The Crying Child Gets Milk

The Dao-Demon Conflict had ended nearly one epoch ago. During those long years, the Primordial Wilderness finally welcomed a long-lost peace. Though the fiendish aura that permeated heaven and earth had not fully dispersed, it had thinned considerably.

During this time, Zhou Ming had not been idle either.

He often left Pangu Hall to gather the fiendish aura left behind by the Dragon Han and Dao-Demon Tribulations throughout the Primordial Wilderness, refining it for the Twelve Ancestral Witches as "nourishment" for their growth.

With an unceasing supply of energy and the operation of the Nine Revolutions Fiend Quenching Art, the Form Transformation of the Twelve Ancestral Witches was greatly accelerated.

Not only were their Physical Bodies immensely formidable, but more importantly, they had all successfully condensed primordial spirits.

Though these primordial spirits were still somewhat frail compared to their Physical Bodies, far inferior to those Innate Great Gods born with primordial spirits, this was undoubtedly a tremendous breakthrough.

It meant that the Wu Clan was no longer that band of brutes who cultivated only the Physical Body and knew nothing of the heavenly order!

Looking at the twelve younger siblings before him, their auras powerful yet their gazes still carrying the bewilderment of newborns, Zhou Ming was filled with emotion.

Naturally, while helping his younger siblings, Zhou Ming had never neglected his own cultivation.

Through the Merit earned from refining fiendish aura, as well as his constant comprehension of the Law of Strength, his cultivation steadily improved.

Finally, not long ago, he had reached the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm!

At the same time, his refinement of the Dao Origin Divine Pearl had progressed further, and he had successfully refined thirty of its Innate Restrictions.

This was already the limit attainable at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm.

To advance any further, he would need to enter the Quasi-Sage realm.

"The peak of Grand Unity... still isn't enough."

With this bit of strength, he would still be as insignificant as an ant in the future Witch-Demon Tribulation, in an era where Sages were everywhere.

Hongjun was about to attain the Dao, and the Purple Sky Palace's lectures were imminent.

The Wu Clan needed resources, needed Fortune, needed to raise its overall strength as swiftly as possible, so that it could seize a sliver of survival in the coming Era of Great Contention!

It was time to begin making arrangements! They could no longer keep hiding in Pangu Hall, cultivating with their heads down.

"Come here, all of you." Zhou Ming spoke in a low voice.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches immediately gathered around him, all turning their eyes toward Zhou Ming.

"Big Brother, what is it?" Zhu Rong, the most hot-tempered among them, asked in a deep, rumbling voice.

Zhou Ming looked at them, his expression turning solemn.

"Now that the Primordial Wilderness has only just settled, with the Dragon Han and Dao-Demon Tribulations at an end, it is the perfect time for our Wu Clan to emerge and accumulate strength."

"Remaining in Pangu Hall may be safe, but it is like sitting at the bottom of a well and looking at the sky. It will be difficult for us to truly grow stronger."

"Therefore, I have decided that we will split into three groups and begin planning for our Wu Clan!"

At the prospect of leaving Pangu Hall, excitement and eagerness appeared in the eyes of many Ancestral Witches.

They were born restless and had long been curious about the world beyond the hall.

Zhou Ming raised a hand, signaling them to calm down before continuing.

"Di Jiang, you will lead Qiang Liang, Tian Wu, and Xi Zi through the Primordial Wilderness. Your primary task will be to collect all kinds of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures!"

"Whether they are Treasures or spiritual roots, Innate or acquired, so long as they have even a little value, get your hands on them and bring them back to Pangu Hall!"

"Remember, our goal is to gather resources, not to compete in strength or pick fights. If you encounter anyone looking for trouble, avoid them if you can. Try not to clash with other factions. If you can't beat them, run. Safety comes first!"

"Yes, Elder Brother!" Di Jiang slapped his chest and grinned, looking extremely confident.

Born with control over the Law of Space, when it came to running away, if he claimed second place, no one would dare claim first.

Next, Zhou Ming looked toward Zhu Jiuyin, the Ancestral Witch of Time. "Zhu Jiuyin, lead Ju Mang, Ru Shou, and Yan Zi to the Western Lands."

With a thought from Zhou Ming, the Dao Origin Divine Pearl emerged from between his brows.

"This is the supreme Treasure left behind by Father God, the Dao Origin Divine Pearl." He handed the Dao Origin Divine Pearl to Zhu Jiuyin.

"Your task is to head west."

"The Western Lands were previously devastated by Luohu's self-destruction. Its Spiritual Veins were utterly ruined, and fiendish aura and resentment run rampant. Go there and use the Dao Origin Divine Pearl to set the western earth veins in order, absorb and refine the fiendish aura there. This will, firstly, raise your cultivation, and secondly, allow our Wu Clan to accumulate Merit."

"Rest assured, Elder Brother. We understand." Zhu Jiuyin nodded, his expression calm. Finally, Zhou Ming's gaze fell upon Zhu Rong, Gong Gong, Xuan Ming, and Houtu.

Of these four, their personalities were relatively more distinct. Zhu Rong and Gong Gong in particular had been born at odds with each other, while Xuan Ming and Houtu were the only two with female forms among the Twelve Ancestral Witches, their thoughts somewhat more delicate.

"Zhu Rong, Gong Gong, Xuan Ming, Houtu."

"You four will come with me to a place."

"Where to, Big Brother?" Zhu Rong asked curiously.

"We're going to... climb Buzhou Mountain!"

"Climb a mountain?" Zhu Rong and Gong Gong exchanged a glance, completely baffled.

Buzhou Mountain was right outside Pangu Hall. What was there to climb?

"Of course, it won't be a simple mountain climb." Zhou Ming explained. "Buzhou Mountain was formed from Father God's spine, and his powerful will still lingers upon its body."

"We are going there first to pay homage to Father God's legacy and comprehend Father God's great might, and secondly..."

His tone shifted as he looked at the four people, his expression turning somewhat "unfathomable."

"We're going to... have a heart-to-heart with Father God's Will."

"Have a heart-to-heart?"

Xuan Ming blinked, clearly confused.

Houtu wore the same bewildered expression.

"That's right, have a heart-to-heart." Zhou Ming nodded and lowered his voice. "Once we're on the mountain, follow my lead—especially..."

"Xuan Ming, Houtu, listen carefully."

"The moment we get close to where Father God's Will is strongest, the two of you... cry!"

"Huh? Cry?" Xuan Ming froze. Houtu's little face flushed crimson, and she was at a complete loss.

"That's right! Cry!" Zhou Ming said decisively. "Cry miserably! Cry until your hearts are torn apart! Cry so that those who see it will grieve, and those who hear it will shed tears!"

"Think about how hard things are for our Wu Clan right now. We have nothing we need, not even a decent Treasure. Those Innate Great Gods go out wreathed in ten thousand rays of treasure light, while we can only rely on our fists..."

"Then think about Father God. He worked himself to death opening up this Primordial Wilderness, and in the end, even gave himself up for it. Yet we, his children, are living such miserable lives..."

The more Zhou Ming spoke, the more worked up he became, as though he himself were about to burst into tears.

"In short, lay it on as hard as you can! Act as pitiful as you can! We have to make Father God's Will feel our 'filial piety' and how 'hard' we have it!"

"As the saying goes, the child who cries gets the milk!

"Father God's Will may not possess complete emotions, but it must still have a special favor toward us descendants formed from his Essence Blood."

"The more miserably we cry, the more Father God's Will will ache for us. Maybe, in a moment of joy, crack—several Innate Spiritual Treasures might drop down, or it might pass on some powerful cultivation method. Wouldn't we strike it rich then?"

Xuan Ming and Houtu were both stunned.

Zhu Rong and Gong Gong's eyes widened even further, as though they suspected they had misheard.

He wanted them, dignified Ancestral Wu, to cry? What kind of nonsense was that?

"Big Brother, you've got to be joking, right? Cry about what?" Zhu Rong could not help shouting.

"Exactly. Our Wu Clan bleeds, but never sheds tears!" Gong Gong said, craning his neck stubbornly.

"Ahem!" Zhou Ming cleared his throat and said with a solemn face, "This isn't ordinary crying. It's a strategy, understand? A strategy!"

"Think about it. We were formed from Father God's Essence Blood—we're Father God's children, right?"

"Father God fell, and we orphans are living such miserable lives. We don't even have a decent protective Treasure!"

"If we go cry our grievances to Father God's Will, act a little wronged and a little pitiful, perhaps Father God's lingering Will will soften its heart and give us something good?"

Zhou Ming did his best to explain this "wisdom" from a later age in terms they could understand.

"..."

Zhu Rong, Gong Gong, Xuan Ming, and Houtu looked at one another. What their Big Brother said seemed to make a little sense, yet something about it also felt strange.

Crying miserably to ask for benefits... why did that feel so... unlike the Wu Clan?

"Anyway, just listen to me!" Zhou Ming made the final decision. "When the time comes, follow my lead. Xuan Ming and Houtu especially—you two need to work up your emotions. Make sure you cry with genuine feeling, tears falling like rain on pear blossoms, understand?"

Xuan Ming and Houtu nodded, half-understanding.

Zhu Rong scratched his head. "Big Brother, will... will this work?"

"We won't know until we try!" Zhou Ming said decisively. "It's better than waiting around doing nothing! Our Wu Clan has a weak foundation and a late start. If we want to develop quickly, we have to walk a road unlike any other!"

"Alright! Big Brother, we'll listen to you!"

"Then we'll cry! For the Wu Clan!"

Zhou Ming nodded in satisfaction. Good. The ideological work was done.

Next, it would depend on whether this grand "Mountain Weeping" plan could succeed!

"Alright, make your preparations. We depart at once!"