The sun blazed high overhead as two streaks of rainbow light tore across the sky. Demon Emperor Dijun, Eastern Emperor Taiyi, and Fuxi arrived together, accompanied by Bai Ze and several other Great Luo Golden Immortals of the Demon Race.
Lunar energy spread through the air as Xihe and Changxi, two divine beings from the Moon Star, arrived side by side, cool and beautiful.
A dark, unfathomable streak of light descended. It was Kunpeng, lord of the Northern Underworld, alone as ever. His gaze was sinister, his aura forbidding.
Panwang, shrouded in thick poisonous mist, let out a cackling laugh. Then the overwhelming aura of the Blood Sea appeared, and Minghe came riding the Karma Fire Red Lotus...!
One after another, the foremost divine beings of the Primordial Continent arrived. Each was an overlord who could shake a region with a stamp of the foot, accustomed to ruling their own domain. Today, they had all gathered at Kunlun to hear a Sage teach the Dao.
Yellow Dragon and the other disciples ran themselves ragged. These guests addressed the Three Pure Ones as fellow Daoists; in their eyes, only the disciples' status as students of Sages earned them a second glance.
Though the gap in cultivation was immense, Yellow Dragon and the others showed every courtesy as they led the great powers into Three Purities Peak.
Many of these great powers recognized one another as former listeners at Purple Cloud Palace. Some exchanged nods; others met with cold stares. The atmosphere was delicate, especially between Di Jun's party and several solitary great powers who arrived later. An undercurrent of tension stirred between them.
The final group of guests bore auras utterly unlike those of the divine beings before them.
They rode neither treasures nor streaks of light. Instead, they tore open space and forced their way through its immense power with their bodies, crossing it step by step. Each stride seemed to fracture the Primordial World's sturdy fabric of space. Their surging blood and vital energy mingled with turbid Qi, vast and primal.
The one leading them, however, was a woman who looked much like any other divine being. Her face was dignified and kind, yet she carried an unmistakable weight about her.
Behind her walked two giants, a man and a woman. The man was powerfully built and carried a great bow on his back. The woman was striking and wild. Both wore clothes sewn from unknown animal hides, and a faint murderous aura clung to them.
"I am Houtu of the Witch Race. I have brought the Great Witches Houyi and Nine Phoenix to meet you, young friends."
Her gentle voice reached every ear with perfect clarity.
Houtu?
Yellow Dragon's heart jolted!
The Witch Race had actually come. Rumor had it that all Twelve Ancestral Witches had attended the Dao Ancestor's first sermon. But the Witch Race did not cultivate Primordial Spirits, only their bodies and the laws, so they could not follow the immortal path. Of the next two sermons, only Ancestral Witch Houtu had attended.
Had Houtu come today to hear the Three Pure Ones teach the Dao as well?
After their shock subsided, the Kunlun disciples returned her greeting in unison. "Greetings, Ancestral Witch Houtu!"
Guangchengzi was about to step forward, but Yellow Dragon spoke first. "Ancestral Witch Houtu, please follow me."
Yellow Dragon's heart was full of reverence for Empress Houtu, who would one day transform herself into the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
Houtu nodded gently. Her gaze rested on Yellow Dragon for a moment, as though studying him.
She then followed Yellow Dragon toward Three Purities Peak.
The moment Houtu stepped into the square, its lively bustle fell silent.
Every great power there turned toward Houtu beside Yellow Dragon. Among the Demon Race in particular, Di Jun and Taiyi's expressions remained unchanged, but a flicker of killing intent passed through their eyes before they suppressed it. The Demon Race and Witch Race had stood opposed for years, their grudges running deep.
Houtu seemed not to notice the killing intent in Di Jun and Taiyi's eyes—or simply did not care.
Yellow Dragon had just led Houtu to one side and had not yet reported back to Nanji when trouble erupted!
"Hong Yun! You've had the Primordial Violet Qi for so long without comprehending a way to become a Sage. Clearly, you aren't qualified! You cost me my chance at a Sage's seat in Purple Cloud Palace. Hand over the Primordial Violet Qi now!" A cold shout shattered the square's brief peace, every word an open threat.
Kunpeng had stepped in front of Hong Yun, his gaze fixed on Ancestor Hong Yun, who had been chatting and laughing with Zhenyuanzi. Di Jun and Taiyi stood behind Kunpeng, plainly having formed a temporary alliance with him.
The atmosphere turned explosive!
Hong Yun's smile froze, then anger flared across his face. "Kunpeng! Stop spouting nonsense! The Dao Ancestor bestowed the Primordial Violet Qi upon me. Such fortune is decided by heaven. You think I'll hand it over just because you say so?"
Zhenyuanzi stepped in front of Hong Yun, his expression grave. A hazy Spirit Light rose from the Earth Book in his hand. "Kunpeng, you dare cause trouble here on Kunlun Mountain, before a Sage?"
"Hmph! Of course I don't. But once you leave Kunlun, you two had better be careful!" Kunpeng said darkly. Several unaffiliated great powers who knew Hong Yun looked worried, but with Di Jun, Taiyi, and the Demon Race behind Kunpeng, none dared speak.
Ancestral Witch Houtu frowned slightly. Behind her, Houyi had gripped the great bow on his back, while excitement flashed in the Great Witch Nine Phoenix's eyes. The more enemies the Demon Race had, the better.
Green Dragon looked thoughtful and led the other members of the Dragon Race aside. The Dragon Race could ill afford to get involved in the Primordial World's affairs now.
Minghe, the Queen Mother of the West, and the others watched as though enjoying a spectacle. Whether they had designs on the Primordial Violet Qi themselves, no one else knew.
Watching the divine beings' reactions, Yellow Dragon found it almost funny. They were all fighting over it, yet in the end, none of them would get anything.
To threaten a Sage's guest here on Kunlun Mountain—they truly had no idea what it meant when people said that all beneath a Sage were ants.
Dong!!!
A bell rang out, far grander and more solemn than before. It was as though a massive hammer had struck the souls of every divine being present. Every great power's expression changed!
Then an immense, irresistible pressure descended like the heavens collapsing, crashing down upon every living being except the disciples of the Three Pure Ones!
Thud!
Thud!
In an instant, every divine being's face changed, and their knees bent slightly.
Those with weaker cultivation, including some of the Demon Race's Great Luo Golden Immortals, lost all strength in their legs and dropped to their knees, trembling from head to toe!
Di Jun, Taiyi, Kunpeng, and the others of the Demon Race bore the brunt of it. Di Jun summoned the River Diagram and Luo Script, their phantom images flashing into view, while the Chaos Bell thundered above Taiyi's head. Still, the pressure bent them sharply at the waist. Their bones creaked as though about to crack. Their faces went deathly pale, their eyes filled with horror and disbelief!
Was a Sage's might truly this terrifying?! Mere pressure from a Sage had nearly brought them, the Primordial World's foremost great powers, to their knees!
Zhenyuanzi, by contrast, summoned the Earth Book. Its dark-yellow light merged with the earth, and he and Hong Yun merely swayed.
The law of earth flowed around Houtu. She steadied herself with a slight bow of her head. Behind her, the two Great Witches growled as the white jade ground cracked beneath their feet. Blood streamed from their bodies, but neither knelt.
The pressure vanished in an instant, as though it had never been there. Yet it left a mark on the Dao Hearts of those divine beings that would be difficult to erase.
Before you continue