Qing Huan tactfully stopped before the hall doors and did not barge in rashly.
To the Witch Clan, Pangu Temple was the core of their Ancestral Land, more important than their very lives.
Before long, a thunderous boom rang out as the heavy temple doors slowly opened.
A scorching, violent aura rushed forth. A figure strode out, bare-chested, with muscles knotted like coiling dragons and serpents. His fiery crimson hair seemed to blaze, and he was none other than Ancestral Witch Zhurong!
His blazing eyes swept over Qing Huan like something tangible, filled with undisguised scrutiny and suspicion.
"You're Qing Huan, the one who went to listen to the Dao with my younger sister Houtu?"
Zhurong's voice boomed like a great bell, his tone hostile.
"I heard... you have a way to solve my Witch Clan's Primordial Spirit problem?" The violent fire aura around him seemed ready to erupt at any moment.
Qing Huan remained calm. Meeting Zhurong's gaze, he replied coolly,
"That's right. I have some ideas, but..."
Qing Huan raised his eyes slightly and swept his gaze across the empty mountaintop.
"Ancestral Witch Zhurong, are you sure you want to discuss such a Heaven-defying method of changing fate here?"
"Hmph! Sharp-tongued brat!"
Zhurong snorted coldly, the disdain in his eyes deepening.
"Don't try any tricks! You'd better truly have a solution."
"Otherwise..." He took a step forward, flames rising around him in phantom shapes, his threat unmistakable.
"Today, you can forget about leaving Pangu Temple unharmed!"
Deep down, Zhurong scoffed at Qing Huan's claims.
Even the Dao Ancestor and the Sages could do nothing about this. Could a mere Dao listener have a solution? He only thought Qing Huan was deceiving his younger sister.
Houtu hurriedly said from the side,
"Brother Zhurong! Let Fellow Daoist Qing Huan finish!"
Zhurong stared at Qing Huan for a long while before finally snorting and stepping aside.
"Come in! Let us see what brilliant argument you have!" With that, he turned and strode into the temple.
Qing Huan took a deep breath and followed closely behind, stepping through the enormous temple gates, ancient and weathered, as though they bore the marks of the Primordial Wilderness's Heaven-Opening.
Boom—!
The instant he entered Pangu Temple, an indescribably terrifying pressure descended like an invisible mountain made real!
The pressure was filled with the power of Heaven-Opening and an endless, vast will, unimaginably heavy.
Though Qing Huan was a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, his bones crackled, his blood surged, and his Primordial Spirit trembled. He was nearly forced to his knees, unable to move an inch!
Though Great God Pangu had perished, the remnants of his will and the might of his Heaven-Opening were still this formidable!
Qing Huan's heart chilled as he secretly marveled,
"As expected of Great God Pangu, who transformed into all things! Even the lingering might of his will after death is enough to resist a Grand Unity Golden Immortal!"
Enduring the vast, abyss-like pressure, he steadied his mind and faced the towering, indistinct phantom of a giant deep within the temple—a statue or perhaps a heart.
He called out loudly,
"Great God Pangu above! This junior, Qing Huan, has entered this place today not to offend you.
I only seek a sliver of heavenly opportunity to help the descendants of your bloodline—the Witch Clan—complete the regret of their Primordial Spirits and prove the Great Dao!
This junior comes with utmost sincerity and harbors no ill intent. I beg Great God to withdraw your lingering might!"
His voice echoed through the empty, ancient temple, carrying solemnity and earnestness.
The moment his words fell,
The terrifying pressure that seemed capable of crushing stars rapidly receded like the tide and vanished without a trace.
The temple remained filled with an ancient, desolate aura, but it no longer targeted Qing Huan.
Qing Huan immediately felt his body lighten, yet his heart grew even more uncertain. A trace of chill even passed through him.
"Pangu's Will... can actually respond? Could it be... that Great God's True Spirit still retains some form of awareness?"
He shook his head slightly, casting aside that shocking thought.
"Forget it. Since I have entered the temple, I should focus on the matter at hand."
After calming himself, he followed Zhurong, his figure gradually disappearing into Pangu Temple.
Within Pangu Temple, the dense baleful aura was black as ink, like surging waves that had taken tangible form. It rolled endlessly, exuding a heart-palpitating presence, nearly solidifying into substance.
At the very center stood a towering statue of Pangu, ten thousand zhang high, as though it could hold up Heaven and Earth.
The statue stood upon a green lotus, as if recounting the sanctity of Pangu's Heaven-Opening.
The massive axe in its hand gleamed with icy cold light, as though it still retained the supreme power it had possessed during Heaven-Opening.
The entire statue was lifelike, perfectly displaying Pangu's imposing and domineering expression...
The other ten Ancestral Witches sized Qing Huan up, while Di Jiang's eyes burned with intense battle intent.
"Great God Pangu above, this junior Qing Huan pays his respects."
As he spoke, Qing Huan respectfully bowed three times before Pangu's statue.
Pangu had transformed into all things, and that included his own true form, the Innate Banana Tree.
Without Pangu's Heaven-Opening, how could there be an Innate Banana Tree?
Qing Huan's heart was filled with genuine admiration and reverence for Pangu.
"Hmph, Fellow Daoist Qing Huan, you've paid respects to Father God's statue. Now tell us how you plan to help our Witch Clan complete our Primordial Spirits!
If you can't explain yourself today, you'll stay in the Witch Clan as nourishment!"
Di Jiang clenched his fists, and the baleful aura around him suddenly shook as he spoke without any courtesy.
"Fellow Daoist Di Jiang, it seems your temper is still as fiery as ever.
I was only able to enter Pangu Temple after receiving your Father God's approval.
Even if you don't believe me, you should at least believe in your Father God, shouldn't you?"
Dealing with the Witch Clan had always been difficult. Qing Huan had long been mentally prepared; only by invoking Pangu could he make these Ancestral Witches think more clearly.
"Big Brother, I think Fellow Daoist Qing Huan's words make sense.
Since Father God has acknowledged him, I believe he must have a way to help us Ancestral Witches complete our Primordial Spirits."
Zhu Jiuyin furrowed his brows, his gaze flickering as though weighing the pros and cons of Qing Huan's words. After pondering for a while, he spoke.
"Fine! Fellow Daoist Qing Huan, hurry and tell us! As long as it works, what does it matter if the Witch Clan owes you a great Karma?"
Di Jiang also felt that Qing Huan and Zhu Jiuyin had made some sense.
"Good. Since the Ancestral Witches are all so straightforward, I won't hide anything either."
Qing Huan smiled, glanced around at the Twelve Ancestral Witches, and continued,
"You Twelve Ancestral Witches were born with your True Spirits corrupted by Turbid Qi, which is why you cannot cultivate Primordial Spirits.
However, you were formed from Pangu's Essence Blood and were born with the Great Dao Merit of Heaven-Opening.
If you are willing to concentrate your Merit upon one or two individuals, you can completely eliminate the baleful aura from those one or two people."
The moment Qing Huan finished speaking, Zhu Jiuyin fell into thought. After a moment, he slowly asked,
"Then after the baleful aura is removed, can they continue cultivating within the Witch Clan?
After all, the baleful aura within Pangu Temple is far too dense. Will it have any further effect?"
After all, the entire Witch Clan cultivated using baleful aura. If they remained in the Witch Clan after removing it and cultivated there, what if the baleful aura entered their bodies again?
The other eleven Ancestral Witches had initially found Qing Huan's words quite plausible, but after hearing Zhu Jiuyin's question, they could not help growing worried as well.
"Everyone, don't worry. I haven't finished speaking. Since I brought this up, I naturally have a solution."
Before you continue