Houtu

Biodata

Name	Houtu (后土)
Alias(es)	Wu Hou 42
Species/Race	Ancestor Witch
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Witch Clan; Twelve Ancestor Witches
Occupation/Role	Ancestor Witch; leader of the Twelve Ancestor Witches during the attack on Spirit Mountain 141
First Appearance	Chapter 40

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Nascent Soul Leaving the Body	47	After eating barbecue at Jiang Ping's courtyard, her previously weak Nascent Soul becomes strong enough to leave her body; the state remains dangerous because her Nascent Soul lacks sufficient protection. 47
Strength increased by at least 10%	52	She awakens from a nap after eating and drinking at the expert's residence and finds that her strength has increased significantly, with more residual energy left to refine. 52
Early Quasi-Saint → Late Quasi-Saint	53	Her aura rises from early through middle to late Quasi-Saint, leaving her only a small distance from the peak; she immediately proves the increase by breaking Zhurong's defense. 53

Background / History

Houtu was formerly regarded as the weakest of the Twelve Ancestor Witches, only somewhat stronger than Great Witches such as Dayi and Kuafu. Unlike her more diligent kin, she often neglected cultivation and was preoccupied with other matters. 41 52

Nuwa brought her to Jiang Ping's courtyard under the alias Wu Hou, intending for her to help with construction while concealing the expert's true nature. Houtu initially mistook Jiang Ping for a servant or disciple and bluntly demanded to see his master. 42

At the courtyard, the fruit, barbecue, and wine she consumed dramatically improved both her physical strength and Nascent Soul. The experience convinced her that Jiang Ping was a hidden high being, and she began seeking opportunities for the Witch Clan through him. 43 47 51 56

Her rapid growth led her to challenge Zhurong for his seat among the Ancestor Witches. She defeated him, gained recognition from the other Ancestor Witches, and became a major advocate for cooperating with Jiang Ping. 53 54 56

Appearance

Houtu is repeatedly described as having a delicate, slender appearance that sharply contrasts with her extraordinary physical strength. 54 137

• Delicate face and soft, slender build. 43 137
• Can manifest a thousand-foot Heaven and Earth Dharma Idol in battle. 141
• Her physical power allows her to survive high-speed impacts that leave enormous craters. 137

Personality

Houtu is straightforward, impulsive, and fiercely proud of the Witch Clan's reliance on physical strength. Before meeting Jiang Ping, she was skeptical of cultivation methods and believed that a single powerful punch could shatter all obstacles. 40

She is also excitable and food-motivated. Her eagerness for Jiang Ping's meals, opportunities, and Secret Treasures regularly causes her to act before thinking, including hunting Demon Race generals for barbecue and accidentally causing a major disturbance while using a hammer. 45 74 76

Despite her immaturity, Houtu is protective of her clan and increasingly capable of leadership. She organizes support for Jiang Ping, mobilizes against the Western Sect, and insists on defeating Zhurong fairly rather than relying on her fellow Ancestor Witches to intervene. 54 56 132

Abilities & Skills

Earth Power Manipulation

Houtu possesses immense innate divine strength and can communicate with and direct earth power.

• Lifted and carried an entire pavilion to vent excess energy within her body. 43
• Uprooted a massive tree with her bare hands. 43
• Used earth power to crush Zhurong through the floor of the Ancestor Witch Temple. 54
• Redirected the backlash from the Heaven Shaking Twelve Strikes into the ground, though the force still cracked the earth. 141

Nascent Soul Leaving the Body

Although the Witch Clan's Nascent Souls are inherently incomplete, Houtu develops a powerful enough Nascent Soul to leave her body after receiving Jiang Ping's food-based opportunities. 47 51

• Her Nascent Soul can identify the weak point in Zhurong's Nine Dragon Star Fire Shield. 53
• Its strength is described as nearly as solid as a Golden Immortal's. 55
• Her early use of this ability is dangerous, as an insufficiently strong Nascent Soul may be destroyed or devoured by Chaos Demons. 47

Earth Cage

A binding technique that gathers boundless earth power around a target.

• Restrained Zhurong when he attempted to enter a berserk state by drawing upon the Father God's Law of Strength. 54
• Prevented his berserk transformation from fully developing until the other Ancestor Witches extracted the power from him. 54

Heaven Shaking Twelve Strikes

A combined secret technique of the Twelve Ancestor Witches, initiated and led by Houtu.

• Houtu manifests her Heaven and Earth Dharma Idol and combines the twelve Heaven Shaking Hammers into a single weapon. 141
• She channels the combined vital energy and law power of the Twelve Ancestor Witches through her Earth power. 141
• One strike damaged thirty percent of Spirit Mountain's protection array and consumed fifteen percent of its millennia-old foundation. 141
• The technique requires a long activation time and inflicts severe backlash on Houtu. 141

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Heaven Shaking Hammer — A Witch Clan Secret Treasure hammer. Houtu's first strike with it shattered a giant rock and shook the surrounding ground and trees. 74 75
• Heaven Shaking Hammers — The twelve hammers used by the Ancestor Witches in the Heaven Shaking Twelve Strikes; Houtu combines them into one giant hammer for the final blow. 141
• Construction manuscript — A blueprint given to Houtu by Jiang Ping. Dijiang comprehended the Space Law from it after finding it in her residence. 41 56

Relationships

• Nuwa — Close companion who introduces Houtu to Jiang Ping and advises her to conceal her power and behave cautiously. Houtu trusts her enough to credit her for bringing her to a great opportunity. 40 42 52
• Jiang Ping — The hidden expert Houtu reveres as the source of her rapid improvement. She repeatedly seeks his food, guidance, and help in matters involving the Witch Clan. 51 56 168
• Dijiang — Fellow Ancestor Witch who initially criticizes Houtu's weak cultivation but later recognizes her potential and supports her plans. He gains insight into the Space Law from Jiang Ping's manuscript left in her residence. 41 54 56
• Xuanming — A level-headed fellow Ancestor Witch who often mediates Houtu's conflicts, believes much of her account of Jiang Ping, and accompanies her on major actions. 54 56 132
• Zhurong — Fellow Ancestor Witch and rival for rank. Houtu challenges him for his seat, defeats him decisively, and later gives him two Xiantian Lihuo Stones. 53 55
• Dayi and Kuafu — Great Witches who respect Houtu's strength and receive her guidance during the use of the Witch Clan Secret Treasures. 54 75 86
• Di Jun and Taiyi — Demon Race leaders with whom Houtu alternates between conflict, negotiations, and cooperation. She killed two of their Taiyi-realm Demon Generals and later helped establish a temporary Witch-Demon agreement. 45 174

Story Role / Major Arcs

Jiang Ping's Courtyard

Houtu visits Jiang Ping with Nuwa, obtains her first major opportunities through food and drink, and discovers that her Nascent Soul can leave her body. Her improved cultivation transforms her standing among the Ancestor Witches. 42 47 51 53

Challenge for Zhurong's Seat

After being dismissed by Zhurong, Houtu reveals her late Quasi-Saint cultivation and defeats him. She suppresses his attempted berserk transformation with Earth Cage, forcing him to acknowledge her strength and surrender his seat. 53 54

Construction and Witch Clan Secret Treasures

While performing labor near Jiang Ping's courtyard, Houtu accidentally reveals the destructive power of a hammer later identified as a Witch Clan Secret Treasure. She then finishes her assigned rock-clearing work ahead of the others. 74 76

Attack on Spirit Mountain

Houtu and Xuanming mobilize Witch Clan forces after learning that the Western Daoists interfered with Jiang Ping. Houtu leads the Twelve Ancestor Witches in the Heaven Shaking Twelve Strikes, severely damaging Spirit Mountain's defenses. 132 137 141

Witch-Demon Negotiations

Houtu returns to Jiang Ping's courtyard to seek help mediating disputes between the Witch Clan and Demon Race. She later supports an agreement in which powerful cultivators of both clans avoid direct conflict for five hundred years. 167 168 174

Trivia

• Houtu is a glutton; Nuwa specifically describes her as unable to resist Jiang Ping's barbecue. 47
• She becomes drunk enough to sleep through the night in Jiang Ping's courtyard and accidentally traps several of his pets beneath her. 51
• Her blunt question about whether Di Jun's ten sons were truly his leaves him humiliated, but his retaliation embarrasses her by asking whether she has a Dao companion. 176 177