Light Ancestral Witch

After the origins of Xuanming and Houtu's Principles formed Principle imprints in Xiang Dong's Primordial Spirit, the two imprints joined with the other ten to form a perfect circle.

At its very core was always the Light Principle, the unshakable central point. The Creation Principle was much more freewheeling by comparison, able to wander around.

But that was no reason to underestimate the Creation Principle, for it was the bridge that connected them, something akin to glue.

Hum—

At that moment, all the Principles entered a wondrous resonance, blending with one another and evolving together, transforming toward a higher, more unified level.

As this transformation took place, all the light shining from Xiang Dong, who was by the spirit fields, withdrew. Even the sun mark between his brows grew dim, and he seemed to enter a state of utter stillness.

"Don't touch him!"

Yangmei stopped Fuxi, who had wanted to go over and check on him.

"Senior, Xiang Dong..."

Yangmei waved a hand, telling Nuwa to be patient.

"His Primordial Spirit is no longer in this body. I don't know what exactly he has gained sudden enlightenment on, either. The only thing I can say for certain is that this is both a great fortuitous opportunity and a great tribulation for him. Whether he succeeds or fails depends entirely on his own fortune. All we can do is wait."

Wait for him to wake up on his own.

There was no telling how long that wait would be. Fortunately, time was of little value in the Primordial World, so it wasn't as if they couldn't afford to wait.

Not long ago, it had felt as though the top of his skull had been lifted off and his Primordial Spirit had flown out. Now, Xiang Dong felt himself falling and falling, as if he were on a roller coaster.

First, he passed through endless darkness and arrived in a void of Chaos. Finally, he fell into a peculiar space, one that was difficult to describe in words.

Strangest of all, another version of himself stood beside him.

Their facial features were identical, but his whole body glowed, and a golden pattern marked the space between his brows. Behind him was a Wheel of Principle, with the Light Principle at its center, the Creation Principle as its axis, and the Dao resonance of the Principles given by the Twelve Ancestral Witches encircling it.

This was Xiang Dong's alt, the thirteenth Ancestral Witch, the Light Ancestral Witch, Taichu.

The two Primordial Spirits met face to face in this special space.

Taichu seemed to have no intention of catching up with Xiang Dong. Instead, he raised a hand and summoned a figure that towered between heaven and earth. Although Xiang Dong couldn't see the figure in its entirety, that familiar pressure made it hard not to recognize him.

Who else could it be but Pangu?!

This was information left by Pangu's remnant soul in Taichu's Primordial Spirit.

Pangu's remnant soul spoke. It was the first time Xiang Dong had heard Pangu's voice.

"My offspring reach up to the heavens and down to the earth. They are called Witches!"

"Call me Father God, and I shall give you the blood from my heart and Jade Marrow, making you the thirteenth Ancestral Witch and bestowing upon you the name Taichu."

When he finished speaking, Pangu turned his gaze to Xiang Dong's original Primordial Spirit.

That gaze no longer held the majesty he had shown his offspring. Instead, it held a hint of complexity and expectation.

"There has always been a light in your heart. It has never been extinguished, nor has it ever vanished."

Those words struck Xiang Dong like a bolt of lightning, leaving him rooted to the spot.

Xiang Dong stood stunned for several seconds. He understood what the light Pangu's remnant soul had spoken of meant.

The innocence and fervor of a boy, the hope and protectiveness of a young man, the perseverance and steadfastness of middle age, and the sacrifice and devotion of old age.

These qualities and spirits were all light within the human heart.

They were what made people beautiful.

"The light in your heart is hope, the future, and protection."

Once upon a time, Xiang Dong, too, had been innocent and hot-blooded, with a chuunibyou spirit that wanted to protect his dreams.

But all of that had been worn away during his long solitude. The light in his heart had gone out with it, leaving only deathly silence, and so he had set his heart on dying.

Even so, before his death, Xiang Dong had still wanted to make use of whatever warmth he had left and give the Primordial World a different future.

"Father God... I... I... I..."

Xiang Dong's voice was thick with tears and trembled constantly. He couldn't get a complete sentence out.

Fuxi's music had brought him to tears before, stirring a resonance in his emotions. But now, with just one sentence, Pangu's remnant soul had struck the softest, most vulnerable place deep in Xiang Dong's heart, leaving him like a child who had found his home, able to pour out all his grievances before his father.

"So, the Twelve Ancestral Witches, your brothers and sisters..." Pangu's remnant soul paused. "And the Three Pure Ones, and this Primordial World—I leave them to you."

"Use the light in your heart to bring hope, light, and a future to the Primordial World."

With that, Pangu's remnant soul vanished completely. Xiang Dong could not calm himself for a long time. Something in his chest seemed to have been rekindled, giving off a faint light once more.

But what did he mean, leaving the Twelve Ancestral Witches, the Three Pure Ones, and the whole Primordial World to him?

I didn't do all that just to take over this mess!!!

But Xiang Dong didn't say it aloud. Was it because Pangu's remnant soul had already vanished and there was no point shouting it? Or was it because the light in his heart had been lit, his heart had begun beating again, and his blood had grown hot?

Xiang Dong didn't know. His heart and thoughts were in turmoil, all tangled up in a mess.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiang Dong's feelings settled somewhat. Taichu stood beside him and spoke.

"I'm the Light Ancestral Witch, Taichu. If you don't want to do it, I'll do it. You only need to be happy and live well."

Taichu's meaning was clear: he was taking Pangu's remnant soul's charge, the responsibility, and the whole mess onto his own shoulders.

After all, he was the thirteenth Ancestral Witch born from Pangu Heart Blood and Jade Marrow. Before he was even born, he had received imprints of the Twelve Ancestral Witches' origin Principles. Having received so much, he naturally had to shoulder the corresponding responsibilities and obligations.

But Xiang Dong smiled, relieved. "The way we are now, we're two souls in one body, sharing our memories and abilities. If you aren't happy, how could I be happy?"

Taichu joked, "You could also call yourself my human host. After all, my true form is a giant of light."

"Then, compared to the name Taichu, I'd prefer Noah. They were both the first light, after all. If that won't do, Tiga would work too."

Taichu shrugged. "Then go take it up with Father God. We don't have the right to change a divine name."

"Then forget it!"

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back first. It'll be a while before I'm born, so take this and use it for now."

"I'm not interested in spirit treasures or anything like that... Damn, a phone!"

Taichu took out the Acquired Merit Treasure, and Xiang Dong had been about to refuse as soon as he saw its golden light of merit. He already had merit spirit treasures, though they were all musical instruments.

But once he saw what it looked like, his expression changed at once. His eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together like a fly, chuckling foolishly.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly accept this!"

"If you don't want it, forget it."

"You can leave, but the thing stays."