Return to Pangu Hall

He did not say much, and Houtu did not press further.

She merely patted his shoulder gently and said softly, "No matter what it is, we're here."

Warmth filled Pan Xuan's heart. He nodded. "Sister Houtu is right."

The thirteen of them turned into streaks of light, crossing the desolate western lands and passing through the gray, hazy sky as they headed east.

Yet Pan Xuan was pondering another matter.

The western lands had endured the Ferocious Beast Calamity, then the Dao-Demon Strife.

Both great calamities had taken place in the west. No wonder later generations spoke of the "barren west."

The Ferocious Beast Calamity had filled the west with Sha Qi, leaving living beings devastated;

the Dao-Demon Strife had further drained the west's spiritual qi and shattered its earth veins.

With two calamities piled atop one another, how could the west not be barren?

And that Destruction Stele might well have been a relic of the Ferocious Beast Calamity, sealed here by some mighty expert to await one destined to find it.

He simply did not know who had laid the seal.

Was it Luo Hou? Hongjun? Or one among Ancestral Dragon, Primordial Phoenix, and Primordial Qilin? Or perhaps an even more ancient existence?

Pan Xuan did not know.

But he knew that now they had touched the Destruction Stele, the one who had sealed it might already have sensed something.

They had to return to Pangu Hall as quickly as possible.

Pangu Hall possessed the protection Father God had left behind, capable of concealing every trace of their auras.

As long as they returned to Pangu Hall, even if the one who had laid the seal sensed something, they would be unable to track them down.

"Faster," Pan Xuan said in a low voice.

Di Jiang seemed to sense something as well, and his speed abruptly increased.

The other Ancestral Witches also accelerated. Thirteen streaks of light tore across the heavens, racing eastward.

The great sun of the Primordial World sank in the west, and the sky gradually darkened.

The thirteen streaks of light vanished beyond the horizon, leaving behind only the vast, empty western earth and the lingering traces of aura slowly fading away.

The thirteen streaks of light tore through the sky, crossing the barren western lands and vaulting over towering mountains before finally returning to where Pangu Hall stood.

Pangu Hall rose magnificently within the embrace of Mount Buzhou, ancient and vast, radiating an eternal aura that seemed to endure as long as heaven and earth.

The Pangu Blood Pool before the hall still lay there quietly. Mysterious yellow qi and golden light of merit intertwined and swirled around it, like an invisible barrier enveloping the entire hall.

The thirteen landed before Pangu Hall. With a wave of his hand, Di Jiang retrieved the pitch-black Destruction Stele from his sleeve and placed it within Pangu Hall's main chamber.

The instant the stele touched the ground, the entire Pangu Hall trembled faintly.

The world-destroying aura upon the stele spread outward, clashing with the vast and ancient aura within Pangu Hall and producing a low hum.

Zhu Rong let out a long breath, sat down on the floor without a care, and grinned broadly.

"This trip to the west brought no small harvest! Not only did we break through the limits of our physical bodies, but we also gained an extraordinary treasure!"

Gong Gong also revealed a rare smile. Sitting cross-legged nearby, he nodded. "The Sha Qi within that abyss was indeed incomparably pure. Our ability to break through the limits of Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals was entirely thanks to it.

"As for this stone stele... though its aura is somewhat violent, its power is truly remarkable."

A trace of satisfaction also flashed across Xuan Ming's icy face. Looking at Pan Xuan, she said calmly,

"Little Brother Pan Xuan, we have you to thank this time. Had you not broken that innate restriction, we would never have encountered such an opportunity."

Houtu gently patted Pan Xuan's shoulder and said softly,

"Little Brother Pan Xuan, you have worked hard. That restriction was so powerful; it was no easy feat for you to break it."

Pan Xuan shook his head with a smile. "Sister Houtu overpraises me.

"Though that restriction was powerful, I had the aid of the Righteous Vitality Formula and the Primordial Heaven-Measuring Ruler.

"Besides, all of you brothers and sisters had already worn down more than half of its power. Pan Xuan merely took the final step."

Di Jiang sat in the seat of honor, a thoughtful look on his resolute face.

He looked toward Pan Xuan and asked in a deep voice, "Brother Pan Xuan, you said in that abyss that this was not a place to linger. Did you notice something?"

Pan Xuan fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. He walked to the center of the hall and stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze passing through Pangu Hall's gates toward the western horizon.

"My brothers and sisters, that innate restriction was no trifling matter."

Pan Xuan's voice was steady and grave. "Though Pan Xuan has cultivated for only a short time, I could still tell that the restriction could never have been set by one person alone.

"Within that restriction lay several different powers of law.

"There was the Dragon Clan's dragon might, the Phoenix Clan's Nirvana Flame, the Qilin Clan's power of earth, as well as several mysterious forces Pan Xuan had never seen before."

He paused, then continued, "If Pan Xuan's judgment is correct, that restriction was most likely jointly arranged by the mighty experts who participated in the Ferocious Beast Calamity."

The moment those words fell, all the Ancestral Witches' expressions hardened.

Zhu Rong's eyes widened. "You mean... Ancestral Dragon, Primordial Phoenix, Primordial Qilin, and the others?"

Pan Xuan nodded. "Not only them.

"Within that restriction were several powers far greater than those of the three clan leaders.

"Pan Xuan suspects that even more ancient existences may have taken part in this."

Di Jiang's expression grew solemn. After pondering for a moment, he slowly said,

"Brother Pan Xuan's words make sense. The Sha Qi within that abyss was so dense that it could never have formed naturally.

"If it truly was a site from the Ferocious Beast Calamity, then the sealing restriction may indeed have been jointly arranged by several mighty experts.

"We broke the restriction and took the stone stele. They may already have sensed it."

Zhu Jiuyin opened his cloudy old eyes, and the power of time stirred faintly within them.

"I could sense it. The instant that restriction shattered, a ripple spread throughout heaven and earth. If someone were deliberately investigating, they could indeed notice it."

Houtu said softly, "Then... will we be in danger?"

Pan Xuan shook his head. "Sister Houtu need not worry too much.

"Pangu Hall has Father God's protection, which can conceal our auras.

"Even if those mighty experts sensed something, they would be unable to track us down.

"Still, for the time being, we must be more cautious and not leave lightly."

All the Ancestral Witches nodded.

Di Jiang said in a deep voice, "Brother Pan Xuan is right.

"From this day onward, we shall cultivate peacefully within Pangu Hall. We must also thoroughly investigate the origin and purpose of that stone stele."

After discussing matters for a while longer, everyone dispersed.

Pan Xuan stood in Pangu Hall, staring at the pitch-black Destruction Stele, countless thoughts stirring in his heart.

He knew that once the restriction had been broken, those mighty experts would surely have sensed it. He simply did not know how they would react...

At the very moment Pan Xuan and the others returned to Pangu Hall, several beings standing at the very pinnacle of the Primordial World opened their eyes almost simultaneously.

East Sea Dragon Palace, beneath the ten-thousand-zhang deep sea.

Ancestral Dragon sat upon his dragon throne, dragon might around him as vast as the sea.

He had his eyes closed in concentration, as if sensing something. Suddenly, his brows furrowed slightly. His golden dragon eyes snapped open, and a strange gleam flashed through them.

"The west... that seal has been broken."

Ancestral Dragon's voice was low and imposing, like an undercurrent in the deep sea. He rose to his feet and walked with his hands behind his back to the window of the Dragon Palace's great hall, gazing toward the western horizon with profound eyes.

That seal had been jointly arranged after the Ferocious Beast Calamity by him, Primordial Phoenix, Primordial Qilin, and several even more ancient existences.

Though the Ferocious Beast Clan had been defeated and Shen Ni slain, the Sha Qi left behind between heaven and earth could not be purified.

That Sha Qi contained the Ferocious Beast Clan's savagery and resentment. If left unchecked, it might give rise to new Ferocious Beasts after countless years.

To prevent the Ferocious Beasts from bringing calamity upon the Primordial World again, they had joined forces to set that innate restriction, sealing the Sha Qi in the farthest western reaches of the Primordial World.

That restriction had fused several of the most fundamental powers of heaven and earth. Interlocking ring by ring and layered upon layer, it would have been exceedingly difficult to break for anyone who had not participated in sealing it back then.

Yet now, that restriction had actually been broken.