Keep Stringing the Witch Clan Along

After returning "fully loaded" from the Demon Race's Heavenly Court, Xiao Kuang sprawled around Purple Cloud Palace for several days, digesting the spiritual fruits and immortal pills he had swiped and playing with those glittering "souvenirs." Before long, he was bored again.

"I've been to the Demon Race. Next... I should visit the Witch Clan!" He slapped his thigh and decided to carry his "grassroots inspection work" through to the end. "I hear the Witch Clan girls have a different style. Every one of them is all muscle... ah, no, they're beauties with powerful builds! And Miss Houtu looks gentle and virtuous. She must be easier to talk to than that brat Di Jun!"

More importantly, he had heard that the Witch Clan occupied Buzhou Mountain, which had been formed from Great God Pangu's spine and was filled with treasures! Shouyang Copper, innate Breathing Soil, all sorts of strange ores and herbs... Perhaps he could dig up something fun!

He left as soon as he made up his mind. Once again, he rode his crooked escape light toward Buzhou Mountain, which towered over the center of the Primordial Chaos.

Unlike the ethereal immortal aura of the Heavenly Court, Buzhou Mountain was surrounded by vast, heavy, majestic baleful and bloody auras. Massive Witch Clan tribes had been built along the mountain, and towering Witch Clan warriors with knotted muscles could be seen everywhere, sparring and fighting in drills. Their roars shook the heavens, brimming with primal power.

Xiao Kuang's bizarre appearance immediately drew the Witch Clan's suspicion.

"Stop! Where did this fair-skinned pretty boy come from? How dare you trespass on Buzhou Mountain!" A patrolling Great Witch, equivalent to a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, blocked his path with a massive axe. His voice boomed like a bell, his gaze full of scrutiny and... a hint of curiosity. After all, the Witch Clan rarely saw this particular type.

Xiao Kuang patted his chest, nearly shaken numb by that booming voice, and put on his signature smile. "Hey, muscle... brother, don't get worked up! I'm one of you! I'm Xiao Kuang from Purple Cloud Palace, here to pay Ancestral Witch Houtu a friendly visit."

"Purple Cloud Palace? The Dao Ancestor?" The Great Witch froze. He had clearly heard that name before, and his expression immediately became complicated—wary, curious, and faintly... reverent. After all, the image of Gonggong being struck into a blackened lump was still vivid in his mind.

He did not dare neglect him and hurriedly led Xiao Kuang toward Pangu Hall at the mountaintop.

Inside Pangu Hall, the atmosphere was rugged yet solemn. Upon learning of Xiao Kuang's arrival, all eleven Ancestral Witches besides Houtu had almost all gathered, including Gong Gong, whose face was still somewhat blackened. They all glared at Xiao Kuang with hostile eyes, baleful aura swirling around them as though they would attack at the slightest disagreement.

"Hmph! You lightning-struck bastard, you dare come to Buzhou Mountain again?!" Gong Gong was the first to lose his patience. He roared in a muffled voice, his fists cracking as he clenched them.

"Hey, hey, hey, you water monkey, watch your mouth!" Xiao Kuang showed no fear. Instead, he pointed at Gong Gong and laughed. "I gave you free electrotherapy last time. Your muscles and bones must be nice and loose now, right? I haven't even charged you yet!"

Gong Gong was so furious that he nearly charged forward again, only to be stopped by Dijiang Ancestral Witch.

As the Ancestral Witch of space and speed, Dijiang was the most composed. He said in a deep voice, "Why has the Dao Ancestor come to our Witch Clan?" His tone was far from friendly, but he still maintained basic courtesy.

"Nothing major. I'm just dropping by and strengthening our relationship." Xiao Kuang casually found a stone stool and sat down, his gaze sweeping across several female Ancestral Witches.

Xuan Ming was cold as frost, with an eerie chill to her bearing. Houtu was gentle and compassionate, with a graceful figure, at least by Witch Clan standards. There were also several formidable female Great Witches, such as Jiu Feng and female warriors from Chi You's future tribe. Each was heroic and valiant, brimming with wild, powerful beauty.

"Tsk, tsk, the Witch Clan truly is blessed with outstanding people!" Xiao Kuang started up again. "Fellow Daoists, these physiques, this presence, this sense of strength! Truly... enviable! You're far stronger than those bean sprouts in the Heavenly Court!"

That "praise" eased the Ancestral Witches' expressions somewhat, though it still felt a little strange.

Houtu spoke gently. "Why has the Dao Ancestor come this time?" She had always felt that this Dao Ancestor had impure intentions.

Xiao Kuang chuckled. "I heard that the Witch Clan brothers are all bold and hospitable, so I came to beg for a cup of wine and, while I'm at it... admire the Witch Clan's local treasures! I hear Buzhou Mountain is full of treasures—Shouyang Copper, Ten Thousand Year Blood Marrow, Earth Milk Cream... Could you let me broaden my horizons?"

Asking for wine was fake. Coveting treasures was real!

The Ancestral Witches looked at each other. This guy was incredibly thick-skinned! He had come right in and asked to see their family assets?

Gong Gong could not help sneering. "How can the treasures of my Witch Clan be shown to outsiders so casually?"

"That's awfully distant of you, isn't it?" Xiao Kuang's face did not redden and his heart did not race. "Do I look like someone who takes things for free? I'm here to discuss cooperation! You provide the materials, and I provide the technology... and the channels! We can launch a 'Primordial Chaos Local Specialty Development Project'!"

He began selling them a grand vision again. "For example, Shouyang Copper. Do you only know how to forge it into axes and hammers? What a waste! We could make limited-edition figurines... ah, no, artistic collectibles! Sell them to... uh, give them to the refined great powers of the Primordial Chaos in exchange for resources! And that Earth Milk Cream—how crude to smear it directly on your body! We could develop it into a high-end skincare product, 'Pangu Brand Rejuvenating Essence.' It would definitely be popular with female immortals! The profits would be huge! We could even cooperate on a Buzhou Mountain tourism project! Let all living beings of the Primordial Chaos experience the grandeur of Father God Pangu! We split the ticket revenue!"

Xiao Kuang spoke so animatedly that spittle flew everywhere. He haphazardly mashed together concepts like IP development, brand marketing, and tourism economics, leaving the Ancestral Witches dumbfounded and their minds buzzing.

What was all this supposed to mean? Figurines? Skincare products? Tourism? They could sell tickets to Father God Pangu's divine mountain?!

Houtu frowned deeply as she listened, feeling that this was blasphemy toward Father God. Dijiang and the other Ancestral Witches found it utterly absurd. Yet a few relatively "flexible-minded" Great Witches, such as Kuafu, if he had been there, seemed to think... it sounded somewhat interesting?

Gong Gong grew impatient and roared, "Enough with your flowery nonsense! I think you just came here to scam us out of treasures!"

"How can you call it a scam?" Xiao Kuang protested. "I came with sincerity! Look, I can even provide additional services!" His gaze drifted toward the female Ancestral Witches and Great Witches again.

"For example, Fellow Daoist Xuanming, cultivating that cold aura of yours can easily damage your foundation! Come to Purple Cloud Palace. I have a 'Polar Hot Spring Sauna Room' that treats all kinds of cold toxins and can even beautify your skin! And Fellow Daoist Jiufeng, your wings aren't being maintained properly. Your feathers aren't shiny enough anymore! Come to Purple Cloud Palace for professional care. We use Heavenly Dao Merit Brand Feather Conditioner, guaranteed to make you shine brilliantly! As for Miss Houtu, that goes without saying. The zoo in Purple Cloud Palace's backyard... ah, no, the ecological park, is lacking a director as caring and skilled at management as you!"

He was openly poaching people again! And even more directly this time!

The Ancestral Witches were completely enraged! Scamming them out of treasures was not enough—he wanted to poach their people too?! And their core members at that?!

"Insolence!" Dijiang Ancestral Witch shouted furiously, and even space trembled. Gong Gong directly manifested part of his true form, with towering waves surging around him. The other Ancestral Witches also unleashed heaven-piercing baleful auras!

They were about to fight!

Xiao Kuang jumped in fright and hurriedly waved his hands. "Don't get worked up, don't get worked up! I was joking! Just livening up the atmosphere!" Knowing when to stop, he changed the subject. "But I still need to see the treasures! How about this? I won't just look for free. I'll trade this with you!"

He rummaged through his sleeve for a long while before finally taking out several... half-eaten peaches he had swiped from the Demon Race, along with a few ugly Nine Revolutions Golden Elixirs that looked like misshapen melons and dates, perhaps the poorest-quality offerings from Laozi.

"Here! Heavenly Court-exclusive immortal fruits and golden elixirs! I'll trade them for some of your local rocks and weeds. That's not excessive, right?" He wore an expression that said, You're getting the better deal.

Looking at those defective goods, the Ancestral Witches were so angry they nearly spat blood! This bastard was treating them like beggars!

Houtu hurriedly tried to smooth things over, afraid that they would truly start fighting. "Dao Ancestor, such spiritual items are precious, and my Witch Clan would be ashamed to accept them. But since the Dao Ancestor is interested, I shall take you to see some of the mineral and spiritual materials gathered by my Witch Clan. There is no need to speak of an exchange. Consider it merely broadening your knowledge."

She only wanted to send this menace away as soon as possible.

Thus, suppressing her helplessness, Houtu took Xiao Kuang to tour the Witch Clan's treasury. It was really just several enormous caves piled with all sorts of glowing ores, bones, strange herbs, and other materials, rugged in style and completely unorganized.

The moment Xiao Kuang entered, his eyes lit up! "Wow! This one's huge! So shiny!" "Whoa! This one's heavy! It weighs down my hand!" "Mm! This one smells good! Could make soup!"

He began another round of "zero-cost shopping," picking only things that looked pretty, smelled fragrant, or seemed fun. He did not care what they were actually for and simply stuffed them into his sleeve, muttering things like "research samples" and "promoting exchange."

Houtu watched from the side, her eyelids twitching, but she could not bring herself to stop him.

In the end, Xiao Kuang left completely satisfied after looting a huge pile of Witch Clan "local specialties," his sleeves stuffed full.

Before leaving, he even threw a "come-hither look" at the female Ancestral Witches and Great Witches. "Fellow Daoists, my earlier proposal remains valid indefinitely! Purple Cloud Palace's gates will always be open to you! Excellent benefits and compensation!"

Under the Ancestral Witches' murderous gazes, he hummed a little tune, mounted his escape light, and fled at top speed.

Inside Pangu Hall, a group of Ancestral Witches was left fuming with rage.

"Utterly shameless!" Dijiang snapped. "If he comes again, we'll make him regret it!" Gong Gong roared. Houtu merely looked in the direction Xiao Kuang had departed and sighed helplessly. This Dao Ancestor truly was the number one troublemaker in the Primordial Chaos.

Meanwhile, Xiao Kuang was taking stock of this trip's gains. "The Witch Clan's stuff is solid! Big portions and filling! Hmm... I wonder what this rock tastes like roasted..."

Heavenly Dao, once again faintly sensing: ...(Record: After tormenting the Demon Race, he went on to torment the Witch Clan... Next stop... could it be the west?)...