Witch Tribe Alchemy Astonishes Houtu, Entangled in Karma and Drawn into the Great Tribulation

Having tasted the sweetness of "helping others," Xuan Wazi was full of drive, traveling among several different Witch Tribe settlements around Mount Buzhou. He was no longer satisfied with small-scale "optimization" of herb gardens. Instead, he specifically sought out places harassed by powerful Fierce Beasts, or where conflicts arose between settlements over resources.

Sometimes, he concealed himself and secretly set up a "Tripwire Formation" or "Bewitching Formation" at a critical moment in a conflict, causing the stronger side to suffer an inexplicable setback and allowing the weaker side to catch its breath or even turn defeat into victory. Then, amid the chaos, he would sweep away a few ownerless items that caught his eye—Fierce Beast materials that had fallen to the ground, or crude Witch Artifacts sent flying in battle. Those were all points. Wherever a person passed, they left a trace; wherever a goose flew, it left a feather.

Sometimes, he deliberately leaked a trace of his aura, luring certain powerful but dim-witted Fierce Beasts into attacking places where the Witch Tribe stored supplies. Once the Witch Tribe and the Fierce Beasts had both been badly battered, he would appear like a ghost, "help" deal with the remaining Fierce Beasts, then "casually" take away part of the spoils as payment.

His methods became increasingly skillful. He used the newly comprehended innate formation Dao with masterful ease, often achieving his goals without drawing much attention. Nor had he neglected the Chaos Alchemy Technique. The low-grade Fierce Beast essence blood, bones, and unusually attributed, violent spirit herbs he collected—things the Witch Tribe either disdained or did not know how to process—were all tossed into the Eight Trigrams Furnace for experimentation.

The first time he opened the furnace, he failed to control the heat properly, and an entire batch of Blood Quenching Pills was refined straight into charcoal, wasting quite a few materials.

The second time, his fire control improved, but he failed to reconcile the conflicting medicinal properties. The furnace exploded. Though he was not injured, he was left covered in soot and dust.

The third time, he was even more cautious. He carefully reconciled the ingredients with Primordial Chaos Magic Power and continuously adjusted things with the extraordinary comprehension of the Primordial Dao Body. At last... he refined a batch of black, strange-smelling "unknown objects."

[System Notice: Host has successfully refined 'Unknown Pill (Suspected Poison).' Alchemy beginner evaluation: barely passing. Reward: Unfilial Points +100 (encouragement prize).]

Xuan Wazi looked at those horribly unappealing pills, the corner of his mouth twitching, but he still refused to give up. He found an opportunity to mix one Unknown Pill into the food of a Fierce Beast that had been wounded and abandoned by the Witch Tribe. After eating it, the beast first convulsed all over and foamed at the mouth. Just as Xuan Wazi thought it was about to die from poisoning, the beast suddenly sprang up, its eyes turning blood-red as its vitality and blood surged. It charged madly into the mountains and forests, its strength temporarily rising by a great deal. But half an hour later, it collapsed from exhaustion and died, its body having shriveled considerably.

A stimulant? The backlash was that severe?

"Uh... it seemed to have some effect, but the side effects are even worse." Xuan Wazi stroked his chin. "Looks like I need to find some gentler pill formulas more suited to the Witch Tribe's physique to practice with."

Hard work paid off. Through his unremitting "practice" and reckless consumption of materials, coupled with the system's occasional "friendly reminders," his alchemy finally began to get on track. He successfully refined basic pills such as Blood Replenishing Powder, which could rapidly restore vitality and blood, and Bone Strengthening Pills, which could slightly strengthen the body.

That day, near a branch settlement of the Gonggong Tribe, he had just used several bottles of homemade Blood Replenishing Powder to "trade" for a Mysterious Yin Stone from an honest little Witch Tribe leader. They thought it was useless, but it contained pure Gui Water Qi. Just as he was preparing to slip away, a vast, heavy pressure carrying an incomparable aura of earth suddenly enveloped the area.

Space rippled faintly. A woman with a human body and snake tail, a dignified and kindly face, and an immense aura of the laws of earth surrounding her quietly appeared before Xuan Wazi. She was Houtu, one of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, who governed Earth and Reincarnation!

Xuan Wazi's heart skipped a beat, though his expression remained unchanged. He clasped his hands and smiled. "So it is Ancestral Witch Houtu. This humble Daoist is Xuan Wazi. Greetings."

Houtu looked at him calmly, her eyes carrying a trace of inquiry and understanding. "Fellow Daoist Xuan Wazi, you have been moving frequently among the various branches of my Witch Tribe lately. Sometimes you offered secret assistance, sometimes you engaged in trade. My Witch Tribe's people have received quite a few favors from you."

Xuan Wazi gave a dry laugh. "Haha, this humble Daoist is but an idle cloud and wild crane. I merely happened to pass through this place, saw that the Witch Tribe's people were forthright and valiant, and wished to make friends. Those little bits of assistance are not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning." As expected of Empress Houtu. Unlike the other Ancestral Witches, who only value the physical body, her primordial spirit perception seems particularly mysterious. She actually noticed my little moves. No wonder she is the Ancestral Witch least affected by Earthly Fiend Tainted Qi.

Houtu nodded slightly and did not pursue those "not worth mentioning" actions. Instead, her gaze fell upon the Mysterious Yin Stone Xuan Wazi had yet to put away and the jade bottles containing pills.

"The objects in Fellow Daoist's hands seem to contain a form of energy different from the spiritual essences of heaven and earth—gentle and full of vitality. They appear to benefit my Witch Tribe's physical bodies?" Houtu asked gently.

Xuan Wazi's heart stirred. He frankly handed over a bottle of Bone Strengthening Pills. "These are little trinkets this humble Daoist developed in his spare time, called 'pills.' They are refined from the essence of spiritual materials of heaven and earth through a special method. These Bone Strengthening Pills have gentle medicinal properties. Long-term use can slightly strengthen one's sinews and bones. If Ancestral Witch Houtu is interested, you may as well give one a try."

Houtu accepted the jade bottle and poured out a pill the size of a longan, its color warm and lustrous. She carefully examined it with her powerful perception, and a trace of surprise flashed through her eyes. She could sense that while the energy contained in the pill was not immense, it was exceptionally pure and gentle. It even contained a trace of a strange power of "creation." It truly had a nourishing effect on the Witch Tribe's physical bodies. Moreover... unlike ordinary spiritual essences of heaven and earth, it was not violent or impure, making it easier to absorb.

"This method of yours is certainly novel." Houtu put the pill back and looked at Xuan Wazi with greater seriousness. "My Witch Tribe does not cultivate the primordial spirit, only the physical body. We are indeed not proficient in extracting essences and reconciling medicinal properties. If there were more pills like these, the overall strength of my Witch Tribe would surely improve considerably."

Xuan Wazi was secretly delighted, but his expression remained calm and indifferent. "It is merely a trifling skill. To receive the approval of an Ancestral Witch is this humble Daoist's honor. It is simply that refining these things consumes considerable effort and spiritual materials..."

Houtu understood at once and said directly, "Tell me what spiritual materials you require. My Witch Tribe occupies Mount Buzhou and the lands of the Primordial World. I dare not boast of anything else, but we do not lack the various spiritual materials born of heaven and earth, nor the essence blood and bodies of Fierce Beasts. We are willing to exchange these for your pills. What do you think?"

[Ding! Long-term cooperation mission triggered: 'Witch Tribe Pill Supplier.'

Mission requirement: Provide the Witch Tribe with various enhancement and healing pills in exchange for spiritual materials, Fierce Beast materials, and the like collected by the Witch Tribe.

Mission reward: Continuously obtain Unfilial Points and Houtian Merit based on transaction scale and pill quality. Upon the first successful large-scale transaction, additionally receive: Ancestral Witch Essence Blood (choose one) ×1!]

[Hint: This mission can effectively ease the host's debt pressure and deepen your karma with the Witch Tribe, providing convenience for future Great Tribulation arrangements. Host, seize this stable source of 'Not Being a Person' income!]

Seeing "Ancestral Witch Essence Blood" among the mission rewards, the corner of Xuan Wazi's mouth twitched. This stuff was certainly valuable, whether for cultivating the Nine Revolutions Primordial Profound Art or studying the mysteries of the Witch Tribe's physical bodies! But, system, come out here. The Twelve Ancestral Witches are not even dead yet. Where are these reward Ancestral Witch Essence Bloods coming from? What, are you going to extract it right in front of them? Before you can extract anything, the Ancestral Witches will beat me flat. The system responded in a displeased yet slightly sneering tone. Use it if I give it to you. The Ancestral Witches have not even been born yet... Anyway, it will not be extracted from them on the spot.

"That is precisely what I wished for, though I dared not ask!" Xuan Wazi immediately agreed with a beaming smile. "To cooperate with the Witch Tribe is this humble Daoist's good fortune. Ancestral Witch Houtu, rest assured, this humble Daoist will certainly do his utmost to refine more and better pills, helping the Witch Tribe's people strengthen their bodies!"

The two of them promptly reached a rough agreement for cooperation. Houtu promised to notify the various settlements and have them collect the specified spiritual materials for Xuan Wazi, while Xuan Wazi was to provide a certain quantity and quality of pills at regular intervals.

Watching Ancestral Witch Houtu's steady yet faintly hopeful figure depart, Xuan Wazi weighed the Mysterious Yin Stone in his hand and revealed a meaningful smile.

"Who would have thought? A little side business would actually connect me with the Ancestral Witches. Looks like this will not only solve my debt problem, but also give me much more confidence to fish in troubled waters during the Witch-Demon Great Tribulation... ah, no, to act according to circumstance."

He could practically see vast quantities of Witch Tribe spiritual materials and Unfilial Points rolling toward him. And from that moment on, the karmic entanglement between him and the Witch Tribe—the greatest force in the Primordial World—would only deepen further.