The Witch Tribe and Demon Clan's first all-out war finally came to a temporary halt after nearly a hundred years, like two battered beasts pausing their savage tearing at each other.
The radiance of the Great Zhou Heavenly Stars dimmed, and gloomy demon clouds hung over the Heavenly Court. Outside the South Heaven Gate, countless demon soldiers and generals supported one another as they dragged their broken bodies back into the Heavenly Court. Within Lingxiao Palace, Di Jun's face was as dark as water. Taiyi silently wiped the Malevolent Energy from the Chaos Bell, Fuxi lowered his head in calculation, while Kunpeng's eyes flickered as he schemed over something unknown.
Although the Demon Clan had not lost this battle, they could hardly call it a victory. More than thirty percent of their elite forces had fallen. More importantly, the shadow of their rejected Heavenly Marriage still hung over every demon's heart, making this "draw" especially stifling.
In the direction of Mount Buzhou, Pangu's Phantom slowly faded, and the Malevolent Energy soaring into the heavens gradually receded. The Witch Tribe warriors carried their comrades' corpses back to their respective tribes in silence. Though they were incomparably fierce and possessed powerful bodies, they had still paid a terrible price beneath the Great Zhou Heavenly Star Array. Many Great Witches had suffered severe wounds and would need long years to recover.
Across the entire Primordial World, devastation stretched as far as the eye could see, with mountains and rivers shattered. Blessed Lands once brimming with spiritual qi had become broken ruins; the vast lands that had once teemed with life were now left with nothing but scorched earth and bloodstains. Dense tribulation energy filled heaven and earth like heavy storm clouds, foretelling that this conflict was far from over and had merely entered an even more terrifying period of dormancy.
Meanwhile, the greatest "winner" of this opening act of the Great Tribulation was currently lounging in his Carefree Residence, one leg crossed over the other as he hummed an unknown tune. A light screen floated before him, densely listing the gains from this trip.
"Let's see what good stuff I managed to scoop up this time..." Xuan Wazi rubbed his hands together and began counting excitedly.
Inside the Chaos Bead, the specially opened "storage area" had already been expanded three times.
· Spirit Materials Area: Treasure light gleamed brightly, and spiritual qi pressed heavily against the senses. There were as many as twenty-five newly added pieces of Innate Spirit Materials, encompassing every conceivable attribute: Ninth Heaven Clear Wind Essence, Nine Nether Profound Yin Iron, Essence of Wutu, Fire Essence Marrow, Western Geng Metal, Eastern Yi Wood... The dazzling collection was enough to drive any master artifact refiner mad. Acquired Spirit Materials, various demon beasts, and the Witch Tribe's unique sinew-and-bone materials were piled into mountains, radiating immense vitality and energy fluctuations.
· Spiritual Treasure Area: Though there were not many top-tier treasures, the quantity was quite considerable. There was the damaged high-grade Acquired Spiritual Treasure, the Nine-Feather Fan, with dual wind and fire attributes; the mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Cold Chi Sword, which carried the laws of cold ice; the low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Mysterious Tortoise Shell Shield, with astonishing defensive power; and several Acquired Spiritual Treasures with unusual functions, such as the Bewitching Bell, Earth-Escape Shuttle, and Blood-Transforming Saber. It was enough to arm a small force.
· Resource Map: Eleven newly marked spiritual vein nodes had been added, all of excellent quality. In particular, the "Earth Heart Fire Vein" exposed when a Great Witch of the Zhurong Tribe clashed with a Demon Clan expert contained pure Innate fire spirit power. Whether for cultivating fire-type divine abilities or refining fire-attributed magic treasures in the future, it was an exceptionally rare treasure ground.
[Ding! Evaluating completion of the limited-time battlefield mission "Chestnuts from the Fire"...] [Evaluation complete! Exceeded expectations with perfect completion! Spirit Materials acquired: 25/10, spiritual veins marked: 11/5, Grand Unity Golden Immortals enraged: 6/3! (Host, you really are a bastard.jpg)] [Mission rewards issued: Houtian Merit × 200,000 strands! Unfilial Points +200,000!] [Additional reward, for exceptional troublemaking and survival ability: Special item "Myriad Transformations Art" (Divine Ability Jade Slip; can alter your aura and appearance within a limited range without needing a mask, offering greater flexibility).]
"Myriad Transformations Art? Good stuff!" Xuan Wazi happily picked up the Jade Slip emitting a soft white glow. "It'll be much more convenient to do bad things in the future... Ahem, I mean, to carry out secret missions!"
He impatiently sent his divine sense into the Jade Slip, and an arcane stream of information immediately flooded into his mind. This divine ability was indeed exquisite. Though it could not perfectly imitate another person's aura like that mysterious mask, it was flexible, versatile, and consumed very little energy. It truly was a practical auxiliary skill.
[Myriad Transformations Art learned successfully! Current proficiency: Beginner.]
After learning the new skill, Xuan Wazi's playful nature stirred, and he immediately used it. His face blurred and shifted, at times becoming Hong Yun's honest and simple appearance, at times taking on Tongtian's sharp and imposing look. He could even imitate three or four parts of Nuwa's noble and graceful bearing.
"Interesting, truly interesting!" Xuan Wazi played to his heart's content. Only after quite a while did he reluctantly return to his original appearance and summon his updated status panel.
[Host: Xuan Wazi (Great Dao Anomaly, Wielder of the Chaos Bead)] [Foundation: Primordial Grade Foundation: Primordial Dao Body (Spiritual qi affinity MAX, cultivation speed MAX, comprehension MAX, naturally possesses Primordial Dao Rhyme, immune to all techniques... In short, you'll never leak qi again.)] [Realm: Late-stage Hunyuan Golden Immortal (Comprehending Fragments of the Great Dao of Strength)] [Arts and Divine Abilities: Nine Revolutions Primordial Profound Art, Spatial Folding, basic Time Acceleration/Deceleration, Myriad Transformations Art (Beginner), Chaos Bead Derived Divine Abilities (concealment, suppression, spatial storage, obscuring heavenly secrets)] [Magic Treasures: · Chaos Supreme Treasure: Chaos Bead (68% refined) · Innate Supreme Treasure: God-Slaying Spear (Malevolent Energy contained, sharpness gradually revealed) · Innate Spiritual Treasures: Eight Trigrams Furnace (a great helper for alchemy), Stealth Cloak (an invisibility divine tool), Cold Chi Sword, Mysterious Tortoise Shell Shield, and too many others to list. · Innate Spiritual Root: Five Needle Pine sapling (brimming with vitality and growing splendidly)] [Spirit Material Resources: Innate Spirit Materials · Vast Quantities (richer than a religious sect), Acquired Spirit Materials · Vast Quantities (piled up like mountains), Innate Spiritual Vein Markers ×121, Potential Spiritual Root Markers ×23, Special Region Markers ×15] [Special Items: Pangu's Essence Blood ×1 (the power contained within makes one's heart tremble), Primordial Violet Qi ×1 (deeply sealed, occasionally emitting Dao Rhyme)] [Unfilial Points: 2,060,000] (Suddenly rich!) [Merit: Houtian Merit: +200,000 strands] [Note: Host has successfully plucked the first great harvest from the opening battle of the Witch-Demon Great Tribulation. Resource reserves and Unfilial Points have reached new highs, making you a true "Great Tribulation parasite"... Ah, no, a "surfer of tribulation fortune." Please guard against arrogance and impatience, continue striving, and aim to achieve a magnificent transformation from "surfer" to "mastermind behind the scenes" in the next wave!]
Looking at the dazzling numbers and the array of treasures on the panel, Xuan Wazi sighed in satisfaction. This feeling of others fighting to the death while he made a fortune behind the scenes was simply wonderful.
His gaze lingered on the "Houtian Merit" entry as he quickly calculated in his heart. "Two hundred thousand strands of Houtian Merit... Going by the system shop's blackhearted exchange rate, it takes a hundred strands of Houtian Merit to exchange for one Unfilial Point? What a rip-off! Two thousand points isn't little, but compared to the value of the merit, it's still a loss!"
He curled his lip. Though he found the exchange rate outrageously unfair, he still issued the system an order under the principles of "leaving no grain behind" and "running a thrifty household."
"System Bro, exchange all two hundred thousand strands of Houtian Merit that just arrived for me!"
[Ding! Consumed 200,000 strands of Houtian Merit. Unfilial Points exchanged: 2,000.] [Current Unfilial Points: 2,062,000.] [Merit: Houtian Merit: 0.]
"Tch, better than nothing." Xuan Wazi watched the points increase by a negligible amount and shrugged. He understood that Houtian Merit was mainly useful for refining treasures, increasing the success rate of cultivation, offsetting Karmic Debt, and other such purposes. Exchanging it directly for points was indeed not worthwhile. Heavenly Dao Merit was even more valuable, with ten points exchangeable for one Unfilial Point, but it was also extremely difficult to obtain. He could not bear to exchange it casually.
After taking stock of his gains, Xuan Wazi's gaze gradually deepened. He rose and walked to the window, looking toward Mount Buzhou. Though the flames of war there had already died down, dense tribulation energy still blanketed heaven and earth.
"This was only an appetizer. The Witch Tribe and Demon Clan haven't exhausted their foundations yet. The real decisive battle is still ahead." Xuan Wazi toyed with the God-Slaying Spear, feeling its restless thirst for blood. "The next part should be Nuwa creating humanity and Houtu transforming into reincarnation, right?"
He recalled his earlier Dao discussions with Nuwa and his cooperation with Houtu. He should probably go offer Nuwa some guidance when she created humanity and gain a little merit. As for that ancestral witch, she had left a completely different impression on him from the other ancestral witches—more composed, more... compassionate? If she truly walked that path, should he intervene? And how?
Xuan Wazi pondered for a long time before finally shaking his head. "Forget it. Things will work themselves out when the time comes. It's still too early to think about this. The urgent matter is improving my strength."
His smile faded as he immersed his mind in deeper comprehension of the Nine Revolutions Primordial Profound Art and the Myriad Transformations Art. On this great chessboard of the Primordial World, the pieces were resting and regrouping, while he, this "not-being-a-person" who had stepped outside the board, needed to make every preparation for his next move.
The calm was only temporary. Xuan Wazi could feel an even greater storm silently brewing. This time, he would not merely be a spectator. He would become... the one who moved the pieces!
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