The Three Races' Reactions

Zhenyuanzi's voice, imbued with the laws of the Earthly Dao, rang across the Western Lands, rippling into every corner of the Western Primordial.

Naturally, it reached the ears of the three most powerful overlords in the Primordial World: the Dragon, Phoenix, and Kirin Races.

Deep in the East Sea Abyss, within the Ten-Thousand-Zhang Dragon Palace, Ancestor Dragon coiled upon a throne encircled by nine dragons.

The voice of the Dao, carried across boundless space, echoed in his ears, imbued with the Earth's weighty presence and the mysteries of the Dao.

Ancestor Dragon pondered for a moment, his whiskers quivering. He said nothing, merely instructing the Dragon Clan Elders standing at his sides:

"Send word throughout the Four Seas. Unless absolutely necessary, our people are to keep away from the area around Longevity Mountain in the Western Lands for the time being."

As the head of the Dragon Clan, whose cultivation had already reached Great Luo Peak, he could naturally sense that Zhenyuanzi's cultivation was unfathomably deep, on par with his own.

Moreover, the other party was merely giving a lecture on the Dao, not challenging the authority of the Three Races. The Dragon Clan was then at a crucial stage of building its strength and expanding its influence. It would be unwise to invite trouble and make such a powerful enemy for no reason.

The Dragon Clan Elders accepted the order and departed. One dragon's roar after another carried the decree throughout the Four Seas.

Deep within the Immortal Volcano, at its lava-churning heart, Phoenix Race Clan Leader Yuanfeng perched atop the Wutong Divine Wood.

She gracefully preened her iridescent tail feathers, each one seeming to contain the Great Dao of Fire. When the voice reached her ears, her clear voice echoed through the nest, tinged with amusement:

"Zhenyuanzi? What an interesting figure." She, too, had sensed Zhenyuanzi's cultivation, and regarded him with a measure of caution and curiosity.

After a moment's thought, she addressed the Phoenix Envoy attending her:

"Relay my command. Members of the Phoenix Race may decide for themselves. Those who wish to attend the lecture need not be stopped, but they must remember the clan rules and cause no trouble."

She neither wished to offend this formidable expert who had suddenly appeared nor wanted her people to miss a potential opportunity. A neutral stance seemed most prudent.

On Kirin Cliff, auspicious clouds swirled and rays of good fortune filled the sky. First Kirin stood upon Five-Colored Auspicious Clouds, gazing west with a profound look in his eyes, an aura of benevolence and solemnity radiating from him.

As he listened to the voice, he spoke slowly to the Kirin Elders standing by the cliff:

"This is a cultivator giving a lecture on the Dao. It has no bearing on our race's development. Tell our people to attend to their duties and focus on our growth. There is no need to concern ourselves with it."

He was relatively steady by nature. He believed that, with the Three Races' positions now taking shape, they should focus on consolidating their strength, tending the Earth Veins, and bringing blessings to All Living Beings. As long as the other party did not infringe upon the Kirin Race's interests, there was no need to pay him much attention and risk entanglement in unnecessary Karma.

The leaders of the Three Races had all chosen, independently, not to interfere for the time being. As a result, Zhenyuanzi's lecture at Longevity Mountain proceeded smoothly in the Western Primordial without causing any major disturbance.

However, some sharp-sensed members of the Three Races on the fringes, as well as those who yearned to break through their current limits, took note of the matter.

Before Longevity Mountain, Zhenyuanzi stood quietly outside the Mountain Gate. His simple Daoist robe stirred gently in the mountain breeze, its sleeves fluttering as if he had become one with the divine mountain.

He made no effort to release his aura of pressure, but the Great Luo Peak presence that naturally emanated from him, along with the weighty Dao resonance born of his being an embodiment of the earth and wielder of the Book of the Earth, filled all who approached with reverence. None dared act rashly.

His spiritual sense spread out like an invisible yet intricate net, quietly and carefully sensing the countless auras converging on Longevity Mountain from all directions by every possible means. The flood of living beings was even greater than he had expected.

This flood was a chaotic, clamorous cross-section of life in the Western Primordial:

There were mountain spirits and wild monsters with demonic energy soaring into the sky and shapes of every kind. Most cultivated by instinct, breathing in the Sun and Moon Essence. Their auras were mixed, yet brimming with a wild, tenacious vitality. Many were tigers, leopards, or bears that had attained the Dao.

There were aquatic beings, their spiritual energy relatively pure, who had come riding the power of water. Scales glinted with cold light, and they carried the nourishing aura of rivers, lakes, and seas. Most were fish, shrimp, crabs, and turtles, among them a few with unusual bloodlines.

There were descendants of ancient ferocious beasts, their baleful energy heavy and their gazes savage. Their intelligence might be limited, but their bodies were immeasurably powerful, and they possessed an instinctive craving for strength. Taotie and Qiongqi were among their surviving bloodlines.

There were also spirits of plants and trees, their Dao resonance clear and untainted by worldly dust. Brimming with vitality and close to nature, most were ancient trees, exotic flowers, or strange herbs that had gained sentience.

There were even a few shadowy figures with obscure auras and secretive movements, concealed among the crowd. They seemed to be lingering regrets of fallen Demon Gods, born through attachment to living beings, or Innate Beings with unusual origins who did not wish to reveal their true forms.

Their cultivation varied widely, from those who had just awakened their supernatural abilities, comparable to the Earth Immortal Realm—for in the Primordial World of this era, any being who crossed the mortal threshold and gained sentience was at least at the Earth Immortal level—to Golden Immortals with condensed auras who had glimpsed the laws, and even Demon Kings and spirits who ruled their own domains and had reached the Primordial Unity Realm.

What drew Zhenyuanzi's attention even more were several deep, obscure auras that blended inconspicuously among the crowd. Their origins had reached the Great Luo Realm, though they had only just entered it and their Dao resonance was not yet as profound as his. Even so, they proved that the Western Primordial was home to hidden powerhouses and was not as barren as it appeared.

Facing the myriad living beings, Zhenyuanzi's thoughts stirred. The Book of the Earth, the Classic of Mountains and Seas, floated within his Primordial Spirit and had been cultivated in tandem with his life. It glimmered with Mysterious Yellow Radiance, resonating more deeply with the earth beneath his feet. In the next instant, the laws of the earth were quietly stirred around the vast platform before the Mountain Gate, built to follow the natural terrain.

Rumble— A low, muffled sound rolled forth. It was not deafening, but carried the weight of the earth itself. Four massive, ancient stone pillars, each so broad it would take several people to encircle, broke through the ground and slowly rose! Neither metal nor jade, they were the color of Mysterious Yellow, their surfaces covered in naturally formed Dao patterns. They took their places according to the four positions of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. As they rose, profound runes corresponding to the Four Symbols Origin naturally appeared along their shafts, glowing faintly and drawing the Four Symbols Power from the world around them. A simple yet incomparably wondrous Guardian Formation formed around the platform. The formation did not prevent anyone from entering, but it could calm agitated minds, harmonize auras, and keep those attending the lecture from losing control of themselves, sending their spiritual energy into a rampage, or even succumbing to cultivation deviation as they comprehended the profound Dao. Its radiance remained subdued. Anyone who was not highly cultivated would scarcely notice it, yet it had already begun to work in silence.

Standing beside Zhenyuanzi, Hong Yun smiled faintly at the sight, understanding his old friend's intentions. He gave his sleeve a light wave. Without any great commotion, four intensely concentrated streaks of spiritual light shot out, each containing the true meaning of one of the Four Symbols: the Azure Dragon's vitality, the White Tiger's killing intent, the Vermilion Bird's fiery intensity, and the Black Tortoise's solemn stability. They streaked through the air like shooting stars, landing precisely at the eastern, western, southern, and northern sides of the platform. The lights touched down without a sound and silently merged with the ground. In the next instant, the phantoms of the Four Symbols Sacred Beasts rose from their respective landing points: the Eastern Azure Dragon coiled, every scale and claw vividly distinct, radiating unceasing vitality; the Western White Tiger crouched, golden light shining from its eyes, its killing intent held in check; the Southern Vermilion Bird spread its wings, flames swirling around it as if ready to burn away all illusion; the Northern Black Tortoise stood guard, snake entwined with tortoise, as immovable as a mountain. Though they were not physical beings, they were vivid and lifelike, their spirits fully captured. They resonated with the four stone pillars, their auras linked, multiplying the formation's power and making its Dao resonance clearer and more perceptible. The space itself seemed more stable as well.

Lord Wanshouyuan silently circulated his profound art, drawing upon his own vast Wood Vitality and releasing streams of Wood Qi, verdant and brimming with life.

The Wood Qi spread like a mist imbued with sentience, but did not cover all of Longevity Mountain. Instead, it precisely blanketed the entire lecture platform.

Every living being within it felt refreshed and clear-minded. Even the distractions in their hearts seemed to be washed away, and their thoughts grew sharper and more lucid, greatly benefiting their comprehension as they listened to the Dao.