The Gourd Goes to Its Destined Owner

While everyone was marveling at Houtu's good luck, the second gourd ripened. Hong Yun immediately followed suit and took the second red gourd.

Seeing Hong Yun obtain a treasure, Zhen Yuanzi smiled faintly. Though he had not obtained a gourd, he was sincerely happy for him.

Next, Nuwa and Tai Yi brought out their respective spiritual treasures and each took a gourd.

The next moment, another gourd ripened. This time, Di Jun reacted extremely quickly. He waved his sleeve, sending a streak of spiritual light curling toward the gourd.

However, Yuanshi had been prepared. He threw out the Heavenly Auspicious Clouds and blocked it, while Tongtian seized the opportunity to take two gourds.

"Second Brother, catch!"

After Yuanshi received the gourds, the two of them headed toward Taiqing. The three stood in a row with the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda above their heads. They clearly were not people to provoke.

Only the last gourd remained. Zhunti and Jieyin exchanged a glance and attacked at the same time.

"Get out of my way! This gourd is mine!"

A Witch Ancestor suddenly tore through space and appeared in front of the last gourd. It was none other than Di Jiang, the leader of the Twelve Ancestral Witches. He controlled the Great Dao of Space, and his powerful physical body directly broke through the restriction.

"Catch it, Little Yu Zi!"

Di Jiang grabbed the last gourd and hurled it toward Shi Yu in the distance. It flew into Shi Yu's hands in a graceful arc.

"Thank you for bestowing this treasure, Witch Ancestor!"

Shi Yu rose from his seat and bowed slightly toward Di Jiang in gratitude.

"Kid, we'll only give you half of what we owe you now. I really was blinded by your crane oil!"

Zhu Jiuyin spoke helplessly. This kid was incredibly skilled at gambling, and with Little Sister Houtu's good luck, he had won quite a lot from them. Yet his Witch Tribe was a mighty clan that stood proudly beneath Heaven and Earth. If they broke their word, they would lose face.

But if they gave him everything, the Witch Tribe would suffer greatly. As expected, interest upon interest could strip one to the bone.

To reduce the amount of Heaven and Earth treasures they owed, Di Jiang, the Witch Ancestor, had "voluntarily" helped Shi Yu obtain the last gourd.

Zhunti and Jieyin watched the treasure they had been about to obtain fly away, and their expressions changed. Damn it, the duck in their mouths had flown away!

Zhunti gave a cold snort. "Di Jiang, Witch Ancestor, was that conduct appropriate?"

"I think this gourd is fated to belong to the West!"

Di Jiang, however, remained completely unconcerned. "Indeed. Treasures go to those who are fated to obtain them. I can see that this little friend is also fated to obtain the gourd."

"You..."

They had always been the ones forming karmic ties with other people's spiritual treasures. This was truly the first time they had encountered such conduct.

"What?"

"Are you dissatisfied?"

Di Jiang looked arrogantly at the two men with icy eyes. The Ancestral Witches respected neither Heaven nor Earth, only Pangu. Did Zhunti think Di Jiang would fear him just because he was Hongjun's nominal disciple?

When the Ancestral Witches in the distance heard this, they immediately overturned the table. The eleven Ancestral Witches walked toward their elder brother and lined up shoulder to shoulder. It was truly a case of hooligans encountering terrorists.

At this moment, how could Zhunti and Jieyin possibly be a match for the Ancestral Witches? Even Tai Yi and Di Jun, who possessed innate supreme treasures, were no match for the twelve of them, let alone these two.

Ancestor Hong Yun displayed his amiable nature and said with a smile, "The gourds have now been distributed. This is a joyous occasion, so let us not harm our harmony."

"How about I invite everyone to eat some fruit?"

With a wave of his sleeve, Ginseng Fruits appeared in everyone's hands.

After hearing this, everyone's expressions eased somewhat. Zhunti, however, was still unwilling to accept this. He secretly transmitted his voice to Jieyin. The two could only let out a long sigh, pinch their noses, and accept it.

"Senior Brother, I think that Gourd Vine is extraordinary as well. Since we can no longer obtain the gourd, the Gourd Vine will do."

"The soil and pond water used to nurture the Gourd Vine are divine objects too."

The two could only settle for second best, setting their sights on the Gourd Vine, the soil, and the water source. They could not possibly return empty-handed.

Unfortunately, it seemed destined that the two would return empty-handed. Before they could even act, Nuwa bundled up the Gourd Vine together with the breathing soil and Three Lights Divine Water and took them all away.

"It hurts! It hurts so much!"

"Senior Brother, you and I have suffered so much..."

Zhunti and Jieyin wore grief-stricken expressions and beat their chests and stamped their feet. Everyone had witnessed this acting in Zixiao Palace, so they were now largely immune to the pair's lamentations. Seeing them like this, everyone could not help laughing.

Ancestor Hong Yun stepped forward. His good friend Zhen Yuanzi saw that Hong Yun was about to act again. Giving away the fruit had already been bad enough—he did not dare imagine what Hong Yun would give away next. He hurriedly said:

"You two must not be too despondent. There are countless spiritual objects in this world. You will naturally encounter your opportunities in the future."

Zhunti rolled his eyes at him and thought, You make it sound so easy. Why don't you show some kindness and give me a gourd too?

But he still said aloud, "I hope it will be as you say, Fellow Daoist."

On the other side, Shi Yu toyed with the gourd in his hand, his heart filled with joy. He looked toward the Ancestral Witches and called out, "I, Shi Yu, will remember the kindness of all the Ancestral Witches."

Di Jiang waved his hand. "Kid, just make good use of the gourd. It contains the laws of space and has countless wondrous uses!"

"You must fulfill what you promised. You cannot break your word!"

"Of course!"

After the colorful Gourd Vine had been divided up, everyone could only leave one after another. The Sanqing had become the greatest winners, obtaining four gourds between them.

"Master, could you wait here for me a while? I have something to take care of with the Witch Tribe!" After saying this, Shi Yu followed the Ancestral Witches toward the foot of Mount Buzhou.

Endless Killing Intent lingered beneath Mount Buzhou. To ordinary cultivators, this Killing Intent was something to avoid at all costs, but to the Witch Tribe, it was the finest nourishment.

Take the Twelve Ancestral Witches, for example. The Witch Tribe could use Killing Intent to temper their bodies. The Ancestral Witches were born with innate knowledge and possessed the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique, a technique that allowed their physical bodies to rival spiritual treasures.

"Rumble~"

Twelve enormous figures descended from the sky and landed in the Witch Tribe's settlement beneath Mount Buzhou.

When the Witch Tribe's warriors saw their Ancestral Witches return, they emerged from the valley and looked at them with fervent admiration.

"Little Sister Houtu, take Little Yu Zi to your tribe as a guest first. We'll come find you later!"

After saying this, Di Jiang asked Shi Yu for the gourd, evidently intending to use it as a storage space.

Houtu's tribe was situated beside a great marsh. Bonfires blazed along the shore, while a brawny man roasted a giant beast. The aroma of roasted meat filled the air~

"Hm?"

"Why did the Witch return with a pretty boy?"

With a whoosh, the burly man suddenly rose to his feet, his eyes widening. "You! Bring me my Gan Qi!"

"Catch it, Xing Tian!"

"Take my axe!"

He caught the axe, raised it, and brought it down in one fluid motion, without the slightest hesitation.

"Xing Tian, what are you doing?"

"This is a guest whom my siblings and I invited. What are you doing?" Houtu frowned and looked toward Xing Tian.

"Splash~"

Xing Tian hurriedly halted in midair and happened to land in the great marsh, sending rings of ripples across the water.

Xing Tian emerged from the water and snorted. "The Witch Tribe has no need for some soft-skinned outsider. What can he do?"

Shi Yu was not annoyed. He smiled lightly. "Big Brother, although I may look weak and frail, my strength is actually pretty decent~"

"What a joke!" Xing Tian sneered. "If you can lift my Gan Qi, then I will believe you."

Shi Yu stepped forward and reached out with his right hand to grip the handle of Gan Qi.

The Tai Xu Shui Yun He had an exceptional aptitude, but Shi Yu had not cultivated much over the years, so his cultivation was somewhat lacking. He had remained stuck at the level of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal for all these years.

Shi Yu slowly lifted Gan Qi. The surrounding members of the Witch Tribe all revealed astonished expressions.

"This... How is this possible?" Xing Tian's eyes widened.

"Unfortunately, I'm both handsome and strong enough~" Shi Yu smiled faintly and looked toward Xing Tian.

At that moment, Zhu Rong and the others arrived. Di Jiang laughed loudly. "I told you this kid had something special."

Houtu also smiled. "Xing Tian, do you believe him now?"

"To be a Witch, you have to learn how to think. Don't use your muscles to think~"

Shi Yu poked Xing Tian. So this was Xing Tian, the one who danced with Gan Qi. His cultivation was about the same as mine.

Xing Tian scratched his head. "It seems I was rash. Little Brother, forgive me for offending you just now."

Shi Yu waved his hand. "No matter. We may have plenty of dealings in the future."

"Little Yu Zi, we've prepared what you wanted!"

Di Jiang tossed the gourd to Shi Yu. Shi Yu caught it and pulled out the stopper. A suction force surged from within, drawing some of the surrounding Killing Intent into the gourd.

"What a treasure. It might even be more useful than Master's Purple Gold Red Gourd~"

Everyone watched curiously. A faint spiritual light flickered across the gourd's surface, as if it were refining the Killing Intent it had absorbed.

"This gourd truly is wondrous."

Houtu praised it. Unfortunately, the Witch Tribe did not cultivate their primordial spirits, so they could only admire such profound spiritual treasures from afar.

"In that case, I'll take my leave first."

"Chirp~" A divine and majestic Tai Xu Shui Yun He soared into the sky from within the light, its elegant figure flying toward the top of Mount Buzhou.