After guarding the gates for a hundred years, I drove the Heavenly Saint to madness.

Ice and snow intertwined with malevolent energy, turning the world before Jiepai Pass into a chaotic void.

Xuanming descended, and the battle instantly intensified.

"Boom boom boom boom—!"

Xuanming flapped his bone wings, and the frost covering the sky, compressed by the laws of the Ancestral Witches, transformed into billions of pitch-black bone spikes, which poured down on Bodhi Patriarch like a torrential rain.

There are no mysterious transformations of supernatural powers, only the purest physical destruction and extreme cold!

The Ancestral Witch's true form stood tall and imposing, its terrifying malevolent aura soaring into the heavens, as if it were about to drag the world into an endless apocalypse.

In contrast, Bodhi at this moment was in dire straits.

Xuanming was too strong. Although he was an incarnation of a saint, he was still at a disadvantage against Xuanming, the ancestral witch, because he had no spiritual treasures to enhance him and had been severely injured by Xiao Wuji.

The ten-thousand-foot-tall golden body he forcibly conjured was dented and riddled with holes by the brutal rain of bones, and golden Buddha blood gushed out relentlessly.

The void on the other side.

The twenty-four heavens within Xiao Wuji's body roared, compressing all the endless gravity into his right fist.

"Smash it!"

With a single punch, the void in front of him was compressed into a substantial vacuum.

"Bang!!!"

A solid straight punch slammed into the illusory Tai Chi Golden Bridge beneath Laozi's incarnation.

The white jade bridge, representing the supreme order and defense of heaven and earth, was violently shaken by this punch. The black and white energies almost collapsed, and Laozi's incarnation also groaned and retreated rapidly.

In the very instant of their exchange.

Xuanming tore through the void with a pale white bone claw, forcing Bodhi Patriarch back tens of thousands of feet, before suddenly turning his head.

Those eyes, filled with ancient savagery and extreme cold, were fixed on Xiao Wuji, who was engaged in close combat with Laozi's avatar.

Xuanming was very satisfied with both the overwhelming blood and energy within Xiao Wuji's body and the aura of facing death to live that he displayed.

"Good young man!"

Xuanming roared to the sky, his clear, cold voice piercing through clouds and splitting rocks amidst the surging magical power.

"To have one's physical body tempered to such an extent that it can form its own universe is truly unheard of. No wonder you were able to inherit the legacy of our Witch Clan."

In the distant void, the benevolent incarnation of Laozi had an extremely solemn expression.

The illusory image of the Tai Chi diagram above his head resisted Xiao Wuji's tyrannical gravity, but his gaze was fixed on the enormous true form of the Ancestral Witch.

"Xuanming!"

Laozi transformed into a stern voice, which carried the oppressive power of the laws of heaven.

"The great calamity of the Lich King has long ended. The Lich Clan should retreat to the Netherworld and remain indifferent to worldly affairs."

"You forcibly stepped out of the Underworld today and interfered in this great calamity of the gods, which is defying the heavens! Aren't you afraid that the Dao Ancestor will punish you and cause your Wu clan to be completely wiped out?"

"unbelievable?"

Xuanming felt as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.

Her massive bone wings unfurled once more, unleashing a whirlwind of frost. Her laughter carried the untamed, arrogant, and domineering power of an ancient demon god.

"Our Wu tribe does not cultivate the primordial spirit, nor does it revere the Heavenly Way; we only honor our Father God, Pangu! We have never feared that illusory will of Heaven!"

"When our witch clan was at its peak, did any of you dare to speak of the so-called Way of Heaven?"

Xuanming's pale, bony claws pointed straight at the clouds, his killing intent overwhelming: "Today, don't try to intimidate me with that old man Hongjun's name!"

"You self-proclaimed supreme Heavenly Saints have no shame, joining forces to attack my clan's juniors! I'll see just how capable you Saints really are!"

Before the words were even finished, Xuanming's enormous Ancestral Witch true form shattered the void.

She possessed profound dark energy capable of freezing the laws of nature, and like a maddened, ferocious beast, she once again pounced on Patriarch Bodhi!

"Crazy! Urgent! Major plot twist! Watch now!"

Bodhi Patriarch's expression changed drastically, and he could only grit his teeth and endure it.

The two saintly incarnations grew increasingly terrified as they fought. These two monsters, who relied solely on their physical strength to resist the laws of heaven, were like two unbreakable pieces of chaotic divine iron, impervious to all laws!

What made them even more wary was that Xuanming actually said Xiao Wuji was a junior of the Wu Clan, which made them even more hesitant to act rashly.

In the eyes of Laozi and Bodhi, this was by no means a simple act of protecting one's own.

This sends a chilling signal: the remnants of the Witch Clan who retreated to the Netherworld may have reached some kind of agreement with the Tongtian Sect Leader, otherwise the Witch Clan would never have appeared here.

Based on this speculation, the Wu Clan may very well be using the Jie Sect to fully intervene in the Investiture of the Gods!

"The witch clan's intervention has drastically altered the course of events. This matter is of great importance and requires careful consideration!"

Laozi, in his transformed form, remained calm and composed, devoid of any further entanglement. He exchanged a glance with Bodhi across the void.

Both of them understood the other's intention to back down.

Faced with such unpredictable circumstances, if the fight continues, both avatars will surely be smashed to pieces here today.

Their purpose in coming here was to test Xiao Wuji. It would be best if they could deal with him, but if they couldn't, retreating would be fine, as it was better than being defeated here.

"Walk!"

Laozi rolled up his sleeves, put away the cracked Taiji diagram, and it disappeared as a stream of black and white light.

Bodhi Patriarch endured a bone spur, sacrificing half of his golden body, which transformed into a dim Buddha light that soared into the sky.

The two saintly incarnations tore through the void in a sorry state and fled the battlefield in utter frustration.

As the sage incarnate retreated, the storm of laws above Jiepai Pass gradually subsided.

The snow and ice melted away.

Xuanming withdrew her Ancestral Witch true form and transformed into a woman clad in white bone armor with a cold expression, slowly descending.

Xiao Wuji withdrew the power of the Twenty-Four Heavens, dispelled the evil aura, and stepped forward to clasp his hands in a salute.

"Xiao Wuji, a disciple of the Jie Sect, thanks you for saving me, senior."

Xiao Wuji raised his head, his eyes filled with doubt: "This junior is simply wondering, what brings you here, senior?"

After a pause, Xiao Wuji added frankly, "However, let me make this clear first: although I cultivate a physical body, I am actually of human origin and a disciple of the Jie Sect, not of the Wu Clan bloodline."

Faced with Xiao Wuji's frankness, a rare smile appeared on Xuanming's usually icy face.

She gazed silently at Xiao Wuji.

"Of course I know you are not from the witch clan."

Xuanming's voice was cold and domineering: "Pure Wu Clan members cannot cultivate a primordial spirit."

"Then what is the purpose of your visit, senior?" Xiao Wuji was even more puzzled.

Xuanming did not answer immediately, but slowly turned around.

His gaze passed over Xiao Wuji, pierced through the great formation, and landed directly on the twelve hundred-foot-tall golden figures deep within the earth's veins.

"This time I have stepped out of the Nine Netherworlds..."

Xuanming raised his bone claws, pointing them at the twelve golden figures, his cold voice carrying a hint of fervor and reminiscence.

"It's for them!"

Looking in that direction, and sensing the ancestral witch origin resonating strongly with Xuanming deep within the earth's veins, Xiao Wuji instantly understood.

That's it!

The ancestral witch's essence and blood sealed within these twelve golden figures are like a lighthouse in the darkness for Xuanming, who lives in seclusion in the underworld!

No wonder she risked everything to fight her way out of the underworld; it wasn't to save him, but for the golden man who embodies the essence of the witch clan!

"So it turns out that you sensed the legacy of your ancestors." Xiao Wuji's doubts were completely dispelled.

Whatever the purpose, Xuanming's intervention is real. As for the specifics, we'll have to discuss them first.

Xiao Wuji turned slightly to the side and made an inviting gesture: "The celestial secrets here are in disarray. Please come in and discuss this in detail, senior."