Chapter Fourteen: The Great War of the Three Clans

“How dare those damp, egg-laying creatures try to deceive me?” Yuanshi said indignantly.

“Second Brother, there’s no need to trouble yourself,” Tongtian replied, his tone brimming with confidence. “If they dare to invade Kunlun, I’ll cut them down with a single sword.”

Laozi frowned. Though he found Yuanshi and Tongtian reckless, he said nothing; after all, they had been provoked beyond endurance.

Just as the Three Primes thought the matter settled and prepared to retire, a young servant entered with another message—someone had come to visit.

Another visitor?

The Three Primes exchanged glances, each surprised.

“Let them in,” Tongtian instructed.

The servant bowed and withdrew. Soon after, a small group entered the grand hall of Kunlun. Their leader stepped forward and saluted the Three Primes.

“I am an emissary of the alliance between the Phoenix and Qilin clans. Having heard that you three are the incarnations of Pangu’s divine spirit, beings of boundless power, I have come to invite you to join us in opposing the Dragon Clan, to restore the primordial world to clarity and order.”

This envoy’s manners were impeccable, his words sincere—a stark contrast to the arrogance of the previous dragon envoy. At the end, he and his companions bowed deeply to the Three Primes, demonstrating their respect.

This courteous approach improved the Three Primes’ impression of the Phoenix and Qilin clans, soothing their tempers after the dragon envoy’s offense. Given that they had just offended the dragons, the Three Primes quickly exchanged a glance, communicating silently, and decided to accept the alliance’s invitation.

Yuanshi spoke: “We have long harbored resentment against the Dragon Clan’s wickedness, but being few in number, we remained secluded in Kunlun, preferring not to see or be troubled. Now your arrival is most welcome.”

“You three are truly virtuous,” the envoy praised, bowing again, his face full of admiration.

Yuanshi and Tongtian were pleased by his attitude. Laozi, ever aloof, felt little, merely saying, “Thank you for making this journey. The three of us will arrive in a few days.”

“It is my duty; I dare not call it a hardship,” the envoy replied, saluting again. “The Ancestral Dragon has summoned our two clans for a decisive battle in ten years. Please make your preparations. On behalf of the Primordial Phoenix and the Qilin Emperor, I welcome you.”

“Very well,” the Three Primes nodded.

After the envoy departed, the Three Primes exchanged silent glances.

“Why do I feel something isn’t right?” Tongtian murmured, then shook his head.

Laozi sensed they were being manipulated, but could not discern the details, so he kept silent.

...

Since the Ancestral Dragon’s declaration of war, all three clans had been on edge. Scattered kinfolk began to gather; the Phoenix and Qilin clans, following Li Tian’s advice, offered enticements to recruit allies, attracting many—though few of true strength. The only major addition was the Three Primes themselves, whom Li Tian had drawn in. The Dragon Clan soon learned of this and, after discussion, the Ancestral Dragon also opened the clan’s treasury to lure experts, assembling a formidable force.

Time passed swiftly, and the date of war approached. At last, the conflict erupted quietly one night.

The Ancestral Dragon led the elite of the Dragon Clan in a sudden assault days before the agreed battle, catching the Phoenix and Qilin clans off guard, and slaughtered many of their people.

The Primordial Phoenix and the First Qilin, furious at the ambush, immediately gathered their champions for a counterattack. The battlefield became a cacophony of slaughter. By dawn, the land for tens of millions of miles lay devastated. The Phoenix and Qilin suffered heavy losses, while the dragons, taking advantage of surprise, offset their numerical disadvantage.

“Ancestral Dragon, you treacherous wretch!” the First Qilin shouted from the front of the allied forces, furious at the dragon’s betrayal and the sudden attack.

“In war, all is fair. You have only yourselves to blame for your carelessness,” the Ancestral Dragon replied indifferently.

Having balanced the odds with his ambush, the Ancestral Dragon was jubilant, paying no heed to the Qilin’s outrage—if anything, he became more smug.

“Despicable!” roared the First Qilin, immediately ordering an attack. “Everyone, follow me—kill the cursed dragons!”

“Kill!”

The two clans’ armies, incensed by the dragons’ shameless tactics, unleashed their spells and powers without hesitation, surging forward in battle.

Dragons soared and phoenixes danced through the heavens; thunder, fire, and a barrage of other attacks filled the sky. Li Tian, Fuxi, and Nuwa led their guest legions into the fray, fighting alongside the now-renowned Three Primes.

Yuanshi and Tongtian, in the middle stage of the Golden Immortal of the Great Firmament, and Laozi, already in the late stage, became killing machines on the battlefield—few could withstand even a single blow from them.

Li Tian and the others also joined the slaughter, but after a time, seeing no one paying them heed, they withdrew. The previous night’s battle had already brought Li Tian and Fuxi great merit, nearly cleansing them of their karmic burdens, so they were no longer eager to kill dragons—self-preservation took precedence.

Later, to avoid traumatizing Nuwa, Li Tian and Fuxi discussed and decided to withdraw with her from the battlefield. After all, when this war ended, none of the three clans would pose a threat; they no longer feared burning bridges.

After their departure, the war among the three clans grew ever fiercer. In the end, all sides became consumed by bloodlust, fighting at close quarters like wild beasts. Prolonged slaughter awakened their savagery, turning each into a brutal killing machine, determined to drag their enemies down even at the cost of grievous wounds.

Rivers of blood pooled and flowed underground, seemingly drawn by some mysterious force, tracing a strange pattern across the land—unnoticed by all.

At one corner of the battlefield, the Three Primes slew several dragons besieging them, then soared into the air, while the dragon corpses crashed to the earth, gouging deep pits.

“Where are the Daoist friends of the Supreme Heavens?” Tongtian recalled their recent acquaintance with Li Tian and his companions and scanned the field, but saw no sign of them.

Laozi and Yuanshi swept the battlefield with their divine senses, exchanged a glance, and fell silent.

Tongtian was equally dumbfounded. Looking around at the frenzied combatants, he suggested, “Why don’t we slip away as well?”

Laozi: “...”

Yuanshi: “...”

...

After days of slaughter, the three clans’ numbers dwindled precipitously. Each had once numbered in the tens of millions—now, combined, they scarcely reached a thousand. For hundreds of millions of miles, the land was strewn with corpses, severed limbs scattered everywhere.

During this time, Li Tian secretly returned to the battlefield several times, and when no one was watching, quietly collected corpses of divine beasts above the Golden Immortal of the Great Firmament using his storage treasure—intending to consume them slowly in the future, since after this war, such powerful beasts would be nearly impossible to find.

One day, as the three clans battled, the land suddenly trembled violently.

The earth split open to reveal a massive chasm, within which endless blood gathered, forming a raging sea of blood, its murderous aura billowing into the heavens.

Boundless black miasma surged forth. A man with black hair and black robes, standing atop a black lotus and wielding a dark divine spear, slowly emerged from the blood sea, wreathed in endless shadow.