"What shouldn't happen? What do you mean?"
Hearing Daochen mutter to himself, Nüwa frowned.
Judging by the current situation, Yuanshi's defeat was only a matter of time. Once he lost and the six Ancestral Witches were free to act, Laozi and Tongtian would be beaten like hanging punching bags.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches' bodies were simply too powerful.
Blows couldn't hurt them, and pounding them couldn't kill them.
But taking even one of their punches was anything but pleasant.
It wasn't just Nüwa. The other mighty figures of the Primordial World also thought the Three Pure Ones' defeat was only a matter of time. Without suitable offensive spirit treasures, they couldn't break through the Ancestral Witch True Forms, while the Twelve Ancestral Witches could rely on their formidable bodies to grind the Three Pure Ones to death.
"Just wait. The Twelve Ancestral Witches are bound to lose!"
Daochen shook his head and smiled as he spoke.
Everyone around him turned to look.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches were bound to lose?
But right now, the Twelve Ancestral Witches had everything going their way. No matter how anyone looked at it, they didn't seem likely to lose.
Was breaking through an Ancestral Witch True Form even possible?
If it were, the Three Pure Ones would have done it already.
For a moment, everyone stared at Daochen in bewilderment.
Had Daochen not been too powerful to provoke, some of them would probably have jumped out to argue with him.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches would lose? Did you have no brains?
Couldn't you see that Yuanshi was barely holding on?
The Twelve Ancestral Witches would only lose if their brains had gone haywire!
Sorry, the Twelve Ancestral Witches' brains hadn't gone haywire.
They really had no brains!
Fine, you wanted a fight, but why insist on fighting at Mount Buzhou?
Did you think being on the Witch Clan's home turf made you so impressive?
The Three Pure Ones were only refraining from attacking your followers because they still cared about saving face. Push them into a corner, and see whether they'd strike at the ordinary members of the Witch Clan!
Tongtian might not, but Laozi and Yuanshi were another matter.
During the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, the brothers Laozi and Yuanshi had dealt plenty of underhanded blows to Tongtian's disciples.
Hadn't the Three Xiao Sisters died at Yuanshi's hands?
Hadn't Daoist Duobao, the Jade Void Sect's eldest disciple, undergone Converting the Hu into Buddha only after Laozi captured him alive?
So choosing Mount Buzhou for your battle with the Three Pure Ones was utterly brainless!
You gave the Three Pure Ones far too much credit for their character!
"All right, let's just watch the show."
Daochen didn't want to explain any of this, nor would he.
Nobody would believe him anyway. What could Daochen do?
Bang!
While everyone was still dazed, Rushou kicked Yuanshi in the stomach again, sending him flying.
Had the Three Treasures Ruyi not protected Yuanshi's internal organs in time, that kick alone would have left him howling for his parents.
"Eldest brother..."
Yuanshi flew back from afar, swollen like a pig's head, his hair disheveled. Who knew where his jade crown had been knocked off to?
He was a complete wreck.
"Very well. We'll do as you say, second brother."
After the two exchanged a few words, Laozi sighed softly.
The next moment, the Heaven and Earth's Yellow Exquisite Pagoda blazed with light, sheltering Yuanshi and Tongtian as well.
"What are the Three Pure Ones doing? Hiding inside the Heaven and Earth's Yellow Exquisite Pagoda because they can't win?"
When they first attacked, Laozi had also summoned the Heaven and Earth’s Yellow Exquisite Pagoda to protect all three of them. They had only split up to fight individually because they feared becoming the laughingstock of the Primordial World.
Yet now, seeing that they couldn't win, they had actually hidden inside the Heaven and Earth’s Yellow Exquisite Pagoda again.
None of the spectators could make sense of it.
What exactly were the Three Pure Ones planning?
"Eldest brother, what do we do?"
Zhurong had been thoroughly enjoying the fight, but in the blink of an eye, the Three Pure Ones had retreated into their turtle shell again.
That left him frustrated.
Given the Heaven and Earth’s Yellow Exquisite Pagoda's defenses, breaking through it would be rather difficult even for the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
"What else can we do? If they're hiding in a turtle shell, we'll smash their turtle shell!"
Refusing to concede, Dijiang punched straight at the Heaven and Earth’s Yellow Exquisite Pagoda.
As Dijiang attacked, Zhurong and the others followed, unleashing a furious bombardment on the Heaven and Earth’s Yellow Exquisite Pagoda!
The battle suddenly became a clash between two beefy oxen. Whoever wore the other down first would win!
But with the magical power of the Twelve Ancestral Witches and the Three Pure Ones, they would have to fight until the year of the monkey and the month of the horse before either side exhausted the other.
As the battle continued, however, everyone began to notice something amiss.
Although most of the Three Pure Ones' attacks were aimed at the Twelve Ancestral Witches, one or two would always land in the Witch Clan settlements below Mount Buzhou.
Countless screams rang out across Mount Buzhou. Many members of the Witch Clan didn't even have time to cry out before the Three Pure Ones' "unintentional" attacks reduced them to ash.
There were even several Great Witches among them!
"Three Pure Ones, what is the meaning of attacking our clansmen?"
Dijiang roared. Space law flashed as he leaped out of the battle and shattered a streak of divine radiance about to strike a Witch Clan settlement with a single punch.
"What do you mean, fellow Daoist? Fists and feet have no eyes. How can you blame us if innocents are caught in the fighting?"
Laozi's expression remained unchanged, his voice as low as ever.
In short: the deaths of your Witch Clan members had nothing to do with us Three Pure Ones. They were all accidents.
We didn't want this either!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Yuanshi seized the opportunity. The Three Treasures Ruyi flashed repeatedly, and several more attacks slipped past the Twelve Ancestral Witches' interception and struck the Witch Clan settlements below Mount Buzhou.
In an instant, thousands, even tens of thousands more Witch Clan members died horribly.
"I'm furious!"
"I'm furious!"
Faced with such shamelessness from the Three Pure Ones, the Twelve Ancestral Witches flew into a thunderous rage!
The Twelve Ancestral Witches were powerful, but their strength lay only in their bodies. In terms of movement speed, they lagged far behind Primordial Gods like Daochen and Kunpeng, who were naturally gifted in swift flight!
Out of every ten attacks Yuanshi unleashed, they did well to intercept five.
And four of those were thanks to Dijiang!
"Eldest brother, why don't we end this battle here? We Twelve Ancestral Witches will admit defeat."
Seeing the terrible casualties among the Witch Clan below, Houtu's eyes flickered with distress.
If they kept fighting, even if they ultimately defeated the Three Pure Ones, fewer than one in ten of their clansmen might survive!
"Three Pure Ones, you've gone too far! Today, I, Zhurong, will fight you to the death!"
Already hot-tempered, Zhurong was now ablaze with fury.
"Shut up!"
Dijiang snapped coldly, then said dejectedly, "We were careless in this battle. Let the Three Pure Ones through!"
Despite how boisterous Dijiang usually was, roughhousing with the other Ancestral Witches, when the Witch Clan's very survival was at stake, he was still the one who made the decisions.
Once Dijiang spoke, the other eleven Ancestral Witches could only bitterly cease their attacks and clear the path to Mount Buzhou.
"Your righteousness earns my admiration, fellow Daoist. As for the dispute over Pangu's true lineage, we Three Pure Ones are ready to oblige at any time."
Laozi spoke in a cool, detached voice.
But the moment he opened his mouth, the Twelve Ancestral Witches were sickened.
What did he mean, he admired them?
Did the Three Pure Ones need the Twelve Ancestral Witches' admiration?
And what was this about obliging them at any time?
If he hadn't used their clansmen's lives as a threat, they would have beaten the Three Pure Ones until they cried for their fathers.
And now he was putting on this hypocritical act.
It was utterly nauseating.
In fact, Laozi's words carried another meaning.
You Twelve Ancestral Witches can come at us whenever you like.
Provided you don't care whether your clansmen live or die.
After all, we Three Pure Ones barely have any disciples right now.
The barefoot have nothing to fear from those wearing shoes. Come fight us, Twelve Ancestral Witches, if you have the guts.
Seeing the battle end in such a fashion, the mighty figures of the Primordial World present wore a fascinating array of expressions.
Before you continue