Treasure Found at Buzhou Mountain, Ancestral Wu Returns

Zhou Ming led Zhu Rong, Gonggong, Xuan Ming, and Houtu as they continued climbing toward the higher reaches of Buzhou Mountain.

The farther up they went, the heavier and more vast the oppressive might of Pangu's Will became.

It felt as though every step meant carrying an invisible divine mountain upon their shoulders.

"Whew... hah... Big Brother, the pressure up here... is way too much, isn't it?" Zhu Rong panted heavily, the veins on his forehead bulging.

Gonggong, meanwhile, said nothing. He trudged upward step by step, huffing and puffing, clearly nearing his limit as well.

Xuan Ming and Houtu were even paler, their delicate bodies trembling faintly. Every single step was exceptionally difficult.

Zhou Ming glanced back at them. He, too, felt tremendous pressure, but his realm was higher after all, and his resistance to this oppressive force of will was far stronger.

"And this is only the beginning?" Zhou Ming said gravely. "This was formed from Father God's spine. It contains Father God's supreme might from cleaving Heaven and splitting Earth!"

As he climbed, he quietly calculated in his heart.

Buzhou Mountain truly was a fine place.

The higher one climbed, the richer Father God's Will became, and the better its tempering effect on the physical body and will. In the future, he would have to make his younger brothers and sisters climb it more often.

Not only could it hone their wills, it could also, incidentally... "build up some affection" with Father God's Will.

What if Father God's Will was in a good mood one day, or moved by our "filial devotion," and dropped a few more treasures for us? That would be a windfall beyond measure!

At that thought, Zhou Ming's gaze drifted involuntarily toward Gonggong, who was craning his neck and stubbornly climbing upward beside him.

"But I need to keep an eye on this fool," Zhou Ming muttered inwardly.

"Under no circumstances can I let him ram this pillar holding up the heavens in two."

He secretly made up his mind that he would have to pay special "attention" to Gonggong in the future. He absolutely could not let this hardheaded fellow follow the old path of crashing into and breaking the heavenly pillar.

"Hang in there, all of you!" Zhou Ming encouraged them.

"The higher we go, the greater the benefits to us!"

"Feel Father God's Will carefully. It will help us comprehend the Great Dao and awaken the potential buried in the depths of our bloodline!"

Finally, guided by the hazy direction of that will within his mind, Zhou Ming came to a halt in an area where the oppressive force of will had nearly condensed into substance.

"It should be nearby!"

"Everyone, search carefully. Father God said that Fragment of the Jade of Creation is somewhere around here!"

"Looking for something? You got it!"

The moment he heard they were searching for a treasure bestowed by Father God, Zhu Rong's spirits immediately lifted. More than half the exhaustion from climbing vanished as he eagerly looked around.

Gonggong also shook his head and swept his sharp gaze across every inch of mountain stone.

Xuan Ming and Houtu were even more meticulous. They bent down and carefully inspected the lines in the rocks.

The four Ancestral Wu searched for quite a while, yet they did not even turn up a decent-looking stone, much less any Fragment of the Jade of Creation.

"Big Brother, there's nothing here," Zhu Rong said dejectedly, scratching his head.

Zhou Ming frowned and calmed his mind once more, attempting to communicate with the elusive Pangu Will.

A moment later, he abruptly opened his eyes and pointed toward the edge of the platform.

"Over here, beneath that inconspicuous bluish-green stone!"

He pointed at a weathered bluish-green rock at the platform's edge, utterly unremarkable in appearance.

Zhu Rong and Gonggong immediately rushed over and worked together to move aside the stone, which weighed tens of thousands of jin.

Sure enough! Beneath it lay a jade-colored fragment no bigger than a palm, its edges incomplete but flowing with an unfathomable Dao rhythm, resting silently there!

Even the space around the fragment seemed to become unreal. Vaguely, phantoms of Great Dao Law appeared to rise and perish, drift and sink within it!

A Fragment of the Jade of Creation! It recorded the mysteries of the Three Thousand Great Daos, one of the most supreme treasures in the Primordial Wilderness!

"Quick! Thank Father God!" Zhou Ming reacted first, immediately bowing deeply and respectfully once more toward Buzhou Mountain's summit.

This time, he was not putting on an act. His gratitude came from the bottom of his heart.

"Father God truly does love us," Zhou Ming thought happily. This Mountain Weeping plan had been an absolute killing!

Zhu Rong, Gonggong, Xuan Ming, and Houtu hurriedly followed suit, bowing in thanks.

"Many thanks, Father God!"

Zhou Ming did not dare delay. He immediately mobilized the Law Power within his body and condensed it into an invisible giant hand, wrapping it around the Fragment of the Jade of Creation and sealing off every trace of its aura.

This thing was far too important. Not even the slightest wisp of its aura could leak out. Otherwise, That One—the future Dao Ancestor Hongjun—would likely sense its existence at once.

It was all right within Buzhou Mountain and Pangu Hall, where Father God's aura concealed it. But once they left this range, that would be another matter entirely.

"Let's go! Down the mountain! Back to Pangu Hall!"

Upon returning to Pangu Hall, Zhou Ming did not pause in the slightest. He went straight to its deepest reaches and carefully placed the Fragment of the Jade of Creation there, where Pangu's aura was most concentrated and where it was safest.

Only after finishing all this did he finally set his mind completely at ease.

"Alright." Zhou Ming turned around and looked at the four Ancestral Wu, who were still somewhat excited and curious.

"Go cultivate properly and consolidate what you gained from this climb up Buzhou Mountain."

"Above all, calm your hearts and try to comprehend the inheritance imprint Father God left in the depths of your bloodline!"

"That is where the true foundation of our Wu Clan lies!"

"Yes, Big Brother!" the four answered in unison. Each found a spot and eagerly entered Seclusion to cultivate.

Zhou Ming also sat cross-legged and began sorting through the gains from this time, as well as his plans for what came next.

The Jade Plate of Creation fragment was in hand. He also had a clear lead on the Pure World White Lotus. Though he would need Zhen Yuanzi's Earth Book to find it, at least he now had a direction.

It seemed that once that future Ancestor of Earth Immortals was born, he would have to find a way to build a good relationship with him.

Time drifted by, and in the blink of an eye, ten thousand years passed.

On this day, space outside Pangu Hall rippled faintly.

Di Jiang returned, travel-worn, with Qiang Liang, Tian Wu, Xi Zi, and Feng.

Close behind them, Zhu Jiuyin led Mang, Ru Shou, and Yan Zi into the hall.

After being apart for ten thousand years, the Twelve Ancestral Witches had finally gathered once more in Pangu Hall.

Zhou Ming also emerged from Seclusion. Looking at the younger brothers and sisters before him, he nodded in satisfaction.

Ten thousand years of travel and cultivation had allowed them all to grow considerably. Their auras had become more condensed, and the innocence in their eyes had faded somewhat, replaced by a measure of steadiness.

"Elder Brother! We're back!" Di Jiang strode in with great sweeping steps, his voice booming.

"It's good that you're back. You've all worked hard," Zhou Ming said warmly.

"Tell me about your experiences first."

Di Jiang stepped forward first and waved a large hand. All manner of items gleaming with treasure-light piled up in one corner of the hall.

"Big Brother, look! We really came back loaded this time!" Di Jiang said, patting his chest as though claiming credit.

"All sorts of unusual spirit roots, rare ores, top-grade artifact-refining materials, and quite a few Treasures with considerable power!"

Zhou Ming swept them with his Divine Sense and nodded slightly.

Though most were merely acquired items of uneven quality, they were still fairly decent.

Several had reached the innate grade. Although they were only low-grade and mid-grade, they were already extremely rare gains for the current Wu Clan.

"Not bad. You've done very well. You've worked hard," Zhou Ming praised.

"It's what we should do! For the Wu Clan!" Di Jiang grinned. He was delighted to be able to share Big Brother's burdens.

On the other side, the silent Zhu Jiuyin also stepped forward and respectfully returned the Dao Origin Divine Pearl to Zhou Ming.

"Elder Brother, following your instructions, we traveled through the Western Lands, using the Dao Origin Divine Pearl to sort out the earth veins and absorb and refine the baleful qi."

"The Western Lands were heavy with baleful qi and resentment, making the task quite difficult. But because of that, we accumulated quite a bit of merit, all of which has been stored within the Dao Origin Divine Pearl."

Zhou Ming accepted the Dao Origin Divine Pearl and sent his Divine Sense inside. Within the pearl's internal space gathered a vast, pure force of merit. Though it could not compare to the boundless merit of Nuwa creating humanity or Houtu's Samsara Transformation from the legends, it was still an immense fortune!

"Very good!" Zhou Ming nodded in satisfaction. "This merit will be of great benefit to the Wu Clan's future development!"

With the Twelve Ancestral Witches gathered once more, Pangu Hall immediately grew lively.

At the center of the hall, thirteen figures stood solemnly.

"My brothers and sisters." Zhou Ming looked at the twelve Ancestral Witches before him, whose auras had grown ever more powerful, and his expression turned serious.

"Now, the baleful qi throughout the Primordial World is gradually subsiding, and a new era is about to arrive."

"Our Wu Clan must also make preparations for the future in advance."

"For now, our foremost task is to increase our strength!"

"We must open the inheritance imprint Father God left in the depths of our bloodline as soon as possible and raise our cultivation realms!"

"As for the few Innate Spiritual Treasures Di Jiang and the others brought back..."

"I will distribute them reasonably according to the Law attributes each of you commands and your actual needs, giving priority to those who need them most."

Under Zhou Ming's plans, the Wu Clan once again entered a period of devoted cultivation.