Hundred Clans of Untainted Land had been engaged in battles for thousand years, the battle ended with the Three Clans of Dragon, Phoenix and Kylin reigning over Untainted Land and temporarily residing there. At the same time, the three Clans divided Untainted Land into three portions. Except for Blood Sea and the faraway land on the west side, basically, all other lands had been completely occupied by the three clans. This point in time, the Three Clans of Dragon, Phoenix and Kylin of Untainted Land flourished, and highly skilled swordsmen grew at an increasingly fast rate in the three clans internally. This moment Untainted Land had reached its pinnacle of growth.
The tyrant leaders had resulted in arrogance among everyone in their clan, especially the descendants of the higher authorities in the clans. They were haughty and pompous, constantly asserting superiority over everyone else. This resulted in continuous conflicts among the clans and, as time passed, their misunderstandings became even worse.
Zu Long (Ancestor of Dragon Clan), Lord of Phoenix Clan, and Forefather of Kylin, naturally were aware of all these. They knew a war would soon break out among the clans, but it was still too early. The thousand-year-long battle had dealt great losses to the clans. While the prosperity of Untainted Land was with them, it was the best time to not only recuperate but also grow the strength of their clans. Meanwhile, none of them had the confidence to win.
The three leaders of the clans were already at the peak of Da Luo Golden Immortal. They had been trapped in this realm for thousands of years, and they could not move forward, not even an inch. Even though they felt that they were just a door away from being a Sage-to-be, the door was nonetheless closed to them.
At last, they all recalled the Merit from Heaven at the beginning, and remembered the one that made the 3,600 pieces of Enlightenment Tablets as a sermon for Untainted Land would get the reward from the Way of Heaven. The benefits of the merit were well known to them. If they were able to use the merit to make a breakthrough into the realm of Sage-to-be, that would be great.
With the thought, they did not hesitate to take action. The three clans immediately set up an altar and prepared numerous offerings. Prayers to the heaven were a sacred matter that should not be taken lightly. Moreover, it concerned the future of the clans. The Way of Heaven was merciless but fair, so they must complete the prayers well with sincerity. When everything was ready, the leaders began their prayers across the four seas and eight lands.
"The Way of Heaven above, l'm Zu Long, the Lord of Dragon Clan. l had been witnessing the chaos in the four seas. Grant us the power to unite the Scute Clan that has been fighting each other. Here l pray, from today onwards, Dragon Clan will be the Lord of Scute Clan." The moment he finished, the merit rained down from heaven. After Zu Long received a big portion of the merit, he immediately broke through into the Sage-to-be realm. It was a pity that he did not have the power of the Way of Separation, or he might have been able to execute a good or evil separation.
"The Way of Heaven above, l'm the Lord of the Phoenix Clan. My clan witnesses the chaos of Untainted Land and how the Fowls Clan had been having internal conflict. Grant us power to unite the Fowls Clan. Here l pray to thee, from today onwards, the Phoenix Clan will be the Lord of Fowls Clan." It was followed by Forefather of Kylin, who said, "The Way of Heaven above, l'm the Lord and Ancestor of Kylin Clan. My clan witnesses the chaos of Untainted Land and how the Beast Clan battles continuously. Grant us power so we can unite the Beast Clan. Here l pray to thee, from today onwards, the Kylin Clan will be the Lord of the Beast Clan."
After the prayers, the Way of Heaven descended two strokes of merit. Once both Lord of Phoenix and Forefather of Kylin received the merit, they successfully broke through into the Sage-to-be realm. For a moment, the luck of the three clans was better than ever before. However, the three leaders decided to meditate in solitude to stabilize their realms. Thus the three clans were left in temporary peace.
These actions by the three clans naturally caught the attention of those in Untainted Land. They felt hopeless because most of the prosperity in the land was taken by those three clans. They could only wait and see. But there were also those among them wanting to borrow their luck and breaking into the Sage-to-be realm. Some went to seek refuge with Dragon clan, some with Phoenix clan, or some with Kylin clan. This way, the power of the clans only got bigger.
The three clans were at the top of their game, and naturally no one dared to provoke them. But there were always exceptions. Deep in the mountains far away in the west, a pitch black palace surrounded by black spiritual mist stood. The mist was curious and strange as it was similar to the Killing Intent of Heaven and Earth, and yet it was different.
The mist surrounded the mountains as well. The thick fog was extremely creepy, and shadow could be vaguely seen moving in it. These shadows were oddly-shaped, however, they even made occasional roaring noises. Their evil intent was blatant.
Inside the palace situated in the center of the mountains, a black-robed man sat above a black lotus. If Ming He was there, he would know that this lotus was the Black Lotus of Destruction, of the same origin with his Red Lotus of Fire. And he would naturally know the identity of the black-robed man as well. He was the Lord of Demons, Luo Hou, and the ones outside were his minions from the Demon Clan.
After Luo Hou heard the prayers of the three clans, he sneered. "Ignorant fools. You all have been cultivating for years, and with the help of the Way of Heaven's Merit, you finally enter the Sage-to-be realm, but not know that you're in the midst of a tribulation. So what, as a Sage-to-be late stage cultivator, killing you all will be as easy as killing an ant. Given that the three clans are big, I'll also need a well thought-out plan. But who was the one that released the sermon of Untainted Land the last time. Could it be Hong Jun?"
Luo Hou and Hong Jun were both created by the remnant soul of the Rakshasa, and the first to experience the Cultivation Tribulation of the creation of heaven and earth. Luo Hou, as the ancestor of the Demon Clan, would definitely vie for the prosperity of Untainted Land to obtain the Mix Nascent Core. But the Demon Clan's power paled in comparison to the three clans. Even though Luo Hou was nearly peerless, it was not enough. For him to succeed, he had to incite the three clans to war. He could only reap the benefits when they were at their weakest.
Meanwhile in the east of Untainted Land, among the holy mountain sat an old taoist with a broken Jade Scroll in his hand. As he looked in the direction where Heaven was descending merit, he sighed. "The Way of Heaven is merciless, Heaven's will is like a sword and the cultivation tribulation has begun. I should get ready for the Way of the Origin. To be or not to be, it depends on the cultivation tribulation. But who was the one that hastened the arrival of Cultivation Tribulation?"
Cultivation Tribulation had begun and Heaven's will had been messed up. Thus Luo Hou and the old taoist naturally were unable to predict Ming He's existence. Ming He did not know that someone was watching him and was enjoying life on Sacred Island above Blood Sea. He had no other choice, as the three clans were overwhelmingly powerful, and there were highly skilled remnant souls of the Rakshasa like Luo Hou and Hong Jun. If he appeared now, he would be likely to be eyed upon. He might as well wait for the war began and then go out to pick any leftovers.
On his island, Ming He napped on an armchair. By his side were a plate of spiritual fruits and a pot of tea, giving him a sense of comfort and relaxation. Not far away was the forest formed by the spiritual roots, where the highest grade primordial spiritual roots, the Yellow Plum Tree, sat center. After tens of thousands of years of cultivation, the tree had fully recovered and flowers were budding on its branches. On its side were naturally the Primordial Spiritual Roots Tea Tree and the Enlightenment Fruit Tree.
The tea that Ming He was drinking was plucked from this Primordial Spiritual Roots Tea Tree. Its taste was indescribably wonderful. As for the enlightenment fruit, Ming He had eaten three pieces. Otherwise, his cultivation would not have gone so smoothly. Ming He put the remaining fruits away. It would a waste for him to eat anymore, for it wouldn't improve his cultivation. It would be better for him to leave them for his disciples. Moreover, he did not lack spiritual fruits to eat.