War Council

"WHAT?"

Numerous creatures looked up having felt a dangerous feeling. The instincts of many innate creatures suddenly told them to flee and never look back.

The ominous sky of the East Continent were once clear despite the feeling of bloodlust in the air. But in moments had turned cloudy as if the heavens wanted to rain. Such a fast change of weather cannot mean anything good in the mind of eastern natives.

Above Mt Yujing however, it was a virtual thunderstorm. Lightning arced across the sky and thunder boomed all around. Parts of the greenery around the mountain were being incinerated and rovers running along the location were evaporating for no clear reason.

Any and all fauna decided the cultivation benefits were not worth risking their health and decided to temporarily flee.

The Zixiao Palace, despite all the shaking had managed to remains stable. It was a powerful treasure in the first place with a foundation far superior than Da Hai's own house. The Chaos Immortal would find it very hard to destroy it even at his current level.

But still, the shaking of the structure was doing no favours to the residents within. Particularly the two caretakers who looked after the place, Haotian and Yaochi.

Da Hai was enraged. How dare Hongjun not be available? He was one of the people who instigated this mess to begin with. In Da Hai's mind, Hongjun was equally as guilty as Luohu. So how dare he be missing?

"Please honoured guest," Haotian pleaded. "My master's location is unknown even to us. We can't give you an answer even if we wanted to. He's probably in the void healing his wounds."

Yaochi glanced up at her senior brother and frowned. "Why are you telling him anything?"

Haotian gave her a hard stare. "Do you want him to kill us?"

The white robed boy met Da Hai's enraged glare. Though this did little minimize the ruthless storm outside, it was clear to see that Da Hai's bloodlust was slowly dissipating.

It took at least two hours before the ferocious thunderstorm to completely peer out. Once that was done, the formations built into Mt Yujing started distorting spacetime around it again. It also took that long for Da Hai to move from his frozen spot.

He scoffed and turned around towards the rising moon. Twilight had arrived before he'd even noticed. So lost in his emotions again that he nearly flattened a good portion of the East Continent.

"It seems even the great and mighty Hongjun is a coward after all," he said beginning to chuckle.

Haotian moved quickly to clamp down on Yaochi's mouth. He shook his head at her aggrieved look.

"My master suffered greatly since the battle at Mt Buzhou honoured guest," he said to Da Hai. "It is unreasonable for him to move so soon. Much of his old allies and trusted friends also perished. I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of pain he must be feeling."

Da Hai paused in his steps. His head swerved back to glare at Haotian.

"Wouldn't that be the day," he replied. He turned back round again and stepped out of the Zixiao Palace. After he was gone, everything seemed to return to normal. It was as if Da Hai had never visited at all.

Haotian let go of Yaochi and gave her a few moments to steady herself. Once she did she allowed a terrified expression to paint her face.

"What was that senior brother? It was like a universe was crushing onto me!"

"If you felt that then you should know better than to mouth off," Haotian warned. "That was one of the primordial innate gods. A celestial being who's already begun enlightenment into the Wuji principle and stepped onto the final stretch of path towards Dao."

"I don't want you anywhere near him understand? He's extremely dangerous," he added.

Yaochi nodded in understanding. No wonder she was so powerless. Despite her childish appearance, this was only the form she took as an unassuming bellhop. Her true form was an immortal of vast power on par with the current generation of innate gods.

She clenched her teeth at the embarrassment of being humiliated by a foreigner. To her, Hongjun's cultivation lineage was the best in the world!

"Senior brother, we have to work hard and teach that fucker to never mess with us in the future. Who does he think he is threatening master Hongjun like that," she snarled.

Haotian shook his head and sighed with resignation.

'Whatever the case, things are not looking good,' he pondered. Haotian stepped out of the gates and looked up at a sky fast approaching evening. He wondered what Da Hai's plan was cause he never told him much of anything.

'Watch Hongjun for me. Play the role of bell boy for me. Cultivate for me.' Haotian thought back the warmth Hongjun offered in the years he'd lived on Mt Yujing.

"I hope this tribulation passes soon."

…

Beneath the same night sky, in a massive war camp set up in collaboration by all major powers in the Central Continent. In a location where the rubble of Mt Buzhou was fully visible east of them all, Yinglong sat crossed legged mid air watching the arrival of dozens upon dozens of fleets of sky ships.

Each of them carried armies worth of cultivators within. Most of them were just floating in space waiting for instructions while others went off to scout the fringes of the West Continent.

After much work, the dragons and phoenixes had managed to work out the general idea of what the strange continent looked like. Because though Yinglong had been there only a few times, none of them were in depth looks at the environment. Mt Sumeru was easy to spot out of all those locations and even now it was still visible.

A flame burst into existence beside the elderly dragon and a beautiful woman walked out. Zufeng stood mid air in all her imperial glory and exuded an aura much more powerful than Yinglong's.

"My generals and your generals are nearly ready to start their strategizing," she began. "I trust your brother will arrive here on time? Things are already delayed enough as is."

"He'll be here your majesty. Though I'm surprised you came to notify me."

"Faster this way," she said without much pause. Suddenly, she perked up as a massive cloud of starry lights slithered across the night sky.

It was something that resembled a galactic supercluster contained within the vague outline of a Chinese dragon. What's more, within the boundaries of that shape were armies of powerful immortals. This included many Great Principle, Primal Origin, and some Primal Zenith Chaos Immortals standing within.

"Isn't that the Azure Dragon's movement technique?" Zufeng said.

"My eldest brother has his own way to remember Qinglong by," Yinglong said.

"I see." In Zufeng's personal opinion, Zulong's rendition of the same technique was extremely crude by comparison. None of Qinglong's grace nor finesse. It was almost like he was brute forcing a move he did not completely understand.

Thirty minutes after, Zulong walked into a pavilion made of clouds accompanied by Jiang Koilong and Hong. Yinglong and the others were already waiting for him within. He looked around and could not find Da Hai anywhere which brought a slight frown to his face.

'Strange, where did he go?' He pondered.

Dragon elders, phoenix elders, powerful avian and seafolk experts alongside clan leaders from the East Continent. They all sat around a table depicting a rough image of the West Continent. Above the landscape drawn was a dome of sorts that constantly shimmered.

Zulong knew immediately that the dome was their most prominent threat. News from scouting parties had reported that this formation's true nature after the initial fighting across the western shore was over. Any and all enemy beings felt a suppression force over them.

It was as if nature kept attacking their bodies. Furthermore, spacetime was hard to manipulate within. When he told Da Hai, his master concluded that it was a formation tied to the west in its entirety.

It's energy was potent enough to resist Da Hai's orbital assault and should have no difficulty blocking his own. It'll need to be broken for the west to be bombarded out of existence. Hence, they'd need to enter the formation and suffer detrimental effects in order to strike at the devils.

Zulong took his seat expecting himself to be the last to arrive. But no sooner had he done so, an earthly aura entered the pavilion.

Both Zulong and Zufeng recognized Qi An as the new Qilin Sovereign made his presence known.

"Ladies and gentlemen, before we begin I'd like to inform you all that the Heavenly Dao is still recovering from having been hurt by Luohu. It cannot aid me nor you so don't bother bringing it up," he announced.

"This is a tribulation for the destiny of the world in the first place," one of Zulong's dragons said. "With all due respect qilin, the Heavenly Dao was never going to aid any side."

"Oh it's bigger then that," Qi An rebutted. "The continued survival of the Primitive World is at stake, not just the course it'll go on."

The qilin didnt dignify the dragon's disrespect and sat down alongside Zulong and Zufeng. His body began releasing a titanic aura that did not lose out to the former two.

"My Qilin Clan are auspicious beasts and by extension protectors of heaven. We may be limited in number but we'll aid this war as the Heavenly Dao's representative until the very end. So then, shall we begin?"

After that, the talks began in earnest.

…

Da Hai knew he would arrive late. He knew that even at his speed he would likely not be able to make it to the strategizing talks between the Anti-Devil Alliance. Which was why he was absolutely shocked that by the time he arrived, these people were still arguing about something.

In fact the commotion could not be contained within the cloud pavilion and had spilled outwards to the point where people stationed near the pavilion could hear them.

Da Hai glanced sideways and saw at least seven hundred immortals snickering at the commotion. It wasn't hard to guess why, from the sounds of things people were throwing their weight around for whatever targets to attack. The East Continent dwellers especially wanted to contribute much more then where the dragons wanted them to go.

The bad blood and distrust over the last million years certainly did not help things. Da Hai sighed and moved forward all the same. He rode upon a mass of water resembling the shape of a cloud that shot passed numerous immortals who saluted him as he passed.

Among them were the dissatisfied third generation of innate gods sulking about. For all their powers, they were being treated like the average rogue cultivator. Nothing which reflected their vast inheritance might imply.

Many of them were born of unique natural phenomena or remnant vestiges of Pangu himself. The average innate creature can never compete with them in terms of raw talent and insight.

However, in the current world climate, the differences between innate creatures and innate gods were blurred. In a world where Golden Immortals were not the stand outs, but merely above average, xiantian lifeforms born at that realm were a lot less impressive than beings who reach that stage by their own ability.

For some who lived more social lives such as Hongyun, and Zhen Yuanzi, they did not mind. For others who lived in isolationist lifestyles like Minghe or Leizhu found it bothering.

Da Hai only briefly met Liu Er's glance before passing on.

However that brief moment gave Liu Er pause. 'Utter asshole,' the monkey fumed in his mind.

Da Hai walked into the cloud pavilion with no announcements. There dozens of eastern clan heads argued against phoenixes and dragons. The latter two also spewed insults against each other.

"The Sky Pythons will attack this Vibrant Ascension valley. Our venom will easily destroy the devil alchemists who reside there!"

"You crazy? With your meager strength you'll never succeed. We dragons are descended from Pangu's Yang Qi. It is only right for us to act as the vanguard against Thousand Spirals Pass."

"We avians are masters of all five elements. It's much more secure for us to attack Wondering Heart Sect. Not you bull headed dragons!"

"You honestly wish to challenge the wisdom of his majesty?"

"Considering how many times you're always pushed back by us? Yes!"

His own disciples Zulong and Yinglong were locked in an argument against some clan leaders while Zufeng was doing the same against others. Both sovereigns have preyed upon the East Continent before so it was no surprise the latter didn't want the former to have what they perceived to be all the glory. Personally Da Hai found these people to be childish.

Qi An meanwhile sat relaxed in his own seat with amusement. He seemed more content watching his fellow sovereigns be agitated then actively participating.

Da Hai took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

The pavilion which sought dozens of fights was suddenly enveloped by a mass of water. In an instant, all of its occupants sans a few were drenched as if a bucket has been poured on them.

Da Hai opened his eyes again. "Are we done bickering like children?"

"Master, you're finally here," Zulong said in relief.

"Your excellency!" Various seafolk and dragons greeted.

"Great Immortal!" Other beings from the avians and innate creatures greeted.

"I'd expected decisions to be made before I even got here considering my delay," Da Hai began. "Is the Primitive World's situation not dire enough for you all to cease bickering for one second?"

'How long must we hold up this invasion? Every second wasted is a second longer Luohu remains alive! That brother Hongyun and Qinglong remain unavenged' Was the unsaid message.

"Of course not your excellency, its just that these easterners decided this moment was perfect to play glory hound," a dragon said sneering.

"Oh screw you you overgrown worm. My Two Headed Grizzly clan is much more experienced with an illusion wielding enemy like the Veiled Eyes devil sect," the clan head this particular dragon was aiming the dig at responded immediately.

'It's going to be a long day,' Da Hai decided before stomping his foot. This resulted in the cloud pavilion transforming into a construct made of ice.

Outside, Liu Er squinted his eyes. The noise coming out was muffled a lot by Da Hai's actions. As the other immortals began turning away, Liu Er flexed his ears.

Suddenly, he felt a jolt of pain as blood began pouring out of his ears.

"What is happening!" He screamed keeling over.

'Don't eavesdrop where you're unwanted,' Da Hai's voice echoed through his mind. 'Do I need to impart Hongjun's infamous words to you?'

"It's not even the right circumstance!" Liu Er screamed much to the confusion of the surrounding immortals.

"Is that guy mentally okay?" Tongtian asked rhetorically.

…

Several days after, plans were finally finalized to a state where everyone agreed. It was universally agreed that destroying the formation suppressing foreigners in the West Continent was of the utmost importance.

As such, several squads were tasked with finding this formation's anchoring points while a vanguard force kept as many devils as they could distracted. The three Beast Sovereigns all entrusted their best agents to find and destroy places where this formation was being anchored.

Six points, through divination and investigation through attacking the dome many times over, Da Hai concluded there were six different formations placed into powerful leylines which powered this formation. It was lucky that aside from its defensive and support abilities, this formation had no offensive capabilities.

As such Da Hai nick named it 'Turtle Shell'.

By the time these talks were concluded, it was night again. Da Hai found himself observing the night sky once again like he had so many times since returning.

Wether he noticed it or not, a burst of flame exploded behind him and Zufeng made her appearance.

"What do you want?" Da Hai asked without looking back.

"Nothing much. I originally came to view the southern sky. But once you appeared? This is simply to satiate my curiosity at one of the few beings who is closest to the Grand Dao," Zufeng said. "This is also the first time I am meeting the famous Ancestor of Great Sea from the first generation of innate gods after all."

Da Hai spun around with a passive look. "Reaching the path of Wuji is but the doorway to a new adventure. I'm no closer to Grand Dao then anyone." He narrowed his eyes as he looked Zufeng up and down.

This was the first time he's had a personal experience with the Phoenix Sovereign after the million year long exile from the Primitive World. He instantly grew displeased with what he saw. In fact, a flash of rage and killing intent manifested in his pupils.

"You stole Huoyun's light," he spat.

Zufeng was taken aback. 'Of course, ancient legends from the northern Serpent Lake spoke of how close the God of the Five Elements was with him.'

"Inherited. Not stole," she retorted. "As the one born in five virtue, I came about this ability as a natural consequence of my biology."

"Induced by intruding on Huoyun's home."

Zufeng had no words for that last bit as Da Hai was not wrong. "We all must search for opportunities. We're you not the same?"

"Use that power to kill that parasite on Sumeru then," Da Hai said. He did not stay any longer having transformed into a mass of water to move away.

Left by her lonesome, Zufeng looked towards the night sky. The same action repeated by the remaining dragon brothers, Da Hai, Yi Fei'e, and all those who knew them personally. Only they looked in different directions.

"Oh sister, I promise you. Your death won't be in vein," she said towards the seven constellations forming the Vermillion Bird hanging above the South Continent.

…

In a dark corner of the world. In a place of eternal night where the concept of light was completely alien. A nobly dressed man with a black beard and red skin walked along carrying a coffin. He was wholly unlike the barren dark world he resided him.

Here in this dark world neighboring a sea of blood, no living beings dwelled but him. Well him and one other. But his fellow brother had not been here in some time so it really was just this red skinned man.

"Hm?"

He suddenly noticed a shift in the air. Floating into the air, he watched with morbid fascination as haunting cries echoed throughout this dark world.

"It's west of here," he murmured.

There in the far off west, malevolent transparent hands reached down in scooping motions. Several unidentifiable transformations occurred and vague shapes resembling human skulls were observed. They drifted through the air chattering their mouths as if chewing on something.

"What on earth is going on?" The red skinned man asked in alarm.