The Ancestral Dragon, being the sole offspring, found himself without a cooperative partner like the Candle Dragon, who had already perished. Thus, he lacked the means for temporary power augmentation that the Ancestral Phoenix and others possessed. He could only push himself further and fight back desperately.
The fierce battle between the two sides quickly escalated to a fever pitch.
Soon, both sides began to sustain severe injuries.
These were bone-deep wounds that drew forth blood which, if not destroyed by the subsequent shockwaves of the war, could eventually evolve into life.
Some might even become powerful congenital beings.
Descendants of divine beasts.
However, at this moment, neither the Ancestral Dragon nor the Ancestral Phoenix had the luxury to concern themselves with such minor matters. The Ancestral Dragon was nearing his limit, and the combined form of the Ancestral Phoenix, Ancestral Phoenix, and Ancestral Qilin, Ancestral Qilin, could only be maintained for a limited time; prolonged duration would lead to the fusion of their origins.
Therefore, they fought with increasing ferocity.
Growing more reckless and desperate.
Ultimately, it resulted in a mutual near-destruction. The Ancestral Dragon knew that if he failed and perished, the dragon race would likely face a grim fate. Thus, he sustained grievous injuries himself.
He dragged both the Ancestral Phoenix and the Ancestral Qilin down with him.
During the process, he employed numerous tactics, even self-detonating some of his innate spiritual treasures. He even utilized the corpse of the Candle Dragon, only then managing to severely wound the Ancestral Phoenix and Ancestral Qilin, perpetually maintaining a state of relative balance.
Then, the Ancestral Phoenix and Ancestral Qilin could no longer sustain their merged state and reverted to their four elder ancestor forms. They no longer wished for a fight to the death with the Ancestral Dragon.
A stalemate ensued.
At this point, the Ancestral Xuanwu arrived, taking his place by the Ancestral Dragon's side and beginning to mediate and de-escalate the situation.
There was no other choice. He had already pledged allegiance to the dragon race. If he did not assist them now, even if the phoenix and qilin tribes successfully eliminated the dragons, the Xuanwu tribe would face reprisal later. Thus, he had to choose to aid the Ancestral Dragon.
The reason he hadn't appeared earlier, apart from his own strength being somewhat insufficient, was that the Ancestral Dragon had fought with such ferocious abandon. He feared being used as a human shield by the Ancestral Dragon, which was a significant factor.
Even the Candle Dragon's corpse had been used to detonate and injure enemies.
If he, the Ancestral Xuanwu, had entered the fray, wouldn't he have been directly used as a shield? He couldn't afford to provoke such a situation!
The Ancestral Dragon and Ancestral Phoenix, neither wanting a fight to the death nor believing they could absolutely crush the other, welcomed the intervention. With someone mediating, and the opposing side unable to alter the current dynamic, they could only go along with the flow and agree.
Thus, the first Great War of the Three Tribes.
Concluded in an anticlimactic fashion.
It also made the Ancestral Dragon and Ancestral Phoenix fully realize that to ultimately dominate the world, while the number of participants and strength were important, top-tier strength was paramount. Only with absolute crushing power at the highest level could true all-encompassing dominance be achieved.
Therefore, the war between the three tribes was temporarily put on hold. After much haggling, they finally redemarcated their respective territories, ensuring no invasion for the foreseeable future. Following this, the three tribes commenced near-frantic preparations and cultivation.
That's right. Although they had ceased hostilities.
It was merely to prepare for the next war.
On the Ancestral Dragon's side, due to the Candle Dragon's demise, he had to split off a clone to manage the dragon tribe's affairs, while his main body returned to his ancestral land to heal his injuries.
Furthermore, the Ancestral Dragon began dispatching people to contact some cultivators of innate Daoists and innate gods and demons, hoping to persuade them to join the dragon tribe. He was willing to offer substantial benefits and promise the bestowal of much destiny if they agreed. This was because ordinary innate beings indeed fell short in terms of foundation and heritage compared to innate gods and demons and innate Daoists. The Ancestral Dragon, without the augmentation of tribal destiny, found it difficult to compare to these powerful entities.
Therefore, many innate gods and demons, and innate Daoists, although perhaps not surpassing the Ancestral Dragon, were still far superior to some elders within the dragon tribe. A significant portion were only slightly inferior to the Candle Dragon, with some even on par with him. If they could be persuaded to join the dragon tribe.
The dragon tribe's strength, particularly its top-tier power.
Would undoubtedly undergo another qualitative leap.
Of course, concurrently, the phoenix and qilin tribes were not idle either. They also dispatched envoys to invite some innate gods and demons and innate Daoists to join them. If the dragon tribe had contacted those related to fundamental laws such as the Four Seas Daoist, Ren Shui Demon God, and Ancestral Violet Heaven, then the phoenix and qilin tribes would naturally have contacted those linked to their fundamental laws, such as the Li Fire Demon God and Earth Daoist.
As for the results, some were willing to accept recruitment, while others were not. However, to avoid offending these gods and demons, the dragon, phoenix, and qilin tribes did not dare to force them. Therefore, overall, they maintained an attitude of eagerness for talent, seeking individuals to join their ranks.
They even made multiple visits to various cave heavens.
As long as the other party did not explicitly refuse to cooperate, they would continue to extend invitations.
Or appropriately increase the offer, and so on.
After all, if there wasn't a clear refusal, it likely meant the price wasn't right. So, they would increase the offer. What else could they do? Of course, this increase wasn't unlimited. The Ancestral Dragon and Ancestral Phoenix had set different maximum standards for different tiers of gods and demons.
If a deal could be struck within the standard, they would negotiate. If it exceeded the standard, they would cease negotiations. Such unprofitable ventures were not worth undertaking.
After all, these gods and demons, by joining them, were not truly members of their tribes. At best, they were like honored guests. Their loyalty was highly questionable, and it was difficult to compel them to sign contracts of deeper intimacy and shared fate. Inviting them at too high a cost was akin to gambling on their character.
Meanwhile, what was Ding Yun doing?
She was busy repairing network base stations everywhere. It could be said that since the war between the three tribes began, she hadn't had a single day of rest. The heavens and earth were fractured and incomplete due to the great battle, and the base stations she had deployed throughout the world were naturally not spared. If network base stations were not repaired in time, they would become increasingly damaged in the future, even to the point where they would be difficult to repair in a short period.
To avoid any unforeseen circumstances.
Ding Yun could only constantly keep up with the repairs.
How to describe it? In past localized, small-scale wars, or wars that had little impact on the world, even if some base stations were destroyed, main base stations could produce secondary base stations and deploy them to repair.
But now, the number of damaged base stations was too large. And often, it was not just the base station but the entire vein of earth, water, and spirit upon which it relied that was destroyed. In such cases, even if a main base station produced a secondary base station, there was nowhere to deploy it, requiring a new deployment and fusion point.
If a large area of water or earth veins was completely destroyed, and spiritual energy was cut off, then a different method of base station deployment would be necessary, such as spatial nodes or other forms, to construct a local network. In short, it was extremely troublesome, requiring Ding Yun or her clones to personally intervene.
Automated programs were simply incapable of completing the corresponding tasks.
Creating intelligent programs carried the risk of awakening and transforming.
There was also the possibility of being discovered.
Thus, Ding Yun could only split her soul into countless fragments and work tirelessly across the world. Although the task was not difficult, Ding Yun was on the verge of a breakdown.
She wished she could break through on the spot.
And then beat up the three tribes.
However, she had already endured for so long, the sunk cost was too great, and she could only continue to bear it.