Pure Yang Sword Qi streaked forward like a rainbow, its might swift as lightning. With a single strike, it pierced straight through the imprisoned Six Qi Illusory Devil.
The Sword Qi pierced in, and Supreme Yang Power twisted through it, crushing the True Devil Heart of Luohu's Clone. His life force vanished at once. The Illusory Devil Body receded, his true body fell, and wisps of demonic qi seeped from the seven orifices of his Dao body.
Before long, Luohu's Clone—silent, with both body and spirit destroyed—gradually dissipated. The art of incarnation involved using great magical power to form an External Incarnation. Though it possessed a physical body and a primordial spirit, no different from an ordinary living being, its essence was still condensed from spiritual qi. Now that its primordial spirit had collapsed, it returned to its source.
East King Duke wasn't surprised in the least. Even so, he didn't leave at once. Instead, he used his Spiritual Sense to lock onto the dissolving Dao body.
Suddenly, several beams of light shot out from the collapsing primordial spirit. They were incredibly fast. Though East King Duke had been prepared, he was still a moment too late. As if controlled by someone, the beams of light tore open the space around them as soon as they emerged, then vanished into the void.
"What a pity."
East King Duke murmured, but there wasn't much disappointment on his face.
Those beams of light were the Innate Spiritual Treasures used by Luohu's Clone. After their two battles, East King Duke knew his opponent possessed quite a few treasures. He had seen the Black Lotus Platform beneath his feet and a treasured sword.
Luohu was wealthy, and even the treasures he gave his clone were no ordinary items. East King Duke had hoped to take them after killing the clone, but it seemed that wouldn't be possible after all. The Demon Ancestor's belongings weren't so easy to claim.
Fortunately, East King Duke already had no shortage of spiritual treasures. He had only been trying his luck, so he let it go when he failed.
Far away in the west, space rippled inside Demon Luo Palace on Mount Sumeru. Several beams of light emerged and flew into Luohu's primordial spirit. They were the spiritual treasures that had belonged to his clone.
Luohu naturally knew that his clone had fallen, but he remained seated in his Dao palace, with no intention of leaving the mountain.
East King Duke reined in his aura. In the distance, he saw Ancestor Dragon, Yuanfeng, and Primeval Kirin flying toward him.
This battle had opened the Three Ancestors' eyes. They had thought East King Duke and the Devil Race Great Power were evenly matched. They hadn't expected the Supreme Yang Dao Lord to suddenly unleash his might and slay the devil cultivator on the spot.
They were deeply shaken, and gained a much clearer understanding of East King Duke's strength.
"Fellow Daoist, your might is awe-inspiring. We're impressed."
The leaders of the Dragon, Phoenix, and Kirin clans had now arrived before him. They looked at East King Duke with wholehearted respect. The three of them were burdened by karmic sin, which had already suppressed nearly half their strength. Given the power East King Duke had just displayed, they would likely have struggled to match him even at their peak.
"Three Fellow Daoists, the tribulation has yet to end. We must still wipe out the remaining devil affliction and restore peace to the Primordial World."
East King Duke spoke.
The true protagonists of the Dao Demon War were Luohu and Hongjun. East King Duke and the others only needed to clear away the obstacles before the final battle.
"Fellow Daoist is absolutely right. We'll mobilize our clansmen at once and exterminate the remaining devils."
The Three Innate Tribes had to eliminate the devils to repay their debt to Heaven and Earth. It was a form of atonement, so Ancestor Dragon and the other two naturally had no reason to refuse.
After exchanging a few words, Ancestor Dragon and Primeval Kirin each departed, but Yuanfeng stayed behind.
"Fellow Daoist, may I speak with you?"
It seemed she had stayed behind on purpose. The Phoenix Clan Master approached East King Duke.
"Of course. What is it, Fellow Daoist? Please, go ahead."
East King Duke replied calmly.
"Our Three Innate Tribes started this conflict, bringing devastation to the living beings of the Primordial World. The resulting karma is immense, and we may not meet a good end. I, Yuanfeng, feel that even death would not be too great a price. But I still have one lingering concern."
Yuanfeng spoke with sorrow. Though she was a female cultivator, she now carried the air of a hero facing the twilight of her life.
"Since you understand the Heavenly Mandate, you must know that the Heavenly Dao is clear. I'm merely a Da Luo Cultivator; I have no power to turn things around."
Hearing this, Yuanfeng shook her head repeatedly.
"Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand. I'm not trying to escape punishment. I have a favor to ask of you."
As she spoke, she took out an item.
"This is a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Southern Flame Light Banner, one of the Five Innate Banners. I wish to give it to you."
At the sight of it, East King Duke had already guessed her purpose. He possessed the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner and naturally knew how marvelous the Five Directional Banners were. Though he wanted to claim this one for himself, he didn't immediately take it, even though Phoenix Ancestor was offering it willingly.
"What is it you're asking of me? Please tell me first."
Accepting the Flame Light Banner meant taking on the karma attached to it, so East King Duke naturally needed to know the details.
"I have two sons, who are now gestating inside the South Bright Undying Volcano. They'll be born within two Yuan Hui. Their origins are different, so they won't be part of my Phoenix Clan, and thus won't bear the karmic sin burdening my clan. I'd like you to protect them both and take them as your disciples. The Flame Light Banner will be their apprenticeship gift."
East King Duke knew of Phoenix Ancestor's two sons. They were Peacock and Great Peng in later generations. What a coincidence: they were exactly the disciples he had already chosen for the Supreme Yang Lineage. With Yuanfeng bringing it up now, he could simply go along with her proposal.
So he took the spiritual treasure directly.
"I agree."
Yuanfeng departed, satisfied. Not long afterward, the final battle between the Three Innate Tribes and the Devil Race began. Most of the Devil Race's Great Luo experts, including those of the Seven Emotions and Six Desires, had already been slain. With a Great Supernatural Being like East King Duke joining the battle, the remaining devils were soon wiped out.
With the devil affliction eliminated, the Primordial World gradually grew peaceful again. But the Calamity Qi between Heaven and Earth had not dissipated. East King Duke knew that the battle that would decide the Primordial World's first Saint Position was already brewing.
The Three Innate Tribes had committed far too many killings in the early stages. Though they had earned merit by eliminating the devils later, it still couldn't offset their karmic sin. Sensing this, the Three Ancestors swore oaths under the guidance of the Heavenly Dao, hoping to preserve their respective clans.
"I, Ancestor Dragon, Master of the Dragon Clan, know that my sins are grave. I'm willing to guard the Eyes of the Four Seas with my body. The Dragon Clan will withdraw from the conflicts of the Primordial World and forever guard the Four Seas, carrying out Heaven's work of summoning wind and rain to benefit the living beings of the Primordial World and repay our karma. May the Heavenly Dao bear witness!"
"I, Yuanfeng, leader of the Phoenix Clan, am willing to guard the South Bright Undying Volcano forever and maintain the stability of the Primordial World's Earth Fire. From this day forward, the Phoenix Clan will no longer interfere in the affairs of the Primordial World. May the Heavenly Dao bear witness!"
"I, Primeval Kirin, Ancestor of the Kirin Clan, am guilty of grave sins. I'm willing to stabilize the Earth Veins of the Primordial World with my body. The Kirin Clan will take no further part in the conflicts of the Primordial World and will henceforth become auspicious beasts of the Primordial World. Wherever a Kirin appears, good fortune will follow. May the Heavenly Dao bear witness!"
Blessed by the Heavenly Dao, their voices rang across the Primordial World, reaching the ears of every living being there, including the cultivators of the Three Innate Tribes. After one battle after another, fewer than one in ten of their people remained. Their clans had fallen into extreme decline, and every survivor was burdened with karmic sin. Hearing their respective leaders' words, they all knelt and bowed.
After their oaths, the Three Ancestors each returned to their appointed places and formally withdrew from the world. The karmic sin within the primordial spirits of the Three Tribes was instantly erased in large measure. The rest would have to be gradually offset by the Three Ancestors' merit.
Thus ended the Dragon-Han Tribulation, with the Three Innate Tribes each withdrawing from the stage of the Primordial World. The three powerful clans had met such a fate—it was truly lamentable.
Such was the cruelty of the Primordial World's evolution.
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