"I wish to guard the Four Seas. Is there a problem with that? This is a good thing for the Primordial World's Heavenly Dao, isn't it? Even the Heavenly Dao thinks my Dragon Race can do it, and has bestowed merit upon us."
Ancestral Dragon replied casually.
"Heh. A good thing, you say? Easy for you to say. Once you're guarding the Four Seas, what about us?"
Yuanfeng furrowed her delicate brows.
"What does my guarding the Four Seas have to do with you?"
Ancestral Dragon said.
"Don't think we don't know what you're planning. You're pretending to guard the Four Seas, waiting until my Phoenix Race and the Qilin Race fight each other to exhaustion. Then your Dragon Race can sit back and reap the benefits."
Yuanfeng continued:
"The Three Races have formed a three-way balance. Your Dragon Race thinks it can withdraw unscathed? That's far too naive!"
"Exactly. Today, your Dragon Race must give us an explanation!"
First Qilin said:
"If your Dragon Race swears to withdraw from the struggle for supremacy in the Primordial World from this day forward, Yuanfeng and I will immediately lead our people away. But if your Dragon Race wants to play dirty and wait until our two races have fought each other to exhaustion before coming out to pick up the spoils, heh, you won't get off that easily. Since the armies of our two races have already reached the East Sea border, let's settle this here!"
"Gasp!"
Ancestral Dragon couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath.
This wasn't at all like the scene he'd imagined.
"Fellow Daoists, I'm afraid you've misunderstood me. My Dragon Race has no intention of competing with you!"
He continued:
"If the two of you don't believe me, I can swear that from now on, I won't compete with the Phoenix Race or the Qilin Race. How about it?"
At that, Yuanfeng and First Qilin's expressions changed drastically.
"Is what Fellow Daoist Ancestral Dragon says true?"
"Can your words be trusted?"
"Indeed. I can swear right now to prove my innocence!"
Ancestral Dragon nodded, then immediately swore an oath to the Heavenly Dao:
"Heavenly Dao above, I, Ancestral Dragon, swear that from this day forward, the Dragon Race will never compete with the Phoenix Race or the Qilin Race, unless either race attacks my Dragon Race first. If my Dragon Race initiates an attack against either race, may my Dragon Race be wiped out!"
"...Since Fellow Daoist Ancestral Dragon has made such a solemn oath, my Phoenix Race will withdraw!"
Yuanfeng said.
"My Qilin Race will withdraw as well."
First Qilin said.
In the past, the Phoenix Race and the Qilin Race had been able to stand against the Dragon Race because the Dragon Race was overwhelmingly powerful on its own. The two races had no choice but to join forces, ensuring that neither side gained an absolute advantage.
But now—
The Dragon Race had chosen to stop competing with the other two races. If either of them provoked the Dragon Race, it would have to face an attack from both the Dragon Race and the other race.
So they had no choice but to withdraw.
Although their armies pulled back, they were still deeply displeased. The Dragon Race had actually played them like this.
The Dragon Race could withdraw from the struggle among the Three Races, but what about the Phoenix Race and the Qilin Race?
The Dragon Race had held an absolute advantage, so the two races had needed to resist it together. But the Phoenix Race and the Qilin Race were evenly matched.
Now that the Dragon Race had withdrawn from the conflict, they could only remain on guard against each other.
But they couldn't withdraw from the struggle the way the Dragon Race had.
After all, if either of them withdrew, it would be tantamount to handing the position of hegemon of the Primordial World to the other.
Who would do such a thing?
Since neither could do something so foolish, they had no choice but to fight for it.
Both the Phoenix Race and the Qilin Race had great confidence in themselves. Neither wanted to hand the position of hegemon, right before their eyes, to the other.
So a great battle was inevitable.
But would they really win that battle?
Why had the Dragon Race suddenly chosen to withdraw from the conflict among the Three Races? Could it be that the Dragon Race knew something they didn't?
At that very moment, Yuanfeng and First Qilin both thought of the same question.
Why had the once most domineering Dragon Race chosen to withdraw from the struggle for supremacy in the Primordial World?
Suppose the Phoenix Race and the Qilin Race fought until both were destroyed. Then Ancestral Dragon's oath would make sense.
If the Phoenix Race and the Qilin Race fought to the death and both sides were defeated, wouldn't the final result be the disappearance of both races, leaving the Dragon Race as the greatest winner?
They absolutely couldn't let that happen.
They couldn't let the Dragon Race's plan succeed!
From then on, the Phoenix Race and the Qilin Race each returned to their own territories. The leaders of both races restrained their people, forbidding them from clashing with the other race.
Thus, the Three Races of Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin unexpectedly entered a period of peace.
In the past, the Three Races had been so domineering. In their previous lives, they had proclaimed themselves the leaders of the scaled, beast, and bird races. During that time, they had accumulated countless grievances...
Yet at this moment, all those grudges were set aside so easily.
To say they had been set aside wasn't quite right. They had merely been suppressed. When it came to genuine interests, it didn't matter whether one was human, beast, or immortal—even the Great Dao was no different.
What were grudges worth?
The Phoenix Race and the Qilin Race had both guessed what the Dragon Race was planning, and naturally weren't willing to let it become the winner.
And with the Dragon Race protected by its oath, neither race dared provoke it lightly again. Otherwise, disaster would surely follow.
No one could have imagined that the peace among the Three Races would come from the Dragon Race sealing itself off.
Even Ancestral Dragon hadn't expected this. His plan had been for the Dragon Race to seal itself off and leave the stage to the other two races, but the two races had now sealed themselves off as well.
If the Phoenix Race and the Qilin Race didn't fight, what was he supposed to do?
Could this be another scheme by Hongjun? Could it be that he had to use the two races to wear down my Dragon Race?
If that were true, Hongjun was truly terrifying.
At that moment, Hongjun, sitting alone in his Daoist sanctuary on Jade Capital Mountain, watched the situation among the Three Races and couldn't help frowning.
Qiankun Ancestor had left several thousand years earlier, saying he was going to seek his opportunity. But there was an eighty percent chance he'd gone to his death.
The Three Races had actually entered a state of peace. That was truly interesting.
Hongjun decided not to become a Saint just yet. He would wait and see what happened.
Some Honghuang genre novels said that the world of the Primordial World was boundless, but there was no such thing as true infinity.
Hongjun had used eighty percent of the true Chaos to create the Chaos World. The remaining twenty percent formed the barriers of the Great Dao, which protected the world.
Pangu had created the Primordial World from half of the eighty percent of Chaos that had already been formed.
This world had an end.
Even if the gap between a Quasi-Saint and a Saint was infinitely large, the fact that a Quasi-Saint could complete the laws of this world was enough to show that Quasi-Saints already held a very high position in it.
Likewise, Great Luo Golden Immortals below the Quasi-Saint level might be insignificant, or might be like ants in the face of a Quasi-Saint, but...
The capacity of the Primordial World was limited. Even Great Luo Golden Immortals, and immortals below their level, had a limit to how many it could contain.
The Dragon Race, the Phoenix Race, and the Qilin Race—the three innate races—had originally been able to sustain a certain level of losses among their people during wartime...
Before you continue