Monster Chronicles: My Daoist Skill Comes from Mythology

Continuing from the previous text.

The harmony that lasted for thousands of years has returned.

This battle was brief, so brief it was beyond belief.

Qingchen unleashed the Biluo Red Dust Sword Intent, channeling the starlight of the cosmos into Sword Qi.

Starlight traversed across billions of miles.

Descending near the Three Corpses Primordial Spirit, the Primordial Spirit only perceived a flash of white light before being engulfed by it.

When it regained awareness, the dharma body of the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master had already been shattered.

Qingchen stood before him, no one knew when he had arrived, immortal light swirling around him, radiating unmatched dominance.

"I don't want to kill you. Truly, I do not want to kill you!"

Qingchen's gaze was unusually sincere.

Seeing that the resentment of the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master had not subsided, Qingchen seemed to reply, or perhaps addressed the faint, unseen gazes lingering in the void:

"The Emperor appointing a State Preceptor as the Dragon Head—where did this system originate? At the dawn of the Thirty-Five Demon Tribulations of the Upper Pure, more than eight thousand years ago, the Zhou Country fell to tyranny, and the Seven Alliances rebelled."

"At that time, when demons invaded and the Human Clan was on the brink of destruction, the Seven Alliances elected an Alliance Hierarch to lead humanity against the demons. Once the great conflict was settled, the Seven Alliances established this system to avoid internal strife. Though the Taoist Alliances changed hands multiple times, the rules ultimately remained the same."

"Do you know why? Because the power among the alliances was evenly matched, this system was merely a compromise, a temporary expediency. Now that my cultivation dominates an era, I will undoubtedly break this system! To unify the strength of the Human Clan!"

"From this day forward, this system shall no longer exist!"

Qingchen Heavenly Master gazed into the distance, his entire being like a sharp sword that pierced through the fabric of time and space, aimed at those beneath him.

"From today onward, the rise and fall of mortal dynasties will no longer influence the Dragon Head of the Taoist Alliance. Xuanzong Shangqing shall hold supremacy over all under heaven and serve as the orthodox authority of the Human Clan!"

The structure that endured for thousands of years was ultimately shattered.

This was an act in line with the tides of the era.

The loose alliances could never effectively resist the demons.

Originally, Qingchen had not intended to reveal his ambitions so early, but unfortunately, the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master's temper was too fiery, even clamoring for a split.

"What should be done about the Dragon Head Master Seal?"

In the void appeared a massive golden chain stretching tens of thousands of zhang, resembling a Divine Dragon, or perhaps the embodiment of the Great Dao itself.

It coalesced into the dharma body of Chi Wujie.

"Roar!!"

The dragon's roar echoed in all directions, stirring winds and clouds into chaos.

A yellow river spanned across the starry heavens, its length immeasurable, with neither source nor end.

Ghosts and gods wailed, and the Yin Wind shrieked mournfully.

The Yellow Spring transformed, morphing into a dark yellow Jiao-Dragon with crimson eyes.

The seven Taoist Alliance Celestial Masters gathered.

"Perfect timing. Let this meeting make it known to all. I do not intend for internal strife among the Human Clan. The Dragon Head Master Seal is a shared artifact and will no longer be contested."

"Whosoever nears a breakthrough shall be allowed to study it to comprehend the Great Dao. At present, Jian Wuliang is the closest, so it will be handed to him first."

"As compensation, Elder Tianji shall be the third in line. Afterward, we will gradually coordinate amongst ourselves."

"With the Upper Realm Heavenly Court gone and the ancestors unable to offer refuge, facing such great enemies, we must unite, and all should center around my Taoist Alliance."

"Moreover..." Qingchen's gaze turned sharp, radiating Divine Light, and the Sword Intent emanating from him caused the Primordial Spirits of all the Celestial Masters present to tremble. "Isn't 'might makes right' the very principle of the Great Dao? Fellow Celestials, do not force me into a difficult position!"

The others exchanged glances for a moment.

Finally, the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master spoke up: "If that is the case, how do you plan to deal with the other alliances?"

Hearing this, Qingchen exhaled in relief.

At last, they recognized reality.

The balance of power had been broken, and they knew that this childish game could no longer continue.

In past years, though the Human Clan faced hardship, the Dragon Head Master could still summon the power of the Heavenly Court to confront enemies.

Now, with the Heavenly Court gone, once the demons reached a consensus and launched an all-out assault, annihilation would be inevitable.

While allowing Xuanzong Shangqing Dao Alliance to dominate and ensuring the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master did not achieve Harmonization first carried a trace of selfishness,

Wasn't this also the optimal outcome?

At the very least, no internal conflict or wars would occur.

Qingchen continued to follow the strategy of trading space for time.

Once Jian Wuliang achieved Harmonization and the Xuanzong Shangqing Dao Alliance gained overwhelming superiority,

The six alliances would be placed under greater control, and the restrictions on the Dragon Head Master Seal could gradually be lifted, ultimately allowing others to achieve Harmonization as well.

In this way, the situation would be completely stabilized!

"Taoist Qingchen, what about the other Taoist Alliances?"

The Emperor Netherworld, Huangquan Earth Dragon from Miao Fa Netherworld, inquired.

He was the only one among the Seven Great Heavenly Masters to cultivate the physical body.

"The alliances remain as they are. I will not interfere with your internal operations, but when it comes to major affairs concerning the Human Clan, you must obey the commands of Xuanzong Shangqing Dao Alliance."

"Furthermore, the Five Elders and Eight Masters beneath the Dragon Head Master shall be abolished, replaced by the masters of the Six Heavenly Palaces, who will be equal in status and under my command."

"The thirteen seals previously distributed among the Five Directions and Eight Masters shall be divided among the Six Heavenly Palaces. Each palace shall hold two seals and may appoint two masters. Additionally, each of you will dispatch twenty thousand Dao Armies under the command of the Dragon Head Master."

The six palaces collectively contributed 120,000 troops—a shared force personally commanded by the Dragon Head Master, no longer divided and fighting separately as before.

"Understood!"

Both sides compromised.

The Seven Masters' Meeting concluded with Xuanzong's dominance.

The internal strife of the Human Clan was thus resolved, ushering in a new era.

But everyone knew that peace was fleeting. Qingchen would not cease his encroachments and conquests, and others would not forever bow their heads.

The chaos, both internal and external, would inevitably erupt.

One storm subsided.

The consensus of the seven Taoist Alliance Celestial Masters spread to all corners of the realm.

For Song Lin, it was merely a mild surprise, accompanied by a pang of pity for the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master, who thought briefly he could celebrate—beyond that, he paid no more attention.

Ten thousand li to the west of the Great Desert, in a place mortals called the Yujue Demon Country.

A ceaselessly overcast sky draped shadows over the land, where twilight and dim light reigned.

The vast expanse of the land seemed perpetually oppressed by demon clouds and mists, suffocatingly ominous—one could understand why mortals had named it "Yujue Demon Country."

Scattered across this land were buildings of varying styles, alongside grotesque beings resembling "humans" with features such as ram heads, deer faces, or human torsos fused with demon bodies.

At the very heart of the Demon Country stood a mountain ridge.

Nobody knew how tall it was, for much of it was shrouded in demonic clouds.

At its base rose a colossal bronze pillar ten thousand zhang tall, with a diameter of a hundred zhang, carved with images of all manners of demons and ghosts.

Beneath the bronze pillar, three mutant beasts with deer heads and lion bodies stood sentinel, alongside patrols of ox-headed and ram-headed demon soldiers.

Above, azure birds and phoenixes spiraled through the sky.

Atop the mountain was an ancient bronze hall overlooking all creation.

Rumble!

Brilliant blue lightning flickered, striking incessantly against the ancient hall.

Inside the hall, the demons danced wildly.

There were the Seven Fighting Ghosts, the Five Directions Old Demons, the Twelve Zodiac Spirit Monsters, the Mountain Spirit Ghosts, the Wood Spirits, and the Five Qi Mutants.

The ancient hall was enormous. Even the thousand-zhang-tall Giant Ghost fit within with ease.

At the center of the great hall stood an ancient throne, a towering relic measuring a thousand zhang in height.

Upon it sat a "man," so immense that even the tallest demon in the hall reached only his boots.

He was so colossal that one could not discern his full appearance.

This was the "Emperor" of Yujue Demon Country. Mortals called him the Demon Emperor, while demons and ghosts referred to him as Taishi.

Born from the reversal of Primordial Energy at the birth of the world, fueled by the cataclysmic upheaval of the Five Directions' inverse flow and the rampant rise of miasmic forces, he was an aberration neither wholly demon, ghost, monster, nor fiend.

His strength was unfathomable. None had ever witnessed him in action, nor understood why he never acted.

He merely sat silently, breathing Dao Qi. Each exhalation stirred air currents that formed the demon clouds veiling the Demon Country.

Even so, the demons and ghosts under his command struck terror into the hearts of all corners of the realm.

"Hmph, you aspire to reign as overlord as well, Thousand-Year White Bone Demon!"

"This servant is present!"

A fully armored skeleton stepped forward.

"Consolidate the clans and extort something from them."

The first year of Xuanzong Shangqing Dao Alliance's dominance.

The Western Demons crossed the Ten Thousand Great Mountains and breached the border.

Qingchen Heavenly Master led the various Celestial Masters in battling the demons for three days. Both sides suffered losses, but humanity fought to the death and refused to retreat. The demons, perhaps fearing excessive casualties, called for a ceasefire.

In exchange for a hundred years of peace without further incursions, the Human Clan relinquished territory encompassing the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. The Earth Dragon Demon Lord moved Tianjie a thousand li east of Yin Mountain, establishing the boundary, with lands westward belonging to the Demon Country.

Thus, humanity gained a century of peace but at the cost of thousands of li of land, along with five million lives.

Humanity cobbled things together, buying another hundred years to develop.

"Hmph, just fueling the fire while trying to carry water." Song Lin remarked.

Though the realm seemed to belong to Qingchen, with his authoritative rule, it was only a matter of time before chaos erupted. The signs were increasingly evident, as if marking the twilight of a dynasty with factions colluding with external enemies and conspiring amongst themselves.

Meanwhile, the Donghua Alliance focused on steady growth, awaiting its moment to flourish amid the turbulence.

With patience and strategy, they concealed their strength, awaiting the proper moment, when they would stabilize the Three Heavens and eliminate lingering remnants of prior eras.