Hongjun's pair of Sage's Dharma Eyes took in the entire situation between the Witches and Demons, as well as the full extent of the Great Array of the Stars.
He had witnessed everything.
Amid his shock and horror,
Hongjun grew suspicious again.
Whether it was the secret of the Underworld Path,
or the scheme of the ten suns throwing the Primordial World into chaos,
at present,
the Will of the Underworld Path had yet to awaken, and Houtu had not yet transformed herself into the Six Paths of Reincarnation.
By all reason, she should not have known so many heavenly secrets!
Especially the secret of the Underworld Path. Even the saints of the Profound Gate only understood fragments of it.
Yet Houtu...
She was merely a Quasi-Saint, an ant, a speck of dust, utterly insignificant. So how did she know so much?
Previously, Hongjun had performed countless divinations, trying to uncover the truth.
During the process, he had even used the artifact of attaining the Dao—the Jade Disc of Creation—to deduce Houtu's true origins, fearing that she had been possessed by some ancient monster of the Primordial World or even one of the Chaos Demon Gods.
The result...
was that he could calculate nothing at all!
Yet how could Hongjun have known...
If Chen Xuan had transmigrated here as an independent individual, then with Hongjun's saintly power, he naturally would have been able to deduce everything clearly.
But now, Chen Xuan had unexpectedly become symbiotic with Ancestor Witch Houtu, becoming a part of her.
It could be said that Houtu was Chen Xuan, and Chen Xuan was Houtu.
No matter how much Hongjun struggled, all he could deduce was—
Houtu was favored by destiny, the future Lord of Reincarnation, and the wielder of the authority of the Underworld Path!
That was all!
"An anomaly. She truly is an anomaly!"
After pondering for a long while, Hongjun rubbed his throbbing brow and sighed helplessly. His face was filled with worry, making him appear even more weathered.
According to the original course of the Heavenly Dao,
Houtu should have discarded her Ancestor Witch body and transformed into the Six Paths of Reincarnation, with her innate indestructible true spirit forever trapped within the Six Paths.
With one of the twelve Ancestor Witches missing, they would no longer be able to form the complete Great Array of the Stars.
Then, he, Hongjun, could freely manipulate the Witch Clan, suppress the Will of the Underworld Path, and with a single thought, steer every aspect of all living beings' fates.
But now...
Not only did Houtu fiercely resist becoming reincarnation, she had resolutely formed the complete Dutian God-Demon Array.
Even the two Western Saints joining the calamity had accomplished nothing!
She had even provoked infighting within the Profound Gate with just a few words, screwing over the two Western Saints.
What a scheme!
The Witch Clan had been doomed to die, yet Houtu, a mere Quasi-Saint ant, had forcibly turned the situation around.
Not only that.
She had even found a way to strike back!
All these unforeseen changes
left even Hongjun, the calculating old schemer, feeling ashamed.
Hongjun had now witnessed the true power of the Dutian God-Demon Array.
It greatly surprised him.
Even if Jieyin had not sought his aid, Hongjun would still have stepped forward to mediate.
Otherwise, what the hell would be left for the Demon Clan's Heavenly Court to play with?
With that thought,
Hongjun stirred his mind and split off a saintly Dharma body. It slowly rose from its meditation cushion and strode forward with effortless grace, one step crossing an entire world.
In but an instant,
it tore through the endless chaos and descended upon the battlefield between the Witches and Demons!
Rumble! Rumble rumble!!
Before Hongjun's Dharma Body had even fully appeared, hundreds of millions of currents of clear and turbid qi were already surging madly. Golden lotuses rained from the sky, immortal music rang in their ears, and streams of Heavenly Dao laws poured down like waterfalls.
In an instant, the stars of the heavens trembled, the four seas churned backward, mountains and rivers across hundreds of millions of miles shook, saints bowed their heads, and all living beings prostrated themselves!
Crushed to their knees by that invisible yet boundless saintly might, their souls quivered as they heard only the Great Dao's deafening roar!
"It's the Dao Ancestor!"
"The Primordial Desolation Dao Ancestor has personally arrived at the battlefield between the Witches and Demons!"
The news instantly exploded across the battlefield.
The saints of the Profound Gate all turned solemn.
The two Golden Crows, who moments earlier had feared the Witch Clan's killing array and lost all fighting spirit, along with countless demon gods, were now exceptionally excited and invigorated.
It was as though...
they had seized a lifeline!
Now, the Demon Clan's fortune had not yet run out. It seemed there was still hope of saving them!
In contrast, the Ancestor Witches and hundreds of millions of Witch Clan warriors could not help but have their hearts leap into their throats. Their nerves tightened, and they scarcely dared breathe.
Every one of them wore an incomparably grave expression!
Even many elderly, weak, women, and children of the Witch Clan could not help but weep sorrowfully.
With the Primordial Desolation Dao Ancestor interfering in the Witch-Demon Calamity, the Witch Clan was likely in grave danger!
"Master, these barbaric Witches have gone too far in humiliating saints. Please act and suppress them!"
"Uphold your boundless saintly might and restore a clear and bright world to the Primordial World!"
Seeing Hongjun's Dharma Body arrive in person, Jieyin was as thrilled and delighted as the Demon Clan. He hurriedly lodged his complaint and poured out his grievances.
Now, the Western fortune could be saved!
Kill the twelve Ancestor Witches?
Heh...
After hearing Jieyin's words, Hongjun's Dharma Body rolled his eyes, utterly speechless. He wanted to curse Jieyin's mother in his heart.
One had to know
that Ancestor Witch Houtu bore destiny. She was the future Lord of Reincarnation and the spokesperson for the Underworld Path.
Once he acted, the nature of the matter would change!
It would no longer be a conflict between the Witches and Demons, nor a struggle for fortune between the three teachings of the Profound Gate.
It would become...
a contest between the Heavenly Dao and the Underworld Path!
When that time came, the calamity of heaven and earth might very well escalate directly into an Immeasurable Calamity. The Primordial World would shatter and chaos would be reborn!
As his thoughts churned,
Hongjun ignored that fool Jieyin.
His Sage's Dharma Eyes lowered toward the Dutian God-Demon Array. Seeing the surging blood-red aura and towering baleful qi within the array, then gazing upon the majestic Pangu True Body, his heart also turned solemn.
Then, his gaze settled upon the twelve phantom figures of god-demons. His Daoist robe fluttered without wind, and without anger or joy, he said with innate majesty, "The conflict between the Witches and Demons has caused living beings to perish in misery, with blood flowing like drifting oars. As the Primordial Desolation Dao Ancestor, I possess great compassion and cannot bear to see all living beings suffer. Thus, I have come today to mediate and uphold justice."
"Therefore, the Primordial World should value peace. The Witches and Demons shall cease hostilities and suspend war for one yuanhui. From this day onward—the demons shall rule the heavens, and the witches shall govern the earth. This is the fairness of the Heavenly Dao!"
"Do any of you object?"
In an instant, waves of boundless Dao sounds swept through the heavens, and vast Dao rhythms resounded throughout all worlds of the Primordial World.
The Dao Ancestor Hongjun had stepped forward to mediate, issuing a saintly decree ordering the Witches and Demons to cease hostilities. How could any ant-like living being dare disobey?
"My Demon Court shall obey the Dao Ancestor's decree!"
Before long, Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi exchanged a glance, immediately understanding each other. Then they both bowed deeply to Hongjun's Dharma Body with utmost respect.
There was no other reason.
The Witch Clan's Dutian God-Demon killing array was simply too terrifying!
Ceasing hostilities, with demons ruling the heavens and witches governing the earth, was unquestionably the best possible arrangement for the Demon Clan!
Once the Demon Clan recovered and the Heavenly Court replenished its strength, they could find a way to overthrow the Witch Clan after one yuanhui and wash away today's humiliation!
"Sister Houtu..."
The Dao Ancestor had issued his decree and stepped in to mediate the Witch-Demon conflict. The situation had changed abruptly. A moment ago, the Ancestor Witches had still been fighting to their hearts' content and seemed far from satisfied, but now they instinctively looked toward Houtu.
Would they continue fighting, or compromise now?
Everything would be decided by Houtu!
"Senior Chen Xuan..."
Houtu then looked inward at her Primordial Spirit, intending to ask Chen Xuan for his opinion.
But in the next moment, Houtu regretted opening her mouth...
The moment Chen Xuan heard Hongjun issue his decree in an attempt to mediate the conflict between the Witches and Demons, it was as if someone had touched his reverse scale. He instantly exploded!
"Cease hostilities? From now on, demons rule the heavens and witches govern the earth? Screw that!"
"In the first Witch-Demon war, the Witch Clan was about to wipe out the Demon Court, yet Hongjun jumped out to interfere."
"Now the Witch Clan is about to crush the Thirty-Three Heavens, destroy the Heavenly Court, and exterminate the Demon Clan, and Hongjun is pulling this again?"
"Stop the war? Stop your mother!!"
"Fairness? This is that old Daoist Hongjun's fairness?! Screw that! To hell with it!!"
Chen Xuan's every shout was deafening, every word struck home, and every sentence thundered endlessly beside Houtu's ears.
They violently shook her Dao heart!
She instantly resonated with him!
That was right. In the Witch-Demon conflict, the advantage had repeatedly been with the Witch Clan. Why should they cease hostilities?!!
"I object—"
Before long.
A sharp feminine cry, like rolling chaos divine thunder, suddenly exploded through the nine heavens and shook the vast starry firmament!
Rumble rumble rumble!!!
Before you continue