Chapter Four: The Three Primordial Clans

It is said that Pangu sacrificed himself to transform the primordial chaos, giving rise to countless things.

A wind brushed past a cloud, and the cloud, wishing to accompany the phoenix for a lifetime, began—deliberately or unconsciously—to awaken to consciousness, pondering how to keep the phoenix by its side. As the cloud fell into contemplation, it discovered that the spiritual energy in the air could strengthen itself, and so it began to absorb this energy intentionally. Of course, this is but a metaphor; through a series of coincidences, new life emerged in the primordial wilderness.

No one knows how many years passed, but within the boundless wilds, myriad monstrous forms came into being. These newly born creatures were the first beings shaped by the opening of the heavens by Pangu. At the moment they took form, the three thousand demon gods slain by Pangu seized the opportunity to invade their bodies. Those with weak wills fell prey to possession, while those who resisted were instead imbued with martial skills and spiritual arts from the demon gods.

Why did the three thousand demon gods seize the chance to stir chaos? Because, in their death, their unwillingness lingered, and the great Dao granted them a slim chance of survival. Thus, these scenes unfolded.

The new beings roaming the wilds gradually realized, through repeated battles, the limits of their own power. They understood the necessity of uniting every possible force to ensure survival and to steadily strengthen themselves, striving for dominance over the wilderness.

At this time, three clans relied upon one another and gradually carved out their own reputations throughout the primordial world. These were the Dragon Clan, the Phoenix Clan, and the Qilin Clan.

The ancestral dragon of the Dragon Clan was a formidable existence, rivaling the might of a True Immortal of Taiyi. He understood deeply the limits of individual strength and so developed his own tribe. The dragons, endowed with innate mastery over water, governed all scaled creatures of the wilderness, establishing their power in the vast expanse near the Eastern Sea. Because of their lustful nature, many new types of dragons arose: the legless soaring serpent, the scaled flood dragon, the horned dragon called the Jiao, the hornless Chi, the winged Ying, and many others.

With each successive generation, the Dragon Clan grew stronger and larger, becoming one of the great overlords of the wilderness. Yet, such rapid expansion brought drawbacks as well—the purity of their bloodline declined swiftly. Thus, like other clans, the dragons began to prohibit breeding outside their own tribe.

The phoenix, weakened after the birth of two children through the union of yin and yang, retreated to the Immortal Mountain in the south to cultivate and comprehend the path of rebirth. The traces of phoenix blood mingled with the subterranean fire of Immortal Mountain, giving rise to birds such as the Luan and Vermilion Bird: the red Vermilion Bird, the blue Luan, the yellow Yuanchu, the white Honghu, and the purple Yuanzhu.

Upon awakening again and seeing her young offspring, the phoenix resolved to dominate the wilderness and protect her children.

Yet, lacking sufficient strength, she lost her two children during a battle with enemies. Whenever she recalled this, the phoenix gnashed her beak in fury. Fortunately, the culprit behind the separation had already turned to ashes. For the sake of her offspring and the hope of someday reuniting with her children, the phoenix’s heart was stirred to wrath.

After ten thousand years of slaughter and tempering, under the phoenix’s leadership, the Phoenix Clan ultimately ruled over all flying creatures, becoming another great power in the wilderness.

The Qilin was born from the impure earth energy of Buzhou Mountain, suppressing the innate turbid and baleful qi beneath its roots. With every fierce conflict in heaven and earth, the resentment of fallen beings was absorbed by the land, forming innate turbid and baleful qi. As Buzhou Mountain was the center of the world, the accumulation of this energy grew ever greater.

Seeing this, the Qilin sought to reconcile warring parties; if peace could not be achieved, he would strip them of their cultivation. Yet, conflict throughout the wilds only intensified. To reduce the growth of subterranean baleful qi, the Qilin continued to suppress the innate turbid energy and, by combining the yin-yang energy of Buzhou Mountain’s earth with his own blood, produced the next generation.

Thus, the Qilin Clan became the smallest in numbers among the tribes of the wilderness, but each individual possessed extraordinary power. Gradually, they established their own influence, ruling over all beasts of the land.

Though the three clans had established territories and influence, they bore an inescapable responsibility: for the peace of the wilderness and for the rise of their tribes in the next great struggle.

In the blink of an eye, an era passed; this was the ninth epoch of the primordial world.

The three clans realized their opportunity had arrived.

In unison, they summoned their tribesmen, subordinates, and old friends, and began to offer prayers toward Buzhou Mountain.

“Since the opening of heaven and earth by the Celestial King Pangu, nine epochs have elapsed. The time of endless conflict among all beings has passed; a new era has dawned.

I, Daoist Ancestral Dragon, vow to lead the scaled creatures.
I, Daoist Phoenix, vow to guide the birds of the sky.
I, Daoist Qilin, vow to shepherd the beasts of the land.

May we bring peace to the wilderness! May the Dao and the Celestial King Pangu grant their blessing!”

At once, the sky was filled with excitement and spiritual energy; heaven bestowed merit upon them. A wheel of law appeared in the sky, and some called out in astonishment: “The Heavenly Dao’s Wheel of Law!” Since the beings had already taken form, they are referred to as people; readers, forgive the usage.

Because this was the first time merit had been bestowed upon all beings of the wilderness, the reward was immense. Those nearby received great benefits: some who had not yet taken form gained shape through merit, others advanced in cultivation.

The golden radiance of merit flowed into the bodies of the strong among the three clans. For the sake of peace, not only the three clans, but many other beings contributed as well, and the Heavenly Dao did not forget them.

Thus, the ancestors of the three clans greatly advanced in power: the Ancestral Dragon, long lingering at the late stage of True Immortal of Taiyi, ascended to the realm of Golden Immortal of Taiyi through this merit, a tremendous leap in strength. The other two ancestors rose similarly.

In a remote mountain in the east, an elderly man in a robe watched all this with an impassive face, sighing softly, “A great calamity approaches; where should I go?”

In a place of darkness and evil in the west, a man in black robes laughed loudly, “My opportunity has come!”

And in the eastern Kunlun Mountains, Tongtian looked at the merit earned by the three clans through their prayers, feeling much discomfort. In other stories, the first merit after the opening of the heavens always goes to the protagonist, and here he was, waiting bitterly for the great formation to activate.

Laozi continued his meditation, while Yuan Shi took the opportunity to chide Tongtian, “Little Lingbao, hurry and cultivate, or I won’t teach you the Dao!” Hearing this, Tongtian shuddered and returned to cultivation.

Unbeknownst to him, after a while, Laozi gave Yuan Shi a thumbs-up gesture, meaning, “Well done! I support you.”

Because of the three clans’ prayers, on the surface, the wilderness appeared calm and peaceful, but beneath it, a storm was already brewing.