Nurturing Clansmen Is Worse Than Supporting the Weak

"Far in the future..."

Zhu Jiuyin frowned tightly, Time Law flowing in his eyes as though he wished to see through the fog of the future. Yet beneath the tribulation, the secrets of heaven were muddled, and he could see nothing.

"Big Brother, in the distant future, we will naturally lead our clansmen, dominate the Primordial World, and let all things between heaven and earth know the mighty name of our Pangu Orthodox Lineage!"

Gonggong could not help speaking, his eyes brimming with ambition.

"Dominate the Primordial World?"

Dijiang sneered, his lightning-like gaze sweeping over Gonggong. "Like the dragon, phoenix, and qilin clans are doing now?"

Gonggong froze. He instinctively wanted to retort, yet did not know what to say.

"You have traveled through the outside world, so you have also seen the tragic state of the war among the three clans."

Dijiang's voice echoed through the vast hall, carrying a trace of icy severity. "The three clans possess deep foundations, armies numbering in the hundreds of millions, countless Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals, and even patriarchs above the Great Firmament Realm holding the fort. But what was the result?"

"Heaven and earth's Killing Intent clouds their hearts, while karma coils around their bodies. For that illusory providence of heaven and earth, they fight until all living beings are plunged into misery. In the end, their elites will be utterly wiped out, their fortune will recoil against them, and the three clans will withdraw from the stage of the Primordial World, reduced to wretches barely clinging to life!"

"When you establish a clan, do you also wish to walk the old road of the three clans, take a spin through this meat grinder of a tribulation, and ultimately meet the end of death and clan extinction?!"

Dijiang's questioning voice rang like a great bell, making the eardrums of the ancestral witches buzz.

Houtu and Xuanming revealed looks of reluctance. During their travels, they had seen death often enough to naturally understand the terror of karma entwining the body.

"But, Big Brother..."

Zhu Rong muttered unwillingly, "We are the Pangu Orthodox Lineage. This Primordial World was originally opened by Father God, so we ought to be the masters of heaven and earth. If we do not fight for it, are we supposed to just watch others ride roughshod over us?"

"Fight? Of course we must fight!"

A sharp gleam flashed through Dijiang's eyes. "But what we fight for is not hegemony over heaven and earth. It is opportunities in the Great Dao!"

He turned and pointed at the churning blood pool.

"Do you know what must be consumed to nurture clansmen?"

"Our source blood essence, as well as the legacy Father God left behind!"

"Though you are now at Mid Zenith Heaven, and have even gained Primordial Spirits, your foundation remains Pangu's bloodline. Every drop of source blood essence you divide out to nurture clansmen weakens your own potential by a fraction!"

"If our strength is dragged down by nurturing clansmen, is it truly worth it?"

Dijiang's words exploded in the minds of the eleven ancestral witches like thunderbolts.

That was right!

Nurturing clansmen consumed one's source!

In the Primordial World, one's own great power was the foundation of everything.

If they slowed their cultivation progress just to build an army, that would be putting the cart before the horse!

"Big Brother, we understand."

Zhu Jiuyin drew a deep breath, his eyes filled with lingering fear. "We had been thinking about it the wrong way."

The other ancestral witches nodded one after another, chills running down their spines.

Had Big Brother not awakened them in time, they might truly have embarked upon a road of no return.

"However..."

Seeing that everyone had suddenly come to their senses, Dijiang's tone softened slightly. "Your desire to protect Mount Buzhou and possess a force of your own is not wrong. It is only that your method was wrong."

"What does Big Brother mean?" Houtu's beautiful eyes lit up.

"In the Primordial World, blood relations are not the only way to become a force."

The corner of Dijiang's mouth curved into an unfathomable smile. "Have you forgotten how many masterless innate beings we saw outside, how many Rogue Cultivators with deep merit and virtue who suffered because they lacked protection?"

"We have a supreme Dao sanctuary such as Pangu Hall, pure spiritual energy transformed from the Creation Jade Disk, and cultivation methods inherited from Father God."

"We can completely establish a platform and preach the Dao, widely taking in those in the Primordial World who are fated to join us!"

"We will not look at bloodline, only temperament and aptitude. Those willing to follow us will be beings under our protection; those unwilling may fend for themselves."

"In this way, we neither deplete our source nor fail to gather the Primordial World's fortune. We can also avoid being calculated against by Heaven's Way and shouldering the karmic burden of endless slaughter tribulations."

Dijiang's words completely opened a new door for the eleven ancestral witches.

"Widely accept disciples? Establish a platform and preach the Dao?"

Zhu Rong stroked his chin, his eyes growing brighter and brighter. "Big Brother, this is a good idea! Let all those Primordial World beings come listen to us preach the Dao and honor us as their masters."

"The current situation is unsuitable for establishing a platform to preach the Dao. The three clans regard fortune as their very lives. If we openly preach the Dao without concealment, we will only draw all their attention and turn ourselves into targets for all."

Dijiang shook his head.

Fortune ran through the entire Primordial World. The three clans' current war was for the sake of contending for the fortune of heaven and earth; the Dao-Demon War was likewise for fortune; Hongjun's preaching at Violet Firmament Palace after attaining sainthood was to gather the fortune upon these innate sacred beings; the future Witch Clan and demon clan fighting over territory would likewise be contending for fortune, no different from the current three clans; and the future Investiture of the Gods...

Although Dijiang did not approve of Zhu Rong's proposal to establish the Witch Clan, he naturally welcomed fortune in abundance. Yet how to contend for fortune for himself required slow, deliberate, step-by-step planning.

Dijiang did not directly bring up fortune, nor did he say that establishing the Witch Clan would lead them step by step toward destruction in the future. He did not even oppose them; he merely switched the concept a little.

"The conflict among the three clans has already claimed the lives of Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals and reached a fever pitch. As the saying goes, when a nation rises, living beings suffer; when a nation falls, living beings suffer. At such a time, the lowly beings of the Primordial World are enduring endless hardship and bullying. We can gather them together, bring them to Mount Buzhou, provide them shelter, and earn their support."

"If anyone dares invade us then, they will also be a source of strength."

"Big Brother's words make sense."

Zhu Jiuyin was the first to agree. Dijiang's method was largely similar to the clan-building they had discussed before, merely differing in its starting point. They had sought inward, while Dijiang proposed seeking outward.

Without depleting themselves or Father God's remaining legacy, they could strengthen the power in their hands.

After considering it, Houtu and the others were somewhat tempted as well. Zhu Rong had no objections either. His original intent had been to strengthen their side, so that when they were invaded, they would not suffer a disadvantage due to numbers.

"Good. Since that is so, we will still divide into groups as we did last time. But this time, we must keep a low profile. If we encounter trouble, run immediately. Also, we cannot go to the directions you previously visited."

"Alright, we understand, Big Brother."

Zhu Jiuyin and the others nodded repeatedly.

"Let's go."

"Let's go."

At Dijiang's command, the heavy, ancient bronze doors of Pangu Hall slowly opened once again.

This time, they no longer possessed the flamboyance and curiosity of their first journey. Each of them restrained their aura, appearing no different from ordinary Primordial Unity Golden Immortals as they silently blended into the vast, desolate heaven and earth of the Primordial World.

Following Dijiang's instructions, they avoided the regions where they had previously made enemies.

Zhu Jiuyin led Zhu Rong and Tian Wu toward the far west of the Primordial World. Gonggong, Ru Shou, and Jumang headed toward the fringe regions of the Southern Continent; Qiang Liang, Xi Zi, and She Bishi went east; while Dijiang still led Houtu and Xuanming toward the Far Northern Lands of the Northern Continent.