In the void, the three elders trembled slightly upon seeing this scene. They realized how terrifying this latecomer from the Dragon-Phoenix era had become!
The three exchanged glances, seeing gravity in each other's eyes.
Shouxian lao broke the silence, "Do we still intervene?"
"Let's wait a bit longer," the elder Fu Xian, holding a jade ruyi, said helplessly. "Since the East King deployed us three, he must have made preparations."
The elder Lu Xian, who was holding a golden seal, nodded heavily.
Below, Qing Ling looked at the six Ancestral Witches woven into the brocade tapestry and smiled, "Why the trouble, sirs? The Primordial World is vast; your Wu clan may not be able to swallow it."
"Heh~"
A voice shattered the sky, causing the void to collapse for ten thousand miles. It struck precisely at the weakest point of the Mi Tian Suo.
"Screech~"
The peerless divine tapestry was torn asunder, and the six great Ancestral Witches stumbled out, their eyes filled with indignation, but they could only endure.
For their eldest brother had arrived.
The Emperor of the Wu clan, the Spatial Ancestral Witch Di Jiang!
Two more figures followed Di Jiang.
The Metal Ancestral Witch Ru Shou, and the Rain and Cold Ancestral Witch Xuan Ming.
The Wood Ancestral Witch Wu Lai, because he remembered a past kindness owed to the East Barrens.
Zhu Jiuyin Wu Lai, because he was slumbering in the Pangu Hall.
Houtu Wu Lai, because she had to guard the central land and protect the twelve tribes of the Wu clan.
Just as Zhu Rong was about to speak, Di Jiang raised his hand to stop him. Instead, he clasped his hands in greeting towards Qing Ling from afar.
"Di Jiang pays respects to senior. Senior's presence remains as before."
Qing Ling narrowed his eyes, shaking his gourd with a chuckle. "Little friend Di Jiang, it's been many years. You've achieved quite a lot!"
Di Jiang said sternly, "It is our Wu clan who were unaware of your presence, thus we have disturbed you. We shall take our leave!"
Saying this, he turned and shouted, "Why are you not returning with me?"
The eight Ancestral Witches behind him were stunned. Was this still their decisive elder brother?
"Wait!"
Di Jiang's footsteps halted. Without turning, he asked, "Is Senior intending to stop us?"
Qing Ling smiled, "The East Barrens is not a place easily provoked by just anyone. Since you are here, why not do me a favor? It is a troublesome task. Are you willing?"
Di Jiang's eyes flashed with coldness. "Your Excellency, do not push your luck."
Qing Ling chuckled, "Considering the kindness I showed your people back then, is that not enough?"
The Ancestral Witches were bewildered and dared not interrupt.
Di Jiang shook his head and turned around. "It seems Your Excellency intends to make things difficult? My Wu clan is not easily appeased."
Qing Ling was unfazed. "Is that so? I think not. A good thrashing will make you more agreeable!"
Qing Ling stood up, set down his gourd, and took out a verdant, jade-like ancient umbrella from his sleeve, then tossed it away.
A flawless jade umbrella flew towards the nine Ancestral Witches, who had been provoked by Qing Ling.
The jade umbrella slowly unfurled above the heads of the nine great Ancestral Witches. Instantly, green lotuses rained down.
Each falling green lotus would crack open, erupting with pure essence.
The nine Wu clan members sneered. Di Jiang, however, shouted, "Since the other party does not wish us to leave, let him witness the might of our Wu clan."
"Wu!"
The nine Ancestral Witches roared in unison, shattering even the void.
Facing the nine Ancestral Witches radiating fierce energy, Qing Ling merely parted his crimson lips and uttered a single word.
"Suppress!"
Instantly, the verdant essence filling the sky surged straight upwards. Beneath the canopy covered by the green jade umbrella, a majestic giant figure stood between heaven and earth!
At this moment, the entire Primordial World was shocked and alerted.
The great beings saw the phantom of the Jianmu.
Towering into the sky, reaching the twenty-sixth heaven, the Jianmu!
The Jianmu supported the heavens. Although it was extremely tall, no other Daoists knew its exact height.
For the Jianmu connected to the heavens, and beings not as tall as the Jianmu naturally could not see its full height.
In the Penglai Immortal Realm, amidst the swirling clouds, a sound of a chess piece falling was heard.
Dong Wang Gong suddenly rose, his eyes filled with shock. "How could he have advanced so quickly? The Dragon-Phoenix tribulation has only passed forty Yuanhui. How could he have broken through five heavens?"
In his estimation, no matter how heaven-defying Qing Ling was, he should have been at most at the twenty-third heaven realm.
For every heaven the supreme great beings ascended, it required tens of Yuanhui of arduous cultivation and comprehension. By all reasonable standards, Qing Ling should not have advanced so rapidly.
Unless, he had split himself into three to cultivate simultaneously.
The phantom of the Jianmu, tall and sky-reaching, was as majestic as a second Mount Buzhou. Around the top of the Jianmu phantom, at the twenty-eighth heaven, cosmic stars revolved, the sun and moon, and countless stars, a brilliant firmament.
The weight of the twenty-sixth heaven instantly transferred to the nine great Ancestral Witches. Such terrifying pressure even caused time to stand still.
She Bishi was directly pressed to the ground. Xuan Ming and Qiang Liang were forced to their knees, their veins bulging, revealing their true Ancestral Witch forms.
All nine Ancestral Witches manifested their immortal Wu bodies, their terrifying aura comparable to great beings of heaven and earth.
Yet, under the immense power of heaven and earth, they were still suppressed, unable to move an inch.
Di Jiang, Zhu Rong, and Gong Gong roared in fury. Xi Zi's body crackled with electricity as he struggled to rise. Ru Shou and Tian Wu bent over with difficulty, suppressed beneath the phantom of the Jianmu.
The nine Ancestral Witches had muscles like coiled ropes, just like their Father God Pangu, standing tall and supporting the heavens!
The nine great Ancestral Witches' feet pressed against the earth as if possessing endless strength. They roared repeatedly, struggling to rise. Their nine colossal true bodies, each tens of thousands of feet tall, slowly straightened under the vast sky.
In their fury, they felt the sensation of their Father God Pangu, perhaps how Father God endured the hardship of supporting heaven and earth when it was first created.
With their blood boiling, the nine Ancestral Witches slowly straightened their bodies. They were like Pangu, each like Pangu, yet none were Pangu.
Just like Pangu, they placed their palms on the sky and their feet on the earth, standing tall between heaven and earth, their bodies creating the world.
The phantom of the Jianmu let out a colossal roar. It was being lifted, bit by bit!
If they were to truly overturn the phantom of the Jianmu, their state of mind would undoubtedly ascend to a higher level!
Qing Ling chuckled and walked out of the ancient city.
The moment he left the ancient city, the three hidden elders in the void infiltrated Dugguang.
The phantom of the Jianmu began to tremble slowly. It was being lifted by nine gods and demons as if they were creating the world, rising higher and higher.
However, when Qing Ling stepped onto the very peak of the Jianmu phantom, it instantly fell silent.
Qing Ling laughed and said, "Suppress them for me!"
The power of the Wood Dao in the world surged madly, pouring into the Jianmu phantom. It was lush green, thriving like spring, and its weight increased severalfold.
With a roar, the nine great Ancestral Witches were stomped beneath the Jianmu by Qing Ling.
The world fell silent. All beings felt their vision blur. They never imagined that the unruly Wu clan would one day be suppressed!
Qing Ling smiled. A strand of red thread scattered from his waist, descending along the phantom of the Jianmu to the twenty-sixth heaven, tying itself to the pulse of the left palm of the nine Ancestral Witches.
Once tied, the red thread formed an inexplicable connection with them, unbreakable by any law.
The other end of the nine red threads was held in Qing Ling's hand.
Holding the nine red threads in his palm, Qing Ling looked towards Penglai, his eyes blazing with an intense light that made Dong Wang Gong feel uneasy.