Look, Heavenly Dao, You're Getting Anxious Again!

The blood cocoons split open.

One after another, the Great Witches broke free from their cocoons and came into being.

In an instant.

All manner of phenomena intertwined and spread throughout Pangu Hall.

Firelight, watery vapor, earth-yellow halos, fragments of temporal radiance, icy mist, wandering lightning, deathly gray fog, swirling gales, scattered sparks, the vitality of grass and trees, and piercing golden gleams all unfurled.

Twelve utterly distinct auras of origin laws, clear and unmistakable, filled the entire hall.

The nine Great Witches nurtured by Di Jiang with a Sage's essence blood were all at the late Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal stage.

Only the Great Witch Di Shitian had reached the early Primordial Golden Immortal stage.

The other eleven Ancestral Witches each nurtured nine late Primordial Unity Golden Immortal Great Witches, and the clan had begun to take shape.

Among them was the later renowned Hou Yi, born from Hou Tu's lineage.

Canglan was born from Gong Gong's lineage, while Yanlie was born from Zhurong's lineage.

All three were among the strongest Great Witches of their generation.

Every newly born Great Witch stood tall and robust, forming orderly ranks before bowing in unison.

"Greetings, Ancestral Witches! Greetings, Lord Di Jiang!"

Looking at this new batch of Witch Clan youths, newly born and brimming with powerful auras.

The Ancestral Witches all revealed gratified smiles.

Zhurong was fiery-tempered and forthright. Seeing the fire-element Great Witches under his command, he immediately burst into hearty laughter.

"Good, good, good! Excellent! From now on, when sparring, battling in combat, and fighting across the Primordial World, I finally have juniors to take along for a brawl!"

Hearing this, the Great Witches under Zhurong exchanged glances, helpless bitter smiles appearing on their faces.

The atmosphere in the hall was relaxed. The Ancestral Witches all wore delighted expressions, and the mood was lively and harmonious.

Just then, Di Jiang's voice slowly rang out.

"Enough."

With those two simple words, every Ancestral Witch present instantly restrained their smiles. Their expressions turned solemn as all eyes fixed upon Di Jiang with utmost gravity.

Di Jiang swept his gaze across the hall and spoke calmly.

"From here on, cultivate diligently and stabilize the foundation of your own laws."

"At the same time, use the ceaseless power of origin from the Pangu Blood Pool to continue nurturing Witch Clan bloodlines, multiplying and strengthening our Witch Clan, and raising more Witch Clan youths."

All the Great Witches clasped their fists and bowed together, their expressions reverent and solemn.

"We obey Ancestral Witch Di Jiang's command!"

As the words fell.

The newly advanced Great Witches each took up their respective duties, relying on the origin blood qi of the Pangu Blood Pool.

They began wholeheartedly nurturing Witch Clan bloodlines, continuously giving birth to ordinary new members of the Witch Clan.

Laws flowed endlessly through the hall, while dense blood qi churned. The entire Pangu Blood Pool brimmed with vigorous life, and fresh Witch Clan beings were born at every moment.

The Witch Clan's foundation and influence were rapidly expanding at a pace visible to the naked eye.

Di Jiang swept his gaze over the orderly Great Witches and nodded slightly before turning to the twelve Ancestral Witches beside him.

"Return to your residences and enter seclusion for cultivation. Stabilize the foundation of your laws and devote yourselves to breaking through to the Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm. There is no need to linger here."

"Yes, Big Brother!"

The twelve Ancestral Witches answered in succession, then departed.

It is time to begin planning for the Heavenly Dao Sages!

With that thought, Di Jiang left Pangu Hall and swiftly headed into the Primordial World.

Meanwhile, Pangu Hall remained endlessly vibrant day after day. The Great Witches circulated their bloodline powers day and night, using the Blood Pool's origin to continuously breed Witch Clan descendants.

Meanwhile, beyond the Primordial World, within Chaos.

Zixiao Palace!

The Eye of the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun faced one another in silence, the atmosphere still and oppressive.

Hongjun slowly opened his mouth and said:

"Heavenly Dao, your origin is now damaged and your strength restricted. If you wish to fully recover and regain control over the order of the Primordial World, you must reclaim the origins of all heavens and condense the authority of the Heavenly Dao.

"And the quickest method is to drive the calamity's descent, using its power to cleanse the Primordial World and gather the scattered fortune and origin."

"Originally, the calamity was meant to rise against the Witch Clan. But now, these Ancestral Witches have left you with no way to act."

"Then open another path!"

Hongjun's gaze was grave as he spoke indifferently.

"Secretly intensify the conflict between the Demon Race of the Heavenly Court and the Immortal Court. Provoke both sides into clashing and ignite a great war between immortals and demons.

"Use the slaughter between immortals and demons to wear down the fortune of every side. Once the war erupts, you can reclaim origin in turn, mend your injuries, and restore your peak strength."

They still did not know that the Witch Clan had already been born!

Pangu Hall concealed heavenly secrets. Even the Heavenly Dao could not inspect it.

The Eye of the Heavenly Dao hovered in the void. After a moment of silence, a vast and mighty Dao voice emerged.

"Feasible!"

"First stir the conflict between immortals and demons. Use the Demon Race and immortals as the calamity's trigger, gather origin through the chaos of war, and recover my injuries."

Hongjun looked at the Eye of the Heavenly Dao floating before him and spoke again.

"Since the plan for the Immortal-Demon Calamity has been decided, then lift your suppression and restraints upon me."

"Allow me to act freely. I will personally enter the Primordial World to make arrangements, drive the immortal-demon conflict, and bring about the calamity's descent."

The instant his words fell, the void violently trembled!

The Eye of the Heavenly Dao slowly opened, and boundless, terrifying heavenly might instantly suppressed all directions, locking firmly onto Hongjun.

The cold and majestic Dao voice of the Heavenly Dao thundered forth.

"Hongjun, do you seek to break free and escape my control?"

Facing the towering pressure of the Eye of the Heavenly Dao, Hongjun remained calm from beginning to end, without the slightest hint of panic. He answered coolly.

"Heavenly Dao, if you insist on suspecting me like this and keeping me shackled so tightly."

"Then I will not make this deal."

"In such circumstances, I will not serve you either."

The moment those words were spoken, the Eye of the Heavenly Dao was thoroughly enraged!

Endless chains of Heavenly Dao laws swept forth in an instant, carrying the power of the Heavenly Dao that could refine all things.

They sought to suppress and refine Hongjun on the spot, erasing this chess piece beyond its control.

"Heh heh—"

"Look, Heavenly Dao, you're getting anxious again!"

Hongjun had long been prepared. He sneered repeatedly and raised his hand, instantly bringing forth the Creation Jade Disc!

A hundred thousand feet of azure light shot into the heavens. The Dao rhythm of creation circulated around him, and supreme defensive power expanded into an independent Dao domain, forcibly blocking the Eye of the Heavenly Dao's refining assault.

Rumble—!

Heavenly Dao might and the power of creation violently collided within Chaos, terrifying shockwaves sweeping in every direction.

Yet the two remained locked in stalemate, neither able to do anything to the other.

After a long confrontation, the Eye of the Heavenly Dao's towering fury slowly subsided, and the oppressive divine might filling the skies gradually receded.

Its cold, indifferent Dao voice rang through Chaos once more.

"So be it."

"I shall withdraw the restraints binding you."

As its words fell, the Heavenly Dao shackles that had wrapped around Hongjun for countless ages all dissolved.

Hongjun was instantly overjoyed. The cultivation he had suppressed for so long began to recover madly, rising step by step.

A moment later, once his cultivation had completely stabilized and Hongjun could sense his own realm again, his face instantly darkened.

He spoke in a low voice, filled with unwillingness and astonishment.

"Why am I only at the fourth level of Sagehood?!"

"I was originally at the eighth level of Sagehood. Why have you only returned four levels to me?"

After merging himself with the Dao, his cultivation had broken through from the fourth level of Sagehood to the eighth.

The Eye of the Heavenly Dao watched him impassively, its emotionless Dao voice sounding once more.

"For now, only the fourth level may be restored."

"Once you help me stabilize the great trend of the Heavenly Dao and repair the damage to my origin, I will consider restoring the remainder of your cultivation."

Hongjun's face shifted between green and white. Rage churned within him, yet he did not dare erupt on the spot.

He knew full well that he was under another's control now and had no power to contend against the complete Heavenly Dao.

"Hmph!"

After a moment of silence, Hongjun snorted coldly, fiercely flicked his sleeve, and said no more.

With a flash, he stepped directly out of Chaos and left the territory of Zixiao Palace.

He flew straight toward the vast lands of the Primordial World below.

Hongjun stood steadily in the void between heaven and earth of the Primordial World.

Compared with the deathly silence and coldness of Chaos, with its chilling Dao pressure.

The world before him was filled everywhere with dense, pure spiritual qi and vast, surging life force.

The mountains and rivers held spirit, heaven and earth evolved, and all things flourished without end in a magnificent scene.

Hongjun slowly closed his eyes and deeply inhaled a breath of spiritual qi from the Primordial World. The oppression and shackles that had weighed upon his chest for countless ages dispersed somewhat.

After a long while, Hongjun opened his eyes. Endless sighs and emotion flashed through their depths as he softly let out a long breath.

"Since I resolved to merge myself with the Dao and was imprisoned and restrained by the Heavenly Dao, countless ages have passed."

"Through those long years, I was trapped in Zixiao, imprisoned by the Heavenly Dao, and never again witnessed the myriad sights of the Primordial World with my own eyes."

He gazed at the vast world below. His eyes darkened, and his expression gradually returned to cold detachment as thoughts rapidly turned in his heart.

"The Heavenly Dao is deeply wary of me now. My cultivation has only recovered to the fourth level, and I am constrained at every turn."

"But since I have escaped and returned to the Primordial World, I will never again allow myself to be manipulated by others."

"Since the Heavenly Dao wishes to reclaim origin through a calamity, then I shall go along with its plan."

"This entry into the world is the perfect chance to make careful arrangements."

With his mind made up, the Dao rhythm around Hongjun slowly receded, concealing his Sage aura.

His figure flashed, and he silently vanished into the world of the Primordial World.