"Oh?"
Houtu frowned slightly, her face showing clear doubt and a deeper sense of inquiry.
"What insightful opinion do you have, fellow Daoist? Could it be... that you can truly resolve the long-standing feud and blood feud Witch and Demon Races, which has accumulated for billions of years?"
It must be understood that this resentment and hatred have penetrated deep into the blood and marrow, and cannot be resolved by words alone.
Qing Huan did not answer directly. His gaze slowly swept over the magnificent, mysterious Hall of Reincarnation, the final destination of all living beings in the Primordial Wilderness world, and he said meaningfully:
"Houtu Daoist Houtu, now that you have merged with the Netherworld, taken control of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, established the Underworld, and become the supreme ruler of this realm."
Then, have you never considered... finding a true path, one sufficient to perpetuate your bloodline and preserve your civilization, for your people, for the entire Witch Clan?
For example, how about moving them all into this Underworld?
He paused briefly to give Houtu time to think before continuing his detailed explanation:
"Fellow Daoist, please take a look. Your Underworld is newly established. Although the structure is complete and the laws are in place, in order for it to operate smoothly and handle the trillions of souls that pour in from the Primordial Wilderness every day, it needs a large number of reliable and capable people."
Judges, Yama, ghost generals, underworld soldiers—each with their own duties... how many vacant positions are there in the Divine Duty?
This place is your supreme Dao Field; the rules are set by your will, and the order is carried out by your decree."
The voice carried a persuasive power:
"As long as the descendants of the Witch Clan are willing to enter the Underworld and assume these Divine Duty that maintain the cycle of reincarnation, they can perform their duties diligently and maintain order."
Over time, as the Heavenly Dao accumulate merit, they will naturally sense it and bestow corresponding Merit. This power of Merit is perfectly just and righteous, infinitely mysterious, and most effective in suppressing chaotic and impure energy.
As long as Merit are profound enough, they can naturally and gradually cleanse the Chaos Killing Intent inherent in the descendants of the Witch Clan, which originates from the Father God Pangu.
Once Merit has accumulated to a certain level, let alone those exceptionally gifted great witches, even Ancestral Witch like Gou Mang, Gonggong, and Zhurong could, with their immeasurable Merit, wash away the shackles of evil energy and condense a pure and flawless primordial spirit—it would not be impossible at all!
Qing Huan's gaze returned to Houtu's face, his tone becoming more serious:
"At that time, the biggest weakness of the Witch Clan, which is that they do not understand the Heavenly Dao, do not comprehend the laws, and do not know the celestial destiny, and can only rely on their bloodline supernatural powers to fight and cultivate, will no longer exist!"
Having a primordial spirit allows one to comprehend the Heavenly Dao, deduce its laws, cultivate primordial spirit techniques, and even... like you, fellow Daoist, glimpse the Hunyuan Dao Fruit!
This is the true path that will allow the Witch Clan to transcend their current predicament and reach a higher level... the Great Dao to Tongtian!
Houtu listened, her expression gradually darkened.
Her pride as Ancestral Witch, her attachment to the Primordial Earth, and her instinctive aversion to "retreat" made her strongly resist Qing Huan's proposal.
Her tone carried obvious displeasure, even a hint of offended anger:
"What do you mean by this, Fellow Qing Huan? Do you want my Witch Clan to retreat without a fight, to voluntarily abandon the primordial land that was created by Father God Pangu, the Primordial Earth gave me birth and nurtured me, to give up the struggle for the position of Protagonist of Heaven and Earth, and to cower like a loser in this dark and sunless Netherworld, where only the dead are accompanied?"
We, the Witch Clan, inherit the legacy of our Father God Pangu. We were born here, grew up here, fought against heaven and earth, and would rather die than surrender!
This is the spirit and backbone of our people! How can we... how can we abandon it all because of a few words from a fellow Daoist?
"Otherwise what?"
Qing Huan was not moved by Houtu's anger. Instead, he smiled lightly, a smile that carried a hint of worldly wisdom and a subtle, almost imperceptible mockery.
She took a small step forward, her voice low, yet each word struck Houtu's heart like a hammer, attempting to shake her unwavering belief:
"Even if, I mean even if! In the next Tribulation battle, your Witch Clan is fortunate enough to defeat the Demon Clan, and even... kill Di Jun, Tai Yi, and many Demon Saints."
Do you believe that the Heavenly Dao, which sits high above the nine heavens, governs the Primordial Wilderness order, and regards all things as straw dogs, would truly recognize and allow the Witch Clan to become the 'Protagonist of Heaven and Earth' in the next era of this Primordial World?
Without waiting for Houtu's reply, she continued her analysis, her words sharp and incisive:
"First of all, the fundamental point is that the Witch Clan is born without cultivating the primordial spirit, without comprehending the Heavenly Dao, and only venerates Pangu, without respecting the Heavenly Dao."
This is a fundamental difference in their paths and stances; in the eyes of Heavenly Dao, this is itself a form of 'unruly' and 'anomaly'.
"Secondly, the Witch Clan multiplied and grew to maintain its strong fighting power, mainly by feeding on the billions of creatures in the Primordial Wilderness."
While the law of the jungle (survival of the fittest) is one of the Primordial Wilderness laws, does such behavior align with the long-term evolution of Heavenly Dao universe, the transmission of civilization, and the construction of a stable and harmonious order?
The Way of Heavenly Dao is impartial and also seeks development. How can a race that only destroys and devours, but knows nothing of creation and education, bear the Luck of Heaven and Earth and become the protagonist?
"As for the demon race..."
Qing Huan chuckled softly, his gaze carrying the same scrutiny he held for the other party.
"I'm sure you, fellow Daoist, are well aware of the nature of the demon race. Di Jun and Tai Yi are ambitious and want to establish a supreme Demon Court to rule over all the heavens."
The demons under their command are also diverse in type and quality, and they act just as domineeringly and ruthlessly, even more so than the Witch Clan in their practice of the law of the jungle.
If such a demon race were to rule the world and establish an order based solely on bloodlines and the survival of the fittest, peace would be difficult to maintain for long, and it would certainly not be what the Heavenly Dao desires."
His gaze seemed to pierce through the Palace of Reincarnation, piercing into that preordained future, his tone carrying an undeniable certainty:
"Therefore, in my humble opinion, the conflict between the Witch and Demon, regardless of who wins or loses on the surface, is ultimately nothing more than a lose-lose situation. It is the way of Heavenly Dao using you to weaken each other, and in the end... it will only benefit those lurking in the shadows or those who seem to be detached from the world."
This is the essence of the Tribulation, and also a means of maintaining the balance of the Heavenly Dao.
At this point, Qing Huan changed the subject again, looking intently at Houtu, his tone becoming extremely solemn, even carrying a hint of a promise:
"However, the path I just mentioned can change all of this! As long as you, Houtu, lead the main body of the Witch Clan to voluntarily move into the Underworld and make Great Dao vow to never again appear in the world to compete for the position of Protagonist of Heaven and Earth of the Primordial Wilderness world, you will voluntarily withdraw from this game that is destined to have no winners."
"Then, I, Qing Huan, may make this promise to you here today—"
Each word, spoken slowly and deliberately, echoed like the clash of metal, reverberating throughout the vast hall. "I will exert all my strength to assist the Ancestral Witch Gou Mang, under the Luck and boundless Merit, to attain the Hunyuan Saint Dao Sage status!"
These words struck Houtu like a thunderclap! Helping the Houtu Ancestral Witch achieve sainthood?!
What an astonishing promise! Since the Heaven-Opening, apart from the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, no one has ever been able to "help" another become a saint! Even the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Jieyin, Zhunti, and even Houtu herself, all had countless coincidences and immense sacrifices on their path to sainthood.