The war between the Three Innate Tribes had already lasted a hundred years. Though the Dragon Clan was powerful, it had been unable to gain much of an advantage against the combined forces of the Phoenix Clan and the Kirin Clan. Thus, the two sides were evenly matched.
Battlefields had spread across the Primordial World. A century of slaughter had turned the Primordial Great Land into a river of blood, and the cultivators of all three tribes had suffered heavy losses. Fierce, baleful resentment swept across the Eight Wastelands, affecting not only the Dragon, Phoenix, and Kirin Three Tribes, but even the Primordial World's other living beings.
The cultivators' tainted blood and the overwhelming resentment gradually eroded the vitality of the Primordial Great Land. Countless spiritual roots and precious materials withered amid the fighting, Blessed Land Grotto-Heavens were destroyed one after another, and the Spiritual Veins were slowly polluted and depleted.
Though a tribulation was an inevitable part of the Primordial World's Evolution, for its native living beings, it was a calamity.
All beings below Great Luo were caught up in the tribulation. Those with ability or destiny could avoid it early; the rest could only struggle to escape. The Three Innate Tribes stood at the heart of the Dragon-Han Tribulation. Affected by the tribulation and driven on by the Demon Clan behind the scenes, they could no longer stop their war.
The cultivators of the Three Tribes had been driven mad with bloodlust. It seemed that slaughter was all they could think about, and they had no idea that disaster was at their doorstep. Boundless Karmic Sin had already seeped into the souls of every cultivator of the Three Innate Tribes.
It had ensnared not only the ordinary cultivators of the Three Tribes, but even their three patriarchs: Ancestor Dragon, Yuanfeng, and Primeval Kirin, all of whom possessed Quasi-Saint cultivation.
The three tribes had fought for a hundred years, and their leaders—the Dragon, Phoenix, and Kirin patriarchs—had battled just as long.
The three Quasi-Saints had long since fought themselves into a frenzy, clashing as if to the death. In their eyes, this was a contest to decide the Protagonist of the Primordial World, a struggle for Primordial World Destiny. They fought not only for their own tribes, but for their Dao Paths as well.
The three patriarchs had no idea that, as they fought one another to the death, they were all making a wedding garment for someone else. Had the tribulation not affected them, they could easily have seen that, as beings above Great Luo, they were already burdened by Karmic Sin and doomed to suffer countless calamities.
The Karmic Sin Heaven's Way would bring down for such slaughter, which had so profoundly affected the Primordial World, was beyond imagining.
Ancestor Dragon, Yuanfeng, and Primeval Kirin each unleashed their innate arts, divine abilities, spiritual treasures, and every other means at their disposal. No one knew how many rounds they had fought over the past century. Their battles swept across a million miles, and the destruction of countless spiritual lands and roots only deepened their sins.
Ancestor Dragon was worthy of being the strongest of the Three Tribes. Not only was his cultivation at the peak of Early Quasi-Saint, surpassing the other two, but the Dragon Clan's divine abilities were also more sophisticated than those of Yuanfeng and Primeval Kirin.
Had Yuanfeng not allied with Primeval Kirin first to face their powerful foe together, she would likely have already fallen beneath the Ancestor Dragon Pearl.
By now, however, the three were locked in a stalemate. Though Ancestor Dragon was powerful, he could not overcome the two working together. He had thought he could sweep aside both tribes, but things had not gone as he wished, and the Dragon Clan Master was growing increasingly impatient.
"Roar!"
A dragon's roar rang out as thunderclouds appeared. Ancestor Dragon, unwilling to remain locked in a stalemate, transformed into his true form. Accompanied by clouds, rain, and lightning, he darted through the vast layers of clouds.
He intended to go all out and bring their battle to an end.
On the other side, Yuanfeng and Primeval Kirin had no choice but to meet his challenge.
"Caw!"
A phoenix cry pierced the heavens. Seven-colored wings spread wide, blotting out the sky and the sun, while Phoenix True Fire blazed around her. Water and fire could not coexist, and now they faced each other in direct opposition.
Primeval Kirin also let out a mighty shout and stamped his feet. With a thunderous rumble and a flash of rosy light, an immense kirin appeared upon the Primordial Great Land.
Without another word, the three transformed bodies clashed.
None of them noticed that, under the influence of Karmic Sin, their own magic power was slowly draining away. Their once-mighty Quasi-Saint auras, too, were gradually weakening.
At that moment, a powerful aura surged skyward from Demon Luo Palace on Western Mount Sumeru.
The demonic energy within a radius of a million miles was stirred, rushing to gather above Mount Sumeru. Waves of demonic chanting rang out, piercing the soul.
The entire West seemed to feel a mighty presence descend, carrying a violent, murderous intent. It was like a demonic blade at one's throat, sending a chill down the spine.
The aura lasted a long while before gradually subsiding. Thirteen Great Luo cultivators—the strongest beneath the Demon Ancestor, from among the Seven Emotions and Six Desires—had gathered at Demon Luo Palace.
"Congratulations, Demon Ancestor, on your great advancement in cultivation. May you unify the Primordial World and attain the Great Dao!"
"Rise." Luohu sat in the seat of honor, his aura completely restrained, as if he had returned to the natural state. He still concealed his face with immense magic power. "How is the war between the three tribes progressing?"
"Reporting to the Demon Ancestor: the Dragon, Phoenix, and Kirin Three Tribes have all been caught up in the tribulation. They have suffered heavy losses and can no longer free themselves. The first stage of your grand plan has succeeded completely."
Lust Desire Demon Venerable, one of the Demon Ancestor's foremost generals, spoke up to deliver the report.
Luohu nodded slightly.
"Excellent. Now that I have reached Quasi-Saint Peak, I no longer need to gather the Primordial World's Malevolent Qi for my cultivation. Under the might of my Demon Clan, there is no longer any need for the Three Innate Tribes to exist."
The Demon Ancestor was overbearing as he raised a hand and issued his command.
"Seven Emotions Heavenly Demons, Six Desires Demon Venerables, heed my order."
"From this day onward, each of you will lead the various divisions of the Demon Clan out from Mount Sumeru. Destroy the Dragon, Phoenix, and Kirin Three Tribes, and eliminate all who stand in our way. Let the Demon Clan unify the Primordial World and become its sole protagonist."
"We shall obey the Demon Ancestor's decree!"
At Luohu's command, countless demonic cultivators poured down from Mount Sumeru, bringing with them a fierce, baleful intent as they entered the fray and began slaughtering.
Meanwhile, Luohu sat cross-legged atop a black lotus, still and serene in the void as he gazed into the distance.
"Hongjun, next comes the battle between the two of us. Let's see which of us will become a Saint in the end. I hope you won't disappoint me!"
The demonic cultivators surged into the battlefield of the Three Innate Tribes like a tide. They slaughtered every cultivator they encountered, whether from the Dragon, Phoenix, or Kirin side. The moment they joined the fray, the three tribes fell into chaos.
In a short time, countless cultivators had been killed or wounded.
The battle had originally been clearly divided between the Dragon Clan on one side and the allied Phoenix and Kirin forces on the other. But the Demon Clan's arrival changed the battlefield in an instant. For a moment, the Three Innate Tribes were bewildered, unable to tell which side was truly their enemy.
The Demon Clan, however, paid no heed. After a century of attrition, the Dragon, Phoenix, and Kirin Three Tribes were already badly weakened. With each tribe fighting on its own, they were suddenly faced with the vigorous Demon Clan and slaughtered almost like livestock.
The deaths of so many clansmen caught the attention of Ancestor Dragon, Yuanfeng, and Primeval Kirin, who had been locked in a desperate fight. They stopped in unspoken accord. Just as they were about to inspect what had happened, a majestic figure appeared, standing atop the Twelve-grade Merit Golden Lotus, with the Jade Plate of Creation above his head and a massive Pangu Banner in his hand.
It was Hongjun.
He waved the great banner, and his voice rang across the battlefield of the three tribes.
"Ancestor Dragon, Yuanfeng, Primeval Kirin! Your sins are grave. Wake up at once!"
His furious shout carried an unparalleled Chaos Sword Intent. It instantly dispersed the Calamity Qi around them, clearing the minds of Ancestor Dragon and the others. They suddenly came to their senses.
"The Demon Clan!"
Now fully lucid, the Three Ancestors finally realized that they were all burdened by Karmic Sin, and that most of their tribes had been killed or wounded. Their ends were already all but sealed. Terrified, they all roared in anger.
They now understood that, thanks to the Demon Clan's scheme, the Dragon, Phoenix, and Kirin Three Tribes could forget about becoming the Protagonist of the Primordial World. Even preserving their tribes had become a problem. The Three Ancestors were horrified and had no other choice, so they bowed and sought Hongjun's guidance.
"We three tribes admit our guilt. We beg you, senior, to show us a way to save ourselves!"
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