Ancestral Witch Tian Wu

To secure a long-term, stable grain trade with the Wu Clan, Shi Mo made a decision: he would join forces with Hongyun and Zhen Yuanzi to clear wilderness and farm across the Primordial World.

They planned to split up. Hongyun and Zhen Yuanzi would head to the Western Continent together, while Shi Mo would go to the eastern part of the Primordial World.

For farming, plains were naturally more suitable. The eastern Primordial World had vast plains and wildernesses, and the areas near the sea received abundant rainfall.

As for the Western Continent, the devastation caused by the Dao-Demon War had destroyed many mountain ranges, leaving behind countless forests with treacherous terrain and barren mountains. There were also plenty of plains and hills.

More importantly, the Western Continent was vast and sparsely populated, with few living beings. Now that its earth veins had been restored and spiritual energy was reviving, it was exceptionally suitable for large-scale grain cultivation.

At most, if Jieyin and Zhun Ti learned in the future that Shi Mo was making a great profit trading grain with the Wu Clan and became envious, he could give them a share of the benefits. It would be like leasing their land at bargain-basement prices.

Once Jieyin and Zhun Ti had something to gain, they would definitely cooperate. Besides, Shi Mo was the one providing the seeds. Even if they did not want to cooperate, they had no choice!

The situation in the eastern Primordial World, however, was somewhat more complicated. There were many living beings here: the Monster Clan, the dragon and aquatic clans of rivers, lakes, and seas, as well as the strongest of them all, the Wu Clan.

Still, Shi Mo only wanted to farm, sell grain, and earn resources. He had no intention of getting involved in any conflict. As long as no one destroyed or coveted the millet he cultivated, he was happy to coexist peacefully with all sides.

Thus, Shi Mo threw himself wholeheartedly into clearing land and farming. At the same time, this was also a unique form of cultivation for him.

As he planted millet, Shi Mo gradually used the gathering of earth vein spiritual energy and rainwater to comprehend the Dao of earth, the Dao of water, and the mysteries of all things growing and yin and yang nurturing life. It was truly a matter of experiencing truth through practice.

In just a few hundred years, Shi Mo had opened up many fields of millet in the eastern Primordial World, harvesting crop after crop.

Within an underground spiritual vein somewhere along the East Sea coast, Shi Mo was taking a brief rest. By sensing the connection between the underground spiritual veins and the water veins of rivers, lakes, and seas, he was contemplating the mysteries of water and earth elements blending together to give birth to life.

"Hm?" As if sensing something, Shi Mo frowned and opened his eyes. The next instant, his expression changed drastically, and he vanished.

At the same time, above Shi Mo's largest millet field on a vast plain in the eastern Primordial World, a shield of earthen-yellow earth vein spiritual energy shook violently, as though it were about to collapse.

"Break!" Amid a low shout, a powerful figure surrounded by hurricane-like winds attacked the shield with reckless abandon. Each strike tore through space. If the Earth Vein Formation had not drawn upon the power of the earth veins as its source of energy, making it resilient and difficult to break, it would have been destroyed long ago.

Yet, as the opponent unleashed an increasingly fierce and terrifying blow, the vast shield of the Earth Vein Formation still collapsed with a thunderous crash.

However, as the shield shattered and surging earth vein spiritual energy churned, the vast fields of nearly mature acquired millet vanished into thin air, leaving behind only barren ground.

"What?" The figure whose aura swept about like a hurricane paused, staring down in shock and fury. "Where is the millet? How did it disappear?"

"If you want millet, exchange innate spiritual treasures or spiritual materials for it. Since when did your Wu Clan enjoy outright robbery?" Shi Mo's clear voice echoed through the air as his figure appeared out of nowhere upon the barren earth.

"You are Shi Mo?" the burly figure within the hurricane demanded as he looked down at him.

"That's right! And which Ancestral Witch of the Wu Clan might you be?" As Shi Mo spoke, his body transformed into a ten-thousand-zhang stone giant, looking down at the small yet powerful figure within the hurricane.

"Hmph!" The Ancestral Witch snorted coldly, and his body likewise swelled with the wind, becoming a ten-thousand-zhang giant as tall as Shi Mo.

The ten-thousand-zhang giant standing at the heart of the storm vortex was, more accurately, a monster. He had eight heads with human faces, the body of a tiger, and ten steel-whip-like tails dancing in the wind.

"Shi Mo, hand over that millet, or this place will be where you fall today!" the monster roared. Even the air he exhaled twisted and threw the void into chaos.

"What a tone!" Shi Mo was almost angered into laughter. Did this fellow really think he was a soft target?

The monster could not be bothered with further words. His whip-like tails lashed about as they swept directly toward Shi Mo.

Almost at the same moment, the heavens and earth darkened. Water mist spread through the air, blotting out the sky and veiling the world. The black Northern Xuanyuan Water-Control Banner unfurled, and amid muffled booms, each of the monster's tails—every strike of which was no weaker than a full-force blow from a Daluo Golden Immortal—was effortlessly blocked.

"Hmph! Do you only know how to rely on spiritual treasures to protect yourself?" the monster snorted, then pounced directly at Shi Mo. His enormous tiger claws tore through space as they grabbed at him.

"Rely on spiritual treasures? Then let me see just how strong an Ancestral Witch truly is!" Shi Mo sneered. With a thought, surging earth vein power poured into his body like a rushing flood.

In an instant, Shi Mo's aura became violent and terrifying. He threw a punch straight at the sharp tiger claws.

Amid a thunderous explosion, a terrifying energy storm swept outward like towering waves. Shi Mo and the monster both staggered back almost simultaneously.

"Damn it! I'll kill you!" The enraged monster charged at Shi Mo again, his violent aura creating distortions in space with the storm he brought forth.

"Standing upon the land of the Primordial World, with an endless supply of earth vein power at my disposal, why should I fear you?" Seeing that the other party was about to go mad, Shi Mo sneered inwardly and raised his hand, bringing out the Wind-Fixing Pearl.

Buzz. In an instant, surging heat swept forth, repelling all external energy. Even the howling winds around the monster paused slightly before dispersing.

Bang. The Wind-Fixing Pearl struck the monster's chest, freezing his movements for a moment. Immediately afterward, Shi Mo closed in and slammed a fist into the monster's head.

Bang. With a dull, heavy impact, the monster was sent flying back.

"Tian Wu!" Amid several startled cries and furious roars, one powerful aura after another approached, causing Shi Mo's expression to change at once. "Have all the Wu Clan's Ancestral Witches come?"

But Shi Mo quickly calmed down. If all Twelve Ancestral Witches had gathered, he would indeed have to be somewhat wary, but no more than that. With his feet upon the earth, he could leave whenever he wished.

Even if the Twelve Ancestral Witches pursued him to Nine Tripod Iron Fork Mountain, Shi Mo would still dare to fight them so long as they did not deploy the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Grand Formation.

"They probably have not even refined the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation Banners yet, much less brought out the full power of the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Grand Formation," Shi Mo thought. What he truly feared was only the formation in its strongest state.

As for the Twelve Ancestral Witches, they were merely twelve experts with powerful physical bodies whose realms fell short of true Quasi-Sages, though they possessed Quasi-Sage-level combat strength.

In the blink of an eye, the Ancestral Witches arrived one after another. Seeing the Wind Ancestral Witch Tian Wu, who looked like a monster, in such a bedraggled state, they were shocked at first. Then they turned to Shi Mo, and every one of them became furious.

Tian Wu's loss was a slap across the face of every Ancestral Witch!

The Twelve Ancestral Witches had rampaged across the Primordial World for so long. When had they ever suffered such a great loss?