The Ancestral Witches and the Quasi-Saints fought one-on-one, turning the sky above Buzhou Mountain into a sea of Chaos.
Below, upon the earth, the true meat grinder had only just begun to turn.
A Demon God at the Great Luo level unleashed a divine ability, sending waves of sound rippling outward.
The sound waves became tangible black ripples, shattering a million Witch Clan warriors at the very front of the charge.
These Witch Clan warriors had formidable bodies, and ordinary treasures could scarcely harm them.
But beneath this innate sound-killing ability, blood poured from their seven orifices and their organs were crushed. They burst apart like watermelons struck by an invisible sledgehammer.
"Form ranks! Don't scatter!"
A Great Witch of the Kuafu Clan, a thousand zhang tall and wielding a giant axe, roared.
His qi and blood surged skyward like smoke from a beacon. His giant axe swept across, cleaving more than a dozen charging Demon Generals in two, weapons and all.
At his words, the remaining Witch Clan warriors quickly gathered together. Relying on instinct and years of tacit understanding, they formed a simple battle formation.
Their baleful aura linked together, forming above their heads the indistinct shadow of a roaring Fierce Beast. It barely held back the sound waves and the onslaught of demonic arts from all sides.
Great Luo, Taiyi...
Experts at every level of cultivation joined the battlefield.
The battle between the Witch and Demon Clans briefly reached a stalemate.
But how could a battle that would decide the fate of the Prehistoric World go unwatched?
From every corner of the Prehistoric World, countless gazes crossed boundless distances and fell upon the battlefield beneath Buzhou Mountain.
Kunlun Mountain.
Pure qi swirled, and Daoist resonance suffused the air.
The Four Pure Ones had gathered atop a cloud platform. Before them, a water mirror reflected the world-shattering scene at Buzhou Mountain.
Laozi held a Whisk, his eyelids lowered as if dozing, but the slight tremor at its tip showed that his mind was not entirely at peace.
The Primordial Heavenly Venerate's face was as dark as water. His gaze, sharp as a blade, swept across every part of the battlefield in the mirror.
When his eyes passed over Xuan Qing, he gave a cold snort. "Heretics and evil demons deserve to be swept into the Measure Calamity!"
Tongtian Cult Master watched with such delight that he couldn't help slapping the table. "Good! Well fought!"
"Those Ancestral Witches are finally getting a taste of their own medicine... Hmm? Second Brother, why are you glaring at me?"
Yuanshi's expression darkened further. "Third Brother! What is there to watch in this kind of barbaric brawl? It only adds to the bloodshed in the Prehistoric World!"
Tongtian fell silent. For once, a look of shame appeared on his face.
Li Shou had the lowest cultivation of them all and stood behind the Three Pure Ones. Even he watched with his heart in his throat.
The world-shattering power gave him a profound understanding: in a Measure Calamity, all became ashes beneath its tribulation.
Watching Chen Tian fight Tai Yi in the mirror, he felt an indescribable strangeness well up inside him.
This Thirteenth Ancestral Witch's methods and temperament were nothing like the rough, brutish Witch Clan of legend.
And then there was Xuan Qing...
His innate Lingbao was clearly a treasure of creation, yet the techniques he used devoured the creations of others.
Just what kind of demons and monsters were these?
"Chen Tian! Look at your brothers and sisters!"
Just as Chen Tian and Tai Yi were locked in fierce combat, with their armies tangled in a bloody vortex—
Xuan Qing's voice, cold as ice, pierced through the deafening shouts and roars, reaching Chen Tian clearly.
Chen Tian's heart tightened, and he glanced over.
On one side of the battlefield, Xuan Qing stood alone in a patch of eerie silence.
He still cradled that verdant lotus leaf, but a nauseating, ashen aura now surrounded him.
Seven Ancestral Witches who had yet to break through to the Hun Yuan Golden Immortal realm—She Bi Shi, Roushou, Ju Mang, Tian Wu, Yue Zi, Qiang Liang, and Zhu Jiuyin—were trapped in place by him alone!
On the immense true forms of the seven Ancestral Witches, tiny green lotuses had sprouted from their wounds. Now, they were no mere decoration.
They had transformed into thick, dragon-like vines, strange growths somewhere between plants and flesh.
The vines had taken root inside the Ancestral Witches, greedily devouring their qi and blood, baleful aura, and even their origin.
The Ancestral Witches roared and struggled with all their might.
Their indestructible true forms smashed against the void, leaving countless cracks in the space around them.
Yet those strange, devouring vines clung to them like maggots.
The harder they struggled, the faster the vines devoured them.
The Ancestral Witches' auras grew weaker by the moment.
What made Chen Tian's pupils contract even further was that Xuan Qing wasn't merely holding them captive.
The roots of the phantom Demon Lotus writhed like living creatures.
They seemed to have formed a vicious connection with the True Spirits of the seven Ancestral Witches.
It was as if, with a mere thought, Xuan Qing could use that link to devour their origins and True Spirits alike.
"Xuan Qing! How dare you!"
Chen Tian's eyes blazed with fury. The God-Slaying Spear in his hand erupted with unprecedented killing intent, and he was about to ignore Tai Yi and turn on Xuan Qing.
"Your opponent is me!"
How could Tai Yi let him have his way?
The projection of the Thirty-three Heavens blazed with light. The Chaos Bell rang out, its peal solidifying into layers of shackles that coiled around Chen Tian.
The Heavenly Emperor Sword transformed into a golden river stretching across heaven and earth, cutting off his path.
Forced to turn back, Chen Tian stirred up Chaos with the God-Slaying Spear and clashed fiercely with Tai Yi once more, but his thoughts were now in disarray.
"Heh..."
Xuan Qing let out a chilling laugh.
He stroked the lotus leaf in his arms, his gaze unnervingly tender, while his voice remained cold as ten thousand years of ice.
"Chen Tian, hand over the Coiling Dragon Crutch, the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi, and the Qingping Sword."
"Otherwise, I'll make you watch your brothers and sisters die right before your eyes!"
"Every drop of their blood, every wisp of their soul, will become the foundation for my wife's resurrection!"
His words brimmed with a madness and cruelty born of obsession.
"Xuan Qing! You're asking for death!"
Gonggong, Zhu Rong, Houtu, Xuanming, and the other Ancestral Witches who were battling Bai Ze and the other Demon Saints also noticed what was happening. Shocked and enraged, they tried to rush to their kin's aid.
The newly promoted Quasi-Saint Demon Saints fought desperately, keeping their respective opponents firmly occupied.
They couldn't subdue several Ancestral Witches at once the way Xuan Qing had.
But with their numerical advantage and coordinated formations, they could still hold off several frantic Ancestral Witches for a short time.
With Xuan Qing's sudden, vicious move, the battle instantly grew more complicated and perilous.
Chen Tian's face turned livid as his thoughts raced.
Was he supposed to hand over the three Top-grade Spiritual Treasures...?
He looked at the seven brothers and sisters whose auras were growing weaker beneath the devouring Demon Lotus.
Feeling their pain and resentment through the bloodline they shared, Chen Tian's heart twisted.
They were family, bound to him by blood, who had sincerely cared for him!
Just as Chen Tian gritted his teeth, almost ready to make a decision—
"Hmph! Xuan Qing, you think you're the only one who can take hostages?!"
A cool shout rang out, like moonlight spilling down, drawing some of the battlefield's attention at once.
Houtu, fighting the Demon Saint Gui Che, deliberately took a blow from him!
As she unleashed the full power of the earth laws, the land around Buzhou Mountain seemed to come alive.
Boundless earth-vein energy surged forth, transforming into billions of unbreakable ocher chains.
In an instant, the chains bound Gui Che, Qin Yuan, and Shang Yang, three Demon Saints, tightly!
The chains contained the earth laws Houtu commanded. They were immensely heavy and connected to Buzhou Mountain's earth veins, making them exceptionally strong.
Caught off guard, the three Demon Saints were dragged toward the ground.
The chains sank deep into their flesh and sealed their magic power. For a time, they couldn't break free!