Nine Thousand Years, Thirty Incarnations!

Hongjun comprehended the Heavenly Secrets and had already acknowledged Lu Jun's actions in his heart.

Once the myriad stars returned to their positions, it was not impossible to grant Lu Jun the position of Lord of the Stars.

His gaze became incomparably deep, as though it pierced through layers upon layers of spacetime mist and looked toward the upper reaches of the ceaselessly surging River of Time.

There, he had once seen the scene of seven saintly lights ultimately returning to the Great Desolation, restoring the world's origin and causing the Great Desolation's fortune to soar and its potential to surge.

"The opportunity for the Investiture of the Gods should still be far off."

Hongjun's fingers lightly tapped the edge of the Cloud Bed, producing a soundless rhythm.

"Yet this child's actions have actually stirred the Heavenly Book into responding of its own accord... Has the Great Desolation's potential already become sufficient to sustain more Quasi-Saints, or even... Saint positions?"

"Or is this path itself an opportunity to pry at the Heavenly Dao?"

His profound gaze fell upon Lu Jun at the Void Edge once more.

To his eyes, that figure opening up a Star Domain within Chaos seemed to have become an exceptional "test subject."

"Could it be that the Investiture of the Gods is to begin its game now?"

Hongjun's voice carried an unprecedented trace of deliberation and consideration.

"But can the Great Desolation as it stands truly withstand the sudden emergence of so many Quasi-Saints, or even Divine Positions of greater rank? Forcing it open may bring about a great calamity."

"Yet... this child's 'pasturing' has formed a system of its own. He uses the stars to bear the origin, growing and living alongside the Great Desolation."

"The growth of his strength is synchronized with the completion of the Great Desolation Star Path... Perhaps... he is a controllable variable?"

"The Great Dao has fifty; Heaven unfolds forty-nine, with one that slips away. I once thought he was that one which slipped away from the Demon Race. Now it seems he is the one that slipped away from the Stars of the Heavens of the Great Desolation!"

A glimmer of resolve flashed through Hongjun's eyes.

"So be it. Let this child serve as the lead, and see just what changes this 'early' road of the Star Lord returning to his position can stir in the Great Desolation!"

"Whether it brings fortune or disaster, opportunity or tribulation, let Great Desolation Heaven and Earth reveal its own destiny!"

"If it proves promising, then the Lord of the Department of Dou... need not be denied to him."

Three Streams of Light—Tai Yi, Zhen Yuanzi, and Minghe—cut across the Great Desolation Sky.

Though they had deliberately restrained their imposing presence, their distinct and powerful auras still drew the attention of countless great powers.

Tai Yi personally escorting Zhen Yuanzi was especially startling. The atmosphere between them was peaceful, even faintly carrying the air of host and guest both thoroughly pleased, leaving the watching eyes in the shadows filled with shock and suspicion.

Buzhou Mountain, Pangu Hall.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches had gathered, and the atmosphere within the hall was grave.

Di Jiang's expression was dark, Gong Gong and Zhu Rong had their brows tightly furrowed, and Xuanming's face was covered in frost.

The gazes of every Ancestral Witch passed through Pangu Hall's restrictions, locking firmly onto the three streams of light streaking across the sky.

"What exactly happened on the Sun Star?" Di Jiang's voice was like muffled thunder, making the hall hum and tremble.

"Since when has that feathered beast Tai Yi been so courteous to Zhen Yuanzi? He even escorted him all the way?"

"Courteous? It was far more than that!" Gong Gong cut in with a deep, booming voice, his eyes full of wariness.

"Look at that old ghost Minghe! Usually, his eyes are higher than his head and his Sha Qi soars to the heavens, yet when he left just now, he actually lowered his head to Zhen Yuanzi!"

"Since when did that Old Devil become so easy to talk to? Zhen Yuanzi blocked the entrance to his Blood Sea for countless Eons!"

The flames around Zhu Rong suddenly flared. "What is even stranger is Zhen Yuanzi! Could that old good-man act of his have been a pretense?"

"He seems to have lost that old hatred for Minghe, the hatred of wanting to eat his flesh and sleep on his skin! How is that possible? Hong Yun was his friend through life and death!"

"When things are abnormal, there must be a demon behind them!" Zhu Jiuyin slowly opened his Serpent Eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through time itself, his voice low and hoarse.

"Tai Yi, Zhen Yuanzi, and Minghe gathered on the Sun Star for secret talks, and now they depart in such harmony. What they are plotting must be earth-shattering! Perhaps it is a great conspiracy aimed at our Witch Race!"

The Ancestral Witches discussed the matter heatedly, all finding it exceedingly strange, imbued with an unfathomable eeriness.

A powerful sense of pressure filled Pangu Hall, leaving them unable to sit or stand at ease.

At last, Houtu slowly rose.

Her aura was the most peaceful and pure. Unlike the other Ancestral Witches, she did not possess that dense Blood Fiend Qi that could not be dispersed; instead, she carried the heaviness and life opportunity born of the earth.

Her voice was gentle but firm. "Elder Brothers, there is no need to argue. This matter is strange and of grave importance. Mere speculation is useless. Only by going to investigate personally can we learn what truly lies behind it."

She swept her gaze over the Ancestral Witches. "I possess the Earthly Origin, yet show none of the signs of Blood Fiend contamination. My aura is the easiest to conceal."

"If I quietly make a trip to Mount Longevity, I may be able to uncover something. Even should Zhen Yuanzi detect me, given his temperament, he should not immediately tear all pretense of civility apart with our Witch Race."

Di Jiang exchanged glances with the other Ancestral Witches. They all saw the gravity and a trace of hope in one another's eyes.

Houtu was indeed the most suitable choice.

"Good! Younger Sister, you must be careful!" Di Jiang said in a deep voice. "If the situation cannot be handled, retreat at once. Safety comes first!"

Houtu nodded faintly. Her form merged into the earth beneath her feet like mercury, and her aura instantly vanished without a trace, as though she had never appeared.

Mount Longevity, Wuzhuang Temple

Zhen Yuanzi's figure appeared soundlessly beneath the Ginseng Fruit Tree.

He looked up at the lush, flourishing Innate Spiritual Root.

Feeling the immense Yi Wood Essence and Earth's Virtuous Qi that had emerged from the same source as himself, his eyes brimmed with unprecedented anticipation and excitement.

Nine thousand years... Only nine thousand years!

And there would be thirty incarnations!

He sat down cross-legged, Pure Light circulating around him as he slowly drew in his aura, preparing to return to his true body and set in motion the grand plan of nurturing Ginseng Fruit Incarnations.

Just as his Mind and Spirit was about to sink completely into the Ginseng Fruit Tree and merge with his true body—

A calm, gentle woman's voice carrying the rhythms of the earth clearly pierced through Wuzhuang Temple's Mountain-Protecting Array and entered his ears, as though it had directly knocked upon the vast network of roots beneath the Ginseng Fruit Tree:

"Dao Friend Zhen Yuanzi, Houtu has come seeking an audience."

At the sound of Houtu's voice, Zhen Yuanzi's gaze flickered.

In an instant, he understood why Houtu had come.

His journey to the Sun Star—and his safe return from it—must have made the Witch Race uneasy.

Alas, before this, I would certainly have welcomed the Witch Race. But now, after Minghe's reminder and witnessing the Sixth Prince Herding the Stars of All Heavens, I have gained some insight. To remain entangled with the Witch Race would be somewhat unwise.

Moreover, the Witch Race as it is now no longer deserves to be an enemy of the Demon Race.

Having thought it through, Zhen Yuanzi made his decision.

"Dao Friend Houtu, you are too courteous. Please, come in."

He lifted Mount Longevity's defenses and allowed Houtu to enter.

The moment Houtu stepped into Wuzhuang Temple, her gaze was drawn to the Ginseng Fruit Tree at the center of the courtyard, radiating vast Innate Yi Wood Essence and Earth's Virtuous Qi.

She was even more shaken by the profound Pure Light lingering around Zhen Yuanzi, seated beneath the tree.

It was a vigorous Dao Rhythm born from complete enlightenment—a path suddenly opening before him, ready to be put into practice. It was utterly unlike his usual steady, tranquil presence.

"Dao Friend Zhen Yuanzi, have I come at an inopportune time?"

Houtu keenly sensed that Zhen Yuanzi was in the midst of assimilating the insights gained after some realization, and her voice carried an apology.

Zhen Yuanzi slowly opened his eyes. Pure Light lay contained within them, as though they bore the weight and vitality of the entire Prehistoric World.

He waved a hand, his voice calm yet carrying an unquestionable firmness.

"No matter. What This Poor Daoist intends to do next will require a long stretch of time, waiting quietly for the flowers to bloom. A brief conversation will make no difference."

Houtu did not stand on ceremony any further and went straight to the heart of the matter. "It seems Dao Friend's journey to the Sun Star has yielded considerable gains."

"Dao Friend's former attitude toward Tai Yi and Minghe was utterly different from what it is now. It truly leaves us bewildered. Might I ask... what mystery lies behind this?"