Chapter 45: Fortune, Part Two
The Twelve Ancestral Witches cultivated the Supreme Ninefold Divine Demon Body Refinement Technique. When this technique was mastered to its pinnacle, it was said that one could be reborn from a single drop of blood.
Even having lost a hand, Emperor Jiang showed not the slightest sign of weakness; he merely expended a bit of his vital essence and effortlessly regrew another arm. Sensing the new limb, Emperor Jiang smiled and said, “The bodies of the Twelve Ancestral Witches are comparable in material to the finest postnatal spiritual treasures. This newly formed arm is somewhat inferior, yet with powerful magic and persistent tempering, I believe it will soon be as good as the original.”
“Unexpected!” Emperor Jiang exclaimed in delight. “By consuming only four portions of the tri-colored clouds of merit, I have dispelled all congenital flaws and awakened the power of the primordial spirit!”
“Does this not mean,” Emperor Jiang continued joyously, “that the merit we have amassed is sufficient to help three of us Ancestral Witches, myself included, to simultaneously eliminate our innate defects and awaken our primordial spirits?”
“That should indeed be the case,” the Twelve nodded in agreement.
Ancestral Witch Ru Shou remarked with regret, “It is a pity we did not realize this method from the start. If we had, relying on the merit of our clan, it would not be just four of our number who have repaired their congenital flaws, but six!”
Everyone present understood Ru Shou’s meaning. When Houtu first resolved her innate baleful aura, she directly absorbed a full seven-colored cloud of merit. Had she only drawn a third, as now revealed, not only could she have healed her inherent flaw, but she would have gained even greater benefit.
Alas! The first time, none among them understood the true nature of their congenital defects, resulting in the overuse of eight tri-colored clouds of merit. Even for the Twelve Ancestral Witches, to say they felt no pain at such a loss would be a lie.
Di Cang felt a flush of embarrassment. He had considered from the start that only a portion of a seven-colored merit cloud would suffice to help an Ancestral Witch overcome their flaw and awaken the primordial spirit. Yet, in that moment, his sole thought was to aid Houtu to the summit of her power. Thus, he said nothing.
In Di Cang’s eyes, all Twelve Ancestral Witches combined could not compare to Houtu alone. If there were resources to spare, they must be devoted to Houtu first; only when her needs were met should the rest be divided among the Twelve.
Who could have foreseen that the curse within each Ancestral Witch could be so easily cleansed, requiring only a partial removal of karmic burden? Houtu’s importance simply overshadowed all else.
For this reason, a mistaken decision at the outset had indeed cost them dearly.
...
“Enough!” Ancestral Witch Ju Mang spoke up. “It was not only Di Cang—none of us foresaw this. We all share responsibility, so let us not dwell on it.”
“Now that we have discovered this method, and the demand for merit is greatly reduced, if we work together, it will not be long before all Twelve Ancestral Witches—and even the entire Witch Clan—can awaken their primordial spirits, greatly enhancing our potential!”
Ju Mang smiled and continued, “Next, let our elder brother Zhu Jiuyin fuse the remaining four portions of merit.”
“Very well!” Ancestral Witch Zhu Jiuyin began the process as before.
Before long, Zhu Jiuyin had purged all karmic burdens, demonic resentments, and curses from his body, and naturally awakened the power of the primordial spirit, becoming the third flawless Ancestral Witch.
At the same time, Zhu Jiuyin’s demonic resentments were refined by the Twelve into the top-grade postnatal spiritual treasure, the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls. His demonic curse was sealed away within an arm he shed for the purpose.
...
The fourth was Ju Mang. He fused only three tri-colored clouds of merit, plus a third of another, insufficient to eradicate all karmic burden. Nevertheless, this much merit was enough to purge the great majority, rendering the remainder negligible.
As before, the Twelve refined the demonic resentments into a Banner of Ten Thousand Souls and sealed away the curse.
Though some karmic burden remained, it was so slight as to be inconsequential. Ju Mang, too, gained the power to absorb innate pure energy.
...
After this session of cultivation, all the Twelve Ancestral Witches were elated. In this moment, nearly all could see hope for further advancement.
At that time, the Twelve Ancestral Witches fixed their gaze upon the three cursed arms shed by Emperor Jiang, Zhu Jiuyin, and Ju Mang.
Ru Shou said, “These three arms, each forged through countless tribulations, are comparable in substance to the finest postnatal spiritual treasures. Now, having absorbed immense curse power, each arm’s malice is equal in strength to four tri-colored merit clouds. Such treasures might be used to craft a supreme weapon—one that inflicts harm on the cultivator’s primordial spirit through curse power, which can only be dispelled by merit. What do you all think?”
“Well said!” The Twelve Ancestral Witches all nodded in agreement.
Emperor Jiang spoke, “To craft a supreme postnatal spiritual treasure from these three arms is certain. The only question is, what form should this treasure take?”
In the end, after discussion, the Twelve Ancestral Witches resolved to forge the “Bow of Annihilation”—a divine bow imbued with the power of three ancestral witches and the curses of three thousand chaotic demon gods.
All joined in the ritual. The Bow of Annihilation, possessing the essence of the Ancestral Witches’ bodies and the aura of a supreme postnatal spiritual treasure, was effortlessly brought to completion.
The Twelve rejoiced again.
...
After celebrating, Emperor Jiang’s thoughts returned to matters past. He turned to Di Cang in the crowd and smiled, “Previously you mentioned, for our Witch Clan to secure destiny, three things are required. The perfection of the Heaven-Cleaving Axe was only the first. What, then, are the other two?”
Di Cang pondered in silence. The remaining two points were only his own conjecture; whether right or wrong, he could not say.
However, in the primordial world, it was better to have a plan than none.
After some thought, Di Cang replied respectfully, “Honored Ancestral Witches, I have long pondered the ways of fate in this world. One great reason why innate treasures can secure destiny is that they allow a race’s champions to cultivate rapidly and reach the peak. Moreover, wielding such treasures in war ensures victory.”
“In other words,” Di Cang smiled, “the presence of a mighty champion is also key to securing destiny.”
“Thus, I humbly suggest: our Witch Clan’s treasures should be used to their fullest, and our ancestral teachings demand that we spare no effort to raise an invincible champion!”
“If we can produce a Chaos Demon God who wields an innate treasure to defend the four corners of the world, our clan will be unshakable.”