Chapter 7

At that thought, Li Peng's eyes blazed with fighting spirit. Only with opponents could the years be free of loneliness. He was already looking forward to crossing blades with those Primordial Great Powers.

Five hundred years later, Nuwa finished her lecture.

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

"Fellow Daoist Nuwa, your talent is truly extraordinary. You actually comprehended the Law of Creation while still in the Daluo Realm!" Li Peng praised.

"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist. Since you can sense the fluctuations of law around me, I imagine you too have already touched the realm of laws?" Nuwa replied with a smile.

Li Peng merely smiled without speaking, tacitly admitting it.

Seeing that Li Peng did not deny it, Fuxi and Nuwa raised their assessment of him by another degree. Anyone who could touch the realm of laws in the Taiyi Realm possessed exceptional talent and limitless potential.

When they had first formed an alliance with Li Peng, they had valued his deep fortune. Now that they learned he had also comprehended laws, they became even more certain that their original choice had been correct.

Nuwa and Fuxi exchanged a glance. Fuxi stepped forward and said, "I shall speak next."

"Alright." Li Peng nodded.

Fuxi's expression turned solemn, and a clear Dao voice flowed from his lips:

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

Li Peng was shaken upon hearing this. In later generations, Fuxi would prove his Dao and become a saint through Trigrams, yet at this time, he was comprehending the Way of Destiny.

Could it be that Fuxi had long seen that he could never achieve perfection in the Way of Destiny, which was why he used the Witch-Demon Calamity to reincarnate and cultivate anew, ultimately becoming a Supreme Saint?

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

Li Peng shook his head and stopped dwelling on it, focusing on Fuxi's lecture. The future was still uncertain. Besides, now that he, this butterfly, had appeared, whether Fuxi and Nuwa would still join the Heavenly Court had become an unknown as well.

Fuxi and Nuwa rolled their eyes at him in unison, thinking, Why are we like this? Don't you know perfectly well?

Seeing their expressions, Li Peng knew he could no longer pretend to be oblivious. He said, "It seems the two of you have gained greatly this time. Fellow Daoist Fuxi in particular has actually touched the Law of Destiny."

Fuxi and Nuwa both smiled at his words.

"I must thank Fellow Daoist Li for your guidance through your lecture. Otherwise, who knows when I would have comprehended the Law of Destiny?" Fuxi said with a smile.

"No need to be polite. Didn't you both lecture for me as well?" Li Peng waved his hand.

The two exchanged another silent glance and sighed inwardly. Their lectures had been utterly ordinary, while Li Peng's lecture had caused Heavenly Flowers to rain down and golden lotuses to spring from the earth, producing countless wondrous phenomena. How could they possibly be compared?

Seeing their expressions, Li Peng sighed softly and said, "My two fellow Daoists, I have remained here for fifteen hundred years. It is time for me to leave."

Fuxi and Nuwa were both startled.

"Why are you leaving in such a hurry, Fellow Daoist Li? Have Nuwa and I shown you some discourtesy?" Fuxi asked.

Li Peng waved his hand in explanation. "Not at all. I simply wish to continue traveling through the Primordial World and broaden my horizons. If you two have the time, why not travel with me?"

Nuwa and Fuxi were quite tempted, but remembering that they had yet to sort through what they had gained from the lectures, they ultimately found it difficult to accompany him.

"We have benefited greatly from listening to Fellow Daoist Li's lecture, and we still need to organize our insights. I fear we cannot travel with you this time," Fuxi said regretfully.

Nuwa's expression also darkened at those words.

Seeing this, Li Peng consoled them. "You need not dwell on it. There will be plenty of time in the future. If it is inconvenient this time, I can invite you two along on my next journey."

Fuxi and Nuwa's expressions eased somewhat.

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

Time passed swiftly, and three hundred years went by in the blink of an eye.

Li Peng finally arrived at the foot of Buzhou Mountain.

Just as he paused, a rough voice suddenly rang out. "Who dares trespass ahead? This is my, Zhu Rong's, territory!"

Li Peng was startled inwardly. He had not expected to encounter Ancestor Witch Zhu Rong immediately after descending the mountain, and Zhu Rong's tone was clearly unfriendly.

He turned around warily and saw a burly man flying toward him from the front right.

In an instant, the burly man arrived before him. He stood over three zhang tall, with a robust physique, resolute features, bristling whiskers, and an imposing aura.

Xi Zi: He had a human face and a bird-like body, green snakes hanging from his ears and red snakes coiled around his hands. He was the Ancestor Witch who commanded lightning.

She Bi Shi: He had a human head and a beast's body, dog-like ears, and green snakes hanging beside his ears. He was the Ancestor Witch who governed the weather.

I regard this form as the Ancestor Witches' True Form, so do not be surprised that the Zhu Rong I write appears as a burly man.

The reason I did not use their legendary appearances was that, if I followed the old descriptions, the appearances of Ancestor Witches Houtu and Xuan Ming would also be difficult to behold.

Standing before Zhu Rong, Li Peng looked as small as a child.

Your true bodies are enormous, fine, but why did you have to be so tall even after taking human form? he muttered inwardly.

"Hey, brat! This ancestor witch is speaking to you. Are your ears broken?" Zhu Rong's tone was filled with impatience.

Li Peng was taken aback, then looked at him in astonishment.

He had never imagined that he had only just met Fuxi and Nuwa, only to encounter another Ancestor Witch moments later. What kind of luck was this?

Could it be because he had refined Pangu's Essence Blood that he kept running into members of the Wu Clan?

Though his thoughts raced, he still had to answer.

Otherwise, with Zhu Rong's fiery temper, a conflict would likely erupt at any moment.

Although Li Peng was confident that he could easily defeat a single Ancestor Witch, there were twelve Ancestor Witches in total.

Unless he deliberately wanted to be foolish, he had no desire to become enemies with the entire Wu Clan.

"My name is Li Peng. I was traveling through the Primordial World and happened to pass by this place. I did not know this was Wu Clan Territory. I hope Ancestor Witch Zhu Rong will forgive me," Li Peng said with a smile.

But Zhu Rong showed no appreciation and instead pressed him aggressively. "I don't care what your name is! Since you dared trespass into my, Zhu Rong's, territory, you clearly have no respect for me. Today, I will teach you a lesson."

Li Peng was completely speechless. He had explained himself so clearly, yet Zhu Rong still insisted on fighting. He was simply unreasonable and overbearing.

Just as he was considering what to do, a fierce gust of wind suddenly swept toward him.

Without even looking, Li Peng swayed and vanished from where he stood.

Only after steadying himself did he see that Zhu Rong had actually launched a sneak attack.

It turned out that when Zhu Rong saw Li Peng fail to respond, he had thrown a straight punch at him.

When his punch missed, Zhu Rong was not angered but laughed instead.

"Brat, you're pretty fast! Today, let's battle for three hundred rounds!"

Li Peng felt helpless upon hearing this. Who wants to fight you? There's no benefit in winning, and losing would be even worse. Whoever wants this kind of trouble can take it. I'm not doing it!

With a shift in thought, he planned to slip away directly.

Just as Li Peng was preparing to flee, the system's notification sounded in his mind.

"Ding! The host's current situation has been detected. Please make a choice!"

"Choice one: Flee without fighting and willingly become a coward!

Reward: Ninja Turtle Set! Note: It will be equipped automatically after selection and cannot be removed for one hundred thousand years!"

"Choice two: Regardless of the opponent's background, if they dare provoke you, beat them up first!

Reward: One million years of cultivation, mastery-level Thirty-Six Heavenly Transformations! Skill proficiency levels: Beginner, Proficient, Mastery, Perfected, Return to Simplicity!"

"Choice three: Regardless of the opponent's backing, if they dare offend you, take their life!

Reward: Ten million years of cultivation, one drop of Pangu's Essence Blood!"

"Please make your choice as soon as possible!"

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

What Ninja Turtle Set? He had no interest in that!

It would equip itself automatically? And he could not take it off for one hundred thousand years?

He did not even have the strength to complain.

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

Next, his gaze fell on choice two.

This option was not bad. He only had to beat Zhu Rong up, and the reward was quite generous.

He currently lacked means to fight enemies, and the Thirty-Six Heavenly Transformations could solve that problem perfectly.

As for choice three?

Li Peng gave it one look and discarded it.

The reward was tempting, but he had to live long enough to claim it.

Leaving aside whether he could kill Zhu Rong, even if he truly could, he would not dare.

Once he killed Zhu Rong, he would become enemies with the entire Wu Clan.

More importantly, once Zhu Rong died, what would the Wu Clan use to resist the Demon Clan's Grand Formation of the Stars?

At that point, if the Demon Clan became dominant and the Great Trend of the Heavenly Dao was altered, Li Peng would probably be struck to death by heavenly punishment before the Wu Clan could even kill him.

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

Though he could abandon the choice entirely, one million years of cultivation and mastery-level Thirty-Six Heavenly Transformations were simply too enticing.

Having made up his mind, Li Peng said to the system without hesitation, "I choose option two!"

Having made his decision, Li Peng no longer hesitated and threw a punch toward Zhu Rong as well.

Zhu Rong burst into laughter at the sight. "Good brat! You actually dare meet me head-on. You've got guts!"

Before his words had even faded, his fist came whistling toward Li Peng.

Boom!

The two fists collided with an earthshaking crash.

Where the force of their punches reached, the ground within ten thousand meters collapsed dozens of meters.

The shockwave surged outward and swept across a million meters, destroying every blade of grass and tree.

The once beautiful landscape became a barren wasteland in an instant.

"Not bad! You actually managed to take one of my punches!" Zhu Rong laughed. "Now I'm getting serious!"

With that, he threw another punch with his left fist.

Li Peng thought to himself, As expected of an Ancestor Witch. His physical body is comparable to a High-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure.

It will be difficult to win through physical strength alone. But what if I add three layers of Yin-Yang Law?

A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes, and black-and-white qi appeared around his fist.

Li Peng's fist, containing the Yin-Yang Law, collided with Zhu Rong's once more.

Amid a thunderous crash, Zhu Rong was sent flying backward and smashed deep into the ground.

Earth and stone scattered everywhere, instantly forming a massive pit.

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

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

The rocks melted into lava, and waves of heat swept in every direction.

Boom!

Another thunderous crash rang out as the three-hundred-thousand-zhang Ancestor Witch True Body appeared.

He had a beast's head and a human body, crimson scales like fire, fire snakes hanging from his ears, and fire dragons beneath his feet.

Roar—!

The heaven-shaking roar sent magma soaring into the sky.

Li Peng hurriedly circulated his mana and formed a protective barrier, barely avoiding the splattering lava.

"He has even revealed his Ancestor Witch True Body. It seems he is truly getting serious!"

Li Peng's expression suddenly turned cold as he said disdainfully, "Since you're serious, I no longer need to hold back either."

Before his words had faded, Yin-Yang Qi surged wildly around him, while dense black-and-white radiance emerged over his skin. He was clearly preparing to unleash his unique divine ability.

In no more than an instant, his power had gathered.

"Yin and Yang generate each other, yet also restrain each other—Innate Yin Yang Destruction Divine Light, appear!"

A dazzling black-and-white pillar of light shot forth in response, twisting as it blasted toward Zhu Rong.

Sensing the destructive aura contained within the beam, Zhu Rong's expression immediately turned grave. This attack made him feel a lethal threat.

He took a deep breath, and the flames around him converged upon him like countless rivers flowing into the sea. In the blink of an eye, a million-zhang fire dragon coiled into existence, shielding him tightly within it.

The instant the fire dragon took shape, the Yin-Yang Destruction Divine Light crashed down.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The divine light and fire dragon collided violently, erupting with earthshaking explosions. Sparks scattered in all directions, and everything they touched was incinerated.

Yet the stalemate lasted only a moment before the fire dragon began to lose ground beneath the divine light's grinding force, dissolving at a visible speed.

Ninety-nine zhang, ninety zhang, sixty zhang... Within only a few breaths, more than half the fire dragon had been erased.

Veins bulged on Zhu Rong's forehead as the muscles across his body twisted violently. He was clearly preparing a desperate counterattack.

Just as he gathered his strength, the fire dragon protecting him was finally shattered completely by the divine light.

Though nearly half the divine light's power had been expended, its remaining force was still as fierce as ever as it rushed directly toward Zhu Rong's face.

"Break!"

Zhu Rong roared and threw a punch, his crimson fist crashing fiercely into the remaining divine light.

Amid deafening thunder, the radiance of his fist collided violently with the divine light. The glow around Zhu Rong's fist gradually dimmed, cracks spreading along his arm as magma-like blood poured out.

In the end, the fist's radiance dispersed completely, and the black-and-white divine light engulfed Zhu Rong whole.

His miserable screams continued to ring out from within the curtain of light, sending chills down the spine.

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

This was all within Li Peng's expectations, but the excited gleam in Zhu Rong's eyes left him puzzled. Zhu Rong had clearly been beaten into such a sorry state, yet he appeared exceptionally thrilled.

Could he have masochistic tendencies?