Chapter 17: The Alliance

After breaking through to the Primordial Golden Immortal stage with his sixth level of profound cultivation, Bai Jing’s greatest realization was that his journey had become much swifter. It took him only a century to travel from Yingzhou Immortal Island to the foot of Buzhou Mountain.

The situation among the Wu Clan was far more harmonious than Bai Jing had imagined. The clan’s members, whose bodies rivaled those of Golden Immortals, sat by the cornfields boasting about their previous hunting exploits with bravado. The younger generation, freshly born from the Blood Pool, looked up to these elders with admiration.

More Wu Clan members moved about in small groups, either harvesting corn or carrying various bloodmeats back to the tribe.

This peaceful scene clearly indicated that no warfare had erupted recently, which reassured Bai Jing.

“Friend, you don’t seem to be one of us Wu Clan,” said a man in his twenties who had noticed Bai Jing and approached him.

Bai Jing appraised the man. His face was stern, his upper body bare, a divine bow strapped to his back. His muscles bulged powerfully, veins coiling like dragons across his torso, exuding explosive strength. Judging by his appearance, Bai Jing guessed this man was none other than Dayi, the Great Shaman of the Wu Clan.

As Bai Jing examined Dayi, the latter stared intently at him as well.

But no matter how hard Dayi tried, he could not detect a trace of aura from Bai Jing. He seemed like a bottomless abyss that could swallow everything.

Alarm bells rang loudly in Dayi’s mind; this man’s power was definitely above his own. Instinctively, Dayi’s hand moved slowly toward the divine bow on his back.

Seeing this, Bai Jing hastily introduced himself: “I am Bai Jing of humble origin, with no hostile intent. I come seeking the Twelve Ancestral Wu.”

Dayi clearly knew Bai Jing. Upon hearing his name, his attitude shifted abruptly. “So it is Senior Bai Jing. The Ancestral Wu are currently in seclusion. Please wait a moment while I report your arrival.”

With that, Dayi hurried off in the direction of the Pangu Hall.

Moments later, a soil-colored flash of light appeared, and Houtu stood before Bai Jing.

Just as Bai Jing was about to exchange pleasantries, Houtu’s surprised voice reached his ears: “Bai Jing, fellow Daoist, you’ve reached the sixth stage of profound cultivation?”

“Fellow Daoist Houtu’s insight is as sharp as a beacon,” Bai Jing replied with a nod.

Houtu was momentarily at a loss for words.

Since their transformation, the Twelve Ancestral Wu had endured tens of thousands of years of arduous cultivation, only reaching the sixth profound stage and breaking through to the Primordial Golden Immortal level a little over twenty thousand years ago.

Yet Bai Jing had only recently transformed—and was already at the sixth stage.

Moreover, Houtu sensed that Bai Jing’s body, like theirs, was integrated with cosmic laws.

They had followed the same path, yet Bai Jing’s speed of breakthrough was astonishing. It was hard to tell who was truly the Ancestral Wu.

After a long pause, Houtu sighed, “Bai Jing, fellow Daoist, you truly are astonishing.”

Bai Jing smiled. His rapid progress was due to a combination of devouring and purification. The Devouring Dao consumed without restraint, while the White Lotus’s power purified all, removing harmful elements ingested into the body. Together, their effects were greater than the sum of their parts.

“Bai Jing, fellow Daoist, have you come to our Wu Clan to journey with me to the Purple Cloud Palace?” Houtu asked.

Bai Jing nodded. “Indeed. Calculating the time, it’s now less than three thousand years until the third lecture at the Purple Cloud Palace. It’s about time to set out. But before leaving, I wish to discuss some matters with the Ancestral Wu.”

“If there are matters to discuss, then come with me, Bai Jing,” Houtu said.

Bai Jing followed Houtu back to the Pangu Hall.

The other Ancestral Wu were shocked upon seeing Bai Jing.

“How did you manage this? How did you reach the sixth stage in such a short time?” the straightforward Zhurong asked bluntly.

“Zhurong, be quiet! Don’t you know it’s taboo to pry into others’ divine techniques?” Di Jiang rebuked sharply, then clasped his hands toward Bai Jing. “Brother Bai Jing, please forgive him.”

Di Jiang’s attitude showed that Bai Jing was being treated as a peer.

Bai Jing waved his hand. “It’s a trivial matter, not worth mentioning.”

With the matter passed over, Di Jiang changed the subject, “Brother Bai Jing, you said you have something to discuss?”

“Not hiding anything, I have come to propose an alliance with the Wu Clan.”

The words “alliance” caused the Ancestral Wu to exchange glances, clearly unprepared for this purpose.

In truth, Bai Jing’s decision to ally with the Wu Clan was carefully considered.

Firstly, to seize the Five Directions Flags on the Fenbao Cliff, he needed allies. Alone, he could not contend with the two formidable figures in the West.

Secondly, Bai Jing was indebted to the Great God Pangu through a profound karmic bond—a bond now resting on the Wu Clan’s shoulders. With this karmic connection, he could not stand idly by as the Wu Clan faced extinction; he was compelled to find a way to save them. It made sense to form an alliance early.

“What do you mean by alliance, Bai Jing? How shall we join forces?” Houtu broke the silence.

Bai Jing did not answer directly but asked in return: “You are all born from Pangu’s essence, bearing his legacy. You should know that at the dawn of the primordial age, three paths emerged—Heaven, Earth, and Humanity—jointly governing the prehistoric world. Yet now, only the Heavenly Path remains dominant. Do you not find this strange?”

His words sparked a delayed awakening among the Twelve Ancestral Wu.

The so-called Three Paths of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity were established when Pangu created the world. Clear Qi became Heaven, turbid Qi became Earth. If Heaven’s Path exists, Earth’s Path must as well. The Path of Humanity refers not only to later humans but to all living beings of the primal age—the collective power of all life.

Did the Heavenly Path deliberately suppress the emergence of Earth and Humanity’s Paths? Bai Jing did not know. But he understood that the Wu Clan’s only way forward was through the Earth Path—that was why he raised this now.

“Bai Jing, do you suspect the Heavenly Path of bias, intentionally suppressing Earth and Humanity’s Paths?” Houtu pressed.

Bai Jing shook his head. “I do not know if the Heavenly Path deliberately suppresses Earth and Humanity. But I do know that you seek to follow Pangu’s way, proving the Dao through strength. Such an act is not tolerated by the Heavenly Path.”

“Why is that?” Di Jiang asked.

“Because the Primordial Great Dao Golden Immortal you prove by strength transcends the Heavenly Path’s control. The Heavenly Path will banish such beings from the prehistoric world.

“Before Hongjun attained sainthood, someone else reached the Primordial Great Dao Golden Immortal first. His name was Yang Mei. He was a spatial demon god’s true spirit bound to the Hollow Willow, one of the ten innate spiritual roots. His cultivation surpassed Hongjun’s, reaching enlightenment first. Yet he was driven out by the Heavenly Path.

“If you try to prove the Dao by strength, you may suffer the same fate: either failing to attain the Dao or, if you do, being banished from the prehistoric world. To change this outcome, your only hope lies in joining forces with the Earth and Humanity Paths—equal in rank to the Heavenly Path.”

Bai Jing spoke half in earnest, half as speculation.