Are Primordial World "Nail Houses" Too Arrogant? Xuanzheng: Engineering Team, Explain Reason to Them Clearly

The gathering of materials unfolded in full swing among the various large and small tribes of the Wu Clan, driven by the Twelve Ancestral Witches with thunderous and decisive momentum.

For a time, the entire Wu Clan was permeated with a fanatical atmosphere of "offering tributes to the Father God and contributing bricks and tiles to the rise of the Wu Clan."

Naturally, Xuanzheng was not idle either.

Under the banner of "assisting the elder brothers in exploring the Primordial World ley lines, searching for rare and exotic materials, inspecting the living conditions of the Wu Clan sons and daughters everywhere along the way, and conveying the care of the Father God," he led a "Father God Care and Pangu Hall Construction Advance Inspection Team" composed of a hundred elite Great Witches and thousands of Wu Clan warriors, grandly beginning his "tour" across the Primordial World.

Of course, this was merely a superficial excuse.

Xuanzheng's true purpose was to seize this opportunity to make good use of the BUG detection function of the Primordial World Bug Fixing Manual, strolling around to see what loopholes in the heavenly rules or prehistoric lingering "historical BUGs" still existed in this vast Primordial World that he could fix on the side, earn some scattered merit and "fixing experience values," enrich his own secret stash, and accumulate experience for the subsequent "super project" of fixing Pangu Hall.

After all, the material list for repairing the main body of Pangu Hall was far too horrifying and difficult to gather in the short term. Yet fixing some minor loopholes could both boost his strength and farm reputation; why would he not do it?

On this day, in order to seek a special material named "Nine Nether Cold Iron," Xuanzheng and his party arrived at an extreme yin place shrouded in black fog. Named "Ghostly Ridge," it never saw sunlight year-round, and the yin and fiendish Qi was so dense it almost turned into substance, causing ordinary living spirits to have their divine souls frozen if they stepped even half a step in.

The Manual prompts that there is a vein of Nine Nether Cold Iron deep in this place, of top-notch quality and abundant reserves, Xuanzheng thought inwardly, his gaze sweeping across the pitch-black mountain range ahead that resembled a dormant giant beast.

However, the moment they approached the core area of Ghostly Ridge, a majestic Demonic Energy soared into the sky, accompanied by a deafening tiger roar: "Which rat-like beings dare to trespass into this lord's place of quiet cultivation!"

Amidst rolling black fog, a giant tiger comparable to a small hill in size, covered entirely in pitch-black scales that shimmered with a chilling cold light and with pupils as red as blood, stepped out onto rolling demonic clouds to reveal its form. Its aura was fierce, reaching the late-stage Taiyi Golden Immortal cultivation realm, and it was wreathed in dense Nine Nether fiendish Qi, clearly having cultivated in this place for well over hundreds of thousands of years.

This tiger was none other than the overlord of Ghostly Ridge—the Nine Nether Underworld Tiger.

It saw at a glance that the arrivals were members of the Wu Clan, and those tiger eyes instantly filled with vigilance and hostility. Its opened bloody maw revealed dense tusks dripping with foul saliva: "So it's Wu Clan barbarians! This place is this lord's private domain. Scram quickly, or don't blame this lord for turning all of you into blood food!"

The Nine Nether Underworld Tiger clearly harbored no goodwill toward the Wu Clan, and its words were filled with provocation and murderous intent. Naturally, it had also sensed the Nine Nether Cold Iron mine deep within Ghostly Ridge and regarded it as its private property, refusing to allow others to lay a finger on it.

Behind Xuanzheng, the hundred Great Witches and thousands of Wu Clan warriors heard this and instantly glared with wide-open eyes, their fiendish Qi erupting as their weapons were tightly gripped, waiting only for Xuanzheng's order to tear this ignorant feathered beast into pieces.

Xuanzheng instead waved his hand, signaling everyone not to be impatient. With the same "honest and simple" smile still hanging on his face, he stepped forward and said in a clear voice: "Tiger brother, we are the Pangu Descendant Wu Clan, and we have come here by the name of the Father God to seek a material called 'Nine Nether Cold Iron' to repair our clan's holy temple. This item is perhaps of little use to tiger brother; if tiger brother is willing to part with it, our Wu Clan is willing to exchange other heavenly materials and treasures for it, ensuring tiger brother suffers no loss."

Courtesy before force—this was Xuanzheng's consistent "friendly negotiation" procedure.

Upon hearing this, a trace of greed flashed across the Nine Nether Underworld Tiger's crimson tiger eyes. Naturally, it knew the preciousness of Nine Nether Cold Iron, but if it could trade it for other treasures more beneficial to its cultivation, it was not entirely out of the question to consider.

"Oh? An exchange?" The Nine Nether Underworld Tiger grinned, revealing an expression it believed to be amiable, though it actually appeared even more ferocious. "Since a Pangu Descendant speaks up, this lord is not entirely unreasonable. It's just that this Nine Nether Cold Iron is my companion item and is exceptionally precious. If you want to trade for it, it's quite simple: bring a Houtian Spiritual Treasure, and this lord will cede this mine to you. How about that?"

A Houtian Spiritual Treasure?!

As soon as these words were spoken, let alone the angry eruptions of the Wu Clan warriors behind Xuanzheng, even the "honest" smile on Xuanzheng's face stiffened slightly for a split second.

This Nine Nether Underworld Tiger was truly opening its mouth like a lion, insatiably greedy!

Could the value of a Houtian Spiritual Treasure ever be compared to a mere Nine Nether Cold Iron mine? This was clearly treating him like a generous fool to be slaughtered!

Xuanzheng sneered inwardly. It seemed the possibility of a peaceful resolution no longer existed.

He softly sighed, spread his hands, and revealed a "helpless" expression toward the Wu Clan warriors behind him who were already eager to try:

"Sigh, it seems this fellow Daoist doesn't know how the two words 'reason' are written."

He paused, his tone shifting with a bit of the "boldness" and "directness" unique to the Wu Clan:

"Since that's the case, let's stop wasting words. Brothers, let's use the method our Wu Clan excels at most to 'reason' well with this tiger brother, and let him understand what it means to 'subdue others with virtue' and what 'equality of all living beings' is!"

"Roar!"

"Kill!"

Having received Xuanzheng's "authorization," the hundred Great Witches and thousands of Wu warriors surged forward toward the Nine Nether Underworld Tiger like a breached flood peak, carrying overwhelming fiendish Qi and instantly forming a simple yet fierce battle array!

A physical exchange filled with "friendly" vibes erupted right then and there!

Xuanzheng still did not enter the fray personally, standing with his hands behind his back in the rear, watching the battle with keen interest. He was not being overconfident; rather, he wanted to use this opportunity to test the actual combat capabilities of these accompanying Wu Clan warriors and, at the same time, better conceal his true strength.

However, he was not entirely idle either.

Deep within his seemingly "simple" pupils, the phantom of the Myriad Heavens Script Mirror quietly revolved. Every pounce of the Nine Nether Underworld Tiger, the trajectory of every circulation of its demonic power, and even its potential future attack methods and weak defensive blind spots were vaguely reflected and deduced within the mirror surface.

From time to time, Xuanzheng used his divine sense to transmit these critical "spoilers" to the top-tier Great Witch responsible for commanding the battle array.

With the secret guidance of Xuanzheng's "human-shaped cheat," the operation of the Wu Clan battle array grew increasingly smooth. The transition between offense and defense flowed like moving clouds and running water, always precisely avoiding the fierce offensive of the Nine Nether Underworld Tiger and accurately landing attacks on its relatively weak points.

Even though the Nine Nether Underworld Tiger was a powerful fierce beast at the late-stage Taiyi Golden Immortal realm with a formidable physical body and deep demonic power, for a time it was beaten into a state of panic and roaring fury by this tacitly coordinated, fearless Wu Clan battle array.

"Roar—! Damned barbarians! Do you really take this lord for one who fears you!"

Unable to secure a victory after a protracted battle, the fierce nature of the Nine Nether Underworld Tiger erupted completely! It suddenly raised its head and emitted a heaven-shaking roar, the demonic Qi and fiendish Qi around its body contracting sharply before exploding with a loud bang!

Its pitch-black scales could be seen standing on end one by one, and dark-blue flames burned upon its body surface, causing an aura several times more formidable than before to suddenly permeate the area!

Nine Nether Secret Art: Nine Shadow Doppelgangers!

Following its angry shout, the figure of the Nine Nether Underworld Tiger blurred for a moment, instantly transforming into nine doppelgangers identical to its main body, possessing equally formidable auras!

Ten fierce beasts in total—nine doppelgangers of the Underworld Tiger at the Taiyi Golden Immortal level plus the main body—surrounded the Wu Clan battle array tightly from all directions. For a time, demonic Qi soared to the heavens, fiendish Qi rolled, and the offensive became several times sharper!

The pressure on the Wu Clan battle array instantly surged, and the formation began to show traces of minor chaos.

Counter-trick surprise? A secret art that burns life essence?

Xuanzheng's brow twitched slightly, his face maintaining that same "calm as stagnant water" honest expression while his mind was already as clear as observing a blazing fire.

Manual, scan the target's health status and analyze the weaknesses of its secret art.

[Ding! Scanning... Target: Nine Nether Underworld Tiger (Main Body). Detected that due to forcefully executing the secret art, energy disorder signs have appeared in the hidden injury (located three inches on the inner side of the left hind leg joint) left from its fight with a dark turtle in its early years. The defense at that location has decreased, and it continues to suffer the backlash of the secret art. If subjected to a heavy blow, it will easily lead to the interruption or even collapse of the secret art!]

"Oh? There's this kind of unexpected harvest?" Xuanzheng's lips curled into an imperceptible arc.

He secretly mobilized a wisp of imperceptible Destruction Law intent, cleverly integrated it into a strand of divine sense, and precisely transmitted it to a Great Witch in the battle array who was closest to the Nine Nether Underworld Tiger's main body and excelled in raw strength.

That Great Witch was locked in fierce combat with an Underworld Tiger doppelganger. Receiving Xuanzheng's "divine oracle" abruptly, he was stunned at first, but then without hesitation followed the instructions. During what looked like an ordinary parry and counterattack, he suddenly lowered his stance, and the giant axe in his hand slashed fiercely toward a certain spot on the left hind leg of the Nine Nether Underworld Tiger's main body at an extremely tricky angle!

"Awoo—!"

The main body of the Nine Nether Underworld Tiger emitted an ultimate, shrill, miserable howl!

That deeply hidden old injury of its was already aching faintly under the instigation of the secret art; being struck by an axe at this moment was like adding fuel to fire, causing heart-piercing pain! Even more fatal was that the power of destruction directly disrupted the circulation of the secret art within its body!

"Puff!"

The Nine Nether Underworld Tiger suddenly spewed a large mouthful of rebelling blood, and those nine formidable doppelgangers instantly turned illusory like punctured balloons, then dissipated with a bang! Its own aura also rapidly withered like a deflated ball.

Strike while the iron is hot!

How could the Wu Clan warriors let slip such a prime opportunity? Under the roaring command of the top-tier Great Witch, the battle array condensed once more, and countless attacks imbued with Wu Clan fiendish Qi poured down upon the main body of the Nine Nether Underworld Tiger like a violent storm!

Half a joss stick of time later.

Bruised and battered, covered in blood, and at its last gasp, the Nine Nether Underworld Tiger was bound tightly from head to toe with special chains by several Great Witches, lying prostrate on the ground. Those tiger eyes that once brimmed with fierce light were now filled with fear and... humiliation.

It had been "explained reason to."

Xuanzheng walked leisurely up to it, still wearing that "harmless to humans and animals" honest smile: "Tiger brother, can we calmly talk about the ownership of the 'Nine Nether Cold Iron' now? Of course, those other 'little knick-knacks' in your cave dwelling that 'are helpful for repairing our clan's holy temple' can also be 'friendly negotiated' together. How about it?"

Upon hearing this, the Nine Nether Underworld Tiger nodded repeatedly like pounding garlic: "Willing! Little Tiger is willing! Senior members of the Wu Clan, Little Tiger is willing to offer the Nine Nether Cold Iron mine with both hands! Furthermore, all the collections in Little Tiger's cave dwelling... they are all filial offerings to you lords, only begging the lords to spare Little Tiger's life!"

And so, guided "enthusiastically and proactively" by the Nine Nether Underworld Tiger, Xuanzheng and his party not only successfully obtained the mining rights for the entire Nine Nether Cold Iron vein, but also "friendly visited" and "meticulously plundered" the cave dwelling the Nine Nether Underworld Tiger had operated for hundreds of thousands of years.

Various yin-attributed spiritual materials, ores, demon cores, and a number of materials that, while not spiritual treasures, were quite rare were swept clean by the Wu Clan warriors, filling several storage bags.

Having "educated" this unaccommodating Primordial World "nail house," Xuanzheng not only contributed a share to the repair project of Pangu Hall but also made a small fortune in "extra income." In high spirits, he waved his hand:

"Alright, seeing as you are somewhat sensible, let's end it here for today. Cultivate properly from now on and collect more treasures. If we have free time next time, we'll come back to communicate and exchange pointers. Understood?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Little Tiger understands! Thank you, Esteemed Immortal, for your teachings! Respectfully seeing off you lords!" Having survived a catastrophe, how could the Nine Nether Underworld Tiger dare to show the slightest disobedience?

Xuanzheng nodded in satisfaction, leading the returning Wu Clan team laden with spoils to continue their "Primordial World BUG fixing and resource exploration journey."

Meanwhile, on the Primordial World Bug Fixing Manual in his mind, behind the item [Nine Nether Cold Iron] on the material list for "repairing Pangu Hall," a "partially collected" mark quietly lit up.

"Mhm, not bad, accumulating little makes much, and gathering sand makes a tower!" Xuanzheng thought happily in his heart, "Where will the next lucky 'BUG point' be, I wonder?"