"Long into the future..."
Zhu Jiuyin's brows were tightly furrowed, Time Law flowing through his eyes as though he wished to pierce through the fog of the future. Yet beneath the calamity, heavenly secrets were muddled, and he could see nothing.
"Big Brother, in the distant future, we will naturally lead our clansmen to dominate the Primordial World, letting all things between heaven and earth know the prestige of our Pangu Orthodox Lineage!"
Gonggong could not help speaking, his eyes brimming with ambition.
"Dominate the Primordial World?"
Dijiang gave a cold laugh, his lightning-sharp gaze sweeping over Gonggong. "Like the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans now?"
Gonggong froze, instinctively wanting to retort, yet finding himself unable to say anything.
"You have traveled the outside world and witnessed the misery of the war among the three clans."
Dijiang's voice echoed through the vast hall, carrying a trace of cold severity. "The three clans possess profound foundations, billions upon billions of troops, countless Daluo Golden Immortals, and even ancestors above the Great Firmament Realm holding the fort. But what has become of them?"
"Heaven and earth's Killing Intent has clouded their hearts, while karma coils around their bodies. For that illusory heavenly fortune, they have fought until all living beings lie in ruin. 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 creatures barely clinging to life!"
"You wish to establish a clan—do you also wish to tread the old path of the three clans, take a turn through this calamity's meat grinder, and ultimately meet the end of death and clan extinction?!"
Dijiang's questioning voice boomed like a great bell, making the ancestors' ears buzz.
Houtu and Xuanming revealed looks of reluctance. They had seen death often enough during their travels and naturally understood the terror of karma wrapping around one's body.
"But, Big Brother..."
Zhu Rong muttered somewhat unwillingly, "We are the Pangu Orthodox Lineage. This Primordial World was opened by Father God himself. We should rightfully be the masters of heaven and earth. If we do not fight, are we supposed to stand by and watch others ride on our heads?"
"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, but opportunities upon the Great Dao!"
He turned and pointed at the churning blood pool.
"Do you know what must be expended to nurture clansmen?"
"Our own blood essence at the source, as well as the legacy Father God left behind!"
"Though you are now Mid Zenith Heaven, and even possess Primordial Spirits, your foundation remains Pangu's bloodline. Every drop of blood essence at the source you divide off to nurture clansmen will weaken your own potential by a measure!"
"If our strength is dragged down because we nurture clansmen, is that truly worth it?"
Dijiang's words exploded in the minds of the eleven ancestors 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 merely to build an army, that would simply be putting the cart before the horse!
"Big Brother, we understand."
Zhu Jiuyin drew a deep breath, his eyes full of lingering fear. "We had been thinking about it the wrong way."
The other ancestors nodded in succession, 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 come to their senses, Dijiang's tone softened somewhat. "Your desire to protect Mount Buzhou and possess a faction of your own is not wrong. You merely chose the wrong method."
"What do you mean, Big Brother?" Houtu's beautiful eyes lit up.
"In the Primordial World, blood relations are not the only way to form a faction."
The corner of Dijiang's mouth curled into an unfathomable smile. "Have you forgotten how many masterless innate beings we encountered outside? How many Rogue Cultivators possessed deep merit and virtue, yet suffered because they had no one to shelter them?"
"We have a supreme Dao grounds like Pangu Hall, pure spiritual qi transformed by the Creation Jade Disk, and inheritance cultivation methods left behind by Father God."
"We can completely establish an altar to expound the Dao and widely accept those in the Primordial World who are fated to join us!"
"We need not look at bloodlines, only character and aptitude. Those willing to follow us shall be living 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 even avoid being calculated against by Heaven's Way and shouldering that endless karmic burden of slaughter."
Dijiang's words completely opened a new door for the eleven ancestors.
"Accept disciples far and wide? Establish an altar to expound the Dao?"
Zhu Rong stroked his chin, his eyes growing brighter and brighter. "Big Brother, that is a good idea! Let those Primordial World creatures all come hear us expound the Dao and revere us as their masters."
"The present situation is unsuitable for establishing an altar to expound the Dao. The three clans treat fortune as their very lives. If we openly teach the Dao without concealment, we will only draw all their attention and make ourselves a target for all."
Dijiang shook his head.
Fortune ran through the entire Primordial World. The three clans' current warfare was for the sake of contending for heaven and earth's fortune. The Dao-Demon War was likewise for fortune. Hongjun's teaching at Violet Firmament Palace after attaining sainthood was to gather the fortune borne by these innate sacred beings. The future Witch Clan and Demon Clan would also contend for territory for the sake of fortune, no different from the current three clans. And then there would be the future Investiture of the Gods...
Although Dijiang did not approve of Zhu Rong's proposal to establish the Witch Clan, he naturally wished to acquire as much fortune as possible. It was simply that 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 slightly.
"The struggle among the three clans has already claimed the lives of Daluo 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 creatures of the Primordial World are enduring torment and oppression. We can gather them up, bring them to Mount Buzhou, provide them with shelter, and earn their support."
"If anyone dares to 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 the same as their earlier proposal to establish a clan, only the starting point differed. They had sought inward, while what Dijiang proposed was 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 all somewhat tempted. Zhu Rong had no objections either. His original intention had been to strengthen their side, so that when they were invaded, they would not suffer a disadvantage due to their numbers.
"Good. Since that is settled, 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, you cannot go to the directions you previously traveled."
"Alright, we understand, Big Brother."
Zhu Jiuyin and the others nodded one after another.
"Let us go."
"Let us go."
Following Dijiang's command, the heavy, ancient bronze gates of Pangu Hall slowly opened once more.
This time, they no longer possessed the flamboyance and curiosity of their first journey. Each of them restrained their aura, appearing like ordinary Primordial Unity Golden Immortals as they silently blended into the boundless 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 western reaches of the Primordial World. Gonggong, Ru Shou, and Jumang headed toward the borderlands of the Southern Continent; Qiang Liang, Xi Zi, and She Bishi went eastward; while Dijiang still led Houtu and Xuanming toward the Far Northern Lands of the Northern Continent.
Before you continue