She looked at Gou Mang, her eyes filled with struggle and questioning.
Gou Mang remained silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, his voice hoarse but firm:
"Houtu, Qing Huan... what you say is true. The Witch Clan needs a future."
If my sacrifice can buy me Thread of Life, or even a Sage from the Witch Clan, then it will be worth it."
Houtu closed her eyes, two lines of tears sliding down her cheeks. Finally, she nodded with difficulty, her voice filled with endless weariness and bitterness:
"... Very well! I, Houtu, on behalf of the Witch Clan, agree to withdraw from the competition for the protagonist of the Primordial Wilderness Protagonist of Heaven and Earth. I hope you... will keep your word!"
"Nature."
Qing Huan nodded, then turned his gaze to Gou Mang and said loudly:
"Gou Mang, you possess the Tongtian Jianmu that reaches the heavens, a spiritual root of heaven and earth, capable of Tongtian and supporting the universe!"
Why not emulate the Great God Pangu and replace Buzhou Mountain with Jianmu to support this Primordial Wilderness world!
Furthermore, with your Ancestral Witch body, containing the fundamental laws of the physical body, you can repair the laws of the Primordial Wilderness Earth Law damaged by the great war! This is an act of unparalleled Merit!
Upon hearing this, not only Houtu Gou Mang, but also the Three Pure Ones who were supporting the sky, the Two Saints of the West who were watching from the sidelines, and Nuwa all showed surprise.
To support the heavens with one's own body and Innate Spiritual Root? Such courage and sacrifice...
Just as the Six Saints of the Heavenly Dao were still digesting this proposal, discussing its feasibility and how to find and persuade Gou Mang—
Gou Mang laughed loudly, his laughter carrying a sense of relief, resolve, and a trace of remembrance and reverence for his Father God.
Without further hesitation, he took a step forward and arrived at the center of the torrent beneath the gaping hole in the sky.
It manifested its Ancestral Witch True Body, with a human body and a snake tail, surrounded by azure light, and surging with endless vitality and the laws of wood.
At the same time, a phantom tree shadow, exuding an ancient and majestic aura, emerged from behind him and quickly solidified; it was none other than the Innate Spiritual Root — the Tongtian Jianmu!
Gou Mang's gaze swept across the shattered primordial Primordial Wilderness, over the sorrowful Houtu and Jiu Feng, and finally up to the broken sky. His voice, like a resounding bell, echoed throughout the universe, and he swore an oath directly to the Great Dao and the Pangu's Will in the darkness:
"Father God above! The Great Dao bears witness! I, Gou Mang of the Pangu Clan, am willing to emulate Father God's will to Heaven-Opening, and sacrifice this mortal body to protect the Primordial Wilderness created by Father God!"
"I will use the Innate Spiritual Root, the Tongtian Jianmu, to replace Buzhou Mountain, to support heaven and earth, and to stabilize the Earth, Water, Fire, Wind!"
"With the physical body and fundamental laws of the Ancestral Witch, I will mend the wounds of the Primordial Wilderness world, stabilize the mountains and rivers, and nourish all living beings!"
"If heaven and earth are not mended, the Primordial Wilderness will not be stable, my body will not exist, but my soul will not perish! I beseech the Father God and the Great Dao to witness this grand vow!"
Boom!!!
The moment the oath was uttered, the entire Primordial World trembled!
A tragic, vast, and awe-inspiring will surged from Gou Mang's body, drawing upon the Pangu's Legacy and the rules of the Great Dao!
"Gou Mang!"
"Brother!"
Houtu and Jiu Feng burst into tears and tried to rush forward, but were pushed away by an invisible, immense force.
Even the Six Saints of the Heavenly Dao were moved.
Yuanshi Tianzun looked at that resolute figure, for the first time, a genuine look of admiration appeared in his eyes for this Ancestral Witch whom he had always regarded as "wearing fur and armor, Creatures Born of Wetness and Eggs, and ignorant of the will of Heaven."
Such sacrifices, for the survival of the Primordial Wilderness and for the future of the people, are truly heroic!
"Buzz--"
Driven by Gou Mang and inspired by his vow, the Tongtian Jianmu burst forth with an unprecedentedly brilliant blue light!
The tree trunk grew wildly, its roots plunging deep into the shattered earth like writhing dragons, drawing upon the Chaos Qi and the earth's essence to transform into boundless vitality.
The tree canopy extends rapidly toward the collapsed hole in the sky, its branches and leaves stretching out as if to support the entire heavens!
Meanwhile, Gou Mang's Ancestral Witch True Body began to dissipate little by little during the growth of the Jianmu tree, transforming into the purest light points of the physical body's fundamental laws, like countless green stars, merging into the Primordial Earth below.
Wherever it passed, the land ravaged by floods and eroded by evil energy began to come back to life, broken mountains began to heal, and collapsed ley lines began to revive.
The Jianmu tree supports the sky, and its body transforms into all things!
This tragic scene deeply shocked all the survivors.
Countless powerful figures lamented, both admiring Gou Mang's sacrifice and lamenting that the final glory of the Witch Clan had ended in such a way.
The Heavenly River Water were blocked and diverted by the ever-growing trunk of the Jianmu tree, greatly reducing their impact.
The three Sages who held up the heavens immediately felt the pressure ease.
However, just as Gou Mang's physical body was about to completely dissipate and his consciousness was about to fall into silence—
A sudden change has occurred!
"Buzz!!!"
A vast and powerful force, far more ancient, more boundless, and purer than the Heavenly Dao Merit, suddenly descended from the depths of the endless void!
This power is Xuan Huang, containing the essence of all the Great Dao, such as chaos, creation, end, and reincarnation. It is the legendary Great Dao Merit!
"The Great Dao Merit! It's actually the Great Dao Merit!"
Taiqing Laozi gasped in shock, his usually placid face now filled with astonishment.
"The Great Dao manifests! It is the Great Dao manifesting!!"
Yuanshi Tianzun, Sect Master Tongtian, Empress Nuwa, and even the Western Jieyin and Zhunti were all dumbfounded, staring in disbelief at the Xuanhuang Merit pouring down like a waterfall!
This Merit far surpasses that of Nuwa Creates Humans and Houtu reincarnating! It's almost comparable to a portion of the Merit of creating the world!
The vast and boundless Great Dao Merit did not directly merge into any existence, but was divided into two streams.
One stream, like sweet rain, sprinkled upon the Tongtian Jianmu that supported heaven and earth; the other stream precisely enveloped Gou Mang's core of will, which was about to completely dissipate, and the remaining imprint of his primordial spirit!
Under the cleansing and purification of this immeasurable Merit, a miracle occurred!
The world, which was still somewhat unstable due to the loss of Buzhou Mountain, became incredibly stable in an instant after the Tongtian Jianmu received the Great Dao Merit!
The Jianmu tree transformed into something resembling crystal and jade, radiating an aura of eternity and Invulnerable to All Laws. It truly became a new pillar of heaven and earth, even more spiritual than the original Buzhou Mountain, subtly communicating with chaos and nourishing the Primordial Wilderness!
Even more astonishing is that, at the heart of that vast and Great Dao Merit, a phantom figure began to coalesce anew!
First came the outline, then the details—a human body with a snake's tail, surrounded by vitality and the laws of wood, but deeper and more vast than before. Moreover, a supreme aura, untouched by any calamity, unaffected by any law, and coexisting with the Dao, emanated from it!
It's Gou Mang!
But he is no longer the Ancestral Witch Gou Mang!
The physical body has long since vanished, merging into the Primordial Wilderness.
What has been reunited at this moment is a brand new body— the Saint's Dharma Body —based on the merits of the Great Dao Merit, and incorporating his original will, his newly born primordial spirit, and a portion of the physical body's fundamental laws!
"Roar!!"
The newly born Gou Mang roared to the sky, its sound waves rolling, carrying liberation, joy, and supreme majesty.
Amidst the roar, the Primordial Wilderness trembled, myriad paths resonated in harmony, heavenly flowers rained down, and golden springs gushed from the earth!
Endless Purple Qi Coming from the East thirty thousand miles eastward, and auspicious energy permeates the four corners of the earth and the eight wastelands!
Sage has been born!
Moreover, they are not Heavenly Dao Sage, but Hunyuan Saint recognized by the Great Dao and attained through Merit!