Ancestral Witches Expound the Dao

The other Ancestral Witches also transformed one after another, taking on their respective human forms.

Some were burly, some lean and fierce, some handsome, some rugged. Yet without exception, all radiated a terrifying aura that made one's heart tremble.

Those auras intertwined, causing the entire Pangu Hall to quiver faintly.

Pan Xuan looked at the twelve Ancestral Witches in their innate Dao forms and sighed inwardly.

This was what the Ancestral Witches in his memories were supposed to look like—fierce, bold, each with their own distinct traits, yet close as family.

Di Jiang transformed into a resolute middle-aged man with a square face, thick brows, and large eyes. The power of space flowed faintly around him, and even the air beside him seemed deeper than elsewhere.

He stepped forward, lowered his head to look at the Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon wrapped in a mass of mysterious yellow qi, and said in a deep voice:

"Brother Pan Xuan, from today onward, the twelve of us will take turns expounding the Dao to you. Cultivate without worry; there is no need to concern yourself with anything else.

"Though we are not particularly skilled at expounding the Dao, we will certainly do our utmost."

Houtu also stepped forward and said softly:

"Brother Pan Xuan, your spiritual intelligence has awakened and your foundation has been laid. You only need to comprehend the laws of heaven and earth, accumulate mysterious yellow merit, and the day you take form will not be far away.

"We will all help you. Do not be impatient. Take it slowly."

Moved, Pan Xuan said solemnly, "Thank you, brothers and sisters."

Thus, from that day onward, the Twelve Ancestral Witches began the long years of taking turns expounding the Dao to Pan Xuan.

The first to expound the Dao to Pan Xuan was Di Jiang.

Di Jiang commanded the laws of space and speed. Few in heaven and earth could compare to his comprehension of the Dao of space.

He sat upright before Pan Xuan. The power of space around him rippled faintly, and his voice was as steady as a mountain.

"Between heaven and earth, space exists everywhere. Space is what all things rely upon, the basis upon which existence stands. Without space, there would be no myriad things, no heaven and earth, no you or me..."

Pan Xuan listened with full concentration, firmly committing every word Di Jiang spoke to memory.

Though he still possessed the body of a dragon, his spiritual intelligence had awakened, and his comprehension was exceptional.

He could not fully understand the Dao of space Di Jiang described, but he could vaguely touch upon the very edge of its laws.

The feeling was profoundly mysterious.

The second to expound the Dao to Pan Xuan was Zhu Jiuyin.

Zhu Jiuyin commanded the law of time. In human form, he appeared aged, his face covered in wrinkles and his eyes clouded, as though he had witnessed all the vicissitudes of the world.

Yet whenever he occasionally opened his eyes, they seemed to contain the passage of countless ages, making others afraid to meet his gaze.

His voice was hoarse and distant, as though it came from ancient times. "Time is the pulse of heaven and earth, the lifespan of all things.

"Without time, all things would remain still, heaven and earth would solidify, and there would be no birth or death, no reincarnation, no karma..."

Pan Xuan listened as Zhu Jiuyin expounded the Dao.

He only felt as if his consciousness had been drawn into the river of time.

He saw the changes of countless eras, the chaos when heaven and earth first opened, and the weathered transformations of the Primordial World.

That sensation deepened his understanding of the Dao of heaven and earth by several degrees.

The third to expound the Dao to Pan Xuan was Jumang.

The fourth was Rushou.

The fifth was Zhu Rong.

The sixth was Gong Gong.

The seventh was Xuan Ming.

The eighth was Houtu.

The ninth was Qiangliang.

The tenth was Xizi.

The eleventh was Shebishi.

The twelfth was Tianwu.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches each commanded a fundamental law of heaven and earth. The Dao each of them expounded differed, yet all were interconnected.

Every day, Pan Xuan listened to one Ancestral Witch expound the Dao. Twelve days made one cycle.

This "day" was not a day as understood by later generations, but a full cycle of the Primordial World's great sun, roughly equivalent to several years in later times.

By the end of one cycle, several years had passed.

Through these teachings, Pan Xuan's comprehension of the laws of heaven and earth grew ever deeper, while his own aura steadily became stronger.

The layer of mysterious yellow qi surrounding him was also slowly changing, gradually solidifying as though it were about to take on a true form.

Meanwhile, through expounding the Dao, the Twelve Ancestral Witches also gained a deeper understanding of their own laws.

They had originally wielded the power of laws purely by instinct and had never systematically sorted through their own insights.

Now, in order to expound the Dao to Pan Xuan, they had no choice but to organize, summarize, and articulate their understanding of the laws one by one. That process itself was a form of cultivation.

Di Jiang sighed. "Before Pan Xuan came, none of us imagined that expounding the Dao could also improve one's cultivation. This is quite an unexpected delight."

Zhu Jiuyin nodded as well. "Teaching and learning complement each other. We teach Pan Xuan, and Pan Xuan is also teaching us. This is how teaching and learning advance together."

Houtu smiled. "Brother Pan Xuan truly is our lucky star. Before even taking form, he has already benefited us greatly."

Upon hearing this, the Ancestral Witches all smiled knowingly.

And amid cycle after cycle of teachings, the bond between Pan Xuan and the Twelve Ancestral Witches also grew deeper by the day.

He was no longer the trembling Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon who had only just awakened. He had truly become part of this great family, an indispensable brother to the Ancestral Witches.

Whenever Zhu Rong expounded the Dao, he loved patting Pan Xuan on the head, nearly sending him flying;

Whenever Gong Gong expounded the Dao, he loved arguing with Zhu Rong, then continued speaking after the quarrel;

Whenever Xuan Ming expounded the Dao, she was icy and aloof, yet she always explained things several more times, afraid he might not understand;

Whenever Houtu expounded the Dao, she was the gentlest, always patiently answering his questions;

Whenever Di Jiang expounded the Dao, he was the most serious, though he occasionally revealed a faint smile;

Whenever Zhu Jiuyin expounded the Dao, his teachings were the most profound and mysterious, yet after each lesson, he would always ask, "Did you understand?"...

Pan Xuan remembered every one of these little moments in his heart.

The years flowed on, and no one knew how many great epochs had passed. Outside Pangu Hall, the great sun of the Primordial World rose and set, set and rose, cycling an unknown number of times.

Within Pangu Hall, the voices of the Twelve Ancestral Witches expounding the Dao never ceased, cycle after cycle, repeating endlessly.

With every round of teachings, Pan Xuan's aura became more powerful and more solid.

The mass of mysterious yellow qi surrounding him had changed from the thin mist it had once been into something thick as slurry, gleaming with golden light like a golden sun suspended within Pangu Hall.

During this time, the Twelve Ancestral Witches did something else Pan Xuan had never expected.

It was an ordinary day of teachings. After Houtu finished expounding the Dao, she was about to leave when she suddenly stopped, turned, and looked at Pan Xuan.

Her eyes were filled with gentleness, along with a trace of solemnity.

"Brother Pan Xuan," Houtu said softly, "throughout these great epochs, you have cultivated diligently day and night and improved with astonishing speed. Your sister has watched it all, and it brings me great comfort."

Pan Xuan hurriedly replied, "It is all thanks to the excellent guidance of my brothers and sisters."

Houtu smiled faintly and shook her head. "Your talent is the true foundation. We have merely added flowers to brocade."

After a pause, she suddenly extended a finger and forced out a drop of golden blood from its tip.

The moment that blood appeared, the entire Pangu Hall trembled faintly. A heavy aura like the earth itself spread through the hall, pressing down so hard that one could scarcely breathe.

That drop of essence blood floated in midair, radiating a gentle yet powerful glow, as though it contained the fundamental power of the earth.

"Sister Houtu, what are you—"

Pan Xuan was shocked. His dragon body shuddered violently within the mass of mysterious yellow qi.

Houtu gently sent that drop of essence blood into the layer of mysterious yellow qi and said softly:

"This is a drop of your sister's essence blood. It cannot allow you to take form immediately, but it can help stabilize your foundation and accelerate your cultivation. Accept it."