Primordial Era: The Dao Wasn't Finished Yet, and the Ancestor Witches Had Already Become Saints

No one other than the Ancestor Witches may enter, lest they disturb Little Brother's rest.

The twelve Ancestor Witches would take turns guarding, to prevent any danger, until Little Brother safely took form.

All the Ancestor Witches naturally agreed without hesitation!

But then the problem arose: which Ancestor Witch would take the first shift?

The air suddenly grew cold and quiet, as the Ancestor Witches looked at each other.

After a brief silence, it erupted completely, the scene turning chaotic as the Ancestor Witches argued fiercely, each wanting to be the first guardian.

The clamor was like a vegetable market.

The behavior of the elder brothers made Xuanming and Houtu's expressions somewhat unpleasant.

Although Xuanming was also a woman, her temperament was like a man's—fiery and impatient.

Seeing that the elder brothers showed no sign of stopping, Xuanming activated her laws, and a chill like that from the Nine Netherworlds rose up.

Everyone involuntarily shivered, knowing full well this was the work of their Eldest Sister, the Netherworld.

They stopped arguing and turned to look, finding that the two younger sisters' expressions were clearly displeased.

They grinned sheepishly and quickly offered placating smiles.

This wasn't because of Xuanming; this Eldest Sister had a difficult temperament, and a sour face was common.

Whenever something displeased her, her expression naturally turned ugly.

But Houtu was different. Their Little Sister had always been gentle, considerate, and very sensible, rarely getting angry.

Now even she wore a face of iron-gray, showing the seriousness of the matter!

"Not arguing anymore?" Xuanming looked at them, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Go on, keep arguing! Argue some more!"

The Ancestor Witches quickly smiled and apologized in unison, "Wouldn't dare, wouldn't dare!"

Of course, these words and smiles were all directed at Houtu.

Xuanming wanted to say more, but Houtu grabbed her arm. She turned back to see Houtu gently shaking her head, so she had to let it go.

Then Houtu looked at the Ancestor Witches and said softly, "Elder Brothers, your voices are very loud. On normal days or elsewhere, it might be fine, but we are still outside the hall. Please stop arguing, lest we disturb Little Brother!"

Everyone was momentarily stunned, then suddenly enlightened.

That made sense!

It really was true!

They nodded repeatedly, indicating they understood.

Zhu Rong tried to lower his voice as much as possible and asked, "Little Sister! What about the first..."

Before he could finish, Dijiang covered his mouth again, cutting him off.

"Shut up!" Dijiang glared at him and said irritably, "Don't you know how loud your voice is? From now on, speak less!"

Zhu Rong had indeed lowered his voice, but that was only relative to himself.

To others, it was still quite loud, enough to make those nearby feel their heads buzzing.

Zhu Rong looked at Dijiang with a face full of grievance.

He was helpless too; that was already the lowest volume he could manage.

It wasn't like he chose to be this way—born with a loud voice, there was nothing he could do about it!

Seeing Zhu Rong calm down, Dijiang let go and turned to Houtu, asking softly, "Little Sister, what are your plans for the first shift?"

Houtu thought for a moment and said, "Elder Brother, I think I should go first. Then let Xuanming Eldest Sister take over. We'll decide the rest later!"

Dijiang thought it over, then looked at Xuanming. Seeing her nod in agreement, he made the final decision: "Alright, we'll do as you say!"

With that, he led the other Ancestor Witches away.

There were other matters to attend to!

The Ancestor Witch Hall, which they usually used for rest, was now unusable.

They had to find a place to stay first!

Otherwise, dignified Ancestor Witches without even a place to rest—wouldn't that be a laughingstock if word got out?

Watching the elder brothers leave, Houtu turned and entered the Ancestor Witch Hall.

With light, graceful steps, she slowly walked to the front of Father God's heart, listening to the strong, powerful heartbeat.

A sense of peace arose, and she smiled softly, sitting cross-legged on the ground. One delicate hand propped up her chin as she softly hummed an unknown little tune.

At this moment, her heart was filled with anticipation. In the past, as the youngest, she had been thoroughly doted on.

She had never understood before, no matter how unreasonably she acted, how her elder brothers and sisters always tolerated and indulged her.

Now, Houtu seemed to understand. The moment she learned she still had a younger brother yet to emerge, she understood instantly.

She had a feeling that in the future, she would be the same, treating this younger brother just as her elder brothers and sisters had once treated her.

And so, Houtu stayed as the first guardian, remaining there for a hundred thousand years.

People did come to relieve Houtu during this time, but she never wanted to leave.

Even when they forced her to go rest, she would gaze back longingly at Father God's heart—the place where her youngest brother lay—her expression filled with sorrow and grief.

Seeing her so heartbroken, the other Ancestor Witches couldn't bring themselves to push Houtu further, so they simply let her be.

Over these hundred thousand years, Houtu often spoke of her elder brothers' amusing anecdotes. Her voice was soft, as if she were narrating, but in truth, it was more like talking to herself.

On this day, she happened to be telling a story about Zhu Rong.

Inside the heart, Li Hao slowly stirred awake. This time, he managed to open his eyes smoothly, only to find himself still surrounded by darkness.

He instinctively reached for his phone to check the time, feeling as though he had slept for ages, yet the sky remained black.

But when he groped around, he found nothing, and a surge of anxiety rose in his chest.

Just then, a gentle female voice reached him, calming his restless heart for the moment.

"You don't know how careless Third Brother Zhu Rong is! He went out hunting, and on the way back, he carried his prey over his shoulder. When he returned to the ancestral land, he told everyone, 'Today I caught a huge beast—carrying it back nearly killed me!' Then, under everyone's bewildered stares, he tried to set it down, only to find there was no prey left at all. It had fallen off somewhere long ago!"

"Hahaha!"

"Sigh..."

"Little brother, why won't you come out yet? Your elder sister is so anxious waiting for you, and your other eleven brothers and sisters are anxious too!"

Hearing the woman's voice, Li Hao almost laughed at first.

This guy named Zhu Rong was something else—how could he not even notice the weight was gone when his prey fell off?

What an idiot!

But then, something felt off.

Little brother? Was she talking about him?

This woman was his elder sister?

And more importantly, there were eleven other brothers and sisters above him?

That was ridiculous, wasn't it?

His family had only one child—let alone eleven, there wasn't even one extra!

Suddenly, it hit him.

Wait?!

Zhu Rong?!

Eleven?!

Holy crap! Could it be those twelve?

Then the woman outside must be Houtu?

No wonder her voice was so gentle!

Li Hao chuckled to himself. This girl was probably suffering from severe chuunibyou—terminal stage, even!

If what she said was true!

Then he, Li Hao, was the thirteenth Ancestor Witch!

Come on! Stop messing around!

Was he dreaming, or was she not awake yet?

Chapter 3: Didn't Expect the System to Be Like This

Li Hao didn't respond. Not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't dare.

This girl "Houtu" was a severe chuunibyou case—terminal, beyond saving.

If he answered recklessly, what if she latched onto him?

What if she stubbornly insisted on recruiting him as the thirteenth Ancestor Witch?

To be fair, this girl really could talk, and she was good at making things up.

Every little story she told sounded as if it had actually happened.

Li Hao sighed inwardly: With a mind like that, it was a shame she wasn't a writer.

She might even become a bestseller, a big-name author, and strike it rich.

After venting his thoughts, Li Hao felt immensely relieved.

He had to admit, this girl's voice was really pleasant.

Soft, sweet, and captivating.

With his mind at ease and her gentle voice lulling him, drowsiness crept over him again.

His eyelids drooped uncontrollably, and Li Hao sank back into slumber.

In the blink of an eye, another hundred thousand years passed.