The Rise of the Witch

Xing Yang watched with longing and a surge of yearning: One day, I can be that strong too!

Wa Xin lowered her body, her snake tail contracted, and finally transformed into tender white feet on the ground. Only then did she turn around and see the almost burning fighting spirit in Xing Yang's eyes.

Unable to suppress a soft chuckle, Nuwa thought to herself, "When we first met, you were somewhat sensible. Now, tell me, have you been influenced by the witch spirit?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Xing Yang breathed a sigh of relief, thought for a moment, and said, "It's different!"

"What's different?"

Xing Yang said sternly, "You didn't tell me to kneel down!"

Nuwa asked curiously, "If I had asked you to kneel down back then, would you have?"

Xing Yang was taken aback, and after a long pause, he hesitated before saying, "Probably?"

When he first transmigrated, if kneeling would have saved his life, he would most likely have knelt; even ants try to survive.

Nuwa shook her head and said, "Facing a god or demon, what's wrong with kneeling when your strength is insufficient?"

Xing Yang hesitated for a moment, then said firmly, "I can kneel, but it must be my own choice, not something I'm forced to do. The two are different!"

Wa Xin looked at him with some surprise, but didn't say anything. Instead, she said, "Give me the Sun-Shooting Bow!"

Without hesitation, Xing Yang opened his mouth and spat out a miniature Sun-Shooting Bow. Upon receiving it, it instantly enlarged into a giant bow, which he then handed to Nuwa.

Xing Yang had been forced out of his witch form without realizing it, and the animal skin he had been wearing had scattered all over the ground. Now that he had put away his witch form, the remaining animal skin barely covered his lower body.

Wa Xin picked up a piece of animal hide with some disdain, placed it in her hand, took it, and asked, "Aren't you going to ask why?"

Xing Yang shook his head and said, "I have a rough idea."

Wa Xin sighed, "Your mind is really unlike that of a legendary war shaman... The Sun-Shooting Bow can be in the hands of anyone, whether it's a demon, a human, or even a shaman, but it absolutely cannot fall into the hands of a war shaman!"

As he spoke, he casually flicked his wrist, sending the enormous Sun-Shooting Bow flying straight away until it disappeared from sight. Then he added, "If you dare to take the Sun-Shooting Bow, the Golden Crow Imperial Clan will spare no effort to kill you. They will not allow the Sun-Shooting Bow to fall into the hands of a War Witch."

I get it, it's just that the nine-headed golden crow was shot down by Yi the Archer, so they're scared!

Throwing it away is indeed the best solution. Xing Yang can't use it at this stage anyway. Once he advances to the Great Witch level and has the Sun-Shooting Bow in hand, even if the Golden Crow Imperial Clan is dissatisfied, they will only avoid him.

Xingyang gathered a few pieces of animal hide and tied them back around his waist.

Seeing his expression, Wa Xin seemed to smile slightly, then turned around and said, "Come with me. You can't go any further ahead for now; it's already close to the territory of the Undying Palace."

As he spoke, he grabbed Xing Yang's arm and took a step forward!

Xing Yang felt his vision blur for a moment, and the next moment he was in the air, with a wisp of white cloud drifting by.

Looking down, one can vaguely see mountains, rivers, and white clouds flying past in front of one's eyes, turning into a dreamlike light and shadow, ethereal and picturesque.

It seemed like a long time had passed, yet it also felt like only a moment.

A sheer cliff towering into the clouds appeared in Xing Yang's eyes, and then Wa Xin pulled Xing Yang to the top of the cliff.

The cliff top was dark gray and flat. Not far away was a huge palace, entirely dark gray, shrouded in a faint dark light, but upon closer inspection, it shone with no light at all.

For a moment, Xing Yang couldn't tell whether the palace was built of metal or stone, but he was certain that the palace possessed a spirit!

Moreover, it is subtly in harmony with heaven and earth, just like the celestial witch Nuwa.

  

"This is my Ancestral Witch Temple," Wa Xin explained. "There are twelve such Ancestral Witch Temples in total, but only three have been passed down to this day. This is one of them, the Ancestral Witch Temple that belongs exclusively to the Heavenly Witch."

As she spoke, Wa Xin gestured towards the area below the cliff and said, "Legend has it that in ancient times, the Twelve Ancestral Witches' Palace protected the human race in this way, allowing them to gain a foothold in the Great Wilderness."

Turning his head to look down the cliff, he was taken aback.

Below the towering cliffs, there were clusters of human settlements, with buildings and large ridges of fields, where something seemed to be being planted, and many people, like ants, were working in the fields.

Seemingly knowing what Xing Yang was surprised about, Wa Xin explained, "The land of the Nine Provinces cannot grow top-grade spirit rice, and there are many medicinal plants with heaven-defying effects that can only be grown in the Great Wilderness."

Therefore, large clans would all carve out a territory in the wilderness as a foundation for their clan's foundation.

Xing Yang understood and said, "It's just like the demon race occupying the mountains and becoming kings."

Wa Xin nodded and said, "Without sufficient strength, one cannot defend one's territory. This place was specially set up by me for the Demon Suppression Division, and the people below are all under the command of the Demon Suppression Division."

Xing Yang seemed to be deep in thought when he asked, "Where is Mi Xiaoling's territory?"

Nuwa pointed in a direction and said, "The Xuanyuan clan is eight thousand miles away."

Xing Yang then asked, "In which direction is Buzhou Mountain?"

Wa Xin glanced at him and said, "Relax your body, open your mind, and feel it for yourself."

Xing Yang was stunned for a moment, then completely relaxed.

Every day in the wilderness, he was on edge, ready to face any danger that might arise at any moment. Now that he had completely relaxed, he suddenly felt a sense of unease.

In this vast wilderness, there seems to be a highly directional center!

It's like there's a gap in the ocean, and all the seawater in the entire area will slowly and unconsciously flow towards that gap.

Xingyang's spiritual sense was just like that; there was an extremely faint pulling force pointing towards that "center"!

That's where Buzhou Mountain is located!

……

"Mount Buzhou is the center of the Great Wilderness, not because it is located in the center of the Great Wilderness, but because wherever it is, that is where the center of the Great Wilderness is!"

Nuwa summoned two chairs from the air and landed on the edge of the cliff. She sat down and said, "Legend has it that when Mount Buzhou was intact, it could be seen with the naked eye without the need for spiritual perception!"

Mount Buzhou was like a giant magnet, firmly holding onto the entire Great Wilderness and all its creatures, until Gonggong angrily struck Mount Buzhou...

After that, although the Great Wilderness remained the Great Wilderness, it was no longer as stable... The world where the Nine Provinces are located was separated from the Great Wilderness.

Xing Yang couldn't help but ask curiously, "What about my previous life's world?"

Nuwa thought to herself, "It could be another world that broke away from the Great Wilderness, or it could be a projection of the Nine Provinces... Mount Buzhou not only stabilizes the space of the Great Wilderness, but even time is stabilized because of it!"

After a pause, Nuwa did not elaborate further, but instead said, "Emperor Zhuanxu severed the connection between heaven and earth in an attempt to completely sever the link between the Nine Provinces and the Great Wilderness, but unfortunately he failed."

The Nine Provinces have indeed separated from the Great Wilderness, but not completely; they can still interact with each other.

Xing Yang: "Relying on the fragments of Buzhou Mountain?"

Wa Xin glanced at him and said, "Your spiritual sense can perceive Buzhou Mountain. As you become stronger, this perception will naturally become stronger as well. With a targeted spiritual sense, tearing through space will not be difficult for someone in the God-Demon Realm."

In other words, a great witch like Nuwa Xin, who is at the realm of gods and demons, does not need the fragments of Buzhou Mountain at all when traveling to the Great Wilderness!

The two remained silent, gazing at the vibrant, thriving wilderness where all things flourished.

Finally, Xing Yang spoke up: "So that Great Sage Hengtian was sent by the Golden Crow Imperial Clan specifically to test me? He didn't use the Sun-Shooting Bow because he was careless, but was ordered to use it?"

Nuwa gave a faint "hmm": "Very clever! You fought your way through with a physical body that surpasses that of the demon race, and you happen to be a witch. Anyone with a discerning eye can easily associate you with a war witch."

The bird's purpose was simple: first, to test you—it would be even better if it could kill you; second, to demonstrate the power of the Sun-Shooting Bow by offering it to you, thus giving the Golden Crow Imperial Clan a reason to attack you.

Xing Yang couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement: "Does the mighty Golden Crow need a reason to attack a mere sorcerer like me?"

Nuwa Xin: "Although the lineage of witches is unstable and their numbers are few, there are still great witches, not to mention many great human cultivators. As for the Golden Crow, there's only one left!"

"They dare call themselves the Golden Crow Imperial Clan?"

"A golden crow, a clan of flat-feathered birds that contain the bloodline of the golden crow."