Secret Schemes of the Three Clans

Deep within the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was suffocating.

Ancestral Dragon slowly rose from his throne. The terrifying pressure that surpassed the Great Firmament Realm made the entire Crystal Palace tremble faintly.

"Candle Dragon, you will personally handle the purge within the Dragon Clan. Remember, anyone tainted by Demonic Qi, regardless of status, will be thrown into Dragon Burial Abyss and suppressed with the Nine Nether Cold Spring! Any who resist will be killed without mercy!"

Ancestral Dragon's voice was cold and merciless, carrying the resolve of a warrior cutting off his own arm.

"Yes, Big Brother! I'll see to it at once." Candle Dragon accepted the order and strode away.

Ancestral Dragon drew a deep breath, his gaze piercing through layer upon layer of seawater toward the Primordial Wilderness Continent.

"Luo Hou... you old devil. You actually wanted to use our three clans as chess pieces, to sacrifice the flesh and blood of our clansmen to refine your demonic path. If word had not leaked when those demonized Dragon Clan elders massacred living beings, you might truly have succeeded."

Even now, the thought still left Ancestral Dragon with lingering fear. Had the information not been exposed, even he would never have realized that Luo Hou had infiltrated the Dragon Clan so deeply. Then his form instantly became a streak of golden light, tearing through space and vanishing above the Eastern Sea.

Several days later, within a concealed stretch of void billions of miles east of Mount Buzhou in the Central Continent of the Primordial World.

Ancestral Dragon stood with his hands behind his back, clad in golden armor.

A man and a woman stood opposite him.

The man wore a black jade robe. His features were refined, yet he possessed a grave majesty that did not need anger to inspire fear.

The woman wore a crimson imperial robe. Her beauty was peerless, and the untamed Southern Bright Flame burned between her brows.

"Ancestral Dragon, you old loach, you suddenly sent word and summoned us for a secret meeting here. What exactly are you plotting?"

Origin Phoenix broke the silence first. She stared coldly at Ancestral Dragon, her eyes still filled with undisguised hostility. "If you mean to seek peace, I advise you to kill that thought as soon as possible! Two Late Great Principal elders of my Phoenix Clan died. That debt of blood must be repaid with the blood of your Dragon Clan!"

"Madwoman, stop raving here!"

Ancestral Dragon frowned and snapped back without restraint. "I already told you, those two elders were not killed by my Dragon Clan! If I had wanted to kill them, why would I need to hide my head and show my tail?"

"If it wasn't you, then was it that hypocrite Primordial Qilin?!" Origin Phoenix laughed in furious disbelief.

"Fellow Daoist Origin Phoenix, rice may be eaten carelessly, but words cannot be spoken carelessly."

Primordial Qilin glanced at Origin Phoenix indifferently. "My Qilin Clan also lost an Early Zenith Heaven elder in the northern Thunder Marsh. If we truly were plotting against one another, such methods would be far too clumsy."

"You..." Origin Phoenix wanted to say more, but Ancestral Dragon cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"Enough! I did not bring you here today to quarrel!"

Ancestral Dragon's expression was more solemn than ever. His gaze swept over Origin Phoenix and Primordial Qilin as he said in a deep voice, "Have you not noticed that some of your clansmen have been acting strangely lately?"

The moment those words fell, Origin Phoenix and Primordial Qilin's pupils contracted, and their expressions changed at once.

"It seems you have noticed as well."

Ancestral Dragon sneered. "Their eyes turn scarlet, their minds become frenzied, they develop a thirst for slaughter, and even their Primordial Spirits are contaminated by a strange black aura... This is not Tribulation Aura entering their bodies at all. It is Demonic Qi!"

"Demonic Qi?!" Origin Phoenix and Primordial Qilin cried out in unison.

"That's right, Demonic Qi!"

Ancestral Dragon gritted his teeth. "That old devil in the west has shut himself away, and I thought he was quietly reciting the Yellow Court Scripture. Who would have thought his schemes ran so deep? He has actually reached directly into the ranks of our three clans and used Demonic Qi to corrupt my people."

"Luo Hou!"

Primordial Qilin clenched his fists, and a terrifying killing intent flashed through his eyes. "That old devil has quite the appetite! Is he not afraid of choking himself to death?!"

Origin Phoenix's face was equally livid. When she heard the information about the Dragon Clan, she had reveled in it for quite some time. Yet when she cautiously began investigating the Phoenix Clan, she found the same thing. She could hardly bear it.

"Since he dared to do it, he naturally has something to rely on."

Ancestral Dragon took a deep breath. "Our three clans have already fought ourselves to the point of grievous losses in our struggle for the fortune of heaven and earth. If we continue killing one another without restraint, Luo Hou will only reap the benefits in the end. Perhaps... even Hongjun of Mount Yujing, who has kept his doors shut all this time!"

"With Luo Hou causing this mess, I do not believe Hongjun can truly be so honest either."

"What do you propose, then?" Primordial Qilin asked gravely.

"A truce."

Ancestral Dragon uttered two words, each striking the ground like a hammer blow.

"Impossible!" Origin Phoenix refused without a moment's thought. "Countless Phoenix Clan members have died or been wounded. If we stop now, how am I supposed to answer to my people?!"

"Answer to them? What answer do you want?!"

Ancestral Dragon roared, "Do you want to watch the last remnants of your Phoenix Clan's bloodline become corrupted by Demonic Qi and turned into puppets in Luo Hou's hands, or do you want to watch our three clans perish together and hand the position of overlord of the Primordial World over to others?!"

Origin Phoenix was stunned by Ancestral Dragon's roar. Though unwillingness still filled her heart, reason told her that he was right.

"A truce is possible, but there must be a plan."

After pondering for a moment, Primordial Qilin said, "The grudges between our three clans run too deep. If we suddenly announce a truce, the people below will be impossible to restrain. Moreover, since Luo Hou has already made his move, he will never simply watch us lay down our weapons and make peace."

"That is why we need a 'decisive battle.'"

A sharp glint flashed through Ancestral Dragon's eyes. "A 'decisive battle' for Luo Hou to see, and for all living beings of the Primordial World to see!"

"You mean..." Origin Phoenix and Primordial Qilin were both intelligent people. They immediately understood Ancestral Dragon's intention.

"Our three clans will each send out those clansmen who have already been corrupted by Demonic Qi beyond salvation, along with elders whose grievous wounds cannot heal. At the edge of the Western Continent, we will stage a 'final decisive battle'!"

Ancestral Dragon's voice was cold to the extreme. "Use their blood to quell the resentment within our clans, while taking this opportunity to draw Luo Hou's attention over completely!"

"Meanwhile, the elites and core foundations of our three clans will take the chance to shrink our defenses, retreat to the Four Seas, Undying Volcano, and Qilin Cliff, seal our mountains, and wait quietly for the right moment!"

Origin Phoenix and Primordial Qilin both sucked in a cold breath after hearing this.

What ruthless means!

They would use the lives of some of their own clansmen in exchange for the chance of survival for the three clans!

Yet they had to admit that, in this deadlock, it was already the only way to break the impasse.

"Fine, I agree." Primordial Qilin closed his eyes and nodded with difficulty.

"My Phoenix Clan... agrees as well." Origin Phoenix gritted her teeth, pain and resolve flashing through her eyes.

"Since that is so, return and make your preparations. One hundred years from now, beneath Mount Sumeru at the edge of the Western Continent, we shall fight to the death!"

Ancestral Dragon swept his sleeve, removing the law barrier of the separate space, then transformed into golden light and fled away.

Origin Phoenix and Primordial Qilin each sighed before vanishing from where they stood.