Houtu heard every one of Gungun's thoughts. Outwardly, she remained composed, a faint trace of puzzlement on her pretty face, as though she were trying to recall when she had said, "Don't even think about it without five million years." Inwardly, however, she was utterly speechless.
She did not know whether to call her Gungun clever or too clever for its own good.
No, she ought to call it clever. After all, its reasoning was not wrong, and it fit perfectly with how an ordinary mighty cultivator would think. But!
It had underestimated her.
I'm no ordinary mighty cultivator. How could a mere big, fat bear like you fathom my thoughts? You know how to probe, and I know how to put on an act. Don't underestimate an Ancestral Witch!
And who are you calling despicable? Who's eavesdropping on your thoughts? This Ancestral Witch hasn't been eavesdropping at all. I'm simply standing here, and your thoughts come drifting into my ears all by themselves. Does that count as eavesdropping? No!
"Thump!" Houtu flicked her fingers, and the auspicious cloud beneath Gungun's front paws abruptly rose. Caught off guard, it toppled backward with a thud, all four paws pointing skyward.
"Ah! What are you doing?" A tumble like that did not hurt Gungun in the slightest, but it could not understand why Houtu had knocked it over for no reason. Was bullying it really that much fun?
"That's what you get for asking a question without making yourself clear. When did I ever say, 'Don't even think about it without five million years'?" Houtu asked coolly, her face stern.
"Oh." Understanding the reason, Gungun sprang up from the cloud with a carp's leap, then plopped back down on its rump. "Lady Ancestral Witch, didn't you say it on the Softbone Prairie, just after Ao Yue and Meng Zhang left?"
"Hmm?" Houtu raised her eyebrows. Then, as though she had finally remembered, she glanced at Gungun and said, "You've remembered an offhand remark of mine all this time?"
"Of course. I'm your loyal bear," Gungun said earnestly.
Houtu: "..."
A loyal bear? Then why do you keep grumbling about me in your head, with no respect for your elders?
"Lady Ancestral Witch?"
"Hmph." Houtu gave a soft snort, then turned and looked up toward the Solar Star. "Didn't Ao Yue say back then that he swore never to attack any member of the Witch Race of his own accord, except on the day of the War of the Liches? I had originally planned to lead my tribe against the Demon Race in a few hundred years, and then, a few thousand years after that, it would more or less be time for the decisive battle between our races. But now, with Ao Yue and Meng Zhang joining them, the Demon Race has grown far stronger. Fighting the decisive battle too soon would put our Witch Race at a disadvantage. Right now, our priority should be to rest, recuperate, and work hard to strengthen ourselves. As for the decisive battle... I'm afraid we shouldn't even think about it without five million years."
"Oh, so that's how it is. Gungun understands now." Gungun nodded in sudden realization. So that was what Houtu had meant back then?
That made sense. Her reasoning was sound, but she had misjudged the timing. The War of the Liches was not five million years away, but less than a million.
[But she's misjudged the timing. The War of the Liches isn't five million years away, but less than a million.]
Gungun's thoughts reached Houtu's ears. With her back still turned to it, her pupils abruptly contracted, and her heart tightened.
Less than a million years? Gungun even knows something like that? Could it be... that it really has mastered the Law of Time to a degree beyond Sixth Brother? Houtu wondered.
Besides that, unease began to stir within her. Less than a million years-with so little time, could the Witch Race grow strong enough to guarantee victory over the Demon Race?
That would be very difficult.
But...
Houtu glanced back at Gungun from the corner of her eye. She still remembered that when Ao Yue had tried to persuade it to join the Demon Race, it had thought that joining them would lead to no good end.
Then, if she analyzed it, the war between the Witch Race and the Demon Race would determine who became the central force of heaven and earth. If joining the Demon Race led to no good end, that meant the Demon Race would be defeated.
And if the Demon Race was defeated, then... wouldn't her Witch Race win? That's right. If Gungun truly can see the river of time and glimpse the future, then if our Witch Race couldn't win, it wouldn't have agreed without hesitation when I wanted to take it as my battle pet back then. So...
At that thought, the tension and unease in Houtu's heart gradually subsided. There's no need to worry. Our Witch Race will prevail!
"Hum! Hum! Hum! Hum!..."
Just as that thought crossed Houtu's mind, the distant sky over the East Sea suddenly darkened. Countless stars shone brilliantly across it, together tracing out an enormous star chart.
"Roar!" Immediately afterward, a dragon's roar resounded through heaven and earth. That was...
"Ao Yue?" Gungun's voice came from behind Houtu. She glanced back at the big, fat bear again and saw the puzzlement on its face. She was about to listen to its thoughts, but before she heard anything, another voice suddenly reached her ears. It belonged to her eldest brother, Dijiang, the foremost of the Ancestral Witches.
"Little Sister, the Demon Race is attacking Penglai Immortal Island. The Eastern King has asked us for aid. Lead the Houtu Tribe to the East Sea at once to reinforce him!"
"Yes, Eldest Brother." Houtu turned and bowed with her hands clasped toward the empty air before her.
Then she lowered her hands and frowned. After a moment's thought, she instructed Gungun, "Gungun, I'll head to the East Sea first to help the Eastern King. Return to Mount Buzhou immediately and order Hou Yi to bring the army to reinforce us."
With that, Houtu suppressed the various thoughts in her heart and prepared to pass through space to Penglai. However...
"Wait!" Gungun suddenly stood up, took a few steps forward, and grabbed her thigh. Looking up at her, it said, "Lady Ancestral Witch, let's go back to Mount Buzhou together, then head over with Great Shaman Hou Yi and the others. If you go alone and happen to run into Eastern Emperor Taiyi on the way, then..."
"Then what? Do you think I can't beat him?"
Gungun: "..."
Is that just what I think? The entire Primordial World knows that in a one-on-one fight, not a single one of you Ancestral Witches can beat him!
"Phew..." Houtu took a deep breath, silently reminding herself not to get angry, not to get angry. This big, fat bear was only looking out for her. But... she was still furious.
Forcing herself not to lash out, Houtu patiently explained to Gungun, "The Eastern King is the leader of the male immortals of the Primordial World, personally appointed by the Dao Ancestor. Although he has no particularly close ties to our Witch Race, if the Demon Race wipes him out, their prestige will rise to unprecedented heights. Seeing that, the other races they haven't yet subdued will flock to their side as well. So we absolutely cannot let the Demon Race overrun Penglai. Do you understand?"
"I understand." Gungun nodded.
"If you understand, why aren't you letting go?"
"But... Lady Ancestral Witch, even if you're not afraid of Eastern Emperor Taiyi, what am I supposed to do if I run into him on my way back to Mount Buzhou?" Gungun asked Houtu with a troubled expression. Both bear paws clung tightly to her thigh, refusing to let her leave.
Houtu: "..."
Before you continue