Zhunti: This Item Has Destiny With Me! Xuanzheng: No, You Have More Destiny With My Construction Site!

Southwest corner of Buzhou Mountain, malevolent energy soaring into the sky.

A bottomless rift tore open the earth, black chaotic malevolent energy intertwined with the golden light of World-Opening Merit and the dense essence of the earth, forming a contradictory yet fatally alluring aura.

On the edge of this "chaos," two figures emerged from the void, it was Jieyin and Zhunti, who had rushed over from Mount Sumeru.

"Senior Brother!" Zhunti's usually suffering face was illuminated by fervent greed. He stared fixedly at the rift, his voice trembling.

"Did you see it! The malevolent energy of the Chaos Demon Gods coexisting with the origin of World-Opening Merit! This... isn't this a tailor-made opportunity for us!"

That malevolent energy, if it could be converted, would be immense merit! That origin, if it could be absorbed, would save the barren earth veins of the West!

Jieyin's face twitched, his throat bobbed, and he struggled to maintain his composure. "Junior Brother, this is the heartland of the Witch Clan. Look at them, they've clearly dug up a hot potato. Let's watch and wait, perhaps..."

"What are we waiting for!" Zhunti flung his hand away. "Senior Brother! Such a gift from heaven is perfectly suited for the 'fated to possess it' principle of heaven! Look at those barbarians flustered and helpless, this is precisely the opportunity heaven has bestowed upon our West for great prosperity! This thing is fated to be with our West!"

Before his voice fell, Zhunti had already transformed into a golden light, streaking towards the rift, shouting with a voice full of compassionate mercy: "Witch Clan fellow daoists, do not panic! This humble one is here to lend you a hand and subdue this fiend!"

Seeing this, Jieyin sighed and could only follow. His Junior Brother's understanding of "fate" was always so proactive and aggressive.

"Audacious! Who dares trespass upon the forbidden grounds of my Witch Clan!" a booming shout erupted, Ancestral Witch Tianwu, stirring up boundless winds, blocked the two like a divine wall.

"Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand!" Zhunti hurriedly waved his hand, his face saintly. "My Senior Brother and I sensed the overwhelming malevolence here and the obscured merit, and could not bear to see living beings suffer, so we came to help!"

At this moment, Dijiang and Zhujiuyin also "happened" to arrive. Dijiang's expression was "solemn," and he said gravely, "Two fellow daoists, this is an internal matter of my Witch Clan, no need for your trouble."

"Fellow Daoist Dijiang, that's not quite right!" Zhunti pointed at the rift with feigned heartbreak. "Once this malevolent entity erupts, it will surely poison the Primordial World! I, though untalented, am willing to use my Western secret methods to convert this entity and resolve the malevolence, thus contributing to the Primordial World!"

"Oh?" a clear voice tinged with "innocence" sounded. Xuanzheng looked at him with a smile. "Fellow Daoist means this treasure... you want it?"

Zhunti's face remained impassive. "Not at all, I mean this entity is fated to be with our West, and should be converted by our West."

"Hahahaha!" Zhurong's laughter shook the earth. "A fine 'fated'! I think you're trying to rob us outright!"

"Zhurong, don't be rude!" Gonggong chimed in from the side, but it sounded more like adding fuel to the fire. "They are leaders of the Western Teachings, how could they steal things? They are 'converting' it, understand? They use their magic power to 'convert' your things over, then 'transform' them for their own use!"

"Pfft!" Houtu couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle.

Jieyin's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot, while Zhunti's face turned green and white.

Xuanzheng waved his hand, stopping everyone's mockery, and continued to smile "kindly."

"Since Fellow Daoist is so compassionate, my Witch Clan is not unreasonable. However, this malevolent entity was dug out by my Witch Clan warriors at the risk of their lives, and it 'seriously injured' dozens of warriors. Fellow Daoist asks to 'convert' it just like that, you should at least give an explanation, shouldn't you?"

The [Karma Scale] quietly appeared in his left hand, its beam swaying slightly.

Zhunti's heart skipped a beat. He suppressed his greed and pondered, "Fellow Daoist Xuanzheng speaks reasonably. If my brother and I can convert this entity, the merit obtained, I am willing to split it with the Witch Clan, four-six, me four, you six. For the injured warriors, our West is willing to offer a hundred Nine-Turn Golden Elixirs."

"Four-six split? A hundred golden elixirs?" The smile on Xuanzheng's face suddenly vanished. He sneered, his voice not loud, but clearly audible to everyone present. "Fellow Daoist Zhunti, are you trying to fob off a beggar?"

His tone abruptly turned sharp. "The price of dozens of lives of my Witch Clan! The risk of shaking the foundation of Buzhou Mountain! In your eyes, it's only worth this much? Are you humiliating my Witch Clan, or humiliating yourself?!"

Zhunti was so choked by these words that his face turned red, and he was speechless for a moment.

"Since you two are so sincere, my Witch Clan cannot be unappreciative."

Xuanzheng's tone shifted, and his face regained its "pure and kind" smile. However, this smile was more terrifying than a devil's in Zhunti's eyes.

His right hand flashed, and the [Script Mirror] projected a virtual contract shimmering with golden light.

"How about this, sign this [Primordial Humanitarian Aid and Post-Disaster Reconstruction Labor Agreement], and this malevolent entity, along with everything inside, will be yours. How about it?"

Zhunti and Jieyin leaned closer to look. It read: Party A (Recipient of Aid): Witch Clan. Party B (Provider of Aid): Jieyin, Zhunti. Party B must serve Party A's 'Buzhou Mountain Sky-Propping Reinforcement Project Department' without compensation for 100,000 years, or provide three Innate Spiritual Treasures of equivalent value as compensation for the great risks undertaken by Party A in excavating the malevolent entity.

"What?!" Zhunti let out a scream, almost falling from the clouds. He pointed at Xuanzheng, trembling with anger. "100,000 years of forced labor?! Three Innate Spiritual Treasures?! You... this is not an agreement, it's extortion! It's robbery!"

Jieyin's face was also ashen, he was too angry to speak.

"Fellow Daoists, that's not quite right," Xuanzheng slowly swayed the [Karma Scale] in his hand. "This is a great karma, clearly priced, honest dealings. Either you leave now and have nothing more to do with this matter. Or, you sign this agreement."

He paused, his smile becoming incredibly brilliant, revealing a row of white teeth.

"Of course, you could also try... to snatch this 'fated object' from the hands of us Twelve Ancestral Witches."

As soon as his voice fell!

Boom--!

The space around Dijiang instantly solidified like iron! Beneath Zhujiuyin's feet, the phantom image of the River of Time appeared, making Zhunti and Jieyin's thoughts sluggish! Zhurong's Southern Bright Lihuo and Gonggong's Nine Heavens Weak Water intertwined into a deadly net! Houtu manipulated the earth's gravity, making them feel as if billions of divine mountains were pressing down on them!

Thirteen colossal Ancestral Witch auras, like thirteen sky-supporting pillars, formed an unshakeable cage of Laws, locking the two firmly in place!

The terrifying pressure made Zhunti and Jieyin's expressions change in unison, their blood surged, and their Dao hearts trembled violently!

It was then that they realized in horror that they hadn't come to pick up a bargain, but like two rabbits, had blundered headfirst into a trap meticulously set by thirteen prehistoric beasts!