Primordial Era: The Three Senior Brothers of the Taiqing Clan

Houtu shook her head slightly and said softly, "I have indeed found a method, but it is really difficult for me to do it on my own. So... I have come to ask Fellow Daoist Chen Qing for help."

Chen Qing raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "The Ancestral Witches are joking. The Witch Clan is powerful, and each of the twelve Ancestral Witches possesses earth-shattering abilities. If even you cannot accomplish this, what help can Chen Qing offer?"

Houtu sighed, a hint of helplessness in her eyes: "My brothers will not agree to this matter, much less offer any help. After much thought, I have no choice but to come and seek your assistance, fellow Daoist."

After hearing her say this much, Chen Qing already understood about 70-80% of what she meant.

What Houtu needs to do is probably to transform herself into a being of reincarnation.

He pondered for a moment, looked directly at Houtu, and solemnly asked, "Have you thought this through? Once you are reborn into the cycle of reincarnation, the Wu clan may have a glimmer of hope, but the Ancestral Wu Houtu... will cease to exist."

He didn't say the rest explicitly, but the meaning was crystal clear—with one less ancestral witch, the Witch Clan could not set up the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Formation. In that case, their battle against the Demon Clan would be extremely disadvantageous, and they might even be defeated.

Houtu's eyes flashed with surprise upon hearing this. She hadn't expected Chen Qing to be able to see through her plan so easily, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "Fellow Daoist, you truly deserve to be called a great power who can withstand Donghuang Taiyi and resist the Zhou Tian Star Array. Before I even opened my mouth, you already knew my intentions."

She paused for a moment, then added, "I have already made arrangements for the clan's affairs, so you need not worry, fellow Daoist."

Seeing that she had made up her mind, Chen Qing stopped trying to persuade her and nodded: "In that case, let's go."

The two rose together and flew towards the Netherworld Blood Sea.

Within the sea of ​​blood, the Styx Ancestor had been somewhat troubled lately.

Ever since Nuwa created humans and became a saint, he had been pondering: If Nuwa could create humans and become a saint, why couldn't I create a race? He thought about it day and night, exploring it repeatedly, and finally, on this day, he completely understood.

Styx stood above the Sea of ​​Blood, and with a wave of his hand, he combined the countless fragments of souls scattered in the Sea of ​​Blood with the water of the Sea of ​​Blood. Using his own Great Dao as a guide, he successfully created a race—the Asura race.

The men of this tribe are ugly and ferocious in appearance, while the women are all beautiful, representing two extremes.

The moment the Asura was born, a golden cloud of merit descended from the sky, its power pouring into the Styx River's body. His cultivation instantly broke through from the mid-stage Quasi-Saint to the late-stage Quasi-Saint.

Unfortunately, that's all.

Styx was quite unwilling. He had thought he could become a saint in one fell swoop like Nuwa, but he had only advanced by a small realm. However, a breakthrough in cultivation was still a good thing, and it was some consolation.

He then followed the example of the Three Pure Ones in establishing a religion and becoming a saint. As a result, his cultivation improved, but he showed no signs of becoming a saint.

This frustrated him greatly, so he could only try to improve his cultivation level in the sea of ​​blood.

Suddenly, they sensed two auras approaching the Blood Sea from afar.

Styx looked up and his expression changed slightly.

The two figures were Chen Qing and Hou Tu.

He immediately wondered: How did these two end up together? What are they doing in my Blood Sea?

Chen Qing and Hou Tu landed at the edge of the sea of ​​blood. Looking at the boundless sea of ​​blood before them, surging with crimson waves, Chen Qing said loudly, "Fellow Daoist Styx, please come out and meet me."

As soon as he finished speaking, a beam of blood-red light shot out from the depths of the sea of ​​blood, transforming into an old man dressed in a blood-red robe. The old man exuded a murderous aura, his blood energy surging; he was none other than the Styx Ancestor.

"Fellow Daoist Chen Qing, Ancestral Witch Houtu, what brings you to the Blood Sea?" Styx's expression was calm, but a hint of wariness flashed in his eyes.

Chen Qing didn't mince words and said directly, "The Ancestral Witch Houtu felt that the world was incomplete, and that the souls of all living beings had nowhere to rest after death. Therefore, she made a great vow to transform herself into a being for reincarnation. This is an act that benefits future generations and brings blessings to all living beings."

Styx frowned. Reincarnation? What does that have to do with me, the Ancestor? You all came to my Blood Sea…

His expression suddenly changed, and his eyes widened: "You intend to establish a cycle of reincarnation above the Netherworld Blood Sea?"

"Indeed." Chen Qing said with a faint smile. "I would be grateful if you could do me this favor."

Convenient? Styx was furious. This sea of ​​blood was his sacred ground, the foundation he had built over countless years! These two people came to establish a cycle of reincarnation on his territory—wasn't this blatant robbery?

"How dare you bully me, brat!" Styx roared, flames of karmic lotus rising beneath his feet, the two killing swords, Yuan Tu and A Bi, humming in his hands. "Don't think I, Styx, am afraid of you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he swung his two swords, and two sword energies carrying overwhelming killing intent slashed towards Chen Qing and Hou Tu.

Just as Houtu was about to make a move, Chen Qing stopped her, saying calmly, "You just do your thing, leave this to me."

With that, the Purple Lightning Hammer suddenly appeared in his hand, and thunder roared across the sky. A thick bolt of purple lightning shattered the two sword energies into dust.

Holding the Purple Lightning Hammer, Chen Qing declared loudly, "Fellow Daoist Styx, the actions of the Ancestral Witch Houtu are meritorious to Heaven and Earth and benevolent to all living beings; no one should be allowed to disturb them. Today, this humble Daoist will accompany you on a discussion of the Dao!"

Before the words were finished, a vast amount of world power poured into the Purple Lightning Hammer, as if a sleeping ancient beast had suddenly awakened. Endless lightning erupted from the hammer, radiating electric light and illuminating the entire sea of ​​blood.

"Fellow Daoist, take this blow!"

With a roar, Chen Qing transformed into a streak of light and charged straight toward the Styx River.

Styx's expression turned serious, and he dared not be negligent. He was a Primordial Golden Immortal who cultivated the Law of Slaughter. Although he later switched to cultivating the Three Corpses Severing Method, his strength was still among the top of the veteran experts.

However, he knew Chen Qing's background well. This young man could fight against Taiyi, suppress Zhunti, and even withstand the Zhou Tian Star Array. His true combat strength was definitely not below his.

Moreover, Chen Qing has three saints standing behind him.

But he simply couldn't swallow this insult. They were practically trespassing on his territory; if he didn't react at all, how could he ever hold his head high in the prehistoric world again?

Styx snorted coldly, and the crimson lotus of karmic fire beneath his feet ignited with raging flames, protecting his entire body. The two killing swords, Yuan Tu and A Bi, trembled slightly, transforming into two blood-red rainbows that rushed towards Chen Qing.

"bass--"

The purple lightning hammer collided violently with the two killing swords.

Lightning and bloodlust intertwined, emitting a piercing "sizzling" sound.

The Thunder Dao and the Slaughter Dao clashed fiercely in the void. On the surface, there were no earth-shattering noises, but the invisible Daoist fluctuations spread out in all directions like ripples, distorting space and causing blood to surge wherever they passed.

The powerful beings throughout the primordial world all changed color, and their divine senses swept towards the sea of ​​blood.

When everyone saw that it was Chen Qing fighting Minghe, they gasped in shock.

Why is this chief disciple of the Three Pure Ones fighting with the Styx River again?

On the shore of the Blood Sea, Houtu saw that Chen Qing had stopped the Styx River, and she no longer hesitated.

She slowly rose above the sea of ​​blood, emanating an aura of compassion for all living beings. At that moment, she was no longer an ancestral witch, but a compassionate being with all living beings in her heart.

She spoke, her voice not loud, yet it carried clearly throughout the entire primordial world:

"Our ancestral witch Houtu, feeling the incompleteness of heaven and earth, and the fact that the souls of all living beings have nowhere to rest after death, wishes to transform herself into reincarnation—reincarnation, be born!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Houtu's body transformed into the true form of the Ancestral Witch, and then began to change.

She opened her arms, and an invisible force surged from her body, beginning to absorb the boundless sea of ​​blood beneath her feet.

The sea of ​​blood surged and roared, as if boiling, yet it was drawn by that force and continuously flowed into Houtu's body.

At the same time, Houtu's true form was also slowly changing. Her physical body gradually became ethereal, transforming into specks of light that intertwined and merged with the waters of the Blood Sea and with some mysterious law of heaven and earth.

While Styx was locked in combat with Chen Qing, he caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye and was immediately horrified: "Chen Qing, Daoist! What does the Ancestral Witch's transformation into Reincarnation have to do with you? Why are you trying to stop me?!"

As Chen Qing swung the Purple Lightning Hammer, he laughed and said, "You might have to thank me someday."

The Styx River was furious.

I should thank you? You stole my territory, and you expect me to thank you? Do you really think I'm easy to bully?

Without another word, his entire body blazed with crimson light, transforming into a long, blood-red rainbow that lunged at Chen Qing.

The swords Yuan Tu and A Bi were drawn simultaneously, and the law of slaughter was pushed to its limit, enveloping the entire sea of ​​blood in a chilling aura.

Chen Qing laughed heartily, his fighting spirit soaring. He used the apricot-yellow flag to protect himself and charged forward with the thunderous purple lightning hammer.

Above the sea of ​​blood, two figures crisscrossed, lightning and blood light intertwined, and waves of Daoist energy rippled, causing the entire Netherworld Blood Sea to tremble slightly.