearly set their sights on our Tianshui Imperial Dynasty as a juicy prize. More precisely, they have set their sights on the destiny of our Tianshui Imperial Dynasty."
"Your Majesty said earlier that while wandering the heavens and earth, you had a sudden intuition. That was likely the reason."
This deity who had survived since the Archaic Era had lived through the ages of the Heavenly Emperor, Earth Emperor, and Human Emperor. What grand scenes had he not witnessed? In almost an instant, he sorted through the chain of cause and effect.
The conflict pointed directly at the Phoenix Perch Mountain lineage and the Myriad Races Alliance.
The moment Elder God Cangmu finished speaking, the Divine Demon Cultivators present stirred.
The origins of the two Dao Lords of Phoenix Perch Mountain were no secret.
After dealing with that lineage for so many years, these Divine Demon Cultivators all knew the situation well.
Though those two were Innate Dao Lords who had risen only after the Archaic Era, at the beginning of the New Era.
The depth of their Dao Cultivation and the breadth of their divine abilities were acknowledged throughout the Zhou Tian Universe.
Especially since Ancestor Hongjun of Jade Capital Mountain had preached the Dao in the Purple Cloud Palace and bestowed a strand of Primordial Violet Qi upon Empress Nuwa.
She had once been considered one of the seven great powers most likely to attain the Dao and become a Saint.
A being of such stature was not someone the declining divine race wished to provoke.
The Tianshui Emperor looked upon the scene before him, his gaze profound.
"I understand all your concerns."
"But cultivating the Dao is like rowing against the current. If one does not advance, one falls behind."
"Our Tianshui lineage occupies the destiny of an entire dynasty, sustaining the cultivation of countless Divine Demons."
"Who would not covet such destiny?"
He looked toward the Grand Unity Great Sages and half-step Dao Lords seated below him.
"The Phoenix Perch Mountain lineage and the Myriad Races Alliance have encroached upon the territory of our Imperial Dynasty."
"They are competing for Postnatal Beings."
"They are digging at the foundation of our Imperial Dynasty."
These mighty deities might stand high above all others and regard Postnatal Beings as ants and expendable materials.
Yet they understood in their hearts that as heaven and earth continued their cycle, Innate Spiritual Energy would gradually be exhausted.
In the end, this world would belong to Postnatal Beings.
The path of an Imperial Dynasty lay in gathering the masses.
If Phoenix Perch Mountain and the Myriad Races Alliance drew away every Postnatal Being within the dynasty, would that not mean they were tearing out the roots of the Tianshui Imperial Dynasty?
The Tianshui Emperor's gaze shone like the morning light of a great sun. With a light flick of the Dharma sword before his knees, streams of sword qi crisscrossed the air as though they would reopen the vast cosmos.
His voice rang out sonorously and powerfully, carrying endless killing intent.
"This is the enmity of those who block our path."
"A hatred that will not end until one side dies."
"Have you, my ministers, enjoyed peace for too long and lost the heart to press forward with courage?"
A Divine General clad in armor stepped forth. A faint bloody baleful aura rose from his battle armor and shot into the heavens.
"We sleep with our weapons at hand and drill our Dao soldiers every day. We do not dare slacken for even a moment."
The Emperor nodded and swept his gaze around them.
"Have the old tales of the Archaic Era frightened you out of your wits, leaving you with no heart to seek and pursue the Dao?"
An old minister wearing the crown and robes of the Earth Emperor's era held a jade tablet, his eyes weathered by time.
"The Great Dao is arduous. On the path of seeking it, I would not regret dying nine times."
The Tianshui Emperor slowly rose to his feet, his Tianshui Dharma sword pointing directly at the vault of heaven.
"Do you still have the will to restore the lineage of our divine race and recreate the splendor of the Primordial Divine Court?"
The Primordial Divine Court...
All the Divine Demon Cultivators present surged to their feet, their crowns and robes varied.
There were old ministers from the era of the Archaic Heavenly Emperor, surviving descendants from the Earth Emperor's palace, and elders who had remained from the final days of the Divine Court.
Yet at this moment, confusion no longer remained in their eyes, nor did their former weariness. Their sharp spirit soared into the nine heavens.
"We are willing to raise our three-foot Dharma swords, charge straight into the nine heavens, and never regret even nine deaths."
"Never regret even nine deaths!"
Rumble!
As the voices of the Divine Demon Cultivators fell.
The Auspicious Dragon of Destiny of the Tianshui Imperial Dynasty suddenly released a resounding cry.
A current of Primordial Divine Race destiny hidden within heaven and earth crashed down into the Tianshui Imperial Dynasty.
A Dao Fruit guarded by nine hundred and ninety-nine Auspicious Dragons of Destiny received the infusion of destiny.
A lotus of the Great Dao slowly blossomed.
This was the manifestation of the divine race's destiny.
And at the instant the lotus of the Great Dao manifested.
The auras of the Divine Demon Cultivators present all surged dramatically.
Two half-step Dao Lords even faintly felt the impulse to draw upon their Dao Fruits and take a single step into the realm of Innate Dao Lords.
This was the power of destiny.
When fortune arrives, heaven and earth lend their strength; when fortune departs, even heroes lose their freedom.
The Tianshui Emperor looked at the delighted gods and sighed inwardly.
"The elders of the Three Sovereigns Palace wish to transform heaven and earth into the Five Directions Vault of Heaven."
"They intend to turn our five Divine Demon Imperial Dynasties of the five directions into five Divine Courts."
"Thus reclaiming authority over the Heavenly Realm and restoring the glory of the divine race."
Yet the Tianshui Emperor felt a faint unease in his heart.
This era was no longer the Archaic Era.
Though Dao Ancestor Hongjun had merged with the Heavenly Dao and secluded himself in the Outer Heavens, emerging only during great tribulations and no longer involving himself in the affairs of the Primordial Great Land.
The many Innate Divine Beings born in the New Era were not easy to deal with.
Would they truly be willing to let the Primordial Gods reclaim authority over heaven and earth?
Suppressing the unease in his heart, the Tianshui Emperor knew that he no longer had a choice.
Neither did the five Divine Demon Imperial Dynasties of the five directions.
When the Primordial Divine Court collapsed, the surviving branches of the Three Sovereigns established the Three Sovereigns Palace as the orthodox lineage of the Primordial Divine Race.
The five Divine Demon Imperial Dynasties of Tianshui, Jinhuang, Qingmu, Blazing Sun, and Thick Earth had likewise been established with the support of the Three Sovereigns Palace at that time.
The Three Sovereigns Palace had laid plans for who knew how many cosmic cycles and invested immense resources into forging the Five Directions Vault of Heaven plan. How could it tolerate their opposition?
The Tianshui Emperor addressed the gods beneath his command.
"With the destiny of our Imperial Dynasty greatly increased this time, you must seize the time to cultivate and strive for breakthroughs."
"Once the war troops have finished recuperating, it will be time for us to wage all-out war against the Phoenix Perch Mountain lineage."
The Divine Demon Cultivators responded in unison.
"We shall obey the Emperor's command."
The Tianshui Emperor rested a hand on his Dharma sword, torrents of rivers flowing within his eyes.
"I hope everything goes smoothly."
"Our Primordial Divine Race can no longer withstand another failure."