Witch Clan Treasury

With the help of Enlightenment Tea, Bai Jing spent over two thousand years finally gaining an entry-level grasp of the Twelve Capitals Divine Fiend Formation.

This formation truly deserved its place among the Primordial World's four great killing formations. Its power was boundless, and even merely entering its gates had benefited Bai Jing immensely.

Unfortunately, he lacked Pangu Blood Essence and could not comprehend the true core of the Twelve Capitals Divine Fiend Formation. However, Bai Jing was not discouraged. While he did not possess Pangu Blood Essence, he knew where to obtain something comparable to it.

Mount Buzhou had formed from Pangu's spine. At its summit, there should be Pangu Jade Marrow, as well as the legendary Innate Imperishable Spirit Light.

The Innate Imperishable Spirit Light was an object of immense fortune between heaven and earth. Innately imperishable and profoundly mysterious, it had evolved from the origin laws within the chaos. With this spirit light, the Witch Clan might even be able to give birth to primordial spirits.

This was also the only method Bai Jing knew that might allow the Witch Clan to develop primordial spirits.

However, to climb Mount Buzhou's summit, one needed at least peak Quasi-Saint cultivation with a supreme-grade innate spirit treasure for protection—or, like the Witch Clan, a physical body that had reached the peak of the Primordial Golden Immortal realm.

In other words, if he wanted to obtain Pangu Jade Marrow and the Innate Imperishable Spirit Light, he first had to cultivate his physical body to the peak of the Primordial Golden Immortal realm.

The spiritual materials and ores Bai Jing had available for cultivation were no longer plentiful. It would already be quite good if he could push his physical body to the middle stage of the Primordial Golden Immortal realm and stabilize his cultivation.

Where should he find more spiritual materials and ores next? Should he try the chaos?

Then Bai Jing suddenly remembered that the Witch Clan was also a top power in the Primordial World. Moreover, they occupied Mount Buzhou itself. Could they have collected some spiritual materials and ores?

Thinking of this, Bai Jing asked Houtu, "By the way, Fellow Daoist Houtu, does your Witch Clan have any precious spiritual materials or ores?"

"Spiritual materials and ores? Does Fellow Daoist Bai Jing want to refine an artifact?" Houtu recalled that Yuanshi Tianzun and Bai Jing had discussed the Dao of artifact refinement before Zixiao Palace, which was why she asked.

"Yes. I want to try refining a spirit treasure, but I don't have enough materials on hand."

"I'll go ask my eldest brother."

A moment later, Di Jiang personally came over and led Bai Jing to the Witch Clan's treasury.

The moment Bai Jing entered the Witch Clan treasury, the treasure light within nearly blinded him.

Bai Jing had thought that owning Yingzhou Immortal Island already made him one of the rare wealthy figures in the Primordial World. Yet upon seeing the Witch Clan's collection, he actually felt a little poor.

Leaving aside everything else, the sheer quantity of spiritual materials and ores in this treasury exceeded the combined total on Yingzhou Immortal Island and Penglai Immortal Island.

Although none of them were materials tainted by chaos qi, the sheer quantity was enough to support Bai Jing's physical body through a breakthrough to the late stage of the Primordial Golden Immortal realm.

"Fellow Daoist Di Jiang, your Witch Clan's collection is far too abundant!" Bai Jing exclaimed.

Di Jiang smiled. "Most of these things came from Mount Buzhou and its surroundings. Brother Bai Jing, take whatever catches your eye. It's a pity the spiritual herbs have all been used up by our clansmen. Otherwise, I could have given Brother Bai Jing some herbs as well."

"Does the Witch Clan need spiritual herbs?" Bai Jing asked.

"We do, especially the Witch Clan tribes outside Mount Buzhou. Ever since our negotiations with the Demon Clan broke down, our clansmen have been harassed by the Demon Clan year-round. Many have been injured because of it, so we need spiritual herbs for treatment."

"I see. As it happens, I have some spiritual herbs here. Their value certainly cannot compare to the spiritual materials and ores in the Witch Clan treasury, but I hope Fellow Daoist Di Jiang will not disdain them."

With a thought, Bai Jing took out all the spiritual herbs he had gathered on Yingzhou Immortal Island, along with the spirit roots that could replenish blood qi. They included one mid-grade innate spirit root and two low-grade innate spirit roots.

Di Jiang's eyes immediately lit up at the sight of these spiritual herbs. Spiritual materials and ores were useless to the Witch Clan. They had no primordial spirits and could not use spirit treasures, so those materials could only gather dust here.

Spiritual herbs and spirit roots, however, were different. These were things their clansmen could genuinely use.

Thus, Bai Jing accepted all the spiritual materials and ores in the Witch Clan treasury, while Di Jiang happily put away the spiritual herbs and spirit roots.

After the exchange was complete, they returned to Pangu Hall. Bai Jing considered it for a moment and decided to take this opportunity to speak to the Witch Clan about primordial spirits.

"Fellow Daoist Di Jiang, in terms of value, I took advantage of the Witch Clan in today's exchange of spiritual materials and ores. I happen to know some secret lore, so how about I share it with all the Ancestral Witches?"

Di Jiang frowned when he heard this. "Brother Bai Jing, you're being far too formal. Our Witch Clan—"

"Fellow Daoist Di Jiang, the secret lore I speak of concerns primordial spirits."

The moment Di Jiang heard that Bai Jing's secret lore involved primordial spirits, his words came to an abrupt halt. The other Ancestral Witches also turned toward Bai Jing in unison.

For the Twelve Ancestral Witches, their lack of primordial spirits was their greatest regret. Before taking form, they had absorbed too much baleful qi and suffered severe corruption from it, making primordial spirits difficult to form. Naturally, they cared deeply about any secret lore related to primordial spirits.

Bai Jing smiled. "In truth, whether the Witch Clan possesses primordial spirits is not important. What matters is that bit of true spiritual nature at the core of the primordial spirit. In my view, the path of the Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortal cultivates the three talents of essence, qi, and spirit. Only when all three are complete can one attain the Primordial state. This spirit refers to that true spiritual nature.

Without a primordial spirit, one can only rely on the Nine-Turn Mysterious Art to reach the seventh turn and achieve sainthood through the physical body. However, bodily sainthood is not true Primordial Great Luo Golden Immortality. In terms of combat power, it would likely only be comparable to Saints who attained sainthood through merit."

"What is this true spiritual nature you speak of?" Houtu asked.

"Once true spiritual nature descends into the Qian Palace, it divides into soul and spirit. This true nature is the innate, nonactive original spirit. Attain utmost emptiness and preserve clarity and stillness—it is the bit of Innate Imperishable Spirit Light that all living beings possess from birth.

Living beings are spoken of in terms of nature and destiny. You Twelve Ancestral Witches reached the combat power of the Primordial Golden Immortal realm through the Nine-Turn Mysterious Art. After the fifth turn of the art, your physical bodies harmonized with the laws and formed true nature and destiny. Yet the spirit within your spiritual natures is an acquired restless spirit. A restless spirit is a false spirit."

"What is an acquired restless spirit?" Houtu continued.

"An acquired restless spirit is the acquired, active conscious spirit. It is also called the mind spirit, born when essence and qi overflow and are stirred by external sensations.

You Twelve Ancestral Witches were born from Pangu Blood Essence combined with the turbid qi of the earth. Both are solid and active, the opposite of divine nature. If they are too vast and abundant, they hinder the growth of divine nature. In other words, yin and yang are imbalanced and cannot give rise to one another.

That is why you Ancestral Witches were inherently unlikely to develop intelligence or take form. Baleful qi, meanwhile, is violent qi. After being assailed by baleful qi as well, you should, in principle, have had virtually no chance of developing intelligence at all."

P.S. The theories concerning primordial spirits were drawn from The Secret of the Golden Flower. Those interested may seek out the original text.