This is the Heavenly Dao suppressing the Earthly Dao!

King Qin Guang received his orders and departed.

Not long after, he arrived at Xianyang Palace.

The moment he set foot there, King Qin Guang was deeply shaken.

The Human Race's fortune here was overwhelmingly dense, and its aura was nothing short of magnificent!

He almost mistook it for the ancient era when the Human Race was at its peak—this was clearly the sign of a Human Emperor!

The underworld's denizens were all watching this scene, none of them unshocked.

Houtu furrowed her brows slightly, her saintly thoughts flowing as she probed into Ying Zheng's every detail, only to find that he had already reached the Golden Immortal realm.

As for the rest, she could not see through it at all, clearly deliberately obscured by someone!

Houtu was taken aback.

To have the fate of the Son of Heaven so affected, while also blocking her observation!

Could it be that some mysterious existence had intervened in the Human Race?

This guess surfaced in Houtu's mind.

Yet none of it could be confirmed.

Perhaps after meeting Ying Zheng, the mystery would be unveiled.

Still, Houtu was not overly concerned—as long as Ying Zheng's fate did not disrupt the normal order of reincarnation.

Xianyang Palace.

King Qin Guang hesitated.

If Ying Zheng truly bore the aspect of a Human Emperor, then he was in no position to guide him!

Only the Five Ghost Emperors or the Fengdu Emperor would be qualified!

Just then, Ying Zheng, who was already a Golden Immortal, actually dozed off while handling state affairs.

His soul drifted out.

"Your Majesty Ying Zheng, please follow me." King Qin Guang was surprised by how smoothly it went, and his tone was deeply respectful.

Ying Zheng's soul nodded lightly and followed King Qin Guang into the underworld.

"Your Majesty Ying Zheng, please step into the Six Paths of Reincarnation." King Qin Guang spoke politely once more.

Yet Ying Zheng smiled faintly: "First, to Pingxin Palace."

Hearing this, King Qin Guang trembled all over—Ying Zheng dared to directly invoke a saint's title?

But before King Qin Guang could speak, he felt an aura of profound subtlety and overwhelming pressure emanate from Ying Zheng's soul.

That aura was ancient and deep, vast beyond measure!

The Dao's pressure was as heavy as a mountain, as if every move could shatter the world!

This terrifying aura instantly enveloped the Netherworld, shaking the entire underworld!

King Qin Guang fell to his knees involuntarily!

His Dao heart was swept by a raging storm!

What was happening?

King Qin Guang's mind nearly collapsed—what in the world was this?

Was Ying Zheng a saint? Why was he so terrifying?

At that moment, A figure in a white long dress, Houtu, appeared.

Her voice was calm, utterly devoid of emotion.

"Who might you be, fellow Daoist?"

Beyond Chaos Beyond Heaven.

Daluo Heaven, Eight Sceneries Palace.

Under the clear light of the Chaos Pearl.

Grand Pure One Laozi held an ancient divine seal in his hand, which then vanished.

The moment he had been waiting for had arrived.

The Grand Pure One's lips curled slightly.

"Fellow Daoist Houtu, it has been a while."

Within the underworld!

Houtu trembled, her beautiful eyes widening slightly as she stared at the scene in disbelief.

She had not heard that title in countless millennia.

This man was definitely not Ying Zheng—he had to be a sage.

Houtu's gaze sharpened, and the supreme authority of the Netherworld Lord radiated from her.

In an instant, her pressure swept across every inch of the underworld.

Within the Netherworld, Houtu controlled everything.

Yet!

Ying Zheng's soul remained calm, watching Houtu without the slightest ripple.

Houtu's brows furrowed slightly—she could not dispel the immense power of the soul before her.

Her confusion deepened.

Who was this man?

Could it be Hongjun?

But Hongjun would not act this way.

If not Hongjun, then who in the Netherworld could contend with her?

"Daoist Houtu, this place is not suitable for lingering."

The Grand Pure One's tone was indifferent.

Houtu's gaze retracted, and with a wave of her hand, space shifted.

The two figures vanished in an instant.

Pingxin Palace.

Houtu looked at Ying Zheng's soul and spoke calmly.

"Daoist, what exactly brings you here?"

Though her mind was full of questions, Houtu felt no concern.

After all, no one in the Netherworld could defeat her—not even Hongjun.

The Grand Pure One smiled faintly, and around Ying Zheng's soul, a Taiji-like Dao resonance emerged.

"Grand Pure One Laozi?!"

Houtu's beautiful eyes flew wide open, shock written across her face—so it was the Grand Pure One who had come?

She had never had any dealings with the Three Pure Ones. Why would the Grand Pure One suddenly visit?

And more importantly, hadn't the Grand Pure One taken the Saintfall Pill?

When had he become so powerful that even she could barely suppress him?

Thinking back to the Grand Pure One's past actions, Houtu's expression grew even more curious.

What was the Grand Pure One's purpose here?

A sage's thoughts could cycle through 129,600 permutations in a single breath, and could also be fully retracted in that same breath, leaving no trace.

Thus, though countless thoughts raced through Houtu's mind, it was only an instant.

"Daoist Grand Pure One, what important matter brings you here?"

Houtu asked calmly.

She and the Grand Pure One had little connection, but she bore a deep grudge against Heavenly Dao Hongjun.

And the Grand Pure One was Hongjun's first disciple!

If not for the good impression left by the Grand Pure One's earlier act of Preaching to the World, Houtu might have turned him away outright upon learning his identity.

The Grand Pure One took no offense and replied with a smile.

"I have come to help you escape your predicament."

At these words, Houtu's pupils trembled!

"Help me escape?!"

Beyond surprise, Houtu's face showed sheer disbelief!

What a joke?!

The Grand Pure One, a Heavenly Dao Sage, was offering to help Houtu, an Earth Dao Sage, break free? But the one who had trapped Houtu was the Heavenly Dao itself.

More crucially, did the Grand Pure One even have the power to shatter the Heavenly Dao's confinement?

"Daoist, are you serious?"

Houtu's voice was thick with doubt.

Taiqing had long anticipated her reaction, merely offering a calm smile before producing an object.

In an instant, vast ripples surged through the void, mystic light interweaving as Dao resonance roared like a tidal wave!

It was the Earth Dao Divine Seal!

Houtu's eyes flew wide, her body trembling faintly, shock surging deep within her.

Her mind churned like a storm-tossed sea.

She stared at the object in disbelief.

"What is this?!"

Houtu's breath grew ragged.

She sensed the boundless profundity within it, the abstruse aura of the Great Dao.

This object resonated fiercely with her own Dao!

This was her true Origin Dao, an unparalleled opportunity of the Great Dao!

But what was it?

"This is the Earth Dao Divine Seal."

Taiqing spoke calmly.

Houtu was stunned beyond measure upon hearing this!

The Earth Dao Divine Seal?!

Houtu had governed the underworld for countless years, yet she had never heard of such a thing!

But she knew—this was the supreme treasure of the Earth Dao!

Why was a treasure of the Earth Dao in Taiqing's hands?

Before Houtu could ask, Taiqing maintained his faint, composed smile.

"This Earth Dao Divine Seal holds the very essence of the Earth Dao."

"As long as you possess it, you can break free from the shackles of the Heavenly Dao and fully master the power of the Earth Dao."

"In time, if you can control the Earth Dao, you will stand shoulder to shoulder with the Heavenly Dao."

Taiqing's calm words struck like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.

Houtu's pupils contracted sharply, a storm raging within her heart.

Even her soul quivered.

She murmured involuntarily:

"Stand shoulder to shoulder with the Heavenly Dao?!"

Taiqing nodded slightly.

"Indeed."

Houtu's eyes were wide, her pupils trembling faintly.

She stared at Taiqing in disbelief.

What audacious, treasonous words!

Everyone knew the Primordial World Heavenly Dao was supreme!

Had they not been within the underworld, uttering such words would have invited heavenly punishment!

Moreover, Taiqing was a Heavenly Dao Sage!

Was he not challenging the authority of the Heavenly Dao by saying this?

Yet Houtu's heart was filled with shock and excitement.

Because she knew deep down—the Earth Dao Divine Seal was no empty claim!

As the sole Earth Dao Sage, no one was more certain of its authenticity than she!

Thus!

What Taiqing had said earlier about helping her escape her predicament—

Must also be true!!

Back then, Houtu had sacrificed herself to transform into the cycle of reincarnation, becoming the sole Earth Dao Sage, monopolizing eighty percent of the Earth Dao's fortune!

Within the underworld, she was the undisputed ruler!

Even Hongjun could not suppress her!

But what of it?

Her body transformed into the cycle of reincarnation, yet Houtu remained trapped in the Underworld, powerless even to aid her Witch Race when they were annihilated!

This was the suppression of the Heavenly Dao over the Earth Dao.

Breaking free became her deepest desire.

Taiqing said she could attain the Great Dao and stand level with Heaven—what kind of opportunity was this?

Even someone as calm as Houtu felt her heart stir with excitement.

"Why is this?"

Houtu collected her thoughts and asked seriously.

She hadn't lost her reason over the Earth Dao Divine Seal.

How could a Sage be foolish?

Houtu couldn't see through Taiqing's intentions, but she remained vigilant.

As a Heavenly Dao Sage, Taiqing actually possessed a supreme treasure of the Earth Dao—this defied all reason.

Houtu even suspected Hongjun was scheming behind the scenes.

But that only confused her more.

An existence like the Earth Dao Divine Seal—even Hongjun couldn't possess it.

Otherwise, the Earth Dao would have long been devoured by the Heavenly Dao.

And she wouldn't be trapped here.

Seeing Houtu's composed questioning, Taiqing smiled and nodded.

A Houtu like this was worth cooperating with.

But he didn't answer directly. Instead, he said calmly:

"Daoist friend Houtu, do you know that the Earth Dao governs the reincarnation of all true spirits?"

Houtu nodded in response.

"That's true. But what does that have to do with me?"

Taiqing smiled serenely.

"The Remnant True Spirits of the Twelve Ancestral Witches are also under the Earth Dao's control."

"If Daoist friend Houtu were to truly master the Earth Dao, you could perfectly resurrect the Twelve Ancestral Witches."

At these words, a dazzling light flashed in Houtu's eyes, and her heart shook with overwhelming shock.

She stepped forward, her form trembling slightly, unable to contain her excitement!

"Is this true?"

Her voice carried a faint tremor.

"Absolutely true!" Taiqing affirmed with a smile.

At that, Houtu's gaze instantly changed.

If she could truly bring her elder brothers and sisters back to life, what was there to hesitate about?

Taiqing hadn't hidden anything from Houtu.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches were born from the essence blood of Pangu—the true lineage of Pangu.

And the Great God Pangu was the Primordial itself.

Thus, although the Twelve Ancestral Witches had fallen, they hadn't truly vanished. Instead, they had returned to the Primordial Origin.

This was something not only Houtu but even the other Sages were completely unaware of.

All the Sages believed the Twelve Ancestral Witches had fallen under heavenly punishment and could never be revived.

But Taiqing, bound to the Primordial Origin, knew the truth!

The Earth Dao could resurrect the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

Similarly, Dijun, Taiyi, Xihe, and Changxi—born from Pangu's eyes—would not truly perish either.

They too could be revived through the Earth Dao.

However, the Taiyin origin of Xihe and Changxi had already reincarnated as Taiyin Heng'e, the first among Fairy Chang'e and the third-generation Lord of the Moon Star.

That was a different matter entirely.

At this moment, Houtu was completely immersed in Taiqing's words, her whole body trembling faintly.

Her heart surged with turbulent waves, unable to find peace.

If she could grasp the authority of the Earth Dao, she could fully resurrect her elder brothers and sisters.

Yet, a trace of hesitation still lingered in Houtu's heart.

The decline of the Witch Race was no accident. Gonggong's Rage Crashes Buzhou Mountain, destroying the Heavenly Pillar, causing the Heavenly Dao to punish the entire Witch Race.

After Houtu took charge of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, even ordinary Great Witches could no longer be revived.

But now, the opportunity was right before her!

How could Houtu not be stirred?

Recalling the days when the Twelve Ancestral Witches fought side by side—those were her most precious memories, and also an irreparable regret.

Now, at last, there was a chance to mend it all!

Houtu's gaze grew ever more resolute.

It was as if the entire Netherworld Underworld resonated with her.

Houtu was the most sorrowful saint among the Primordial World Beings.

She bore compassion for all beings of the Primordial World, even sacrificing herself to incarnate the cycle of reincarnation—only to be schemed against, leading to the decline of the Witch Race.

What Houtu regretted most was the fall of the Twelve Ancestral Witches and the annihilation of the Witch Race.

She was filled with self-blame.

Countless times she had replayed the past: if only she had incarnated reincarnation after destroying the Demon Race, the Witch Race would not have fallen due to the loss of the Heavenly Gods and Fiends Formation, and she would not have had to watch her elder brothers and sisters perish.

And now!

The chance to make amends had arrived!

Upon learning that evolving the Earth Dao could revive the Twelve Ancestral Witches, Houtu acted without a moment's hesitation.