The Demon Clan Heavenly Court's banners fluttered, and countless Yao Race soldiers and generals assembled, their Evil Qi soaring to the heavens, stirring up the winds and clouds of the Nine Heavens.
Such a large movement naturally could not be hidden from the many powerful beings of the Primordial World.
Any race in the Primordial World with a bit of foresight smelled the scent of an impending great war.
For a time, various forces retreated, quietly observing the developments.
On Kunlun Mountain, the Three Pure Ones frowned slightly, their expressions unfathomable.
On Mount Sumeru in the West, Jieyin and Zhunti looked at each other, their faces showing even deeper suffering.
The West was already barren; if it were to experience another great war, it would likely be like adding frost to snow.
On Penglai Immortal Island in the East Sea, Eastern King Duke, the master of the Immortal Court, also urgently summoned his Heavenly God subordinates, standing ready to guard against a possible surprise attack from the Yao Race.
For a time, the entire Primordial World was in an uproar due to the Yao Race's actions, and a suffocating atmosphere, like a storm brewing, enveloped the hearts of all living beings.
...
Inside Pangu Hall on Buzhou Mountain.
Wu Ming sat high in the main seat, with the Twelve Ancestral Witches seated in rows below him, their expressions varied, and the atmosphere in the hall was slightly solemn.
Dijiang was the first to speak, his voice tinged with confusion: "Big Brother, the Yao Race's wolfish ambitions are clearly revealed."
"Dijun and Taiyi are gathering the Yao Race in the Heavenly Court, clearly intending to move against our Wu Race. Why don't we strike first and annihilate them in one fell swoop?"
"Instead, we are so passive, waiting for them to finish gathering and come knocking on our door?"
"Exactly! Big Brother, Dijiang is right!"
Zhurong rumbled in agreement: "Why don't we strike first? Why must we wait for them to come knocking on our door? Isn't this just asking for trouble?"
The other Ancestral Witches also looked at Wu Ming with confused expressions, clearly puzzled by their Big Brother's decision.
In their view, with the Wu Race's strength, they had no fear of the Yao Race at all, so why endure like this and choose to passively wait?
Wu Ming's expression was calm, his gaze sweeping over his brothers and sisters, and he slowly spoke, his voice clearly reaching the ears of every Ancestral Witch.
"Annihilate the Yao Race?" he retorted, his tone flat.
"And then what?"
Zhurong was choked by this rhetorical question, and he paused, stunned: "And then?"
"And then wouldn't this Primordial World be peaceful? Wouldn't our Wu Race be able to develop steadily?"
Wu Ming gently shook his head, "The Yao Race, to our Wu Race, is nothing more than a minor ailment. They have never been our true enemies."
"Annihilating them, apart from making our Wu Race bear a great deal of Karma for nothing, making our future path of cultivation even more difficult, offers no substantial benefits, does it?"
He paused, then continued: "The reason I allowed the Yao Race to develop, allowing them to deduce the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Formation, is not because our Wu Race fears them."
"It's because our Wu Race needs an opponent of sufficient weight to demonstrate our strength to the entire Primordial World!"
"Only in this way can we deter those petty individuals, making them weigh their own worth before attempting to plot against our Wu Race!"
As soon as Wu Ming said this, the Ancestral Witches were first stunned, then thoughtful.
Dijiang pondered, and softly asked: "Big Brother's meaning is... we are to use the Yao Race as the chicken to warn the monkeys?"
"Precisely." Wu Ming nodded, "The more boisterous and grand the Yao Race's movements, the more useful this stepping stone will be."
"In the future, the power our Wu Race displays will be all the more convincing."
"Then... Big Brother," Houtu asked softly, her thoughts delicate, "You said our enemies are not the Yao Race, so who are they? With our Wu Race's strength, looking at the entire Primordial World, who else is qualified to be our enemy?"
This question was also the biggest doubt in the hearts of all the Ancestral Witches.
They were the orthodox descendants of Pangu, with powerful Physical Bodies, born with control over Law, and since their birth, apart from the mysterious and unfathomable Dao Ancestor Hongjun, they seemed to have truly feared no one.
Wu Ming said word by word: "Heavenly Dao."
"What?!"
"Heavenly Dao?!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Pangu Hall instantly erupted.
"How is that possible!" Zhurong was the first to leap up, his face full of disbelief.
"Big Brother, are you mistaken? Since the birth of our Wu Race, we have never done anything against the Heavenly Dao. Why would the Heavenly Dao be our enemy?"
The Ancestral Witches were in an uproar, their faces filled with shock and incomprehension. They had never imagined that the Heavenly Dao would become their enemy.
"Yes, Big Brother!" Houtu also couldn't help but speak, her delicate brows furrowed, "The Heavenly Dao is impartial. Our Wu Race cleanses Evil Qi and sorts out the earth veins, which is meritorious to the Primordial World. Why would the Heavenly Dao be our enemy?"
"Yes, Big Brother! Our Wu Race respects Father Pangu above and protects the Primordial Land below. Where exactly have we offended that lofty Heavenly Dao?" Gonggong also questioned angrily, his face full of disbelief and fury.
Wu Ming sighed softly: "Because our Wu Race has blocked its path."
The Ancestral Witches looked at each other, their faces filled with confusion. Blocked the Heavenly Dao's path? Where did that come from?
Wu Ming explained: "The Heavenly Dao desires to completely control the Primordial World, making it operate according to its predetermined trajectory. For this, it needs to constantly weaken the influence Father Pangu left in the Primordial World."
"And our Wu Race, formed from Father Pangu's essence blood, is the continuation of Father Pangu's will, the orthodox lineage of Pangu. As long as our Wu Race exists for a day, Father Pangu's influence cannot be completely eradicated."
"Therefore, the Heavenly Dao will try every means to annihilate our Wu Race."
"As for the Yao Race..., they are merely pawns carefully chosen by the Heavenly Dao to mutually consume and contend with our Wu Race."
"The ultimate goal is to use a tribulation that sweeps across heaven and earth, allowing our Wu Race and Yao Race to fight until both are severely wounded and their Origin Qi greatly diminished, thereby completely exiting the stage of Primordial World history!"
Upon hearing this, Gonggong flew into a rage: "Do Dijun and Taiyi even deserve to cause our Wu Race to be mutually wounded?!"
"Wishful thinking!"
"What about the Three Pure Ones?" Zhu Jiuyin, who had been silent, suddenly asked.
"They were formed from Father Pangu's Primordial Spirit and are also orthodox Pangu descendants. Why doesn't the Heavenly Dao act against them?"
Wu Ming said: "The Three Pure Ones bear the Karma of creation, and they have taken Hongjun as their master."
"Hongjun, having merged with the Dao, is already the Heavenly Dao's spokesperson. The Three Pure Ones joining Hongjun's lineage is equivalent to submitting to the Heavenly Dao's camp."
"To the Heavenly Dao, they are no longer a threat; instead, they can become pawns for the Heavenly Dao to balance the situation in the Primordial World."
The Ancestral Witches fell silent, their expressions complex.
After a long while, Dijiang slowly spoke: "So, Big Brother, your meaning is..."
"We are now deliberately allowing the Yao Race to grow stronger, precisely so that in the upcoming conflict, we can defeat them with overwhelming force."
"Thereby demonstrating our formidable strength to the Heavenly Dao, letting the Heavenly Dao know that our Wu Race is not a soft persimmon that it can casually manipulate, making it have some reservations?"
"Precisely." Wu Ming nodded.
"But," Zhu Jiuyin said with some concern, "won't doing this make the Heavenly Dao even more wary of us and even more desirous of annihilating our Wu Race?"
Wu Ming said: "That will indeed be the case. But you must understand, whether we display our strength or not, the Heavenly Dao's intention to annihilate our Wu Race will not change."
"Since that is the case, rather than letting it unscrupulously plot against us in the dark, it's better to openly display our power, making it hesitant and afraid to act rashly."
"Although the Heavenly Dao is powerful, it is not omnipotent. It dares not directly act to annihilate our Wu Race, nor does it dare to directly kill us."
"Therefore, it only seeks to achieve the goal of annihilating the Wu Race by supporting proxies and instigating a great tribulation."
"As long as we are strong enough, strong enough that any force it supports has no certainty of victory, strong enough that every one of its schemes comes at a huge cost, it will naturally exercise some restraint."
"In this way, we can win precious development time for the Wu Race."
"Otherwise, if we are constantly exhausted dealing with various conspiracies and schemes, where would we find the energy to improve ourselves and comprehend the Dao?"
As Wu Ming spoke, his expression became particularly serious. He looked at the twelve brothers and sisters before him.
"Especially you twelve, in your future actions, you must be extremely careful, never act rashly or impulsively, and guard against the schemes of villains."
"The Celestial Godly Universe Shaking Formation is our Wu Race's strongest trump card at present, and it is the fundamental deterrent against petty individuals. But the biggest flaw of this formation is ourselves, the ones who set it up."
"Once any one of you falls, or if the number of formation setters is insufficient due to other reasons, the Thirteen Heaven Divinity Fiend Formation will be greatly weakened, or even unable to form."
"Therefore, no matter when or where, no matter what situation you encounter, do not act impulsively, and remember not to fall into the enemy's schemes, leading yourselves into danger!"
Wu Ming spoke these words with extreme solemnity.
Upon hearing this, the Twelve Ancestral Witches all felt a chill in their hearts, their expressions solemn.
Although they were warlike, they were not foolish, and they naturally understood the weight of Wu Ming's words.
"Big Brother, rest assured!" Dijiang was the first to speak, his expression solemn, "We will be careful and cautious, and absolutely not give the enemy any opportunity!"
"Big Brother, rest assured, we will be careful!" Zhurong put away his usual impulsiveness and said in a deep voice.
"We understand!" The other Ancestral Witches also responded in unison.
Wu Ming looked at them, slowly nodded, and said: "Immediately recall all Wu Race warriors scattered across the Primordial Land back to Buzhou Mountain, and gather them at Pangu Hall!"
"The great war is about to begin!"
The Twelve Ancestral Witches said: Yes, Big Brother.