[Pretentiousness mission completed. Rewards distributed.]
Amidst the chaos of the ongoing battle, Xihe felt quite pleased as she obtained the Time Law Fragment.
Her next plan was to seize an opportunity to refine the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Pill and claim the reward—the Chaos Cauldron…
In the distance, the Golden Crow Divine Fire approached swiftly. Bai Ze breathed a sigh of relief—it seemed His Majesty was indeed faster.
But when he turned back, Xihe was already deep within a space tunnel, with Houtu and Xuan Ming each holding one of her arms.
Xuan Ming, while ordering the retreat, gloated, “Just kidding! Our eldest brother is the Space Ancestral Witch. Trying to outpace us is just asking for humiliation!”
Xihe’s final glimpse was of Dijun and Taiyi’s handsome faces, flushed with anger and embarrassment. Tsk, tsk, tsk—if you’re going to be a coveted treasure, you’d better act like one. Never reveal your stance, or else, under the Tribulation of Measurement, either side could crush you in an instant.
At Mount Buzhou, in the Great Hall of the Witch Clan, Xihe stood calmly in the center. Around her, the twelve Ancestral Witches leaned or stood, scrutinizing this “rabbit” from head to toe.
In terms of cultivation, even the weakest among the Ancestral Witches was on par with her, so she truly stood no chance here.
After a long silence, Dijiang—with two sharp horns on his head and a height equivalent to seven or eight Xihes stacked together—stroked his chin and spoke.
“This Ancestral Witch always felt your aura was somewhat familiar. Now I remember—during the Dao Ancestor’s second sermon, a few insignificant pests barged into the space tunnel and destroyed the illusory body Laozi had imprinted there. You were one of them!”
Xihe remained unperturbed. “Ancestral Witch Dijiang, you jest. If I hadn’t been pursued by Jieyin, Zhunti, and Kunpeng, I would never have entered the space tunnel. The Ancestral Witch’s imprint was not destroyed by me, but I was nearly sliced into mincemeat by space blades. I fell into the East Sea and lay there for three thousand years before I could move again.”
“Pfft!”
One of the Ancestral Witches couldn’t hold back a laugh, and Dijiang immediately shot a glare in their direction.
With the eldest failing to pin down the little rabbit, the second eldest Ancestral Witch, Zhu Jiuyin, spoke up. “I heard that when the Celestial Court was first established, Fellow Daoist presented Ancestral Wu Essence Blood as a congratulatory gift. Was it to help those scum find our clan’s weakness and wipe us out?”
With such a serious accusation, the expressions of the twelve Ancestral Witches darkened, and a faint yet palpable pressure began to emanate from them.
Xihe still showed no fear. “I had no choice in that matter. I wonder if Ancestral Witch Houtu has told you all about the Fusang Branch I once gifted her. Fusang is the birthplace of the Golden Crow Brothers and the source of their essence.”
“Back then… I had some conflicts with the Golden Crow Brothers. In a moment of impulsiveness, I committed such a foolish act. Later, when the Celestial Court was first established, the Demon Master Kunpeng incited the Heavenly Emperor, claiming I held contempt for the Celestial Court.”
“All I wanted was to cultivate in peace, so I had to find a way to settle this karmic tie. The Ancestral Wu Essence Blood was indeed something I obtained by chance. Presenting it to the Celestial Court did harm the Witch Clan’s interests. I still have two drops in my possession. May I offer them to the Witch Clan to resolve this karmic tie?”
“What! You still have Ancestral Wu Essence Blood?!”
“We were all born from Father God’s blood pool. Where did you obtain this essence blood?”
A barrage of questions followed, but Xihe showed no irritation. First, she presented the two drops of essence blood to Dijiang, then slowly explained. She had anticipated this interrogation and was well-prepared.
“After Father God Pangu created the heavens, his blood transformed into rushing rivers. I possess the Pure World White Lotus, which can purify the world’s impurities, and the Great Dao Double Pupils, which allow me to perceive all things. Purifying essence blood from the rivers is not impossible, but it was merely a coincidence. Even if I were to attempt it again now, it would be impossible.”
The twelve Ancestral Witches stared at Xihe with varied expressions. This explanation indeed made sense, but purifying essence blood from rivers—this was like finding a needle in a haystack without using magic. What kind of dogshit luck was this?
After another moment of silence, Dijiang accepted the essence blood.
“With this essence blood, our Witch Clan may gain two more Ancestral Witches in millions of years. Fellow Daoist Xihe has done a great favor for the Witch Clan and shall be our honored guest. The reason we invited Fellow Daoist Xihe to the Witch Clan is that we have a request to make.”
Xihe’s lips twitched. Others might offer courtesy before force, but the Witch Clan had it completely backward—truly worthy of being Primordial World barbarians.
She promptly went along with it: “Ancestral Witch Dijiang is too polite. If there is something, please speak directly. Xihe will do her best.”
“Good! Fellow Daoist Xihe is straightforward, and our Witch Clan will not beat around the bush either. In the current Great War of Witch and Demon, our clan has suffered heavy casualties. We heard that Fellow Daoist Xihe can use the dissipating vitality and mana from corpses to refine pills that remove Malignant Qi. If our Witch Clan warriors could take such pills, casualties could be reduced. Would Fellow Daoist be willing to help the Witch Clan?”
Xihe frowned slightly and remained silent.
Houtu immediately spoke up: “Fellow Daoist, do not misunderstand. We wish to purchase the pills from Fellow Daoist Xihe, not take them for free!”
Xihe shook her head: “It is not that I am unwilling to help. Consider this, esteemed Ancestral Witches: if Xihe agrees to refine medicine for the Witch Clan today, how will she survive in the Primordial World in the future?”
“The Celestial Court is the master of all spirits. The fact that Xihe has not been forced to join the Celestial Court is only because the Golden Crow Brothers gave face due to the shared origin of the Sun and Taiyin. If I were to help the Witch Clan, the Celestial Court would shatter the Taiyin Star that very day.”
“Even if the Witch Clan were willing to protect Xihe, my sister and disciples are on Taiyin. If anything were to happen to them, I would rather die.”
The Witch Clan were straightforward folk. Upon hearing Xihe say she would rather die, they did not take offense but instead found her much more agreeable.
Dijiang said playfully: “If you do not help the Witch Clan, you will be taken away by the Celestial Court as soon as you leave here. Letting you go would be like releasing a tiger back to the mountains. It might be better to just kill you and be done with it.”
Xihe sighed: “I only wish to purify the Primordial World and have no desire to get involved in the Great War of Witch and Demon. My death would be simple, but the Witch Clan would miss the opportunity to give a second life to countless clansmen. I have a plan. Would the esteemed Ancestral Witches care to hear it?”
Just as Dijiang was about to speak, the outside world shook.
“Dijiang, release Xihe! If you dare harm a single hair on Xihe’s head, the Celestial Court will fight you to the death!” Dijun’s voice rang out.
Xihe’s face darkened. These words seemed to save her but were actually harming her.
The Wu and Demon Clans were already locked in a death feud, but this made it seem as if Dijun was enraged for the sake of a beauty.
Those who did not know the truth would naturally assume she belonged to the Heavenly Emperor.
Zhurong, the rough and impulsive one, was always quick to ignite. At this moment, flames erupted from his entire body, but before he could curse, someone spoke faster than him.
“Not to mention a hair—since I came as a guest to the Witch Clan, not even a single strand of fetal hair has fallen! The Witch and Demon Clans are already locked in a death feud. Why is the Heavenly Emperor framing me? Such immense Karmic Power—how could I bear it? What does the Heavenly Emperor mean by this?”
Thirteen beams of Spiritual Light appeared in mid-air, confronting the Demon Clan Army.
At this moment, the entire Primordial World focused its attention here, speculating whether the Final Battle of Witch and Demon was about to begin.
Seeing Xihe standing alongside the twelve Ancestral Witches, Kunpeng immediately seized the opportunity and shouted loudly: “Taiyin Xihe, do you intend to stand with the Witch Clan and oppose our Celestial Court? You…”
“To hell with you, you old bastard! You’re not the foul air I expel, so how would you know what I’m thinking? Your skills are mediocre, your brain’s no good either, all you do is babble in the Heavenly Emperor’s ear all day!”
“You’re the Celestial Court’s Demon Master, not some Demon consort in the Heavenly Emperor’s harem—what’s with all the whispering? The slightest stir from me, and you’re more excited than anyone. Do you have a secret crush on me, trying to get my attention? You ugly, ancient bird-fish hybrid, you think you’re worthy?”