Mount Buzhou.
It was where the Tian Zhu that supported the entire Primordial Continent stood.
Back then, when Great God Pangu created the heavens and the earth, the turbid and clear qi had separated, but there was nothing to keep them in place. So Pangu transformed his own spine into this Archaic Divine Mountain, which supported the workings of the entire world.
Its vastness defied description. Even a galaxy seemed as tiny as a speck of dust before this mountain range. In Buddhist terms, every grain of dust and sand on Mount Buzhou might contain Mount Sumeru within it, holding an entire Minor World.
In itself, it was a top-tier Middle Thousand World, and could even be called a Great Thousand World!
Though countless cycles of time had passed, its imposing pressure remained terrifying. Even peak Quasi-Saints struggled to withstand it, and even Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortals had to avoid its edge. It was unquestionably the foremost divine mountain in the Primordial World, concealing countless opportunities.
In one region of Mount Buzhou, boundless Chaos Qi swirled all around. It seemed to contain the wondrous power to evolve Earth, Wind, Water, Fire and create worlds within the cosmos. The area ahead was covered by layers of divine-character restrictions, and from time to time, Great Dao Runes flashed into view before vanishing into the void.
Spatial energy surged and intertwined as Nuwa and the other high-ranking figures and powerful experts of the Heavenly Court arrived.
"This is the place. The Innate Grand Formation hasn't dispersed yet, but judging by its changes, it shouldn't take much longer. Let's wait for now."
Fuxi glanced at the hazy region surrounded by countless divine-character restrictions. After a brief divination, he spoke.
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
Everyone nodded.
"My lords, when the others arrive, should we activate the formation at once and drive them away, or...?"
Gui Che asked.
"No need. We'll wait until the Innate Gourd Vine has fully emerged before deterring the others and driving them away. If we act too soon, we might create complications and something could go wrong. This matter is of great importance; we can't afford any mistakes. If we drive them off too early, they may be unwilling to give up and summon their friends, which would only cause trouble."
Nuwa spoke calmly, her voice cool and clear.
Taiyi and Fuxi said nothing, but they were both in complete agreement.
"Understood."
Gui Che nodded and asked no more.
Everyone closed their eyes and quietly adjusted their state.
Soon, waves of spatial fluctuations reached them. Sensing them, everyone opened their eyes.
At the head of the group was a man with a youthful face and white hair, looking like an enlightened sage. His expression was indifferent, as if he felt neither joy nor sorrow. Another man was middle-aged and imposing, while a third had sharp brows and bright eyes, his entire body radiating a keen sword intent.
Besides the three of them, there was a young man dressed in a red Daoist robe and an old man dressed in green.
Taiqing, Shangqing, Yuqing, Hong Yun, and Zhen Yuanzi had arrived!
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
The earth trembled with a rumbling roar, deafening as thunder. Twelve giants, each tens of billions of feet tall, strode toward them from afar. With each step, their bodies shrank a little. By the time they reached the others, they had shrunk to a single zhang tall.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches had arrived!
"Coming to Mount Buzhou without first asking us, its masters—what's the meaning of this?"
Zhu Rong grinned and swept his gaze over them.
"Since when did Mount Buzhou belong to the Twelve Ancestral Witches?"
Zhen Yuanzi raised an eyebrow.
"We are the descendants of Father God's bloodline, and Mount Buzhou was formed from Father God's spine. Naturally, we are its masters!"
Zhu Rong declared, utterly confident.
"We were formed from Father God's Yuan Shen, too, yet we've never gone around constantly announcing that we're Father God's descendants. How shameless can you get?"
Shangqing sneered.
"After all, our clan isn't as cold-blooded as you Three Pure Ones. You've even forgotten who your own Father God is."
Gonggong said sarcastically.
"You!"
Shangqing was furious.
"Enough. What's there to argue about? None of us are fools. There's no need for these low-level attempts to test and provoke one another. Since we're here, we're bound to get a share of this treasure. Or do you Twelve Ancestral Witches think you can take on all of us together?"
Taiqing spoke evenly.
"Our clan never intended to keep it all for ourselves. But the Heavenly Court has quite a showing here, bringing so many ants along."
Di Jiang gave a mocking laugh and glanced toward Nuwa and the others. His mouth twitched as he looked at the Ten Heavenly Sages and more than three million Heavenly Soldiers and Generals.
"If you'd brought three million Quasi-Saints, we'd have dropped to our knees immediately. Even three million Great Luo Golden Immortals would have made us take you seriously. But most of them are Profound Immortals, and there are barely any Golden Immortals among them. Why bring them along? As cannon fodder, or just to show off?"
"The Heavenly Court certainly knows how to make a grand entrance. Why bring so many people to search for treasure? Don't tell me you're planning to keep it all for yourselves."
Zhen Yuanzi stroked his beard as he spoke.
The others said nothing, but their expressions and gazes were all strange.
What, was the Heavenly Court planning to use these ants to claim the treasure for themselves?
Or were they just putting on a show?
Whatever the reason, were they seriously trying to make them laugh?
As for Fuxi standing with the Heavenly Court, the Primordial Great Powers were surprised, but not overly so. His younger sister had joined the Heavenly Court; it was only natural for him to join as well.
"We'll do as we please. What's it to you?"
Taiyi said coolly.
Just wait. Soon, they'd show them what it meant to be awesome!
"Heh."
"Heh."
"Heh."
One after another, the Primordial Great Powers chuckled. Then, too lazy to engage or waste their breath, they closed their eyes and began adjusting their state.
There was no point in trading barbs or trying to sound one another out. They might as well conserve their strength and wait for the supreme treasure to emerge. There would probably be a battle then, so there was no need to waste their energy now.
Time passed, and several months slipped by in the blink of an eye.
The Innate Grand Formation in front of the gathered Primordial Great Powers suddenly erupted with wave after wave of powerful, surging suction.
In an instant, all the Innate Spiritual Qi within a radius of countless billions of kilometers came rushing in. From afar, the sky above all of Mount Buzhou seemed to form a gigantic vortex.
Even Primordial Great Powers who weren't on Mount Buzhou sensed something and one after another opened their eyes to look in its direction.
In an instant, every Primordial Great Power present snapped their eyes open and stared toward the Innate Grand Formation, where crack after crack had begun to appear.
"The supreme treasure is about to emerge!"
Shangqing said gravely, his eyes shining.
"Everyone, the Twelve Ancestral Witches have the numbers, and every one of them is already a Quasi-Saint. If they try to keep the treasure for themselves, none of us could stand against them alone. If we want a share, we'll have to join forces."
Hong Yun spoke with conviction.
"Indeed."
Taiqing stroked his beard.
"Don't worry. Our clan isn't foolish; we won't be greedy. Hm? Taiyi, what are you doing?"
Di Jiang, leader of the Twelve Ancestral Witches and chief of the Witch Clan, was speaking evenly. Before he could finish, he seemed to notice something. His expression faltered as he looked toward the front of the Innate Grand Formation.
It wasn't just Di Jiang. The gaze of every powerful expert turned in the same direction.
"Everyone, the Heavenly Court will take this supreme treasure. Please leave."
The assembled Heavenly Court experts and Heavenly Soldiers and Generals had reached the front of the Innate Grand Formation and completely sealed off the area. They stopped in their tracks. Taiyi turned his palm over, revealing the Chaos Bell. Feeling all those gazes fixed on them, he grinned.
This treasure belongs to the Heavenly Court!
Who agrees? Who objects?
Before you continue