Having done all this, Pan Xuan turned to Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti.
He solemnly cupped his hands, his voice steady and sincere:
"My three fellow Daoists, you understood the greater good and severed your shackles. For this, I thank you.
"Of the seven strands of Primordial Violet Qi, six have now been extracted and purified.
"Hong Jun has only Di Jun's strand left. Though it still poses a threat, it is no longer enough to fear.
"Since the Divine Dao System was founded, it has only achieved its present grandeur through all your unstinting support."
Jieyin and Zhunti pressed their palms together, and Jieyin said slowly:
"There is no need for such courtesy, Fellow Daoist Pan Xuan.
"Without your restoration of the Western Earth Veins all those years ago, Mount Sumeru would not be what it is today.
"Without your repeated guidance, Zhunti and I would still be in the dark.
"Today, one debt of karma has been settled."
Zhunti added, "My senior brother is absolutely right. After the Primordial Violet Qi was extracted, our Dao hearts became clear, and our Vow Power Method advanced another step.
"Once our secluded cultivation on Mount Sumeru is complete, the Vow Power Method should be able to integrate more deeply with the Divine Dao Network, benefiting more living beings of the Primordial World."
Pan Xuan nodded, then turned to Nuwa.
Nuwa was looking at him as well. The heaviness in her clear eyes when she first arrived was gone, replaced by a long-absent ease and relief.
She remained silent for a long while, her gaze passing over everyone in the hall.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches, the Three Pure Ones, Jieyin and Zhunti, Fuxi, and Pan Xuan, who stood before her.
Over long ages, these people had played their game against Hong Jun, maneuvered