Ancestral Witches Break Through

After the restriction shattered, what lay revealed was an abyss.

The abyss was incomparably vast, like a gigantic mouth opened in the earth, swallowing all light.

Within the abyss was utter darkness. Only dense Sha Qi, too thick to disperse, churned within like boiling magma.

Faint wails, roars, and sounds of slaughter drifted from within that Sha Qi, as though countless vicious souls and feral ghosts were struggling inside, enough to make one shudder.

Flames suddenly flared around Zhu Rong, illuminating the path ahead.

The group followed the edge of the abyss, descending step by step.

The farther down they went, the denser the Sha Qi became. It was almost tangible, so viscous that it was nearly impossible to breathe.

It eroded everything, corroded everything, as though it wished to devour every living being that entered it.

Yet the eleven Ancestral Witches were like fish returning to the sea. Not only did they feel no discomfort, they instead felt incomparably invigorated.

Every pore across their bodies opened, greedily absorbing the dense Sha Qi.

The Sha Qi flowed into their bodies and became streams of warmth, nourishing their flesh and blood while tempering their physical bodies.

Pan Xuan was protected in the center. The Righteous Vitality Formula circulated automatically, keeping the Sha Qi that sought to erode him at bay.

The instant that Sha Qi touched his righteous vitality, it melted away as swiftly as ice and snow beneath the sun, unable to approach him in the slightest.

Houtu, meanwhile, was protected at Xuan Ming's side. Chilling energy surged around Xuan Ming, freezing the surrounding Sha Qi and preventing it from coming anywhere near Houtu.

"This Sha Qi... is far too pure."

Di Jiang's voice came from ahead, carrying a trace of shock. "The power contained within it far surpasses the Sha Qi beneath Mount Buzhou.

"If we can absorb all of it, our physical bodies will surely break through to an unprecedented realm."

Zhu Jiuyin's voice also carried a hint of excitement. "I can sense it. This Sha Qi contains power from the ancient era.

"It is the Sha Qi of the Ferocious Beast race—violent, wild, and incomparably powerful."

Zhu Rong laughed loudly. "Who cares whether they were Ferocious Beasts or not? As long as it can make me stronger! This Sha Qi is mine!"

The group continued downward, and no one knew how long they walked.

The abyss seemed endless. The farther down they went, the broader it became, and the denser the Sha Qi grew.

Within that Sha Qi, vague images occasionally emerged.

They were fragments of memories from the ancient era, scenes of the Ferocious Beast race ravaging the Primordial World.

Those images vanished in a flash, yet they were immensely shocking.

Watching those scenes, Pan Xuan became even more certain of his conjecture.

This place was the former site of the Ferocious Beast Calamity.

After an unknown length of time, the group finally reached the very bottom of the abyss.

At the bottom lay a vast underground expanse. The surrounding stone walls were covered in countless cracks, as though they had once been torn apart by some enormous force.

The Sha Qi within the space was so dense it seemed solid, nearly liquefying as it slowly flowed through the air.

The eleven Ancestral Witches stood amid the Sha Qi, and their auras began to rise violently.

They absorbed the Sha Qi faster and faster, more and more fiercely.

The dense Sha Qi was like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, pouring endlessly into their bodies to be absorbed, refined, and fused by their flesh.

Di Jiang's power of space grew deeper, while Zhu Jiuyin's power of time became more profound.

Zhu Rong's flames became fiercer, Gong Gong's Weak Water became more abyssal, and Xuan Ming's ice became more biting...

Every Ancestral Witch's aura grew at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Pan Xuan stood to one side, quietly watching the scene.

The Righteous Vitality Formula circulated within him, keeping him in peak condition at all times.

The Primordial Heaven-Measuring Ruler hovered above his head, scattering a radiance of mystical yellow merit that shrouded him within.

Houtu stood beside him and softly asked, "Little Brother Pan Xuan, what realm do you think this Sha Qi can help my brothers break through to?"

Pan Xuan pondered for a moment before saying, "It is hard to say.

"But the power contained within this Sha Qi is immensely vast. If they can absorb it completely, breaking through the limits of a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal should not be a problem."

Houtu nodded, her eyes full of anticipation.

Time slowly passed. The eleven Ancestral Witches' absorption of the Sha Qi continued for a long time.

Under their absorption, the dense Sha Qi gradually thinned bit by bit.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time.

The Sha Qi that had filled the bottom of the abyss was completely absorbed by the eleven Ancestral Witches.

When the final thread of Sha Qi entered Di Jiang's body, the auras of all eleven Ancestral Witches underwent an earth-shaking transformation at once.

Boom—

An unimaginable pressure erupted from the eleven Ancestral Witches, soaring into the sky and shaking the entire abyss.

That pressure far surpassed their previous level, as though they had broken through some limit and reached an entirely new realm.

Di Jiang opened his eyes. Within them, the power of space surged like a tide, as though he could shatter the void and roam the great emptiness.

Zhu Jiuyin opened his eyes. Within them, the power of time flowed like a river, as though he could see through past and future and perceive all things.

Zhu Rong opened his eyes. Within them, the power of flame blazed fiercely, as though he could burn all things to ashes and melt heaven and earth.

Gong Gong opened his eyes. Within them, the power of Weak Water was as deep as an abyss, as though it could drown everything and devour all things.

Xuan Ming, Jumang, Rushou, Qiangliang, Xizi, Shebishi, Tianwu... every Ancestral Witch's aura had undergone a qualitative leap.

"I've broken through!" Zhu Rong threw back his head and howled, his voice filled with exhilaration. "I can feel it—my physical body has broken through the limits of a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal! This realm... this power... it is unprecedented!"

Gong Gong also revealed an unusually ecstatic expression. "Beyond Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal! So this is the realm beyond Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal! So that's how it is, so that's how it is!"

Di Jiang said in a deep voice, "This realm truly far surpasses our former level.

"Beyond Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, there is another heaven and earth. Our ability to break through today is entirely thanks to the Sha Qi in this abyss."

Zhu Jiuyin nodded. "The power contained in this Sha Qi truly is extraordinary.

"If not for that, we could never have broken through this bottleneck."

The auras of the eleven Ancestral Witches gradually subsided, but the lingering aftershock of their breakthrough still echoed through the abyss.

Di Jiang turned toward Pan Xuan and Houtu. A rare smile appeared on his resolute face. "Brother Pan Xuan, Sister Houtu, we have broken through."

Houtu stepped forward, her eyes full of delight. "Congratulations, brothers!"

Pan Xuan also cupped his hands. "Congratulations to all my brothers and sisters on breaking through to the realm beyond Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal."

Zhu Rong laughed loudly. "Brother Pan Xuan, we have you to thank for this!

"If you had not broken through that innate restriction, how could we have encountered such a fortuitous opportunity?"

Gong Gong nodded as well. "Brother Pan Xuan, you have done our Witch Clan another great favor."

Pan Xuan shook his head with a smile. "You are too courteous, brothers and sisters. This was your own opportunity. Pan Xuan merely did what he ought to do."

A faint smile also appeared on Xuan Ming's icy face. "Little Brother Pan Xuan, you are far too modest."

As everyone spoke, a strange light suddenly appeared within the space at the bottom of the abyss.

The light came from a corner in the deepest part of the abyss. At first, it was merely a faint speck, like a candle flame flickering in the darkness.

But soon, the light grew brighter and brighter, more and more brilliant, illuminating the entire bottom of the abyss as brightly as day.

Following the light, the group saw something slowly rising from beneath the earth in that corner of the abyss.