Chapter 747

The red sun rose in the east.

On Chiyang Shen Shan, the primordial Golden Crow essence atop the great mulberry tree let out a lofty, cloud‑like cry. It spread its wings, opened its beak, and drew a deep breath toward the red sun in the east.

The sky roiled with wind and clouds, and great masses of drifting clouds gathered toward Chiyang Shen Shan.

In the distant red sun, a thread a hundred times finer than a hair, only over a hundred zhang long, shot out and was instantly swallowed by the Golden Crow essence. The semi‑transparent Golden Crow essence gave a "Ga—" cry, filled with anxiety and dissatisfaction.

Clearly, the speck of solar essence flying from the red sun was far too little, far too little.

When the Golden Crow essence screamed, Wu Tie stepped out of the Primordial Crown. He nodded at Qian Xiao, then directly sliced his palm with his fingernail, his bloody palm pressing hard onto the Primordial Crown, and began to chant an ancient incantation.

Blood seeped drop by drop into the Primordial Crown; as Wu Tie chanted, the crown let out a "Boom—" and began to shrink slowly. Gradually, the crown, which had been about ten thousand zhang in diameter, shrank to fist‑size, spewing starlight and hovering silently above Wu Tie's palm.

"The Primordial Crown is mine now." Wu Tie smiled, then a beam of spiritual light shot up from his head, wrapped around the crown, and pulled it into his body in an instant.

The height had slightly shrunk; nearly one‑tenth of the soul's power had already merged into the rear of the divine fetus of the dharma‑body, and the jade disk tens of thousands of zhang across shone brightly. Around its edge, three thousand large lotus leaves and eighty‑four thousand small lotus leaves stirred without wind, sending forth great ripples of Dao.

At the center of the jade disk, three large buds swayed lightly.

One of the buds had once swallowed Ou Yezi's Fuchai sword, and now it was gestating some strange entity inside.

The Primordial Crown, without ceremony, dove straight into the central bud. Strands of strange power welled up from the void, continually absorbed by the bud and then poured into the Primordial Crown.

A deep, prolonged breath sounded from within the bud.

Wu Tie felt the Primordial Crown's ease and pleasure, like a traveler who had trekked tens of thousands of li across a desert, on the verge of dying of thirst and hunger, who suddenly found an oasis, smashed open a fruit, and gulped its juice with hearty delight.

The Primordial Crown's aura immediately rose a little.

"I never imagined you'd done all this and yet gained such great merit and fortune… it's my luck." The Primordial Crown murmured contentedly: "Now, hand over your God‑Smashing Whip so I can dissect and absorb it. The material is fine, but your forging technique is far too poor."

Wu Tie seemed to see the Primordial Crown wearing a look of disdain.

"Your forging methods—don't even compare them to the half‑sages I knew who were masters of crafting… you can't even match the eighteenth‑generation disciples of those masters. Utterly awful, simply awful—you're wasting the fine material of this God‑Smashing Whip."

Wu Tie gave a dry cough, pulled the God‑Smashing Whip from his sleeve, and rubbed it gently for a moment.

As for the God‑Smashing Whip, Wu Tie felt attached to it, for it was a treasure he himself had forged, and it had always helped him win battles.

But, as the Primordial Crown said, fine material ruined by poor forging has left the whip's power unable to keep up with Wu Tie's combat needs. Perhaps using it to trade for the Primordial Crown's injury recovery would be more meaningful.

Thinking of the prefectures in Wuguo's northern border now under frenzied attack by the snow‑plain tribes, Wu Tie suddenly made up his mind; with a thought, the God‑Smashing Whip flew on its own into the bud where the Primordial Crown resided.

With a roar, purple‑gold auspicious qi surged, and the entire jade disk became awash in divine light, its rosy radiance stretching tens of thousands of zhang.

The God‑Smashing Whip, with just a light tap from the Primordial Crown, shattered into dust, exploding into the finest particles that drifted lightly into the Crown's interior. As one could see, the countless spider‑web‑like cracks on the Crown's surface began to heal, and dozens of the tiniest fissures grew ever fainter.

Wu Tie exhaled heavily, turned around, and gave Qian Xiao a smile.

"All right, now let's get back to business."

Not giving Qian Xiao a chance to speak, Wu Tie strode out of the cave with his hands behind his back, and thus he discovered a most wondrous sight.

Surely because of the Primordial Crown, as Wu Tie walked he could clearly feel that his surroundings seemed filled with flowing water. As his body moved through these currents, they stirred fine ripples, then vortices of all sizes, which then spread outward in all directions, affecting the whole world.

This influence…

Wu Tie inexplicably found in the Old Iron inheritance a saying: "A butterfly in the southern primeval forest, unconsciously flapping its wings once, can stir up a devastating storm in the northern seas…"

Space, time, and all the great Dao laws became linked through the unseen ties of cause and effect.

Every decision Wu Tie makes, every action he takes, will produce a corresponding effect on other things in heaven and earth. These effects can be great or small, as gentle as a breeze on the face or as catastrophic as the ruin of a state and the annihilation of a family.

Wu Tie's entire mind and spirit were immersed in this wonderful feeling.

What he saw and perceived also grew ever stranger. Gradually, his vision turned into a series of stark black‑and‑white discontinuous scrolls. Everyone collapsed into flat images, vividly inlaid within those scrolls.

Time, before Wu Tie, displayed his true nature.

Wu Tie had a strange feeling: whenever he struck out to destroy one of those images in that state, he could inflict irreversible harm on the people and objects depicted within.

Moreover, it could be traced back.

Wu Tie stepped step by step toward the cave's exit, continually activating this strange ability, flipping forward through the scrolls that had once appeared around Chiyang Shen Shan.

When Wu Tie was nearing the cave mouth, he saw hundreds of deities whose bodies blazed with fierce divine light descending from the sky, howling as they charged toward Chiyang Shen Shan. Among them, Wu Tie recognized a familiar figure—Wu Tou.

That was definitely Wu Tou.

Wu Tou, who had once been entangled with Gongyang Sanlü in an ambiguous relationship.

Gongyang Sanlü had been slain by Wu Tie, but Wu Tou had no idea what he was doing and never showed up to uphold justice for Gongyang Sanlü.

Wu Tie calculated the time; this was probably over ten thousand years ago.

That time, Chiyang Shen Shan somehow provoked the gods, who dispatched a small squad to launch a surprise attack on the mountain. But under the Primordial Crown's time‑freezing effect and the frantic blows of the Golden Crow essence, that divine squad suffered heavy casualties and fled back to the heavens in disgrace.

"Wu Tou!"

Wu Tie's hand flashed with black‑and‑white light; he pressed it against that image, and a pulse of spiritual light from his palm shattered the picture completely.

He struck out, yet it seemed as if nothing had happened.

Wu Tie glanced left and right; it really appeared that nothing had occurred.

Shaking his head, Wu Tie looked at his right hand with a hint of puzzlement, then said in a low voice: "Let's get back to business; the Primordial Crown's marvels still need careful study."

In a place unknown to Wu Tie, Wu Tou was in seclusion, cultivating in his own bedchamber.

Chunks of soul crystals and bowls of blood‑essence hovered around him, constantly boosting his power and continually scouring his already‑stabilized bloodline.

His bloodline loosened, his strength rose, his foundation grew, and Wu Tou could sense his progress at every moment.

Then, out of the blue, a blow suddenly struck.

Without any warning or preparation, Wu Tou was suddenly wracked with agonizing pain; his bones shattered with a "Crack—crack—crack" into countless fragments, and hundreds of deep gashes reaching to the bone appeared across his body, blood gushing out and instantly staining the floor of his chamber red.

Wu Tou let out a horrid howl, convulsed and fell to the ground, then shrieked hysterically: "Save… save me…"

In Tianwu City, the essence‑blood avatar of Wu Tou stationed in a secret residence of the Gongyang clan let out a muffled grunt, and his whole body exploded into fragments.

Aside from Tianwu City, on Mu Dalu the dozens of avatars that Wu Tou had cultivated from his own essence‑blood, scattered across the land, all shattered simultaneously at the same moment.

Dozens of strands of his scattered soul shattered at once, excruciating pain surged, and Wu Tou's true soul nearly collapsed; he let out a anguished howl and fainted outright. Dozens of Wu Tou's trusted aides rushed into his chamber, stood helpless before the gravely injured, unconscious Wu Tou, and could not fathom what had happened.

A heavy blow, a terrifying blow.

Yet it came out of the blue; Wu Tou had no idea what had happened, and the members of the Man Shen tribe also noticed nothing amiss.

Wu Tie, however, did not know what consequences his abrupt strike had caused; he merely stood atop Chiyang Shen Shan, gazing at the huge ancient mulberry before him.

Five Elements Daoist stood before the ancient mulberry, placing both hands on its thick trunk; strands of azure wood power continuously welled up from within the Five Elements Daoist's body, slowly seeping into the ancient mulberry.

The Primordial Golden Crow essence perched atop the treetop slowly lowered its head, regarding the Five Elements Daoist with a hint of doubt.

The Five Elements Daoist murmured softly: "Wake up, wake up, I can sense you…… wake up, wake up, listen to me……"

Wu Tie watched the Five Elements Daoist for a while as he struggled to communicate with this ancient mulberry, then flicked his sleeve at Qian Xiao: "Let's begin."

Qian Xiao nodded, then a low bell toll rang from the summit of Chiyang Shen Shan, drifting far away on the wind, far and far.

On the vast expanse of the Wujin Manghuang in the south, three thousand Divine Manifestation Realm patriarchs held sway; within the strongest tribe, when the bell atop Chiyang Shen Shan rang, resonant bronze bell tones also sounded respectively.

Among the three thousand tribes, cries of alarm rang out, and then streaks of escape light shot up into the sky, rushing wildly toward Chiyang Shen Shan.

When the bell tolled, Qian Xiao's father, the former lord of Chiyang Shen Shan, Qian Jiu, was crouched on his own roof, both hands holding a large sea‑bowl of lamb noodles, slurping "slurp‑slurp" and sweating profusely.

Qian Xiao was tall and stalwart, while Qian Jiu was short and withered; especially his large bald head bore not a single hair, and under the rising red sun his huge pate glowed red, with beads of sweat continually trickling down his scalp.

After eating more than half of a large bowl of lamb noodles laced with at least three taels of heaven‑pointing chili powder, Qian Jiu heard the bell.

Lifting his head, Qian Jiu scowled and snapped: "Is that little bastard back?"

Several old men in cyan cross‑collared robes, their faces sinister, flickered into existence from the air; a particularly tall old man with a sabre at his waist spoke in a neutral tone: "I suppose so…… this son of a bitch little bastard."

Qian Jiu smashed the great sea‑bowl directly on his own roof, wiped the oil from his mouth with his sleeve, then fiercely rubbed the sweat from his scalp.

"He doesn't go fawn over that little slut Nu Zhao, yet he comes back running—what's he up to? Still calling a tribal assembly… hum, what mischief is he plotting now?" Qian Jiu glowered, his voice low: "Go have a look—sooner or later he'll sell off all the little holdings of Chiyang Shen Shan… sooner or later."

The old man with a sabre at his waist stared darkly at Qian Jiu: "Back when you were born, your old man ought to have tossed you into a water vat and suffocated you."

Qian Jiu jumped and cursed: "What's it to me?"

The old man glared murderously at Qian Jiu: "Who let you father such a bastard son?"

Qian Jiu's face turned pitch black; he likewise glared murderously at the old man, then with a leap sprang into the air, another step, and landed directly on the roof of a great hall in the mulberry forest at the mountain's base.

Streaks of firelight flew in from all directions; for Divine Manifestation Realm experts, covering hundreds or even thousands of miles in an instant—and even those adept at evasion techniques could traverse ten thousand miles in a blink—was utterly effortless. The Divine Manifestation Realm patriarchs of the three thousand tribes came one after another, each standing in mid‑air and cupping their fists toward Qian Jiu in salute.

After the span of two quarters of an hour, more than three thousand Divine Manifestation Realm patriarchs from the various tribes stood in mid‑air, chatting with Qian Jiu about everyday matters.

Although Qian Xiao was the current mountain lord, he spent years in the Fuxi Divine State paying court to Nu Zhao.

The one truly responsible for the daily affairs of Chiyang Shen Shan remains Qian Jiu. In the hearts of many tribal Elders, Qian Xiao leaves hardly any lasting impression.

Qian Jiu deliberately stayed on the roof, chatting with old acquaintances about their tribes' affairs. This year, how many exceptionally gifted children had been added to the clan, how many more livestock had been acquired, where a large ore vein had been discovered, which secret realm had yielded an innate spirit weapon.

They laughed and chatted, saliva flying everywhere, and for a while forgot to go into the great hall to conduct business.

Finally, Qian Xiao burst out of the great hall in a fury, shouting sternly: "What are you doing? All of you, get inside…… Your Lordship, I have an urgent matter to say."

Qian Jiu gave a heavy cough, glanced at Qian Xiao, and asked: "You're back?"

Qian Xiao blinked his eyes, glanced at Qian Jiu, and said dryly: "I'm back…… well, this time I truly have something proper to say…… it'll be to our benefit."

Qian Jiu gave a dry chuckle, rose to his feet, patted his rear, and said bluntly: "Alright, come on, old brothers, let's hear what this kid could possibly have to say that's proper."

Inside the vast hall capable of holding tens of thousands, Qian Xiao sat enthroned upon a stone‑carved throne, while some three thousand tribal patriarchs sat cross‑legged before him, all grinning and laughing as they looked at him.

"Let me share a bit of good news…… I, the Venerable One, have found a way and intend to lead you all northward." Qian Xiao said with a beaming smile: "To the north lies a great state, abundantly wealthy, brimming with talent and spirit—truly a place of prosperity and flourish. There, the maidens are water‑clear; the silks and satins are unlike anything you've seen; there lie exquisite wines, supreme delicacies, and countless gold, silver, and jewels."

Qian Jiu cut him off: "Cut the chatter—good things don't just fall from the sky. These treasures, the maidens and all…… we all want them…… but what must we give in return?"

Qian Xiao coughed: "The great state to the north is called Wuguo. They face invasion from the northern snowy wastes; we help them fight, they give us compensation—it's as simple as that."

Inside the hall, for a moment not a sparrow stirred.