Three thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.
Over those three thousand years, the Primordial World gradually grew accustomed to how things operated after the Heavenly Dao manifested.
The Great Dao withdrew, and the Heavenly Dao took its place. The rules governing heaven and earth became clearer and more rigorous.
Laws that had once taken endless ages to comprehend now left traces to follow under the Heavenly Dao. Many cultivators benefited, their cultivation advancing by leaps and bounds.
But nothing shook the Primordial World more than the coming sermon at Zixiao Palace.
The news that Hong Jun had attained Sagehood had long since spread across the four seas and eight wildernesses.
The Sage realm transcended the Primordial Origin Golden Immortal realm, a realm every cultivator dreamed of yet could not reach.
Now Hong Jun would expound the Great Dao at Zixiao Palace beyond the Chaos, and all with the destined affinity could attend. This news swept through the entire Primordial World like a hurricane.
Countless cultivators hurried from every direction toward the realm beyond the Chaos.
Among them were mighty figures who had long since made their names, as well as rising talents who had only just awakened their spiritual intelligence;
there were innate divinities, as well as spirits and monsters born later.
Some rode clouds, some flew on swords, and others rode strange beasts, advancing toward the Chaos in a vast procession.
On the shores of the East Sea, the Dragon Clan remained behind closed doors, and the Four Seas Dragon Palace lay silent.
At the Undying Volcano in the south, the Phoenix Clan furled its banners and stilled its drums, and all birds returned to their nests.
At the Foothills of Mount Buzhou, the Qilin Clan lay low, and the beasts concealed their tracks.
The Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Clans had suffered grievous losses during the Dragon-Han Calamity and had long since withdrawn from the struggle for supremacy in the Primordial World. They merely watched the sermon at Zixiao Palace from afar, with no intention of attending.
But apart from those three clans, almost every cultivator in the Primordial World with any measure of cultivation had gone.
The Three Pure Ones traveled together, setting out from Kunlun Mountain and heading west.
Born from Pangu's Primordial Spirit, they were naturally close to the Great Dao. They felt both anticipation and curiosity toward Hong Jun's sermon.
As the Pangu Orthodox Lineage, they knew well that they bore the responsibility of enlightening the Primordial World, but they still needed guidance on where that path ultimately led.
Jieyin and Zhunti set out from Mount Sumeru and headed east.
Though the Western Earth Veins had been repaired, restoring the spiritual energy would still take long ages.
The two had spent these years cultivating in seclusion on Mount Sumeru. Their cultivation had reached the Daluo Golden Immortal Peak, only a step away from the Primordial Origin Golden Immortal realm.
They yearned to find an opportunity to break through in Hong Jun's sermon.
Di Jun and Taiyi set out from the Sun Star, driving their Golden Crow chariot across the nine heavens.
They wielded the power of the sun and were among the most exalted beings between heaven and earth.
They had heard Hong Jun's name but had never met him.
They went to hear the sermon both out of curiosity and to explore the mysteries of a higher realm.
Fuxi, Nuwa, Zhen Yuanzi, Hong Yun, Minghe, Kunpeng... almost every mighty figure of any renown in the Primordial World had embarked on the journey to Zixiao Palace.
Yet amid this vast army of sermon-goers, there was one direction from which no one came.
It was the direction of Mount Buzhou.
Within Pangu Hall, the thirteen were still cultivating in seclusion.
The Ancestral Witches continued their Dao Refining, integrating their respective Manifestations and laws into their bodies.
Their cultivation rose steadily. Di Jiang, Zhu Rong, Gong Gong, and the others were already Primordial Origin Golden Immortals, while Houtu was at the Daluo Golden Immortal Peak.
But with a Primordial Spirit and the Destruction Stele in her possession, her strength could not be underestimated either.
Over these years, Pan Xuan had gained a deeper understanding of the Heavenly Dao.
Every day, he sensed the Heavenly Dao with his divine sense, recording the distribution and changes of its gaps. The picture in his mind grew ever clearer.
He knew that the three-thousand-year wait for Hong Jun's sermon had ended.
He knew that most of the mighty figures in the Primordial World had now gone to Zixiao Palace beyond the Chaos.
He knew this was an opportunity.
An opportunity for the Witch Clan to move first and seize the initiative.
That day, Pan Xuan summoned the Twelve Ancestral Witches to gather in the main hall.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches awoke from their respective cultivation sessions and came to the main hall.
They saw Pan Xuan standing in the center of the hall with his hands behind his back. His expression was calm, but his eyes held an unprecedented solemnity.
"Brother Pan Xuan, has something happened?" Di Jiang asked.
Pan Xuan turned, sweeping his gaze across each Ancestral Witch, and slowly said, "Elder brothers and sister, I have spent these years seeking to comprehend the Heavenly Dao.
"Today, I have a discovery to share with you."
The Ancestral Witches listened intently.
Pan Xuan drew a deep breath, his voice steady and solemn. "I have sensed that the Heavenly Dao is incomplete."
"The Heavenly Dao is incomplete?" Di Jiang frowned slightly.
Pan Xuan nodded. "Though the Heavenly Dao has manifested, it is not complete. It lacks certain crucial laws, and those laws are precisely the origin laws you wield.
"Space, time, the five elements, wind, rain, thunder, lightning... all these laws exist within the Heavenly Dao, but none are complete. All have gaps."
He paused, then continued, "With the Heavenly Dao incomplete, the Primordial World cannot truly stabilize. Completing the Heavenly Dao is a responsibility our Witch Clan cannot shirk."
Zhu Rong froze. "Complete the Heavenly Dao? What does that have to do with our Witch Clan?"
Pan Xuan looked at Zhu Rong, solemnity in his voice. "Elder brothers and sister, think about it. From whom was the Primordial World formed?"
The Ancestral Witches froze.
Pan Xuan continued, "The Primordial World was formed from Father God Pangu's body.
"Mount Buzhou is Father God's spine, these rivers are Father God's blood vessels, and this earth is Father God's flesh and blood.
Father God split heaven from earth and transformed his body into all things. Only then did this world come into being.
"Then who should bear the responsibility of protecting this world and making it whole?"
His gaze swept across each Ancestral Witch. "Naturally, Father God's descendants by blood—our Witch Clan."
The Ancestral Witches' expressions grew solemn.
Pan Xuan's voice echoed through the hall. "The Three Pure Ones were formed from Father God's Primordial Spirit. They inherited Father God's wisdom and his responsibility to enlighten.
"And we Twelve Ancestral Witches were formed from Father God's blood essence. What we inherited was Father God's physical body and his responsibility to protect.
"Purifying the Primordial World and completing the Heavenly Dao have always been our Witch Clan's sacred duties.
"This is not something I made up. It is the mission Father God left us."
Houtu said softly, "Pan Xuan's younger brother, you are right. We were formed from Father God's blood essence. Protecting the Primordial World and safeguarding heaven and earth are indeed duties we must fulfill."
Di Jiang said gravely, "Brother Pan Xuan, speak plainly. How should we complete the Heavenly Dao?"
Pan Xuan took a deep breath and voiced the plan he had considered for so long. "Establish the Witch Clan."
"Establish the Witch Clan?" the Ancestral Witches asked in unison.
Pan Xuan nodded. "In the name of the Witch Clan, proclaim to heaven and earth that we will shoulder the responsibilities of Pangu's descendants.
"Protect Mount Buzhou, purify the lands of the Primordial World, and fill the gaps in the Heavenly Dao.
"This is not to contend for supremacy in the Primordial World, but to fulfill Father God's unfulfilled wishes."
He paused, then continued, "As for how to complete the Heavenly Dao, I already have a plan. Once the clan is established, arrangements will follow.
"The most urgent task now is to let heaven and earth know that the Witch Clan is formally taking up this responsibility."
Di Jiang said gravely, "Brother Pan Xuan, what exactly should we do?"
Pan Xuan walked into the center of the hall and stood with his hands behind his back, his voice steady and solemn. "Use the Dutian Divine Fiends Grand Formation to summon the Pangu Phantom.
"Have Elder Sister Houtu's Primordial Spirit preside over the formation, and let the Pangu Phantom step out of Pangu Hall to proclaim it to heaven and earth.
"Declare to the Great Dao, to Father God, to heaven and earth, and to the Heavenly Dao.
"The Witch Clan is established and will shoulder the responsibility of protecting the Primordial World and completing the Heavenly Dao."
He looked at Houtu. "Elder Sister Houtu, you possess a Primordial Spirit, so you are the most suitable person to control the Pangu Phantom.
"Your voice will be the voice of the Witch Clan; your will shall be the will of the Witch Clan."
Houtu fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. "All right."
Di Jiang rose and said gravely, "Since that is settled, let us begin.
"We have rehearsed the Dutian Divine Fiends Grand Formation countless times.
"Today, let this grand formation resound for the founding of our Witch Clan!"
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