It was like pouring a ladle of cold water into a boiling cauldron of oil—the entire Pangu Hall erupted in an instant!
The smiles and anticipation on every Ancestral Witch's face froze, immediately replaced by stunned disbelief and towering fury!
Zhu Rong was the first to leap up. Flames surged skyward around him, bathing the hall in crimson.
"Dead end? What fucking nonsense! Our Witch Race bears Pangu Father God's bloodline and possesses the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Array. We roam the Prehistoric World undefeated—who can stand against us? What the hell is Zhen Yuanzi, that he dares curse the Witch Race?"
Gong Gong's face darkened as though water could drip from it. He slammed a fist into the stone pillar beside him, leaving behind a deep fist mark.
"Dead end? I think his Wuzhuang Temple wants to be buried early! Big Brother, that old bastard dares humiliate our race like this. How can we tolerate it? I'll go tear down his ruined temple right now!"
Lightning crackled around Qiang Liang, his murderous aura surging. "That's right! Big Brother, send the troops! Let Zhen Yuanzi learn the price of reckless words!"
Chill radiated from Xuanming's body, her gaze cold as blades. "He is provoking the dignity of the entire Witch Race."
Di Jiang's expression completely darkened as well. The Power of Space flickered around him, revealing the fury in his heart.
Zhen Yuanzi's words were no different from the greatest insult to him, the leader of the Ancestral Witches, and to the Witch Race's hundreds of millions of years of glory!
Inside Pangu Hall, furious roars and cries for blood shook the ears. The Ancestral Witches' rage seemed ready to set all of Buzhou Mountain ablaze!
The words "dead end" had completely driven them out of their minds. They only wanted to tear that "wild-tongued" Zhen Yuanzi apart in the most violent manner possible.
Watching the impassioned scene of everyone shouting for battle and slaughter, the last shred of hope in Houtu's heart was utterly extinguished. Convince them to stop the war?
That was harder than reversing the Great Desolation Heavenly Dao!
She felt a profound weariness and sorrow.
"Enough!"
Houtu's sharp cry, filled with immense helplessness and a trace of anger, exploded through the clamorous Pangu Hall like thunder.
Her voice was not loud, yet it carried a power that pierced the soul, instantly overwhelming every Ancestral Witch's roars and bellows.
It was as if someone had pressed pause on the entire hall. The violent Power of Space, Zhu Rong's dancing true flames, Gong Gong's raging water vapor, Qiang Liang's flashing lightning, Xuanming's spreading chill...
All surging energies came to a halt.
Every Ancestral Witch, including the enraged Di Jiang, abruptly turned to look at Houtu in disbelief.
Shock!
Unparalleled shock!
Houtu, the gentlest, mildest, and most level-headed sister among them, had actually... actually rebuked all her brothers and sisters with such fury?
This was even more unbelievable to them than hearing Zhen Yuanzi speak of a "dead end"!
Ever since the Witch Race had been born, when had they ever seen Houtu lose her composure like this?
Even the flames on Zhu Rong's face seemed to forget to dance. His eyes widened round. "Hou... Houtu, Sister? You... what's wrong?"
His voice was filled with confusion and a barely perceptible hint of concern.
Gong Gong also pulled back the fist he had aimed at the stone pillar. His brow furrowed, and his voice was low. "Sister, did that old Zhen Yuanzi bully you? Tell your Elder Brother. I'll go skin him alive!"
Instinctively, he blamed Houtu's strange behavior on Zhen Yuanzi's "provocation."
The lightning around Qiang Liang also dimmed somewhat as he asked in a muffled voice, "Yeah, Sister, why are you so angry? Did that old thing say something unpleasant?"
Concern also showed through Xuanming's icy gaze. "Houtu, calm down. If you have truly been wronged, we will seek justice for you."
She was more inclined to believe that Houtu had been provoked by words.
Though Di Jiang did not speak immediately, the ripples of space around him also calmed. His sharp eyes remained fixed on Houtu's face as he waited for her explanation.
Houtu's loss of composure made him feel that something was amiss even more than Zhen Yuanzi's words had.
Seeing the expressions on her Elder Brother and siblings' faces—a mixture of shock, concern, and confusion, yet utterly lacking any real understanding of the source of her anger—
Houtu only felt an even deeper exhaustion and helplessness flood over her newly risen fury like an icy tide.
The little anger in her heart seemed to crash against ten-thousand-year black ice, leaving behind only bone-piercing coldness and fatigue.
Her heart was even more tired.
Houtu took a deep breath, as though she wished to draw the nearly frozen air within Pangu Hall into her lungs, then slowly exhaled.
Her gaze swept over one familiar face after another, and her voice carried an almost despairing challenge:
"Fight? Seek justice? Is that... is that all you can see? All you know is fighting and killing! Have you looked at the Great Desolation Heaven and Earth outside? Have you seen what has become of the living beings outside?"
Her voice trembled slightly with agitation as immense sorrow and fury welled up once more.
"The living beings outside?"
Zhu Rong was the first to react, obvious disdain and a sense of righteousness appearing on his face.
"Those ants? Those blood foods? They are merely our prey!"
"If they die, they die. What is there to see? The strong devour the weak—the iron law of the Prehistoric World! They deserve to die!"
"Exactly!" Gong Gong cut in with his usual indifference.
"The Witch-Demon War affecting all living things is only natural. What do their lives and deaths have to do with our Witch Race? Must the Witch Race pity insects that can be destroyed with a wave of the hand?"
Qiang Liang snorted. "Sister, why concern yourself with those things? As long as our Witch Race can destroy the Demon Race and rule the Prehistoric World alone, no matter how many living beings die, it is worth it!"
Xuanming said nothing, but the indifference in her eyes had already made her stance clear.
Di Jiang frowned even more deeply. He did not understand why Houtu had suddenly begun caring about those insignificant "ants."
Watching them remain utterly unconcerned, treating living beings as no more than grass and dirt, Houtu's heart sank completely to the bottom.
She felt an immense sorrow clog her chest, nearly leaving her unable to breathe.
She suddenly raised her head. Her gaze no longer fell upon any Ancestral Witch, but instead turned toward the dome of Pangu Hall, which symbolized Father God's glory!
"Shut up!"
This rebuke carried an unquestionable sacred majesty, silencing Zhu Rong and the others who had still wanted to argue.
Houtu's voice echoed through the vast, solemn hall, carrying a question that pierced the soul.
"You! How long has it been since you felt the merit bestowed by Father God?"
"Our Witch Race! We descendants who bear Father God's bloodline! How long has it been since we felt Father God's love and guidance?"
"Pangu Hall! Formed from Father God's heart! Have you ever sensed whether its recent aura held comfort, or... disappointment?"
Each sentence from Houtu was louder and heavier than the last, like massive hammers pounding fiercely against every Ancestral Witch's heart!
"Father God carried out the Opening of Heaven and Earth, His body transforming into all things, blessing all living beings! His will was to protect this Heaven and Earth, which He traded His life to create! It was to let all things in the Prehistoric World flourish, with Reincarnation never ceasing!"
"But what about us? What have we been doing? Endless war! Boundless slaughter! We have battered the Heaven and Earth Father God became until they are riddled with wounds! We have slaughtered the living beings Father God blessed until none remain, their resentment soaring to the heavens!"
"Tell me! Seeing our actions, would Father God still bestow merit upon us? Would He still love us? Would He become completely disappointed in us, His unworthy descendants?"
Every word Houtu spoke was like an icy blade stabbing into the Ancestral Witches' proud yet ignorant hearts.
They had never considered things from this perspective!
Father God's glory and Father God's favor were their greatest pride and foundation.
Yet now, Houtu was telling them that this favor might be fading because of what they had done!
Pangu Hall fell into dead silence.
The Ancestral Witches who had just been shouting about killing Zhen Yuanzi and exterminating the Demon Race now wore expressions of bewilderment, confusion, and even a trace of panic.
The flames around Zhu Rong completely went out, leaving only wisps of green smoke.
Gong Gong lowered his head.
The lightning around Qiang Liang flickered weakly.
For the first time, Xuanming's cold face showed emotion.
Di Jiang clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white. His sharp gaze remained locked on Houtu, filled with unprecedented gravity.
Di Jiang's voice, slightly dry and heavy, broke the silence.
"Houtu, Sister, what exactly... do you know? What happened? Tell us!"
Before you continue