Primordial Era: Cultivation level equals the sum of the Jie Sect's total; the Three Pure Ones a

Houtu stood amidst the pillar of light emanating from the earth's veins, remaining silent for a long time.

Her pale yellow skirt fluttered without wind, and the laws of earth surged around her like a tide, resonating with the ground beneath her feet and emitting a deep and far-reaching pulse.

Deep within her clear eyes, however, lay endless shock and contemplation.

To unite oneself with the Dao?

Awaken the dormant tunnels?

To wield power over the Nine Netherworlds and establish the cycle of reincarnation?

These thoughts exploded in her mind, stirring up a tidal wave.

She never imagined that her path would lead to this.

From the day she was born, she was close to the earth, controlled the laws of earth, protected the ancestral land of Buzhou Mountain, and fought for the Wu tribe in all directions.

She believed this was her destiny, her entirety as an ancestral witch.

But now, Xuan Du's words have opened a door she had never seen before.

The tunnel...reincarnation...

These two words seemed to possess a magical power, causing the inherited memories from the great god Pangu deep within her bloodline to faintly begin to stir and revive.

"I see......"

Houtu murmured softly, the confusion in her eyes gradually dissipating, transforming into an unprecedented clarity.

She finally understood.

Why do I always have an extraordinary connection with the earth?

Why could she so easily manipulate the power of the earth's veins, and even vaguely sense the call from the depths of the netherworld?

Why have those vague ideas about tunnels and reincarnation recently surfaced in her mind?

All of this is because she was the chosen one to rule!

It is the key that the great god Pangu left behind when he created the world, in order to complete the primordial order, to balance the dominance of the Heavenly Dao, and to allow all living beings to reincarnate and change...!

And she, Houtu, is that key!

"Fellow Taoist Xuandu..."

Houtu slowly raised her eyes and looked at the figure in green outside the pillar of light.

Looking at Xuandu now, there was no longer a trace of doubt in her eyes, only deep gratitude and... awe.

This person was able to see through her destiny and enlighten her on her path.

Such insight, such magnanimity, such profound understanding of the primordial world... truly unfathomable!

"Thank you for your guidance, fellow Daoist."

Houtu bowed solemnly, her voice sincere:

"This kindness and virtue will be forever remembered by the Earth God."

Xuan Du nodded slightly, accepting the offer calmly.

"You're too kind, fellow Daoist."

"This is your destiny, and also the greatest fortune of all time."

Houtu straightened up, her eyes shining like stars:

"Regarding the matter of cooperation you mentioned, my Wu clan... agrees."

"During the Great Tribulation, in the decisive battle between the Lich and Demon races, our Lich Clan will fully cooperate with you to defeat the Demon Clan."

"Fellow Daoist, you only need to use the Chaos Divine Light to tear apart the Zhou Tian Star Array's defenses at the crucial moment... The rest is up to my Wu Clan."

Xuan Du nodded:

"good."

Houtu paused, looked at Xuandu, and a deep meaning flashed in her eyes:

"However... since you know the Earthly Dao, you should know that if the Earthly Dao were to awaken and Reincarnation were to be established, it would surely arouse the wrath of the Heavenly Dao."

"At that time, even the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, and all the saints... will probably not sit idly by."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Du's lips curled into a cold smile:

"So what?"

His gaze, sharp as lightning, swept across the sky:

"The Way of Heaven has been supreme for too long; it's time for it to step down."

"The earth must awaken, humanity must flourish... This is the inevitable trend."

"If Hongjun stands in our way, let him see who truly calls the shots in this primordial world!"

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried a resolute and unquestionable domineering air.

It was as if the general trend he spoke of was the will of Heaven.

That is the Great Way!

Houtu's mind and spirit trembled violently.

She had never seen anyone so arrogant, yet so confident.

Even if the twelve Ancestral Witches joined forces and summoned the phantom of Pangu, they would still have to be wary of Hongjun Daozu.

But Xuan Du... dared to call him by his name directly, and even claimed that he would fight against him?

Just how many cards does this person still have up their sleeve?

"Fellow Daoist's spirit is truly admirable."

Houtu took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in her heart:

"In that case... Houtu will now return to Buzhou Mountain to discuss the details of the cooperation with her brothers."

"Once the preparations for the underground passage are complete, I will come to ask you, fellow Daoist, for your assistance."

Xuan Du nodded:

"Can."

Houtu said no more, and with a flick of her wrist, she caused the light to flow.

The ground beneath her feet trembled slightly, and the earth-yellow pillar of light slowly receded, transforming into wisps of earth vein energy that entered her body.

She glanced at Xuandu one last time before her figure slowly faded away and merged into the earth.

The aura... completely vanished.

Xuandu gazed calmly at the earthy yellow halo that merged into the ground as Houtu departed.

His mind raced with thoughts.

If Houtu can be reincarnated, this matter will bring her great benefits.

Firstly, with the establishment of reincarnation and the awakening of the Earthly Way, the situation where the Heavenly Way holds absolute dominance will be broken, which is inevitable in itself.

I was just a little ahead of time.

After breaking through to the Hunyuan Daluo realm, Xuandu learned that in order to allow the Earthly Dao to revive, the original path to the Central Heaven Dao was being taken.

Logically speaking, since the Heavenly Way has been restored for countless eons, it could have allowed the Earthly Way and the Human Way to remain dormant forever.

But now Xuandu knows why Heaven did this: it was out of fear.

Yes, that's right, but I'm afraid.

What I feared most was the Great Dao itself.

After all, the primordial world was destined to be jointly governed by the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man.

If the Heavenly Dao continues to dominate, the Great Dao will surely respond.

When Hongjun Daozu found out, he was not angry at all; in fact, he was grateful to himself.

After all, when he broke through to the Hunyuan Daluo realm, he had already attracted the Great Dao.

If Xuanbu doesn't accelerate the revival of the Earthly Dao, the Heavenly Dao will too.

Secondly, with a place for reincarnation, the human race will continue to thrive and its population will inevitably explode.

At that time, the total amount of feedback he received from the human race through the system, such as cultivation level, background, and techniques, will also experience an explosive growth.

Thirdly, after Houtu transforms into the Cycle of Reincarnation, her cooperation with the Wu Clan will be more solid, giving her more confidence when facing the saints.

"Soon..."

Xuan Du murmured to himself, his eyes swirling with a chaotic light.

He could sense the urgency and enlightenment that Houtu felt when she left.

This ancestral witch is just one last opportunity away from truly understanding her own mission.

Perhaps the next time we meet, she will be able to make that decision that will shake the world.

"Buzz..."

The void rippled slightly.

Xuan Du withdrew his gaze and stopped thinking about it.

The seeds of Houtu's affair have been sown; when they will sprout depends on her own destiny.

Right now, there are more important things to do.

He turned around and looked down at the Martial Arts Heavenly Stele.

Suiren, Youchao, and Ziyi remained respectfully standing before the stele. Upon seeing his gaze, they all bowed.

"Master!"

Xuan Du nodded slightly, his voice calm yet clear, reaching the ears of the three:

"The matter of Houtu is settled, but the martial arts tradition must not be interrupted."

"The three of you shall continue to preach to the human race, explain the true meaning of martial arts, and help the human race advance further in martial arts."

"Within a hundred years, I want to see more than ten thousand True Immortals and more than one million Celestial Immortals among the human race."

"Is it even possible?"

The sound was like thunder, imprinted deep within the hearts of the three.

The three members of the Suiren clan trembled, their eyes flashing with an unprecedented determination:

"This disciple...will certainly not fail Master's expectations!"

Xuandu nodded in satisfaction and said no more.

He took one last look at the towering crimson-gold pillar of martial will, and at the eyes of the billions of humans below, burning with hope and unyielding spirit.

Then, his figure swayed.

"Buzz..."

A crack silently appeared in the void.

Xuandu stepped inside, and his figure in green instantly disappeared on the shore of the East China Sea.

The direction was clearly that of the Demon Court!