96: Chapter 96 Tribal Rise and the Beginning of Humanity

At the same time, in the Central Great Wilderness.

At the foot of Mount Buzhou, on a vast plain, Xing Tian and the other eleven Great Witches stood in formation according to the positions of the stars. Each held a precious banner firmly in their hands, their expressions solemn, as an aura that could change the very color of the sky and earth radiated from them.

"Form the array!"

Xing Tian gave a sharp shout, and the twelve Great Witches responded in unison. The power of laws within their bodies surged out, pouring entirely into the banners in their hands.

In an instant, twelve divine lights of various laws shot up from the banners into the sky, converging in the void to condense into a dazzling golden sphere of light.

As the divine lights of the laws were continuously poured into it, the sphere of light expanded rapidly. The surrounding space, unable to bear the weight, began to crack inch by inch, teetering on the edge of collapse.

"Now is the time!"

The twelve individuals leaped into that purple light sphere, which instantly erupted with a blinding glare that illuminated the entire sky.

Roar—

A roar originating from the ancient primordial wilderness echoed through heaven and earth. The golden sphere of light had vanished, replaced by a golden giant shadow hundreds of millions of feet tall. Its body seemed forged at the dawn of creation, emitting an aura of eternal vastness. Wherever it stood, large swathes of the void collapsed, as if even heaven and earth could not sustain its existence.

Right then, a figure silently appeared in the center of the plain.

Roar!

The golden giant seemed disturbed, its consciousness suddenly spiraling out of control as it threw a violent punch at the newcomer.

The newcomer was none other than Jiang Chen.

Facing this world-destroying blow, Jiang Chen's expression remained unchanged as he casually threw a punch to meet it.

Rumble—

As if two universes had collided head-on, the void within tens of thousands of light-years completely disintegrated. Mountains and rivers instantly turned into nothingness, and even light was swallowed whole.

In an instant, all things returned to silence, and everything fell into absolute darkness; no existence remained to speak of.

"Time Reversal!"

A cold voice rang out from the darkness.

A moment later, the shattered earth and rivers were restored at an incredible speed, and the collapsed void also slowly mended, returning to its original state.

Before long, light reappeared, and heaven and earth returned to peace. The plain remained unscathed, not a single blade of grass was broken, as if everything that had just happened had never occurred.

The golden giant was long gone. Xing Tian and the other twelve were still standing where they were, banners clutched in their hands, their expressions dazed and full of confusion.

"We... didn't we already succeed in forming the array? Why..." Chi You murmured softly, his tone filled with bewilderment.

At this moment, Jiang Chen descended from the sky and landed steadily right in front of the twelve.

Seeing this, the expressions of Xing Tian and the others changed drastically, and they immediately knelt on one knee, bowing their heads in worship.

"Greetings, Clan Leader!"

Xing Tian seemed to realize something; his pupils shrank suddenly, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his voice trembled: "Clan... Clan Leader, could it be that just now... it was you... who reversed everything?"

"What?!"

Hearing this, Hou Yi, Chi You, and the others were instantly struck with horror, and an irrepressible fear appeared on their faces.

"We actually dared to attack the Clan Leader. This is truly an unpardonable crime. Please punish us, Clan Leader!" Xing Tian prostrated himself, his voice heavy.

"Please punish us, Clan Leader!" The other eleven also requested punishment in unison.

Jiang Chen spoke indifferently: "Enough, I have no intention of punishing you. What truly disappoints me is that even after completing the array, you couldn't even suppress the will of pangu within you. This shows your Dao Hearts are still weak!"

He raised his hand and pointed at the towering Mount Buzhou in the distance. "From this day forward, you shall undergo trials in Mount Buzhou for one Kalpa. If you lack the corresponding state of mind, what use is even the highest cultivation? You would be nothing but empty shells!"

Upon hearing this, the faces of Xing Tian and the twelve others turned deathly pale, their eyes filled with despair.

Trapped in Mount Buzhou for one Kalpa? This was almost equivalent to a death sentence!

How could they not know the terror of Mount Buzhou? They had entered several times before and nearly perished each time, returning on the brink of death with heavy injuries.

Years earlier, Zhu Rong had let it slip while drunk that Jiang Chen had once thrown the Twelve Ancestral Witches into Mount Buzhou for an entire Kalpa, and they had nearly been buried there.

This matter spread around, and within a few years, everyone in the Pangu Clan knew of it. From then on, Mount Buzhou became a forbidden land in everyone's hearts. Even the Ancestral Witches had nearly died there; if they, whose strength was far inferior, went in, wouldn't it be a one-way trip?

However, it could not be denied that although Mount Buzhou was filled with danger at every turn, it was an excellent place to temper one's Dao Heart.

Not long ago, the Twelve Ancestral Witches and the Sanqing had entered Mount Buzhou together, intending to use the endless Dao Heart illusions within the mountain to temper their own wills.

"Still dazed? Did you not hear my command?" Jiang Chen shouted coldly, his tone like frost covering the ground.

Xing Tian and the twelve others looked at each other, bitter and helpless smiles appearing on their faces. Clearly, they could not escape this calamity.

"We obey your decree!"

With those words, the twelve rose, gritted their teeth, and flew into the depths of Mount Buzhou.

Watching their figures disappear into the mountain mist, Jiang Chen's figure flashed and vanished from the spot.

In the next instant, he was standing at the Human Race Ancestral Land—atop the Holy Mountain of Zhongxin.

In the heart of the Holy Mountain, two statues stood majestically, one male and one female, over a million feet tall, piercing the clouds with an earth-shaking presence.

They were the statues of the Human Race's Holy Father, Jiang Chen, and Holy Mother, Nuwa.

Due to years of devout offerings from the Human Race, the two statues had actually developed a vast pressure. Even if a Great Golden Immortal arrived here, they would have to bend their knees in worship.

Behind the statues, a magnificent palace stood quietly, with two ancient runes engraved above the palace gates.

"Human writing?" Jiang Chen's eyes shifted slightly, showing surprise. Those two characters were indeed human speech, meaning "Holy Temple."

"Let me take a look at the path the Human Race has walked over these years."

He lightly flicked a strand of divine sense into the statue of the Holy Father that belonged to him and began to trace everything the Human Race had experienced since its birth.

A moment later, Jiang Chen withdrew his divine sense, his expression looking somewhat peculiar. Everything he had just seen was now clear in his mind.

What surprised him most was that the Five Ancestors of the Human Race had successively created five great Treasures of Destiny: the Holy Fire, the Holy Temple, the Holy Clothing, the Holy Sword, and the Holy Pen.

"The Five Ancestors creating the world... quite interesting. It seems that because of my arrival, the history of the Human Race has been completely rewritten!"

Jiang Chen did not stay long on the Holy Mountain, nor did he enter the Holy Temple to meet the Five Ancestors. Instead, he quietly stepped into the human tribes scattered throughout the ancestral land.

Under the azure sky, he stood atop the clouds, looking down at the vast land below.

Coming into view were one human settlement after another. Some were built against the mountains, others were situated by the water. Wooden houses and stone huts were arranged in an orderly fashion, stretching endlessly beyond the horizon.

A rough count showed exactly three thousand tribes.

Every place was full of vitality. Children chased and played in the woods, their laughter piercing through the clouds and mist, echoing in the air for a long time.

Women sat together, weaving cloth and sewing clothes while chatting and laughing. Men returned from hunting, carrying the carcasses of spirit beasts on their shoulders; though they bore scars, their faces were full of joy, and they occasionally let out boisterous laughter.

Seeing this scene, Jiang Chen nodded slightly.

Having gone through the enlightenment of the Five Ancestors of the Human Race, human civilization had already set out on the right track, gradually moving from the ignorant and chaotic primordial era into a tribal civilization.

And the hallmarks of the so-called tribal civilization were: the Human Race had mastered the art of using fire, bidding farewell to eating raw meat and drinking blood; they had learned to make clothes and build houses to establish their lives; and more importantly—the birth of writing.

The emergence of writing meant the Human Race could record the past and pass down wisdom. Inheritance is the foundation of civilization.

The past wilderness was just a primitive period, not yet worthy of being called a civilization; only today's tribal form truly announced the Human Race's entry into the era of civilization!