The Development of Witches and Demons

"Fellow Daoist Nuwa, I haven't even finished my question—why are you stopping me?"

Nuwa stood to the side, hesitating.

Fuxi, watching them, recalled the cultivation method that had appeared in his mind.

"Sister, you two talk. I'll go cultivate first."

With that, he turned and walked toward the side hall.

Nuwa faced Houtu alone, scratched her head, and still tried to explain.

"My master is very cautious. He doesn't want to get involved in the Demon-Witch conflict. Since you're from the Witch Clan, coming here probably displeases him from the start."

"But it's fine. Stay here for a while, ask slowly, and maybe you'll get an answer eventually."

"Otherwise, even my master wouldn't know what to do."

Nuwa didn't believe a word of her own rambling, but for now, this was all she could say.

Houtu frowned, pondered for a moment, and finally nodded.

Still, from Nuwa's words, she understood that this Senior didn't much care for the Witch Clan.

Could it be because of Father God?

Was he a Senior who existed before the world was created?

"Why does Senior dislike us Witch Clan?"

Nuwa glanced at the sky, then toward Huzhou, and began to explain.

"Honestly, it's not that he dislikes your Witch Clan specifically—he just dislikes trouble. Your Witch Clan and the Demon Race are at each other's throats. Get involved, and trouble follows. If it escalates, it'll slowly grow into something like the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation."

"So right now, my master doesn't like the Witch Clan, nor the Demon Race."

"Any living being of the Primordial World who joins either clan—my master probably wouldn't like them either."

Houtu understood instantly. So that was the reason?

She got it now.

Both the Witch and Demon Clans had been established under the banner of enlightening the Primordial World.

Both harbored ambitions to control it.

Perhaps her Elder Brother had been provoked by the Demon Race's words, or maybe he had always wanted this.

But now, it seemed the Primordial World would soon erupt into a great war with the Demon Race.

With a sigh, she resigned herself to staying on the island for now, waiting for a chance to ask about the Witch Clan's Method to Attain Dao.

Life on the island gradually settled into a routine.

Either cultivating or playing around the island.

Or else pestering Cheng Yue with endless questions.

Days passed like this.

In the Heavenly Court, Di Jun watched his forces grow and felt a surge of excitement.

In just a hundred years, the Demon Race had gathered many beings from the Primordial World.

But most had been coerced.

The Witch Clan's actions across the Primordial World were far from peaceful—rather, they were somewhat tyrannical.

Countless living beings became the Witch Clan's Blood Food, captured and taken back to be served as meat on the plate.

Over time, this caused unbearable suffering.

And the twelve Ancestor Witches were no weaklings. Though they didn't cultivate their Primordial Spirits, their physical bodies alone had reached the level of Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals.

These creatures hunted in packs.

If only one Ancestor Witch was present, some beings might still escape.

But when a group of Ancestor Witches went hunting, anyone they targeted would almost certainly end up dead.

So many beings, seeking warmth in numbers or simply to survive, joined the Demon Race and came to the Heavenly Court.

"Heavenly Emperor, Your Majesty must seek justice for us! The Witch Clan devours my people. Please, Your Majesty, demand retribution for our clan!"

Di Jun sat in the Lingxiao Palace of the Heavenly Court, overjoyed inside but keeping his face neutral. He simply nodded.

"I have long heard of this. Rest assured—once we are fully developed, the Witch Clan will pay the price!"

At his words, the crowd before him rejoiced.

They had found the right protector.

Then, one person stepped forward and addressed Di Jun.

"Your Majesty, we must still strive to recruit the Great Powers of the Primordial World. In the North Sea, there is Kunpeng. During the first lecture at the Purple Cloud Palace, Kunpeng sat in the front row. He could be brought into the Demon Race's fold."

"And the siblings Fuxi and Nuwa are also Great Powers. Nuwa has even reached the Quasi-Sage realm. We could recruit them as well."

Di Jun nodded at this, but Nuwa posed a bit of a problem.

He remembered well how domineering Nuwa was.

She'd casually threaten to wipe out someone's true spirit, even dared to defy a Sage.

And after defying one, nothing happened—she was still alive and well.

But if it were him, he wouldn't dare.

Winning her over wouldn't be simple.

On top of that, Nuwa had a Great Power of unknown depth backing her.

Though Nuwa claimed it was a Golden Immortal, anyone who could help her reach Quasi-Sage was no Golden Immortal—that was just a lie.

He didn't buy it. Those two siblings wouldn't be easy to recruit.

And last time near Mount Buzhou, Nuwa had stood with Houtu of the Witch Clan.

Their bond was likely deep, making things even trickier.

Kunpeng, on the other hand, might be worth courting.

"Nuwa and Fuxi won't be simple to win over. Nuwa's already at Quasi-Sage—it won't be easy for us. But Kunpeng, we can go see him."

"Bai Ze, prepare gifts. We're heading to the North Sea to meet Kunpeng."

Bai Ze nodded and turned to prepare the gifts.

Di Jun started mulling over other matters. The seat-giving incident at Purple Cloud Palace had been disrupted by Nuwa.

Hongyun and Kunpeng's grudge hadn't formed yet because of it.

Di Jun had his eyes on Hongyun too. As a Great Power, Hongyun was famously easygoing.

If he appealed to reason and emotion, he might just pull Hongyun into the Demon Race.

And if Hongyun joined, Zhenyuanzi, his close friend, might follow.

He'd heard Zhenyuanzi possessed the Book of Earth.

Lost in thought, he decided to go along and see.

"Who knows what might happen, but with the Demon Race's current growth, we'll surely unify the Primordial World one day."

Di Jun was brimming with ambition.

The Witch Clan was also expanding rapidly.

In the Pangu Great Hall, they'd found a way to develop the clan.

From the Pangu Blood Pool, new Witch Clan members were born from time to time.

No Ancestor Witches emerged, but Great Witches like Kuafu, Dayi, Xingtian, and Chiyou did.

Their growth sped up considerably.

With the clan's numbers swelling, many began spreading outward.

But in the Pangu Great Hall, one person remained worried.

Ancestor Witch Xuan Ming sat there, watching his kin.

"Houtu's been gone a long time and hasn't returned. Has she run into danger?"

Di Jiang looked at Xuan Ming and shook his head.

"When our Witch Clan was founded, merit descended near Mount Buzhou. That should have been Houtu. She might just be playing around—let's wait a bit."