After extracting the Innate Osmanthus Origin, Queen Mother of the West looked delighted. She sensed it briefly with her primordial spirit and felt it resonating with her Pure Yin Origin, so she happily put it away at once.
After taking the origin, the four returned to the Moon God Palace. As they had agreed, they prepared to begin discussing the Dao.
"Fellow Daoists, my sister and I will begin explaining the Dao."
The four sat facing one another in pairs on Cloud Beds in the palace. When Xi He and Chang Xi stirred the power of Taiyin, their auras instantly joined, as if they were one. A Zhou Tian Taiyin Star Chart slowly appeared before them.
The two Taiyin Goddesses had yet to attain the exalted positions of Heavenly Empresses of the future demon race, so naturally, they cultivated the Dao of Taiyin at its source.
The Dao of Taiyin was a branch of the Great Dao of Yin-Yang. It could also benefit East King Duke and Queen Mother of the West in their own cultivation. That was one reason East King Duke had readily accepted their invitation to discuss the Dao.
Their two auras converged, and a cool, clear Dao Rhyme arose.
As the two Taiyin Goddesses joined forces to explain the Dao, the power of Taiyin flowed everywhere, and points of light gleamed like morning stars throughout the Dao Palace.
A hundred years later, they stopped explaining the Dao.
For East King Duke, at his current level, the explanation of Taiyin could perhaps offer a little confirmation of his own insights, but it could no longer help him much.
Queen Mother of the West, however, had gained quite a lot. Pure Yin and Taiyin complemented each other and helped both sides advance.
Likewise, when it was Queen Mother of the West's turn to reveal her Three Flowers and explain the Dao, the two Taiyin Goddesses benefited greatly.
Finally, when East King Duke explained the Great Dao of Supreme Yang, its Yin-Yang Harmony was almost like personal guidance for the three female immortals.
The three hundred years of discussing the Dao came to an end. The host had gained the most; in that short time, the two Taiyin Goddesses had made considerable progress.
And that was not all. Whether intentionally or not, Xi He and Chang Xi had grown close to Queen Mother of the West. They had known each other for only a few hundred years, yet they already called one another sisters.
With the discussion of the Dao over, East King Duke prepared to take his leave. Xi He and Chang Xi saw the two of them to the palace gates.
"Elder Sister Tai Zhen, you must visit us again when you have time."
"Don't worry, little sisters. I'll certainly come see you again. You can also visit the East Sea. Fellow Daoist Dong Hua and I will be waiting for you on Mount Fang Island."
After exchanging a few more words, East King Duke and Queen Mother of the West left Taiyin Star and descended to the Primordial World, heading straight back to Mount Fang Island.
Once they returned to their sanctuary, Queen Mother of the West, eager to refine the Osmanthus Origin, went straight back to Pure Yin Palace to begin secluded cultivation.
Meanwhile, the Dao Demon War was drawing near, and the hundred-thousand-year period East King Duke had agreed on with Hongjun was almost up. He had no idea how things were progressing on Hongjun's end.
According to a legend from his previous life, Hongjun had invited Yin-Yang Ancestor, Qiankun Ancestor, and Great Immortal Yangmei—the four strongest fighters in the Primordial World—to break into the Immortal Slaying Array. They had paid the price of two Quasi-Saints' deaths before finally killing Luohu.
He did not know whether the story was true.
He knew nothing of Hongjun's preparations, but East King Duke himself was ready. It was a pity that he had not managed to break through to the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak as he had hoped. Still, with his current strength and Zhenyuanzi's help using the Earth Book, he should have little trouble slaying the Great Luo immortals among the demons while protecting part of the western Spiritual Veins.
As for whether he could snatch the treasure from the flames—the one he had always wanted, and which could help him attain the Dao—that would depend on fate.
With fewer than ten thousand years remaining before the appointed day, East King Duke sat quietly in his sanctuary, waiting for the moment to arrive.
By then, the Three Innate Tribes had long since completed their respective expansions. With the demons infiltrating every corner, tensions between the three sides gradually escalated, and the curtain slowly rose on their war.
On this day, at the Phoenix Clan's territory in Nanming, Yuanfeng seethed with anger. A blaze of Phoenix True Fire reduced the furnishings in the Dao Palace to ashes.
"The Dragon Clan has gone too far! Do they think the Phoenix Clan has no one to stand up for us?"
"Clan Leader, you must avenge Third Princess and the millions of our people! The ones who ambushed them were Son of Ancestor Dragon and his men."
Below, a clan member wept bitterly and fell to their knees.
At the words "Ancestor Dragon," Yuanfeng's expression darkened. After a long silence, she said softly, "Wait here in the clan until I return. Then we'll decide what to do."
As she spoke, she vanished from the spot.
On the Primordial Great Land, the leader of the Kirin Clan, Primeval Kirin, emerged from cultivation and furrowed his brow. Then he flashed outside.
"Yuanfeng, what brings you to the Kirin Clan?"
A hundred thousand li from the clan's territory, Primeval Kirin met Yuanfeng, who had come all the way from Nanming to find him.
"Fellow Daoist Primeval Kirin, the Phoenix and Kirin Clans face the threat of annihilation!"
Primeval Kirin fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Why do you say that, Fellow Daoist?"
"You know very well, Fellow Daoist. Why should I have to spell it out? Ancestor Dragon is ambitious, and he wants the Primordial World's destiny all to himself. The Dragon Clan is powerful. Once he rules the world and unifies the Primordial World, our two clans will be destroyed."
Primeval Kirin pondered for a moment before saying, "Our Kirin Clan is small in number and cannot stand against the Dragon Clan alone."
Yuanfeng quickly replied, "Neither the Phoenix nor the Kirin Clan can stand against the Dragon Clan alone. Only an alliance can oppose them. Besides, you know how powerful Ancestor Dragon is. It will probably take the two of us working together just to fight him."
"Your words are entirely right, Fellow Daoist Yuanfeng. Very well, I agree. The Phoenix and Kirin Clans will join forces to resist the Dragon Clan."
After considering it, Primeval Kirin agreed.
Several years later, the Four Seas Dragon Clan assembled. Led by dozens of Great Luo immortals, they advanced toward the depths of the Primordial Great Land.
By then, the other two of the Three Innate Tribes had also gathered their people. The Phoenix and Kirin Clans joined forces to resist the Dragon Clan, and the great war between the three tribes was about to begin.
Yuanfeng and Primeval Kirin reached the battlefield first and waited for Ancestor Dragon to arrive. Soon, a dragon's roar shook the eight wastelands, and Ancestor Dragon arrived with an imposing air.
Although he still had not broken through to the Mid-stage Quasi-Saint realm, he felt he was far stronger than when he had first entered the Quasi-Saint realm. He believed that as long as he destroyed the Phoenix and Kirin Clans and claimed their destiny for himself, he would surely break through—and perhaps even reach a higher level.
At first, he had worried about the one on Mount Fang Island in the East Sea. But tens of thousands of years had passed, and the Supreme Yang Lineage had remained behind closed doors, showing no intention of entering the world. Once he realized the other party had no desire to contend for supremacy, Ancestor Dragon was reassured.
"Yuanfeng, Primeval Kirin, do you think joining forces will let you stand against me?"
"We won't know unless we try. Ancestor Dragon, will you fight us?"
Primeval Kirin shouted with boundless courage. He and Yuanfeng each brought out their spiritual treasures and prepared for battle.
Ancestor Dragon laughed loudly. Even facing two Quasi-Saints, he seemed supremely confident. Holding the Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Ancestor Dragon Pearl, in his hand, he flew up to Yuanfeng and Primeval Kirin. Without another word, the three Quasi-Saints were soon locked in battle.
With all three clan leaders already fighting, the two sides of the three tribes clashed as well, and the slaughter began.
Thus, the Dragon-Han Tribulation officially erupted.
The Dragon, Phoenix, and Kirin Tribes had such vast forces that their desperate fighting left the world in ruin. It was not only cultivators from the three tribes who suffered; countless other beings of the Primordial World also perished in the calamity. Blood-red Calamity Qi filled the heavens and earth. As the killing continued, Malevolent Qi kept gathering until, in just a hundred years, it had grown dense enough to blot out the sky.
When the war between the three tribes had only just begun, East King Duke slowly opened his eyes inside the Supreme Yang Dao Palace.
Before you continue