Congratulations to the Ancestral Witches for Establishing the Twelve Earthly Branches, Benefiting Heaven and Earth, Earning the Great Dao's Favor, and Further Prospering the Witch Clan's Fortune

Three hundred years later.

Zhu Yin sealed the jars of newly brewed spiritual wine and buried them deep within Spirit Platform Mountain. Then he mounted the White Tiger and set off with Little Pi Lan.

This time, he did not head for the borderlands. Instead, he flew directly to the Ancestral Witch Hall in the Western Lands, where the ceremony was being held.

Roushou's Ancestral Witch Hall was exceptionally imposing. An entire immortal mountain had been carved into a hall, then infused with an immense quantity of metal essence. The whole mountain-palace gleamed with golden light, rough and domineering, vast and majestic.

While still tens of thousands of miles away, Zhu Yin could already feel the dense metal spiritual energy rushing toward him. His gaze pierced through the void, taking in the entire outline of the grand hall as he flew and admired it.

By the time he arrived, the Ancestral Witch Hall was already filled with distinguished guests.

Quite a few Primordial Unity Golden Immortals and Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals had come. Some were great powers from near the Western Lands, some were familiar faces from the Heavenly Court with whom the Witch Clan had connections, and several were local Western Lands experts.

Jin Sheng, the father of the White Tiger Jin Tu, was also there.

Inviting so many great powers to witness the ceremony was not only meant to contend with the Heavenly Court; it also showed how seriously the Witch Clan regarded this banquet.

"Long time no see, Fellow Daoist. Your cultivation has become ever more unfathomable."

"I had long heard of Venerable Zhu Yin's name. At last, I have had the fortune of meeting you."

The moment Zhu Yin arrived, he received a warm welcome. Great Shaman Yan Zi personally came to greet him, while the other great powers stepped forward to exchange pleasantries. The Western Lands cultivators, in particular, were especially excited.

Though they were few in number, Zhu Yin's cultivation alone was enough to hold up the entire occasion. Among this gathering of great powers, he was the strongest.

Of course, everyone knew that Zhu Yin disliked liveliness. Though they wished to befriend him, they all knew their limits, stopping once they had made their point and not disturbing him further.

He was arranged at the foremost seat among the great-power guests, and his heart was filled with emotion.

This was the third time he had attended such a grand occasion.

The first time, he had merely been a Golden Immortal. Though he had Zhunti's disciple status, he could only sit off to the side and save a little face.

The second time, he had appeared as a great power and received treatment worthy of a Great Principle expert, but his seat had still been rather far back.

This time, he was already in the Late Great Principle realm, firmly seated among the honored guests, basking in boundless glory.

He understood the rules of the Primordial World even more clearly... only with sufficient strength could one earn respect, live freely and unrestrained, fear neither trouble nor karma, and truly attain peace of mind.

There was still some time before the banquet began. He exchanged a few words with Jin Sheng, then did not continue to disturb him, allowing father and son to enjoy their reunion.

Before long, the time arrived, and the guests fell silent.

A streak of golden light flashed past, and Roushou, Ancestral Witch of Metal, officially appeared.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoists, for coming to witness this ceremony! The heaven and earth of the Primordial Wilderness were opened by Pangu. As his bloodline descendants, we of the Witch Clan ought to protect this land and allow all living beings to dwell in peace."

Within the Ancestral Witch Hall, Roushou, Ancestral Witch of Metal, stood at the center. He was forthright by nature and spoke with crisp decisiveness. Without wasting words, he went straight to the point after only a few brief sentences.

He soared into the air, witch power surging around him, and in the blink of an eye transformed into his true Ancestral Witch form... a towering giant whose head reached the clouds and whose aura was magnificent beyond measure.

He had a human face and tiger body, clad in golden scale armor, with a pair of wings growing from his back. A snake hung from his left ear, two dragons lay beneath his feet, and his golden hair streamed wildly through the air. It was as if all the metal laws of heaven and earth revolved around him, solemn and sacred.

As his power erupted, the Western Lands were suddenly shrouded in a dense aura of gold and iron. Mountains, rivers, vegetation, and trees were stained gold, and even the spiritual energy of heaven and earth became sharp as blades.

Roushou let out a great shout that rang through the nine heavens:

"Great Dao above! I am Roushou, Ancestral Witch of Metal and descendant of Pangu. Today, sensing that the circulation of heaven and earth remains incomplete, I hereby establish the position of 'Rooster' in the Western Lands, to advance the evolution of heaven and earth and benefit all beings. I shall use the Ancestral Witch Hall to bear the laws of metal and suppress the Rooster position. May the Great Dao bear witness!"

Before his words had faded, a gigantic golden law-dragon rose from his body, roaring as it plunged into the Ancestral Witch Hall.

This Ancestral Witch Hall had been personally constructed by Roushou and the Witch Clan's descendants over two thousand years. It had used countless precious innate metals and been refined through the Witch Clan's secret arts, rendering it indestructible.

When the golden dragon fused with the Ancestral Witch Hall, it was like a dragon returning to the sea, the two fitting together perfectly. The entire hall was instantly flooded with metal laws. Its bricks, tiles, beams, and pillars all shone, as though a divine palace had descended into the world.

Immediately after, the sharp aura of the Western Lands poured into the hall, transforming into the outline of the western earth. Mountains, rivers, and trees gradually emerged, and a pillar of golden light shot into the sky!

Then, the voices of the other Ancestral Witches rang out one after another:

"Great Dao above, I am Goumang, Ancestral Witch of Wood..."

"Great Dao above, I am Gonggong, Ancestral Witch of Water..."

The twelve Ancestral Witches each established their own positions. Twelve Ancestral Witch Halls simultaneously emitted pillars of light in different colors, corresponding to twelve Great Dao laws such as metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.

At that moment, Pangu Hall on Buzhou Mountain also rumbled, as though responding to the actions of the twelve Ancestral Witches. An aura of chaos returning to unity spread across heaven and earth.

This commotion startled countless ancient existences. Even the gods of the Heavenly Court cast their gazes over.

Long ago, after the beast calamity had ended, the Heavenly Dao had emerged and the Great Dao had withdrawn.

Aside from experts nearing the attainment of the Dao, almost no one could invoke the Great Dao itself any longer. Yet the Ancestral Witches were different. As Pangu's bloodline, they could rely on the power of their blood to temporarily connect with the Great Dao.

Rumble...

The Heavenly Dao trembled and gave its response.

Vast Great Dao power descended, acknowledging the actions of the twelve Ancestral Witches.

Their voices passed through heaven and earth, echoing in the hearts of countless living beings:

Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit... all the way to Pig!

The Twelve Earthly Branches officially took shape within the Great Dao's power, transforming into the force of laws and pouring into heaven and earth, causing heaven and earth to resonate as the Primordial World accelerated its evolution.

Then, a vast amount of merit light descended from the heavens.

Part of the merit merged into the Ancestral Witch Halls, transforming them into existences comparable to supreme postnatal spiritual treasures. They also became linked in aura with Pangu Hall, guarding the fortune of the Twelve Earthly Branches.

Another portion of the merit flowed into the Witch Clan's fortune, allowing the Witch Clan fortune, which had originally been suppressed after the Demon Race established the Ten Heavenly Stems, to recover rapidly.

The final portion of merit descended upon the twelve Ancestral Witches. They possessed no Primordial Spirits, and their cultivation methods differed from others', so they could not fully absorb the merit. They decisively transformed it into the power of laws instead.

At once, Great Dao laws descended, and the fleshly bodies and auras of the twelve Ancestral Witches surged explosively at the same time!

The Witch Clan's Great Shamans also began to imitate them, but they could not communicate directly with the Great Dao and could only do so through the Ancestral Witches.

For instance, Great Shaman Yan Zi used this opportunity to break through her cultivation bottleneck and enter the late stage of the Great Shaman realm. Her strength was comparable to that of a Great Principle expert. Though she could not compare to peak Great Shamans like Xingtian and Hou Yi, she was still an outstanding powerhouse.

At Eastern Kunlun, the Three Pure Ones gave a slight salute to the twelve Ancestral Witches.

At Mount Sumeru, Jieyin and Zhunti did the same.

Experts such as Patriarch Minghe, Kunpeng, Zhen Yuanzi, and the Queen Mother of the West wore complicated expressions. Some looked toward the Heavenly Court, while others looked toward the Earthly Palace.

Though they had long known that the Witch and Demon Clans were the protagonists of this era, seeing the two clans continuously grow stronger, receive heaven and earth's favor, and gain merit upon their bodies still left their hearts with a hundred flavors mingled together.

Within the Western Lands' Ancestral Witch Hall, Roushou stood high in the air. Zhu Yin looked at him, his heart filled with a thousand emotions.

The reason the Witch and Demon Clans could occupy the foremost positions was not merely their formidable strength, but also their conspicuous achievements.

Over the years, the two clans had fought openly and schemed in secret, yet both had made immense contributions to the Primordial Wilderness:

The Demon Race established the Heavenly Court, while the Witch Clan built the Earthly Palace.

The Demon Race governed the sun and moon, while the Witch Clan controlled the four seasons.

The Demon Race set heavenly rules, while the Witch Clan established earthly measures.

The Demon Race controlled the inner seas, while the Witch Clan dominated the outer seas.

The Demon Race established the Ten Heavenly Stems, while the Witch Clan set the Twelve Earthly Branches...

Though much killing had taken place and many innocent races had been harmed, things had not yet developed to the point of destroying heaven and earth.

The accumulated resentment and Sha Qi were still insufficient to shake the enormous fortune of the Witch and Demon Clans. For a true great calamity to form, an exceedingly long span of time was still needed for it to settle and ferment.

At that moment, the Ancestral Witch Hall completely transformed into a supreme merit witch artifact. Not only could it suppress the Twelve Earthly Branches, it could also help the Western Lands restore the spiritual vitality of its earth veins. Seeing this, Zhu Yin could not hide his excitement, and his attitude toward the Witch Clan softened considerably.

Even if it was merely a side effect, it was still a tremendous blessing for the Western Lands, capable of helping billions upon billions of miles of land recover their spiritual energy.

Roushou withdrew his manifestation and transformed back into a burly, golden-haired man before returning to his seat.

Several Western Lands great powers rose together. Led by Zhu Yin, they saluted him.

"Congratulations to the Ancestral Witches for establishing the Twelve Earthly Branches, benefiting heaven and earth, earning the Great Dao's favor, and further prospering the Witch Clan's fortune."

"And we thank the Ancestral Witches for establishing the Ancestral Witch Halls and helping our Western Lands restore the spiritual vitality of its earth veins. Your merit is boundless!"