Chapter 25: Chaos and Golden Spears

Upon hearing Houtu's sigh, all the ancestral witches present let out a deep, sorrowful breath. The multicolored clouds of merit truly seemed insurmountable, so difficult that even the ancestral witches could not help but worry. It was as if there was not even a glimmer of hope to be seen.

Zhu Jiuyin, the ancestral witch, sighed gloomily, "Since the dawn of creation until now, our Witch Tribe has only just come into existence. We have never done anything to wrong the vast wilderness or the myriad races. Yet, the heavens treat us so unfairly."

Dijiang, the ancestral witch, spoke, "Since this concerns the fate of our tribe, no matter how arduous the path, we must walk it."

"Di Cang was born with a primordial spirit; Meng Yu cultivated hers; now even our youngest sister has gained the power of the primordial spirit. This is a good sign!"

"As long as we continue gathering the power of merit, even eleven multicolored clouds of merit are not necessarily impossible to attain."

"Indeed!" Zhu Rong, the ancestral witch, said solemnly, "Since we know this is the right path, we must walk it unwaveringly."

The twelve ancestral witches heaved a collective sigh. Their attention then shifted to the tri-colored clouds of merit and other golden lights of merit in Di Cang's hands.

Dijiang said, "We expended much to help our youngest sister cleanse her karmic burdens! Now, we have two tri-colored clouds of merit left, as well as 119 strands of golden merit. If we gather these golden strands, they would amount to the equivalent of another tri-colored cloud of merit. In total, we have three. Let us discuss how best to use this remaining power."

Jumang, the ancestral witch, replied, "There are three choices."

"First, we could store the merit for later. If we gather more in the future, we could combine them to create a new ancestral witch with a primordial spirit. But as you all know," Jumang forced a bitter smile, "truly condensing a multicolored cloud of merit is no simple matter. Most likely, even after countless ages have passed, our efforts would bear no fruit, rendering the merit wasted."

"Second!" said Zhu Rong, "The next option is to invest it into a superior innate spiritual root. Previously, we used a tri-colored cloud of merit to cultivate the Four Symbols Plantain Tree, an exceptional spiritual root, and awakened intelligence in the Thunder Divine Wood, allowing it to further its cultivation. If we can similarly enhance the Pure Yang Zhu Fruit and the Wind-Thunder Immortal Apricot, even without a new ancestral witch, our tribe could still advance."

"Third!" Zhu Jiuyin said, "The last option is to imbue the merit into a powerful witch. A tri-colored cloud of merit is sufficient to grant one great witch the power of the primordial spirit. With their bloodline potential, nearly equal to an ancestral witch, and the addition of a primordial spirit, their future achievements may not fall short of any ancestral witch. What do you all think?"

"Well said!" Dijiang smiled. "I believe each suggestion has merit. Cang, what are your thoughts?"

Di Cang replied, "Using merit to help an ancestral witch gain a primordial spirit is natural and should be our priority. However, the path of the ancestral witch is fraught with difficulties and cannot be accomplished overnight. Cultivating innate spiritual roots earns boundless merit, and nurturing one hundred and eight great witches could produce talents whose cultivation rivals that of an ancestral witch. Both avenues hold endless possibilities and should not be lightly dismissed."

"In that case," Di Cang said, "let us do this: We have three tri-colored clouds of merit. One we reserve for the ancestral witches, one we use to enhance a great witch, and the last for cultivating a superior innate spiritual root. What do you think?"

The twelve ancestral witches considered the proposal. With no better solution at hand, they agreed.

They summoned the one hundred and eight great witches. Dijiang personally announced a straightforward order: a contest of magical power, the victor would earn the sole opportunity for enhancement.

The great witches battled fiercely. In the end, Xing Tian emerged as the sole winner.

The reason was simple: Xing Tian wielded a weapon resembling a golden halberd, which, when swung, unleashed torrents of chaotic energy with terrifying power. No one could stand against him or his precious weapon.

All twelve ancestral witches and Di Cang showed surprise at this. They called Xing Tian to their side and each asked to inspect the chaotic golden halberd, but could not discern its origins.

Xing Tian explained, "Not long ago, while the twelve ancestral witches were out traveling, I was wandering through the Hall of Pangu. I happened upon a piece of iron rust, and after infusing it with divine power, the more I refined it, the brighter it shone. When wielded, it seemed to evoke visions of the era of creation, when Father God split the heavens with his axe, which broke into three, and a piece of iron rust fell from it!"

The twelve ancestral witches were astonished. Di Cang was equally amazed, saying, "Father God had such power, and the Heaven-Splitting Divine Axe was an unparalleled treasure of chaos. How could there be something as unreliable as iron rust? But if it fell from the axe during the creation of the world, it must be extraordinary, and even if it falls short of the three treasures of creation, it is certainly no ordinary item!"

Dijiang frowned in confusion, "How did such a treasure fall into Xing Tian's hands? I am Father God's eldest son; if it was left in the Hall of Pangu, it should have been mine by fate."

Could it be...?

The twelve ancestral witches looked at one another, each considering the same possibility.

Could it be that fate had already been set?

Though Xing Tian was only a great witch, he had inherited luck and destiny, destined to rival the twelve ancestral witches?

This thought occurred not only to the other eleven, but also to Dijiang himself, who sighed, "It seems Father God planned this long ago. This tri-colored cloud of merit should indeed belong to Xing Tian!"

They assigned one cloud of merit to Xing Tian. All his karmic burdens were cleansed, his spirit sharpened, pure energy surrounded him, and his potential rose to new heights.

Suddenly, Xing Tian let out a long roar. His Nine Turn Mysterious Art surged, shattering the barrier between realms. He was the first to break through from the realm of Golden Spirit to the Supreme Divine Demon, stepping into the Supreme Divine Demon domain.

As soon as he broke through, he resonated with the chaos beyond the heavens. Misty threads of chaos enveloped him, swirling around until they finally transformed into a strand of ancient, primordial chaotic energy.

"Chaotic energy?" Houtu praised, "He truly deserves to be the strongest great witch—remarkable!"

Seeing Di Cang's uncertainty, Houtu explained, "In our world, there are two paths: the Heavenly Path and the Great Dao. Currently, the Heavenly Path is still being nurtured, while the Great Dao governs the wilderness."

"Those who cultivate as divine spirits, heavenly gods, true gods, and mysterious gods all follow the same laws. But upon reaching the Supreme Divine Demon realm, one touches the Great Dao. At that point, choosing whether to follow the Heavenly Path or the Great Dao becomes crucial. To walk the Heavenly Path, one cultivates the law previously followed, nurturing a strand of primordial immortal energy—a mark of stepping onto the Heavenly Path. To walk the Great Dao, one cultivates the law previously followed, nurturing a strand of chaotic energy—a mark of stepping onto the Great Dao. One may always switch from the Great Dao to the Heavenly Path, but to switch from the Heavenly Path to the Great Dao... in a word, difficult!"