In the Primordial Wilderness, years went unrecorded, and cultivation knew no time.
Since Wu Ming and Zhen Yuanzi parted at Wuzhuang Temple, ten thousand years had passed in the blink of an eye.
During these ten thousand years, the Primordial Wilderness had appeared calm on the surface, while the various major forces silently accumulated strength.
For the Witch Clan, however, these ten thousand years had brought earth-shaking changes.
The Ancestral Witches had secluded themselves to cultivate, relying on the Father God's legacy and their own extraordinary talents to break through one after another.
Gou Mang, Rushou, Gonggong, Zhurong, Qiangliang, Tianwu, Xizi, Shebishi, and Xuanming had all stepped into the Primordial Golden Immortal realm.
For a time, the Witch Clan's Destiny surged dramatically.
After the Ancestral Witches had greatly advanced their cultivation, Zhou Ming and his twelve younger siblings gathered once more in the depths of Pangu Hall, jointly comprehending the supreme inheritance left behind by Father God Pangu.
Perhaps because Zhou Ming, this variable, existed, the supreme killing array within that inheritance—the Great Array of the Heavenly Gods and Fiends—had actually developed a new variation through their comprehension.
This array could be set up by the Twelve Ancestor Witches, but it could also be formed by thirteen people.
With Zhou Ming added, the thirteen of them could activate it together, using Pangu Hall as the heart of Pangu's True Body. The aura of Pangu's True Body would then become so powerful that every Ancestral Witch would feel shaken to the core, as though the true Father God were about to reappear in the Primordial Wilderness!
It would be even better if they had a Sky-Opening Axe.
This would be the Witch Clan's most powerful trump card.
While the Witch Clan silently accumulated strength on Buzhou Mountain, the Demon Clan had never stopped expanding.
Demon Emperor Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi were brothers of great talent and ambition, with extraordinary methods.
After ten thousand years of diligent governance, they had finally brought the countless Demon Clan forces throughout the Primordial Wilderness under their command, completing the unification of the Demon Clan.
The Demon Clan's Heavenly Court was flourishing with Destiny and awe-inspiring might over the Nine Heavens.
On this day, at the Heavenly Court's Lingxiao Treasure Hall,
Di Jun sat high upon the imperial throne, his expression solemn.
Eastern Emperor Taiyi stood below him, his expression proud and his battle intent soaring.
On the other side stood the refined-looking Fuxi.
During these ten thousand years, Di Jun and Taiyi had personally gone to Phoenix Nest Mountain to invite Nuwa and Fuxi back to the Heavenly Court.
Nuwa, however, had politely declined, saying that she was in seclusion comprehending the Hongmeng Purple Qi and attempting to become a Sage.
After careful consideration, Fuxi had ultimately chosen to return to the Heavenly Court and continue assisting Di Jun.
As for Kunpeng, ever since obtaining the Hongmeng Purple Qi, he had acted like a frightened bird, keeping a low profile and rarely venturing out. Di Jun and Taiyi had been too busy consolidating the Demon Clan to bother with him, and Kunpeng naturally no longer dared set foot in the Heavenly Court.
At this moment, the atmosphere within the hall was somewhat tense.
Taiyi was the first to break the silence. He stepped forward, his resonant voice filled with excitement and battle intent that he could barely suppress.
"Big Brother!"
"Our Demon Clan is now unified, and the myriad demons have submitted wholeheartedly. Our Destiny is surging like a rainbow!"
"You and I have both successfully broken through to the mid-stage Quasi-Saint realm. Looking across the entire Primordial Wilderness, only a handful can rival us!"
"With the billions of demon soldiers and generals in our Heavenly Court, it can be said that the Primordial Wilderness now belongs to our Demon Clan!"
Taiyi suddenly raised his head and stared intently at Di Jun.
"Big Brother, it is time for us to act! To unify the Primordial Wilderness and establish an unparalleled achievement—that day is today!"
The more Taiyi spoke, the more excited he became, as if he had already seen the scene of the Demon Clan ruling the world and all races submitting.
Upon hearing this, Di Jun's brows drew together almost imperceptibly. He did not respond at once.
Only after a moment did he slowly speak, his voice steady yet carrying unquestionable majesty.
"Second Brother, I understand how you feel."
"The Demon Clan's prosperity today is owed to the efforts of you and me, Emperor Xi, and our countless fellow members of the Demon Clan."
Di Jun paused, then changed direction.
"But now is still not the time to completely unify the Primordial Wilderness."
Taiyi's excitement instantly froze, and his brows knitted tightly.
"Big Brother, why?"
"Could our Demon Clan's current strength still be insufficient to sweep aside everything?"
A profound look flashed through Di Jun's eyes.
"Second Brother, you are underestimating the heroes of the Primordial Wilderness."
"Especially the Witch Clan."
Di Jun's tone grew somewhat solemn.
"The Witch Clan's Twelve Ancestor Witches have all stepped into the Primordial Golden Immortal realm. Their strength cannot be underestimated."
"Moreover... there is also Wu Ming."
"I cannot see through this man at all."
"His strength is unfathomable, far beyond that of an ordinary Quasi-Saint."
When Taiyi heard Di Jun mention the Witch Clan, especially the mysterious Wu Ming, the arrogance on his face diminished somewhat, but he remained unconvinced.
"Big Brother! You are giving too much weight to others while undermining our own prestige!"
"Wu Ming is formidable—I admit that!"
"But so what? No matter how strong he is, he is still only one person!"
"If the two of us join forces, with the power of the River Diagram and Luo Script and the Chaos Bell, are we really supposed to fear just him?"
"As for the other twelve Ancestral Witches, so what if they are all Primordial Golden Immortals? Our Demon Clan has quite a few Quasi-Saints as well!"
"If war truly breaks out and we gather the strength of the entire clan, we may well be able to flatten them in one stroke!"
Taiyi clearly had absolute confidence in the Demon Clan's strength. He was not unaware of the threat posed by the Witch Clan; he simply believed that the Demon Clan's overall strength could crush it.
"Second Brother, you must not underestimate them so recklessly," Di Jun said with a frown.
Fuxi nodded as well and picked up the conversation. "Fellow Daoist Di Jun is right."
"That Wu Ming is no ordinary person. No one knows the depth of his cultivation, and that is precisely what makes him most frightening."
"I once secretly deduced his fate, but all I saw was Chaos. The Heavenly Secrets did not reveal themselves."
"An existence like that either possesses a supreme treasure that obscures the Heavenly Secrets, or his cultivation has already exceeded the range of my deductions."
"Whichever the case, it proves that this person is extremely dangerous."
Moreover, although the Twelve Ancestor Witches of the Witch Clan were newly advanced Primordial Golden Immortals, they controlled laws by birth and possessed bodies of unparalleled strength. Their battle power was absolutely beyond that of ordinary cultivators at the same level.
"What was more, they were bound together by shared blood and destiny. Once they joined forces, their might would be even more difficult to estimate."
"Although our Demon Clan is powerful, if we launched a full-scale war against the Witch Clan now, even if we ultimately won, it would certainly be a costly victory."
Fuxi sighed softly.
"By then, our Demon Clan would suffer immense losses and lose all its elite forces. Even if we unified the Primordial Wilderness in name, what meaning would that have?"
"Moreover, all those who obtained the Hongmeng Purple Qi are cultivating in seclusion, and any of them could attain sainthood at any time."
"Once a Sage emerged, the balance of the Primordial Wilderness would inevitably be reshuffled. If we suffered heavy losses because of a war with the Witch Clan, would we not merely be making wedding clothes for others?"
Di Jun nodded in agreement. "Fellow Daoist Fuxi's concerns are precisely what I have been thinking."
He looked at Taiyi, who was still somewhat unwilling, and softened his tone.
"Second Brother, it is not that I fear battle. The time simply has not come."
"Then, according to Big Brother and Fellow Daoist Fuxi, what should we do?" Taiyi asked in a muffled voice, still sounding somewhat unwilling.
"Are we supposed to keep waiting like this?"
Di Jun nodded slightly. "We naturally have to wait, but we are not going to wait idly."
"Fellow Daoist Fuxi and I are using the River Diagram and Luo Script to devote ourselves to deducing our Demon Clan's protective array—the Great Formation of the Stars."
"Once this array is completed, it will use three hundred sixty-five Great Zhou Heavenly Star Banners to correspond to the three hundred sixty-five main stars of antiquity, and fourteen thousand eight hundred Lesser Zhou Heavenly Star Banners to correspond to the auxiliary stars, supplemented by billions of demons."
"Once deployed, it can draw upon the Starlight Force of the myriad heavens. Its might will be boundless, enough to destroy heaven and earth!"
"At that time, our Demon Clan will possess true confidence and be capable of facing any challenge."
"When that day comes, once the great array is deployed, let alone the mere Witch Clan—even the lofty Sages, our Demon Clan will dare to fight them!"
Di Jun's voice was filled with powerful confidence.
The River Diagram and Luo Script were his innate spiritual treasures. They contained the secrets of the movement of the stars, and with Fuxi, a great expert skilled in deduction, working alongside him, it was only a matter of time before they deduced the Great Formation of the Stars.
Upon hearing about the Great Formation of the Stars, the discontent on Taiyi's face gradually faded.
He also knew how formidable this array was. If it could truly be deployed successfully, the Demon Clan's strength would indeed rise another level.
At that time, they would naturally have a much greater chance of unifying the Primordial Wilderness.
"Big Brother, when will the deduction of the Great Formation of the Stars be complete?" Taiyi pressed.
Di Jun fell into thought. "This array is infinitely profound and involves the stars of the heavens. It cannot be completed in a single day."
"However, Fellow Daoist Fuxi and I have already made considerable progress."
Fuxi nodded as well. "Eastern Emperor, rest assured. I will do everything in my power to help Your Majesty complete this array as soon as possible."
Taiyi took a deep breath and suppressed the restlessness in his heart.
"Very well. Since that is the case, we will wait a little longer!"
"The day the Great Formation of the Stars is completed will be the day our Demon Clan rules the Primordial Wilderness!"