The Netherworld Blood Sea churned, as hundreds of millions of wronged souls wailed, Killing Intent piercing the heavens.
Houtu stood alone by the shore of the Blood Sea. Seeing these wronged souls left with nowhere to return after death, able only to drift as wandering spirits, their immense resentment condensing into towering black fog, tears welled in her eyes as she proclaimed aloud:
"Earthly Dao above! I, Houtu, have witnessed the suffering of all living beings, who die with nowhere to return. I am willing to use the Blood Sea as the foundation to establish the Six Paths of Reincarnation and make whole what the Primordial World lacks! May the Great Dao bear witness!"
The body of an Ancestral Witch emerged behind her, while the heavy laws of earth transformed into chains that wound around its form.
A thunderous boom rang out from the sky, shaking heaven and earth. A stream of Chaos descended upon Houtu's Ancestral Witch body, transforming into an unstoppable axe-light that hacked viciously into the Blood Sea.
The Blood Sea, evolved from blood itself, trembled madly as bloody waves surged.
Lu Chen and Minghe, watching from the side, were stunned beyond belief.
Wherever the axe-light passed, the viscous Blood Sea was severed in its entirety, and a faint, glimmering nether light spread from within.
The waters of the Blood Sea slowly evolved into a small world. Above that small world appeared six pitch-black void-filled holes.
"This old ancestor's chance to attain the Dao!"
Upon hearing Lu Chen's voice transmission, Minghe's crimson eyes lit up. He immediately cried out, "Earthly Dao above, the Six Paths have just been established, and Samsara has just been born. The Six Paths cannot remain without masters for even a day. I am willing to become one of them—the Asura Path, emerge!"
As his voice fell, Minghe transformed into a streak of blood-red light and shot into one of the black holes.
"Granted!"
Houtu glanced at Lu Chen and slowly uttered a single word.
"Minghe is appointed master of the Asura Path. Let the paths of Heaven, Humanity, Beasts, Hungry Ghosts, and Hell emerge!"
As her words fell, the six void holes burst into radiance.
Minghe emerged from the Asura Path. His attire had changed drastically; he wore a blood-red imperial robe, and his aura had become sacred, no longer as cold and sinister as before. A faint smile hung on his lips, and he was brimming with high spirits.
His aura was faint, yet profoundly mysterious, impossible to see through or grasp.
After opening the Six Paths of Reincarnation and the Netherworld small world, the axe-light completely dissipated.
Looking at the empty little world, Houtu felt that something was missing, leaving her strangely hollow.
She looked up, but the Earthly Dao gave no response, indicating that the Six Paths of Reincarnation had not yet fully stabilized.
"Alas!"
Houtu sighed, pain surfacing in her eyes. If she had any other choice, she would not have wanted to take this step. Looking back at the phantom of her true body behind her, only reluctance remained in her eyes.
"Liberation by Violence!"
As Houtu's voice fell, the phantom of her true body became corporeal, its flesh and bones separating.
The flesh and bones spread across the Blood Sea, transforming into a bridge that guided the lonely wandering souls adrift in the Blood Sea into the Netherworld.
The Bridge of Helplessness emerged!
Then the Three-Life Stone by the bridge, the Yellow Springs Road, the Ghost Gate, the Eighteen Levels of Hell, and the Ten Halls of Yama all appeared within the Netherworld.
With Houtu's earth origin, the Netherworld was completely stabilized.
Hundreds of millions of miles of auspicious clouds appeared in the sky, their golden light illuminating the entire Blood Sea until it gleamed brilliantly.
Within the Heavenly Court.
The eleven Ancestral Witches felt their hearts twist in pain, grief pouring endlessly from within them.
"Little Sister, she...!"
"She...!"
Dijiang pressed a large hand over his heart. After the grief came boundless rage!
"To the Blood Sea!"
"Yes, Big Brother!"
The eleven Ancestral Witches surged toward the Blood Sea. To travel faster, Dijiang personally wielded the laws of space, tearing open space and taking his brothers with him.
Houtu's proclamation echoed throughout every corner of the Primordial World, rousing the great powers one after another.
"Another person in this world has attained the Dao."
A pillar of Merit descended, washing over the Primordial Spirit stained by Killing Intent. The remaining Merit then fell upon a drop of blood, using it as a foundation to shape a body.
"Little Sister..."
Dijiang and the others arrived. When they saw Houtu's newly formed body floating in the void, the fury in their eyes abruptly froze, and disbelief appeared on their faces.
The moment they heard Houtu say she was no longer a Witch, they had rushed here without stopping. But why could they still sense the Witch Clan's bloodline power from this new body—and such pure Ancestral Witch bloodline at that!??
Houtu's Primordial Spirit entered the body. Turning her head to look at the brothers who had hurried over, a faint smile appeared on her face.
"My name is Pingxin. I am the master of the Six Paths, I govern Samsara. I am no longer Houtu, no longer a Witch."
That single statement made Pingxin's position clear. Her words were plain enough that even rough-and-tumble Witch Clan men like Dijiang understood. Dijiang's voice trembled slightly.
"From now on, should we call you Little Sister, or Lady Pingxin?"
"Either is fine."
Dijiang laughed. Not just him—the ten Ancestral Witches behind him all laughed as well.
They had originally feared that after Houtu became Pingxin and was no longer a Witch, she intended to sever all ties with the Witch Clan. But upon hearing that she still acknowledged them as her older brothers and sisters, their worries vanished.
"Little Sister, your Netherworld has only just been established, so you must be short of hands. Once I return, I will dispatch Witch Clan youths to help you build it."
"Pingxin, you may not leave Samsara unless an immeasurable Great Tribulation arises!"
A cold, imposing voice descended, and several more figures appeared in the sky.
Hongjun, Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian, Nuwa, Zhunti, and Jieyin.
Those words had been spoken by Hongjun.
"Hongjun, you old bastard! You actually want to put my little sister under house arrest!"
Before Pingxin could react, Dijiang was the first to object. Not being allowed out unless an immeasurable Great Tribulation arose—was that not house arrest? This was merely a Great Tribulation; who knew when an immeasurable Great Tribulation would appear?
He did not care whether Hongjun was the Heavenly Dao or a Sage. Pointing at Hongjun's nose, he snapped furiously,
"They are only Sages. Our Witch Clan now has the confidence not to fear Sages."
Even if there were seven of them on the other side!
If they shrank back merely because the other side had seven Sages, then they would not be the Witch Clan!
"Hmph. The Witch Clan is crude and savage. You dare insult Teacher; you must be punished!"
Yuanshi snorted coldly and sent an enormous palm down toward Dijiang.
A blood-red Sword Qi appeared and directly cleaved the giant palm apart.
"Yuanshi, why is your temper so fiery?"
"Minghe, you became a Sage?"
Yuanshi looked toward the master of that blood-red Sword Qi, astonishment appearing in his eyes.
His attention had been fixed on Pingxin and the Witch Clan, and he had not noticed Minghe. Seeing Minghe shatter his attack and sensing Minghe's aura, he was immediately shocked beyond measure.
"Hmph."
Minghe gave a soft snort without answering. His silence was as good as an admission.
"Heavenly Dao, go back. This trip is fated to end in failure."
Pingxin looked at Hongjun and spoke slowly, her voice cold and unlike its former gentleness.
"Earthly Dao, are you going to interfere in this matter?"
Hongjun stared at Pingxin, a ferocious expression appearing on his face.
"It is not that I insist on interfering, but that your hand has reached too far! Matters concerning my representative are not for you to meddle in."
"Holy shit, the Earthly Dao was actually this tough this time, facing the Heavenly Dao head-on!"
Lu Chen, who had quietly slipped into a corner, saw the Earthly Dao descend directly into Pingxin's body and clash head-on with the Heavenly Dao, and was utterly shocked.
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