Chapter 104: The Lich Establishes a Clan, the Azure Lotus Takes Form

Leaping down to the side, a Taoist in a green robe held up a dark green staff—the Eyebrow-Raising Staff—and slightly bowed to the Ancient Ancestor of Heaven and Earth. “Eyebrow-Raising greets the honored one!”

“You…” The Ancient Ancestor, gazing at the Taoist in green whose features bore a striking resemblance—sixty to seventy percent alike—to the Great Immortal Eyebrow-Raising, and sensing an aura remarkably similar to that of the immortal, his eyes widened in astonishment. Had he not confirmed that this was the very incarnation of the Three Corpses he had just severed, the Ancient Ancestor would have almost believed that the Great Immortal Eyebrow-Raising had been resurrected.

The Taoist in green seemed to perceive the Ancient Ancestor’s surprise and smiled faintly. “There is no need for you to worry. Because of the Eyebrow-Raising Staff, I have, by some twist of fate, acquired some vague memories of the Great Immortal Eyebrow-Raising. But ultimately, I am still the incarnation of the corpse of my true self, am I not?”

“I must have been mistaken,” the Ancient Ancestor realized, shaking his head with a smile. “Eyebrow-Raising? The Taoist Eyebrow-Raising—a fitting title indeed.”

From that moment on, the Ancient Ancestor’s three corpse incarnations—Taoist Qianyuan, Taoist Yuantu, and Taoist Eyebrow-Raising—were all severed, becoming Three Corpses Quasi-Saints, top-tier powers in the primordial world, second only to true Saints. Yet, this was merely the beginning. The Ancient Ancestor was far from content with being a mere peak power; his goal was to attain true enlightenment and sainthood, becoming an existence impervious to all calamities.

In high spirits after severing the three corpses, the Ancient Ancestor transmitted his voice, summoning Qingya Boy to inquire about the situation on the island.

“Ancient Ancestor, everything on the island is well. Senior Brother Kong Xuan has not returned since he left. Senior Sister Qinglian has been diligently cultivating in seclusion these past few years; she remains in contemplation and has yet to awaken,” Qingya Boy respectfully reported.

The Ancient Ancestor nodded in satisfaction. Just as Qingya Boy was about to say more, a domineering voice echoed throughout the primordial world: “Heavenly Dao above, today I, Emperor Jun, with the Celestial Court as our foundation, suppress fate with the Chaos Bell and the River Diagram and Luo Book, hereby establish the Demon Clan. Demons, rise!”

A hum resonated as the Heavenly Dao responded; the heavens and earth trembled. Above the nine heavens, the Celestial Court was instantly adorned with auspicious clouds, and golden lotuses descended from the skies. These golden lotuses were manifestations of the Heavenly Dao’s merit, fifty percent of which belonged to Emperor Jun and the Eastern Emperor Taiyi, thirty percent to the Ten Demon Saints of the Demon Clan, and the remaining twenty percent scattered across the primordial world, benefiting all demon-kind.

“Demon Clan?” The Ancient Ancestor’s brow furrowed as he whispered to himself, eyes flickering. “Emperor Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi are finally establishing the Celestial Court? It seems they must have severed one corpse to become Quasi-Saints, enabling them to unify the Demon Clan. With such a large influx of merit, their accumulation likely means the second corpse is not far off. When that time comes, the Demon Clan will truly rise in the primordial world and could rival the Witch Clan!”

Indeed, not only Emperor Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi gained great benefits, but even the Ten Demon Saints such as Baize and Jimeng were uplifted in cultivation, reaching the pinnacle of the Da Luo level. Yet, from this point forward, severing corpses would no longer be so easy.

With the Demon Clan’s establishment, the Witch Clan was naturally unwilling to fall behind. Outside the Pangu Hall, the Twelve Ancestral Witches arranged an altar to worship heaven. “Heavenly Dao above, under the protection of Father Pangu, today our Witch Clan dominates the primordial world, taking the land as our foundation and using Pangu Hall to suppress fate. Witch Clan, rise!”

Once again, the Heavenly Dao bestowed merit, enhancing the cultivation of the Twelve Ancestral Witches. Though they did not cultivate their primordial spirits, their fleshly bodies rivaled those of Quasi-Saints.

The establishment of the Witch and Demon clans stirred the primordial powers. The merit gained from founding a clan was immense, showing that these two clans were blessed with unparalleled fate and fortune, rivaling, and even surpassing, the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans of old.

After their founding, the fortunes of both clans surged dramatically. Fate was the foundation of a clan; a strong fate meant an abundance of talent and smooth cultivation. The Witch and Demon clans seemed to reach an unspoken agreement: the demons would rule the heavens, the witches the earth, each cultivating peacefully with little conflict for the time being.

About three thousand years after the founding of the Witch and Demon clans, on the distant Fangzhang Island, the sky suddenly darkened with thick clouds, swirling with massive lightning vortices. This marked the moment when Qinglian’s cultivation bore fruit as she stepped into the Da Luo realm and faced the transformative lightning tribulation.

Above the Qian Kun Hall, the Ancient Ancestor stood with hands behind his back, watching Qinglian—a young woman in azure robes seated firmly within the six-grade azure lotus on the Three Light Divine Water lake. As powerful lightning bolts descended, her figure grew increasingly ephemeral, and even the six-grade lotus she embodied dimmed, desperately absorbing energy from the divine waters.

“Such a strong transformative tribulation?” The Ancient Ancestor’s brow furrowed. “It seems Qinglian’s affinity is truly exceptional, provoking the Heavenly Dao’s jealousy. Fortunately, I used a lotus seed from a nine-grade lotus to regenerate her body; otherwise, the tribulation might have been even fiercer. Even with a nine-grade lotus as her base, she might not have survived this tribulation. If she barely made it through, her primordial essence would surely suffer great damage.”

After a long time, drawing on the energy of the Three Light Divine Water to recover her losses and guarded by the six-grade lotus base, Qinglian, despite severe injuries to her primordial spirit, finally endured the transformative tribulation.

Throughout, the Ancient Ancestor made no move to intervene, not even offering a spiritual treasure for protection. In his view, if she could not survive the transformative tribulation, what greatness could she hope for? This was a trial by fire, a baptism of rebirth that would ultimately benefit her.

As the lightning vortex dissipated and the clouds cleared, a melodious celestial music rang out. Dense spiritual energy converged upon the Three Light Divine Water lake, coalescing into a mist. Golden light shimmered within, and soon a graceful figure appeared—the azure-robed Qinglian.

“I’ve finally transformed into human form,” Qinglian exclaimed excitedly, her usually serene demeanor breaking into joyful surprise.

Seeing the Ancient Ancestor approach, Qinglian hurried forward, kneeling respectfully. “Disciple Qinglian pays respects to Teacher!”

“Heh, Qinglian, you’ve finally taken human form. Congratulations,” the Ancient Ancestor said kindly. “Enough with the formalities. Rise! From now on, you don’t need to kneel so often.”

“Yes, Teacher!” Qinglian smiled brightly and stood.

The Ancient Ancestor nodded with satisfaction. “Good, very good! Your progress justifies the years I’ve spent nurturing and guiding you. Now that you’ve just entered the Golden Immortal realm and taken human form, you must have many realizations. Go into seclusion to stabilize your cultivation. Your primordial spirit is still injured and must be well tended. When you emerge, I will teach you the paths of cultivation for the Taiyi Golden Immortal and the Da Luo Golden Immortal levels.”

Meanwhile, since the establishment of the Demon Clan, Emperor Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi had cultivated diligently for over three thousand years, eventually severing their second corpses and becoming among the top powers of the primordial world. To strengthen the Demon Clan, they made great efforts, first recruiting Kunpeng, the creator of the Demon Script, as their Demon Master, then persuading the Fuxi and Nuwa siblings to nominally join the clan as Emperor Xi and Empress Wa. Thus, the Demon Clan’s prestige soared.

The Witch Clan also worked earnestly, nurturing many great witches. Some of the Twelve Ancestral Witches even sought to cultivate the heart of an ancestral witch anew, though this was exceedingly difficult. After all, reaching the Quasi-Saint level in fleshly body was no trivial matter.

As both the Witch and Demon clans grew stronger and their foundations deepened, their populations exploded. Inevitably, conflicts and struggles arose. With escalating tensions, thousands of years of peace vanished. The Witch and Demon clans were destined to be adversaries, unlikely to coexist peacefully, ultimately forced to settle their rivalry through life and death.

Like many other great powers in the primordial world, the Ancient Ancestor remained detached and indifferent to the Witch-Demon conflict, preferring to cultivate his own Dao, living freely and at ease.

Time flowed slowly, and soon the final lecture at the Purple Cloud Palace was about to take place.