Houtu's gaze seemed to pierce through the churning, endless waves of the Blood Sea and filth, teeming with filth and slaughter.
Each surge of the Blood Sea was like the silent cry of countless dead souls, striking her compassionate and virtuous heart. The heavy pull not only did not weaken, but became unbearably hot with the eerie scene of the Minghe Establishing a Religion and the Golden Light of Merit being imprisoned, almost setting her soul ablaze.
"After death, where does the soul go...?"
The Daoist aura emanating from Qing Huan, like the first ray of light at the Primordial Chaos, took root, sprouted, and grew wildly in her heart.
She finally understood what was calling to her from the depths of the Blood Sea —the restless souls of countless beings who had perished since the beginning Primordial Wilderness time!
They wander between heaven and earth, suffering from the torment of Gale Wind and the erosion of resentment. In the end, they either return to nothingness, are swallowed by the Blood Sea, or become vengeful spirits, becoming the source of the lingering gloom and calamities between heaven and earth.
This boundless drifting and sinking is the greatest flaw in the Primordial Heavenly Dao, the deepest lament of the operation of heaven and earth!
A sense of compassion and responsibility, originating from the very essence of the earth, weighed heavily on her shoulders like Buzhou Mountain, yet carried a sense of inevitability, as if it were a destiny.
However, just as this grand ambition was about to burst forth, a cold shadow suddenly enveloped her mind. The Witch Clan!
The bloodline of the Father God Pangu, the Twelve Ancestral Witches, brothers and sisters who fought side by side and shared life and death!
She is the Earth Ancestral Witch, the cornerstone that supports the foundation of the Witch Clan on the land.
If she were to reincarnate and fill the void in this world, it would mean that she would be forever separated from the Witch Clan.
The war between the Witch and Demon King and the Lich King has reached its climax, with both sides gathering strength and awaiting the earth-shattering final battle.
Without her, the Ancestral Witch who controlled the power of the earth, the Twelve Divine Fiend Array could no longer condense a complete Pangu True Body Phantom... The outcome was almost predictable—under the Demon Clan's Great Formation of the Stars, the Witch Clan's destruction was only a matter of time.
On one side is the final destination of countless creatures in the Primordial Wilderness and the restoration of the order of heaven and earth; on the other side is the close-knit clan with blood ties, sharing honor and disgrace.
This choice was like two divine axes, cleaving fiercely at Houtu's soul. Her body trembled slightly, and her gaze at the sea of the Blood Sea was filled with unprecedented struggle and pain.
It was as if we could see the future: the warriors of the Witch Clan tragically perished under the attack of the Demon Clan, which resembled a falling star, their blood flowing like rivers.
It was as if I could see countless wandering souls wailing at the Edge of the Sea of Blood, being swallowed by the turbid waves, never to be freed.
Two kinds of tearing pain surged and collided in her chest, almost ripping her apart.
Her slender fingers clenched unconsciously, her knuckles turning white from the force, her fingertips digging deep into her palms, yet she felt no pain. She only felt as if a boulder was blocking her chest, each breath heavy and sluggish. The churning of the sea of the Blood Sea, to her now, seemed to be mixed with the roars of her people and the cries of the dead, each sound piercing her ears, each word stabbing her heart.
At this critical moment, when her mind was almost overwhelmed by despair and guilt, Houtu's fingertips unconsciously touched her forehead.
A barely perceptible warmth emanated from her fingertips, like a gentle current quietly flowing beneath the frozen surface of a river. This slight touch, however, was like a Heaven-Opening that cleaved the fog of confusion in her mind!
"Buzz!"
A tremendous, soul-deep roar, which only she could "hear," suddenly resounded.
A power, entirely different from the brute force of the Ancestral Witch's essence blood, and far more profound and mysterious, awakened and surged within her!
That's...? The primordial spirit?!
Originating from the most essential gift from the Father God Pangu when Heaven-Opening, it is a spiritual light that transcends bloodline and points directly to the origin of the Great Dao! Ever since that wisp of the Great Dao's true words in the Pangu Hall were imprinted in her heart, this seed has been quietly gestating. However, she has long been immersed in the body of the Ancestral Witch and the supernatural powers of her bloodline, and has never truly examined this hidden power!
At this critical juncture, at this most difficult moment concerning the very existence of heaven and earth, the race, and the self, the spiritual light belonging to the primordial spirit has finally been fully ignited!
In an instant, boundless rain of wisdom poured into my heart, and my confusion and struggle melted away like snow.
A clear line of Karma became incredibly transparent under the illumination of her primordial spirit.
Houtu, though the Ancestral Witch of the Witch Clan, is also a product of the essence and blood of the Father God Pangu, and a part of this Primordial Wilderness world! Protecting the world created by Pangu and maintaining its order is the fundamental meaning of her existence, the Dao imprinted in the deepest part of her primordial spirit!
This responsibility transcends the limitations of blood ties and reaches the very source of the Great Dao.
The guilt and sorrow of the Witch Clan's defeat because of her still remained, but they could no longer become shackles to stop her. The awakening of her primordial spirit made her see clearly that behind that heavy responsibility was a grander Heavenly Mandate —to open up an eternal home for all living beings in the Primordial Wilderness world, to make the cycle of heaven and earth complete, and to let the world opened by the Father God truly move towards order and peace!
"My path has been completed!"
The last trace of confusion in Houtu's eyes vanished completely, replaced by an unprecedented clarity and resolve.
It is a light of enlightenment that transcends life and death and transcends ethnic groups; it is great compassion and great responsibility reflected in the primordial spirit!
Without further hesitation, she took a step forward, and her figure instantly appeared at the core of the Blood Sea, the most filthy place, and also the place closest to the power of the origin of heaven and earth—the Eye of the Netherworld Sea of Blood!
Beneath their feet churned crimson foam, exuding a pungent, fishy stench and a monstrous aura of malevolent resentment; above them hung a dark, murky, and ghostly sky.
She stood proudly in this extremely evil place, yet her figure appeared incomparably holy. Her clothes fluttered without wind, and a vast, compassionate, profound, and all-encompassing will rose from her, instantly overwhelming the clamor and filth of the Blood Sea. It was as if this filthy world was awaiting her judgment.
Houtu took a deep breath, and that breath seemed to draw power from the entire Netherworld, causing the Blood Sea to pause slightly.
Head held high, gaze piercing through endless space and time, his voice, though not loud, carried a power that shook the heavens and reached the very source of the Great Dao; each word resounded like a great bell, echoing throughout the Primordial Wilderness.
"The Great Dao is above! Father God Pangu bears witness!"
Ordinary Innate Deities swear oaths to the Heavenly Dao, but Houtu at this moment directly invokes the Great Dao and the name of Pangu! What a spirit and determination this is!
"I am Houtu, the Earth Ancestral Witch, formed from the Pangu's Essence Blood!"
She spoke the origin of the story, her voice solemn and dignified.
"Now I feel that all living beings in the Primordial Wilderness have a place to come from, but no way to return after death! Since immeasurable Tribulation ago, all living beings have perished, and their souls have nowhere to rely on, or they wander in the world, suffering endless hardships."
They may sink into the Blood Sea, forever condemned to hell; or their Malevolent Qi may transform into demons, wreaking havoc on all living beings! This is the greatest tragedy of heaven and earth, the greatest deficiency of order, and the root cause of countless Tribulation of Calamity Qi!
She lamented the current situation, her words dripping with sorrow, and across the Primordial Wilderness, countless wandering souls seemed to be moved, echoing her cries of anguish and hope.
"I inherit the blessings of my Father God who created the heavens, and wield the power of the earth's bounty. Today, in this Netherworld Sea of Blood, I understand my destiny!"
Her voice suddenly rose in pitch, carrying an unwavering resolve and a sense of sacrifice:
"I, Houtu, am willing to transform myself into the cycle of reincarnation! My Ancestral Witch body shall be the Foundation of Reincarnation! My bloodline and essence shall evolve the order of the six realms of reincarnation!"
I give everything I have to this! I do not seek life, nor do I seek survival, but only to create a pure land after death for the countless beings of the Primordial Wilderness, to establish an order of reincarnation, so that the soul has a place to return to, the spirit has a place to rely on, Karma continue, and good and evil are rewarded accordingly!
The cycle of heaven and earth begins here! The Great Dao never ceases, and reincarnation continues forever!