Di Jun clenched his fists tightly.
He raised his head and looked at That Green Clad Figure atop the altar, forcibly suppressing the killing intent in his eyes.
He took a deep breath and said,
"...Withdraw."
The two words fell, and heaven and earth fell silent.
Eastern Emperor Taiyi whipped around to look at Di Jun, his eyes full of disbelief.
The Myriad Demons below erupted into a commotion, stirring restlessly.
Ci Tie and the other Demon Saints were even more dumbfounded.
His Majesty... had actually backed down?
In front of the Witch Clan and everyone else?
Di Jun, however, no longer looked at anyone. He abruptly turned around and swept his sleeve.
"Go!"
His voice was icy, filled with boundless humiliation. His figure transformed into a brilliant streak of golden light, tore through the void, and vanished.
Eastern Emperor Taiyi's chest heaved violently as he glared at Xuandu.
At last, the Chaos Bell shook violently, swept him up, and carried him away after Di Jun.
As the two Demon Emperors left, the terrifying pressure sealing heaven and earth suddenly dissipated.
The Demon Clouds overhead began to slowly disperse, as if they had lost their support.
Sunlight fell upon the land once more, illuminating the devastation—and the overwhelming joy on countless Human faces at having survived the catastrophe!
"They've retreated! The Demons have retreated!"
"We survived! The Human Race is safe!"
"Master Xuandu!"
Their cries surged into the sky, brimming with tears and excitement.
Suiren Shi, Youchao Shi, and Ziyi Shi, the Three Ancestors, were also overcome with tears. They bowed deeply toward Xuandu.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches stood in the distance, watching the scene with varied expressions.
A glint flashed in Di Jiang's eyes as he murmured,
"What a Xuandu! He actually forced Di Jun and Taiyi to retreat!"
Houtu's gaze was profound as she watched the figure atop the altar, her heart rippling with emotion.
This man... would surely have a place in the Great Wilderness of the future!
Zhu Rong snorted but said nothing more.
A trace of apprehension flashed through Gong Gong's eyes.
At Di Jiang's signal, the Witch Clan Army also slowly reined in its baleful aura, making no move to seize the opportunity to attack.
The events of today had already thoroughly disgraced the Demon Race. Their objective had been achieved.
At that moment, atop the altar,
Xuandu stood alone, his robes fluttering gently in the breeze.
He did not look at the retreating Demons, nor did he pay any attention to the jubilant Humans or the Witches with their varied thoughts.
His consciousness had already sunk completely into his sea of consciousness.
The instant Di Jun ordered the retreat, when the Demon Race's resolve to withdraw was set,
The long-awaited System Prompt Sound finally rang in his mind!
[Ding! Detected that the Demon Race has abandoned its plan to slaughter the Human Race and forge the Witch-Slaying Sword!] [Reward issued: Successfully unlocked the Cultivation Technique Sum Feedback function!] [Beginning calculation of all Interception Sect disciples' cultivation technique insights and experience...]
Success!
It had finally unlocked!
Xuandu was overcome with indescribable joy!
"Once the calculation is complete, I'll be able to make up for the last weakness in my cultivation!"
"Then I won't merely have the realm of a Golden Immortal of the Origin without the strength to match."
His heart surged, yet his expression remained calm.
It was pure luck that he had been able to force Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi to retreat this time.
If not for borrowing the prestige of the Interception Sect and Nuwa's Karma—and, more importantly...
His gaze shifted toward the twelve towering figures nearby.
If the Twelve Ancestral Witches had not arrived at just that moment to restrain the Demon Court, making Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi even more hesitant,
he would not have persuaded the Demon Race to abandon its plan to forge the Witch-Slaying Sword so easily.
After all, they might retreat because of the Interception Sect, but that did not mean they would abandon forging the Witch-Slaying Sword.
"The Witch Clan..."
Xuandu began to ponder.
Since the Human Race had been born in the Great Wilderness, it had been as weak as ants and suffered constant bullying.
The Demon Race treated them as food, hunting them at will.
Only the Witch Clan, locked in bitter conflict with the Demon Race and uninterested in cultivating the Primordial Spirit, had helped the Humans considerably, though they had never deliberately protected them.
Moreover, because the Witches liked to eat Demons and often hunted them,
they had unknowingly cleared away many threats to the Humans and eased some of the pressure on them.
The Human Race should remember this debt.
Having settled his thoughts, Xuandu did not hesitate.
He stepped forward. His figure faded from where he stood, and in the next instant, he appeared in the air before the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
He cupped his hands, bowed, and paid his respects.
"Junior Xuandu thanks the Ancestral Witch seniors for your timely assistance."
His Hunyuan Dao Rhyme flowed naturally as he spoke in a clear voice:
"Had you not arrived in time, today's events might not have ended peacefully."
The Twelve Ancestral Witches all turned their eyes toward him.
Some were curious, some appraising, some approving, while others still regarded him with the indifference of the primeval wilderness.
Space Ancestral Witch Di Jiang spoke first, his voice booming like a bell and making the void hum:
"Kid, there's no need to thank us."
"We didn't come for you, much less for the Human Race."
His sharp gaze swept toward the direction the Demons had gone, carrying undisguised killing intent.
"Di Jun and Taiyi mobilized such a massive Demon Race Army and sealed off the East Sea Coast. They must have some earth-shattering scheme."
"The Witches and Demons are enemies. How could we sit by and let the Demons do as they pleased?"
"But you..."
Di Jiang changed tack and looked at Xuandu again, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
"A mere Human, yet you attained Hunyuan in just a hundred years and even became Tongtian's direct disciple..."
"Interesting."
Fire Ancestral Witch Zhu Rong laughed as flames surged around him, his voice scorching the air:
"Not bad!"
"To make those two ragged birds swallow their anger..."
"Kid, you've got guts! I like your style!"
Water Ancestral Witch Gong Gong snorted, black water surging beneath his feet:
"You just took advantage of the situation and played a few tricks."
Despite his words, his gaze had lost some of its initial contempt for Xuandu.
Xuandu's expression did not change. He cupped his hands again.
"The seniors are right. I did take advantage of the situation."
"But your timely arrival helped me gain the upper hand. That is a fact."
He paused slightly, then swept his gaze over the Twelve Ancestral Witches, his tone turning more sincere.
"What's more, ever since the Human Race was born in the Great Wilderness, we've had a difficult path to tread."
"Though the Witch Clan never deliberately protected us, your hunting of Demons has relieved some of the pressure on the Humans and reduced our casualties."
"The Human Race may be too weak to repay this kindness, but we have always remembered it."
"Today, I speak for the Human Race in thanking the Witch Clan for its past, indirect aid."
A few Ancestral Witches' expressions shifted slightly.
They had always acted as they pleased, hunting Demons for food and out of hatred. They had never cared what the antlike Humans thought.
Yet now that Xuandu had thanked them so solemnly, they found themselves rather pleased.
Especially since the one thanking them was a Golden Immortal of the Origin with boundless potential and powerful backing.
Ancestral Witch Houtu moved with light steps, her Goose Yellow Palace Dress fluttering gently in the wind.
Her beautiful eyes rested on Xuandu as she spoke warmly:
"You're too polite, Young Friend Xuandu."
"The Witch Clan acts according to our hearts and asks for nothing in return."
"But you haven't forgotten the people you came from, and you're willing to protect them with all your strength, even at the cost of opposing the Demon Court..."
"Such conviction and resolve are truly rare."
Her words carried a hint of praise.
As the Earth Ancestral Witch who governed the land, she cared for living beings far more than the other Ancestral Witches did.
Xuandu's actions greatly pleased her.
Xuandu bowed slightly.
"Senior Houtu, you flatter me. We share the same blood and were born of the same source. It's only natural."
A glimmer flashed in Houtu's eyes. She nodded slightly and said no more.
Lightning Ancestral Witch Qiang Liang crackled with lightning, his voice rumbling like thunder:
"Enough talk! Kid Xuandu, you're a Golden Immortal of the Origin, and a Sage thinks highly of you. Your potential is limitless."
"If the Demons dare bully the Human Race again or come after you, just send word to the Witch Clan!"
He thumped his chest, sending lightning crackling in every direction.
"We may not have much else, but the fists of our Witch Clan Warriors hit hard!"
His words were crude but carried the Witch Clan's trademark frankness.
Xuandu knew this was the highest form of goodwill the Witch Clan could offer.
He cupped his hands solemnly.
"Senior Qiang Liang, Xuandu will remember your kindness."
Seeing that his brothers had all spoken, Di Jiang waved his massive hand.
"This matter is settled. We should return as well."
With that, the Twelve Ancestral Witches said no more.
Di Jiang gave Xuandu a long look, space rippling around him.
"Let's go!"
He barked the words, turned, and stepped into the void, vanishing from sight.
The other Ancestral Witches followed one after another.
Zhu Rong's flames swept around him, and he dispersed in a stream of fire.
Black water surged upward beneath Gong Gong's feet, and he sank into it.
Lightning flashed around Qiang Liang, and he vanished.
Houtu gave Xuandu a slight nod. Her goose-yellow figure slowly faded, merging with the earth.
In the blink of an eye, all twelve towering figures had departed, and their overwhelming baleful aura vanished with them.
Only the primeval aura lingering in the air proved they had ever been there.
The East Sea Coast had returned to complete peace.
The Demon Clouds dispersed, and sunlight shone everywhere.
Seeing that the Witch Clan had also left, the countless Humans below finally let go of their last trace of tension and erupted into earth-shaking cheers.
"We survived!"
"Master Xuandu saved us!"
Their cries surged like a tide, filled with tears and excitement.
Suiren Shi, Youchao Shi, and Ziyi Shi supported one another as they gazed at That Green Clad Figure atop the altar, their eyes full of gratitude.
Xuandu stood atop the altar, calm and composed. He did not relax in the slightest after forcing the Demons to retreat and seeing the Witches off.
He sank his consciousness inward and sensed the System in his sea of consciousness.
[Ding! Calculation of all Interception Sect disciples' cultivation technique insights and experience complete!] [Beginning real-time synchronization of the cultivation technique insights and divine ability experience of the Interception Sect's Myriad Immortals... Synchronizing...]
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