"Give her... back to me!"
Seeing the three Lingbao in Chen Tian's hands, still connected to his origin yet completely refined, Xuan Qing's reason snapped.
They weren't merely magic treasures. They had been transformed from the Twenty-Four-Grade Creation Green Lotus, to which he had devoted countless emotions, spent every day and night with, and regarded as his Dao companion!
Yet now these barbarians had defiled them and refined them!
His overwhelming resentment and killing intent combined with the power the Devouring System had forcibly poured into him, sending his aura surging once more. He seemed on the verge of breaking through Great Luo and touching the threshold of the Primordial Realm!
The Green Lotus Sword in his hand erupted with unprecedented radiance. The power of creation within the blade reversed, turning into pure destruction.
A green sword beam stretched across Chaos and slashed fiercely toward the Thirteen Ancestral Witches!
"Like we'd be afraid of you!"
Zhu Rong roared and was the first to manifest his Ancestral Witch true form. His ten-thousand-zhang body, wreathed in divine flames, crashed into the sword beam.
Gonggong, Qiang Liang, and the other Ancestral Witches also roared and manifested their true forms, their baleful aura soaring as they met the furious strike head-on.
Chen Tian's expression shifted slightly, but he didn't stop the Ancestral Witches from attacking.
Xuan Qing was asking for trouble!
The green sword beam and the Ancestral Witches' true forms collided with a thunderous crash!
The violent energy instantly tore through space, unleashing a torrent of earth, fire, water, and wind.
"Argh—"
A scream rang out. Xuan Qing was injured and sent flying, slammed into the main gate of Zixiao Palace by the Ancestral Witches.
"As expected, that Daoist Xuan Qing is a lunatic. He dares to take on the Ancestral Witches alone," Minghe said mildly.
The other Great Powers thought much the same as Minghe.
Chen Tian rolled his eyes at Xuan Qing, then left Zixiao Palace with the Twelve Ancestor Witches.
He couldn't reveal too many of his trump cards yet. If the Heavenly Dao noticed him, it might treat him as an anomaly and eliminate him.
Xuan Qing lay by the gates of Zixiao Palace, his face full of disbelief.
Impossible!
He was a Transmigrator. Wasn't he supposed to suppress the Twelve Ancestor Witches all by himself and make a name for himself?
Even the Devouring System was at a loss for words over its host.
Even if I gave you a Chaos treasure, you still wouldn't be a match for twelve Ancestral Witches who are invincible among those of the same realm.
Could it be because I'd set his stupidity aura too high?
"The host can devour more of the Prehistoric World's origin and break through to Quasi-Sage. By then, the Ancestral Witches will absolutely be no match for you," the Devouring System coaxed.
Xuan Qing nodded and stopped acting as brazenly as before.
Dragging his injured body, he turned into a streak of green light and left.
Seeing Xuan Qing leave, the Four Pure Ones also breathed a sigh of relief.
His methods were too astonishing. If the Twelve Ancestor Witches hadn't joined forces, none of the Great Powers present could have faced him one-on-one.
"Are you four all right?"
Hong Yun brought Zhenyuanzi over to the Four Pure Ones and asked with concern.
Zhenyuanzi felt rather helpless. This move had undoubtedly pushed them onto the Four Pure Ones' side.
They might well suffer revenge from Daoist Xuan Qing in the future.
"We're fine. Thank you for your concern." Li Shou was naturally familiar with Hong Yun, the Prehistoric World's resident do-gooder.
In most Prehistoric World novels, Hong Yun was the sort of good-natured soul who met a tragic end, killed in the Netherworld Sea of Blood by the combined forces of the Demon Court, Kunpeng, and Minghe.
As for Yun Zhongzi, who appeared during Investiture of the Gods, there were rumors he was Hong Yun reincarnated, but Li Shou didn't know the details.
After the Four Pure Ones exchanged a few words with Hong Yun and Zhenyuanzi and agreed to discuss the Dao together if the opportunity arose, they left the area outside Zixiao Palace.
Seeing there was no more entertainment to be had, the other Great Powers also departed one after another.
Jieyin and Zhunti were about to leave when they heard someone send them a message.
"That Daoist Xuan Qing is an Outer Realm Demon. He has gone to your West. Keep a close eye on him."
"The... Heavenly Dao?" After sensing the laws of the Heavenly Dao, Jieyin and Zhunti realized who had sent the message.
Back then, Luo Hou had tried to detonate the West's Spiritual Veins. If the Heavenly Dao hadn't intervened in time to suppress Luo Hou, they couldn't imagine how disastrous the consequences would have been.
They chose to ignore the fact that the Heavenly Dao had developed self-awareness.
So Xuan Qing was an Outer Realm Demon?
Didn't that mean their Western World was in great danger now?
"Junior Brother, the Heavenly Dao has warned us. We should hurry back."
Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance, then hurried westward.
Zhang Hao had revealed Xuan Qing's true identity to them so they would keep an eye on him.
Hongjun could regard all things with impartiality. Zhang Hao, at any rate, couldn't.
Zhang Hao had a soft spot for Transmigrators.
If he caught them doing anything that endangered the Prehistoric World, he'd kill them outright.
The Western World.
Warned by the Heavenly Dao, Jieyin and Zhunti didn't dare waste a moment. They turned into two streaks of golden light and hurried back to their own Daoist grounds in the West.
But when they returned to the area around Spirit Mountain and swept it with their divine senses, they both froze.
At the edge of the Western land, recently repaired but still tainted with Demonic Qi, a new "scenic feature" had appeared at some point.
It was a crooked "cave abode," haphazardly piled together from a few Chaos boulders. It barely resembled a dwelling.
A few half-dead, postnatal spiritual-root seedlings stood sparsely at its entrance, their leaves yellow and wilted, as if malnourished.
It was Daoist Xuan Qing's "Daoist grounds."
"This..."
Zhunti's eye twitched. "Senior Brother, this Outer Realm Demon's Daoist grounds are a little too... casual."
Jieyin's face twitched too.
The site was awkwardly wedged where a minor tributary of the Western Spiritual Veins met the baleful aura of Chaos.
The spiritual energy was thin and impure, and the place was constantly eroded by currents of Chaos. It was unsuitable for cultivation; living there for too long might even damage one's Dao Foundation.
"The Heavenly Dao warned us that this creature is dangerous. We need to monitor him from nearby to prevent him from endangering the West."
Jieyin steadied himself and said quietly, "Since he chose this place, let's move our Daoist grounds nearby so we can keep watch."
Zhunti nodded. "You're right, Senior Brother."
After a brief discussion, the two found a rocky hollow about a hundred li from Xuan Qing's cave abode. The area was just as short on spiritual energy and strewn with jagged rocks.
Zhunti took out the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree and lightly swept it over the hollow. As seven-colored radiance swirled, the rocks parted to reveal a shallow cave.
Jieyin took out his Demon-Suppressing Pestle and tapped the ground in front of the cave twice.
Two small pools of murky spring water bubbled up from the earth, barely lending the place a touch of "life."
The brothers sprinkled a few Primordial Bodhi leaves they'd brought with them around the cave entrance as decoration.
The whole process was quick and low-key, and even seemed a little... shabby.
In less than half a day, they had finished a humble cave abode hardly any better than Xuan Qing's.
Inside Xuan Qing's cave abode.
Xuan Qing clutched the green lotus leaf, drawing on the faint traces of creation energy left in it to heal his wounds as he cursed the Twelve Ancestor Witches and the Three Pure Ones through gritted teeth.
Meanwhile, his Devouring System kept issuing prompts:
[Weak baleful aura of Chaos detected. Can be slowly devoured. Conversion efficiency: 0.0001%...]
[Impure postnatal spiritual energy detected, containing trace Karma. Devouring not recommended...]
Xuan Qing was already irritated when his divine sense suddenly detected two auras a hundred li away. They weren't weak, but they weren't especially strong either.
A cave abode had appeared there in the blink of an eye.
Xuan Qing: "???"
That cave was barely a hundred li from his own.
In the Prehistoric World, that was practically right on his doorstep.
His divine sense swept over the cave, settling on two Daoists inside who were "discussing the Dao" over a pool of murky spring water.
Jieyin? Zhunti?
The vein in Xuan Qing's forehead twitched.
Why had these two future Heavenly Dao Sages, founders of the Western Teachings, and famous "Loan Saints" and "begging duo" moved in next door?
And so close, too? What was there to like about this wretched place?
Most importantly, your cave abode is even shabbier than mine! What's the point of setting up right beside me? Are you trying to make mine look decent?!