But before long, that faint trace of Demon Qi in the air vanished.
Styx was once again left stumbling around like a headless fly.
"How could this happen?"
He guessed that Wu Mo had entered some unknown, unusual space.
Perhaps Wu Mo was standing right before him now, but because they were in different spaces, the two could not see each other.
With that thought, Styx summoned two Killing Swords and began wildly slashing at the space before him.
Yet aside from destroying a mountain peak in front of him and sending rubble flying everywhere, this space showed no other reaction.
Styx frowned, then gathered the Creation Law in his left hand and enveloped the area before him. With his right hand, he condensed the Destruction Law and directly shattered the space he had enclosed.
But likewise, it was still of no use.
"What am I supposed to do?"
He absolutely could not stand by and watch Wu Mo remain trapped.
Yet in the short term, he could not break open the space before him either.
If he had cultivated the Laws of Creation and Destruction to more than thirty percent mastery, perhaps he could use great mana to completely destroy the barrier between the two spaces and rescue him.
But he was still far from being capable of that.
Just as Styx was at a loss, a rough voice came from behind him.
"Fellow Daoist Styx, you are certainly in high spirits. You have only just listened to a Sage's teachings, so why have you not returned to your own dojo to digest them?"
Styx turned around and saw two people approaching together.
They were Di Jiang and Zhu Jiuyin, whom he had met at Purple Cloud Palace.
The auras around the two were unstable, surging with the power of Laws. They seemed on the verge of a breakthrough.
Styx suddenly recalled that Di Jiang was known as the Ancestral Witch of Space. His command of the Space Law was unfathomable, allowing him to shatter space and travel through it in an instant.
Although Di Jiang had not yet officially become a Quasi-Sage.
He had clearly already begun to come into contact with Laws.
If Di Jiang was willing to help, breaking open the space before him should not be difficult.
But Styx had no friendship with the Witch Clan.
Moreover, the Witch Clan of legend were all crude brutes who wanted to fight at the slightest provocation. Styx truly did not know how to ask Di Jiang for help.
"Have the two Ancestral Witches come here on some important matter?"
After thinking it over, Styx still did not directly mention Wu Mo.
For one thing, he did not fully trust the Ancestral Witches.
If these two set him up and trapped him in some space that he could not escape from, he would be finished.
For another, favors owed to the Witch Clan were not easy to repay.
If Di Jiang helped him, Styx certainly could not offer nothing in return.
But Styx also feared becoming too deeply entangled with the Witch Clan and being dragged into the Witch-Demon Calamity.
Therefore, Styx chose a more roundabout approach, first probing to see what the two had come for.
Zhu Jiuyin smiled amiably.
"My Witch Clan lives beneath Buzhou Mountain so that we may admire Father God's bearing. Recently, we sensed considerable activity atop Buzhou Mountain, so my brother and I came up to see what had happened. That was when we saw you here, Fellow Daoist."
Di Jiang also nodded, indicating that this was indeed the case.
Styx nodded slightly as well, then said,
"Earlier, it may have been because the Three Pure Ones, Nüwa, Fuxi, Di Jun, Taiyi, Hong Yun, and the others were all here competing for treasures, which caused some commotion."
Styx spoke half-truths and half-lies.
Those mighty figures had indeed been present, but they had not been fighting over treasures.
After all, the treasure had long since disappeared.
Di Jiang remained silent at the side.
He believed his mind was not as sharp as Zhu Jiuyin's, so he had always left dealings with others to Zhu Jiuyin.
All he needed to do was cooperate with Zhu Jiuyin from the side.
Zhu Jiuyin did not say whether he believed Styx's words. Instead, he changed the subject and said warmly,
"I see that Fellow Daoist seems to have encountered a slight difficulty here. Do you need my brother and me to assist you?"
After thinking it over, Styx still refused.
"There is no need. It is only a minor matter."
Zhu Jiuyin said seriously, "Fellow Daoist, there is no need for courtesy. I can see that you have already broken through to become a Quasi-Sage, and your strength is formidable. But there are some matters that we brothers may truly handle more conveniently than you."
He then turned to Di Jiang and said,
"Big Brother, help Fellow Daoist Styx break open the space here. Consider it forming a good connection with Fellow Daoist Styx."
"Alright!"
Although Di Jiang's mind was not as sharp as Zhu Jiuyin's, he trusted his younger brother immensely.
The moment Zhu Jiuyin told him to break open the space, Di Jiang immediately mobilized his Space Law and shattered the space with a single punch.
The unusual space that Styx had been completely helpless against was resolved just like that by Di Jiang.
After helping Styx, Di Jiang and Zhu Jiuyin immediately turned and left. They did not linger in the slightest, nor did they show any intention of demanding payment.
Styx prepared to stop them.
But Zhu Jiuyin said righteously, "It was merely a small effort. Fellow Daoist, there is no need to take it to heart! We shall take our leave first. Please do as you wish."
Then they truly left the place.
Styx maintained a proper smile on his face, but countless waves surged through his heart.
Who said the Witch Clan were all crude brutes?!
Styx dearly wished he could drag that person out and beat him up.
The two members of the Witch Clan had appeared silently behind him. Though that was related to the Space and Time Laws they cultivated, it was still enough to show how formidable the two truly were!
And during his conversation with Zhu Jiuyin, not only had he been probing Zhu Jiuyin, Zhu Jiuyin had also been probing him.
Moreover, Zhu Jiuyin had been able to infer from Styx's actions and their earlier conversation.
That Styx wanted to break open the space, which also showed just how meticulous his mind was.
Styx gave a bitter laugh.
In the end, Zhu Jiuyin had even refused to let him repay the favor and settle their karma.
But that did not mean their karma had simply vanished. On the contrary, Styx still owed the Witch Clan karma.
This time, he had suffered a huge loss.
Debts of gratitude were not easy to repay.
Only after returning to Pangu Temple did Di Jiang ask Zhu Jiuyin,
"Second Brother, why did you help that Styx just now?"
Zhu Jiuyin smiled faintly.
"Big Brother, you saw it too. Styx has formed a grudge with Di Jun and Taiyi. Given Taiyi's petty nature, he will certainly oppose Styx tit for tat in the future. The enemy of our enemy is our friend. He is absolutely someone our Witch Clan can win over!"
It turned out that Di Jiang and Zhu Jiuyin had already been present when Styx argued with Di Jun and Taiyi. They had even witnessed the entire process of Styx swindling quite a few good things from Di Jun.
That was why Zhu Jiuyin had developed the intention of winning Styx over.
Di Jiang deeply agreed after hearing this and repeatedly praised him.
"As expected of you, Second Brother!"
Of course, Zhu Jiuyin had not done Styx this favor entirely for that reason.
More importantly, it was because of Styx's cultivation!
The twelve brothers had received Father God's blessing and inheritance, allowing them to comprehend Laws and greatly advance their cultivation.
Yet even so, they had not broken through to the Quasi-Sage realm.
But Styx had surpassed them, which made Zhu Jiuyin feel deeply that Styx was no simple figure.
Even if they could not win him over, they absolutely could not allow Styx to stand against the Witch Clan.
Taiyi had offended Styx, so the Witch Clan would befriend Styx instead. No matter what, the Witch Clan would not lose out!
Before you continue