The roars from Pangu Hall became the horns of construction, stirring echoes that soared ten thousand zhang high through the Buzhou Mountains.
The entire Witch Clan, the Primordial World's most primitive and ferocious war machine, had now changed direction. Its treads did not crush its enemies; instead, with unprecedented might, it began remaking heaven and earth itself!
Countless Witch Clan warriors set down their blood-soaked battle-axes and hefted massive hammers and mining picks that gleamed with divine light.
Their muscles knotted like mountain rock as they shouted ancient work chants, merging into earth-shaking torrents that converged on Buzhou Mountain from every corner of the Primordial World.
The Witch Clan's treasure vaults, hidden deep underground, burst open one after another. Divine materials and spirit ores accumulated over countless eras were transported like landslides and tsunamis to the newly established, boundless camp at the foot of Buzhou Mountain.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches took the lead personally.
"Boom—!" Gonggong summoned billions of acres of Weak Water, pouring down from the Ninth Heaven like a celestial river. Under his precise control, it became billions of water blades, violently yet accurately scouring out the rough form of enormous waterways across Buzhou Mountain's sheer cliffs.
His roar was filled with the fervor of a technical fanatic. "See that?! This is water! Use the greatest strength to do the finest work!"
At the mountain's foot, Zhurong drew upon the divine fire at the earth's core and opened a giant furnace stretching a hundred li in every direction.
The delivered divine iron ore was thrown into it, instantly turning into surging golden rivers that reddened half the sky.
He bellowed up the mountain, "Don't let your water splash down here! If you put out my fire, I'll show you how I'll burn down your Water Curtain Cave!"
One water, one fire; one above, one below. These former mortal enemies had actually formed an explosively efficient partnership amid their endless bickering.
Such a heaven-shaking scene, stirring the Primordial World Ley Lines themselves, could not possibly be concealed.
Demon Clan Heavenly Court, Lingxiao Treasure Hall.
Bai Ze bowed and presented a jade slip. "Your Majesty, the Witch Clan has recently mobilized in full, but they are not preparing for war. They... are gathering at Buzhou Mountain, moving rocks and excavating mineral veins. It appears... they are building something enormous."
Di Jun sat upon the imperial throne, Golden Crow divine fire flickering in his eyes. Light flowed across the River Diagram and Luo Script in his hand, yet it could only deduce a chaotic mass of earthen-yellow fortune, mixed with words utterly out of place for the Witch Clan: "stability," "construction," "vitality."
"A bunch of barbarians. Instead of fighting, they've decided to imitate ants building nests?" Taiyi stood nearby, carrying the Chaos Bell. The sun, moon, and stars carved upon its surface swayed faintly, while his face was full of mockery.
"Why should Brother waste his thoughts on this? Once our army reaches their borders, whether they're building a palace or a tomb, everything will be reduced to dust beneath the Chaos Bell!"
Di Jun did not respond. He only stared at that earthen-yellow fortune on the River Diagram and Luo Script, which was becoming increasingly solid and even faintly emitting Merit Golden Light. His brow slowly furrowed.
Anything abnormal was suspicious.
Kunlun Mountain, Jade Void Palace.
Primordial Lord of Heaven gently stroked the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi and gave a soft snort. "Hmph. A group of barbarians ignorant of the heavenly mandate. Rather than cultivating their breath and following the course of heaven, they commit such foolish acts as tamping earth and building houses. They are, in the end, things unfit for the grand stage."
Sovereign of Heaven sat nearby, the Qingping Sword humming softly across his knees. He burst into laughter, his voice shaking the clouds.
"Second Brother, that is not quite right! I find it quite entertaining! Those brutes fight and kill all day long; perhaps they've grown tired of it and want to loosen Father God's Spine a little, try something new! Hahaha!"
At the head of the hall, Grand Supreme Elder Lord kept his eyes shut, as if his spirit had wandered beyond the heavens. After a long while, a ripple stirred within his tranquil Heart of the Elixir Way.
All things had their own paths. The Witch Clan's actions seemed foolish, yet they had triggered changes in the qi of the entire Primordial World Ley Lines. What, exactly, lay behind this?
The west, Mount Sumeru.
The suffering on Daoist Jieyin's face deepened. He calculated with his fingers and sensed the eastern fortune shifting, the aura of merit faintly emerging, yet it was as elusive as flowers seen through mist.
"Junior Brother, what do you think the Witch Clan intends?"
Zhunti held the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree. Looking at that soaring wave of energy in the east, a terrifying gleam flashed through his eyes.
"Senior Brother, that is not the important part."
"Oh?"
The corners of Zhunti's mouth rose in an arc utterly at odds with his bitter expression.
"Think about it, Senior Brother. Such a massive commotion must produce great karma and great merit! Our western lands suffer from Western Barrenness; we desperately need this fortune of merit to stabilize our ley lines and sacred mountains. If we can..."
Daoist Jieyin's eyes instantly lit up, their brightness even diminishing some of the sorrow on his face.
"Junior Brother, you mean... this merit is fated to belong to the west?"
"Exactly!" Zhunti declared righteously, as though the merit about to fall into his hands was something the Witch Clan had been crying and begging to give him. "We go not for personal gain, but to help the Witch Clan complete this great undertaking of protecting the Primordial World. And while we are at it... seek a chance at life for the countless living beings of the west!"
The two exchanged glances, each seeing four words in the other's eyes: This will surely succeed.
Buzhou Mountain, inside the temporary hall of the Sky-Supporting Reinforcement Engineering Project Department.
Before Xuanzheng, the light screen of the [Script Mirror] clearly displayed split-screen, real-time scenes from the Heavenly Court, Kunlun Mountain, and Mount Sumeru. Even their conversations were perfectly reproduced.
Looking at Taiyi's arrogant expression as though no one in the world could defeat him, Xuanzheng felt no ripple in his heart. He merely added a note in the memorandum of the Manual: [BUG-related party: Taiyi. Associated item: Chaos Bell. Repair Plan rehearsal: Kill or severely injure Taiyi, seize the Chaos Bell, and use it to suppress the fortune of the Pangu War God Hall.]
He looked toward Kunlun Mountain again. Primordial Lord of Heaven's contempt and Sovereign of Heaven's boldness were both within his expectations.
Finally, his gaze fell upon the two "concerned for the nation and its people" faces of Jieyin and Zhunti.
Xuanzheng nearly laughed aloud. Here they came, here they came—the Primordial World's two most famous leeches, never absent from any scene where benefits might be gained.
"Fated to belong to the west"? With acting skills like yours, you want to come here and scam me?
"Thirteenth Brother, every side has reacted just as you expected." Zhujiuyin emerged from ripples in time, having likewise watched the scenes on the light screen.
"The Demon Clan dismisses it, the Three Pure Ones are observing, and the Western Duo... have already developed greedy intentions. What should we do next?"
Dijiang also pulled himself away from his busy dispatching. The Space Law around him had condensed almost into substance; clearly, overseeing the whole situation during this time had deepened his understanding of the Great Dao.
Xuanzheng raised a hand, and the images on the light screen vanished instantly.
He walked to the massive "Buzhou Mountain Structural Optimization Draft" and lightly tapped an inconspicuous section at its southwestern corner.
"Big Brother, Second Brother." His voice was calm, yet it carried the composure of a hunter who had set his trap. "Have the patrolling brothers expand the alert perimeter another three thousand li toward the southwest."
"Send some clever ones. Don't frighten them away, but don't be too welcoming either."
Dijiang and Zhujiuyin exchanged a look and instantly understood Xuanzheng's intentions.
Xuanzheng turned around, his face wearing that trademark "innocent" smile. Yet his words made both Ancestral Witches feel a chill down their backs.
"The actors are in place, so the script should begin. Send word to Big Brother Rushou's side. Prepare a 'construction accident.'"
"An accident?" Dijiang was startled.
"Yes." Xuanzheng's smile became ever more "pure and kind." "Say that the team working in the southwest corner 'accidentally' dug too deep and disturbed the core of an Innate Geng Metal Vein. As a result, they unearthed a vicious object, 'suspected to be the remains of a Chaos Demon God.' Its baleful aura surged into the heavens, infecting dozens of Witch Clan warriors, who were 'seriously injured' on the spot."
"And then?" Zhujiuyin pressed. He had already caught the scent of a scheme.
Xuanzheng's eyes shone startlingly bright, like a child who had found his favorite toy.
"Then, we act 'flustered and helpless,' immediately seal off that area, and have several great witches jointly lay down layer upon layer of restrictions. We must look as though we are terrified that news will leak out, yet utterly helpless before that vicious object."
He paused, then added the most crucial line. "Oh, and when the great witches seal it off, make sure they 'accidentally' let that vicious object leak a trace of... an auspicious aura mixed with World-Opening Merit and the Origin of the Great Earth."
"Baleful evil on one side, auspiciousness on the other?" Zhujiuyin understood immediately.
This was practically an undisguised Open Scheme!
To others, this might be trouble best avoided. But to Jieyin and Zhunti, two experts at "saving souls" and "turning waste into treasure," an "ownerless" vicious object containing merit was practically a heaven-sent opportunity tailored specifically for them!
"This performance..." Dijiang looked at Xuanzheng, his gaze complicated. "It is only to lure those two over?"
"No." Xuanzheng shook his head, his smile radiant. "It is to make them weep and beg to sign my [Karma Loan], then willingly come to our construction site... and work for free."
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