Chapter 142

Because of the tragic death of the Fire Qilin, the three clans totally tore apart their faces, all kinds of news spread out, and even Qi, who was in Cloud Dream Marsh, could hear all sorts of true and false rumors.

The war of the three clans began; after discovering they could not resist the Dragon Clan's water‑gathering tactic, they also cast aside their previous promises, and battles of Great Luo Golden Immortal level erupted everywhere.

The Phoenix Clan originally wanted to stay out of it, but neither side gave it this chance, fearing it would finally reap the fruits of victory.

The entire Wasteland was shrouded in shadow, after all this was not merely a struggle among the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans, but expanded to involve all the myriad races of the Wasteland.

Flying creatures, beasts, and scaled armor—these three categories encompass all things; from the innately divine down to mundane living beings, they all slaughtered each other.

Cloud Dream Marsh also saw considerable internal strife, after all its living beings also fell within the scope of those three categories.

Moreover, many ambitious figures appeared, stirring up wind and rain in the Wasteland.

Qi felt nothing about this, merely dispatching countless vacant islands to take in those beings unwilling to join the great war into Cloud Dream Marsh.

Then he activated the grand formation, enveloping the entire Cloud Dream Marsh and cutting it off from the outside world; these islands also became rare havens in the Wasteland.

Under the protection of the Cloud Dream Stars Grand Formation, Qi and Taiyi Nüwa could, amidst the Great Calamity, sit back and watch the changes of heaven and earth.

"According to earlier calculations, the duration of this three‑clan great calamity is likely several times that of the ferocious beast great calamity, and no one knows how many living beings will die or be injured."

Nüwa's voice held a hint of reluctance; previously she had roamed the Wasteland alone, witnessing the myriad ways of life of all living beings and understanding their simplicity, thus she worried.

Taiyi and Qi, however, felt it was normal, and on the contrary thought a prolonged great calamity was a good thing, only to hear Qi say:

"A prolonged great calamity means they are destined not to continuously launch large‑scale wars, which is actually a good thing."

"In these epochs, they will also worry that the war will be too horrendous, causing vital energy to be severely damaged or even leading to extinction of the clan."

"In the time ahead, small‑scale skirmishes and constant friction will likely be the norm; as for all‑out war, at most two rounds."

"If there were another round, they could not endure it, facing the risk of extinction, which would put the cart before the horse relative to their goals."

"Although each clan will suffer heavy losses, the damage to the Wasteland's heaven and earth will be much smaller, far short of the devastation seen during the ferocious beast great calamity."

Taiyi also quite agreed, saying:

"Daoist friend Nüwa, you are too soft‑hearted; all wounds will be soothed in the long passage of time."

"Even the ferocious beast great calamity of former years, which threw the entire Wasteland into lifeless chaos, has left no trace after this long time, has it not?"

"Everyone saw the devastation of the Bei Fang Continent back then; now it has recovered well, exuding vigorous vitality."

As innate divine beings, our imperishable Dao fruit is enough to withstand the scouring of time; all we need to do during the great calamity is preserve the spark.

Leave the rest to time; the power of ordinary beings is not as weak as you imagine—the tenacity of their vitality, in my view, actually surpasses that of the three clans.

Upon hearing this, Nüwa's heart eased slightly, and she retorted:

"Time indeed possesses boundless great power, but you claim their vitality exceeds that of the three clans—I find that hard to accept; compared to the three clans, they are too tiny and thus deserve more attention."

Qi laughed and said:

"Nüwa, you underestimate them too much; they are like the wild grasses spread across the primordial wilderness, compared to those great trees, they seem short-lived, yet they continually grow and sprout through the ages."

"A single tree, perhaps, can witness countless cycles of wild grasses withering and flourishing, but when the tree falls, those grasses will still continue to grow and sprout when spring arrives."

As Qi spoke, he pointed lightly at a small island in the distance; countless plants began to grow, then withered and turned yellow.

Time seemed to keep accelerating; the original saplings turned into towering trees, then slowly withered and rotted.

Meanwhile, the original wild grasses kept renewing themselves between withering and flourishing, lush and verdant.

Seeing Nüwa nod, Qi suddenly shattered the whole island, sinking it into the water.

Nüwa's eyes showed a hint of confusion; she turned her head to look at Qi again, not understanding why he would act so.

"Thus we see, as long as their living space is not destroyed, those beings will survive like wild grasses, enduring constant cycles of withering and flourishing."

"Although tiny, they are actually full of vitality; as divine beings, we need only ensure their living space remains intact and preserve for them the seeds of hope."

"No need for excessive interference; they have their own laws of survival—this is my understanding as an earth deity."

"And the destroyed island is the result of the deities' reckless interference; heaven and earth change at the whim of the gods, so what should the beings living there do when faced with such environmental change?"

Nüwa fell into contemplation.

Taiyi raised his hand and waved toward the sky; a blazing sun appeared, sunlight continuously shining on the spot where the small island had been, and the previous result changed again.

Nüwa saw tiny bubbles emerging from the water; the wild grasses that originally lived in the soil gradually transformed in the accelerated time, sprouting anew in the water.

The drastic environmental change led to the utter destruction of the wild grasses, yet it continually drove their new evolution.

Nüwa seemed lost in thought.

Qi and Taiyi also did not disturb Nüwa; they simply sat quietly beside her, drinking tea, waiting for her to awaken from her reverie.

After a long while, Nüwa finally sighed and said:

"Life truly is a miracle on the path of creation; perhaps sometimes I have overlooked those minute forces—they are tiny yet mighty."

Seeing this, Qi and Taiyi both rose, clasped their hands, and congratulated Nüwa:

"Congratulations, Daoist Nüwa; your Dao has progressed, and the Great Dao awaits."

"Thank you, fellow Daoists Qi and Taiyi, for your guidance; I hope to attain the Great Dao together with you."

The three smiled at each other.

While the three gathered to celebrate, on an island in Yunmze Marsh, Bai Ling gazed at the enormous medicinal garden before her, her confusion growing ever deeper.

"How come these immortal herbs look less and less like they've been tended by anyone."

"And where are the immortal herbs I used to plant? Not a single stalk remains, not even something similar!"

As she spoke, Bai Ling spat out the tasteless immortal herb she had been chewing, gave a disgusted 'pah', and said:

"What is this stuff? It's disgusting!"

Immediately afterward, she began sorting through the medicinal garden, picking out herbs that looked edible and putting them in her mouth, eating while constantly complaining.

Elsewhere, the flames of war kept spreading, expanding across the entire primordial wilderness, east and west.

Strands of invisible calamitous qi began to spread through the air; anyone heavily entangled in cause and effect was enveloped by it.

(End of chapter)