Shifting Tides

Inside the cave of Hidden Mist Mountain.

As the Toad Demon spoke, wisps of invisible black energy emerged from the Grand Void, slowly filling the entire cave.

"We are born lowly."

"Not only are we treated like roadside animals and bullied at will by the Witch Clan, but even those of us who consider ourselves our own kind, how could the high and mighty Demon Clan of the Thirty-three Heavens ever respect us?"

"They all look down on us, but we have to prove ourselves!"

"Brothers, as long as we're willing to risk everything, let's join forces, raze the Witch Tribe, seize their accumulated cultivation resources, and devour them."

"Even the lowest-ranking Demon Clan can improve their cultivation aptitude by relying on the profound mysteries contained within the bloodline of Pangu."

"With the qualifications and the resources for cultivation, the world we see will never be the same again."

"At that time, the Great Dao of Heavenly Immortal will be within reach."

"The Immortal Golden Immortal is no longer a flower in a mirror or the moon's reflection in water."

"That's immortality."

"Truly, it will live as long as heaven and earth, and shine as brightly as the sun and moon."

"Even in the Thirty-three Heavens, he would be a Demon General who commands the demon tribe."

"If placed in the lower realm, it would be enough to establish a mountain kingdom and gather a powerful force."

The Toad Demon's voice was extremely seductive.

"Anyway, we've already eaten the hearts and livers of the Witch Clan, there's no turning back."

Why not just go all the way down this path?

"Let's go all the way and pull off a big heist!"

After saying that, he clapped his hands lightly.

Then a group of toad demons filed out, each carrying a tray in their hands.

The trays were laden with steaming hot hearts and lungs, or bloody livers, a dazzling array that overwhelmed the eye.

The moment these blood-soaked creatures appeared, a stench of blood filled the air.

But amidst the stench of blood was an indescribable aroma that tantalized the taste buds.

The group of toad demons already had sore cheeks and were drooling.

But they knew that the blood offerings on the tray were not something they could covet. Even if they were itching to get them, they only dared to lower their heads and respectfully call out:

"Please, gentlemen, have your meal!"

Glug~

The demon in the arena swallowed hard.

It smells amazing, fucking amazing!

Using this to test demons—which demon could withstand such a test?

Seeing their hesitant expressions, the Toad Demon chuckled, walked straight up, grabbed a still-beating, steaming heart, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Instantly, a surge of blood energy coursed through the demon's body, transforming into billowing smoke.

"Brothers, what are you still hesitating for?"

"The blood of this Witch Clan's son can prolong life!"

This statement was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

An old demon nearing the end of his lifespan, his eyes gleaming with a ghostly light, his withered fingers, stained with blood and grime, touched the flesh and blood on the tray, and spoke in a hoarse voice:

"Old toad?"

"You're not lying to this old man, are you?"

The toad demon himself carried a tray to the old demon and said with a smile:

"The blood of this Witch Clan contains abundant vital energy."

"Old brother, you are old and frail, your body is decaying, and your lifespan is almost exhausted."

"If one can replenish blood with blood, it will surely generate vital energy, nourish the primordial spirit, and perfect the three flowers of essence, energy, and spirit."

"At that time, not only will it extend one's lifespan, but it won't be impossible for one to even achieve the cultivation of Heavenly Immortal."

The old demon, nearing the end of his lifespan, could not resist the temptation. His claw-like hand reached out involuntarily, grabbed the blood food on the tray, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Wait for the blood food to enter your mouth.

Feel the changes within your body.

The old demon's lips twitched, a mixture of joy and sorrow in them, and a sudden flash of madness crossed his eyes.

He lunged at the bloody food beside him, grabbed the heart, liver, spleen, and lungs, and stuffed them into his mouth.

Obviously...

The blood food of the Witch Clan can indeed prolong life, improve physical constitution, and enhance qi and blood.

This discovery was like pouring a bowl of cold water into a pot of hot oil; the scene instantly erupted in excitement.

Don't try to take it from me.

"This blood of my heart is Laozi."

"Big Bull, you bastard, aren't you bull demons supposed to be vegetarians?"

"It smells so good!"

"Demons die and birds fly to the sky, those who don't live ten thousand years. Who cares, I'm going to eat my fill today."

The demons inside the cave had bloodshot eyes and pounced on the pile of bloody food, devouring it frantically.

Even the toad demon who organized the banquet was caught up in the atmosphere and went berserk, joining in the feast.

An invisible black aura lingered in the Grand Void, and negative emotions such as arrogance, jealousy, rage, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust intertwined in the primordial Primordial Spirit Consciousness Sea in the cave.

'Why does the Witch Clan occupy such a vast territory and monopolize all cultivation resources?'

'Why are the Demon Clan of the Thirty-three Heavens born superior to all demons, while we are like stray dogs on the roadside, struggling to survive with unimaginable difficulty?'

'Damn it, they all deserve to die.'

'Kill! Kill! Kill!'

'If we kill and eat all the Witch Clan, we too can become demons above demons.'

'...'

Stimulated by the dark energy, a series of dark thoughts emerged in the minds of the demons: pride in the great achievements of the Demon Clan, fear of the Witch Clan, and dread of death. Ultimately, these thoughts transformed into a pursuit of power and a desire for higher status.

This then transforms into an insatiable appetite.

All reason seemed to be stripped away at this moment, leaving only the purest madness.

Blood and flesh flew everywhere, and the grating sound of chewing echoed through the cave.

The group of old demons were covered in bloodstains, and their white teeth were covered with bloody bits of flesh.

Before long, they had consumed all the blood food in the cave.

That's it?

"Damn it, how could it be gone?!"

"I want more, I want to eat more!"

"Almost there, I can feel it, I'm only one step away from the Heavenly Immortal realm."

"Witch meat, I want witch meat!"

Anxious and dissatisfied shouts echoed in the eerie air.

The toad demon's eyes turned red; he had lost his mind.

His eyes gazed wistfully out of the cave.

"No more than ten thousand miles from here, there is a Witch Tribe called the Poison Tribe."

"This tribe has several hundred shamans."

"Even the most powerful cultivators are only equivalent to Heavenly Immortals."

"With our strength, we are capable of slaughtering this tribe and turning them into resources for our cultivation."

"The flesh and blood of hundreds of witches..."

"Who knows, it might even help us create two Heavenly Immortals!"

"And as our strength increases, this area of hundreds of thousands of miles will become our hunting ground."

"Wait until the mountains and rivers are stained with blood."

"Soaring into the heavens and attaining immortality Golden Immortal isn't entirely just a dream."

As soon as he finished speaking, the group of old demons burst into laughter, their tone filled with chilling killing intent and greed, showing no respect or fear for the Witch Clan whatsoever.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

"Food, it's all food."

"Hahaha, I, too, will attain the Heavenly Immortal Fruit!"

Dark, gloomy clouds pressed down on the sky, and a chilling, Demonic Mist swept across all directions.

The group of old demons flew towards the nearest Witch Tribe.

It was menacing, carrying an overwhelming aura of killing intent.

They had just flown over the Witch Tribe.

They were then surrounded by a group of powerful and vigorous Witch Clan dressed in animal skins.

The group of the Witch Clan stood together, their blood energy surging and boiling like a great river. Streams of blood energy converged in the Grand Void, forming a phantom furnace of blood energy.

Thick plumes of smoke rose from the furnace, forming a majestic, leaping dragon and tiger motif.

"Bold."

"You lowly Demon Clan dare to trespass into my Witch Tribe!"

"He deserves to die!"

The leader of the Witch Tribe looked at the group of the Demon Clan in front of him, his eyes flashing with ferocity.

He had long been disgusted by the fact that this group of the Demon Clan occupied Hidden Mist Mountain.

If it weren't for an imperial edict from a higher authority forbidding the Witch and Demon Clans from starting a conflict, he would have long ago led his people to slaughter all the Demon Clan surrounding Hidden Mist Mountain.

Resources are limited in the Primordial World.

Their poisonous tribe wanted to grow stronger and develop, and the men in the tribe wanted to obtain more hunting grounds and blood food, so they could only keep expanding the tribe's territory and land.

'If all the Demon Caves within a radius of ten thousand miles of Hidden Mist Mountain were occupied by our tribe.'

'Enough to support the newborn offspring of the tribe through their baptism.'

'Although these old demons are depleted of vital energy and have lowly bloodlines.'

'But his cultivation level is not bad either.'

'Enough for the cubs to bathe in blood.'

The chief of the Witch Tribe pondered to himself, then raised his spear and charged towards the toad demon and his men.

"Kill!"

Rumble!

In just a moment.

The dark green Yao Qi collided violently with the crimson torrent.

The invisible stench of blood stirred up bursts of inspiration.

In the Grand Void, barefoot and dressed in black, standing on a lotus platform Kinnara calmly watched the battle below the mountain, his prayer beads turning in his hand.

"Good! Good!"

"The minds of sentient beings are complex and chaotic, with greed, anger, and ignorance running rampant."

"This is karmic retribution."

"The Demon Clan is cunning and treacherous, yet they are perfectly suited to be the instigators of this calamity."

He descended the mountain following the orders of the Daoist Zhunti.

Kinnara orchestrated a series of grand dramas, inciting the liches to fight each other.

He plunged into the Mount Sumeru.

However, his predecessor was a Devil Dao patriarch who had attained the Dao Fruit in the Western Demonic Cult.

They possess their own methods and supernatural abilities.

'I just didn't expect this trip to be so easy.'

'It seems that Daoist Zhunti said was correct.'

'This Ancestral Court of Mystic Gate sect has already concealed the secrets of Heavenly Secrets and cause and effect, which makes it convenient for us to act.'

He gazed at the endless battle between the Witch Clan and Demon Clan below, and chuckled coldly, secretly pondering:

What is the Tao? What is the Demon?

'The methods and ruthlessness employed by this Xuanmen sect are no less than those of the Western Demonic Cult.'

It's just a matter of the victor taking all.

Winning is the right path, losing is being rejected by heaven and earth.

Thinking about this, Kinnara felt deeply bored.

He glanced indifferently down below, and a streak of black light hurtled toward the leader of the Witch Clan at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

The giant of the Witch Clan, who was originally full of energy and whose Dharma form resembled Primordial Divine Mountain, suddenly became dazed under the illumination of this black divine light.

The battle, which had initially been a case of witches triumphing over demons, was instantly reversed.

"A batch of demons that we finally managed to cultivate."

"We can't let you ruin it like this."

Having said that, Kinnara shook his head slightly.

His figure slowly disappeared into the Grand Void.

Today, this practice is commonplace across the Primordial Great Land.

He has already lit a spark; now he just needs to wait for it to ignite a prairie fire.

'I am no longer of any use here.'

'Let us return to Mount Sumeru and present the Imperial Decree to the two Venerable Ones.'

On this Primordial Great Land, amidst turbulent undercurrents and endless schemes and intrigues,

Jiuhua Realm.

Qingyu River.

Inside the underwater palace.

Zhao Wushang slowly opened his eyes.

A powerful aura rose from his body, and the surging energy transformed into towering blue waves that shot straight up to the heavens.

Then it exploded with a roar, scattering into streams of sweet rain that nourished the banks of the Qingyu River.

Countless Aquatic Race and people who worshipped the God of Qingyu River knelt down and recited the sacred proclamation.

"In just ten years, he achieved the third rank of the Divine Path."

"The speed of cultivation in this path is truly terrifying!"

Zhao Wushang toyed with the Water Spirit Pearl in his hand, his eyes filled with a deep, mysterious light.

"However, after this, the speed of cultivation cannot be this fast."

"The legacy of the Nine Mighty River Dragon Lord, this second-rank deity, is enough for me to annex Cloud Lake, White Water, and Black River, occupy two-thirds of the Nine Mighty River, and push the Azure Jade River's rank to the position of a third-rank deity in one fell swoop—that would be my limit."

"If things go any further, even the Dao Lords of the various Dao realms might lower their gaze."

Over these ten years...

After Zhao Wushang forged a karmic bond with Wu Zhao, a woman destined for the phoenix, through various schemes, he temporarily set aside the matter of vying for the dragon.

Through Heavenly Secrets, he intercepted the opportunity of a dragon seed, occupied the ruins of the Nine-Legged River Dragon God, and inherited its fortune.

Only then did he advance triumphantly over the course of ten years, progressing from a mere fifth-rank divine cultivator to attaining the third rank of the divine path.

"A third-grade Divine Path cultivator is sufficient."

The third rank of cultivation in the Divine Path is equivalent to the Immortal Golden Immortal Fruit in the Immortal Path, and is the position of the elder or True Lord who holds the reins in each sect.

If placed within Buddhism or Daoism, one could attain the status of an Arhat.

With all the Dao Lords now living in seclusion beyond the universe, unable to interfere with the mysteries and creations within, thus affecting the struggle for the dragon, even a Divine Lord of the third rank is enough to attract the attention of some beings.

The Great Yu Dynasty.

Jiangbei Road.

Jiujiang Prefecture.

This prefecture is the capital of Jiangbei Circuit, a place rich in natural resources and abundant in wealthy and powerful people.

The immortal aura that suddenly rose from the Qingyu River startled many highly skilled cultivators who were practicing in this area.

Inside the Jiujiang Academy, an elderly man in a tall hat and wide belt had eyes that shone like lightning beneath a cliff. He held a book in his hands, and his righteous spirit seemed to gather like a long river.

"This deity's cultivation speed is truly terrifying and awe-inspiring."

"If I remember correctly, it seems that it took him only about eight years to advance to the fourth-rank godhood."

"Now that we have attained the immortal state, we are truly among our own!"

After saying this, the old man shook his head:

"Unfortunately, it is said that he had quite a connection with Lady Wu Zhao, the wife of the Marquis of Jiujiang."

"So... they are not of my kind."

Inside the Vajra Temple, a handsome monk with red lips and white teeth, dressed in a kasaya, sat upright on a lotus platform. He glanced indifferently at the Jade Belt River and smiled slightly:

"Good!"

"Good!"

"Jiangbei has gained another comrade-in-arms!"

Inside the City God Temple, incense burned brightly. A majestic statue opened its divine eyes, and amidst the swirling incense smoke, it spoke softly, its tone containing both sighs and joy:

"Good! Good! Good!"

"Brother Zhao is exceptionally talented."

"In this land north of the Yangtze River, my path has gained another pillar of white jade reaching to the sky, a golden beam spanning the sea!"

"This is truly gratifying and cause for celebration."

After saying this, the City God of Jiangbei ordered his civil and military judges to take generous gifts to Qingyujiang to offer their congratulations.