Mount Sumeru Neither Sided with the Demon Race Nor Drew Close to the Witch Clan, Remaining Neutral Throughout

After Jade Chick was born, Spirit Platform Mountain immediately became lively.

The little fellow was exceptionally lively and active, completely unlike the creatures on the mountain who cultivated in quiet stillness.

Other than during cultivation, she had run all over Spirit Platform Mountain. Dragonfish Lake, Whitewater Lake, Hundred Flowers Valley, Mountain Lord Cave, the Primordial Lotus Pool—her shadow could be found everywhere.

She had also become close with the butterfly hatchlings and little dragons of Illusory Spirit Valley. Later, the earthworm clan of Spirit Marsh joined their "little troublemaker squad."

These earthworms had been sent back by Zhu Yin fifteen hundred years ago. They had fully adapted and multiplied five hundred years ago, and now more than a dozen earthworms lived on the mountain. Their cultivation method was especially peculiar as well... they spent all day burrowing through the earth.

After becoming familiar with Jade Chick, these earthworms became even more active than before.

Later still, even Jin Tu, who had always been rather calm, joined them. What he loved most was flying high into the sky, catching Jade Chick and letting her go, then catching her again, repeating it over and over as he played to his heart's content.

Zhu Yin did not interfere with their rowdy behavior. Instead, he regarded it as part of cultivation.

He thought, If one could keep one's heart as still as water amid all this chickens-flying and dogs-leaping chaos, that would be a truly steadfast Dao Heart.

Thus, he continued doing what he ought to do: tasting tea, comprehending the Dao, repairing the earth veins, tending spiritual herbs, accumulating mana, tempering his body, refining his spirit and pills, setting formations, brewing wine... Though his days were peaceful, they were full and carefree.

In his eyes, the Great Dao was everywhere. Even a blade of grass, a tree, a grain of sand, or a stone concealed endless mysteries.

Spirit Platform Mountain was the most ideal cultivation ground in his heart, his own "Land of Ultimate Bliss."

In the blink of an eye, five hundred years passed.

One day, just after Zhu Yin finished cultivating, his heart suddenly stirred. His gaze pierced through the void and looked toward a place a million li away.

There, golden light shot into the heavens, and an intense metallic aura rose into the air.

A Great Shaman strode forward, green snake ornaments hanging from her ears and a golden long dress draped over her body. Her imposing presence was overwhelming as she headed straight for Spirit Platform Mountain.

With every step, she crossed a hundred thousand li. Her speed was astonishing.

Zhu Yin was somewhat surprised.

Although Spirit Platform Mountain had the Hundred Treasures Hall, which sometimes drew Witch Clan cultivators to trade for treasures, most were insignificant figures at the Divine Shaman level. Great figures like Great Shamans rarely appeared.

Moreover, Spirit Platform Mountain did not have deep ties with the Witch Clan. Why had this Great Shaman come to visit? It truly aroused curiosity.

Zhu Yin therefore began deducing the heavenly secrets.

Though a Great Shaman was not weak, at the very least comparable to a Mid Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, Zhu Yin was now a Peak Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal. Naturally, he could discern some clues.

A moment later, his eyes lit up, and he immediately instructed boy attendant Wuxin to go receive her.

Very soon, the Great Shaman arrived at the foot of the mountain and was led into Spirit Platform Mountain.

In a small pavilion beside the Primordial Lotus Pool, Zhu Yin had already been waiting.

This time, he had not brewed tea. Instead, he had prepared spiritual wine in advance. Its fragrance wafted through the air, carrying a faint aura of the Metal-Water Law.

The Great Shaman's expression brightened as soon as she entered.

Her features were well-proportioned, and her bearing was forthright. Upon seeing Zhu Yin, she first performed the Witch Clan's formal greeting.

"Mountain Lord of Spirit Platform Mountain, Yan Zi pays her respects!"

Zhu Yin rose with a smile and returned a Profound Sect salute.

"This humble Daoist is Zhu Yin. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Yan Zi."

Both were straightforward by nature and did not exchange much empty pleasantry. Yan Zi went straight to the point and explained the purpose of her visit.

She said that a thousand years ago, the Witch Clan had auctioned a spiritual wine called Azure Water Golden Essence Wine at the Hundred Treasures Hall. It had a powerful kick and contained the Metal-Water Law, making it deeply beloved by Witch Clan cultivators.

She had come specifically this time to purchase a full thousand jars of that spiritual wine.

She also stated that the Witch Clan would not let anyone suffer a loss. They could exchange Mid-Grade Innate spiritual fruits for it, and were even willing to trade an Innate Low-Grade Spiritual Treasure.

Zhu Yin was naturally happy to cooperate, but he frankly stated that... there were currently only eight hundred jars of Azure Water Golden Essence Wine ready on the mountain, leaving two hundred jars short.

He then took another kind of spiritual wine from his sleeve and said it could be used as a substitute.

This wine was called Golden Crystal Fire Saliva. It was brewed primarily from Geng Metal Fruit and Fire Jujubes, combined with the Metal-Fire Law. Orange-red in color like amber, it was fiery upon entering the mouth, yet brimming with the power of laws.

Yan Zi took a sip, and her eyes immediately lit up.

She secretly thought, The Witch Clan does not only have those who cultivate Metal-Water; there are also those who cultivate Metal-Fire. This wine happens to meet the needs of another group of clansmen.

Thus, the deal was settled.

Before Yan Zi left, she cheerfully handed Zhu Yin an invitation, saying that the Witch Clan was preparing to establish the King of the Twelve Earthly Branches and inviting him to attend the ceremony.

Zhu Yin watched her depart, his heart filled with emotion.

He had already deduced that she had come for the spiritual wine. On closer consideration, this spiritual wine had indeed been brewed by him using Geng Metal Fruit and Water Origin Fruit, with a bit of the Metal-Water Law deliberately added. For ordinary creatures, its main purpose was tempering the body, but for the Witch Clan, the law power within was the true focus.

This transaction was not merely about selling wine. It was about establishing deeper contact with the Witch Clan.

Looking at the invitation in his hand, Zhu Yin sank into thought.

The Witch Clan would undergo changes within a thousand years. It seemed that some major event was approaching...

More than two thousand years ago, when Zhu Yin left Spirit Platform Mountain to cultivate at Mount Sumeru, a great change had also taken place within the Witch Clan.

The entire Witch Clan underwent a massive migration, with the vast majority of its members moving away from Buzhou Mountain. Led by the twelve Ancestral Witches, they each established a great tribe, scattered across the twelve directions of the Primordial World. Each tribe built an "Ancestral Witch Hall"; together, they were known as the Twelve Earthly Palaces, jointly guarding Pangu Hall atop Buzhou Mountain.

Among them, Roushou, the Ancestral Witch who governed the Law of Metal, displayed great divine power and brought his people to a vast stretch of land along the Eastern-Western Border, where they began building their tribe and settling down.

He had not built the tribe in the true Western Lands, and Zhu Yin could understand that.

The Western Lands were barren, their spiritual energy sparse. Not only were there few resources of creation, there were also few demon beasts. The Witch Clan was born able to eat, and their appetites were enormous. If they truly lived in such a place, food problems would sooner or later stir up a tremendous mess. If they did not want to go hungry, they could only provoke Mount Sumeru, Spirit Platform Mountain, or the White Tiger Clan of the Western Lands.

Not to mention that the Witch Clan itself was not skilled at creation, only destruction. The Metal Witches in particular caused the greatest commotion.

Taking every condition into account, the Eastern-Western Border was highly suitable: abundant resources, rich spiritual energy, and numerous demon beasts. It was suitable for cultivation and ensured full stomachs as well.

Zhu Yin was naturally pleased with Roushou's decision. If the Witch Clan did not settle in the Western Lands, the Demon Race would not move in by the masses. That place could remain tranquil. Even if the Witch Clan's power grew stronger in the future, only a small number would venture there, and the overall balance would not be disrupted.

Interestingly, although the Metal Witches' tribe stood at the border, their Ancestral Witch Hall was built atop a node of the Western Spiritual Vein. If all Twelve Earthly Palaces were completed in the future, heaven and earth would bestow merit, and the spiritual energy in that region would recover accordingly.

Several decades later, a Divine Shaman came to Spirit Platform Mountain.

He exchanged an Innate Low-Grade Spiritual Treasure for a batch of spiritual wine from Spirit Platform Mountain.

At the time, Zhu Yin was in the pavilion by the Primordial Lotus Pool, turning the spiritual treasure over in his hand with a delighted smile.

That batch of spiritual fruits was not bad either, but at its core, it consisted of one-time consumables. Once eaten, they were gone. Though the fruit pits could be used to cultivate spiritual roots, most of the results were Houtian-grade, and the success rate was not high.

To cultivate an Innate Low-Grade spiritual root from a fruit pit, merely having Spirit Platform Mountain advance into an Upper-grade Grotto-heaven Blessed Land was not enough. One also needed vast amounts of innate divine water and divine soil. It was both laborious and time-consuming.

In contrast, exchanging for a spiritual treasure was far more worthwhile. Spiritual treasures possessed innate, indestructible spiritual radiance. Their value was comparable to spiritual roots, yet they lasted longer and could be used to comprehend the Dao of laws within them. Most importantly, they did not consume the mountain's resources.

Only the Witch Clan, with its peculiar cultivation and lack of Primordial Spirits, would consider Innate Spiritual Treasures as useless as chicken ribs. For any other faction, how could such things be so easily exchanged for? Obtaining one in exchange for a thousand jars of spiritual wine was simply an enormous profit.

Zhu Yin put away the spiritual treasure. Then a flash of inspiration struck his mind, and a new idea emerged.

Though the Witch Clan was the protagonist of this era, occupying more than half the lands of the Primordial Wilderness and possessing unfathomable foundations, its special cultivation method meant that it surely had accumulated many treasures of no use to them. For instance, spiritual items specifically meant for Primordial Spirit cultivators, or unused Innate Spiritual Treasures. To them, such treasures were merely things gathering dust.

If he could establish cooperation with them and exchange what each side lacked for what the other had in abundance, would that not benefit both sides?

However, this could not be rushed. He needed to deliberate carefully, consider his wording, and brew spiritual wine that would make the Witch Clan's eyes turn red with envy—or find other things that interested them—before cooperation could possibly be brought about.

As for the Heavenly Court, Zhu Yin was not worried.

The Hundred Treasures Hall did business with all under heaven; anyone could come. Spirit Platform Mountain's dealings with the Witch Clan were ordinary transactions, not an alliance. If the Demon Race's upper echelons could not even understand that, they were unfit to sit in the Nine Heavens, much less speak of controlling the Heavenly Court.

Even if the Heavenly Court felt uneasy, Zhu Yin had ways to handle it. If necessary, Spirit Platform Mountain could fully cooperate with the Heavenly Court. With his current cultivation, plus Mount Sumeru's support, even if the Heavenly Court harbored dissatisfaction, it would not dare act recklessly. It could only choose friendship, lest it truly push Mount Sumeru toward the Witch Clan.

Several hundred years later, there was even less need to worry about his attending the Witch Clan's ceremony. Mount Sumeru neither sided with the Demon Race nor drew close to the Witch Clan, remaining neutral throughout. If the Heavenly Court could invite him, then the Witch Clan naturally could as well.