Ancestral Witch: Those blood sacrifices, those prey, their deaths are not to be regretted!

Like a ladle of cold water thrown into a pot of boiling oil, the entire Pangu Hall instantly erupted into chaos!

The smiles and anticipation on every Ancestral Witch's face froze solid, replaced in a flash by disbelief, shock, and towering rage.

Zhu Rong was the first to leap up, flames roaring from his body, turning the hall blazing red.

"Desperate situation? Bullshit! Our Witch Race carries the blood of Pangu Father God and commands the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Array! We've roamed the Great Desolation unchallenged—who can stand against us? Who the hell does Zhen Yuanzi think he is, daring to curse our race like this?"

Gong Gong's face was so dark it could drip water. He slammed his fist into a stone pillar beside him, leaving a deep dent.

"Desperate situation? I say his Wuzhuang Temple wants an early grave! Big Brother, this old bastard dares to humiliate our race like this—how can we tolerate it? I'll go tear down his shabby temple right now!"

Qiang Liang crackled with lightning, Sha Qi surging around him. "That's right! Big Brother, send out the troops! Let Zhen Yuanzi learn the price of reckless words!"

Xuanming's cold aura spread wide, her gaze sharp as a blade. "He's challenging the dignity of the entire Witch Race."

Di Jiang's face had completely darkened. The Power of Space flickered faintly around him, betraying the fury within.

Zhen Yuanzi's words were nothing less than 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 battle cries shook the rafters. The Ancestral Witches' rage seemed ready to set Buzhou Mountain itself ablaze!

They had been utterly provoked by the words "desperate situation," losing all reason. All they wanted was to tear apart that "wild-talking" Zhen Yuanzi in the most brutal way possible.

Houtu watched the seething, bloodthirsty crowd before her. The last shred of hope in her heart was extinguished completely. Persuade them to stop the war?

It would be easier to reverse the Great Desolation Heavenly Dao itself!

A deep weariness and sorrow washed over her.

"Enough!"

Houtu's clear shout, heavy with helplessness and a trace of anger, exploded like a thunderclap through the clamorous Pangu Hall.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a power that pierced the soul, instantly overpowering every roar and howl of the Ancestral Witches.

The entire hall seemed to hit pause. The raging Power of Space, the leaping Zhu Rong True Fire, the churning Gong Gong water vapor, the flashing Qiang Liang lightning, the spreading Xuanming cold...

All the surging energies came to a halt.

Every Ancestral Witch, including the furious Di Jiang, whipped their heads around, staring at Houtu in disbelief.

Shock!

Unprecedented shock!

Houtu—the gentlest, most temperate, most diplomatic sister among them—had actually... actually let out such an angry rebuke in front of all her brothers and sisters?

This was even more unbelievable than hearing Zhen Yuanzi say "desperate situation"!

Since the birth of the Witch Race, when had anyone ever seen Houtu lose her composure like this?

Zhu Rong's flames forgot to flicker, his eyes wide as saucers. "Hou... Houtu Sister? What's... what's wrong with you?"

His voice was thick with confusion and a hint of barely noticeable worry.

Gong Gong pulled back his fist from the pillar, his brow furrowed deeply, voice low. "Sister, did that old bastard Zhen Yuanzi bully you? Tell your brother—I'll skin him alive!"

He instinctively blamed Houtu's strange behavior on Zhen Yuanzi's "provocation."

Qiang Liang's lightning dimmed a bit as he rumbled, "Yeah, Sister, why are you so mad? Did that old geezer say something nasty?"

Even Xuanming's icy gaze softened with concern. "Houtu, calm down. If you've been wronged, we'll get justice for you."

She leaned toward thinking Houtu had been provoked by words.

Di Jiang didn't speak immediately, but the ripples of space around him subsided. His sharp eyes locked onto Houtu's face, waiting for her explanation.

Houtu's loss of composure troubled him more than Zhen Yuanzi's words ever could.

Looking at her brothers and sisters—their faces a mix of shock, concern, and confusion, but none truly grasping the root of her anger—

Houtu felt an even deeper wave of exhaustion and helplessness, like icy tidewater, drown the anger that had just flared within her.

That spark of fury in her heart seemed to crash against ten-thousand-year-old ice, leaving only bone-chilling cold and fatigue.

Her heart was even more tired.

Houtu took a deep breath, as if trying to suck in the nearly solidified air of Pangu Hall, then slowly exhaled.

Her gaze swept across each familiar face, her voice carrying a tone of near-desperate questioning:

"Fight? Get justice? Is that all you see? All you know is fighting and killing! Have you looked at the Great Desolation Heaven and Earth outside? Have you seen what's become of the living beings out there?"

Her voice trembled with emotion, the immense sorrow and anger surging forth again.

"Living beings outside?"

Zhu Rong was the first to react, his face showing clear disdain and matter-of-factness.

"Those ants? Those blood meals? They're just our prey!"

"If they die, they die—what's there to see? The strong prey on the weak—that's the iron law of the Great Desolation! They're not worth a second thought!"

"Exactly!" Gong Gong chimed in with his usual coldness.

"The Witch-Demon War affects all beings—that's just how it is. What do their lives have to do with our Witch Race? Are we supposed to pity those insects we can crush with a flick of our fingers?"

Qiang Liang snorted. "Sister, why bother with those things? As long as our Witch Race wipes out the Demon Race and rules the Great Desolation alone, no matter how many die, it's worth it!"

Xuanming said nothing, but the indifference in her eyes already made her stance clear.

Di Jiang's brow furrowed even tighter. He couldn't understand why Houtu had suddenly started caring about those insignificant "ants."

Watching them remain utterly unconcerned, treating living beings like weeds, Houtu's heart sank to the very bottom.

She felt a vast sorrow lodged in her chest, nearly suffocating her.

She jerked her head up, her gaze no longer falling on any Ancestral Witch, but fixed on the dome of Pangu Hall, which symbolized the glory of Father God!

"Silence!"

This rebuke carried an unquestionable, sacred authority, silencing Zhu Rong and the others who had wanted to argue further.

Houtu's voice echoed through the empty, solemn hall, carrying a soul-piercing accusation.

"You! How long has it been since any of you felt the merit bestowed by Father God?"

"We, the Witch Race! We, the descendants flowing with Father God's bloodline! How long has it been since we felt His love and guidance?"

"Pangu Hall! Formed from Father God's heart! Have you sensed its recent aura? Is it gratified... or disappointed?"

Houtu's voice grew louder and heavier with each word, like a hammer striking hard against every Ancestral Witch's heart!

"Father God opened Heaven and Earth, His body transformed into all things, blessing all living beings! His will was to protect this world He bought with His life! To let all things in the Prehistoric World thrive and reincarnate without end!"

"But what about us? What are we doing? Endless wars! Unceasing slaughter! We've riddled the world Father God created with holes! We've butchered the beings He blessed until their resentment fills the sky!"

"Tell me! Seeing us act like this, will Father God still bestow merit? Will He still love us? Or will He be utterly disappointed in His unworthy descendants?"

Every word from Houtu was like a cold blade, stabbing into the proud yet ignorant hearts of the Ancestral Witches.

They had never thought of it from this angle!

Father God's glory, His favor—these were their greatest pride and foundation.

But now, Houtu was telling them that this favor might be fading because of their actions!

A dead silence fell over Pangu Hall.

The Ancestral Witches, who had just been clamoring to kill Zhen Yuanzi and annihilate the Demon Race, now wore expressions of confusion, bewilderment, and even a hint of panic.

The flames on Zhu Rong went out completely, leaving only wisps of smoke.

Gong Gong lowered his head.

The lightning on Qiang Liang flickered weakly.

For the first time, a crack appeared on Xuanming's icy face.

Di Jiang's fists were clenched so tight his knuckles turned white, his sharp gaze locked onto Houtu with unprecedented gravity.

His voice came out dry and heavy, breaking the dead silence.

"Sister Houtu... what exactly do you know? What's happened? Tell us!"