Jingwei really didn't turn back into a Blue Bird anymore.

This left Wu Wang feeling quite content for several days.

But she seemed a bit embarrassed, always avoiding Wu Wang's gaze and contact. Even when Wu Wang racked his brain to encounter her directly, she would lower her head to avoid him, at most using monosyllables like "Mm" or "Ah" to greet him.

Well then, Wu Wang couldn't help but exclaim to himself.

The feeling was like going back to his own youthful days, experiencing that awkward young love. In his previous life, at this age, he had devoted his youth to math and science.

Unexpectedly, he was now starting to make up for those regrets.

There was no helping it; Jingwei was but a young girl when the incident occurred, knowing nothing and having seen nothing. Afterward, her fragmented soul had been trapped on that island ever since. If she hadn't spent these years transformed into a Blue Bird by Wu Wang's side, then for Wu Wang to now talk about having a companion would be utterly shameless!

A few days ago, when Wu Wang, Jingwei, and the Sleep God woke up from their dream, Jingwei immediately hid away.

Wu Wang and the Sleep God discussed the great affairs of heaven and earth for a while. The Sleep God initially planned to continue probing the Land Beyond the Skies, switching the target of his dream observations to someone with a higher, more elevated standing in the Outer Sky. This way, he could gather more useful information and gain a more comprehensive understanding of the situation there.

But Wu Wang decisively rejected this proposal. He didn't explain in too much detail, only mentioned that such actions would be sensed by his mother.

Upon hearing this, the Sleep God swiftly abandoned his own views and obediently followed Wu Wang back to the Bear Hug Tribe's territory, though he still felt somewhat unfulfilled.

—That sensation of opening a window through a dream to observe a whole new world was indeed quite fascinating.

Regrettably, the Ice God wasn't the kind of Innate God one could easily provoke.

It was quite interesting when one thought about it. This tiny territory of the Bear Hug Tribe now housed two Ancient Strong Gods, one minor god enfeoffed by the Heaven Palace, several cultivators of the Transcendent Realm, and a large number of Immortal Soldiers.

Luckily, Wu Wang had chosen the path of common prosperity and peaceful development in the Northern Wilderness. Otherwise, with these forces, he could easily sweep across the Northern Wilderness, conquering a vast territory. Then, using the resources of the entire Northern Wilderness, he could rapidly cultivate an elite army to participate in the great upheaval of the Human Emperor's fall and the struggle between gods and humans a thousand years later.

That seemed, perhaps, probably... a bit like the path Brother Xing Tian had taken.

Wu Wang carefully assessed the feasibility of this plan and found the probability of success to be infinitely close to one. The Star God Cult and the Sun Ritual were under his and his mother's control, and with support from the Human Domain, taking this step wouldn't face much resistance at all.

If he even so much as released a message saying, 'I'm going to attack a few of you,' all the tribes in the Northern Wilderness, except for the Big Wave Tribe, would likely spend the night sewing new flags and changing their surname to Xiong. The Big Wave Tribe was somewhat special and would probably merge directly with the Bear Hug Tribe.

Although these scenarios only existed in Wu Wang's idle speculations, the fact that he would proactively consider such matters and discuss them with General Xiong San reflected a change in his mindset.

The disparaging cries from the Human Domain during those two days and three nights still echoed in his ears.

Merely entrusting myself to the Human Domain clearly isn't the path I want to take.

Such thoughts arose in Wu Wang's mind. His Immortal Consciousness watched Jingwei, who, along with several young Bear Hug Tribe girls, was kneeling by the river weaving grass rings. A surge of motivation welled within him.

Struggle.

In this world, one must struggle!

The Heavenly Emperor of the Heaven Palace, the Outer Heavenly Candle Dragon; the various powers of the Human Domain, with human hearts in utter disarray. Whether it was the recent generations of masters or ordinary cultivators from the Human Domain, none had experienced such dark turmoil, and their unity of heart had long since dissipated.

One must have one's own power. Even if it's used to help the Human Domain through a crisis, it should at least be by one's own volition.

Not to be coerced, nor to be swept along.

Wishing to discuss it with someone, Wu Wang used his Immortal Consciousness to search for his father, Xiong Han.

Unexpectedly, his dutiful father, the leader of the Bear Hug Tribe, had already set out towards the border, following the Bear Hug Tribe's tradition of inspecting the various border areas. Chief Xiong Han didn't even have a smidgen of ambition for expansion. Not only did he lack such notions, but Xiong Han even felt some resistance to becoming the 'leader' for more living beings. Because that would mean he would have to protect more people and provide the common folk of other tribes with the same standard of treatment as the members of the Bear Hug Tribe.

How exhausting that would be.

Therefore, Wu Wang called for General Xiong San...

"General San."

"What's up? Who are we taking on? I heard the Young Master was wronged in the Human Domain? Well, that won't do! Would a 300,000-strong wolf cavalry intimidate them?" General Xiong San spoke righteously, patting his chest continuously.

Wu Wang's smile at that moment was very strained.

So, Wu Wang went to visit the High Priest, the tribe elder who had always provided him with Crystal Balls for the Star Thunder Technique.

The elder looked at Wu Wang with an extremely tender gaze, speaking gently, "Young Master, what's the matter?"

Wu Wang said, "High Priest, what do you think is the biggest difficulty currently facing our Bear Hug Tribe?"

"Alas," the High Priest sighed softly, whispering, "Nowadays, the age at which our tribespeople are marrying is getting later and later. Often, marriage only happens because of pregnancy, out of necessity, which is very bad. The Star God teaches us that the affection between men and women should be simple, pure, and close to one's own instincts. Of course, the Star God never said these things; this is just a somewhat immature conclusion I reached while praying to the Star God."

Wu Wang's smile at that time was brilliant.

Enough of that.

If the Bear Hug Tribe can develop safely and steadily, with its members not having to fear war, that's probably enough.

Jingwei had 'calmly' admitted her identity, and of course, Wu Wang wanted to take more initiative himself. It was just that Wu Wang was still cursed by the God of Fortune; if it weren't for this seal, hmph, he might already have three children by now!

But then again, perhaps not. If it weren't for the push from this curse, Wu Wang probably would never have even left the gates of the Northern Wilderness at the beginning.

I mean, who doesn't love a story like "The Absurd Adventures of Young Master Wu Wang in the Great Wilderness"?

Although Wu Wang truly wanted to focus all his energy on Jingwei, he first needed to give her some time to adjust and compose her state of mind. In Wu Wang's understanding, some emotions arrived fiercely, but the passion faded with equally astounding speed. He didn't want it to be like that.

Secondly, the many annoyances distracting him had suddenly increased in the last few days.

...

The Heavenly Emperor decreed Wu Wang, the God of Spring, as the fourth assistant of the Heaven Palace. The Human Domain issued an order from the Yan Emperor, thereby declaring war on the Heaven Palace, and a large number of cultivators had already gathered at the border of the Northern Region. Because there were simply too many cultivators, they were divided into three main routes and nine sub-routes, classified into east, west, and central main routes, with the sub-routes designated as left, middle, and right within each. Their momentum was like a fully drawn bow. The cultivator army's march north through the mighty passes was imminent!

After careful consideration, Wu Wang did not offer any comment on the affairs of the Human Domain but merely observed the war from afar. The lifespans of Senior Shen Nong and the older generation of experts from the Human Domain were counting down. According to confirmed news obtained from Xiao Jian Daoist, this northern expedition by the cultivators was these experts' final offering of light and warmth in their last moments of life. They were desperate to use their final vigor to weaken the strength of the Heaven Palace, so as to continue protecting the Human Domain and sustain the flourishing age of their revival. At such a time, for Wu Wang, a newcomer, to make presumptuous comments or point fingers would indeed be disrespectful to the older generation.

What's more, Wu Wang felt that the current uproar was merely to conceal the Human Domain's true strategic objective.

Old Senior Shen Nong's mind...

Deeper than the abyss!

When it came to scheming against people, he had endless tricks up his sleeve and was utterly ruthless even towards the younger generation!

The impending war between the Human Domain and the Heaven Palace was, in fact, quite distant from Wu Wang. The plans for his future path also required careful deliberation and refinement.

What most concerned Wu Wang these days was still the pressing matter at hand:

The dream passage between the Great Wilderness and the Land Beyond the Skies.

He had thought this to be a significant secret, yet his mother had spoken of it quite easily—the connection between the Great Wilderness and the Outer Sky was due to the Dao of Ice.

Exactly how this was achieved, even the Sleep God couldn't explain. It was probably because his mother, Cang Xue, was an Innate God, a spirit and incarnation of the Great Dao; she represented the will of ice in the world. His mother, Cang Xue, had abandoned her original body and descended to this world with her Divine Soul. This meant an identical Dao of the Ice God existed both inside and outside this world, and the Dao of Ice then served as a 'pathway.'

This was all Wu Wang could roughly surmise.

The Great Dao was formless, and there were too many profound mysteries here; even an Ancient God like Yun Meng could not fathom it all.

After much thought, Wu Wang remained conflicted for several days but still sought out the Sleep God. The Sleep God had previously said he would continue to explore the Outer Sky, but he was scared off when Wu Wang told him, 'Mother can sense it.' Today, however, Wu Wang wanted to continue observing the Outer Sky and didn't wish to keep this matter from his own mother.

"Bro, I think we should... just be honest with my mom about this," he said.

The Sleep God leaped from the animal skin bed with a start, his eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets, shining with a strange light.

"Have you got a death wish?! Can we even tell your mother about this?

"To touch another's Great Dao with one's own is akin to probing their very foundation; it's a serious taboo among Innate Gods.

"Had I known earlier that the gateway to the Outer Sky was your mother's Dao of Ice, no matter how curious I was, I would never have peeked to see what the Outer Sky was like!"

"I want to understand more about the Outer Sky."

Wu Wang gazed at the Sleep God and said earnestly, "There's a saying: 'Listen to one side, and you'll be in the dark; listen to both, and you'll see the light.' I can only draw my own conclusions about the future development of the world's situation by experiencing, understanding, and investigating it myself.

"Now I have my mother's Dao, and your Divine Skills as the Sleep God, which allow me to glimpse the Land Beyond the Skies.

"I want to take this rare opportunity in the Northern Wilderness, while the attention of the Heaven Palace and Emperor Shun has been drawn away by the Human Domain, to take a good look at the Outer Sky."

The Sleep God furrowed his brows and quietly watched Wu Wang.

He said, "Haven't we already seen it? The Outer Sky is just so-so, not much different from before ancient times, and not particularly interesting."

Wu Wang looked speechlessly at this elder brother before him, who was so good at disguising himself.

Wasn't it you, Bro, who was brimming with excitement, saying you'd take him and Jingwei for a tour of the Outer Sky in the Dream Realm?

He just didn't understand it.

Why do so many Strong Gods in this world harbor an inexplicable fear of their own mothers, as if his mother had done something earth-shattering in ancient times!

Hmm—

Mother probably didn't... right?

"Bro, this is what I'm thinking."

Wu Wang looked at the Sleep God and said slowly, "The current world situation is generally divided into three parts.

"The Heaven Palace is the strongest, the Outer Sky is next, and the Human Domain's overall strength is the weakest. Beyond these three powers, there are variables like the Queen Mother of the West.

"I've heard from Senior Shen Nong that the Queen Mother of the West's Divine Punishment Dao is exceptionally special. This destines her to belong to the Heavenly Palace System, yet she remains aloof from the Heaven Palace's center of power.

"Emperor Shun and Xihe turn a blind eye to her. She helped Senior Shen Nong extend his lifespan, and the Heaven Palace didn't pursue the matter.

"In other words, a power like the Queen Mother of the West can actually influence the world's situation."

The Sleep God blinked, his eyes shining brightly, and he smiled, "And then?"

"I also want to create an outside power that can rival the Queen Mother of the West's."

Wu Wang narrowed his eyes slightly and said softly, "Bro, I've heard you mention that the flow of time in the Dream Realm can be accelerated or slowed, right?"

"Correct."

The Sleep God nodded slowly. "And then?"

"I possess a Dao that can set the stars and moon, that can alter the order of heaven and earth."

Wu Wang's eyes shone with an imposing Divine Light as he continued softly, "Once I master this Dao, I too will be able to influence the world's situation.

"But before that, I need sufficiently stable Dao protectors. Senior Shen Nong and you, Bro, are the main powerhouses I can rely on. And then, there's my mother.

"Senior Shen Nong is the Human Emperor and must always consider things from the Human Domain's standpoint. In some matters, his goals cannot align with ours or Mother's.

"Mother has already expressed her indifference towards the Candle Dragon Divine Faction and has said similar things to me before.

"Bro, you are the key Divine Spirit I must win over."

The Sleep God silently clutched his collar and muttered, "Even between sworn brothers, there must be propriety! Working together is fine, but improper thoughts are not!"

Clearing his throat, the Sleep God looked at Wu Wang and said slowly, "Actually, Little Bro, you don't need to say all this. If I didn't genuinely like you as a person, I would've slipped away long ago.

"There are two things about you that both Emperor Shun and I value highly.

"The first is your innate spiritual nature, and the second is those wonderfully strange ideas that constantly pop out of you.

"You mustn't underestimate these thoughts. This world continues to develop precisely because such thoughts are born. It's like when Nuwa first conceived of creating the human race; it began with the thought of creating a race that could align with the Great Dao.

"And so, your human race came to be, leading to the current world situation."

Wu Wang couldn't help but ask, "Bro, since you were born in the Second God Era, did you ever see the Holy Mother Nuwa?"

"Ah, her..."

The Sleep God sighed gently. "Her realm is far beyond what we can aspire to. Even now, we cannot fathom where she ultimately went.

"You'll come to understand a thing or two about these matters once you step into a higher realm.

"Nuwa didn't disappear overnight. She wandered the world for a long time, seemingly quite perplexed, before finally bidding farewell to the other gods and vanishing into the void.

"Her departure directly reshaped the Third God Era, and the world was thrown into turmoil because of it."

Wu Wang pondered these words for a moment and then steered the conversation back on track.

He said, "Continuing what I was saying, the only powerhouses I can truly rely on are the three of you. From my perspective, I want to be completely open and sincere with all three of you, not hiding anything unless absolutely necessary.

"If I can't even achieve this, then the vision I just spoke of will also be very difficult to realize.

"Besides, Mother actually already knows that you and I have been observing the Outer Sky through the Dao of Ice.

"If we confess proactively, it might also ease any lingering displeasure she might feel."

"Well..."

The Sleep God smiled and said, "Then you go and tell her. I'll wait for the news, Bro."

"You're not thinking of running away again, are you?"

"How could I?" The Sleep God raised an eyebrow at Wu Wang. "Bro, I just prefer to bide my time and keep a low profile."

Wu Wang snorted with amusement a few times.

...

Before proactively going to see his mother, Wu Wang prepared for a long time.

He was ready to face the worst-case scenario: that the Candle Dragon Divine Faction could return at any time and was currently just accumulating strength, waiting for the Heaven Palace and the Human Domain to cripple each other.

Wu Wang didn't believe his mother would deceive him about anything, as there was simply no need for her to do so. However, Wu Wang was completely convinced that his mother might deliberately conceal some things out of a desire to protect him.

He chose a deep night, when myriad stars filled the sky like a sea, and the lands of the Bear Hug Tribe were exceptionally quiet. Then, alone, he spread the Light Wings condensed by the Praying Star Technique, his figure streaking through the sky as he headed towards the Big Snow Mountain.

He never thought he'd start caring about the great affairs of the world. His initial dream had been simple: to slack off, muddle through his days, marry a few wives, and be a good leader loved by his tribe, one who didn't even need to patrol the borders.

Things were different now; his perspective had broadened.

Silently, he flew near the Big Snow Mountain, entered the perennial blizzard, and saw the small wooden hut standing quietly amidst the wind and snow. A faint starlight twinkled within the hut, and a glow like candlelight peeked through the cracks.

Mother surely knew he had arrived.

Indeed, as soon as Wu Wang landed, the small door of the wooden hut opened by itself. Cang Xue stood in the doorway, offering Wu Wang a faint smile.

"What brings you here so late?"

"Mother."

Wu Wang replied softly, slipping into the wooden hut and brushing off non-existent snowflakes from his clothes.

Cang Xue blinked gently at Wu Wang. With a light tap of her finger, the surroundings were instantly engulfed in starlight. When Wu Wang came to his senses, he was already standing in the Starry Sky Temple.

Wu Wang vaguely sensed that his other 'body' was 'not far' above his head. And here, his control over the Star God's Dao had also risen to another level.

In the temple, lights flashed continuously, materializing two facing thrones and a small jade table out of thin air. Two teacups were already placed on the table.

Cang Xue said gently, "Why do you seem a little tired?"

"I've been thinking about some things these past few days and haven't been able to calm my mind," Wu Wang said with a smile.

Cang Xue raised her hand, tracing the outline of Wu Wang's face without actually daring to touch him. She said, "Your father and I are both here. You don't need to bear so much; you just worry needlessly all day."

Wu Wang replied sullenly, "I also want to be a carefree second-generation god..."

"A second-generation god? That's quite an interesting term."

"Mother, I went with the Sleep God to see the Outer Sky," Wu Wang suddenly got straight to the point. "I came to ask you, Mother, what exactly is your stance on the Outer Sky..."

Cang Xue abruptly made a hushing gesture.

Her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed slightly. With a wave of her fair hand, Wu Wang turned semi-transparent and was instantly moved from his throne to a corner of the hall.

Someone is coming. Don't make a sound, his mother softly cautioned him.

Wu Wang then saw his own mother grip her Staff. Sitting quietly on her throne, she lifted the jade cup before her, took a sip of the tea within, and said coldly, "Since you've come, why hide?"

A gentle laugh echoed from the side. A beam of pure white light shone into the Treasure Hall, and a soft voice accompanied it.

"Sister Ice God, it has been many years. In the blink of an eye, you've gained control over the Star God's Dao, effectively becoming half a Star God yourself.

"You are the Star God, and I am the Moon God. Stars and the moon are meant to be companions, so naturally, we should become well acquainted."

The Moon... God?

Wu Wang looked toward the beam of light and saw a figure in white descending from within. Even with his vast experience in judging people, he found it hard to look away.

CHIRP! CHIRP!

That familiar sound echoed in his heart, and Wu Wang immediately snapped back to his senses.

A moment of weakness, a lapse on my part.

She's just the Heavenly Emperor's second wife. What's there to be captivated by?

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