Demon Clan Traitor; Ancestral Witch Houtu

"We won't initiate a full-scale war until the Witch Clan finds a suitable opportunity," Bai Ze, the Demon Commander, said with absolute certainty, as if holding all the cards.

"Then what do you mean?" the divine being, radiating immeasurable brilliance, asked, its holy eyes shifting.

"I mean their current actions are primarily intended to intimidate us and show off their strength," Bai Ze explained. "A full-scale war? That's impossible."

"Is that so?" The divine being leaned forward slightly, a scorching, surging light pouring down. "Then, in your opinion, how should we respond?"

"Of course, with a restrained yet resolute counterattack!" Bai Ze smiled. "Let the Witch Clan know that while we, the Demon Clan, may not be fully established and standing tall in the world, we are not without the power to resist!"

"In fact, it's not just us probing the Witch Clan—Qingyou Demon God's actions are for this very purpose. Once those Ancestral Witches react, they will also be probing us in return."

"Probing our peak combat power, probing the progress of our Demon Clan's organization, probing our cohesion and unity, probing our foundations..."

Bai Ze paused, watching all the Demon Gods listen intently to his words before continuing.

"Due to the nature of Grand Unity, which can invert cause and effect and reset temporal sequences, information from the downstream of the river of time is not a significant secret to us top powerhouses."

"We each have a general idea of who makes up the Witch Clan and the Demon Clan."

"But that's the limit... After all, the information from the future is a jumble of truth and falsehood, with many potential variables, and some might even be deliberately spread disinformation, a form of special information warfare."

"We have a vague understanding of the faction divisions and some of the members, but the rest remains to be verified—strength? Loyalty?"

"From this, we can then unfold a series of strategies, such as strategic intimidation, or even sowing discord, counter-espionage, and suicide missions!"

"Like when fellow Daoist Bai Ze created the Bai Ze Bestiary? And eradicated 11,520 tribes?" a Demon God asked calmly, their tone betraying no emotion.

"Precisely!" Bai Ze replied, unfazed and smiling. "Who knows if these little tidbits of information from the future are true or false?"

"If this is a scheme by the Ancestral Witches, deliberately smearing my name, and it results in me, this Demon Commander, being executed by you Demon Gods as a traitor... wouldn't that become a laughable tale, a joke for all the Great Divine Ability Users in the world?"

"Besides, if we were to judge by such standards... the higher echelons of the Demon Court would likely be reduced by seventy to eighty percent!" Bai Ze stated methodically, facing the potential blame. "Fellow Daoist Di Jun is connected to the Human King Emperor Ku."

"Fellow Daoist Tai Yi is worshipped as an Overgod by the Human Race."

"Fuxi is the Human Emperor, and Nuwa is the origin of the Human Race."

"Demon Commander Jimeng followed the Human King Zhuanxu to attack Gong Gong."

"Demon Commander Ying Zhao assisted the Human King Yu in slaying Xiangliu."

"Demon Commander Fei Lian was the right-hand man of Chiyou, revered as the Earl of the Winds... After being defeated by the Yellow Emperor, he turned into a god in charge of the winds, responsible for receiving news from all directions and facilitating the seasonal climate."

"However, among the Demon Commanders, there are still those who are loyal—Bi Fang, Shang Yang, Qinyuan, Jiu Ying, Ci Tie, and Gui Che. These six seem to have no issues."

"There you have it!" Bai Ze clapped his hands. "Look! Look!"

"Four Emperors and four Demon Commanders are directly on the suspect list."

"The enemy is at the highest level of the Demon Court... What else do we need to fight the Witch Clan and the Human Race for?"

"We might as well pack up and surrender, wouldn't that be easier?"

"With our strength, and the power of Grand Unity returning to ourselves, we could still get by quite well!"

As he spoke, the atmosphere in the secret realm instantly became heavy.

After a long pause, someone finally spoke, trying to ease the tension. "Demon Commander Bai Ze is joking..."

"I am not joking," Bai Ze interrupted, his expression very serious. "I am discussing a very serious problem!"

"The nascent Demon Clan faction is filled with all sorts of suspicion and prejudice... Everyone is looking at each other through tinted glasses, wary of others—and these are the colleagues who will be working together in the future, the comrades who will have each other's backs!"

"If we refuse to offer even a shred of trust, filling the entire Demon Clan leadership with suspicion and vigilance... how can we work?"

"After some time, will we need to conduct a loyalty verification campaign to weed out 'traitors'?"

As Bai Ze spoke, his tone became increasingly stern.

His mind was clear and wise; he had long sensed the undercurrents surging within the Demon Clan—the mutual suspicion and distrust had become a major issue that needed to be resolved!

Otherwise, when the Witch Clan attacked, if five-tenths of their attention had to be focused on their own people, how could they fight?

He might as well take this opportunity to bring everything out into the open, discuss and resolve this lurking hidden danger, preventing it from festering in the dark and eventually becoming an irreparable rift, causing the vast Demon Clan to suddenly fall apart one day.

"Demon Commander Bai Ze speaks the truth," Demon God Jimeng nodded in agreement. "Some of these rampant rumors should be curbed."

"Loyalty cannot be tested."

"Since we are all standing here, our ultimate goal is likely the same—to make the Demon Clan truly great, and eventually monopolize the world's destiny, becoming the source of the Human Dao."

"For this goal, everyone should be more rational, not believe or spread rumors, and not cling to uncertain information that damages our harmony," he sighed. "After all, the future is unpredictable, and anything can happen."

"The examples above, even if true, prove nothing."

"Even if they were working for the Human Race, it could be to infiltrate the Human Race faction and sow discord between the Human Race and the Witch Clan... anything is possible!"

The Demon Gods listened and exchanged glances, pondering—why do I find what you're saying so reasonable?

Like Jimeng following Zhuanxu, his focus was on Gong Gong.

Ying Zhao was one of those who surrounded and attacked Xiangliu.

Whether those individuals truly betrayed them or infiltrated the Human Race to help the Witch Clan ascend... it was indeed hard to say.

"This matter ends here."

Di Jun, possessing the majesty of a sun star, said, "Trust those you use, and don't use those you doubt."

"Since you have all joined the Demon Clan Faction, the Demon Clan... will also place its utmost trust in you."

"Therefore, if anyone in the future uses this as an excuse to stir up trouble in the Heavenly Court, we will all punish them together!"

"What do you say?"

"Seconded!"

"Excellent!"

The Grand Unity Demon Gods present unified their thoughts and formed a core at this moment.

"Alright... the trust crisis is resolved, it's time to consider the rescue of the Qingyou Demon God." Di Jun looked at Bai Ze, "I ask for your counsel, fellow Daoist. What plan should we devise to retaliate against the Witch Clan?"

Bai Ze pondered for a moment and then said, "Fellow Daoist Di Jun, as the supreme spiritual leader of the Demon Clan, it is naturally inappropriate for you to act lightly."

"Yet, we must display our strength and our foundation to make the Ancestral Witches of the Witch Clan wary..." His eyes lit up, "Then we should invite Fellow Daoist Tai Yi to wield that supreme treasure, shake the heavens and spacetime, pressure the ancient and modern, and awe the Ancestral Witches!"

As soon as this was said, Tai Yi, who had been idle and silent, was instantly met with the gazes of many Demon Gods.

Tai Yi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing Di Jun's eyes filled with encouragement and anticipation... he finally nodded.

"Alright... I'll make the trip." Tai Yi sighed lightly, extended a hand, and flicked his finger--

"Clang!"

The bell sound that shook the ancient and modern, reverberated throughout the Primordial Era!

To use the Chaos Bell to intercept the Ancestral Witches, these Pangu bloodlines...

If one were to speak of fear, it wouldn't quite reach that point.

But a pounding heart was unavoidable.

As an Innate Divine Being, as one who had attained enlightenment during the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity era, Tai Yi understood many secrets of the ancient eras, including the great secret concerning Pangu!

Pangu, the creator of the Primordial Era, the terminator of the Chaos Era, the supreme being who achieved the three thousand ultimate kills, the one who had gone the furthest in the Grand Unity realm--even though He had disappeared, He still held immense deterrence in this world!

To confront the contingency left behind by such a being--the Ancestral Witches--was truly a test of one's heart.

One must know that even Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor, found the Ancestral Witches troublesome and could not directly kill them. Instead, he had to use a method of slow boiling to wear them down.

For this reason, when Di Jun applied to him to establish the Heavenly Court and govern the Primordial Era on behalf of heaven, the Dao Ancestor readily agreed.

--He needed a knife, a sufficiently sharp knife, to deal with the Witch Clan!

As for whether this knife would eventually break?

That was no longer important.

Now, Tai Yi stood on the front line of confronting the Ancestral Witches, but how many could understand the helplessness and sorrow in his heart?

Of course, since he had accepted the task, he would naturally do his best.

The Chaos Bell gently vibrated above his head, sending out endless ripples that swept through time, protecting the Qingyou Demon God who was in imminent danger.

The appearance of this supreme Innate Spiritual Treasure caused immense waves throughout the Primordial Era.

As one of the three supreme treasures born from the Heaven-Opening Divine Axe, its power was beyond question. Most importantly, its symbolic meaning represented a part of the orthodox lineage, Pangu's recognition!

Countless onlookers of the Grand Unity realm were in an uproar. Even Ancestral Witch Dijiang's expression held a hint of solemnity. This had already achieved part of Bai Ze's intention--displaying power.

But then, the onlookers began to get excited, "Seeing the Chaos Bell, a treasure to which they theoretically have inheritance rights, how will the Ancestral Witches react?"

Some emotionally agitated ancient Divine Beings began to shout--

"Quickly!"

"Fight!"

"Fight!"

In comparison, no one cared about the Qingyou Demon God at this moment.

"Cease fire... impossible." Ancestral Witch Dijiang spoke slowly after a moment of silence, rejecting Tai Yi's proposal. "This Demon God led an army to assassinate our Ancestral Witch procession... If we do not punish him, how can our Witch Clan stand in this world?"

"But no matter what, Qingyou did not take the initiative to attack, did he?" Tai Yi stood with his hands behind his back, the ripples from the Chaos Bell's diffusion growing larger, sweeping across all heavens and all epochs. "Even if he has committed a crime, it is not a crime punishable by death."

"Death can be spared, but living punishment is unavoidable." Dijiang said indifferently, "I will not kill him either. I will simply make him forge a Innate Spiritual Treasure for me to command for hundreds of millions of years... What's wrong with that?"

"If you truly want him to be absolved of his crime? That's not impossible." Dijiang sneered, "It depends on your strength."

"If your strength is too poor, this Demon God... I can't say I won't let him go, but then you'll have to exchange him for that great bell above your head."

Dijiang stared intently at the Chaos Bell above Tai Yi's head, "A treasure forged from Ancestor God Pangu's weapon... this should have been our Witch Clan's inherited treasure!"

"It is meant to be held by our orthodox Pangu lineage, to command the world with it... How did it end up in the hands of your Sun Star lineage?"

"Fellow Daoist, that statement is flawed." Tai Yi shook his head, "To command the world and lead all races, one should rely not on so-called bloodline orthodoxy, but on virtue and merit."

"Your Witch Clan, even if evolved from the bloodline of the great god Pangu, so what?"

"Can the Witch Clan truly represent the will of all living beings?"

"And can you?" Dijiang asked indifferently.

"We can't... but the Demon Clan behind us can!" Tai Yi said, "In the Primordial Era, the existence of the Witch Clan is actually irrelevant."

"But what if the Demon Clan, the unity of all races, were gone?"

"This world would become lifeless and stagnant."

"Therefore, esteemed members of the Witch Clan, please don't think too highly of yourselves... The vast universe continues to operate normally, regardless of which race is missing."

Dijiang remained silent.

Tai Yi continued, "The Demon Clan are the protagonists on the stage of heaven and earth in this era... Who dares to deny that the countless beings are the true scribes who create history?"

"Their existence is the orthodox path!"

"It is only natural that the Chaos Bell fell into the hands of the Demon Clan, not the Witch Clan."

"As for my Sun Star lineage, we were only deemed worthy to hold this supreme treasure because we operate the laws of the sun, illuminating the Primordial Era and benefiting all beings, thus earning the recognition of all life."

"If, one day, the Demon Clan falls and is no longer the protagonist of heaven and earth... this bell will naturally depart." Tai Yi spoke with neither joy nor sorrow, evaluating objectively, "It is very pragmatic."

"So, fellow Daoist Dijiang, you don't need to harbor any strange thoughts... If you have the ability, defeat the entire Demon Clan fair and square, and this bell will be yours."

"Any other method of seizing it... will be futile."

"Oh? Is that so? I don't quite believe it." Suddenly, a gentle yet domineering female voice sounded, interrupting their conversation.

"I'm quite curious – if this bell were to fall into my hands, even if I haven't defeated the Demon Clan yet, would its spirit truly be so stubborn as to refuse to acknowledge this seat?"

Someone who had been so low-key, almost overlooked as a transparent presence, began to shine at this moment.

When the Witch Clan traveled for diplomatic visits, their team was not composed of just one Ancestral Witch, but... two!

Besides Dijiang, the other Ancestral Witch was--

Houtu!

This peerlessly powerful goddess began to unleash her might.

She stared at the Chaos Bell above Tai Yi's head, undisguised longing in her eyes--she wished to obtain it, to wield it as the treasure that suppresses the destiny of the Witch Clan!