Three Thousand Dao Provinces.
In the Northern You Land, the Yun Clan Immortal Dynasty.
If the Eight Great Families of the Central Continent were the apex of power in the Three Thousand Dao Provinces, then the Yun Clan Immortal Dynasty, the Great Yin Immortal Dynasty, and the Human Realm were the second tier, their foundations only second to the Eight Great Families of the Central Continent.
After the Immortal Lord ascended to the Immortal Domain and became an Immortal, the powerful human race, after a long period of time, saw its contradictions intensify. At this time, the Eight Great Families of the Central Continent, for their own interests, continuously fanned the flames, and ultimately the human race was torn apart.
After tens of millions of years of fighting, the human forces that inherited the Immortal Lord's legacy were gradually absorbed and divided by the Eight Great Families of the Central Continent, eventually forming the current three great powers of Northern You: the Yun Clan Immortal Dynasty, the Great Yin Immortal Dynasty, and the Human Realm.
The three great human forces of Northern You formed an eternal, unchangeable pattern, but their strength had fallen from the peak of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces. The peak existence in these three great forces was now a Great Heavenly Venerate.
Although the Yun Clan Immortal Dynasty was of human blood, their veins flowed with the True Phoenix bloodline. After a full era of development, this trace of bloodline had been diluted to the point of being like fish and shrimp in the vast ocean. For nearly a hundred million years, no being in the Yun Clan Immortal Dynasty had awakened the True Phoenix bloodline.
Yun Shan, the daughter of the current Yun Clan Immortal Emperor, was once a peerless prodigy of the Northern You Human Realm, possessing extraordinary talent. She reached the Great Heavenly Venerate realm and earned the admiration of the Human Realm, becoming a rising star of the Yun Clan's imperial lineage. She was even bestowed the title of Princess Yun An by the Yun Clan Immortal Emperor, possessing immense prestige. There were even rumors that she would be the next Immortal Emperor. Su Dan Novel Network.
But unexpectedly, overnight, her bloodline awakening failed, her divine power withered, and her realm stagnated, unable to advance further. The failure of her bloodline caused her status in the Yun Clan Immortal Dynasty to plummet. Her mother and her entire clan were directly executed.
Reduced to a cripple, Yun Shan gradually lost the attention of others, with no one even caring if she lived or died.
At this moment, Yun Shan stood in Yun Chi City, the capital of the Yun Clan Immortal Dynasty. Her True Phoenix bloodline awakening had propelled her to the Small Heavenly Venerate realm. Behind her were Deng Qiang and Zhang Hao, who escorted her and helped her seize the position of Yun Clan Immortal Emperor.
After becoming a concubine of Emperor Yang Hao of the Great Han Divine Empire, she understood how terrifying the heroes in the court of the Great Han Divine Dynasty were. The prodigies of the era, the monstrous talents among humans, could no longer describe them. Yet, Zhang Hao and Deng Qiang before her, though in the Small Heavenly Venerate realm, could kill Great Heavenly Venerate beings by crossing realms.
Yun Shan looked at the familiar city, her heart filled with unspeakable bitterness and pain. This was once her peak, and also her abyss. She had no interest in the position of Yun Clan Immortal Emperor; all she wanted was an explanation, justice!
...
The Imperial Palace, the Golden Hall.
"Immortal Emperor, the officials have entered the hall. The morning court can commence!"
In the great hall, Crown Prince Yun Hao of the Yun Clan Immortal Dynasty respectfully said.
"Your subjects pay their respects to the Immortal Emperor!"
In the vast golden hall, hundreds of officials prostrated themselves on the ground, respectfully bowing to the current Immortal Emperor. The dilution of the Yun Clan's True Phoenix bloodline prevented the Yun Clan Immortal Dynasty from advancing further.
They could only hold onto the foundation laid by their ancestors and remain confined to this Northern You land.
"Mm."
Upon the imperial throne sat a middle-aged man, his temples flecked with white, his expression very calm. "You have all seen the matters in the Western Border. The era of chaos is about to begin. Let us discuss how our Yun Clan lineage should proceed."
"Immortal Emperor!"
The Prime Minister stepped forward. "The Eight Great Families of the Central Continent have split into two. In my humble opinion, the four families of the Wang clan cannot suppress the four families of the Hong clan. Decades ago, the battle at Northern You Sea inflicted great damage upon them. Now, the Sealed Land has opened its curtain, and the emergence of the Candle Dragon's Primordial Spirit is unstoppable by anyone."
"Prime Minister, what do you mean?"
The Grand Commandant stepped forward, his expression somewhat grim.
"Heh heh, water flows downhill, and people seek higher ground. Grand Commandant, you cannot be unaware, can you? The era of the Immortal Lord has ended, and the emergence of the Candle Dragon is inevitable. Our human race is divided into three, each governing themselves; it is impossible to unite anymore."
The Prime Minister gave a cold smile. "Our Yun Clan lineage's True Phoenix bloodline is almost depleted. Only the imperial lineage still holds a trace of possibility. If our Yun Clan lineage cannot produce someone who awakens it in this chaotic era, I fear we shall be submerged!"
"For the foundation of our ancestors, for our future generations, our Yun Clan lineage must make a decision. Immortal Emperor, I believe we should align ourselves with the four families of the Hong clan and surrender to the Candle Dragon!"
As the Prime Minister spoke, he knelt on both knees.
"Absurd!"
"What a disgrace!"
"Our Yun Clan lineage is the foundation of the human race, and moreover, descendants of the Immortal Lord. How dare you defy the Immortal Lord's will?"
The Grand Commandant, enraged, stood in the grand hall, pointing at the kneeling Prime Minister and berating him. "You have wolfish ambitions, actually surrendering to the enemy and defying the Immortal Lord's will! The face of the human race, the face of the Immortal Lord, the face of our Yun Clan lineage, has been utterly lost by you!"
Crown Prince Yun Hao's face grew increasingly grim. The decision made today would directly impact his future path. How many more years could his father reign? By then, this great ship of the Yun Clan would have to be handed over to him. Unfortunately, he dared not speak.
"I have lost face?"
The Prime Minister's head snapped up, and he stared at the Grand Commandant. "When the Immortal Lord unified the Three Thousand Dao Provinces, he dealt a mortal blow to the Candle Dragon. Its head was suppressed in the Northern You Sea, its body buried in the Candle Tomb, its heart placed in a suspended coffin in the Sea of Blood, and its Primordial Spirit sealed in the Undying City!"
"This is a mortal enmity!"
"Now, the Candle Tomb has been destroyed. In the battle of Northern You Sea, the four families of the Hong clan successfully unsealed the Candle Dragon's head. Although the four families of the Hong clan lost in the Sea of Blood's suspended coffin, it was merely losing a trivial heart. The Primordial Spirit in the Undying City is the key!"
"Grand Commandant, all my fellow officials!!"
"If the four families of the Wang clan successfully stop the four families of the Hong clan in the battle of the Undying City, then we shall all be happy. But if the four families of the Wang clan are defeated and the Candle Dragon's Primordial Spirit emerges, then, as descendants of the Immortal Lord, we will likely be the first to be sacrificed!"
"Clang!"
Countless officials trembled in their hearts, some even collapsing in fear. The Candle Dragon was too powerful; it was a being that even the Immortal Lord could not kill.
The Prime Minister stood up, bowed first to the Yun Clan Immortal Emperor, and then addressed the officials. "Even setting aside the possibility of the Candle Dragon's Primordial Spirit not emerging, its body still exists. Even after ten thousand years! A million years! Ten million years! That body might be refined by the four families of the Hong clan into a peerless divine weapon!"
"Who can stop it?"
"How can our Yun Clan lineage survive?"
The officials remained silent. The Grand Commandant also lowered his head. The four families of the Hong clan were one thing, as they had the four families of the Wang clan to contend with, but what about the Candle Dragon? That was an era-defining powerhouse that had suppressed the planes!
Once it emerged!
Who in the world could rival it!
"Immortal Emperor!"
"Your subject implores you again, for the sake of our Yun Clan lineage, for the foundation of our ancestors, to surrender to the Candle Dragon, and there may still be a path forward!"