Thirteen streaks of escape light swept across the southern horizon and landed before Mount Buzhou.
Pangu Hall still towered majestically, while Xuanhuang qi and merit golden light intertwined and swirled within the Blood Pool.
Five innate spiritual roots grew quietly beside the pool. The four-colored branches and leaves of the Four Symbols Banana Tree swayed gently in the breeze, and the seven flower buds of the Innate Gourd Vine radiated a soft, seven-colored glow.
Inside the hall, the Twenty-Four-Grade Creation Green Lotus revolved slowly beneath the vaulted ceiling, pouring down the light of chaos like a waterfall.
In a corner of the hall, the Creation Cauldron emanated the aura of Returning to the Origin, which intertwined with the Green Lotus's light of chaos.
Everything was exactly as it had been when they left.
Yet the atmosphere within Mount Buzhou held more of a killing chill than usual.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches and Pan Xuan filed into the hall and took their seats.
The doors slowly closed behind them, shutting out the clamor of the outside world.
Only then did everyone truly relax.
Though brief, the battle outside the Undying Volcano had been fraught with peril.
Three Quasi-Saint-level Innate Divinities had surrounded and attacked Pan Xuan alone. Had Azure Luan and Fire Phoenix not intervened in time, and had the Twelve Ancestral Witches not arrived quickly enough, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
As soon as Houtu sat down, she turned her gaze toward Pan Xuan.
Her usually gentle, tranquil eyes were now filled with concern. She examined him carefully from head to toe, as though to make certain he had suffered no hidden injuries.
"Pan Xuan's younger brother, are you all right?"
Her voice was softer than usual, yet carried a seriousness that would brook no evasion.
"Di Jun, Taiyi,