The moment those words left his mouth, the forest fell silent.
The sneers on the faces of the Witch Clan warriors froze, as if they had just heard the biggest joke in the world.
The bull-headed warrior at their head was so furious that even his muscles trembled.
"You little brat, what did you say?"
His huge, bell-like eyes glared fixedly at Xuanqing, and his voice rumbled like thunder.
Xuanqing spread his hands, wearing a half-smile.
"I said I'd give you a dignified death. Nice perk, isn't it?"
"Looking for death!"
The Bull-headed Witch flew into a rage. He stomped hard, and the earth trembled beneath him.
The enormous axe in his hand, as large as a door, swept up a gale and came crashing down toward Xuanqing's head with tremendous force!
The strike was simple and direct, a pure expression of the Witch Clan's physical might at its peak.
The crushing pressure left the Rabbit-eared Girl and the others pale in the distance, almost unable to breathe.
Xuanqing immediately let out a cold shout.
A three-foot-long green ancient sword appeared in his hand out of thin air.
The blade was plain and unadorned, yet a faint, clear light flowed across it.
It was none other than the Postnatal Merit Supreme Treasure, the Jing Shi Sword!
As soon as the sword appeared, the bloodlust and Malevolent Qi of the Witch Clan that filled the air around them melted away as swiftly as snow beneath the sun.
The Bull-headed Witch warrior bore the brunt of it. He felt his strength suppressed all over, and his movements slowed by half a beat.
"The power of merit?!"
He cried out in shock.
The Witch Clan cultivated their bodies, not their primordial spirits. They were naturally close to the Turbid Qi of the earth, and the Malevolent Qi within them ran deep.
The power of merit, however, was Heaven's reward—pure yang and supremely hard. It was the natural bane of beings steeped in Malevolent Qi like them!
The Rabbit-eared Girl felt that aura too, and was even more astonished.
In this land protected by Empress Nüwa, she had seen many members of the Yao Clan, but never one who possessed such pure and vast power of merit.
Was he really one of the Yao Clan from around here?
While she stood stunned, Xuanqing moved.
His figure seemed to turn into an afterimage and vanished from where he stood in an instant.
The Bull-headed Witch warrior's instincts screamed. His vision blurred, and the green figure had already appeared at his side.
"What incredible speed!"
He marveled inwardly and tried to swing his axe back to defend himself, but it was already too late.
A clear, cold streak of sword light swept lightly past.
"Pfft!"
The Bull-headed Witch's body, which he had been so proud of—tough enough to rival a low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure—was no match for the Jing Shi Sword.
With an overwhelming advantage in cultivation, Xuanqing made the Bull-headed Witch's body collapse in an instant.
A wound deep enough to expose bone opened across his waist and abdomen.
"Argh—!"
Pain surged through him, and the Bull-headed Witch let out a scream.
But what terrified him even more was the faint, clear light clinging to the wound.
The power of merit burrowed into his body like a maggot in carrion, frantically scorching his Witch Clan blood essence and Malevolent Qi.
"Attack together! Kill him!"
The other two Witch Clan warriors were shocked and furious. They immediately moved in from both sides, swinging their bone clubs and stone spears at Xuanqing.
Xuanqing's expression did not change. He flicked his wrist, and the Jing Shi Sword traced a graceful arc.
Sword light poured forth like water.
"Clang! Clang!"
Two sharp cracks rang out as the bone club and stone spear snapped.
Before the two Witch Clan warriors could react, they felt a chill at their brows.
Their expressions froze. The ferocity in their eyes quickly faded, and their massive bodies toppled straight to the ground, lifeless.
The Rabbit-eared Girl and the little demons behind her were all rooted to the spot.
They were the Witch Clan!
Witch Clan warriors, invincible in body and ferocious in battle when matched against others of the same cultivation!
And they had actually been dealt with in just two strikes?
Seeing his companions dead, fear flashed through the Bull-headed Witch's eyes. He forced himself to endure the pain and turned to flee.
"Trying to leave now is too late."
Xuanqing's calm voice sounded behind him.
The Bull-headed Witch felt a chill at the back of his neck. A streak of clear light pierced straight through his heart.
His massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
From the first strike to the end, it had taken no more than a few breaths.
Three Witch Clan warriors with Mystic Immortal strength had been dispatched cleanly and efficiently.
Xuanqing casually beckoned, drawing the corpses of the three Witch Clan warriors into his Sleeve Universe.
Every part of the Witch Clan was valuable. Their blood essence could be used to temper the body, and their bones to forge artifacts. Nothing should go to waste.
At the same time, twice the Yao Clan merit surged up from the ground. While the little demons were distracted, Xuanqing absorbed it at once. The Merit Golden Wheel within him turned for half a moment, then stopped.
Only after he had finished everything did he turn to look at the little demons, who were still stunned.
The same kindly smile remained on his face.
"All right, problem solved."
The Rabbit-eared Girl jolted back to her senses. Awe and gratitude filled her gaze as she looked at Xuanqing.
She hurriedly led the few little demons behind her and bowed deeply to him.
"Thank you for saving our lives, senior!"
"Senior?" Xuanqing rubbed his chin. "Do I look that old?"
The Rabbit-eared Girl froze, unsure how to answer.
Xuanqing smiled and stopped teasing her.
"All right, this place isn't safe. You should hurry and leave."
With that, he turned to go.
He had saved the little demons and received the merit. There was no need to linger.
"Senior, please wait!"
The Rabbit-eared Girl gathered her courage and spoke again.
"What is it?" Xuanqing glanced back.
"Your cultivation is profound. Could you... could you escort us for a while?" the Rabbit-eared Girl asked timidly. "We want to go to Phoenix Mountain to gather some spirit herbs for our injured companions, but there may be more Witch Clan warriors along the way."
Phoenix Mountain?
Xuanqing's heart stirred. That was right along his route.
He looked at the little demons, whose cultivation was weak and whose faces were full of hope.
"Very well. I'm going that way myself, so I'll take you along."
"Thank you, senior!"
The Rabbit-eared Girl was overjoyed and thanked him again and again.
At the same time, inside Nüwa Palace on Phoenix Mountain.
Auspicious Clouds drifted through the halls, while the sounds of the Dao and chanting filled the air.
A peerlessly beautiful woman sat cross-legged upon a Cloud Bed.
She wore an elegant palace gown. Her features were as lovely as a painting, and her ethereal bearing made it seem as though she were one with the world around her.
She was the Yao Clan's Great Sage, Nüwa.
At that moment, however, a deep, lingering worry clouded her beautiful face.
Several thousand years had passed since she returned from listening to the Dao at Zixiao Palace.
She had secluded herself day and night, painstakingly contemplating the method of attaining sagehood taught by Hongjun Dao Ancestor, yet she still had no idea how to begin.
She could clearly sense that a thin sheet of paper stood between her and what lay ahead.
The opportunity to become a sage was right there.
Yet no matter how she calculated or how deeply she meditated, she could not pierce that final barrier.
The feeling left her restless and irritable.
Just then, faint footsteps sounded outside the hall.
A maid quietly approached and bowed.
"Your Majesty, a guest is requesting an audience outside the palace."
Nüwa slowly opened her eyes. Stars seemed to flow within them, and her voice was cool.
"Did I not say that no one was to disturb me while I was in seclusion?"
The maid trembled and hurriedly knelt to the ground.
"Your Majesty, the visitors are the Demon Emperor of the Heavenly Court and His Majesty the Eastern Emperor."
Dijun? Taiyi?
Nüwa's brows drew together slightly.
She knew perfectly well why those two had come.
They wanted to use the greater good of the Yao Clan to bind her to the Demon Court's cause and add weight to their Great Cause of unifying Honghuang.
Seeing that Nüwa did not respond, the maid cautiously added,
"They said they have important matters to discuss concerning the Yao Clan's plans for the future. They said the matter is of great importance and cannot go unreported."
"The Yao Clan's plans?"
Nüwa gave a cold laugh inwardly.
Those are your plans for the Yao Clan. What do they have to do with me?
She was naturally quiet and disliked conflict.
She had never been interested in Dijun and Taiyi's talk of contending for dominion over the world.
If not for their ties as fellow Great Sages of the Yao Clan, she would have turned the two away long ago.
However, her contemplation of the Great Dao had reached a bottleneck, and she was already restless. Perhaps going out to see them and clear her mind would not be a bad idea.
"Very well."
Nüwa rose to her feet, her voice returning to its usual calm.
"Let them in."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The maid withdrew at once, as though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
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