With the first flash of lightning and peal of thunder that opened Heaven and Earth, Yin Yang Qi separated from Chaos.
In the chaotic, void world, flowers and trees grew, while mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas took shape. But everything here differed from the outside world: it was all condensed from Thunder and Yin Yang Qi, and had no life in essence.
Everything in the Chaos World was a manifestation of Xuanyuan's understanding of the laws.
By now, he had gained a solid grasp of both the Great Dao of Thunder and the Great Dao of Yin Yang.
Not only that, he had also discovered another ability. By drawing on the power of the Chaos Pearl, he could project the world of Thunder and Yin Yang outside himself, forming a domain. Within it, all laws besides the Great Dao of Thunder and the Great Dao of Yin Yang were suppressed.
Anyone below the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm who entered would die, no matter how many came.
Even great powers of the same realm could stumble if they let their guard down!
This time, his discussion of the Dao with Fuxi and Nuwa, and Tongtian's sparring with the Lei Dian Two Ancestral Witches, had benefited Xuanyuan greatly. Among those in the early stage of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, he now had few equals.
Though it had been unintentional, he still owed them a debt of gratitude.
Nuwa and Tongtian could wait for now. Even if Fuxi fell once during the Witch-Demon Tribulation, he would ultimately turn misfortune into fortune.
The most pressing concern was the Witch Race.
After the Witch-Demon War, the Twelve Ancestral Witches would be all but wiped out, and the Witch Race would withdraw completely from Primordial World Earth. The greatest pity was that, during their gestation, they had absorbed the turbid qi from Heaven and Earth Opening and innate baleful qi. These clashed with the clear qi of the Primordial Spirit, leaving their Primordial Spirits innately deficient—or absent altogether.
As a result, they could neither cultivate magical power nor fight except with their physical bodies. They could not even Deduce Heavenly Secrets, making it easy for others to scheme against them and lead them step by step into the Kalpa Tribulation.
And without a Primordial Spirit, death was truly the end.
"Ancestral Witches, the Witch Race, the Pangu Orthodox Lineage..."
He looked up at the figures flickering amid the lightning in the sky, then down toward the foot of Buzhou Mountain. Xuanyuan wanted to offer the Ancestral Witches some advice, but after a moment's thought, he shook his head.
Hongjun was still in seclusion at Purple Heaven Palace, preparing to unite the Three Corpses and prove the Dao. Xuanyuan had no idea how far Hongjun's entanglement with the Heavenly Dao had progressed. If he spoke with the Ancestral Witches now, Hongjun might well notice and scheme against them.
Within the Primordial World, the greater trends could not be changed, but the lesser ones could. At least until Hongjun completely merged with the Dao, Xuanyuan would not stick his neck out.
So he would wait until the time was right, then warn the Twelve Ancestral Witches and help them—either within the Chaos Pearl, which concealed them from the Heavenly Dao and karma, or inside Pangu Hall.
Born from twelve drops of Pangu's heart's blood, the Twelve Ancestral Witches would have been an utterly defiant force in Primordial World Earth if they had not entered the Kalpa Tribulation too early and fallen victim to Hongjun's schemes.
Each of the Twelve Ancestral Witches had received the equivalent of a quarter of one percent of the Heaven-Opening Merit—half as much as Xuanyuan and Tongtian. That was not much on its own, but the Twelve Ancestral Witches shared a common fate, and each possessed a different law in their bloodline. Once they deployed the Twelve Heavenly Gods Fiend Formation, their trump card...
At their current Grand Unity Golden Immortal strength, they could not summon Pangu's True Body, only an illusory image. Even so, their power would come infinitely close to that of a Saint!
And once they followed the path of Proving Dao by Force and reached the Primordial Golden Immortal realm, they would be able to summon Pangu's True Body, wielding strength equal to or even greater than a Saint's!
If the Ancestral Witches stayed out of the world, each cultivated to their peak, and only then ventured into the Primordial World, there would be no one on Primordial World Earth capable of threatening them after Hongjun merged with the Heavenly Dao.
As Xuanyuan pondered, the sparring in the sky drew to a close.
After all, this had only been a spar, not a fight to the death.
The thunder faded, the lightning ceased, and the thunderclouds dispersed. Qiang Liang and Xi Zi's forms shimmered as they withdrew their Ancestral Shaman True Forms and returned to their Innate Dao Body shapes. They slung their arms around Tongtian's shoulders and leaped down from the clouds.
"Hahaha, Tongtian, those treasures of yours are pretty good. They can unleash the power of Yang Thunder and Yin Lightning at the same time. But my brother and I didn't use our full strength this time."
Qiang Liang slapped Tongtian on the shoulder, his face brimming with geniality.
The Ancestral Witches fought against Heaven and Earth. Though they could be a little single-minded, they were simple and straightforward, without all those tricks. Tongtian had shown his strength in the fight, along with his mastery of the Great Dao of Thunder, and the two Ancestral Witches had come to recognize him.
Besides, the Four Pangu Purities and the Twelve Ancestral Witches shared the same origin. Like the Great Dao, they each had their own focus, yet seemed to draw each other in through some mysterious bond.
As the saying went, a fight could make friends. After this battle, the three great powers seemed to feel they had met too late in life. None of them argued over who was the true Pangu Orthodox Lineage.
"Fifth Brother is right. Your Upper Pure Primordial Spirit is powerful, but your body is still too weak—soft and flimsy, and no match for a beating."
Xi Zi shook his head and spoke in a deep, rumbling voice.
"The Great Dao is fifty, while Heaven's Evolution is Forty-Nine. Nothing is perfect beneath the Heavenly Dao. Still, I'll remember your advice, fellow Daoists. I'll do my best to seize that sliver of possibility and strengthen my body."
Tongtian smiled wryly.
He had only had the Fishing Drum and Purple Lightning Hammer for a short time. Though he had begun refining them after discussing the Dao with Fuxi and Nuwa, he had only refined a few of their restrictions and could barely activate them, unleashing only a fraction of the power of the two Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.
In his spar with the Lei Dian Two Ancestral Witches just now, his control over the two treasures through the power of his Primordial Spirit had been riddled with flaws.
If the two Ancestral Witches had deliberately exploited those openings and bypassed the Fishing Drum and Purple Lightning Hammer to strike Tongtian directly, it would not have been difficult.
Though he was also a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, Tongtian, as one of the Upper Pure Ones, was physically stronger than most great powers. But if an Ancestral Witch got close, he would still end up in a sorry state.
Those who heard the Dao first had the advantage; every field had its own specialty.
The Four Pure Ones, formed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit, naturally excelled more in the Primordial Spirit. In close combat with their physical bodies, they could not compare to the Ancestral Witches, who had been formed from Pangu Essence Blood.
"Tongtian, fighting you was a blast. Come visit again next time, and I'll introduce you to Eldest Brother and the others."
"We still have things to do, so we'll head back first."
Qiang Liang and Xi Zi said their farewells, then clapped Tongtian on the shoulder once more. They gave Xuanyuan and the others a slight nod before turning and dashing down the mountain.
Their other brothers and sisters were still nurturing Great Witches with their essence blood, and Pangu Hall was not a suitable place to mix in the auras of other living beings just then. That was why the two brothers had not invited Tongtian.
Afterward, Fuxi and Nuwa took their leave as well, leaving only the brothers Xuanyuan and Tongtian on Buzhou Mountain.
"We both belong to the Pangu Orthodox Lineage. I don't know why, but I feel much more at ease with Qiang Liang and Xi Zi than with Eldest Brother and Second Brother."
Tongtian came up to Xuanyuan and spoke with a sigh.
He meant it. When he was with Laozi and Yuanshi, he always felt oppressed. And with Yuanshi lecturing him every day, he could not help feeling stifled.
"Elder Brother, did you gain anything from that spar?"
Xuanyuan only smiled and changed the subject.
The Ancestral Witches were straightforward and said whatever came to mind. Naturally, that temperament suited Tongtian.
And Qiang Liang and Xi Zi's parting words had given Xuanyuan something to think about.
He and Tongtian had both been born from Pangu's Primordial Spirit as part of the Four Pangu Purities, and were naturally suited to cultivating the Primordial Spirit and the immortal Dao. Their physical bodies were indeed somewhat weaker.
It was no great flaw, but being strong in every way would naturally be better.
Besides, since he had decided not to take the path of Entrusting his Primordial Spirit to the Heavenly Dao, even though a Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal could be free and unrestrained, he still could not achieve the undying, indestructible existence of a Heavenly Dao Saint.
The best way to overcome that shortcoming was to become strong enough that no one could kill him!
Proving the Dao through the Primordial Spirit alone seemed to leave him somewhat lacking. If he added something else...
Xuanyuan was beginning to form a clearer idea of the path his cultivation would take.
"Hahaha, this trip down the mountain has truly been rewarding. Sparring with Qiang Liang and Xi Zi not only improved my control over the Fishing Drum and Purple Lightning Hammer, but also helped me refine my Upper Pure Lightning Technique."
"Eldest Brother and Second Brother may be a minor realm above me, but when it comes to lightning techniques alone, they're no match for me."
As he spoke, Tongtian's face was full of joy.
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