The Crying Child Gets Milk

The Dao-Demon Conflict had ended nearly a kalpa ago. In that long stretch of years, the Primordial World welcomed a long-lost peace. Though the Sha Qi that filled heaven and earth had not completely dispersed, it had grown much thinner.

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

He often left Pangu Hall to roam the Primordial World, collecting the Sha Qi left behind from the Dragon-Han and Dao-Demon calamities, refining it for the Twelve Ancestor Witches to absorb as "nourishment" for their growth.

With an unending supply of energy and the operation of the Nine Revolutions Sha Quenching Art, the Transformation process of the Twelve Ancestor Witches was greatly accelerated.

Not only were their physical bodies formidable, but more importantly, they had all successfully condensed their Primordial Spirits.

Though these Primordial Spirits were still somewhat weak compared to their bodies, far inferior to the Innate Great Gods born with natural Primordial Spirits, this was undoubtedly a massive breakthrough.

It meant the Witch Clan was no longer that reckless race that only cultivated their bodies and understood nothing of Heaven's calculations!

Looking at the twelve younger siblings before him, their auras fierce yet their eyes still carrying a hint of newborn innocence, Zhou Ming's heart swelled with countless emotions.

Of course, while helping his younger siblings, Zhou Ming never neglected his own cultivation.

By refining the merit gained from Sha Qi and continuously comprehending the Law of Strength, his cultivation steadily advanced.

Finally, not long ago, he had reached the peak of the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm!

At the same time, his refinement of the [Dao Origin Divine Pearl] had progressed further, successfully refining thirty of its Innate restrictions.

This was already the limit of what a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal could achieve.

To go further, he would need to step into the Golden Immortal of the Origin realm.

"Peak of Zenith Heaven... still not enough."

With this level of strength, in the future Witch-Demon Calamity, in an era where Saints would emerge in full force, he would still be nothing but an ant.

Hongjun was about to attain the Dao, and Zixiao Palace would soon begin its lectures.

The Witch Clan needed resources, needed Destiny, needed to rapidly improve their overall strength, if they were to seize a sliver of hope in the coming great struggle!

They had to start making plans! No more holing up in Pangu Hall, cultivating in seclusion.

"All of you, come here." Zhou Ming spoke in a deep voice.

The Twelve Ancestor Witches immediately gathered around, all eyes fixed on Zhou Ming.

"Big Brother, what's the matter?" Zhurong, the most impatient of them, asked in a rumbling voice.

Zhou Ming looked at them, his expression turning serious.

"Now that the Primordial World has just settled, with the Dragon-Han and Dao-Demon calamities over, this is the perfect time for our Witch Clan to emerge and gather strength."

"Staying in Pangu Hall, though safe, is like looking at the sky from the bottom of a well—it's hard to truly grow strong."

"So, I've decided to split into three groups and begin planning for our Witch Clan!"

Hearing they would leave Pangu Hall, many of the Ancestor Witches showed excitement and eagerness in their eyes.

They were naturally restless, long curious about the world outside the hall.

Zhou Ming raised a hand, signaling them to calm down, and continued:

"Dijiang, you lead Qiangliang, Tianwu, and Xizi to travel the Primordial World. Your main task is to collect all kinds of heavenly materials and earthly treasures!"

"Whether they're magical artifacts or spiritual roots, innate or acquired, as long as they have some value, if you can get your hands on them, bring them back to Pangu Hall!"

"Remember, our goal is to gather resources, not to fight for dominance."

"If you run into anyone unreasonable, avoid them if you can. Try not to clash with other forces. If you can't win, run. Safety first!"

"Yes, Elder Brother!" Dijiang thumped his chest, grinning with confidence.

He was born with mastery over Space Law—when it came to running away, if he said he was second, no one dared claim first.

Next, Zhou Ming turned to the Time Ancestor Witch Zhujiuyin: "Zhujiuyin, you lead Gou Mang, Rushou, and Yanzi to the Western lands."

Zhou Ming's mind stirred, and the Dao Origin Divine Pearl emerged from between his brows.

"This is the supreme treasure left by Father God, the Dao Origin Divine Pearl." He handed the pearl to Zhujiuyin.

"Your mission is to go to the West."

"The Western lands were devastated by Luohu's self-destruction; spiritual veins were destroyed, and Sha Qi and resentment run rampant. Your task is to use the Dao Origin Divine Pearl to regulate the Western earth veins, absorb and refine the Sha Qi there. First, this will improve your cultivation; second, it will accumulate merit for our Witch Clan."

"Elder Brother, rest assured. We understand." Zhujiuyin nodded, his expression calm.

Finally, Zhou Ming's gaze fell on Zhurong, Gonggong, Xuanming, and Houtu.

These four had more distinct personalities, especially Zhurong and Gonggong, who were naturally at odds, while Xuanming and Houtu were the only two female figures among the Twelve Ancestor Witches, with relatively more delicate minds.

"Zhurong, Gonggong, Xuanming, Houtu."

"The four of you will come with me to a place."

"Where are we going, Big Brother?" Zhurong asked curiously.

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

"Climb a mountain?" Zhurong and Gonggong exchanged glances, a bit confused.

Buzhou Mountain was right outside Pangu Hall—what was there to climb?

"Of course, it's not just simple mountain climbing," Zhou Ming explained. "Buzhou Mountain was formed from Father God's spine. On its slopes, the powerful will of Father God still lingers."

"This trip has two purposes: first, to pay homage to Father God's legacy and comprehend his great power; second..."

He shifted his tone, looking at the four of them with an expression that turned somewhat "inscrutable."

"We're going to... build a rapport with Father God's will."

"Build a rapport?"

Xuanming blinked, confused.

Houtu also looked bewildered.

"That's right, build a rapport." Zhou Ming nodded, lowering his voice. "Once we're on the mountain, all of you follow my lead, especially..."

"Xuanming, Houtu, listen carefully."

"When we get close to where Father God's will is thickest, you two start... crying!"

"Huh? Crying?" Xuanming was stunned, while Houtu's face flushed red, at a loss.

"Yes! Crying!" Zhou Ming said firmly. "Cry pitifully! Cry heart-wrenchingly! Cry so that anyone who hears it feels sad and tears up!"

"Just think about how tough our Witch Clan has it—nothing to our name, not even a decent magic treasure. Picture those Innate Great Gods stepping out with radiant treasures, while we can only rely on our fists..."

"And think about Father God himself, toiling to open up this Primordial World, exhausting himself until he gave his very life, and yet we, his children, are living so miserably..."

Zhou Ming grew more impassioned as he spoke, as if he himself was about to cry.

"In short, play up the grievance! Act as pitiful as you can! We have to make Father God's will feel our 'filial devotion' and 'hardship'!"

"As the saying goes, the crying child gets the milk!"

"Although Father God's will lacks complete emotions, it still has a special regard for us, his descendants born from his essence blood."

"The more miserably we cry, the more Father God's will will pity us. Maybe, if it's pleased, crack, a few Innate Spiritual Treasures will drop, or it'll pass down some powerful techniques. Then won't we be set?"

Xuanming and Houtu were both dumbfounded.

Zhurong and Gonggong's eyes went wide, wondering if they'd heard wrong.

Them, the mighty Ancestral Witches, crying? What kind of nonsense was this?

"Big brother, are you serious? Crying?" Zhurong couldn't help but blurt out.

"Yeah, we Witches shed blood, not tears!" Gonggong also stiffened his neck and said.

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

"Think about it—we were born from Father God's essence blood, aren't we his children?"

"Father God has fallen, and we orphans are living so miserably, without even a decent protective treasure!"

"We go cry to Father God's will, act wronged and pitiful. Maybe Father God's lingering will, feeling soft-hearted, will give us something good?"

Zhou Ming tried hard to explain this "wisdom" from his later era in terms they could grasp.

"..."

Zhurong, Gonggong, Xuanming, and Houtu exchanged glances. What the big brother said seemed to make some sense, but something felt off.

Them going to cry about their hardships to beg for favors... That move just didn't feel... very Witch-like.

"In short, trust me on this!" Zhou Ming made the call. "Follow my lead when we get there. Especially you two, Xuanming and Houtu—get your emotions ready. You must cry with genuine feeling, like pear blossoms in the rain, got it?"

Xuanming and Houtu nodded, half-understanding.

Zhurong scratched his head. "Big brother, will this... actually work?"

"We won't know until we try!" Zhou Ming said decisively. "It's better than just waiting around! Our Witch Clan has a thin foundation and a late start. To develop fast, we have to take an unconventional path!"

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

"Cry it is! For the Witch Clan!"

Zhou Ming nodded in satisfaction. Good, the ideological work was done.

Now, it all depended on whether this "Cry Mountain" scheme would succeed!

"Alright, everyone prepare. We set out immediately!"