Strange Space, Mutual Probing

But soon, that faint trace of demonic qi in the air was severed.

Styx once again found himself at a loss, like a headless fly.

"How could this be?"

He guessed that Wu Mo must have entered some unknown, peculiar space.

Perhaps Wu Mo was right in front of him now, but because they existed in different spaces, the two could not see each other.

With that thought, Styx summoned two Killing Swords and slashed wildly at the space before him.

But this action, aside from demolishing a mountain peak and kicking up a storm of rubble, elicited no further reaction from that space.

Styx furrowed his brow, then gathered the Creation Law in his left hand to envelop a section of the space before him, while his right hand condensed the Destruction Law and directly shattered the space he had sealed off.

Yet again, it was utterly useless.

"What in the world am I supposed to do?"

There was no way he could just sit by and watch Wu Mo remain trapped.

But in the short term, he couldn't break through this space either.

If he had cultivated the Creation and Destruction Laws to over thirty percent mastery, he might have had a way to use immense divine power to completely destroy the barrier between the two spaces and rescue the person.

But as he was now, he was far from capable of that.

Just as Styx was at his wit's end, a rough voice came from behind him.

"Fellow Daoist Styx, what fine spirits you have. We've only just heard the sage's sermon, and yet you haven't returned to your Daoist Temple to digest it?"

Styx turned around and saw two people approaching together.

It was Di Jiang and Zhu Jiuyin, whom he had seen at the Purple Cloud Palace.

The auras of the two were unsettled, surging with the power of laws, as if they were on the verge of a breakthrough.

Styx suddenly recalled that Di Jiang was known as the Space Ancestral Witch, his mastery of the Space Law so profound that he could shatter space and traverse it in an instant.

Though he had not yet formally become a Quasi-Sage.

But it was clear that he had already begun to touch upon the laws.

If Di Jiang was willing to lend a hand, breaking through this space before them should be no great difficulty.

But Styx had no connection with the Witch Clan.

And the legends said the Witch Clan were all rough brutes, always itching for a fight. Styx really didn't know how to broach the subject to get Di Jiang's help.

"Might the two Ancestral Witches have some important business here?"

Styx thought it over and still didn't directly bring up Wu Mo's matter.

For one, he didn't fully trust the Ancestral Witches.

If the two of them tricked him and trapped him in some space he couldn't escape from, it would be over.

For another, favors from the Witch Clan were not easy to owe.

If Di Jiang helped him, he would certainly have to repay the favor.

But Styx also feared getting too entangled with the Witch Clan, which might drag him into the Witch-Demon Calamity.

Thus, Styx took a more roundabout approach, first probing to see what these two were here for.

Zhu Jiuyin smiled kindly.

"Our Witch Clan lives at the foot of Buzhou Mountain to gaze upon the Father God's splendor. Lately, we've sensed quite a commotion on Buzhou Mountain, so my brother and I came up to see what was happening, and we found you here, Fellow Daoist."

Di Jiang also nodded, confirming that was the case.

Styx gave a slight nod in return, then said.

"It might have been because the Three Pure Ones, Nüwa, Fuxi, and Di Jun, Taiyi, Hong Yun, and others were all here contending for treasures, which stirred up some noise."

Styx spoke half-truthfully.

Those great powers had indeed been present, but not contending for treasures.

After all, the treasure had long since vanished.

Di Jiang stayed silent on the side.

He considered himself not as sharp-minded as Zhu Jiuyin, so he always let Zhu Jiuyin handle dealings with people.

He only needed to cooperate with Zhu Jiuyin.

Zhu Jiuyin, for his part, neither showed whether he believed Styx's words nor not, but instead shifted the topic warmly.

"I see that you, Fellow Daoist, seem to have run into some trouble here. Do you need my brother and me to lend a hand?"

Styx thought it over and still declined.

"There's no need. It's just a small matter."

Zhu Jiuyin said seriously, "Fellow Daoist, don't stand on ceremony. I can tell you've broken through to Quasi-Sage and are very powerful. But some things aren't necessarily as easy for you to handle as they are for us brothers."

Then he turned to Di Jiang and spoke.

"Big Brother, help Fellow Daoist Styx break through this space here. Consider it a good deed to build a connection with him."

"Alright!"

Though Di Jiang wasn't as sharp-minded as Zhu Jiuyin, he trusted his younger brother completely.

The moment Zhu Jiuyin asked him to tear open the space, Di Jiang immediately mobilized the Space Law and punched straight through it.

The strange space that had left Styx utterly helpless was resolved by Di Jiang in an instant.

Having finished helping Styx, Di Jiang and Zhu Jiuyin turned and left without a trace of hesitation, nor any intention of demanding repayment.

Styx prepared to stop them.

But Zhu Jiuyin spoke with righteous sincerity: "A mere gesture, Fellow Daoist. No need to dwell on it! We'll take our leave now. Make yourself at ease."

And with that, they truly departed.

Styx kept a composed smile on his face, but a storm raged within his heart.

Who said the Witch Clan were all a bunch of crude brutes!

Styx wished he could drag that person out and give them a beating.

These two witches had appeared behind him without a sound—though it had to do with their cultivation of the Time Law and Space Law, it still proved their formidable strength!

And during his exchange with Zhu Jiuyin, not only had Styx been probing him, but Zhu Jiuyin had been probing Styx in return.

Moreover, Zhu Jiuyin had been able to deduce, from Styx's actions and their conversation, that Styx wanted to break through the space—a clear sign of his meticulous mind.

Styx let out a bitter laugh.

In the end, Zhu Jiuyin had even refused his offer of repayment to settle the karmic debt.

That didn't mean the karmic tie was severed; on the contrary, Styx still owed the Witch Clan a debt.

This was a huge loss.

A debt of gratitude was never easy to repay.

Back at the Pangu Temple, Di Jiang finally asked Zhu Jiuyin.

"Second Brother, why did you help that Styx just now?"

Zhu Jiuyin smiled faintly.

"Big Brother, you saw it too. Styx has clashed with Di Jun and Taiyi. Given Taiyi's petty nature, he'll surely be at odds with Styx in the future. An enemy's enemy is a friend—he's definitely someone our Witch Clan can win over!"

It turned out that Di Jiang and Zhu Jiuyin had already been present during the argument between Styx, Di Jun, and Taiyi, and had even witnessed the entire process of Styx swindling a good haul from Di Jun.

That was why Zhu Jiuyin had taken the notion to court Styx.

Di Jiang nodded deeply, praising repeatedly.

"As expected of you, Second Brother!"

Of course, Zhu Jiuyin's favor toward Styx wasn't solely for that reason.

More than anything, it was because of Styx's cultivation!

The twelve brothers had received Father God's blessings and inheritance, allowing them to comprehend the Laws and greatly advance their cultivation.

Yet even so, they had not yet broken through to Quasi-Sage.

But Styx had surpassed them, and Zhu Jiuyin deeply felt that Styx was no ordinary figure.

Even if they couldn't win him over, they absolutely couldn't let Styx stand against the Witch Clan.

Taiyi had offended Styx, so the Witch Clan would befriend him—either way, the Witch Clan came out ahead!