The Three Clans' Reactions

Zhenyuanzi's voice, carrying the earth's Dao principles and resonating across the Western Continent, spread like ripples to every corner of the Western Primordial World.

Naturally, it also reached the ears of the three dominant powers currently at the height of their glory in the Primordial World—the Dragon, Phoenix, and Kirin races.

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

The Dao sound, crossing endless space, echoed in his ears, bearing the weight of the earth and the profundity of the Dao.

Ancestor Dragon pondered for a moment, his dragon beard trembling slightly. He said nothing more, merely instructing the Dragon Clan elder standing at his side:

"Give the order to the Four Seas: unless necessary, my tribe's children are not to approach the vicinity of Longevity Mountain in the Western Primordial in the near future."

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

Moreover, the other party was merely opening a Dao platform to preach, not challenging the authority of the three races. At this crucial period when the Dragon race was gathering strength and expanding its influence, it was not suitable to stir up trouble and create such a formidable enemy for no reason.

The Dragon Clan elder received the order and departed, with dragon roars transmitting the decree across the Four Seas.

Deep within the Immortal Volcano, at the core of churning lava, Phoenix race leader Yuan Feng perched atop the Wutong Divine Wood.

She elegantly preened her iridescent tail feathers, each one seemingly containing the Dao of flame. As the transmission reached her ears, her clear, crisp voice echoed within the nest, carrying a hint of amusement:

"Zhenyuanzi? An interesting existence." She too sensed Zhenyuanzi's cultivation level, and a measure of caution and observation arose in her heart.

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

"Pass my command: Phoenix race members may decide for themselves. If they wish to go and listen to the Dao, do not stop them, but they must remember the clan rules and cause no trouble."

Unwilling to offend this suddenly appearing great power, yet not wanting her people to miss a potential opportunity, she deemed a neutral stance the most appropriate.

On Kirin Cliff, auspicious clouds swirled and auspicious vapors abounded. First Kirin, stepping on Five-Colored Auspicious Clouds, gazed deeply toward the West, his entire being emitting an aura of benevolence and profundity.

Listening to the transmission, he spoke slowly to the Kirin elder standing at the cliff's edge:

"This is merely a cultivator preaching the Dao, which poses no obstacle to our race's development. Let the children attend to their own duties and focus on development; there is no need to pay it any mind."

His temperament was relatively steady, and he believed that with the three races' current situation newly settled, the priority should be consolidating their own power, regulating the Earth Veins, and blessing all living beings. As long as the other party did not infringe upon the Kirin race's interests, there was no need for excessive attention, lest they become entangled in unnecessary Karma.

The high echelons of the three races, without exception, chose non-interference for the time being, allowing the Dao preaching at Longevity Mountain to proceed smoothly in the Western Primordial without major upheaval.

However, some keen-edged fringe members of the three races, or those yearning to break free from their current Shackles, took note of the matter.

Before Longevity Mountain's gate, Zhenyuanzi stood quietly outside the Mountain Gate, his simple and unadorned Dao robe gently fluttering in the mountain wind, his sleeves billowing as if he had merged with the entire divine mountain.

He did not deliberately release his pressure, but the naturally exuded aura of the Great Luo Peak, along with the profound Dao rhythm brought by being the incarnation of the earth and in charge of the Book of the Earth, already inspired awe in all who approached, preventing any reckless behavior.

His Primordial Spirit, like an invisible yet fine net, silently spread out, meticulously sensing the countless auras surging toward Longevity Mountain from all directions through various means. This torrent of living beings was even vaster than he had anticipated.

This torrent was chaotic and clamorous, presenting a panorama of life in the Western Primordial:

There were Mountain Spirits and Wild Monsters with soaring demonic auras and varied forms, most relying on instinct to cultivate, inhaling and exhaling the Sun and Moon Essence. Their Qi flows were mixed but filled with wild, tenacious vitality—mostly tigers, leopards, bears, and the like who had attained the Dao;

There were water-dwelling beings with relatively pure spiritual energy, riding water elements, their scales glinting with cold light, carrying the moist aura of Rivers, Lakes, and Seas—mainly various fish, shrimp, crabs, and turtles, among them some with special bloodlines;

There were descendants of ancient ferocious beasts, heavy with Sha Qi and fierce-eyed, perhaps low in intelligence but with incomparably strong physical bodies, driven by the most primal desire for power—remnants like Taotie and Qiongqi;

There were also Spirits of Plants and Trees, with a unique Dao rhythm, untouched by dust, brimming with vitality and closest to nature—mostly ancient trees, strange flowers, and exotic herbs that had gained sentience;

And even some shadows with obscure auras and secretive movements, hiding among the living beings, suspected to be Lingering Regret of fallen Demon Gods clinging to life, or certain Innate Beings with special origins unwilling to reveal their true forms.

Their cultivation levels were wildly uneven, ranging from those who had just acquired divine abilities, comparable to Earth Immortals (in the current Primordial World, any being crossing the mortal threshold to gain intelligence started at the Earth Immortal level), to Golden Immortals with condensed Qi flows who had glimpsed the path of laws, and even Demon Kings and spirits who ruled as kings in their own domains, having reached the Taiyi realm.

What drew Zhenyuanzi's attention even more were a few auras, obscure and deep, inconspicuous among the crowd, but whose origin fluctuations had actually reached the Great Luo Realm. Though they were Newly Entered and their Dao rhythm not as profound as his, it was enough to show that the Western Primordial harbored hidden dragons and crouching tigers, not as barren as it appeared on the surface.

Facing these countless living beings, Zhenyuanzi's mind stirred slightly. The Book of the Earth, the "Classic of Mountains and Seas," suspended within his Primordial Spirit and cultivated in tandem with his life, emitted a Mysterious Yellow Radiance, resonating more deeply with the earth beneath his feet. The next moment, around the vast platform carved out by the terrain before the Mountain Gate, the earth's rules were subtly invoked.

Rumble—a deep, muffled sound came, not deafening, but carrying the weight of the earth shaking. Four simple and unadorned, massive Stone Pillars, requiring several people to encircle, burst from the ground and slowly rose! The pillars' material was neither metal nor jade, appearing Mysterious Yellow in color, their surfaces covered with naturally formed Dao patterns, standing in the four positions of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. As they rose, profound Runes corresponding to the Four Symbols Origin naturally Appeared on the pillars, faintly glowing, drawing the Four Symbols Power from heaven and earth to converge, forming a simple yet profoundly mysterious Guardian Formation around the platform's periphery. This formation did not block entry but effectively calmed restless minds, harmonized Qi flows, and prevented listeners from losing their guard, having their spiritual energy run wild, or even going Berserk due to insights into profound Dao. The formation's light was restrained; unless one was a high-level cultivator, it was almost imperceptible, yet it had already begun to function silently.

Hongyun stood at Zhenyuanzi's side, watching this, and smiled slightly, understanding his old friend's intention. He lightly waved his sleeves, and without much visible movement, four streams of Extremely Condensed spiritual light, each containing the true essence of the Eastern Azure Dragon's vitality, the Western White Tiger's killing intent, the Southern Vermilion Bird's blazing heat, and the Northern Black Tortoise's deep solidity, shot out like meteors across the sky, precisely landing in the east, west, south, and north directions of the platform. The spiritual light fell upon the ground without a Loud Noise, silently merging into the earth. The next moment, phantom images of the Four Symbols sacred beasts rose from the landing points—the Eastern Azure Dragon coiled, its scales and claws fully visible, carrying an endless vitality; the Western White Tiger crouched, golden light shooting from its eyes, Sha Qi contained within; the Southern Vermilion Bird spread its wings, flames swirling, as if to burn away all falsehood; the Northern Black Tortoise stood guard, snake and tortoise intertwined, as stable as a mountain. Though not physical entities, they were full of spirit and lifelike, resonating with the four Stone Pillars, their Qi Flows connected, multiplying the platform's formation effects, making the Dao rhythm clearer and more perceptible, and the space itself seemed more stable.

Lord Wanshouyuan silently circulated his mystical arts, drawing upon his vast Wood Vitality, emitting streams of verdant, life-filled Wood Qi.

These clear Qi, like sentient mist, did not spread across the entire Longevity Mountain but precisely permeated and covered the entire preaching platform.

All living beings within it felt their spirits clear and their minds bright, as if a few points of distracting thoughts had been washed away. Their thinking seemed sharper and more transparent, greatly benefiting their upcoming listening to the Dao.