Mount Buzhou

Master Yuanshi Tianzun was currently in seclusion, breaking through to Sainthood. He wouldn't emerge anytime soon. And Taishang, the senior martial uncle, and Tongtian, the junior martial uncle, were out of the question.

He was on his own, and his cultivation was only at the Golden Immortal level. It was best to keep a low profile.

"The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. I understand that." Xuanqing stroked Xiao Hei, who was asleep on his shoulder, and silently made up his mind.

Until he had enough power to protect himself, he absolutely wouldn't reveal his trump cards or go looking for trouble. He also had to carry out this plan to claim the merit from Nuwa Creates Humans without anyone noticing.

Xuanqing walked on, lost in thought.

The deeper he ventured into Mount Buzhou, the more varied the auras of the living beings around him became.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, he descended from the sky and landed in a lively wooded valley. A large number of the Yao Clan had gathered there. Most of them weren't very powerful and hadn't fully transformed, retaining some of their original features.

The place was peaceful, a stark contrast to the tension outside.

With a thought, Xuanqing summoned a faint layer of immortal light around himself. In an instant, his ethereal bearing became utterly ordinary, and his blue robes turned into a plain animal-hide tunic. He looked like the most unremarkable little yao imaginable.

He patted Xiao Hei, who was curiously looking around from his shoulder.

"You change your appearance too. Keep a low profile."

Xiao Hei blinked in confusion.

Xuanqing had no choice but to send a strand of magical power into him, transforming Xiao Hei's majestic Qilin form into a black puppy that looked a little dim-witted.

Xiao Hei immediately sensed something was wrong. He looked down at his short legs and chubby paws and let out a plaintive whine.

"Stop whining, or I'll turn you into a little pig," Xuanqing transmitted irritably.

Xiao Hei promptly shut his mouth, buried his head in Xuanqing's neck, and sulked.

Xuanqing nodded in satisfaction, blended into the Yao Clan crowd, and leisurely headed toward Phoenix Mountain. The Yao Clan here paid little attention to this "newcomer." They were clearly used to fresh arrivals coming to seek refuge.

Just then, an indescribable pressure swept across the sky.

Every sound in the valley fell silent.

Countless members of the Yao Clan trembled uncontrollably, regardless of their cultivation level. Some even prostrated themselves on the ground, worshipping toward the sky.

Xuanqing's heart tightened. He lowered his head along with the others, but glanced upward from the corner of his eye.

Two dazzling streaks of golden light cut across the sky like twin suns patrolling the heavens, radiating the domineering majesty of rulers over all.

Two figures could be seen clearly within the golden light.

One wore an imperial robe and crown, his face stern and imposing. It was Dijun, the Yao Emperor. The other held a great Chaos-colored bell and exuded a fierce, overwhelming aura. It was Eastern Emperor Taiyi!

So they'd come after all.

Xuanqing mused to himself.

The brothers could have come earlier or later, but they'd chosen to rush to Mount Buzhou right after the Dao Ancestor merged with the Dao. Their purpose was obvious.

They had their eyes on Nüwa's status as a great sage of the Yao Clan and wanted to use the greater good of the race to "strong-arm" her into joining the Demon Court and lending her support to the Yao Clan's Great Cause of unifying Honghuang.

Their scheme was so blatant that even Kunlun Mountain could hear it.

Fortunately, the pressure came and went quickly. Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi didn't seem inclined to waste time on these little yao. They flew straight toward Phoenix Mountain.

Xuanqing took one look, then turned his gaze away.

The Demonic Qi here was mixed, his own aura had been disguised, and the Merit Golden Wheel was concealed. As long as he didn't do anything foolish, those two Yao Clan rulers couldn't possibly discover him.

Once the pressure faded, the Yao Clan in the valley finally relaxed and returned to their lively chatter, excitedly discussing the two great figures they'd just seen.

"It's His Majesty the Yao Emperor and His Majesty the Eastern Emperor!"

"Good heavens, I saw both of Their Majesties with my own eyes! They were so awe-inspiring!"

"Did Their Majesties come to see Empress Nüwa?"

Xuanqing listened to the chatter around him, unmoved.

Though Mount Buzhou was under Nüwa's protection, it was also, in name, on the border between the Witch and Demon Races. These little yao seemed to live in peace, but they were really living beside a volcano. Danger could strike at any moment.

He was about to continue on when a violent surge of magical power erupted in the distant woods, followed by a shrill scream!

"Ah—!"

"The Witch Clan! The Witch Clan are attacking!"

The terrified cry threw the whole valley into chaos.

The peaceful atmosphere vanished. The little yao looked utterly horrified and scattered in every direction, sending the place into turmoil.

Xuanqing furrowed his brow and stopped.

A clash between the Wu and Yao?

He looked up at the sky. Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi were almost at Phoenix Mountain. With their cultivation, they couldn't possibly have failed to notice the commotion.

Sure enough, the two streaks of golden light paused briefly in the air.

Eastern Emperor Taiyi seemed to glance this way, but Dijun stopped him with a raised hand.

Xuanqing couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could guess.

"Brother, down there..."

"It's nothing. Just a few little yao. Let them die. What matters is Empress Nüwa."

Just as expected, the two streaks of golden light paused for a moment, then continued toward Phoenix Mountain without looking back.

In the eyes of the Yao Emperor, the lives of these lowly little yao were clearly less important than winning over a great sage of the Yao Clan.

Xuanqing shook his head.

That was the nature of emperors.

He hadn't wanted to meddle, but the Merit Golden Wheel inside him trembled lightly once more.

Saving these little yao under Nüwa's protection would earn him merit!

And it might also be an opportunity to meet Nüwa.

With that thought, Xuanqing no longer hesitated.

He darted against the fleeing crowd and rushed toward the site of the clash.

Soon, he reached the scene.

In a wrecked patch of woods, three Witch Clan warriors stood around several trembling little yao, grinning cruelly. They were each over a zhang tall, heavily muscled, and covered in totem tattoos.

At their head stood a rabbit-eared girl who had almost completely transformed. She held a small magic treasure and was only at the Earth Immortal level, yet she had mustered her courage to shield several weaker little yao behind her.

"Little Rabbit, with cultivation like yours, you dare fight the Witch Clan?" one of the warriors jeered in a booming voice. He held a huge bone club stained with blood.

The rabbit-eared girl's face was pale, but her gaze was stubborn.

"This place is under Empress Nüwa's protection. You... you can't do whatever you want!"

"Nüwa?" Another Witch Clan warrior burst out laughing. "She's probably busy entertaining your Yao Emperor right now. How would she have time to care whether you ants live or die?"

"Exactly! Come with us quietly, and we'll make you into meat soup. You'll suffer less that way!"

As he spoke, the warrior holding the bone club stepped forward and reached for the rabbit-eared girl with his huge, fanlike hand.

The rabbit-eared girl shut her eyes in terror and desperately waved her magic treasure.

At that critical moment,

a calm voice rang out from the woods.

"Come on, you big, burly fellows. Picking on a young girl—isn't that a little embarrassing for the Witch Clan?"

The three warriors froze and whipped around.

A "little yao" in an animal-hide tunic, with a black puppy perched on his shoulder, was leaning against a tree and watching them at his leisure.

"Where did you come from, brat? You dare meddle in the affairs of the Twelve Ancestral Mage Tribe?" The leader glared at him viciously.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm not meddling." Xuanqing waved a hand and said earnestly, "I just think you have questionable taste."

"What?" The three warriors all stared at him, stunned.

Xuanqing pointed at the rabbit-eared girl.

"Look at her. Her fur is snow-white, her ears are pink and soft. She looks delicious—cough, I mean, she's lovely. Taking her to make meat soup would be such a waste."

Then he pointed at the other little yao.

"And these ones look so fresh and lively. They'd make excellent ingredients for pills. Throwing them all into a pot is downright wasteful."

The three warriors were left completely baffled by his words.

The rabbit-eared girl and the other little yao were terrified out of their wits. How could this newcomer from their own side be even scarier than the Witches?

Xuanqing paid no attention to their expressions and continued, "So, I have a suggestion."

A kind smile spread across his face.

"How about you hand them over to me? I promise to make the most of them and waste nothing. In exchange, I'll leave your corpses intact. How does that sound?"