Houtu's Special Nature

Zhu Rong scratched his head as well. "Houtu, you're not fooling us, are you? This isn't something to joke about."

Gong Gong rarely failed to contradict Zhu Rong, but this time he too looked at Houtu with a grave expression.

Houtu shook her head, her tone firm. "It's not an illusion.

"I can clearly sense a cluster of spiritual light gathering within my Niwan Palace.

"That spiritual light is faint, but it truly exists.

"I can sense it, touch it, and... communicate with it."

She looked at Pan Xuan, her eyes filled with gratitude and shock. "Brother Pan Xuan's Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light did more than merely improve my comprehension.

"It... it was like opening a door, one I had never realized existed.

"After that door opened, the fog that had troubled me for countless yuanhui suddenly dispersed.

"I can see many things clearly now. I can understand many things... and then, that cluster of spiritual light appeared."

Pan Xuan stared at Houtu, his heart churning like stormy seas.

In his inherited memories, the Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light could improve comprehension and wisdom, but it had never been said to allow the Witch Clan to give birth to primordial spirits.

Could it be... because of Houtu's unique nature? Or had the Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light resonated with something within her?

"Zhu Jiuyin," Di Jiang suddenly spoke, his voice carrying rare urgency. "What can you see?"

The gazes of all the Ancestral Witches converged on Zhu Jiuyin.

This Ancestral Witch, who wielded the Law of Time, possessed the ability to see through the river of time.

Though he could not see Pan Xuan's future clearly, there should be no problem with Houtu.

Zhu Jiuyin said nothing. He merely fixed his gaze on Houtu, the power of time surging wildly within his cloudy old eyes.

The flow of time around him became chaotic, speeding up and slowing down unpredictably, as though he were desperately searching for something within the river of time.

After a long while, Zhu Jiuyin withdrew his gaze. His aged face was filled with shock and disbelief.

"It's real." His voice was hoarse and trembling. "There truly is a cluster of spiritual light gathering within Houtu's Niwan Palace. Though faint, it truly exists, and it is continuously growing."

He paused, as if steadying his emotions. "I saw it... Houtu's timeline has changed.

"Because of this spiritual light, her future has become completely different."

At these words, the Ancestral Witches no longer had any doubts.

Zhu Jiuyin's words were irrefutable proof.

Di Jiang fell silent for a moment, then suddenly turned to Pan Xuan. His deep eyes were filled with complicated emotions.

"Brother Pan Xuan, you... try again. Use the Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light on the other Ancestral Witches. Perhaps it isn't just Houtu. Perhaps we can also..."

He did not finish, but everyone understood what he meant.

If Houtu could give birth to a primordial spirit, then what about the other Ancestral Witches? Could they do the same?

Pan Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing the questions in his heart, and nodded. "All right. Which brother will go first?"

"Me!" Zhu Rong was the first to leap forward, his eyes brimming with anticipation. "If Sister Houtu can have a primordial spirit, then I definitely can too!"

Pan Xuan walked up to Zhu Rong and once again unleashed the Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light.

The golden light shone upon Zhu Rong's brow. His entire body shuddered as he closed his eyes and felt it.

After a long while, the golden light dissipated.

Zhu Rong opened his eyes and scratched his head, a trace of disappointment flashing through them.

"It seems... it's still the same as before. My comprehension improved a little, but as for a primordial spirit... I don't feel anything."

Pan Xuan was not discouraged. He turned to Gong Gong. "Brother Gong Gong, give it a try."

Gong Gong nodded and stepped forward.

The Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light was unleashed again.

The result was the same as Zhu Rong's. His comprehension improved slightly, but there was no reaction at all from his primordial spirit.

Then came Xuan Ming.

The result was the same.

Jumang, Rushou, Qiangliang, Xizi, Shebishi, Tianwu... they tried one after another, but every result was the same.

The Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light could improve their comprehension and make their thoughts clearer, but not a single Ancestral Witch gave birth to a primordial spirit like Houtu had.

In the end, only Di Jiang and Zhu Jiuyin remained.

Di Jiang was silent for a moment before slowly shaking his head. "There is no need to try. The result should be the same."

Zhu Jiuyin nodded as well. "Brother Di Jiang and I should be no exceptions."

Pan Xuan withdrew the Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light and frowned in thought. "Why... why is only Sister Houtu able to give birth to a primordial spirit?

"We were all formed from Father God's essence blood. Why is there such a vast difference?"

The Ancestral Witches also sank into thought.

Yes, why?

Houtu was one of the Twelve Ancestral Witches. Like the others, she had been formed from Pangu's essence blood and nurtured beneath Mount Buzhou while absorbing baleful qi.

Why could she give birth to a primordial spirit while the others could not?

Could it be because the Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light had an especially strong effect on Houtu?

But when Pan Xuan had used the Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light, although he had treated Houtu with greater care and devoted more effort to it.

That was only after Houtu underwent her transformation that he had invested more effort, not before.

Zhu Jiuyin suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse and slow. "I may know the reason."

The Ancestral Witches looked at him.

A sharp glint flashed through Zhu Jiuyin's cloudy old eyes.

"Houtu is different from us. Though she also absorbed the baleful qi of heaven and earth, the amount she absorbed was less than any of us."

"What?" Zhu Rong said in surprise. "How is that possible? We were all nurtured beneath Mount Buzhou. How could there be any difference in how much baleful qi we absorbed?"

Zhu Jiuyin shook his head. "Though baleful qi is everywhere beneath Mount Buzhou, its distribution is uneven.

"The places where each of us was nurtured were different, so naturally the baleful qi we absorbed was different as well.

"Brother Di Jiang and I were nurtured in the places with the densest baleful qi, so our physical bodies are the strongest. But because of that, our primordial spirits were suppressed most thoroughly. As for Houtu..."

He looked at Houtu, a complicated emotion flashing in his eyes. "Houtu was nurtured at the outermost edge beneath Mount Buzhou.

"The baleful qi there was thinner than anywhere else we were. Thus, although she also absorbed baleful qi, she absorbed far less than the rest of us.

"Her physical body is the weakest among us, but her soul is the most complete."

Houtu was slightly stunned, as if she had remembered something. "That's true... I remember that when I was being nurtured, the baleful qi around me was indeed thinner than in other places.

"I thought it was just an illusion at the time. I never expected..."

Zhu Jiuyin continued, "Pan Xuan's Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light can improve comprehension and enlighten wisdom.

"For us, our souls have been suppressed too deeply by baleful qi. Though the Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light can penetrate part of that suppression, it cannot reach the root.

"But Houtu is different.

"Her soul was only lightly suppressed by baleful qi. The Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light could pierce through that suppression and reach the origin of her soul. And once the origin of her soul was stirred..."

He did not finish, but everyone understood.

Once the origin of her soul had been stirred, combined with the enlightening power of the Heavenly Enlightenment Wisdom Light.

Houtu's soul, already more complete than those of the other Ancestral Witches, began to transform—a transformation that gave birth to a primordial spirit.

"So that's how it is..." Di Jiang slowly nodded. A trace of regret flashed across his resolute face, but there was even more relief.

"It is a tremendous blessing that Houtu can give birth to a primordial spirit.

"Though we lack this opportunity, there is no need to be discouraged.

"We walk the path of the physical body. To us, a primordial spirit is merely the icing on the cake, not a necessity."