At the foot of Buzhou Mountain.
A magnificent, grand palace stood before him.
There were no lavish decorations or brilliant colors.
It was simply filled with endless roughness, wildness, and savagery.
The entire Ancestor Witch Divine Hall seemed to exist as a world of its own, as though it had always been there.
Chu Yan entered the Ancestor Witch Divine Hall and was instantly shaken. He felt like no more than a speck of dust.
The Twelve Ancestor Witches manifested their true forms, each a hundred and eight thousand li tall, yet inside the Ancestor Witch Divine Hall,
they were still as weak as ants.
In the middle of the hall, a gigantic Blood Pool churned without end, from time to time giving birth to life.
"Pangu's heart should be in this Blood Pool, right?"
He muttered to himself. Only after a long while did he reach his destination. The Twelve Ancestor Witches also returned to their ordinary forms.
"Chu Yan, may I ask what brings you here?"
Chu Yan replied without beating around the bush:
"Five Saints emerged in a single day, and the power of the Heavenly Dao is growing stronger by the moment. Although Hongjun hasn't schemed against the Human Race, the Human Religion has already been established. I imagine Hongjun won't let the matter rest."
He looked at the Twelve Ancestor Witches and continued:
"So, I hope the Witch Race will help protect my One Hundred Thousand Innate Humans. As long as those One Hundred Thousand Innate Humans survive, Hongjun won't be able to scheme against the Human Race."
"Fine. Don't worry. Whoever dares to target the Human Race, we'll beat them so badly their own mothers won't recognize them."
"That's right, Chu Yan. Tell us, what should we do?"
Seeing how eager the Twelve Ancestor Witches were to help, Chu Yan felt a rush of gratitude.
"The Human Race refuses to be manipulated by the Heavenly Dao and must grow strong on its own. But the Human Race has no Saint, so the One Hundred Thousand Innate Humans must survive. If even one is lost, the Human Race's destiny will be damaged and divided up by the Heavenly Dao."
At once, the Twelve Ancestor Witches realized how serious the matter was.
Chu Yan continued:
"Besides, the Human Race needs its own cultivation method. And within ten thousand years, it must have a Saint. Otherwise, the Human Race will be in grave danger after ten thousand years."
Chu Yan had already guessed that the ultimate battle of the Witch-Demon War would likely arrive in ten thousand years.
By then, all the Twelve Ancestor Witches except Houtu, who would become the reincarnation cycle, would die.
Buzhou Mountain would also collapse, and Pangu's Will would vanish completely.
So Chu Yan had to put everything in place within ten thousand years.
But at his words, the Twelve Ancestor Witches sighed.
"Creating a cultivation method for the Human Race? That's incredibly difficult. For the Human Race to have a Saint is even harder."
Houtu sighed, then continued:
"When we listened to the Dao at the Purple Cloud Palace, Hongjun said there were only four ways to become a Saint: slaying the corpse, becoming a Saint through merit, becoming a Saint through great vows, and proving the Dao by force. But proving the Dao by force is no longer possible. That leaves the other three methods, all of which require Hongmeng Purple Qi. Yet there are only seven strands of Hongmeng Purple Qi in heaven and earth. The Six Sages have used six, and the last is nowhere to be found. It's difficult for the Human Race to become Saints."
Hearing this, Chu Yan chuckled.
"That's nothing but a trap. If you follow the Xuanmen Immortal Path, then yes, you need to do things that way. But I'm of the Human Race, so why should I follow the Xuanmen Immortal Path? Besides..."
Chu Yan took a deep breath.
"Who says Prove Dao by Force is impossible? The Human Race is constantly being manipulated by the Heavenly Dao. If we want to carve out a path through bloodshed and escape its schemes, Prove Dao by Force is our only option."
Clang!
The Twelve Ancestor Witches were startled.
"What? Prove Dao by Force? Are you joking?"
"Exactly! Father God tried to Prove Dao by Force, and still perished. Chaos is gone now, so Prove Dao by Force is even more impossible."
But Chu Yan didn't hesitate.
"How would we know without trying? Prove Dao by Force is the only way to escape the Heavenly Dao's schemes. And it's not just the Human Race that's being manipulated. The Witch Race is also a target of the Heavenly Dao. If possible..."
Chu Yan hesitated, but said it anyway:
"If possible, I hope you won't enter the Primordial World again, and won't fight the Demon Race."
"Impossible!"
In an instant, the Twelve Ancestor Witches were furious.
"The Demon Race has killed so many of our Witch Race kin. How can we just let go of such a grudge?"
"That's right, Chu Yan. Don't try to talk us out of it. Even though we're bound by blood, we'll turn against you if you keep pushing."
Seeing the Twelve Ancestor Witches' reaction, Chu Yan sighed. It seemed impossible to avert the Witch-Demon War.
He'd only been testing the waters, and they'd reacted this strongly. If he kept pressing, the Witch Race might stop protecting the Human Race.
And given the Heavenly Dao's nature, even if the Witch Race made no trouble, it would likely stir up trouble itself.
The Ten Golden Crows wreaking havoc across the Primordial World was a case in point.
"Forget it. Since you've made up your minds, I won't say more. If you really plan to attack the Demon Race, please let me know."
"Hm? Chu Yan, what do you mean by that...?"
Chu Yan smiled faintly.
"The Human Race and the Witch Race are bound by blood and linked in destiny. The Human Race and the Witch Race should stand together."
At those words, the Twelve Ancestor Witches were deeply moved.
"Very well. If a great battle truly breaks out, the Witch Race will be sure to tell you."
Chu Yan nodded, smiling to himself.
Hongjun, since you dared scheme against the Human Race, then it's only fair for the Human Race to join the Witch-Demon War, isn't it?
You think you're the only one scheming? I'm scheming too.
Chu Yan understood one thing: everything in the world had two sides.
Hongjun had taken advantage of the situation to bind the Human Race and the Witch Race by blood and link their destinies, using that as an excuse to make Taiqing a Saint—and bring forth five Saints in a single day.
But it had also given Chu Yan a chance to act.
Originally, the Witch-Demon War involved only the Witch Race and the Demon Race. But now a new variable had appeared: the Human Race and the Witch Race were linked in destiny and bound by blood.
When the Witch-Demon War came, Chu Yan could join in openly and legitimately. As long as the Witch Race survived, a sword would forever hang over Hongjun and the others.
Chu Yan was already imagining the Demon Race being routed, fleeing in disarray.
"By the way, there's one more thing. I hope you won't refuse."
"Chu Yan, go ahead."
With the Human Ancestor and the Witch Race bound together and preparing to fight the Demon Race, the Witch Race treated Chu Yan exceptionally well.
"The Human Race still has no cultivation method. I need to create one, but I don't know where to start. I know that when Great God Pangu fell, he left the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique to the Witch Race. Could you let me study it? It would help me create a cultivation method for the Human Race."
"Of course. I thought it was something serious. That's easy."
The Twelve Ancestor Witches stood up at once. Chu Yan had expected them to refuse, but they'd agreed so readily.
"Chu Yan, you're the one Father God chose. You can study the Witch Race's cultivation method, but the Human Race can't practice it. Without Witch Race blood, they'll surely explode and die."
Chu Yan nodded, knowing that only those with Witch Race blood could practice their methods.
"Chu Yan, we'll demonstrate it for you now. Watch carefully."
At once, the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique began to unfold within Pangu Temple. To help Chu Yan see clearly,
the Twelve Ancestor Witches deliberately slowed their movements.
Time passed slowly. A hundred years went by.
Chu Yan watched without blinking for that entire century.
At first, he'd been completely at a loss, but gradually he began to grasp the technique.
By the end, Chu Yan had even seen its essence.
He marveled inwardly at how powerful the Witch Race's inheritance was.
What a pity that the Witch Race didn't cultivate their primordial spirits.
Finally, they demonstrated the Du Tian Shen Sha formation as well.
The sight left Chu Yan dazzled.
During that time, Chu Yan had also asked about some aspects of Du Tian Shen Sha.
But the Twelve Ancestor Witches were just as confused and couldn't answer him.
They only said they'd followed their instincts.
That left Chu Yan completely baffled.
Time passed slowly. Another hundred years went by, and on that day, Chu Yan awoke.
"I see! I've found the direction for the Human Race's cultivation method."
Drawing on the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique and what he'd learned in his previous life,
Chu Yan could already picture the general path the Human Race would follow in cultivation.
Everything was ready, and only the final push remained. Now it was time to take the last step.
"Sect Master Tongtian, all I need now is your Nine Revolutions Primordial Technique. I'll come visit you right away."
Chu Yan left the Ancestor Witch Divine Hall, but what he saw left him astonished.
"How could there be so many people in the Human Race?"
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