This Kind of Treasure

Hongyun's brow furrowed slightly.

If he truly waited until then, it was likely that, as in the original timeline, Nuwa, the Three Pure Ones, Dijun, and others would all come rushing, vying for this opportunity.

After a moment of thought, Hongyun turned around.

Behind him, the Twelve Ancestral Witches were curiously examining this Innate Gourd Vine.

However, they weren't particularly interested in such a spiritual root.

If it were an edible Innate Spiritual Treasure like the Ginseng Fruit, the Twelve Ancestral Witches could use it to improve their cultivation.

But this gourd vine was clearly only useful for refining magical treasures.

The Witch Clan had no Primordial Spirit and could not control magical treasures at all.

"Esteemed Ancestral Witches, I trouble you to guard this gourd vine here for me and prevent anyone else from approaching!"

Hongyun said to the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

"Rest assured, Divine Son. Whoever dares to try and snatch it, we Twelve Ancestral Witches will make sure they get more than they can handle!"

Ancestor Witch Dijiang responded with great spirit.

"Divine Son, this treasure is on our Witch Clan's territory. It's one thing not to know, but now that we do, whoever dares to seize it will never return!"

Ancestor Witch Zhurong, with his fiery temper, spoke resolutely.

"Mm!"

Hongyun nodded slightly, but in his heart, he was secretly planning how to deal with Nuwa, the Three Pure Ones, and Dijun.

He knew that according to the original timeline, the gourds from this vine would be divided among them.

The orange gourd would fall into Nuwa's hands and be refined into the Monster-Recruiting Gourd.

The yellow one would belong to Dijun and be refined into the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger.

The green, cyan, and purple ones would be obtained by the Three Pure Ones.

Even the vine itself would eventually be taken by Nuwa to create humans, transforming into the merit-laden treasure, the Human-Creating Whip.

But now...

Hongyun would never let these people have their way.

Afterward, he whispered something into the ears of the Twelve Ancestral Witches and gave them a few more detailed instructions.

Swish!

Having finished his instructions, Hongyun transformed into a beam of light and fled.

He circled Buzhou Mountain once, then quietly sneaked back, finding a hidden cave nearby to live in seclusion.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches, leading several Great Witches of the Witch Clan, firmly guarded the Innate Gourd Vine.

This Innate Gourd Vine was only a few decades away from fully maturing.

For the Twelve Ancestral Witches, a few decades was but a blink of an eye.

Inside the cave, Hongyun occasionally released his divine sense, paying attention to the growth and changes of the gourd vine.

Time flowed by, and the Innate Gourd Vine grew increasingly mature.

In the blink of an eye, thirty-six years passed.

At this moment, only a few days remained until the gourd vine fully matured.

Shu!

On this day, a figure suddenly appeared, descending into the valley where the gourd vine was located.

"Haha, this opportunity is truly mine! I've finally found it!"

"Uh... Twelve Ancestral Witches!"

A wild laugh rang out, then abruptly stopped, as if a duck's throat had been choked.

Dijun felt an ominous premonition.

He had just discovered this great opportunity, only to have his gaze collide with the Twelve Ancestral Witches standing beside it.

It was truly a case of fearing what might come, and it came.

"Little Dijun, you're not hiding away on the Solar Star, yet you dare to set foot on our Witch Clan's land!"

Ancestor Witch Dijiang stared at Demon Emperor Dijun, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Little Dijun, weren't you beaten enough last time? You've come to our doorstep to be beaten again! This witch will grant your wish!"

Ancestor Witch Zhurong, with his fiery temper, stepped forward and swung his fist.

In an instant, Zhurong and Dijun were locked in fierce combat.

Although Dijun was already in the late Grand Unity stage, Ancestor Witch Zhurong was no weaker.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches had all now reached the mid-Grand Unity stage.

Since learning the complete Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique, their comprehension of this cultivation method had reached a new level.

It was as if a veil had been lifted, and what was once obscure and difficult to understand was now completely clear.

Over the past few thousand years, the Twelve Ancestral Witches had cultivated the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique to the fourth turn, with Dijiang and Zhu Jiuyin themselves even attempting the fifth turn.

Bang!

Ancestor Witch Zhurong punched Dijun's Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Crack!

That High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure was actually shattered by Zhurong's bare fist.

At the same time, Dijun's face also took a hit from the residual force, but fortunately, the injury was not severe.

He just looked rather disheveled.

Dijun's face was pale; these Twelve Ancestral Witches were simply human weapons.

A High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure was actually less durable than their physical bodies.

"Retreat!"

Dijun understood that it was impossible to seize the opportunity now.

If he didn't leave, getting beaten up would be the least of his worries.

If a real fight broke out, he could still handle Zhurong alone, but with all twelve Ancestral Witches attacking together, he had no chance of winning.

"Haha, little Dijun! Good riddance, don't come back next time!"

Seeing Dijun flee, Zhurong didn't pursue but merely taunted him.

Their mission was to guard this Innate Gourd Vine.

As for the grudges with the Demon Clan, there would be plenty of opportunities to settle them later.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Not long after Dijun left, three figures descended into the valley.

It was the Three Pure Ones.

"This is actually a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root!"

Taishang Laojun couldn't hide his excitement upon seeing the gourd vine.

"Wonderful, this is precisely our opportunity!"

Yuanshi echoed with praise.

"But why are the Twelve Ancestral Witches here?"

Tongtian looked at the Twelve Ancestral Witches guarding the area, a sense of unease rising in his heart.

"We can't worry about that much. Treasures of the Great Desolation are for those who are fated to find them."

"The Twelve Ancestral Witches have no Primordial Spirit, so this Spiritual Root is useless to them!"

Taishang Laojun said immediately.

This Supreme Grade Spiritual Root was clearly not for consumption but for refining treasures.

The Witch Clan couldn't use it at all.

Yuanshi and Tongtian nodded in agreement.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Before the Three Pure Ones could step forward, another three figures appeared.

The newcomers were Nuwa, as well as Jieyin and Zhunti.

"Fellow Daoist Nuwa, what a coincidence to meet you here!"

Taishang glanced at Nuwa, his tone friendly, but a hint of displeasure on his face.

"Nuwa greets all Fellow Daoists!"

Nuwa nodded slightly in greeting.

Her gaze immediately fell upon the Innate Gourd Vine, divine light swirling in her eyes.

"Jieyin, Zhunti, what are you two doing here?"

Tongtian turned to Jieyin and Zhunti beside Nuwa and questioned them sternly.

Although the Three Pure Ones didn't have a good impression of Nuwa, they detested these two even more.

With the discovery of the Innate Gourd Vine this time, the Three Pure Ones could be satisfied if they shared it.

If Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti were added, there would only be scraps left.

"This item is fated to me, so I have come to take it!"

Jieyin pointed at the gourd vine and said shamelessly.

"Indeed, my fellow disciples and I sensed it from Spirit Mountain; this item is fated to the Western Lands!"

Zhunti added in agreement.

"Shameless!"

Taishang, Yuanshi, Tongtian, and Nuwa shouted in unison.

Even the Twelve Ancestral Witches beside them found it hard to watch.

"Everyone, this is the land of my Witch Clan! This item is also a treasure of my Witch Clan!"

Ancestor Witch Dijiang stepped forward, surveying everyone.

"Before we make a move to expel you, it's best you all leave quickly!"

Zhurong's temper flared, and he roared.

The other Ancestor Witches released their powerful auras, revealing their massive true forms, glaring at everyone.

It seemed as if they were ready to fight at any moment.

"A bunch of soulless beings!"

Nuwa frowned and muttered softly.

As a member of the Demon Clan, she had always looked down on the Twelve Ancestral Witches, with only Houtu as a slight exception.

"Although this place belongs to the Witch Clan, this item has a connection with me!"

Jieyin, facing the Ancestor Witches' words, still stubbornly said.

Slap!

Before he could finish speaking, a giant palm slammed down, sending the unprepared Jieyin flying.

"Connection with you my ass!"

Zhurong retracted his hand and blew on his palm.

"You!"

"Senior Brother, are you alright?"

Zhunti glared at Zhurong, wanting to intervene but stopping himself.

He quickly flew to the distance to check on Jieyin's injuries.

Fortunately, that palm strike hadn't damaged his foundation; Jieyin had just suffered because he didn't expect Zhurong's sudden attack.

The two quickly returned to the valley.

At this moment, the faces of the Three Pure Ones were grave.

They had originally thought the Twelve Ancestral Witches wouldn't care about this spiritual root.

Now, it seemed they had miscalculated.

"Esteemed Ancestor Witches, this item was nurtured by heaven and earth, and all who see it have a claim. Since you are also interested, why don't we discuss how to divide it!"

Taishang Laojun proposed.

If everyone divided it equally, the Three Pure Ones should be able to get a share.

Otherwise, they would have to fight the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

But the Ancestor Witches were incomparably powerful, and the Three Pure Ones knew they had no chance of winning.

Even if they added Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti, they would only be evenly matched with the Ancestor Witches.

At present, they had not yet become Saints, nor had they even touched the Quasi-Saint realm.

In the Great Desolation, apart from Dao Ancestor Hongjun, the Witch Clan was still the overlord.

"Divide? This item was born in the land of my Witch Clan, so it belongs to my Witch Clan!"

Ancestor Witch Dijiang stated decisively.

"But you can't use it at all!"

Yuanshi retorted.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

This item was useless to the Witch Clan.

"Whether we can use it or not is our business, but this item belongs to my Witch Clan, and we can give it to whomever we please!"

Ancestor Witch Dijiang declared again.

Everyone argued endlessly.

In the current situation, unless the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and the others fought the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

Otherwise, they wouldn't even dream of getting their hands on this Innate Gourd Vine.

But if they actually fought, let alone whether they could defeat the Ancestor Witches, if the Gourd Vine was destroyed in the fierce battle, it would all be for nothing.

Swish!

Just as everyone was in a dilemma, a figure flew over.

Upon closer inspection, it was the renowned good old man of the Great Desolation--Hongyun.

"Fellow Daoist Hongyun!"

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Hongyun!"

As Hongyun appeared, the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and Jieyin and Zhunti all stepped forward to greet him.

Jieyin and Zhunti, in particular, were all smiles, showing exceptional warmth towards Hongyun.

Earlier, in Purple Cloud Palace, they had received a favor from Hongyun, managing to secure seats on those precious purple cushions.

In their eyes, Hongyun's arrival was practically a gift delivered right to their doorstep.

The others also wore friendly expressions.

In everyone's eyes, Hongyun was a rare, good-natured fellow.

However, the Twelve Ancestral Witches maintained indifferent expressions, as if they were not acquainted with Hongyun.

"Recently, I felt a premonition, sensing a destined connection hidden in this place, so I rushed over. I didn't expect to encounter all of you, fellow Daoists."

Hongyun surveyed the crowd, a gentle smile on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Hongyun, you must have also sensed this top-tier Innate Spiritual Root, haven't you?"

"We sensed this opportunity when we were at Spirit Mountain and specifically came here to seek treasure!"

Jieyin said with a slightly swollen cheek, his mouth askew.

Zhunti nodded frequently in agreement beside him.

"However, the Twelve Ancestral Witches of the Witch Clan claim this is their territory and won't allow us to pick this spiritual root!"

"Treasures in the Great Desolation have always gone to those destined to receive them. Since when did it become the private property of the Witch Clan?"

Taishang Laojun, one of the Three Pure Ones, spoke calmly.

"Exactly! It's simply unreasonable! Do they really want us to resort to fighting?"

Yuanshi couldn't help but complain.

"This place is inherently our Witch Clan's territory. For you to come here and try to take treasure is no different than breaking into my house to steal!"

Ancestor Witch Dijiang's voice was filled with anger.

"But you have no use for this kind of treasure!"

Tongtian's face was full of displeasure.

The Witch Clan had no use for the Innate Gourd Vine, yet they stubbornly refused to let it go. It was a complete waste.

Seeing that the crowd was about to start arguing again, Hongyun quickly waved his hand, signaling everyone to calm down.

"Everyone, I believe this spiritual root rightfully belongs to the Witch Clan."

As soon as Hongyun said this, he glanced around and saw the expressions of the Three Pure Ones and others change slightly. He quickly added:

"However, since the Witch Clan has no use for this item, why not share it among all of you, fellow Daoists? What do you say?"

After hearing this, the expressions of the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti softened considerably.

They were, of course, happy to accept Hongyun's suggestion.

They even muttered to themselves that Hongyun was indeed good-tempered, unwilling to offend either side.

However, whether the Twelve Ancestral Witches would agree was something they couldn't know.

All eyes turned uniformly towards the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

"Since Fellow Daoist Hongyun has made such a suggestion, our Witch Clan has no objections. This thing is useless to us anyway. But we do have one condition!"

Ancestor Witch Dijiang announced loudly.

"Please state it."

Everyone responded in unison.