Collecting Three-Clan Essence Blood on the Return Journey

By the Eastern Sea, the roar of the waves was like thunder as surging billows crashed violently against the reefs, throwing up a skyful of spray. Xuan Chen transformed into a streak of chaotic light and sped toward Mount Buzhou, surrounded by chaotic mist that both concealed his aura and shielded him from the fierce winds high above. Three days had passed since he had successfully seized the treasure from the Dragon Palace. He had deliberately slowed his journey—first, to completely shake off any possible pursuit by the Dragon Clan; second, to observe the progress of the Dragon-Han Calamity. After all, the system had warned that the course of the three clans' melee would directly affect the intensity of the coming calamity, and the opportunity to collect the three clans' essence blood was most likely hidden upon the battlefield.

When he reached an area known as Dustbreak Valley, earthshaking sounds of slaughter suddenly rose from below, mixed with dragon roars, phoenix cries, and qilin bellows. The energy fluctuations were so violent that even the clouds high in the sky had been torn apart. Xuan Chen's gaze shifted. At once, he drew in his presence, concealed himself behind the clouds, and looked down.

Within Dustbreak Valley, jagged rocks pierced the sky, and cracks several zhang wide split the ground. Scarlet blood flowed through those ravines, while the air was heavy with the stench of blood and scorched flesh. Several hundred cultivators of the three clans were locked in fierce battle. Dragon Clan cultivators wore dark armor and controlled surging seawater, turning it into Water Dragons that crashed into the enemy ranks. Phoenix Clan cultivators burned with Nirvana True Flame; with every beat of their wings, countless fiery feathers fell like meteors, scorching the earth. The Qilin Clan cultivators were broad and powerfully built, wrapped in earthen-yellow astral qi like moving mountains. Every stomp made the ground shudder violently, and their fists and kicks carried enough force to shatter mountains and split rocks.

It really is a battlefield of the three clans' melee! Xuan Chen rejoiced inwardly. Since the Dragon-Han Calamity erupted, the Dragon Clan, Phoenix Clan, and Qilin Clan had spread war across the four seas and eight wildernesses in their struggle for supremacy over the Primordial World. Dustbreak Valley lay at the border between the Eastern Sea and Nanzhan Buzhou, making it a strategic point contested by all three clans. No wonder such a brutal conflict had erupted here.

He carefully assessed the battlefield and found the two sides evenly matched. The Dragon Clan had roughly two hundred men, while the Phoenix Clan and Qilin Clan alliance had nearly two hundred as well. Most were in the middle to late stages of the Golden Immortal realm, with no shortage of Peak Golden Immortals and even Early-Stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals. On the Dragon Clan's side, the leader was a dragon general clad in silver armor, with three horns atop his head and a vicious glare in his eyes. Wielding a Water-Splitting Greatsword, he was the very Late Golden Immortal commander Xuan Chen had encountered outside the Dragon Palace before. Xuan Chen had not expected him to leave the patrol force and join this battle. On the Phoenix Clan alliance's side, the leader was a phoenix maiden dressed in scarlet feathered robes. Her face was breathtakingly beautiful, but her eyes were cold. Flames curled around her body, and her cultivation had reached the Early-Stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm. In her hand was an innate spiritual treasure, the Heaven-Burning Fan. With each sweep, flames soared to the heavens with boundless might. Beside her stood a golden qilin with an imposing horn and a steady aura, likewise at the Early-Stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm. It wielded the Mountain-Quelling Axe and coordinated seamlessly with the phoenix maiden, firmly suppressing the Dragon Clan's offensive.

The Dragon Clan's main force really is bogged down in war. Even commanders from the outskirts have been transferred here. Xuan Chen understood at once. Though the Dragon Clan held a slight numerical advantage, the Phoenix Clan's Nirvana True Flame restrained the Dragon Clan's water-based divine arts, while the Qilin Clan's earth-element astral qi could withstand the crashing waves. As a result, the Dragon Clan was being forced back step by step. Many of its cultivators had already suffered severe wounds, their scales dyed red with blood.

"The opportunity has come!" A sharp gleam flashed through Xuan Chen's eyes. His goal this time was to gather the three clans' essence blood, and this was the perfect chance. The cultivators locked in fierce combat had no time to care about anything else and could not possibly notice someone secretly extracting essence blood. Moreover, the essence blood of gravely wounded, dying cultivators had not yet fully dissipated. Its origin power was at its purest, making it ideal material for pill refinement.

Xuan Chen circulated the Chaos Breath Concealment Art, suppressing his aura to the utmost limit. Like a weightless feather, he drifted silently down from the heavens and landed behind a pile of boulders at the edge of the battlefield. He took out three specially made jade bottles, carved from chaotic jade. Spirit-Gathering Formations were inscribed within them, capable of locking in the origin power contained in essence blood and preventing it from leaking away.

Then Xuan Chen spread out his divine sense, covering the entire battlefield as he carefully searched for gravely wounded cultivators from the three clans. At the battlefield's northwest corner, he spotted a Dragon Clan cultivator struck by a Phoenix Clan fire feather. His scales had fallen away, and a charred hole had been blasted through his chest. His breath was faint, and he was on the verge of perishing. Not far away, a Phoenix Clan cultivator had been struck by a Dragon Clan Water Dragon. His wings were broken, blood constantly spilled from the corners of his mouth, and the fluctuations of his cultivation were rapidly weakening. In the center of the battlefield, a Qilin Clan cultivator had been struck in the leg by the dragon general's Water-Splitting Greatsword. Unable to move, he was being besieged by two Dragon Clan cultivators and was in dire peril.

Xuan Chen did not dare delay. With a flash, he darted to the dying Dragon Clan cultivator like a ghost. Terror flickered through the cultivator's eyes. He wanted to cry for help, but he lacked even the strength to open his mouth. Xuan Chen condensed a wisp of Chaos True Qi at his fingertip and lightly touched the man's brow, instantly sealing away his life force. At the same time, he brought a jade bottle to the man's neck and circulated Primordial Unity Power, guiding the essence blood within his body slowly into the bottle.

Dragon Clan essence blood was pale gold and contained vast water-element origin power. The instant it entered the jade bottle, the Spirit-Gathering Formation on its surface activated, radiating a faint golden glow as it firmly locked in the blood's origin power. In only a few moments, the Dragon Clan cultivator's essence blood was completely drained. His body turned into a desiccated corpse and collapsed to the ground.

Xuan Chen put away the jade bottle, flashed forward once more, and rushed toward the dying Phoenix Clan cultivator. Sensing someone approach, despair and fury flashed through the Phoenix Clan cultivator's eyes. He tried to burn his origin and self-destruct, but Xuan Chen detected it in advance. With a flick of his finger, Xuan Chen shot a strand of Chaos True Qi into his dantian, shattering his intent to self-destruct. He then brought over another jade bottle and extracted the essence blood from his body.

Phoenix Clan essence blood was fiery red and contained scorching fire-element origin power. As it flowed into the jade bottle, a faint red glow rose across the bottle's surface, forming a striking contrast with the Dragon Clan essence blood. After extracting the Phoenix Clan essence blood, Xuan Chen did not pause. He turned and rushed toward the trapped Qilin Clan cultivator.

By then, the Qilin Clan cultivator could no longer hold on. Several more wounds had appeared across his body, and blood streamed from them. The two Dragon Clan cultivators besieging him were about to deliver the killing blow when Xuan Chen suddenly appeared. With a wave of his hand, he unleashed two streams of Chaos True Qi, sending both Dragon Clan cultivators flying. They crashed heavily into the rocks, spat blood, and fainted.

Seeing this, astonishment flashed through the Qilin Clan cultivator's eyes. He assumed reinforcements had arrived, but Xuan Chen's next action made him turn pale with fright. Ignoring his gaze, Xuan Chen directly brought a jade bottle to his wound and circulated Primordial Unity Power, extracting the essence blood from his body. Qilin Clan essence blood was earthen yellow and contained dense, weighty earth-element origin power. As it flowed into the jade bottle, a faint yellow glow spread over its surface.

"You... who are you? Why are you extracting my essence blood?" the Qilin Clan cultivator asked weakly, his voice filled with confusion and anger.

Xuan Chen did not answer. After extracting the essence blood, he flicked a finger and knocked him unconscious. Xuan Chen was not a bloodthirsty man. He had extracted the essence blood only to refine pills; there was no need to slaughter them all. Besides, leaving these cultivators alive would help maintain the balance on the battlefield, allowing the three clans to continue their melee and wear down one another's strength. It would also make it easier for him to observe the battle later.

After collecting the three clans' essence blood, Xuan Chen did not leave immediately. Instead, he concealed himself behind the boulders once more and continued watching the battlefield. He discovered that each clan emphasized different styles of combat. The Dragon Clan excelled at water-based divine arts, with broad attack ranges and formidable power, but their defenses were relatively weak. The Phoenix Clan excelled at fire-based divine arts, with sharp attacks and the ability to be reborn through nirvana, granting them tremendous recovery ability, though their vitality was comparatively lacking. The Qilin Clan excelled at earth-based divine arts, possessing powerful defenses and astonishing strength, but their speed was slower.

In terms of combat strength, the Dragon Clan's overall power was the greatest. After all, it was one of the overlords of the Primordial World, with deep foundations. Yet the Phoenix Clan and Qilin Clan, working together, happened to counter the Dragon Clan, leaving the battle locked in a stalemate. Xuan Chen estimated that, at the three clans' current rate of attrition, it would take at least several hundred years to determine a victor. The Dragon-Han Calamity's true end would likely take even longer. After all, the three clans' top combatants had yet to act. Once those Quasi-Saint-level experts entered the fray, the intensity of the war would rise geometrically.

It seems the Primordial World will remain engulfed in war for the next several hundred years. Xuan Chen mused inwardly. He knew he had to improve his strength as quickly as possible, while also helping Nüwa and Fuxi break through their realms, if they were to gain a firm foothold in the future calamity. Obtaining the three clans' essence blood greatly boosted his confidence. With this essence blood, together with the Chaos True Water and Primordial Unity Origin Power he had acquired before, he could refine a batch of high-grade auxiliary pills—such as the Three-Clan Essence-Blood Pill—which could greatly increase a cultivator's cultivation and combat power. They would be of enormous help to Nüwa and Fuxi's cultivation.

After observing for half a shichen, Xuan Chen saw no major changes in the battlefield and stopped lingering. He put away the jade bottles, flashed, transformed into a streak of chaotic light once more, and sped toward Mount Buzhou. His trip to Dustbreak Valley had not only smoothly secured the three clans' essence blood, but also given him a clear grasp of their combat strength. His gains had been plentiful indeed.

Along the way, Xuan Chen encountered several more small-scale battlefields involving the three clans, but he did not make another move. He had already gathered enough essence blood, so there was no need to take unnecessary risks. Besides, after traveling continuously for several days, he also needed time to digest the gains from this treasure seizure and essence-blood collection.

As Xuan Chen traveled, he circulated the Chaos Dao Art, refining the Primordial Unity Origin Power within his body. The 10% Primordial Unity Origin Power he had received for completing the main quest had faintly shown signs of pushing his cultivation toward a breakthrough, bringing him another step closer to the Mid-Stage Primordial Golden Immortal realm. At the same time, he tried to comprehend the newly unlocked divine ability, Water Control. As his familiarity with this ability gradually deepened, he could feel the water-element energy between heaven and earth becoming increasingly intimate with him. With a mere gesture, he could command enormous quantities of seawater, unleashing astonishing power.

Several days later, Xuan Chen finally caught sight of Mount Buzhou's outline in the distance. Mount Buzhou towered into the clouds and pierced the heavens. Its immense, majestic body radiated dense innate spiritual qi, and it was one of the pillars of the Primordial World. Zichen Cave Abode was hidden within a valley deep in Mount Buzhou, shrouded by a Primordial Unity Defense Formation that made it nearly impossible for outsiders to detect.

Xuan Chen accelerated toward Zichen Cave Abode. He knew Nüwa and Fuxi must still be anxiously awaiting his return. He, too, could hardly wait to formally present the Proto-Dinghai Needle Iron to Nüwa and begin refining the Three-Clan Essence-Blood Pill, preparing for the most violent stage of the coming calamity.