Chapter 121

Elder brother, nowadays our territory bordering the phoenix and qilin clans is growing larger and larger; many tribes below are complaining, saying the other side is too overbearing.

What attitude should we take to resolve these things?

Azure Dragon found this somewhat troublesome; he felt that all the news he had heard lately was of this sort, because trivial little matters were causing many conflicts.

Ancient Dragon, however, said unconcernedly:

It's fine, just a bit of minor friction; as long as we ensure the overall interests of the major clans are not harmed, the tribes under them can settle things themselves.

Overbearing? Perhaps it's not just the other side that has a problem; nowadays there is no unavoidable conflict among the three clans, and whoever it is would choose to suppress these voices, so there's no need to worry.

Yuan Feng and Shi Qilin would not be so foolish; now is not the time to erupt in conflict, as their own internal problems are not yet fully resolved, and the wilderness is still vast enough.

The voices you have heard are merely due to a smooth development; only these contradictions exist, making them sufficiently conspicuous.

Ancient Dragon has an extremely clear understanding of the current situation; this is the tacit understanding between him and Yuan Feng and the others: prioritize solving internal problems, and only when there is no further room for advancement should conflict erupt, not now.

For the present dragon clan, the foremost goal is always the thorough integration of the scaled-armor clan, especially the snake tribe, which is a hard nut to crack.

They are powerful, with deep foundations, and being also scaled-armor, they inherently possess the legitimacy to inherit the dragon clan's legacy; that is the dragon clan's current major internal threat.

Merely letting the Teng Snake lineage join the dragon clan could never satisfy Ancient Dragon's ambition; his goal is certainly not limited to that.

What you need to focus on now is not these things, but rather to swiftly bring the snake tribe under the dragon clan's rule; only then can our ambition have a chance of success, and the dragon clan can truly roam the nine heavens.

Ancient Dragon's words left Azure Dragon somewhat surprised, and he involuntarily asked:

Hasn't the Teng Snake already joined the dragon clan? This already shows the snake tribe's attitude; why, elder brother, would you say such a thing? Moreover, the snake tribe's strength and antiquity make the difficulty self-evident.

Ancient Dragon, however, said:

Precisely because of this, we should all the more incorporate the entire snake tribe into the dragon clan; you know, he is also scaled-armor like us.

Ancient Dragon's words plunged Azure Dragon into deep thought; he did not understand why Ancient Dragon would have such an idea, since being scaled-armor alike should be a good thing—how could elder brother worry about this?

Ancient Dragon had no intention of explaining further, after all, there were some hidden motives; it's better not to taint Azure Dragon with them.

Although Azure Dragon did not understand, he would carry it out meticulously, after all, Ancient Dragon had never been mistaken.

He believed that Ancient Dragon would also lead them to continue walking the correct path.

Kunlun Mountain.

Shi Qilin is likewise; he is not now worried about conflict with the other two clans, but instead feels anxious about the White Tiger clan.

Located in the west, they are hard to interfere with; innately they wield slaughter, possess a sharp-metal aura, excel greatly in combat techniques, and among beasts they bear the most kingly appearance.

This makes Shi Qilin deeply wary, even more than the dragon and snake; yet he has no reason to act against them, cannot win them over by benefit, and their fighting strength is overwhelmingly formidable, causing headaches.

Having no other recourse, he went to the shore of the Eastern Sea to seek advice; there was an innate divine being with a dragon's head, green hair and horns, four legs in a flying beast form, capable of speech, and knowing the essence of all things.

His name was Bai Ze, a sage.

Bai Ze told him, since the other side bears a kingly appearance, you may enfeoff him as king; likewise, enfeoff as king those you praise who could compete with him, and by balancing between the two you can ensure peace for all ages.

Although Shi Qilin knew this was a method of inviting chaos, which would cause great internal strife among the beasts, and he had no better solution, he thus followed Bai Ze's scheme.

Make the tiger tribe king of the forest, while praising the remaining predators among the beasts, making the lion tribe king of the grasslands and the leopard tribe king of the jungles.

From then on, within the beast tribe no species could threaten the qilin's position; yet at the same time, the beast tribe would no longer unite, falling into continual internal depletion.

After hearing of this, Ancient Dragon and Yuan Feng also went to seek Bai Ze, hoping to obtain a method to resolve internal problems, but unfortunately they could not find Bai Ze.

Yunmeng Marsh.

Nüwa kept assuring that she had destroyed all past recordings, absolutely leaving no trace of anyone's previous dark history; unfortunately, no one believed her, especially Fuxi.

From then on, whenever people drank alcohol they would pay extra attention to Nüwa's actions, constantly maintaining their own image, fearing that her recordings would be shared and cause them to lose face.

What a lack of righteousness! Fuxi came and didn't even warn me, just fled alone, leaving me to face it myself!

When no one was around, Nüwa kept complaining that Qi had left by himself at that time; Qi merely smiled silently at the side, while thinking to himself:

If Fuxi hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have known you kept so many images of people drunk; I nearly would have had my reputation ruined.

Nüwa seemed to notice Qi's absentmindedness, and asked in an unfriendly tone:

Are you badmouthing me in your heart?

Only then did Qi realize he had been silent for too long, and he hurriedly replied:

How could that be? I was merely reflecting on my own mistake; rest assured, next time I will definitely not leave you alone to face it.

Although Qi was certain he would still leave first next time, this did not prevent him from making a promise before Nüwa now, attempting to regain some credibility.

Faced with Nüwa's suspicious gaze, Qi felt for the first time that the atmosphere would be so awkward; fortunately, Nüwa did not press further, only hearing her laugh again:

Forget it; although I know you're talking nonsense, for now I'll reluctantly believe you once—remember, don't let it happen again!

Qi was speechless; Nüwa seemed to have always been like this since they met, never taking anything to heart, forever lively.

Even when she was using the Five Elements Spirit Pearls to blast vicious beasts.

Hmm… well, Qi still couldn't imagine such a person actually liking to use spirit treasures whose effects are extremely simple and brutal.

Since everyone became acquainted, it seems Nüwa and Taiyi have never changed; whether it's me, Fuxi, or Di Jun, we have all at times been confused on the Dao, or unable to gain a clear understanding.

But how can Taiyi and Nüwa always maintain that seek-the-Dao heart as before?

After parting with Nüwa, Qi involuntarily thought of this question, but got no answer.

After sitting alone awhile in the Heart-of-the-Pond Pavilion, Qi finally sighed:

I wish they could remain so forever; at least that would mean we too have never changed.

(End of chapter)