The Innate Gourd Vine had yet to appear in the world, but he was unwilling to wait until it did before searching for it.
Otherwise, if another great cultivator got there first, he could only obtain the red gourd as in the original plot.
Hong Yun was determined to take the entire Innate Gourd Vine into his possession.
Although after refining Pangu's Essence Blood, the toughness of his physical body was no inferior to that of a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, that was limited to its hardness.
Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures possessed countless wondrous abilities. Whether trapping or killing enemies, they were more than capable, and were beyond what the physical body could match.
Hong Yun, who lacked magic treasures, would never miss this opportunity.
Time flew by, and fifty years passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, Hong Yun's eyes snapped open, and a terrifying aura erupted from his body.
That aura contained dense bloodline power—the aura of Pangu's orthodox lineage—which was purer than that of the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
After all, he had not only refined a drop of Pangu's Essence Blood, but had also swallowed ten Netherworld Blood Rivers.
The blood of Pangu within the Blood Rivers was equally extraordinary.
Now, both Hong Yun's essence blood and bloodline were inherited from the Great God Pangu.
If one asked who in the Great Desolation was closest to Pangu, it had once been the Twelve Ancestral Witches. Now, however, it was undoubtedly Hong Yun!
"What a powerful feeling!"
After completely digesting Pangu's Essence Blood and the ten Blood Rivers, Hong Yun's strength had increased more than tenfold compared to before.
His physical body in particular had become astonishingly powerful.
"If Ancestor Minghe attacked me with those two Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures now, he definitely wouldn't be able to hurt me at all!"
Hong Yun sighed with emotion.
The benefits of a powerful physical body were now fully apparent. Like the Twelve Ancestral Witches, he no longer feared bombardment from Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.
He even surpassed them in this regard.
"The Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique has now reached the third revolution. The fourth revolution can't be achieved in a short time, so it's time to visit Buzhou Mountain!"
Hong Yun spoke softly, then left Fire Cloud Cave.
Buzhou Mountain was located within the territory of the Witch Clan.
He was making this trip only to find the Innate Gourd Vine and had no desire to become entangled with the Witch Clan.
After all, the protagonists of the Witch-Demon Tribulation, the clans destined to undergo the tribulation, would find it difficult to escape once they became involved in the karma.
Without sufficient strength, one could only be reduced to dust in the tribulation.
Hong Yun was no fool.
Whoosh!
He rode on auspicious clouds and streaked through the sky at high speed.
Three years later, Hong Yun arrived at Buzhou Mountain.
A majestic mountain range appeared before his eyes, standing upon the earth like a pillar supporting heaven and earth.
A terrifying pressure emanated from the mountain's summit, making it difficult for any being below the Great Principle Golden Immortal realm to approach.
It was said that this was formed from Pangu's Spine.
Buzhou Mountain was vast and boundless. Even a Quasi-Saint Peak expert would need several hundred years to circle the mountain.
Countless restrictions lay within it, along with innumerable rare treasures.
Finding a single Innate Gourd Vine in such a vast place was no easy task.
Hong Yun knew that if his luck was good, he might find it within several decades or a century.
If his fortune was poor, he might not find it even after a thousand years.
He simply rode his clouds around searching while cultivating the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique.
"The third revolution has already improved my physical body so much. The later revolutions will certainly be even stronger!"
"This technique points directly to the Saintly Path. As long as one's foundation is high enough, becoming a Saint is within reach!"
Which living being in the Great Desolation did not dream of becoming a Saint?
Yet even the great cultivators did not know the path to Sainthood.
It was only later, after hearing Hongjun's lectures, that they learned the method of Severing the Three Corpses and successively attained Sainthood.
Hong Yun already possessed a cultivation technique for the Saintly Path. If he did not hurry to cultivate it, how could he live up to the system's gift?
However, the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique was not a technique that everyone could use to become a Saint.
Even with foundations like those of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, they had only reached the Quasi-Saint Peak by the end of the Witch-Demon Tribulation and failed to become Saints.
The difficulty of becoming a Saint could be seen from this.
But Hong Yun's foundation had now surpassed that of the Twelve Ancestral Witches. He was the number one in the Great Desolation.
As he circulated the technique, he also admired the scenery of Buzhou Mountain.
The mountain region was rich in spiritual energy. No wonder the Witch Clan regarded it as their territory.
Ten years later.
Buzz!
On this day, Hong Yun's aura erupted again, and his momentum suddenly increased severalfold.
"Late-stage Great Principle Golden Immortal!"
Hong Yun was slightly surprised.
During these several decades, he had not deliberately raised his cultivation realm. Otherwise, he could have broken through while refining the Blood Rivers.
Even so, he had naturally advanced to the late-stage Great Principle Golden Immortal realm today.
Although his realm had risen, he did not pay much attention to it.
In the Great Desolation, strength was king.
No matter how high one's realm was, it was useless if one's combat power was insufficient.
Take the Six Sages ordained by Heaven in the future. Though they would reach the Saint realm and remain imperishable through countless tribulations,
they would still be suppressed by the Heavenly Dao and constrained by Hongjun, becoming little more than puppets.
That was absolutely not what Hong Yun wanted.
He continued studying the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique.
A thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.
Hong Yun still had not found the Innate Gourd Vine. He even began to wonder whether he had arrived too early.
There was no trace of the Gourd Vine anywhere.
However, during those thousand years, he had gained quite a few acquired spiritual roots and ordinary Innate Spiritual Treasures.
They had only limited benefits for his strength.
His greatest gain was cultivating the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique to the fourth revolution.
It had to be said that after refining Pangu's Essence Blood, his foundation was simply too extraordinary.
With the support of the Great Dao Cushion, he had reached in a thousand years the realm the Twelve Ancestral Witches had attained over hundreds of thousands of years.
"Cultivating while seated on the Great Dao Cushion not only makes my progress incredibly fast, but also allows my comprehension of the Devouring Divine Ability to advance by leaps and bounds!"
"This divine ability was originally similar to the Twelve Ancestral Witches' innate divine abilities, but I have now glimpsed a trace of the Law of Devouring!"
After refining the essence blood, he had completely mastered the Devouring Divine Ability.
Over the following several hundred years, he had refined it to the level of great accomplishment, then perfection.
Now, he had touched the edge of the Law of Devouring and was faintly approaching the level of the Great Dao.
The laws of the Great Dao stood above the Heavenly Dao.
It was said that Pangu had proved the Dao through strength, using the power of laws to establish the supreme Great Dao.
Hong Yun knew that Pangu had comprehended the three thousand laws of the Great Dao within the Jade Disc of Creation. That was far beyond what he could compare with after merely glimpsing a corner of it.
He was not impatient. He cultivated slowly and let nature take its course.
If he could comprehend the laws of the Great Dao in the future, he would gain another path to Sainthood. Naturally, that would be excellent.
Whoosh!
Hong Yun continued riding his clouds forward.
One day, he suddenly heard the sound of clouds moving and turned his gaze toward the front.
Twelve imposing figures blocked his path.
"I haven't found the Gourd Vine, yet I've run into the Twelve Ancestral Witches first!"
Hong Yun felt rather helpless.
Although he did not want to become involved with the Witch Clan, this was their territory, so encountering the Ancestral Witches was unavoidable.
"Isn't that Hong Yun!"
The Twelve Ancestral Witches, who were training in Buzhou Mountain, brightened when they saw him.
"Big Brother, I wonder whether Hong Yun still has those Ginseng Fruits. If we could obtain them, they would greatly benefit our cultivation!"
Zhu Jiuyin whispered to Ancestral Witch Dijiang.
He was still thinking about Hong Yun's Ginseng Fruits. They were Top-grade Innate Spiritual Fruits.
"Indeed. Hong Yun must have come to deliver gifts to us!"
Ancestral Witch Dijiang was quite excited.
The other Ancestral Witches also did not mind obtaining some benefits from Hong Yun.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, the Twelve Ancestral Witches surrounded Hong Yun.
Seeing this, Hong Yun furrowed his brows tightly.
He immediately sensed that something was wrong. These Ancestral Witches had come with hostile intentions.
"Daoist Hong Yun, I heard that you have Ginseng Fruits. Why not take them out and share them with us?"
Ancestral Witch Dijiang stared directly at Hong Yun and spoke without the slightest courtesy.
The Ancestral Witches were straightforward by nature and disliked beating around the bush.
If it had been another great cultivator, they might have exchanged some polite words with Hong Yun first.
But the Ancestral Witches had always been direct.
"That's right, Daoist Hong Yun. If you say you didn't bring any Ginseng Fruits, we won't believe you. Unless you let us search you!"
Ancestral Witch Zhurong immediately chimed in.
Seeing the Ancestral Witches' aggressive manner, Hong Yun's expression darkened.
"These Twelve Ancestral Witches are far too shameless. They ask for Ginseng Fruits the moment they open their mouths. Do they really think I, Hong Yun, am easy to bully?"
Fury surged in Hong Yun's heart.
Buzz!
A mighty aura erupted from his body.
"Could it be that all of you think I, Hong Yun, am a soft persimmon that anyone can knead?"
Hong Yun demanded coldly.
At the same time, that aura surged toward the Twelve Ancestral Witches like a tide.
Sensing Hong Yun's momentum, the Twelve Ancestral Witches rubbed their fists and raised their battle intent.
The Witch Clan was born warlike, growing stronger in the face of powerful opponents.
But suddenly, they all froze.
"Th-this aura... Why is it so similar to our bloodline?"
"Not merely similar. It's exactly the same!"
Dijiang, Zhurong, and Zhu Jiuyin were all dumbfounded.
Hong Yun actually possessed the aura of the Witch Clan, and it was no weaker than theirs.
It was even... stronger!
How was this possible?
"This is absolutely impossible! Daoist Hong Yun, how could your aura be that of our Witch Clan?"
Ancestral Witch Dijiang did not attack. He asked in shock.
"That's right. Only Ancestral Witches possess this aura within our Witch Clan! You... Could you be one of our Witch Clan's people?"
Zhu Jiuyin was stunned as well.
Among the Twelve Ancestral Witches, Zhu Jiuyin was the wisest. Most of the others were blunt and straightforward.
Yet even someone as intelligent as him was overwhelmed with emotion at this moment.
"I am nothing like you brainless brutes!"
Hong Yun replied indifferently.
The Witch Clan was nothing more than a group of soulless shells.
Hong Yun looked down on joining them in the first place.
In his eyes, the Witch Clan was destined to collapse completely during the coming tribulation of the Heavenly Dao. The former overlords of the Great Desolation would fall so far that even finding a place to exist would become a luxury.
Only Houtu Ancestral Witch, who incarnated as the cycle of reincarnation and became Empress Pingxin to guard the Six Paths, would barely step into the Saint realm.
It was truly lamentable.
"Something is wrong. Your aura clearly originates from the bloodline of our Witch Clan! Moreover, the power of that bloodline is exactly the same as ours, the Ancestral Witches!"
Ancestral Witch Houtu's beautiful eyes shifted as she keenly sensed the aura on Hong Yun that shared the same origin as theirs.
"Could there be another Ancestral Witch besides the Twelve Ancestral Witches?"
Ancestral Witch Zhurong scratched his head as he guessed, his face full of confusion.
The other Ancestral Witches also froze one after another. If they were truly family, then what was the point of fighting?
At this moment, Hong Yun was too lazy to pay attention to their wild guesses. He directly urged the bloodline power within his body to its utmost limit.
The refined Pangu's Essence Blood and the ten swallowed Netherworld Blood Rivers erupted completely at this moment.
A vast bloodline aura surged forth like a flood, instantly pressing down on the Twelve Ancestral Witches until they could barely breathe.
"This..."
Sensing this bloodline pressure that far surpassed their own, the Twelve Ancestral Witches once again stood there dumbfounded.
"Big Brother, how could Hong Yun's bloodline be purer than ours?"
Zhu Jiuyin was utterly dumbfounded, his face filled with disbelief.
"Impossible! We're Ancestral Witches, nurtured from Father God's Essence Blood. No one in the Witch Clan can surpass us in bloodline concentration."
"Yet Hong Yun's bloodline actually surpasses ours. He must be another Ancestral Witch!"
Ancestral Witch Dijiang spoke with absolute certainty.
At this moment, he had already concluded that Hong Yun was not only an Ancestral Witch, but possibly an existence of an even higher level.
Perhaps he should be called the Witch Lord!
"Big Brother, if Hong Yun really is an Ancestral Witch like us, his physical body must also be incomparably powerful. Why not test him and find out?"
Zhu Jiuyin, having calmed down, hurriedly made the suggestion.
"Right. If Hong Yun's physical body isn't strong, that will prove he isn't an Ancestral Witch!"
"Let's test the toughness of his physical body. Everything will become clear!"
"Then let me do it!"
The other Ancestral Witches nodded repeatedly. In the end, Ancestral Witch Zhurong strode forward, preparing to fight Hong Yun.
Whoosh!
A massive fist wrapped in blazing flames and divine power came hurtling toward Hong Yun with an earth-shattering force.
Hong Yun's expression darkened slightly. He immediately threw a punch to meet it, showing no weakness.
In the past, he would never have dared to clash physically with an Ancestral Witch.
But now, he had completely refined Pangu's Essence Blood and cultivated the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique to the fourth revolution. His physical body was comparable to a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, so he had nothing to fear in close combat.
Boom!
An ear-splitting explosion rang out as the two massive fists slammed into each other.
Centered on the point where their fists met, a violent shockwave tore through space and spread outward like ripples on water.
Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, Ancestral Witch Zhurong staggered back several steps.
Although Hong Yun also retreated a step, his heart was already bursting with delight.
Before you continue