Chapter 1039

Wu Tie was finally able to stand up.

Wearing loose, ragged robes and skin-and-bones thin, Wu Tie drew deep breaths as he walked step by step across the deck.

With each step he took, the Myriad Spirits Consuming Void Slaying Divine Vessel trembled slightly.

He had almost expended all the merit power he had accumulated over the years, condensing both the Great Dao and the side doors from the Primordial Scripture into Dao seals.

With the infusion of merit power, his innate spiritual light—that is, the origin of his soul—was not harmed; instead, it grew much stronger and more miraculous from the nourishment of merit power.

But the depletion of his flesh and blood essence was quite real.

Although he had been heavily nourished these past days, Wu Tie's body remained depleted; yet because of the condensation of the Dao seal, his power—whether mana or physical strength—had actually increased by tens of millions of times.

Having already been extremely careful, his depleted body could not properly control the surging power; the "light-footed" Wu Tie almost shook the vessel, whose radius spanned several thousand li, into falling from the sky with each step.

Bai He stood a little farther away, his gaze like water, silently watching Wu Tie.

Zhu Zi and Ying Long were as carefree as ever; the two sat atop the ship's upper deck, each holding a wine jar and gnawing on a braised pig's head with great enjoyment.

Zhu Ganglie squatted angrily on another deck's upper level, staring at Zhu Zi and Ying Long's braised pig's head with fury—chewing on a pig's head right in front of him was a slap to the face… those two little girls!

Wu Tie glanced at Bai He, shook his head, then looked at Ying Long: "Ying Long, try attacking me once."

Ying Long stared blankly, then joyfully tossed aside his wine jar, let out a mighty "Ao-wu" roar, hefted a massive wolf-tooth club radiating killing intent, his body spinning like a windmill in the air, and brought the club down hard on Wu Tie's forehead without hesitation.

This strike was as swift as thunder; neither Bai He nor the Wuguo ministers beside Wu Tie had time to react.

Only when the wolf-tooth club slammed onto Wu Tie's head did Huang Lang and Xiahou Wuming shout in unison: "Impudent!"

Ying Long had, with the aid of Wuguo's sacrifices, successfully attained the Venerable level.

That is, after attaining Venerable status, Ying Long's bloodline power was fully unleashed. She inherently possessed terrifying brute strength, and the several Dao seals she had condensed were also related to strength and bodily divine abilities, further amplifying her power to a terrifying degree.

Especially after her bloodline power was fully unleashed, Ying Long's daily food intake became terrifyingly immense, and her strength grew by leaps and bounds each day.

Now, purely in terms of physical strength, under Wu Tie's command, only Wu Jin, Wu Yin, Wu Tong and a dozen or so other Wu family youths with the greatest strength could barely match Ying Long's prowess; a moment's carelessness would still see them suppressed by her in reverse.

Moreover, the wolf-tooth club in Ying Long's hand was a fortuitous acquisition of recent years—an innate spirit weapon nurtured by heaven and earth, extraordinarily heavy and immensely powerful.

This club struck Wu Tie's forehead squarely; amidst the angry shouts of Huang Lang and Xiahou Wuming, Wu Tie's body did not budge, a spark flew from his brow, and before everyone's eyes, Ying Long's wolf-tooth club exploded with a boom into more than a dozen pieces.

Ying Long cried out in shock; the tiger's mouths of both hands were torn open, and from elbow to fingertip, deep wounds reaching the bone continually spurted scalding blood.

She paid no heed to her own injuries, staring fixedly at the small remnant of the wolf-tooth club's handle left in her hand, her mouth pursed as she nearly burst into tears: "My club… after all these years, the one that felt most natural in my hand!"

Wu Tie stared blankly, then rubbed his forehead.

Ying Long's club came too fast; his current depleted body likewise had no time to react, the strike landed squarely on his head, his flesh rebounded on its own, and Wu Tie had no control over it.

He had not expected his own flesh to have become this formidable.

Clearly still in a state of depletion and loss, yet he managed to shatter a true innate spirit weapon by relying on his own recoil force?

"Don't cry, don't cry… there's a good club here." Wu Tie hastily selected a massive Vajra pestle stored by past patriarch monks of the Buddha Kingdom from the Buddha treasury given to him by Jia Ye, and handed it to Ying Long with one hand.

Ying Long herself had a fortuitous encounter and obtained a fine club.

However, the Liuli Buddha Kingdom had existed for countless years, and generations of patriarch monks had amassed countless treasures. This Vajra pestle was likewise an innate spirit weapon, but had already reached the Spirit Treasure level; in weight and myriad divine abilities, it surpassed Ying Long's wolf-tooth club by several times.

Ying Long took the Vajra pestle, her arm sinking slightly.

She gripped the Vajra pestle and gave it a swing, feeling the vast, boundless majestic power within; she immediately grinned: "Heh… Wu Tie, you're still loyal enough… but how did your head get so hard?"

The wounds on Ying Long's arm were rapidly healing; she stepped up to Wu Tie, hopping about, wanting to see if his forehead was alright.

Seeing the short-statured Cang Long hopping about in front of him, Wu Tie placed a hand on her head, then nodded to Huang Lang and the other Wuguo ministers: "At court, there are some things we ought to take the initiative to do."

Wu Tie said in a deep voice: "We may not be particularly great people, but if there are things we can do and yet we do not… I feel uneasy about it."

In the largest cabin of the giant vessel, Wu Tie sat high upon the throne, with civil and military ministers and the Wu clan's senior members arranged to left and right.

"I need no advice or stratagems; I only need you to obey orders and act." Wu Tie produced a jade tablet and threw it to Mo Wu among the ranks: "This is the blueprint of the Myriad Spirits Consuming Void Slaying Divine Vessel; gather materials quickly and build as many new small Slaying Divine Vessels as possible."

"Length 100 li, width 36 li, height 12 li." Wu Tie looked at Mo Wu: "I will use the Primordial Coronet to forge a time barrier to accelerate you to the utmost… I want to see the new small Slaying Divine Vessels appear as soon as possible."

"No limit on quantity; the more, the better; the faster, the better." Wu Tie said solemnly.

Mo Wu gripped the jade tablet tightly and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, various metal materials are piled up like mountains in Wuguo's storehouses. However, for constructing the Myriad Spirits Consuming Void Slaying Divine Vessel, the more important material is giant demons… preferably those of the divine realm, even the bones of Venerable-level giant demons!"

Mo Wu stamped his foot: "Previously, all the giant demon bones we slew in the Liuli Buddha Kingdom have already been fused into this Slaying Divine Vessel."

Wu Tie nodded: "War sustains war; rest assured, countless demon bones will soon be sent."

Wu Tie's gaze swept over the Wuguo ministers present, and he said solemnly: "Old Tie has a map of the human kingdoms surrounding Wuguo, with 372 hunting grounds and 164 battlefields."

"Among those hunting grounds and battlefields, the locations that are suitably distant from our Wuguo and can be reached instantly via spatial coordinates number 72 hunting grounds and 35 battlefields."

Wu Tie rose to his feet and slowly said: "I issue the order!"

The Wuguo ministers present all straightened their backs and looked at Wu Tie. They did not know what he intended to do, but given Wuguo's current strength, whatever he did, they had sufficient capability to carry it out.

Having sacrificed the archfiends of the Supreme Demon Realm and the countless demon tribes captured from the Liuli Buddha Kingdom, Wuguo now has over ten thousand Venerable-level experts, totalling roughly twelve thousand.

This strength… can accomplish anything!

"Old Tie and Xiahou Wuming will devise the battle plan; Wuguo's Venerable officials will be organized into teams of a hundred, forming a hundred squads, each equipped with ten million Heavenly Martial Army soldiers and a hundred million Colossal Divine Soldiers, to conquer these battlefields and hunting grounds."

"All non-human peoples, all demons, monsters, and ghosts, and any resisters shall be slaughtered."

"I permit you to recruit locally… those human kingdoms on the battlefields and hunting grounds have mostly collapsed, their survivors barely clinging to life in dire straits. I allow you to recruit on the spot, to sustain war through war… how far you can go will depend on the efforts of you ministers."

"Remember, this campaign is not for expanding territory, but solely for rescuing the common people."

"Cities and towns, everything need not be spared; in war they may be destroyed without hesitation… saving lives, preserving existence—this is the sole purpose of this campaign."

Wu Tie stood before the throne, gazing down imposingly upon his many subjects.

Before his eyes flashed the scene of his first arrival at the Liuli Buddha Kingdom, when the sea surface was thickly strewn with human corpses.

He seemed to see those human bodies being cooked in the big pot.

He seemed to see the old, weak women and children lying on the ground, torn apart by countless beasts.

He gave a light cough, Wu Tie clenched his fist.

"I will personally lead a guerrilla unit to provide support from all directions."

"This operation is named——'Human Race's Kindling'!"

Inside the hall, all the Wuguo officials' faces flushed red as they fell to their knees one after another.

As Wuguo readied its troops and horses for a full-scale sweep, on Nüwa Island Qingning held several gold-thread-woven jade belts inlaid with fist-sized beautiful jade, examining them seriously.

Her husband, the Chief Steward of Nüwa Island's daily affairs, Gongsun Jun, gazed at the several jade belts emanating precious aura, shook his head slightly: "Qing'er, these jade belts are too extravagant for our human race..."

Qingning glared at Gongsun Jun and said in a graceful voice: "Some old rules are unsuitable... Has our human race fallen to the point of having no mountains or water, unable even to afford a meal? Look at the heads of human families and clan leaders, all day long wearing animal skins and torn hemp, wandering about in that pitiful state—who would we be showing this to?"

"Does wearing rags prove they are following the ancestors' way? Does it show they are striving for governance, that they are sleeping on firewood and tasting gall?"

"The old fogies who set these rules..." Qingning pointed at her own head: "This is broken!"

Gongsun Jun shrugged and remained silent.

Anyway, in this household Qingning calls the shots; she has arranged everything—food, clothing, housing, travel—for him and her son Gongsun Ye to perfection.

Qingning has an extremely forceful character; the father and son dare not provoke her.

"All right, Ye'er, this Nine-Dragon Jade Belt is the most majestic and grand—let's take this one." Qingning laughed, picked up a jade belt, and fastened it properly around Gongsun Ye's waist.

The purple-gold long robe was covered by layers of deep clouds and rosy hues; on the waist's Nine-Dragon Jade Belt, nine tiny dragon shadows swirled, emitting a formidable aura.

He wore a purple-gold high crown, feet clad in purple dragon-silk cloud boots, and his upper body draped with a radiant heart-protector armor.

In terms of luxurious splendor, Gongsun Ye's attire today rivals that of Ji Baijie, the Great Heavenly Venerable of the Heavenly Court.

Combined with his tall, sturdy frame and handsome visage, he appears like a Divine Palace Heavenly Venerable—truly extraordinarily majestic, towering above.

"Mother, this outfit, is it...?" Gongsun Yan looked at her reflection in the huge crystal treasure mirror, her face slightly flushed.

The entire human race follows the ancestors' simple, plain style; even the senior matriarchs wear nothing more than a coarse linen dress.

His outfit is really overly extravagant.

Gongsun Jun couldn't help but mutter on the side: "Qing'er, that Heavenly Court is now just an empty shell. Ji Ting and the others have died cleanly; the entire Demon-Eradication Office's hundred million warriors were wiped out by a single great supernatural move, vanishing like smoke."

Shaking his head, Gongsun Jun sighed: "What's the point of letting Ye'er take over such an empty shell?"

Qingning gave Gongsun Jun a sideways glance: "What empty shell? You don't understand anything. Even without mentioning other things, just the Heavenly Court's Thunder God Vessels and the refining method of Floating Cloud far surpass the artifact-forging techniques currently mastered by Nüwa Island."

"Besides, I don't care whether the Heavenly Court is an empty shell or not."

"What I care about is how many people I can stuff into this empty shell of the Heavenly Court..." Qingning patted Gongsun Ye's body, brushing off the few specks of dust that had just fallen.

"Having full authority over Heavenly Court affairs—this is the power granted to me by the Senior Matriarch."

"Ji Baijie is dead, and so are his followers; they died just in time. How much trouble has that saved me?"

"Now it's up to me, using the empty shell you described, to help our Ye earn a great fortune."

Gongsun Jun lightly coughed: "You think it's easy to fill that empty shell with people? Who would honestly pour their own elite troops and strong generals into it?"

Qingning smiled, gently brushed a strand of Gongsun Ye's hair, and confidently said: "You think it's hard? I see, it's actually quite simple."

After an hour, inside the ancient, massive stone hall at the core of Nüwa Island, six venerable Senior Matriarchs sat cross-legged on the ground, silent as stone statues.

Qingning, accompanied by an awkward-looking Gongsun Ye, formally appeared before the leaders of the human populace.

Behind Gongsun Ye stood a group of warriors clad in golden armor, radiant and extraordinarily imposing, further enhancing his majestic bearing.

The so-called common folk of the human race are those ancient clans within this vast people, originating from antiquity, even traceable to the human race's most ancient origins, the oldest of those clans.

Their surnames are directly inherited from the human sovereigns and even divine spirits of myth and legend!

Each of their surnames has branched and spread into countless offshoots.

They are collectively called 'common folk', but in fact such ancient clans number over five hundred within the entire human race.

The chiefs of those over-five-hundred clans, the most powerful great clan leaders of the human race, sit around the fire pit just like ordinary commoners, holding coarse porcelain bowls and drinking bitter tea.

Seeing Gongsun Ye's excessively luxurious attire, among the more than five hundred great clan leaders present, fewer than two hundred frowned, their faces very displeased.

Meanwhile, the other three hundred plus great clan leaders smiled, nodded, and looked upon Gongsun Ye with great appreciation.

Qingning glanced at those displeased great clan leaders and gave Gongsun Ye a light smile.

Gongsun Ye drew a deep breath and released his full aura.

A terrifying surge of magical power swept the eight directions; three thousand streams of white energy shot up into the sky, coiling and dancing behind him like a dragon. The austere Dao resonance reached an extreme; although he had not broken through to the Venerable level, by cultivating the three thousand great paths of the Primordial Scripture in tandem, his strength is sufficient to challenge an ordinary Venerable.

An aged and frail Elder Clan Chief clapped and laughed: "Truly a qilin son of our human race!"

After a quarter hour, the human race's great clan leaders reached a unanimous decision: each clan would select a batch of its finest elite soldiers and valiant generals to join the Heavenly Court, placed under Gongsun Ye's unified command to face the human race's crisis.