" Houtu, my girl..."
Di Jiang murmured softly, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
What does this mark signify?
This means that even if the Witch Clan perishes in this great calamity, their bloodline will not be severed.
The True Spirit enters the Reincarnation, retaining its memories for each rebirth... In the next life, the Witch Clan will still exist!
This was the last escape route that Houtu left for the Witch Clan.
"That's all?"
Qiang Liang stepped forward, lightning flashing in his eyes:
"We, the Witch Clan Warriors, would rather die in battle than live a life of dishonor!"
"Good!"
Zhu Rong was engulfed in flames.
"Through Reincarnation, the memories remain, but the physical body is no longer that of a member of the Witch Clan, and the bloodline is no longer pure... Can one still be considered a member of the Witch Clan?!"
The sound was like thunder, shaking the Great Hall.
Although the other Ancestral Witch did not speak, their expressions were exactly the same as Zhu Rong's.
The Witch Clan does not cultivate the Primordial Spirit, but only refines the physical body, Prove Dao With Strength.
Bloodline is fundamental, and the physical body is pride.
If one is reincarnated Human Race, a demon, or another race... even if the memories remain, would that still be the Witch Clan?
"That's why I said... this is just a fallback plan."
Xuandu's gaze remained calm as he swept over the Ancestral Witches:
"The real path to survival... is in your own hands."
What do you mean?
Di Jiang asked in a deep voice.
Xuandu spoke slowly and deliberately:
"I will make my move during the final battle."
"To restrain part of the demon race's power, and even... restrain Yuanshi."
Upon hearing this, the pupils of Ancestral Witches shrank dramatically!
"You want to be an enemy of Sage?!"
Zhu Jiuyin's voice was deep and filled with disbelief.
Who is Yuanshi?
The Sage Yuqing, one of the Three Pure Ones, is in charge of the Chan Sect and enjoys the Heaven-Opening Merit. He is the oldest and most orthodox Heavenly Dao Sage in the Great Wilderness!
Although Xuandu is Zenith Heaven, he has only been in this realm for a hundred years.
Is he going to be an enemy of Yuanshi?
"Not as enemies."
A cold smile curled at the corner of Xuandu's lips.
"It's liquidation."
" Yuanshi wants to use the Great Calamity to eliminate me, so naturally I will also use the Great Calamity to... teach him a lesson."
The voice was calm, yet it carried a resolute killing intent!
The Ancestral Witches were deeply shaken.
They could clearly sense that Xuandu's words were by no means empty boasting.
He truly intended to... fight Yuanshi during the Great Tribulation!
Why?
Di Jiang's eyes were deep and profound.
"Although you and Yuanshi have a grudge, it has not yet reached the point of no return."
"Moreover, the Great Calamity is perilous, and the secrets of Heavenly Secret are in chaos. If you were to fight against Yuanshi, you might be ambushed by other Sage."
"Although the Interception Sect is powerful, it ultimately only has one Sage, Tongtian, to oversee it."
Every word makes sense.
This is also the most perplexing aspect for the Witch Clan.
Why would Xuandu take such a risk and become an enemy of Yuanshi during the Great Tribulation?
"Because..."
Xuandu slowly raised his head, gazing at the endless sky outside the palace:
"My Hunyuan Dao is destined to be opposed to that of the Heavenly Dao Sage."
He paused, his voice turning cold:
" Yuanshi sees me as a variable and wants to eliminate me as soon as possible."
"I see the Yuanshi as a shackle, and I wish to break it as soon as possible."
"This is Dao Struggle, not a matter of right or wrong, but only of life and death."
The Dao Struggle!
These two words struck like a heavy hammer, hitting the very depths of the hearts and minds of Ancestral Witches!
They finally understood.
Xuandu's ambitions are far from ordinary fortune or power.
He was about to embark on a Path of Transcendence unlike any he had ever taken before.
A Hunyuan Great Dao that does not rely on the Heavenly Dao, nor on external things, but only on one's own self!
This path is inherently opposed to the path of the Heavenly Dao Sage who wield power and maintain order.
Yuanshi wanted to maintain the absolute dominance of the Heavenly Dao and suppress all variables.
Xuandu forge a new path and break all shackles.
Between the two, only one can exist.
"So..."
Di Jiang took a deep breath:
"Your assistance to my Witch Clan is not out of sincerity, but rather... a pretext for settling scores with Yuanshi Tianzun during the Witch-Demon War?"
Xuandu nodded calmly:
"You could say that."
"But for the Witch Clan, this is also an opportunity."
"I will restrain Yuanshi, Interception Sect will restrain part of the demon race's power."
"At that time, the Zhou Tian Star Dou Great Array will not be able to be fully activated, Du Tian Divine Fiend Great Array will only have 60% of its power... It is not impossible to win a battle against them."
"Even..."
His gaze swept over the Ancestral Witches:
"If handled properly, the Witch Clan... may not necessarily lose."
Is defeat not inevitable?
A sudden light shone in the eyes of the Ancestral Witches!
Their biggest fear was that Yuanshi would descend upon the scene and the Zhou Tian Star Dou Great Array Fully Open.
If Xuandu can truly restrain Yuanshi, Interception Sect can further restrain some of the demon race's power...
In this battle, the Witch Clan... truly has a chance of winning!
What do you need my Witch Clan to do?
Di Jiang asked in a deep voice.
There is no such thing as a free lunch.
Xuandu's voice was as calm as water, slowly echoing within the Pangu Hall.
"I want the Witch Clan to join the Interception Sect."
The Eleven Ancestral Witches all paled!
The Great Hall fell into a deathly silence, with only the crackling of the candlelight illuminating ten faces filled with utter shock.
"You!"
Zhu Rong suddenly took a step forward, and the flames around his body suddenly surged, transforming into a roaring fire dragon that fiercely pounced towards Xuandu!
" Xuandu! You've gone too far!"
Wherever the fire dragon passed, space distorted and scorched, the terrifying heat almost setting the entire Pangu Hall ablaze!
The Witch Clan is formed from the Pangu's Blood Essence, and is born with the ability to control the laws. Prove Dao With Strength and claim to be the Pangu Orthodox Lineage!
For countless eons Great Wilderness, even after the Three Pure Ones became Sage, they would only address each other as fellow Fellow Daoist.
Who has ever dared to be so arrogant as to ask them to join the Interception Sect to their very face?!
This is utterly trampling on the pride of the Witch Clan!
However.
Xuandu stood still, his blue robes unmoved, his gaze calmly fixed on the approaching fire dragon.
He didn't even raise his hand.
However, this happened when the fire dragon was still about ten feet away from him.
"Buzz."
A faint, almost imperceptible Chaos Dao Rhyme quietly emanated from his body.
"Laugh..."
The fire dragon crashed into the endless deep sea, its flames gradually extinguished, its power waned, and finally it turned into a wisp of smoke and dissipated.
Zhu Rong's pupils constricted sharply, and for the first time, horror appeared on his face!
His furious strike, though not at full power, was still enough to incinerate mountains and boil seas; an ordinary Quasi-Saint would die upon contact with it!
But Xuandu... dissolved it so easily without even moving?
Is this the power of Zenith Heaven?
" Zhu Rong, step back."
Di Jiang slowly raised his hand, and the dark red Space Law, like an invisible hand, forcefully pulled Zhu Rong back to its original position.
His face was ashen, his gaze fixed intently on Xuandu:
" Fellow Daoist Xuandu... this statement is far too frivolous."
His voice was hoarse, suppressing a torrent of rage.
If he hadn't been wary of Xuandu's strength, and if the Witch Clan hadn't been in such a precarious situation... he would have already made his move!
Upon hearing this, Xuandu's lips slowly curled into a smile.
He had anticipated this reaction from the Ancestral Witches.
The Witch Clan, proud Pangu Orthodox Lineage, would never willingly submit to subservience.
Moreover, it's a sect founded by Tongtian, one of the Three Pure Ones?