A Punch Thrown Opens the Way, Preventing a Hundred More

After Zhou Ming went into seclusion, Wu Ming did not linger long in Pangu Hall.

Wu Ming left Pangu Hall and headed straight for Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain.

Longevity Mountain was still shrouded in immortal mist, with myriad auspicious clouds glowing brilliantly.

Zhen Yuanzi seemed to have sensed his arrival in advance, already waiting at the temple gate.

Wu Ming pressed down his cloud and landed before Zhen Yuanzi.

"Fellow Daoist Wu Ming, it's good to see you well." Zhen Yuanzi rose to greet him, a warm smile on his face.

Wu Ming clasped his hands in a formal salute to Zhen Yuanzi: "Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi, this poor Daoist has come to return the Earth Book."

He handed the Earth Book back to Zhen Yuanzi.

Zhen Yuanzi took it and nodded: "I appreciate you making the trip yourself."

"It was only right," Wu Ming said. "Borrowing your treasure this time allowed me to find what I needed. All thanks to your aid—the Witch Clan is deeply grateful."

Zhen Yuanzi waved a hand: "There's no need for such courtesy between us. We've known each other for years; a small matter like this is hardly worth mentioning."

"Please!" Zhen Yuanzi stepped aside, guiding Wu Ming into the temple.

Zhen Yuanzi personally poured Wu Ming a cup of Spirit Tea.

"Was your journey smooth, Fellow Daoist?"

Wu Ming lifted the cup, took a light sip, and nodded: "Fairly smooth. There were some twists and turns, but in the end, I found what I was looking for."

Zhen Yuanzi, being tactful, did not press for details. Instead, he turned the conversation to the grand trends of the Primordial Wilderness.

"Ah, the Primordial Wilderness now—on the surface it seems calm, but beneath, currents are churning," Zhen Yuanzi sighed softly.

"Over on the Demon Race's side, Di Jun and Taiyi are no ordinary figures. They're consolidating the Demon Race faster and faster. I fear it won't be long before they've bound the entire race into a single force."

"This poor Daoist estimates that within at most ten thousand years, the Demon Race's power will reach its peak."

Wu Ming nodded in agreement: "Your words are not wrong."

"Once they unify the Demon Race and gather boundless Destiny, Di Jun and Taiyi might use that vast Demon Race fortune to push their cultivation further, entering the mid Quasi-Saint stage."

"By then, with the two brothers joining forces and the entire Demon Race backing them, I'm afraid... few forces in the Primordial Wilderness will be able to stand in their way."

Zhen Yuanzi looked at Wu Ming and probed: "The Witch Clan... can't either?"

"Don't forget, Fellow Daoist, the Witch Clan still has Zhou Ming sitting in command."

"With Zhou Ming's unfathomable cultivation..."

In his mind, with Zhou Ming around, the Witch Clan should have no fear of the Demon Race.

Hearing this, Wu Ming chuckled softly and shook his head.

He set down his teacup, his tone calm.

"Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi, you misunderstand."

"My Witch Clan, from beginning to end, has never intended to join this struggle for supremacy in the Primordial Wilderness."

"Nor do we have any ambition to dominate it."

"We thirteen Ancestral Witches were born from the legacy of Father God Pangu. When we established the clan, we swore an oath to the heavens and earth of the Primordial Wilderness."

"The meaning of the Witch Clan's existence is to guard the land, regulate the earth veins, refine the Sha Qi of the Primordial Wilderness, and protect it—not to fight for power, kill, or scheme."

"Struggling for supremacy? That's not what the Witch Clan is meant to do."

Zhen Yuanzi frowned slightly, watching Wu Ming's calm expression, and said slowly: "Fellow Daoist, your intentions are good. This poor Daoist also believes the Witch Clan has no heart for conquest."

"But... you may think this way, yet those two in the Demon Race may not see it the same."

"How can one tolerate another snoring beside one's bed?"

"The Witch Clan occupies the finest lands of the Primordial Wilderness, and your strength is so formidable. In Di Jun and Taiyi's eyes, you are the greatest obstacle to their unification of the Primordial Wilderness!"

"Even if you don't provoke them, they will surely see you as a thorn in their side, a dagger in their heart!"

"Whether the Witch Clan has ambitions for supremacy or not, the Demon Race will come knocking sooner or later. A battle with your clan... is inevitable!"

"When that time comes, even if you wish to avoid it, you may find no escape. A great war will be unavoidable!"

Zhen Yuanzi's tone carried a note of gravity.

Wu Ming still wore a calm smile, as if unsurprised by Zhen Yuanzi's concern.

He nodded: "Fellow Daoist, this poor Daoist is well aware of what you say."

"Do we not know Di Jun and Taiyi's intentions?"

"But the Demon Race... is not yet qualified to truly do battle with my Witch Clan."

Zhen Yuanzi's heart skipped a beat.

What bold words!

Though he knew the Witch Clan was powerful, and that Zhou Ming was a mysterious existence, to say the other side wasn't even qualified to fight after the Demon Race had formed its Heavenly Court—that was a bit much...

Wu Ming continued: "Fellow Daoist, rest assured."

"When that day truly comes, all we need is to hit them hard enough, make them afraid enough, and they'll naturally fall in line."

"As the saying goes, land one punch to ward off a hundred more."

"Only by making them personally taste the cost of opposing my Witch Clan will they truly rein in those unwarranted ambitions."

Zhen Yuanzi's heart trembled slightly as he listened to Wu Ming's words.

Good heavens—spoken so lightly, yet the killing intent within them was enough to chill the soul.

Hit them hard? Make them behave?

It seemed the Witch Clan had long since devised a countermeasure, and one that involved striking ruthlessly.

"But... even if we hit them hard, it might not be enough to dispel their wariness," Zhen Yuanzi still harbored doubts. "As long as the Witch Clan exists for a single day, they'll likely never rest easy."

Wu Ming set down his teacup and looked at Zhen Yuanzi.

"So, after hitting them hard, we must also prove something to the entire Primordial Wilderness."

"Prove that my Witch Clan truly has no ambition for hegemony."

"As long as we convince them—and all the living beings of the Primordial Wilderness—of this fact, they'll naturally stop hounding my Witch Clan."

"If we don't hit them hard, they won't believe it."

"And besides..." Wu Ming paused, "this punch isn't just to intimidate the Demon Race."

"It's also to intimidate those petty villains with ill intentions across the Primordial Wilderness."

"Let them see clearly that while my Witch Clan doesn't seek hegemony, we're no soft touch to be pushed around!"

Zhen Yuanzi understood.

First, establish authority with thunderous means, then clarify their stance—a blend of grace and force.

But still...

Zhen Yuanzi asked curiously, "Fellow Daoist, how do you intend... to prove it?"

How could one prove to the entire Primordial Wilderness that the Witch Clan had no ambition for hegemony? That was no easy task.

Wu Ming smiled mysteriously. "Heh, as for that..."

"When the time comes, Fellow Daoist will naturally know."

Seeing this, Zhen Yuanzi didn't press further.

The two fell silent for a moment, and the conversation naturally drifted to the future Sages of Zixiao Palace.

"Speaking of which, the Dao Ancestor taking in the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti as disciples, and granting them the Hongmeng Purple Qi—that's a tremendous fortune," Zhen Yuanzi remarked with emotion. "The position of Sage... among the countless billions of beings in the Primordial Wilderness, only these few can ever hope to reach it."

"I wonder, among the six of them, who will take that first step and Attain Sainthood first?"

Attaining Sainthood!

That was the ultimate realm dreamed of by every great power in the Primordial Wilderness.

Once someone became a Sage, the entire landscape of the Primordial Wilderness would undergo earth-shattering changes.

Hearing this, Wu Ming picked up his teacup and took another sip, his movements unhurried.

"Attain Sainthood? Heh, it's not that easy."

"The Hongmeng Purple Qi is merely a key—a qualification for sainthood. To truly push open that door, one needs immense Opportunity and merit."

"As This Humble One sees it, the six of them are still far from attaining Sainthood."

Zhen Yuanzi caught the implication in Wu Ming's words and quickly asked, "Oh? Fellow Daoist Wu Ming seems to know something?"

"Does Fellow Daoist know roughly when they might attain Sainthood?"

Wu Ming shook his head. "This Humble One naturally doesn't know the exact time."

"However..."

He paused before continuing, "What This Humble One can confirm is that, for now, their Opportunity to attain Sainthood has not yet arrived."

"When the time is not right, no matter how hard they cultivate or how many mysteries they comprehend, they cannot take that final step."

"So, in the short term, no Sage will appear in the Primordial Wilderness."

After hearing this, Zhen Yuanzi understood.

It seemed that Fellow Daoist Wu Ming's grasp of the celestial trends and great currents far surpassed ordinary people.

Since he said the Opportunity had not yet come, then it truly wasn't the time.

This put his mind somewhat at ease.

At the very least, before a Sage emerged, the situation in the Primordial Wilderness wouldn't spiral completely out of control.

The two chatted a while longer, exchanging insights on cultivation.

Wu Ming rose to take his leave. "Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi, I've imposed on your time long enough. This Humble One should be going."

Zhen Yuanzi also stood. "Fellow Daoist, take care."

He saw Wu Ming to the temple gate.

"Fellow Daoist, if you have leisure in the future, feel free to visit my Wuzhuang Temple anytime."

Wu Ming nodded. "Certainly."

With that, he clasped his hands in a formal salute to Zhen Yuanzi, then transformed into a streak of light and vanished into the horizon.