The Witch-Demon Calamity

With this thought, Li Peng's eyes ignited with fervent fighting spirit. Life without rivals is lonely. He had already begun to anticipate the moment he would clash with the great powers of the Primordial Era.

Five hundred years later, Nuwa's lecture concluded.

Li Peng and Fuxi awoke from their enlightenment one after another.

"Fellow Daoist Nuwa truly possesses extraordinary talent, comprehending the Law of Creation while still in the Grand Unity realm!" Li Peng exclaimed in admiration.

"You flatter me, fellow Daoist. Since you can sense the fluctuations of the Law within me, you must have also touched upon the realm of Laws, have you not?" Nuwa replied with a smile.

Li Peng smiled without speaking, implicitly agreeing.

Seeing Li Peng's non-denial, Fuxi and Nuwa's appraisal of him increased further. Those who could touch upon Laws while in the Taiyi Realm were all exceptionally gifted individuals with boundless futures.

Initially, they allied with Li Peng because they valued his profound Destiny; now, learning that he had also comprehended Laws, they were even more certain that their choice was correct.

Nuwa and Fuxi exchanged a glance. Fuxi stepped forward and said, "It's my turn to lecture next."

"Alright," Li Peng nodded in agreement.

Fuxi's expression turned solemn, and a clear Daoist voice emanated from his mouth:

"The Way of Destiny: Heaven's Mandate is Nature; Following Nature is the Way; Cultivating the Way is Teaching. The Dao, one cannot be separated from it for even an instant..."

Upon hearing this, Li Peng's heart trembled. In later generations, Fuxi would achieve Sainthood by proving his Dao with Trigrams. Yet, at this moment, he was comprehending the Way of Destiny.

Could it be that Fuxi had long seen his own inability to perfect the Way of Destiny, and thus, he used the Witch-Demon Calamity to reincarnate and cultivate anew, ultimately achieving Supreme Sainthood?

If all of this had been within his calculations from the start, then Fuxi's mind was truly unfathomable.

Li Peng shook his head, no longer dwelling on it, and focused on listening to Fuxi's lecture. The future was uncertain, and with his appearance as a butterfly, whether Fuxi and Nuwa would still join the Heavenly Court became a question mark.

Hearing Li Peng's words, Fuxi and Nuwa both rolled their eyes in unison, thinking, "Why are we like this, don't you know in your heart?"

Seeing their expressions, Li Peng knew he couldn't feign ignorance any longer. He spoke, "It seems both fellow Daoists have gained a great deal from this lecture, especially fellow Daoist Fuxi, who has actually touched upon the Law of Destiny."

Upon hearing this, Fuxi and Nuwa both smiled.

"I must also thank fellow Daoist Li for your enlightening lecture; otherwise, I don't know when I would have comprehended the Law of Destiny," Fuxi said with a smile.

"No need for pleasantries; didn't you both lecture for me as well?" Li Peng waved his hand.

The two silently exchanged another glance, sighing inwardly: Their lectures were unremarkable, while Li Peng's lecture had caused heavenly flowers to rain down and golden lotuses to spring from the earth, with myriad unusual phenomena. How could they be compared?

Seeing their expressions, Li Peng sighed lightly and said, "Fellow Daoists, I have been here for fifteen hundred years. It is time for me to depart."

Fuxi and Nuwa were both taken aback.

"Why the hurried departure, fellow Daoist Li? Have fellow Daoist Nuwa and I been negligent in any way?" Fuxi inquired.

Li Peng waved his hand to explain, "Not at all. It's just that I wish to continue traveling the Primordial Era to broaden my horizons. If you two have the time, why not accompany me?"

Nuwa and Fuxi were quite tempted, but considering they had not yet fully processed what they had learned from the recent lectures, they ultimately could not agree.

"Listening to fellow Daoist Li's lecture has been immensely beneficial, and I still need time to sort through my insights. I fear I cannot accompany you on this journey," Fuxi said regretfully.

Hearing this, Nuwa's expression also turned somber.

Seeing this, Li Peng comforted them, "Don't worry about it, fellow Daoists. There will be plenty of time in the future. Since it's inconvenient this time, I'll invite you both to travel with me on the next occasion."

Fuxi and Nuwa's expressions softened slightly upon hearing this.

After bidding farewell to the two, Li Peng left the Blessed Land directly and headed outside Buzhou Mountain.

Time flowed like a river, and three hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.

Li Peng finally reached the foot of Buzhou Mountain.

Just as he paused, he suddenly heard a rough voice ring out, "Who goes there, trespassing? This is the territory under my jurisdiction, Zhu Rong!"

Li Peng's heart jolted. He hadn't expected to encounter Ancestor Witch Zhu Rong immediately after descending the mountain, and his tone was quite unfriendly.

He turned around warily and saw a burly man approaching from the front right.

In an instant, the burly man was before him. He was over three zhang tall, with a powerful physique, a resolute face, a bristling beard, and an imposing aura.

Xi Zi: His face was human-like, his body like a bird's. Green snakes hung from his ears, and a red snake coiled around his hand. This was the Ancestor Witch who controlled lightning.

She Bi Shi: He had a human head and a beast's body, with dog-like ears. Green snakes hung by his ears. This was the Ancestor Witch who governed the weather.

I consider this form to be the true form of the Ancestor Witch, so do not be surprised that my depiction of Zhu Rong is that of a burly man.

The reason I do not adopt the legendary appearances is that if I were to follow the old tales, the appearances of Ancestor Witches Houtu and Xuan Ming would also be difficult to behold.

Standing before Zhu Rong, Li Peng's figure was as small as a child's.

It's one thing for your true forms to be enormous, but why do you have to be so tall even after shapeshifting? he couldn't help but mutter inwardly.

"Hey, kid! I'm talking to you, Ancestor Witch! Are your ears deaf?" Zhu Rong's tone was impatient.

Li Peng was startled and then looked at the other party with surprise.

He had never expected to meet an Ancestor Witch so soon after meeting Fuxi and Nuwa. What kind of luck was this?

Could it be because he had refined Pangu's Essence Blood that he kept encountering members of the Witch Clan?

Despite his thoughts racing, he still had to respond.

Otherwise, given Zhu Rong's fiery temper, conflict might erupt at any moment.

Although Li Peng was confident he could easily defeat an Ancestor Witch, there were twelve of them in total.

Unless he intended to act foolishly, he would never dare to make an enemy of the entire Witch Clan.

"Greetings, I am Li Peng. I was traveling through the Primordial Era and passed through this area. I was unaware this was the Witch Clan's territory. I hope Ancestor Witch Zhu Rong will forgive me," Li Peng said with a smile.

Zhu Rong, however, showed no sign of appreciation and instead became aggressive. "I don't care who you are! Since you dare to trespass on my territory, you clearly don't have me in your eyes. Today, I will teach you a lesson."

Li Peng was utterly speechless. He had explained himself so clearly, yet Zhu Rong insisted on fighting. It was simply unreasonable.

As he was contemplating this, a gust of wind suddenly struck.

Without even looking, Li Peng's figure flickered, vanishing from his original spot.

When he stabilized himself, he saw that Zhu Rong had launched a surprise attack.

It turned out that Zhu Rong, seeing Li Peng's lack of response, had thrown a punch directly at him.

Missing his target, Zhu Rong laughed instead of getting angry.

"Kid, your speed isn't bad! Let's fight three hundred rounds today!"

Li Peng felt a wave of helplessness upon hearing this. He thought to himself, Who wants to fight you? There's no benefit in winning, and even more to lose if I lose. Whoever wants this troublesome business can have it, I'm not doing it!

With a shift in his thoughts, he decided to simply slip away.

Just as Li Peng was preparing to flee, the System's prompt suddenly sounded.

"Ding! Detected your current predicament. Please make a choice!"

"Choice One: Flee without fighting, be a coward! Reward: Ninja Turtle Set! (Note: Automatically equipped after selection, cannot be removed for one hundred thousand years!)"

"Choice Two: Regardless of the opponent's background, since they dare to provoke me, I'll beat them up first! Reward: One million years of Magic Power, Mastered Thirty-Six Heavenly Transformations! (Skill Proficiency Levels: Beginner, Proficient, Mastered, Perfected, Return to Original!)"

"Choice Three: Regardless of the opponent's backing, since they dare to offend me, I will take their life! Reward: Ten million years of Cultivation, one drop of Pangu's Essence Blood!"

"Please make your choice quickly!"

Li Peng glanced at the options and immediately ruled out the first one.

What Ninja Turtle Set? He didn't care for it!

Automatically equipped? Unable to remove for one hundred thousand years?

He was speechless.

This System was clearly forcing him to confront Zhu Rong head-on.

Next, his gaze fell upon Choice Two.

This option was good. He would only beat up Zhu Rong, and the reward was quite generous.

He was currently lacking in combat methods, and the Thirty-Six Heavenly Transformations could solve this problem.

As for Choice Three?

Li Peng gave up after just one look.

While the reward was tempting, he had to be alive to claim it.

Let alone whether he could kill Zhu Rong, even if he could, he wouldn't dare.

Killing Zhu Rong would mean making an enemy of the entire Witch Clan.

More importantly, if Zhu Rong died, how would the Witch Clan resist the Demon Clan's Grand Formation of the Stars?

If the Demon Clan became dominant and the Heavenly Dao's grand trend was altered, Li Peng might be struck down by Heavenly Punishment before the Witch Clan could even deal with him.

After analyzing the pros and cons, Li Peng realized he could only choose the second option.

Although he could choose to forgo a choice, the one million years of Magic Power and Mastered Thirty-Six Heavenly Transformations were too enticing.

Having made his decision, Li Peng said to the System without hesitation, "I choose two!"

Having made his decision, Li Peng no longer hesitated and also threw a punch to meet Zhu Rong's.

Zhu Rong laughed heartily upon seeing this. "Good kid! You dare to go head-to-head with me, you've got guts!"

Before his voice even faded, his fist whistled through the air.

"Boom!"

The two fists collided, erupting in a deafening roar.

The surrounding ground within ten thousand meters collapsed dozens of meters as the shockwave spread.

The air currents surged, sweeping across a million meters, destroying all vegetation.

The once beautiful scenery instantly turned into a barren wasteland.

"Not bad, you managed to take one of my punches!" Zhu Rong laughed. "Next, I'm getting serious!"

With that, he thrust out his left fist again.

Li Peng mused, As expected of an Ancestor Witch, his physical body is as strong as a High-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure.

It's difficult to win with the physical body alone. What if I add three layers of Yin-Yang Law?

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and black and white energies appeared on his fist.

The fist, imbued with the Yin-Yang Law, collided with Zhu Rong once more.

Amidst a deafening roar, Zhu Rong was sent flying backward, smashing deep into the ground.

Earth and stone flew, instantly forming a deep pit.

"Zhu Rong is quite skilled at digging," Li Peng chuckled.

Before his words could fade, the ground suddenly trembled, and flames erupted.

Rocks turned into lava, and waves of heat swept in all directions.

"Boom!"

Another massive sound echoed as the Ancestor Witch's true form, thirty thousand zhang tall, appeared.

It had a beast's head and a human's body, with scales like fire, fire snakes dangling from its ears, and fire dragons beneath its feet.

"Roar--!"

The earth-shattering roar stirred up a sky full of lava.

Li Peng quickly channeled his magic power to form a shield, narrowly avoiding the splashing molten rock.

"He's even revealed his true form. It seems he's getting serious!"

Li Peng's expression suddenly turned cold, and he said dismissively, "Since you're serious, I don't need to hold back anymore."

As his voice fell, the Yin-Yang Qi around him surged madly, and a rich black and white radiance appeared on his skin. It was clear he was about to unleash his unique spiritual power.

In just an instant, his power was fully charged.

"The Yin and Yang give birth to each other, and also destroy each other—Innate Yin Yang Destruction Divine Light, appear!"

A dazzling beam of black and white light shot out, coiling as it headed towards Zhu Rong.

Zhu Rong sensed the destructive aura contained within the beam and his expression immediately turned solemn. This attack made him feel a fatal threat.

He took a deep breath, and the surrounding flames converged towards him like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea. In the blink of an eye, a million-zhang fire dragon coiled out, protecting him firmly.

The moment the fire dragon took shape, the Yin Yang Destruction Divine Light arrived with a roar.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The divine light and the fire dragon collided fiercely, erupting with earth-shattering roars. Sparks flew, and everything in their path was incinerated.

However, the stalemate lasted only a moment before the fire dragon began to retreat under the divine light's assault, dissolving at a visible rate.

Ninety-nine zhang, ninety zhang, sixty zhang... In just a few breaths, more than half of the fire dragon had been annihilated.

The veins on Zhu Rong's forehead bulged, and his muscles writhed violently, clearly preparing for a desperate counterattack.

Just as he was gathering his strength, the protective fire dragon was finally shattered by the divine light.

Although the divine light's power had been reduced by nearly half, its remaining force was still as sharp as ever, heading straight for Zhu Rong's face.

"Break!"

Zhu Rong roared and threw a punch, his crimson fist fiercely meeting the residual divine light.

Amidst the deafening roars, the fist's energy and the divine light clashed violently. The radiance on Zhu Rong's fist gradually dimmed, cracks spread along his arm, and lava-like blood gushed out.

Finally, the fist's energy dissipated completely, and the black and white divine light engulfed Zhu Rong.

Piercing screams continuously emanated from the light barrier, sending chills down one's spine.

When the light faded, a giant, covered in blood, staggered into view.

All of this was within Li Peng's expectations, but the excited glint in Zhu Rong's eyes puzzled him. Despite being beaten so badly, Zhu Rong seemed unusually thrilled.

Does he have a masochistic tendency?