Primordial Era: Refusing Hongjun's path to sainthood, I attained the Dao of Hunyuan.

Chapter 130 Choice

Upon entering the Netherworld Palace, Styx invited Xuanhuang to take the seat of honor and personally served him tea. He even invited Houtu to sit down and treated her with courtesy.

Xuanhuang drank the tea and nodded slightly, saying, "Your tea tastes quite good."

"If the Celestial Venerable likes them, then we should let him take some with him later," Styx hurriedly said.

Upon hearing this, Xuanhuang laughed loudly and said, "Fellow Daoist knows how to conduct oneself in the world."

Styx asked, "What teachings does the Heavenly Venerable have for Styx?"

"Um."

Xuanhuang nodded, then glanced at Houtu and said, "This great calamity will soon come to an end."

"At that time, both the Witch Clan and the Demon Clan will be destroyed, and then a new protagonist will emerge. The saints will enlighten all living beings and usher in a new era."

Xuanhuang's words shocked both Styx and Houtu. Styx was relatively calm, but Houtu couldn't help but blurt out, "Why does the Heavenly Venerable say such a thing? This great calamity is still undecided, so how can you say that my Wu clan will be destroyed?"

Styx couldn't help but look at Xuanhuang. He had some thoughts on this. From Xuanhuang's words, he mentioned a new protagonist. And coincidentally, Xuanhuang came to him. Didn't this mean that his Asura clan was the new protagonist?

However, Styx had completely misunderstood. Xuanhuang ignored him and said to Houtu, "The overall situation has long been settled, but there are still some minor situations that have not been completely settled."

"Fellow Daoist Houtu, I am being frank with you as well. Both the Wu and Yao clans are burdened with heavy karma, and none of them have attained the Dao. Naturally, they cannot escape this calamity. Di Jun and Tai Yi are no exception, and neither are you Ancestral Witches."

Upon hearing this, Houtu turned pale and became completely dazed.

Although she was extremely unwilling to accept it, since Xuanhuang had spoken so bluntly, it was obviously true.

Styx didn't care about the life or death of the lich, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy. He had witnessed the rise of the two overlords, the lich and the demon race, from beginning to end. How glorious they were! But now, were they also heading towards their end?

As expected, if one does not become a Primordial Being, no matter how great one's supernatural powers or magical abilities, one cannot control one's own destiny.

The Demon Emperor Jun, Donghuang Taiyi, and the Twelve Ancestral Witches were all incredibly powerful. Even though he had severed his three corpses, he still dared not underestimate them.

But according to Xuanhuang, they were all already dead.

Looking at Houtu again, Styx couldn't help but feel a pang of pity. The Demon Emperor and the Ancestral Witch were both experts no weaker than him, yet they too were destined to become cannon fodder in the great calamity. This made him feel a sense of shared sorrow for the fallen.

He respectfully asked Xuanhuang, "What the Heavenly Venerable said—that while the overall situation is set, minor trends can be altered—may Styx dare to ask what these minor trends are?"

Houtu, as if struck by a sudden inspiration, looked up at Xuanhuang upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope appearing in her eyes.

"Um."

Xuanhuang nodded, glanced at Styx with slight appreciation, and said, "Small forces are ever-changing, existing within all things, hence they are also called a glimmer of hope."

"A glimmer of hope?"

Houtu's eyes lit up, and she quickly stood up, bowing to Xuanhuang and saying, "May I ask the Heavenly Venerable, is there any chance for my Wu Clan to survive?"

Xuanhuang said, "That's right, this glimmer of hope lies with you."

Houtu was startled upon hearing this, and her anticipation only intensified.

"When you ancestral witches were conceived, you were tainted by the evil energy, which is why you are cruel, warlike and bloodthirsty."

Xuanhuang continued, "However, there is an exception, and that is you, Houtu. You were the last of the twelve Ancestral Witches to be conceived, and you were also the least affected by the turbid evil energy. Therefore, the other Ancestral Witches could not cultivate a primordial spirit and could only cultivate the body. Even the Time Ancestral Witch Zhujiuyin, who could foresee the future and deduce some heavenly secrets, was only relying on the laws and divine powers. Without a primordial spirit, it was ultimately a weakness. If no one deceived him, it would be fine, but once someone deceived or confused the heavenly secrets, he could not calculate anything and could not foresee anything."

"Only you, Houtu, although you didn't have a primordial spirit at the beginning, as your body refinement became stronger, the influence of that turbid evil energy gradually weakened. By now, you should have felt it too, right? Your true spirit is gradually becoming stronger, and it has the initial foundation to be conceived and transformed into a primordial spirit."

Upon hearing this, Houtu's body trembled violently, and she exclaimed with delight, "Does the Heavenly Venerable mean that as long as I nurture my primordial spirit, I will be able to comprehend the secrets of heaven and thus find a glimmer of hope for my Wu clan during this great calamity?"

Xuanhuang nodded, then shook his head, and said, "You seem too optimistic. Even if you develop a primordial spirit, it will be difficult to change the current situation. I'm just saying that once you have a primordial spirit, you will find that the Wu Clan has completely lost hope, and their struggle for supremacy will only be in vain."

"At this point, you are left with only two choices: to perish together with the demon race, or to preserve the last bit of fortune for the witch race so that it will not be wiped out."

After Xuanhuang finished speaking, he silently looked at Houtu, waiting for her to make a choice.

After hearing Xuanhuang's words, Houtu was already pale and his body trembled slightly, as if he was about to collapse.

She had no doubt that Xuanhuang's words were false, and if Xuanhuang really said so, then the Wu Clan probably really had no chance of winning.

And if that were the case, then all of their ancestral witches would probably perish in this great calamity.

None escaped unscathed.

This was the most tragic outcome—a total destruction along with the demon race. If it weren't for the events surrounding Xuanhuang, the fiercely independent Houtu would have undoubtedly chosen this path without hesitation.

Better to be a shattered jade than a whole tile. If I'm not doing well, I'll drag the demon race down with me.

But Xuanhuang said there was another option: to preserve the last bit of fortune for the Wu tribe, so they wouldn't be wiped out. This made Houtu hesitate.

As an ancestral witch, she was not afraid of death, but at the same time, she deeply loved her people. She would rather die than lose her people, but if she could give them a chance to live...

"Heavenly Venerable, must all of us Ancestral Witches face this calamity? Can we...?" Houtu pleaded with Xuanhuang.

Seeing this, even Styx, who believed in killing and was ruthless, couldn't help but be moved. Just imagine, if he had to choose between himself and the Asuras, then Styx, well, Styx would still choose himself without hesitation.

He had faced such a choice before. In his view, the Asura race was created by him, and if it was gone, he would just create another one.

Although he had feelings for them, it wasn't deep enough for him to be willing to die for them. However, despite his choice, Styx couldn't help but admire Houtu. Although Houtu hadn't said it aloud, Styx knew from her words that she had made her choice.

Houtu was willing to sacrifice herself to ensure the survival of her people. This made Minghe feel somewhat ashamed of his own shortcomings, and he admired Houtu for it.

However, Xuanhuang shook his head and said, "All ancestral witches will face calamity without exception. Only some of your clansmen will have a chance to survive."

Xuanhuang opened his hand, and a book appeared in his palm—the Book of Life and Death. He gently pushed the Book of Life and Death to Houtu and said, "This Book of Life and Death is the Book of Humanity, one of the three books of Heaven, Earth, and Man. With it, one can pray to Heaven, be reborn, and accumulate great merit."

"And this great merit is the only thing your witch clan can rely on to gain a last glimmer of hope. Houtu, now that you have made your choice, prepare to sacrifice yourself."

(End of this chapter)