Chapter 32

He had nearly injured the three of them just now. If he had truly harmed disciples of the Saints, the Witch Clan would inevitably become enemies with the Three Pure Ones, and he would become a sinner of the clan.

That would be me. Tai Cang calmly admitted it, then pointed to the two beside him. "These two are the direct disciples of the Chan Sect and the Jie Sect, respectively."

Cihang and Wudang immediately stepped forward and bowed upon hearing this. "Cihang of the Chan Sect greets the Great Witch."

"Wudang of the Jie Sect greets the Great Witch."

At those words, even more cold sweat beaded on Hou Yi's forehead. Tai Cang alone was already someone to fear, and now there were two more direct disciples of Saints. He hastily put away his bow and arrows, stepped forward, and asked, "May I ask why the three esteemed disciples of the Saints have come to our Witch Clan?"

Though he respected and feared their identities, Hou Yi remained vigilant. He had to ascertain their intentions.

Whew—Cihang and Wudang secretly let out breaths of relief. Faced with Hou Yi's longbow, their nerves had been taut all along. The two of them looked at Tai Cang at the same time. "Please explain our purpose, fellow Daoist." "Please explain our purpose, Junior Brother."

Though they were disciples of Saints, their cultivation was still shallow, and they could not help feeling nervous at this moment.

Tai Cang agreed and drifted gracefully before Hou Yi, where he bowed. "We have come under the orders of the Three Pure Ones Sages to deliver a letter to the Ancestral Witches. We hope that Great Witch will grant us passage."

Understanding flashed through Hou Yi's eyes. "So that is the case. Since you are envoys of the Saints, please follow me. The Ancestral Witches are currently discussing matters in Pangu Hall. I shall take you there at once."

With that, he turned and led the way.

"Thank you, Great Witch." The three exchanged smiles and followed close behind.

Along the way, members of the Witch Clan constantly greeted him enthusiastically:

"Great Witch Hou Yi!"

"Let's drink together tonight, Great Witch!"

"My archery has improved again. Another day, I hope Great Witch can give me some pointers!"

Cihang and Wudang could not help but sigh. "Great Witch Hou Yi truly has the people's support."

"He actually holds such prestige within the clan."

Tai Cang, however, remained silent. Looking at the approachable Hou Yi, he inwardly sighed. What a pity. This deeply beloved Great Witch would ultimately become a discarded pawn in the calamity and could not escape the fate of death.

"We have arrived, you three," Hou Yi said, stopping in his tracks.

Hou Yi suddenly stopped and pointed at the majestic palace in the distance. "I will report to the Ancestral Witches now. Please wait here for a moment."

"Sorry to trouble you." Tai Cang and the other two composed themselves and cupped their hands together.

Before long, Hou Yi returned from Pangu Hall and said to the three, "The Ancestral Witches wish to see you. Follow me."

The three followed Hou Yi into Pangu Hall. A towering platform stood inside, and atop it rested a mysterious stone coffin. On either side of the platform sat twelve figures over a hundred zhang tall. Their imposing gazes made Cihang and Wudang scarcely dare to breathe.

Tai Cang, however, remained calm as he carefully examined the legendary Twelve Ancestral Witches:

Dijiang resembled a yellow sack, crimson as fire, with six legs and four wings.

Goumang was green as bamboo, with a human face and bird's body, riding twin dragons.

Zhurong had a beast's head and human body, wore fiery scales, and stood atop a fire dragon.

Rushou had a human face and tiger's body, wings growing from his back and golden snakes piercing his ears.

Gonggong had a python's head and human body, stood atop a black dragon, and had a green python coiled around his arms.

Cangming was covered in bone spines, fierce and terrifying.

Houtu had a human body and serpent tail, with nine arms holding snakes.

Qiangliang had a tiger's head and human body, with a thunder serpent clenched in his mouth.

Zhu Jiuyin possessed a crimson dragon body and controlled time.

Tianwu had eight heads, a tiger's body, and ten swaying tails.

Xizi had a human face and bird's body, holding an electric serpent.

Shebishi had a beast's body and human face, with green snakes hanging from his ears.

So these were the Twelve Ancestral Witches whose might shook the primordial world! Tai Cang marveled inwardly. Feeling the stirrings in his bloodline, a bold thought suddenly emerged in his mind: if he could obtain Ancestral Witch essence blood, perhaps he could break through his own limitations.

"Are you the envoys sent by the Three Pure Ones?" Dijiang's booming voice echoed through the hall. Hou Yi had already withdrawn to the side. Under the pressure of the Ancestral Witches, Cihang and Wudang trembled, while Tai Cang alone stared straight at the Twelve Ancestral Witches with blazing eyes.

Even as disciples of Saints, they lacked confidence when facing the fierce Twelve Ancestral Witches and found it difficult to remain composed.

These two were still too young.

They looked as though they had never seen the world.

Tai Cang took it all in and silently judged them. Then he stepped forward, cupped his hands, and bowed. "Tai Cang of Cang Gate greets the Ancestral Witches!"

"The three of us have come under the orders of the Three Pure Ones Sages to deliver a letter. Please examine it, Ancestral Witches."

With a thought, Tai Cang took out the jade talisman Laozi had given him.

"That's right, I came under orders as well!"

"So did I!"

Cihang and Wudang snapped awake as if from a dream and hurriedly took out the jade talismans that Yuanshi and Tongtian had given them.

Buzz—

Buzz—

In an instant, the three jade talismans shone brilliantly.

The three jade talismans rose into the air, swiftly converged, and then released the aura of the Three Pure Ones.

The entire Pangu Hall trembled.

The stone coffin atop the platform quivered slightly and split open along a crack, from which scarlet mist leaked out.

"Impudence!"

The Twelve Ancestral Witches immediately reacted. With an enraged shout, overwhelming innate turbid energy surged forth and struck at the three jade talismans.

Crack—

The jade talismans shattered at once, and the aura of the Three Pure Ones that had ravaged Pangu Hall dissipated.

At the same time, three voices rang out. "Ancestral Witches, ten thousand years from now, at the center of Buzhou Mountain, each side shall send ten people to compete. The victor may claim the other side's Pangu's Destiny."

"As descendants of Pangu, we remind you that the baleful energy of heaven and earth is growing denser and the calamity is approaching. Make preparations early."

As the voices faded, the voices of the Three Pure Ones vanished, and the three jade talismans turned to powder that scattered across the floor.

"Three Pure Ones!"

The enraged voices of the Twelve Ancestral Witches echoed throughout the hall.

They had no mind to heed the Three Pure Ones' warning. Instead, they controlled the innate turbid energy to seal the crack in the stone coffin again. Then they said to Hou Yi, "Hou Yi, personally escort Tai Cang and the others out of the Witch Clan."

"If they dare linger, kill them without mercy."

"By your command, Ancestral Witches!"

Hou Yi stepped forward upon receiving the order. After bowing to the Twelve Ancestral Witches, he glared at Tai Cang and the other two. "You three, leave. The Witch Clan does not welcome you."

Upon hearing that, fear deepened on Cihang and Wudang's faces.

They could clearly feel the Twelve Ancestral Witches' hostile stares and the intense killing intent emanating from Hou Yi.

"We'll leave at once!"

"We're leaving immediately!"

The two spoke in quick succession and hurriedly turned toward the hall's exit. Whether they were truly afraid or simply unwilling to stay after completing their task was unclear.

Hou Yi snorted coldly and cast the two a disdainful glance before turning to Tai Cang. "Fellow Daoist, please."

"Wait."

Tai Cang shook his head and pointed at Wudang and Cihang as they hurried away. "Fellow Daoist Hou Yi, escort them out first. I still have matters to discuss with the Twelve Ancestral Witches."

"Hm?!"

Hou Yi froze, then his killing intent surged. Innate turbid energy churned around him as he said coldly, "Fellow Daoist Tai Cang, do not fail to appreciate kindness."

"Even if you are of Cang Gate, if you are killed here, the Three Pure Ones would not dare wage war against the Witch Clan."

Tai Cang's expression did not change in the face of Hou Yi's threat.

He calmly shrugged and turned his gaze toward the Twelve Ancestral Witches, who were still dealing with the stone coffin. "Ancestral Witches, what I wish to say concerns the survival of the Witch Clan. Do you not wish to hear it?"

At those words, the expressions of all Twelve Ancestral Witches changed slightly.

Their gazes turned toward Tai Cang in unison as they silently weighed the credibility of his words. The hall instantly fell deathly silent.

Tai Cang showed no fear. Once he confirmed that Cihang and Wudang had moved far away from Pangu Hall, he immediately activated the Grand Clarity Bright Jade Body.

"This is..."

The Twelve Ancestral Witches simultaneously sensed the fluctuations of Pangu's aura emanating from Tai Cang. After exchanging glances, they all nodded.

"Hou Yi!"

Dijiang gave the order in a deep voice. "Escort the other two from the Witch Clan's territory. If they refuse, kill them without mercy."

"By your command!"

Though Hou Yi did not understand why the Ancestral Witches were keeping Tai Cang behind alone, he did not dare disobey. He cupped his hands and bowed before quickly leaving the hall.

Once Hou Yi had left, Dijiang stared at Tai Cang and demanded, "Who exactly are you? That is clearly the aura of Pangu bloodline."

"When did someone like you, bearing Pangu bloodline, appear in the primordial world besides the Three Pure Ones and our Witch Clan? And what exactly did you mean by what you said earlier?"

The sharp commands of Zhu Jiuyin and the other Ancestral Witches suddenly rang out. In an instant, surging innate turbid energy enveloped the stone coffin, extinguishing every trace of scarlet light.

After completing the seal, the Ancestral Witches let out long breaths and returned to their seats to regulate their breathing. Clearly, the stone coffin had consumed a great deal of their vital energy.

"Ancestral Witches."

Tai Cang took a step forward and said calmly, "I do indeed possess Pangu bloodline, though it is not as pure as that of the Three Pure Ones or yourselves."

"However, every word I said earlier was true. As the Three Pure Ones Sages said, the calamity of heaven and earth is approaching, and the Witch Clan, as one of the rulers of the primordial world, will bear the brunt of it."

"The only force capable of contending with the Witch Clan is the Demon Race. The Witch Clan and Demon Race have fought bloody battles for ages and accumulated deep grievances. Another war is unavoidable."

"In ancient times, the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans also ruled the primordial world. Surely I need not say more about how they ended."

At those words, the hall fell silent. The Ancestral Witches who were regulating their breathing all became solemn. They naturally understood Tai Cang's meaning—if even those three mighty clans had declined, how could the Witch Clan be exempt?

"Tai Cang."

Dijiang abruptly rose to his feet, his body shrinking into a brawny man three meters tall. He strode over to Tai Cang and said gravely, "What do you seek, and what can you bring to the Witch Clan?"

Seeing Dijiang speak so directly, Tai Cang rejoiced inwardly, though his expression remained composed. "I seek two drops of Ancestral Witch essence blood—one drop from Dijiang and one from Zhu Jiuyin."

This was a decision he had carefully considered. Whether or not the essence blood could advance his bloodline, the laws of space and time contained within it were immensely valuable.

This saying was widely spread throughout the primordial world.

If he could obtain the Law of Space and the Law of Time, his strength would surely soar by leaps and bounds.

More importantly, once he mastered those laws, he could use the system's power to instantly raise them to their peak. At that point, the power of the laws he wielded might even surpass that of the Ancestral Witches.

Most crucially, time and space might be fused—

The Law of Space-Time!

That was Tai Cang's true goal.

It was said that the Law of Space-Time could transcend the dimensional barriers of time and space, even breaking through the obstruction of the River of Destiny. If he mastered it, perhaps he could travel through the past and future.

"Arrogant!"

Dijiang sneered and looked down at Tai Cang. "You dare covet Ancestral Witch essence blood? You wish to use it to enhance your bloodline, do you not?"

"As expected of one with Pangu bloodline, your ambition is not small. But as I said, what can you bring to the Witch Clan?"

"What right do you have to take these two drops of Ancestral Witch essence blood from us?"

"Do you think that because you bear Pangu bloodline, we would not dare kill you?"

Before his words had even faded, Dijiang's killing intent surged, pressing down on Tai Cang like a tidal wave. Such undisguised murderous intent left no doubt that he might strike at any moment.

There was hope!

Faced with such pressure, Tai Cang was not afraid. Instead, he rejoiced inwardly.

To him, Dijiang's murderous display was nothing more than a bluff. Dijiang did not truly care about the loss of two drops of essence blood. What he truly cared about was whether Tai Cang could offer an opportunity to resolve the Witch Clan's predicament.

"I can help Great Witches advance into Ancestral Witches!"

"I can also help ordinary Great Witches break through into peak Great Witches."

Tai Cang revealed his trump card without hesitation.

With the Grand Clarity Alchemy Technique, he could completely refine Ancestral Witch essence blood into pills. After dilution, the essence blood within the pills could be rapidly absorbed by Great Witches, greatly increasing their strength.

"What!"

"Help Great Witches break through? That is impossible!"

"Our Witch Clan advances solely through bloodline power. How could cultivators have a solution?"

Startled cries rang out as the Ancestral Witches present all changed expression.

In an instant, one Ancestral Witch after another rose from their seats, shrinking to heights of two or three meters before crossing the distance in several strides and stopping before Tai Cang. "Tai Cang, is this true?"

"Do you know the consequences of your words?"

"Think carefully before answering. If you dare deceive us, we will ensure your body and soul are destroyed!"

The Ancestral Witches could not help but be excited.