The massive boulder came crashing down like a small mountain, carried by a vicious wind! Its shadow instantly swallowed Li Wuyang and Huaihuai.
Huaihuai's legs went limp with terror, and even its neighing carried a tearful quaver.
Li Wuyang's scalp went numb. He practically shut his eyes as he raised the Primordial message slip above his head and cried out in a distorted voice, "Dad!! Save me—!!"
Yes! He knew this slip might not work on the Witch Clan! Demon Ancestor Luohu recognized its aura, but these muscular Witch Clan brutes who looked like they had muscles for brains might not!
But what else could he do now? Chop the boulder with his axe? That would probably turn both man and horse into meat paste!
At that critical moment—
Another change occurred!
The flimsy Primordial Violet Qi message slip, raised high by Li Wuyang as he desperately poured every last bit of the pitifully weak power within him—power derived from the Great Dao Imprint—into it, suddenly erupted with a gentle yet incomparably pure violet radiance!
The glow was not dazzling, yet it seemed to contain the supreme laws of the universe. It formed a thin, translucent violet barrier that sheltered Li Wuyang and Huaihuai beneath it.
The next instant!
BOOM!!!
The enormous boulder slammed viciously into that thin violet barrier!
There was no violent collision or shattering as imagined.
The gigantic rock, capable of flattening a small hill, vanished the instant it touched the violet barrier. Like ice meeting a red-hot branding iron, like mud and sand meeting a monstrous tidal wave, it silently and rapidly broke apart, dissipating into the most primitive particles of earth-element spiritual energy, as though an invisible hand had quietly erased it!
Not even a speck of dust was kicked up.
The entire process was soundless, yet it carried an almost absolute, rule-level sense of suppression!
The violet barrier rippled faintly before returning to normal. Its light did not even dim in the slightest. Beneath it, Li Wuyang and Huaihuai were completely unharmed.
At the mouth of the valley, the two towering Witch Clan men who had thrown the boulder, their faces originally full of ferocity and contempt, froze instantly.
Their eyes bulged like bronze bells, and their mouths hung wide enough to fit their own fists. They were utterly shocked and bewildered by a sight that completely defied their understanding.
Their simple, straightforward minds could not comprehend what had happened. The boulder, enough to crush a primordial elephant to death, had just... disappeared?
Not only them—the Witch Clan warriors behind them, who had been howling and preparing to rush forward and tear apart the "spy," were all dumbfounded as well. They stood rooted to the spot as if they had been collectively immobilized.
Even several figures in the distant village, whose auras were deeper and more ancient and who had merely watched coldly until now, suddenly straightened up. Their gazes shot toward the violet barrier like lightning, and solemn uncertainty appeared on their faces for the first time.
Li Wuyang waited for a long while, but no crushing pain came. All he heard was dead silence.
He cautiously opened one eye, then opened the other.
What he saw was himself, perfectly intact; Huaihuai, terrified out of its wits but equally unharmed; and the empty ground ahead.
That boulder... had really disappeared?
He looked at the slip in his hand, still giving off a gentle violet sheen, then at the stunned Witch Clan men in the distance.
Gulp.
He swallowed.
Primordial Father... this message slip of yours... is way too damn good, isn't it?! This isn't a message slip—it's an invincible shield generator!
The wild joy of being one of the survivors of the tribulation, along with the confidence of so I'm actually this awesome, instantly surged through him.
He took a deep breath and tried to suppress his excitement. Then he jumped down from Huaihuai's back, straightened his windblown collar—though it did not really help—and adopted the bearing of an expert he had imagined before. He carefully tucked the slip back into his chest—he absolutely could not lose this treasure—then held his shabby axe, cleared his throat, and shouted at the still-bewildered Witch Clan members:
"Ahem! Who are you people? Why did you attack me without cause? Do you not know that I am the Primordial Dao Child?"
He tried to make his voice sound imposing, but it still trembled with lingering fear, making him sound somewhat fierce on the outside but weak within.
Yet combined with the bizarre "miracle" from before, where the boulder attack had been effortlessly neutralized, his words had an entirely different effect on the Witch Clan.
The Primordial Dao Child?
They had never heard that title before, but the aura of that violet light had been supreme, pure, and ancient. It had even... faintly stirred the Pangu Bloodline flowing through their bodies?
He was definitely no ordinary person! Perhaps he was not even an ordinary innate god or demon!
The two Witch Clan men who had thrown the rocks exchanged looks. The ferocity on their faces had long since been replaced by shock and uncertainty. They turned to look toward the depths of the village, seemingly asking for instructions.
At that moment, a middle-aged Witch Clan man stepped out from the village. He was not the largest in stature, but his aura was the most steady. Several ancient streaks of paint marked his face, and he looked like a leader.
His steps were calm, and his gaze was as sharp as an eagle's as he sized Li Wuyang up and down. He lingered especially over the axe in Li Wuyang's hand and the spot on his chest where the slip had appeared. Then he spoke in a deep voice like muffled thunder, "Primordial Dao Child? I have never heard of such a name. Who exactly are you? Why have you come to my Houtu Tribe? And what was that violet light just now?"
His tone remained guarded, but the hostility and contempt from before were gone. What remained was mostly scrutiny and caution.
Li Wuyang secretly let out a breath. It seemed they could communicate after all.
He maintained his air of being an "expert"—though he looked rather bedraggled—and declared loudly, doing his best to keep his voice from shaking, "I came from the Primordial beyond the heavens and traveled through the primordial world. Passing through this place, I saw firelight and came to investigate. I bear no ill intent. Yet your people hurled boulders at me without a word. If I had not possessed a few means of self-defense, would I not have died in vain? Is this how your Witch Clan treats guests?"
The Witch Clan leader frowned slightly, apparently feeling that his subordinates had been somewhat rash. The Witch Clan were straightforward by nature and hot-tempered, with extreme vigilance toward outsiders. When they saw Li Wuyang furtively looking about on the hillside—in their eyes—their first reaction had been to attack first and talk later.
But the man before him looked frail and weak, while his methods were strange and unfathomable. Even he had felt a trace of unease from the aura of that violet light. This person's origins were certainly far from simple. Especially that shabby axe in his hand... for some reason, it seemed vaguely familiar to him, even carrying a faint... sense of closeness? The imitation Pangu Axe carried a trace of the intent to split open heaven and earth, giving it a special resonance with the Witch Clan born from Pangu's essence blood.
After weighing the matter for a moment, the leader cupped his fists in greeting—the Witch Clan's etiquette looked somewhat awkward as well. "I am Hou Yuan, leader of the Houtu Tribe. My men were rash just now and offended you. Please forgive us. There have been demon scouts spying around here recently, so we have no choice but to be cautious."
Demons? Li Wuyang's heart stirred. After the Dragon-Han Tribulation came the Witch-Demon War? The plot was moving a little too fast.
But he kept his face calm and followed along with the other man's words. "So that is the case. Since it was a misunderstanding, clearing it up is enough. I have traveled through the primordial world and long admired the Witch Clan's great name. Seeing you today, you truly are... forthright."
He simply could not think of another word to describe the flying boulder from earlier.
Chief Hou Yuan seemed not to notice the reluctance in his words, and his expression softened considerably. "Since you are traveling, if you do not mind our humble tribe, you may come inside and rest for a while."
Someone who could casually neutralize that sort of attack was worth befriending no matter how weak he appeared. At the very least, they could not easily afford to offend him. That was the law of survival in the primordial world.
Li Wuyang had been worrying about where to spend the night, so he was delighted to hear this. Still, he kept up his act. "Then I shall impose upon you."
He patted Huaihuai, signaling it to follow. Huaihuai was still afraid of the fierce-auraed Witch Clan members and cautiously followed Li Wuyang toward the village.
The Witch Clan warriors around them all moved aside, their gazes filled with curiosity, vigilance, and a lingering trace of awe. The two who had attacked earlier scratched their heads, looking honest and embarrassed.
Only after entering the tribe did Li Wuyang realize just how primitive and rugged the Witch Clan's way of life was. Their houses were crude, mostly built from huge stones and logs. Enormous beast bones and stone tools as large as millstones could be seen everywhere. The air was thick with the smell of blood and a wild, savage aura. Many Witch Clan children ran about barefoot, curiously staring at this "small" outsider.
Chief Hou Yuan led him to sit beside the largest bonfire. Someone brought over large chunks of roasted meat from some unknown beast, along with rough fruit wine.
The roasted meat was charred and fragrant, while the fruit wine was spicy enough to sting the throat, but both were packed with energy.
Li Wuyang was starving and could not care about appearances. After thanking them, he and Huaihuai—who received a basin of meat—began devouring the food. These all-natural primordial ingredients were primitive yet delicious, and he ate until his mouth was slick with grease.
Hou Yuan and several tribal elders kept him company. As they ate and drank, they casually probed into Li Wuyang's origins.
Li Wuyang had prepared for this. He responded with a mixture of truth and lies, saying only that he had come from the Primordial beyond the heavens, that his master—whom he forcibly promoted Primordial Father into being—was a supreme existence, and that he had been sent down to travel and comprehend the laws of the primordial world. As for his title, he called himself the "Primordial Dao Child." As for the violet light from earlier, he vaguely described it as "a protective treasure bestowed by my master."
His tone was calm, but every now and then he let slip a lofty assessment of the broader situation in the primordial world and the various factions—nonsense he had pieced together from myths he knew. Combined with his unfathomable "backer," he completely bluffed Hou Yuan and the others. They believed the identity of "Primordial Dao Child" a little more, and their attitude became increasingly courteous.
Especially when he "accidentally" revealed that he was absolutely not aligned with the "demon clan," and even had quite a few criticisms of them—based on the historical opposition between the Witch Clan and demon clan—Hou Yuan and the others showed clear delight, feeling that they had found a potential ally.
After several rounds of drinks—Li Wuyang only dared take small sips of the fiery fruit wine—the atmosphere grew increasingly harmonious.
Hou Yuan looked at the shabby axe Li Wuyang had placed by his side. The more he looked at it, the more convinced he became that its sense of familiarity and faint pressure were real. Unable to hold back, he asked, "Dao Child, this divine axe of yours... seems quite extraordinary. May I ask where it came from?"
Li Wuyang was gnawing on meat when he casually replied, "Oh, this? I tripped over it on the road and picked it up."
Hou Yuan: "???"
The Witch Clan elders: "???"
Tripped over it... and picked it up?
The stone cup in Hou Yuan's hand nearly fell to the ground. The expressions of the muscular Witch Clan men froze once again, their eyes full of bewilderment that said, Are you messing with us?
Seeing their expressions, Li Wuyang secretly reveled in it, though he put on a surprised look. "What? You... can't pick things like that up?"
Hou Yuan: "..."
The elders: "..."
Our Witch Clan has searched all the mountains, and the best weapons we have found are merely heavy, sturdy crude blanks! Yet you tripped once and picked up a divine axe that makes even our bloodlines stir?!
Are all Dao Children from outside this absurd these days?!
Hou Yuan took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the stormy waves in his heart. He gave two dry laughs. "Heh... hehe... Dao Child truly... possesses deep blessings."
The way he looked at Li Wuyang changed completely. In addition to the awe from before, there was now a complicated gleam, as if he were looking at a walking treasure vault and heaven's chosen one.
Perhaps... this time, their tribe had truly encountered an unimaginably distinguished guest?
As the Witch Clan men watched him with strange gazes, Li Wuyang happily took another bite of roasted meat.
Hmm, this primordial world seemed to be getting fun again.
Before you continue