The Twelve Ancestral Witches and the Three Pure Ones had no idea that, while they were fighting for their lives, a pair of eyes on the Sun Star was watching with great interest—and secretly learning from them.
The aftershocks of the great battle swept across the entire eastern Primordial World, rousing countless powerful beings.
"The Three Pure Ones actually broke through to Quasi-Sage!?"
"A Quasi-Sage-level powerhouse has emerged among the Ancestral Witches?"
They were not only astonished by the Three Pure Ones' strength, but even more so by that of the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
These fools, who spent every day doing nothing but fighting and had nothing but battle on their minds, had actually surpassed them. It was hard to accept.
Baize, Jimeng, Yingzhao, and the other powerful beings of the Ten Thousand Races all looked grim after sensing the terrifying aura of the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
They had thought that listening to the Dao at the Purple Heaven Palace would make up for the gap between them and the Ancestral Witches. They never expected the gap to widen even further.
The strongest among them had only reached the peak of Daluo Golden Immortal, while most were still in the late stage. With strength like that, they were no match for the Ancestral Witches and could only run.
"Baize, do something! If this keeps up, there'll be no room for the Ten Thousand Races to survive!" Jimeng said, his expression dark.
For now, all they could do was hide and flee. They had no strength to face the Ancestral Witches head-on.
Over the past ten thousand years, the Witch Clan had expanded aggressively, seizing resources and occupying territory. The Ten Thousand Races' living space had grown smaller and smaller. Sooner or later, there would be nowhere left for them in the entire Primordial World.
"Why has Nuwa still refused to unite the Ten Thousand Races? Is she playing us?" Guiche said, sounding displeased. Before they had even listened to the Dao, Nuwa had promised them she would do it, yet nothing had happened since.
"Don't rush. Nuwa said she would come forward and lead the Ten Thousand Races after she beheads her corpse." Baize spoke calmly. They had already discussed all this at the Purple Heaven Palace.
"It's a shame the Golden Crows won't come forward. If only they would." Jimeng wore a regretful expression.
"I heard that Fellow Daoist Ling Xiao has already broken through to Quasi-Sage. I wonder if it's true. Baize, why don't we go to the Sun Star again?"
Jimeng's eyes lit up halfway through his sentence as he asked.
Baize paused, then gently shook his head. "There's no need. Even when Sage Hongjun asked them to establish the Heavenly Court, they refused. Why would they come forward to unite the Ten Thousand Races?"
"Forget it. In my view, the Golden Crows don't dare face the Twelve Ancestral Witches. What good would it do to seek them out? Even if that Ling Xiao is a Quasi-Sage, he can't turn the situation around."
"Can he take on the Twelve Ancestral Witches by himself?"
Jiuying said dismissively, almost laughing at the absurdity of it.
"You say that as if Nuwa could turn the situation around by coming forward," Jimeng retorted with a helpless shrug.
"Jimeng! What do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm wrong?" Jiuying's face darkened as he demanded.
"Ah, yes, yes, yes!" Jimeng nodded repeatedly, not even bothering to argue.
"You..." Jiuying was so angry he was about to drag Jimeng outside for a fight.
"Enough!" Baize smacked the feather fan in his hand and shouted sternly. "Stop it, all of you."
"I've already contacted Kunpeng in secret. When the time comes, he'll come forward with Nuwa and Fuxi to unite the Ten Thousand Races."
He spoke calmly, but his words carried an air of confidence and composure.
The assembled powerhouses stared at Baize in surprise. They had never imagined he'd secretly managed to bring Kunpeng over to their side.
"Fellow Daoist Kunpeng should be able to behead his corpse and become a Quasi-Sage soon. With Nuwa and Fuxi, and all of you here, we may well be able to stand against the Witch Clan."
Baize spoke with steady confidence, waving the feather fan in his hand.
Once Nuwa and Kunpeng came forward and united the Ten Thousand Races into a single whole, they would have a chance to oppose the Witch Clan.
The Ten Thousand Races were unable to defeat the Witch Clan for two reasons: first, they lacked top-tier fighters; second, they were scattered and disorganized, split into groups here and there.
If they could solve those two problems, they might have a chance to contend with the Witch Clan.
"So that means we'll have three Quasi-Sages on our side?"
The assembled powerhouses were overjoyed. The situation had suddenly turned around. With three Quasi-Sages, themselves, and the Ten Thousand Races united, they really might be able to stand against the Witch Clan.
No wonder Baize hadn't planned to seek out the Three Crows. He had already made all the arrangements in secret. This lineup was indeed far stronger than the Three Crows.
Even if Ling Xiao was a Quasi-Sage, they had three Quasi-Sages lined up on their side.
Even a fool could tell which side to choose: one or three.
"Now that the Three Pure Ones are holding the Twelve Ancestral Witches in check, this may be our chance."
"Let's secretly rally the Ten Thousand Races while we can. I'll slip over to Mount Buzhou and discuss this with Fellow Daoist Nuwa."
Baize rose to his feet and addressed the assembled powerhouses.
"Jimeng, you won't be coming with me this time."
He added this because he didn't trust him.
Afterward, the assembled powerhouses left the cave and flew to every corner of the Primordial World.
In the West, on Mount Sumeru.
After sensing that the Three Pure Ones had become Quasi-Sages, Jieyin and Zhunti grew uneasy.
Once again, the Three Pure Ones had surpassed them.
They should have been the first to behead their corpses. Even before the lectures began, they had already reached the peak of Daluo Golden Immortal.
But after the Primordial Cauldron grievously wounded them, their progress had been delayed.
"Damn those Golden Crows! Damn Ling Xiao! If not for them, we would absolutely have become Quasi-Sages before the Three Pure Ones!" Zhunti's expression turned gloomy. Just thinking about it made him furious.
He had wanted to avenge the humiliation at Mount Buzhou, but instead he'd been grievously wounded again. One humiliation piled on top of another!
It wasn't just humiliation. He also felt powerless. Who could have imagined that Ling Xiao could defeat them with magic treasures alone?
"Once we become Quasi-Sages, we'll avenge this great grudge!" Zhunti turned to his senior brother Jieyin, seeking his agreement.
Jieyin paused, then said, "In my view, even if we become Quasi-Sages, getting revenge won't be easy."
His gaze flickered. In that brief moment, it seemed as though countless schemes were racing through his mind.
"By the time we become Quasi-Sages, Ling Xiao's strength will probably have advanced again. Add the other two Golden Crows and the Sun Star's formation, and revenge won't be simple. At most, we'll be able to suppress Ling Xiao. We definitely won't be able to kill him."
"Then what should we do? Are we just going to let this grudge go?" Zhunti was unwilling to accept it. He had thought that breaking through to Quasi-Sage would let him take revenge, but it seemed he still wouldn't get his wish.
"How could Ling Xiao's cultivation be higher than ours when he never even went to listen to the Dao?"
Zhunti asked the question that had been tormenting him. He simply couldn't understand it.
Jieyin smiled wryly. "Perhaps he obtained some great opportunity. But by not attending the lectures, he's also missed out on a tremendous opportunity."
"The Sage will take disciples at the next lecture. As long as we become the Sage's disciples, won't a little Golden Crow be ours to deal with as we please?"
At that, a gleam flashed in Zhunti's eyes, and his face brightened. "That's right. If we can become the Sage's disciples, then surely becoming Sages won't be too difficult..."
"Our top priority is to behead our corpses. Only by becoming Quasi-Sages can we get ahead of everyone else and become the Sage's disciples!"
Jieyin spoke gravely.
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