Western Affairs Concluded, Witch Clan Emerges

"Young friend, this Daoist has no shortage of treasures, even Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures are not few. Are you sure you want to trade that Immortal Trapping Sword for this Fierce Fiend Exotic Treasure?"

Hongjun merely reminded him calmly, his intentions unreadable.

"I hope Senior will grant my wish."

East King Duke was resolute. If he couldn't obtain the ultimate treasure, the God Slaying Spear was indeed the most suitable for him.

"Since that is the case, then it shall be as you wish."

Hongjun said no more and agreed.

East King Duke took the God Slaying Spear, and a killing intent surged straight into his heart. It was indeed a supreme fierce weapon renowned throughout the Great Desolation. Instead of being alarmed by this change, he was delighted. He suppressed this killing intent with his magic power.

"Young friend, this God Slaying Spear is a weapon of slaughter, and it has been stained with Devilish Qi for many years. You must refine it well, and only after removing the boundless malevolent energy can you complete the sacrifice and refinement. Otherwise, you will easily be influenced in your mind by that Devilish Qi."

After the exchange of the two treasures was completed, Hongjun did not forget to remind East King Duke.

"Junior understands. Thank you, Senior, for your reminder."

"Thus, you and I shall part ways here. Young friend, your aptitude is extraordinary, and your luck is exceptional. You should have hope of reaching the Hunyuan realm. You must follow the Heavenly Mandate and not act against heaven. You should also perform more meritorious deeds. If you have any confusion in your cultivation afterward, you can come to Mount Yujing to find me."

Hongjun's tone at this moment was almost like a spokesperson for the Heavenly Dao. East King Duke secretly thought, he was indeed still planning to take that step.

The paths of the two were completely different. At this moment, Hongjun was at the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm, unreachable.

But East King Duke's goal was to be unbound, to be a truly carefree immortal. After ten Yuan Hui, a hundred Yuan Hui, or ten million Yuan Hui, they could see who was higher and who was lower.

After parting with Hongjun, East King Duke did not linger in the vicinity. At this time, the Western Continent was temporarily not suitable for cultivation.

He rode his cloud and headed straight for a certain place.

The destination was the border between the East and West, the Daoist sanctuary of Zhenyuanzi, Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain. After many years of getting along, the two had become sworn brothers. They had previously agreed to meet at the temple after the Western Affairs were concluded. Now that the matter was finished, he was heading there.

As he approached the Eastern territory, after the end of the tribulation, he could already see living beings walking on the continent, and order was slowly being restored. This was beneficial to the Great Desolation. East King Duke did not stop and quickly arrived at the foot of Longevity Mountain.

As soon as he descended from his cloud, he heard hearty laughter from the mountaintop.

"Brother Dao, I am relieved to see you return safely!"

Zhenyuanzi personally came down the mountain to welcome him. This was not unexpected, as East King Duke had indeed given him a great fortune. What was unexpected was that Hongyun was also there.

"Daoist Zhenyuan seems to have gained quite a lot. That is truly cause for celebration. Daoist Hongyun, greetings!"

East King Duke landed and saw that Zhenyuanzi was faintly surrounded by Xuanhuang merit energy. Clearly, like him, he had not refined it to improve his cultivation. He secretly nodded, thinking that the other party indeed had high aspirations and was truly extraordinary.

Among all the top-grade Innate Divine Demons in the Great Desolation, East King Duke had the best impression of Zhenyuanzi. Besides the fact that he was a true immortal who had attained the Dao, his disposition of being detached from worldly affairs and focusing solely on cultivation also pleased him. This was also why he was willing to befriend him.

The three arrived at Wuzhuang Temple, and Hongyun began to complain.

"Daoist Supreme Yang, why did you only take Daoist Zhenyuan to perform that act of eliminating demons and defending the Dao, seeking merit, and not invite me along? That's truly inconsiderate."

After Hongyun finished speaking, before he could even reply, Zhenyuanzi on the side quickly explained, "Hongyun, stop talking nonsense. This trip to the West is extremely perilous. Even with my Earth Book, I could barely protect myself. Daoist Supreme Yang didn't invite you because he didn't want you to be in danger. It was truly for your own good."

Upon hearing this, Hongyun sighed and fell silent. He clearly knew his own shortcomings, which was indeed the lack of a suitable spiritual treasure.

"Daoist Hongyun, there's no need to be like this. The Heavenly Dao is just. Your opportunities will come. Just wait patiently," Daoist East King comforted him from the side.

The three then discussed the Dao Demon War. Although Zhenyuanzi participated in it, he did not witness the great battle on Mount Sumeru. However, even without seeing it firsthand, he personally experienced the aftermath of Luohu's self-destruction, which triggered the explosion of the Western spiritual veins. The power of this tribulation was truly astonishing, and the resplendent Heavenly Dao made him tremble.

When Daoist East King spoke of the Immortal Slaying Great Array, Old Ancestor Qiankun's self-destruction, and Old Ancestor Yin-Yang's demise, Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun both sighed in regret.

As the three were chatting, the earth suddenly trembled. This time, it was in the central region of the Primordial Continent.

In a vast valley near Buzhou Mountain, the earth suddenly cracked open, and divine light shot out. Soon, amidst the sky-filled Malevolent Qi, a colossal palace slowly rose, stopping only when it reached ten thousand feet.

The palace was incredibly majestic, illuminating all directions. Three Dao Scripts on the palace gate shone brightly, exuding supreme Dao intent.

"Pangu Hall."

Suddenly, a heartbeat echoed from within the palace, starting low and gradually growing louder until it resonated across the land. Then, behind the great hall, a pool spanning a hundred miles suddenly formed, filled entirely with blood.

Another hundred years passed, and twelve balls of scorching essence blood suddenly flew out from the blood pool.

With a rumbling sound, they transformed into twelve colossal beings, each a hundred feet tall. Their appearances varied, but all exuded an aura of overwhelming Malevolent Qi.

As soon as the twelve beings were born, they let out cries that echoed throughout the Primordial World, proclaiming themselves the Ancestral Witches of the Witch Clan.

These twelve Ancestral Witches called themselves Dijiang, possessing the power of space and speed; Gou Mang, with the ability to control wood; Zhu Rong, controlling fire; Ru Shou, possessing the ability to control metal; Gong Gong, possessing the ability to control water; Houtu, controlling earth; Xuan Ming, controlling ice, snow, and rain; Qiang Liang, capable of controlling thunder; Zhu Jiuyin, possessing the ability to control time; Tian Wu, controlling wind; Xi Zi, capable of controlling lightning; and She Bi Shi, possessing the ability to control poison.

After their successive births, the twelve Ancestral Witches addressed each other as brothers and sisters. Nearly a thousand years later, they each manifested their Innate Dao Bodies. Their physical bodies were incredibly strong, but they lacked primordial spirits.

After taking form, the twelve Ancestral Witches cast spells to create countless descendants from the blood pool. They established a clan near Buzhou Mountain, calling themselves the "Witch Clan," and then began to multiply rapidly in the vicinity.

Because the Witch Clan was formed from essence blood, most of them were warlike and had violent temperaments. As descendants of Pangu Father God's essence blood, they called themselves the Pangu Orthodox. They did not cultivate the Dao of the primordial spirit, nor did they revere heaven and earth, only honoring Pangu Father God.

With the emergence of the witches, the Malevolent Qi of the Primordial World surged once more. Although it was much milder than that of the Devil Race, it still shocked the Honghuang Beings.

Especially the Three Pure Daoists in Kunlun Mountain. The three were formed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit and had always considered themselves the orthodox lineage. Now, with other beings vying for this title, they all showed anger.

Not only them, but Di Jun and Tai Yi, who already had some influence on the Sun Star, were also stirred. They seemed to have a natural aversion to the Witch Clan.

The Great Powers of the Primordial World felt a sense of apprehension towards the Witch Clan. However, Daoist East King, who was still at Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain, felt a surge of excitement.

It wasn't that he had any particular fondness for the Witch Clan. In fact, it was because he knew that the grand and magnificent Great Contention Era was about to begin.