"This...?"
The members of the Witch Clan behind Great Witch Chi Lin were startled by the sudden turn of events.
They could not understand why Houtu had struck one of their own.
When they turned to look at Great Witch Chi Lin, who had been driven deep underground, a shudder ran through them.
They immediately fell to their knees.
"We pay our respects to Lady Houtu!"
The witches knelt on the ground, not daring even to breathe loudly for fear of angering Houtu.
After all, Houtu was one of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, and she handled most of the Witch Clan's affairs.
Her prestige within the Witch Clan surpassed even that of Dijiang, the foremost of the Twelve Ancestral Witches!
"Greetings, fellow Daoist. I am Houtu. Three thousand years have passed since we parted at the Purple Heavens Palace. Since you have come to our Mount Buzhou today, why not visit the Witch Clan and stay a while?"
Houtu nodded slightly, then approached Daochen with graceful, lotus-like steps, a faint smile appearing on her stunning face.
"Huh? How could this be?"
Seeing Houtu take the initiative to invite Daochen, the witches present were struck with horror.
When had their Witch Clan ever treated someone from the Demon Race like this? They normally killed them as they pleased.
So what if they were great demons? Countless great demons had died at their hands over the years.
Who exactly was this man?
Not only had Ancestral Witch Houtu personally invited him, even Dijiang in the Pangu Hall showed no intention of stopping her!
"I appreciate your kindness, fellow Daoist, but my brothers and I have important business on Mount Buzhou. Let us part here."
Daochen considered it, but still shook his head.
With the War of the Liches about to begin, he did not want to become too entangled with the Witch Clan for the time being.
"In that case, I shall not insist. Should you wish to visit our Witch Clan in the future, I will welcome you at any time."
Houtu took no offense. Her lips curved slightly, a radiant smile blooming across her exquisite face.
"Mm."
Daochen nodded slightly, passed Houtu, and continued deeper into Mount Buzhou.
Although Houtu was gentler and kinder than the other Ancestral Witches, that was only in comparison to them.
When she governed the Witch Clan, the real Houtu was by no means the amiable, accommodating person outsiders made her out to be.
Yet she had behaved like this toward the man from the Demon Race before her.
Even a pig could have guessed that these three men from the Demon Race were anything but ordinary!
We're finished.
At that thought, the witches who had followed the Great Witch and attempted to seize Daochen and his brothers were terrified beyond measure.
Just what sort of people had they provoked?
"Guards, seize these men immediately and escort them to Fallen Witch Mountain!"
Once Daochen had left, Houtu's beautiful face abruptly turned cold. Her delicate lips parted, and her words were steeped in icy intent.
Had she not noticed in time, the Witch Clan would have gained an unimaginably formidable enemy today!
Three thousand years ago, Daochen had single-handedly defeated the Three Pure Ones outside the Purple Heavens Palace. Now that another three thousand years had passed, who knew how powerful he had become?
Not to mention that Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi were beside him.
Anyone would have to take such a powerful force seriously.
"Spare us, Ancestral Witch! Spare us! We will never dare do it again!"
At the mention of Fallen Witch Mountain, all the witches present shuddered. Despair flashed in the eyes of those who had nearly offended Daochen.
Fallen Witch Mountain was a land of death where the Witch Clan imprisoned desperate criminals. Once sent there, they could all but forget about coming out alive.
"Take them away!"
Houtu gave a sharp command, her eyes filled with icy coldness.
Daochen's true form did belong to the Demon Race, but when Fuxi had invited him at the Purple Heavens Palace, he had refused outright. Clearly, he did not want to become involved in the affairs of the Witch Clan and the Demon Race.
Especially since the dispute between the Twelve Ancestral Witches and the Three Pure Ones over who was Pangu's true orthodox successor had yet to end.
Making an enemy of Daochen now would bring the Witch Clan a crisis several times greater than offending the Three Pure Ones!
"Does our little sister really need to go this far over a single Daochen?"
Not far away, Qiangliang watched the witches being escorted to Fallen Witch Mountain, displeasure flickering across his brow.
They all belonged to his tribe, and one was a promising youngster he valued highly. Now that they had been sent to Fallen Witch Mountain, coming out alive was no longer possible.
"If you could overpower the Three Pure Ones all by yourself, I'm sure our little sister would treat you just as she treated Daochen."
Dijiang smacked his lips and stretched lazily as he spoke in an indifferent tone.
"The Three Pure Ones? So what about the Three Pure Ones? Do you take me for that fool Goumang?"
The Witch Clan was hot-tempered by nature, and the Twelve Ancestral Witches were even more so.
Hearing the provocation in Dijiang's words, Qiangliang immediately bristled.
He completely forgot about the witches Houtu had sentenced to Fallen Witch Mountain.
Only one thing remained in his mind.
Dijiang looked down on him!
"Goumang said the same thing. Why don't you fight them and show me?"
Dijiang did not mind in the slightest. He spread his hands and looked at Qiangliang helplessly.
"Fine! Fine! Fine! Just you wait!"
Seeing Dijiang so openly look down on him, Qiangliang seethed!
He wished he could find the Three Pure Ones right now and fight them for several hundred rounds.
Then Dijiang would see just how strong he was!
"You alone? Forget it. How about I have Xuanming go with you? We could add Zhulong too. If that still isn't enough, I can throw in Gonggong as well."
Dijiang spoke with a perfectly serious expression.
Gonggong, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, nearly choked at those words.
What did he mean, if that still wasn't enough, he could throw in Gonggong?
Was he, Gonggong, just some extra thrown into the bargain?
For a moment, both Gonggong and Qiangliang looked at Dijiang differently.
How about we teach our eldest brother a lesson first?
The two exchanged a glance through the air and instantly understood each other's thoughts.
"Get him!"
The next instant, earth-shaking crashes rang out from the Pangu Divine Hall at the foot of Mount Buzhou.
"What are you doing? Are you trying to rebel against heaven?"
A moment later, a bedraggled figure shot out of the Pangu Hall like lightning, charging toward the Chaos beyond the heavens.
It was none other than Dijiang. His face was bruised and swollen, with none of the dignity befitting the Witch Clan's leader left.
"After him!"
Behind Dijiang, Gonggong and Qiangliang flew out of the Pangu Divine Hall one after the other, pursuing him into the Chaos beyond the heavens.
The remaining Ancestral Witches in the Pangu Hall all soared into the sky.
Unlike Dijiang, Gonggong, and Qiangliang, however, they were merely going to watch the show.
That was simply how the Witch Clan was. A single disagreement could set them fighting, and even Houtu was no exception.
Still, fighting was one thing; they had not forgotten their important business at all.
They were all waiting for the Gourd Vine to emerge so they could join forces and take on the Three Pure Ones.
Mount Buzhou was vast, towering boundlessly upward as though it had no end.
As Daochen and his brothers ventured deeper into Mount Buzhou, the pressure of Pangu's presence grew ever stronger, and they encountered more and more treasures of heaven and earth along the way.
They even found quite a few supreme spiritual roots second only to the Ten Great Xiantian Spiritual Roots.
"Third Brother, have you sensed where that opportunity lies?"
The River Chart and Luo Writing had appeared above Dijun's head, wisps of clear light rising from them to hold back the terrifying pressure of Pangu's presence.
"I have a vague sense of it, but it's far too indistinct. I'll have to examine it more carefully."
Eastern Emperor Taiyi stopped and looked at the boundless Mount Buzhou, speaking with a slight frown.
Mount Buzhou was simply too vast, countless times more immense than the sun.
If they searched blindly, even thousands or tens of thousands of years might not be enough to find the exact location where the Gourd Vine would emerge.
"There's no hurry, no hurry. We can take our time searching."
Daochen walked alone at the head of the three, spreading his divine sense to examine every corner carefully.
"Is that you, Brother Daochen?"
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out.
Two streaks of light suddenly appeared in the sky not far from the two brothers.
They were none other than Fuxi and Nüwa.
Upon seeing Daochen, Nüwa still wore that same adorably haughty expression.
Before you continue