Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

“Little one, you are already the ancestral witch of my witch clan. You only need to call me sister.”

As she spoke, Empress Pingxin smiled kindly.

Chapter 403 Houtu's Approach

Li Xiuyuan remained somewhat restrained upon seeing her, perhaps because of the identity of Consort Pingxin, a powerful figure at the Saint level, and he couldn't be too unrestrained. He replied, "Your Majesty has incarnated as a reincarnation and possesses great merit; how could I act so casually!"

After saying this, he thought to himself that when Houtu transformed into a being in the cycle of reincarnation, even all the saints bowed to her, because Houtu's actions were to benefit the three realms.

"Okay! Now you can speak calmly, right?"

As she spoke, Houtu smiled slightly, and then her expression changed, revealing her true appearance.

She wore a light green gown wrapped around her body, with a white gauze overlay, revealing her graceful neck and clearly visible collarbone. The folds of her skirt flowed like moonlight and snow, cascading lightly to the ground, trailing more than three feet, making her gait even more elegant and graceful.

Her long, black hair was tied up with a ribbon and adorned with a butterfly hairpin. A strand of hair fell in front of her chest. She was lightly powdered, which only enhanced her color. The faint blush on her cheeks created a delicate and lovely look, as pure as flower petals. She was like a butterfly fluttering in the wind, or like clear and pure ice and snow.

Li Xiuyuan's eyes lit up upon seeing this, but Houtu clearly saw it and said with a smile, "Little one, what are you looking at?"

As he spoke, Li Xiuyuan felt a flick on his forehead, while Houtu beside him remained completely still. He was extremely surprised. Sure enough, in this underworld, Houtu's strength was probably even more terrifying than that of a saint!

Li Xiuyuan's lips curled up, and he replied with a light laugh, "No, it's just that Sister Houtu is so beautiful that I couldn't help but take a second look."

Having said that, his face remained calm, but in his heart he thought that Houtu's identity was extraordinary, and if he tried to do anything underhanded, he would probably not have a good outcome.

"Smooth talker!"

Upon hearing this, Houtu couldn't help but spit lightly. Then, she glanced at Li Xiuyuan and said indifferently, "I see that your aura is chaotic. Obviously, you've been in a fierce battle on the way!"

As she spoke, she felt a little curious: who had done it?

It should be noted that Houtu had witnessed Li Xiuyuan's strength. When he was undergoing his tribulation, he was no weaker than an ordinary quasi-saint level expert. Moreover, if he were to advance to the next level, no one could say for sure that they could capture him unless a saint personally intervened.

This is also why Houtu spared no effort to win over Li Xiuyuan, because as long as he grows up, the Wu Clan will definitely have a place in a world where no saints appear.

Although Houtu has long since lost her ancestral witch form after reincarnating, her feelings for the witch clan are still inseparable, which is why Houtu has gathered her clansmen here.

Li Xiuyuan said calmly, "Yes, he did fight someone. He was Kong Xuan from Buddhism. He was subdued by the Sage Zhunti during the Investiture of the Gods and is now in the position of the Peacock Great Wheel King in Mount Ling."

As he spoke, he thought to himself that if he encountered the other party again, it wouldn't be so simple.

After resolving his affairs in the Netherworld, Li Xiuyuan had already made up his mind to cultivate in the Chaos Realm. With three Nine-Turn Golden Pills, he was almost certain to reach the Quasi-Saint level.

"Oh, it turns out it's him!"

Upon hearing this, Houtu suddenly realized and replied, "That beast is not easy to deal with. His talent is comparable to that of a primordial deity. Even the sage Zhunti had to go through a lot of trouble to subdue him."

She paused, then said, "You are all Buddhists, so why are you fighting? In my opinion, why don't you completely join my Witch Clan and leave Buddhism? I guarantee that Zhunti and Jieyin won't harm you then, what do you say?"

As she spoke, she began to try to win over Li Xiuyuan again.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan shook his head and replied, "Thank you for your kindness, Sister Houtu, but I'm used to being in Buddhism, and it would be impossible for me to go anywhere else. Besides, wherever there are people, there will be conflict, which is unavoidable."

As he spoke, he immediately rejected Houtu's suggestion. Although joining the Wu Clan was a good idea, he was still somewhat unwilling to give up Buddhism.

After all, Zhunti and Jieyin had already promised to let him become Sun Wukong's master. After the Journey to the West was over, the merit of educating the Buddhist protectors would be considerable.

Moreover, since a disciple at the Quasi-Saint level appeared out of nowhere, anyone would be willing to accept it.

"Alright! However, I cannot agree with what you said. In our witch clan, we are all brothers and sisters, and we get along very well with no outsiders."

As she spoke, Houtu retorted with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan couldn't help but laugh and said lightly, "Oh, is that really so? Then why did I hear that in ancient times, the ancestral witch Zhurong fought a great battle with Gonggong, and finally angrily rammed Buzhou Mountain?"

As he spoke, he looked at Houtu with amusement.

Houtu looked embarrassed after hearing this. Indeed, the Wu tribe was very united in normal times, but the ancient water and fire war led to the complete annihilation of the Wu tribe.

The two ancestral witches, Zhurong and Gonggong, seemed to be born at odds. They would quarrel or even fight whenever they met, and that incident resulted in Zhurong's death.

In his remorse, Gonggong angrily rammed into Buzhou Mountain, while the other ancestral witches also self-destructed during the war between the witches and demons. That war was so devastating that the heavens and the earth collapsed, and even Nuwa's brother Fuxi died.

This shows how terrifying the battle was, but Houtu still didn't want to admit it, and said calmly, "The reason why my two brothers fought each other back then was definitely not as simple as it seems on the surface. If the Sage wasn't involved in this matter, I would never believe it."

As she spoke, she was filled with great resentment, and she was very clear about the thoughts of the saints.

These people did not want the witch clan or the demon clan to control the world, so they made the two clans kill each other, and in the end, all their experts died in battle.

The Witch Clan was wiped out in that battle, with only a few survivors barely clinging to life. Most of them are now in this Netherworld.

Chapter 404 Pangu's Heart

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan was startled. He knew that people of saintly stature would feel something whenever someone mentioned them.

Of course, Li Xiuyuan agreed with what Houtu had just said. In the past wars between the Lich King and the Demon King, there had never been such a fierce battle. But since several people became saints, the next battle resulted in mutual destruction.

Moreover, in Li Xiuyuan's mind, even a true saint would be somewhat inferior when facing the Great Array of the Heavenly Gods and Demons of the Upper Witch Clan.

Seeing Li Xiuyuan's expression, Houtu smiled and said, "Little guy, don't be afraid. Inside this Pangu Palace, no one else will know what you and I are talking about, not even the Dao Lord Honggou!"

As she finished speaking, the corners of her mouth turned up, revealing a slight smile.

The Pangu Palace they are standing before is their most prized magical treasure, capable of evading the scrutiny of the Heavenly Dao. It is a relic left behind by the Great God Pangu.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan asked in surprise, "What kind of place is this that has such an effect?"

After saying that, he was extremely curious: was the Pangu Palace really that powerful?

Li Xiuyuan looked around again and didn't find anything special, but he could tell that this was a small world.

"hehe!"

Houtu smiled and continued, "Little one, Father God's cultivation is far beyond your imagination. When he created the world, even the Heavenly Dao could not compare to him. As for this Pangu Palace, it is not only the most precious treasure of our Wu Clan, but also the heart of Father God."

As she spoke, she pointed her finger, and suddenly two people appeared outside the pool of blood, which was filled with a lot of blood.

Houtu smiled and said, "This Pangu Palace is a treasure of Houtu's merits that is no weaker than Laozi's Xuanhuang Exquisite Pagoda. It can not only suppress fortune, but also has a miraculous effect, which is to continuously produce this blood, as long as there is spiritual energy."

She paused and then said, "As for the purpose of this blood, you will know once you drip some of your own essence into it."

After saying that, she looked at Li Xiuyuan with a half-smile.

After hearing this, Li Xiuyuan roughly guessed what was going on, but he was still very curious. He forced out a drop of his essence blood, which was about the size of a fist, and it merged into the blood pool.

Then a gurgling sound came from within, and a bloody figure gradually formed. After a while, a burly man with an imposing face walked out from within.

After the man walked over, he respectfully said, "Greetings, Ancestral Witch!"

As he spoke, he bowed, but did not kneel, because the people of the Wu tribe adhered to the principle of not kneeling to heaven or earth.

Upon seeing this, Li Xiuyuan nodded secretly. He felt a blood connection with this person and said with a smile, "I created you. You haven't been named yet, so from now on, you'll be called Xiang Yu!"

After saying this, he thought to himself that the Witch Clan had twelve tribes, each led by a different Ancestral Witch.

However, these people are all created by the Ancestral Witches and Pangu's heart, but they also follow certain rules and cannot be permanently replicated. If that were the case, each Ancestral Witch would only need to drip a drop of essence blood to allow a large number of people from the Witch Clan to emerge.

"Yes, Xiang Yu greets the Ancestral Witch!"

As he spoke, Xiang Yu nodded, agreeing with the name. Naturally, he had no intention of betraying Li Xiuyuan or going against his wishes.

"As expected, it really works."

Upon seeing this, Houtu couldn't help but smile. She hadn't expected that Li Xiuyuan could actually use the blood essence of the Ancestral Witch to give birth to a Great Witch.

Of course, the Xiang Yu before them was only at the Heavenly Witch level, which is equivalent to a master at the Heavenly Immortal level, while a true Great Witch was a figure at the level of a Great Luo Golden Immortal.

In a sense, Li Xiuyuan is only a Great Witch now. However, because he has the essence of Pangu's blood and Houtu's instructions, the other members of the Witch Clan call him the Ancestral Witch.

Seeing this, Li Xiuyuan pressed on, "Your Majesty, can you tell me the truth now?"

After saying that, he looked a little displeased. He didn't want to be tricked or toyed with for no reason.

"Don't be angry, little one. Actually, this is only good for you and not bad."

After a pause, Houtu continued, "Do you know where our Wu tribe came from in ancient times?"

After saying that, she casually asked a follow-up question.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan shook his head and replied, "Is it all like this, where the Ancestral Witch drips her essence blood into Pangu's heart?"

After saying that, he became curious. Could it be that he would have a large number of people in his clan in the future?

"Yes, you could say that, or you could say that it isn't."

Then Houtu continued, "Each of us twelve Ancestral Witches can drip twelve drops of essence blood, allowing the Great Witch to emerge from Pangu's heart. They all initially possessed the cultivation of a Celestial Immortal."

She paused and then said, "When those great shamans dripped their essence blood into Pangu's heart, many human shamans were born from it. Later, these shaman races, through continuous reproduction, eventually became a race no less powerful than the demon race."

After saying that, she told the story of the Witch Clan's origins.

After hearing these words, Li Xiuyuan nodded to himself. It seemed that this was how the people of the Witch Clan came to be. Each Ancestral Witch could only drip twelve drops of essence blood, from which twelve Great Witches were born, and so on.

So, the Wu tribe initially consisted of only a few hundred people. Later, through continuous reproduction, they eventually became a race comparable to the demon race. Perhaps they couldn't compare at the beginning, but after thousands of years of reproduction, they were naturally able to stand shoulder to shoulder.

Moreover, the Wu clan probably emerged much earlier! However, they remained in the Pangu Palace until the war between the three clans ended, after which their population expanded considerably.

After hearing these words, Li Xiuyuan replied calmly, "Sister Houtu, you wouldn't be asking me to give birth to twelve great witches, would you?"

As he spoke, he began to understand why Houtu had repeatedly instructed him to come.

So that's what happened. Indeed, these things are extremely important to the Witch Clan.

However, in Li Xiuyuan's mind, it was a big problem, because if another tribe of his own appeared, he could not just leave it unattended.

And he was now completely bound to the war chariot of the Witch Clan.

Chapter 405 The Witch Tribe