Opening the Mountain Gates?

"You may rise."

Dijiang's voice rang like heavenly music, spreading to every corner of the formation.

"For tens of thousands of years, you have multiplied and thrived here, and all of your cultivation has improved. I am greatly pleased."

"But remember this: the Primordial World is perilous. Only by becoming strong yourselves can you gain a foothold. Though we protect you, you must walk the path of cultivation on your own!"

"We shall obey the Ancestor Witches' decree!" The tens of millions of beings kowtowed once more.

Dijiang nodded slightly and led the eleven Ancestral Witches down before Pangu Hall.

"Big Brother, this power of Fortune seems even stronger than before." Zhu Jiuyin sensed the increasingly active Time Law within his body, and a sharp gleam flashed through his eyes.

"Of course."

Dijiang smiled. "The more they multiply and thrive here, the stronger they become, and the greater the Fortune they gather."

"Let us enter the hall."

The Twelve Ancestral Witches pushed open the heavy doors and returned to Pangu Hall.

"Now that the three clans have retreated and the War of Dao and Demons has ended, the Primordial World is about to enter a new era."

Seated upon the jade platform, Dijiang swept his gaze over the others. "That old bastard Hongjun will probably take another step forward before long."

"Take another step forward?"

Zhu Rong curled his lip. "Big Brother, so what if that old bastard takes another step forward? We have twelve Primordial Origin Golden Immortals, plus the Twelve Capitals Divine Baleful Formation. Are we supposed to fear him?"

"Do not underestimate him."

Dijiang's expression turned solemn. "The Twelve Capitals Formation is our trump card and can only be used at critical moments. Besides, relying on the power of a formation will ultimately leave us a step weaker. To forge iron, one must be strong oneself."

"Only when our strength rises beyond that of Primordial Origin Golden Immortals, when each of us has the power to protect ourselves against Hongjun alone, can we be truly secure."

"Mhm, we'll listen to Big Brother."

"Big Brother, since protecting these beings and teaching them cultivation lets us receive the Fortune they carry, enhancing the speed at which we comprehend Laws, should we open our mountain gates wide and take in more beings?"

Zhu Jiuyin spoke thoughtfully.

"Open the mountain gates wide and take in more beings?"

Hearing this, Dijiang lightly tapped his fingers against the jade platform and fell into thought.

Zhu Jiuyin's proposal was indeed tempting.

Fortune was practically a cure-all in the Primordial World.

Not only could it accelerate cultivation and aid in comprehending Laws, but it could also ward off calamities and resolve misfortune in unseen ways.

They had already enjoyed enormous benefits simply by protecting tens of millions of beings. If that number were expanded tenfold or a hundredfold, just how terrifying would the blessing of Fortune become?

But Dijiang did not agree immediately.

"Jiu Yin, your idea is good, but the timing is wrong."

Dijiang shook his head and looked deeply toward the outside of the hall. "The three clans have only just retreated, and the aftershocks of the War of Dao and Demons have yet to fully settle. The Primordial World is in an extremely sensitive vacuum period."

"Those reclusive great powers who survived the tribulation, as well as those ambitious innate sacred beings, are all lying low in the shadows."

"If we openly throw wide our mountain gates and frantically gather beings at this time, we will inevitably become a target for all."

Dijiang paused, and his tone turned cold. "A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Though we twelve Primordial Origin Golden Immortals fear no one, if we draw the combined attack of the entire Primordial World, the losses will outweigh the gains."

"Big Brother is right."

Houtu nodded in agreement. "Besides, once there are too many beings, their qualities will vary wildly, and managing them will become a major headache. If someone causes trouble among them and ruins our reputation, it may instead damage our Fortune."

"So we're just going to sit here and watch?" Zhu Rong scratched his head unwillingly.

"Of course not."

A profound smile curled across Dijiang's lips. "Keeping a low profile openly does not mean we cannot make arrangements in secret."

"These tens of millions of beings are our best seeds."

Dijiang rose to his feet and looked over the eleven Ancestral Witches. "From today onward, aside from cultivating in seclusion, you will also take turns entering the formation to preach the Dao to these beings!"

"Preach the Dao?" All the Ancestral Witches were stunned.

"Correct, preach the Dao."

Wisdom gleamed in Dijiang's eyes. "We must not only protect them, but also enlighten them. We will turn our comprehension of the Laws into simple, understandable Dao teachings and impart them to these beings."

"In this way, their faith in us will become more deeply rooted, and the Fortune will grow purer and more vast."

"More importantly..."

Dijiang lowered his voice. "When some of them attain success in cultivation and break through to Taiyi Golden Immortal or even Daluo Golden Immortal, we can have them leave Mount Buzhou and travel throughout the Primordial World."

"They bear the mark of our Pangu Orthodox Lineage. Wherever they go, our influence will extend there as well. Those beings who seek the Dao will come toward Mount Buzhou. When that time comes, we can preach to them broadly, or select some with excellent temperament and aptitude for careful instruction. This is called nourishing things silently; it is far more brilliant than openly recruiting beings with great fanfare!"

"Wonderful!"

Zhu Jiuyin's eyes shone brightly as he could not help clapping in praise. "Big Brother's plan not only avoids the notice of the Primordial World's great powers, but also secretly spreads our influence throughout the entire Primordial World."

"Hehe, I like this preaching business!"

Zhu Rong grinned. "I'll go tell them about the Flame Dao I've recently comprehended!"

"Oh, give it a rest!" Gonggong rolled his eyes. "With you, don't go roasting them alive while you're preaching. It would be better if I taught the Water Dao."

"Water-trash, are you looking for a beating?!"

"Come on! You think I'm afraid of you?!"

Watching the two resume their usual bickering, Dijiang helplessly rubbed his brow.

"Enough. Settle down, all of you."

With a wave of his hand, Dijiang suppressed the two. "Jiu Yin and Houtu will take the lead in preaching the Dao, while the rest of you assist them. Remember, do not force their growth. Proceed step by step."

"Yes, Big Brother!" The Ancestral Witches answered in unison.

In the years that followed, the Spirit-Gathering Formation at the foot of Mount Buzhou welcomed an unprecedented period of prosperity.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches took turns appearing in the sky, preaching the Dao to the beings within the formation and those near Mount Buzhou.

Though their teachings were relatively basic, the tens of millions of beings listened with rapt attention, and their cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.

In merely a few tens of thousands of years, several hundred Taiyi Golden Immortals emerged among those tens of millions of beings. A few exceptionally gifted individuals had even vaguely touched the threshold of Daluo Golden Immortal!

As the cultivation of these beings improved, the Fortune Golden Dragons gathering upon the Twelve Ancestral Witches became increasingly massive and solid.

Within Pangu Hall.

Dijiang sat cross-legged above the Blood Pool, silver Space Law flowing around him like rippling water.

The Space Dao Fruit between his brows had advanced further under the nourishment of immense Fortune, radiating an eternal and indestructible glow.

"Mid-Primordial Golden Immortal..."