Witch Race Brutality, Humanity Beset by Calamities

Just as Laozi moved to Shouyang Mountain and established a Dojo, and Sect Master Tongtian preached the Dao in Biyou Palace, news of the Three Pure Ones splitting apart finally spread throughout the Primordial World.

The many great cultivators were initially astonished, then overjoyed. The separation of the Three Pure Ones was the best possible news for the Witch Race, the Demon Race, and the Western Sect alike.

Pangu's Primordial Spirit had transformed into the Three Pure Ones. Their innate endowments stood at the very peak of the Primordial World, and with the merit of opening Heaven and Earth, they could be considered half its masters. Each of the three also possessed a Supreme Innate Spiritual Treasure for protection. In a one-on-one fight, neither the Two Sect Masters of the Western Sect nor Niangniang Nuwa could match the Three Pure Ones.

These people had originally extinguished their ambitions to rule the Primordial World, but now that the Three Pure Ones had split apart, the opportunity had naturally arrived. The fate and fortune of Heaven and Earth in the Primordial World were not beyond contention!

"Ha ha, the Three Pure Ones Saints have separated! Wonderful! This is truly tremendous news for our Heavenly Court!"

Within the Thirty-Three Heavens, Di Jun, Xihe, Fuxi, Tai Yi, and Kunpeng—the five great quasi-Saints—gathered in the Heavenly Court. Every one of them was delighted, and they began plotting new moves.

Although humanity had often been oppressed by the Witch Race and devoured by the Demon Race over the years, their numbers had continued to grow. The rulers of the Heavenly Court naturally saw this clearly. Humanity had to be checked.

Elsewhere, upon the lands of the Primordial World, the Twelve Ancestral Witches likewise gathered in the Ancestral Witch Hall to discuss the momentous event of the Three Pure Ones splitting apart.

"Hmph. Now that the Three Pure Ones have split up, they are no longer qualified to represent Father God. We Twelve Ancestral Witches are Father God's true continuation."

The Witch Race was also thrilled. With the three great mountains of the Three Pure Ones no longer weighing upon them, all the powerful figures felt as though the mountains on their shoulders had vanished. They were greatly relieved and hastened their respective plans, preparing for the ultimate battle.

Meanwhile, in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss on the Western Continent, the two Saints of the Western Sect were equally jubilant. The two Saints owed Heaven's Dao an ocean of karma. The Western Sect had to grow stronger before they could fulfill their vows and repay that karma. This allowed them to glimpse hope of breaking free from Heaven's Dao's control.

Upon the lands of the Primordial World, Laozi established the Human Teaching, and humanity spread in all directions, making the world far livelier.

Countless human tribes, like swarms of locusts, swiftly occupied the areas left vacant by the Demon Race's and Witch Race's powers.

With the guidance of Chaos Child Li Yunjing, Teacher of Humanity, every tribe enclosed land for farming, opened mountains and felled trees, built bridges wherever they encountered water, and constructed roads and houses. Humanity's creativity and immense potential had begun to reveal themselves.

Though humanity had previously lost Niangniang Nuwa's protection and endured a period of hardship, the newborn race had nearly been wiped out.

However, after Laozi became a Saint, humanity once again had a Saint to rely upon.

Over the years, humanity had occupied vast stretches of the Primordial World, reclaiming mountains and forests and undertaking massive construction projects. Yet this disturbed many demons and savage beasts cultivating in the deep mountains and ancient forests.

Though humanity also had some formidable individuals, they still fell short when dealing with such members of the Demon Race. Many humans were either swallowed whole or torn apart by demons. Amid all manner of slaughter, humanity remained balanced precariously between birth and death.

The Witch Race watched coldly from the sidelines. As the Demon Race slaughtered humanity, they discovered something unusual. Among the Witch Race were wise figures who vaguely conceived of a means to use humanity's deaths to inflict devastating damage upon the Demon Race.

Those among the Witch Race who paid attention discovered, by watching humans die miserably, that after death, people transformed into wisps of eerie blue mist. The mist surged and writhed, faintly emitting violent roars as it bared fangs and brandished claws, charging toward the Demon Race.

Gradually, both the Witch Race and the Demon Race figured it out. Even humans who did not cultivate Dao arts would, after death, leave behind a baleful aura unique to humanity—their three souls and seven spirits. After humans died, their three souls and seven spirits became ghosts. The more miserable the death, the more powerful the Fierce Ghost formed. Without employing any spellcraft, they specialized in injuring the Primordial Spirit.

The strength of one or two ghosts was weak, but the power of tens of thousands of Fierce Ghosts was truly horrifying.

Very quickly, through the research of wise figures in the various Ancestral Witch tribes, one evil secret art after another was developed to use humanity's three souls and seven spirits to harm enemies. Besides being treated as blood food by the Demon Race, humanity became the Witch Race's vessel for testing evil arts.

After the Twelve Ancestral Witches confirmed the usefulness of human souls, the twelve tribes assembled numerous witches and shamans to specifically research this matter.

Witches and shamans held a position of pivotal importance within the Witch Race. Their duties included offering counsel, healing clansmen, and performing sacrifices to Heaven and Earth.

The Witch Race did not worship Hongjun or revere Saints. They worshipped only Heaven and Earth and respected only Pangu. Since ancient times, sacrifices had been matters of foremost importance, which showed just how extraordinary the status of witches and shamans was within the Witch Race.

Several thousand years passed in this manner. The Witch Race's research into human souls finally made tremendous progress. On this day, the Twelve Ancestral Witches gathered once again in the Ancestral Witch Hall to discuss this major matter.

Zhujiuyin looked at the other eleven Ancestral Witches, and cold words emerged from his mouth. "The race created by Nuwa leaves behind resentful souls whose rage does not disperse after death, transforming into Fierce Ghost souls that are often incomparably savage. They swarm together, devouring their enemies' Primordial Spirits and absorbing their vital essence. From what I have observed, though each one is individually pitifully weak, if hundreds of millions of souls were gathered together, they could shake Heaven and Earth. Slaying gods and slaughtering demons would be as easy as turning one's hand."

"Correct! After research by the witches and shamans of my tribe, we found that most of the Demon Race cultivate their Primordial Spirits. When faced with such yin creatures, they would find it extremely difficult to resist. In the future great war, we can use the souls of hundreds of millions of humans to catch the Demon Race off guard and crush them." Another Ancestral Witch, Gonggong, agreed.

"I have seen how violent human ghosts are. If we use the Witch Race's secret arts to create Soul Gathering Banners, using the banners as a lure to gather countless Fierce Ghost souls, then when the Witch and Demon races battle, releasing them into the air would likely kill and wound thousands of miles in an instant. These Fierce Ghosts are shapeless and colorless; ordinary spells cannot destroy them. And beneath a host of ghosts, how could the Demon Race possibly have the strength to fight back?" The eldest brother, Dijiang, revealed a savage smile. Clearly, his tribe had also produced results from their research over the years.

Zhu Rong burst into laughter. "Ha ha ha! In that case, issue the order at once! Capture humans on a massive scale and use them to sacrificially refine Soul Gathering Banners!!"

Thinking of how they could later release Fierce Ghost souls from the Soul Gathering Banners to assist their clansmen in killing the Demon Race, some of the Ancestral Witches could not help but rejoice greatly, laughing aloud.

Seeing that the Ancestral Witches intended to exterminate humanity, Houtu could not bear it. She wanted to reject the plan, yet felt that doing so directly would be inappropriate. Thus, she circled around the matter and tried to persuade them. "Human souls are weak. They may be enough to deal with ordinary demons, but against the demon gods, demon Saints, Di Jun, the Eastern Emperor, and the others, I fear they would be inadequate. Shouldn't we practice the grand formation and think of other methods instead? Our Witch Race has no need for humanity at all."

Upon hearing Houtu's words, the other Ancestral Witches were stunned. Yet what their sister said was not wrong. In the final decisive battle between the Witch and Demon races, what truly mattered would still be the outcome of the battle between their Twelve Ancestral Witches and Di Jun, Tai Yi, Fuxi, and the others.