Primordial Era: The Three Senior Brothers of the Taiqing Clan

Chen Qing recounted the various punishments of the eighteen levels of hell one by one. After speaking, he looked up at Houtu and the Styx River and saw that the two of them looked dazed. He asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Do you two have anything to add? Please feel free to speak. I also feel that there are still some shortcomings. Let's think about it together."

Houtu and Styx came to their senses at the same time and waved their hands repeatedly, saying, "No need, no need."

The two secretly thought to themselves: This isn't enough? It's simply outrageous. This Taoist Chen Qing looks so gentle and refined, who would have thought he was so meticulous, even devising such a thorough method of torture.

Next, the group discussed other facilities in the underworld. The Gates of Hell, the Road to the Underworld, the Bridge of Helplessness, the Pavilion of Meng Po... most of the suggestions were made by Chen Qing, with Hou Tu occasionally adding a few words.

Styx shut up completely, determined to only listen and not speak. If he offended this person with any words, he might be dragged to the eighteenth level of hell, which he couldn't bear.

Although these facilities are intricate and complex, for Houtu, in the Netherworld, her power is almost on par with the Heavenly Dao, and even sages would find it difficult to contend with her there. Creating these facilities is merely a matter of lifting a finger.

"Rumble—" Accompanied by muffled sounds, the eighteen levels of hell opened one by one. Immediately afterwards, the Gate of Hell stood tall and imposing, the Road to the Underworld meandered and twisted, and the Bridge of Helplessness spanned the River of Oblivion... One after another, the underworld buildings rose from the ground, and the underworld began to take shape.

However, at this point, the underworld was still just an empty shell. The infrastructure was in place, but there was a lack of people to manage it.

According to the will of Heaven, the Six Paths of Reincarnation originated from Houtu. To reward her for her service, the Wu Clan was allowed to send some of its members to serve in the Underworld to continue their bloodline. However, if they wanted to use this to control the entire Underworld, Heaven would never allow it—that would only turn the Wu Clan to ashes.

After the framework was completed, Chen Qing smiled and looked at Styx Ancestor. That smile made Styx's heart tighten. After a while, Chen Qing withdrew his gaze and turned to Houtu, saying, "The Asura Path among the Six Paths is quite compatible with the Asura race created by Fellow Daoist Styx. I'm afraid this path will require Fellow Daoist Styx's help."

Houtu understood immediately. The Underworld was newly established and in dire need of rebuilding; it desperately needed the assistance of various forces. The Styx River possessed profound cultivation and controlled the Blood Sea; if they could be won over, it would greatly benefit the Underworld.

She immediately nodded and said, "Fellow Daoist Styx has profound cultivation. I will trouble you with the matter of the Asura Path."

Styx was overjoyed and readily agreed. Such a good thing was hard to come by. The future importance of the Underworld was self-evident, and by occupying the Asura Realm, Styx would also gain a considerable share of its fortune.

Chen Qing smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Styx, wasn't what I said earlier correct?"

Styx naturally understood what he meant, and with a smile on his face, he clasped his hands and said, "Thank you both for your magnanimity. I was rash before."

Chen Qing waved his hand, not caring. Now that the Underworld has the Witch Clan and the Styx River forces in place, it won't be so easy for those two from the West to extend their influence in the future.

As one of the founders of the Underworld, Chen Qing always has a place in this netherworld.

News of Houtu's reincarnation spread across the primordial land, drastically weakening the Wu tribe. Several ancestral witches exerted all their strength, using the essence and blood left behind by Houtu, to finally create a new ancestral witch—Chiyou.

Although Chi You had just entered the realm of Ancestral Witches and his strength was far inferior to that of his other brothers, he was still able to gather the number twelve and set up the Twelve Capital Gods and Demons Formation.

On the demon side, there was jubilation. After years of forging, the Witch-Slaying Sword, forged from the souls of humans, was finally completed. Although this sword was only an acquired spiritual treasure, it possessed an extremely strong restraining power against the physical bodies of the witch race.

Furthermore, with Houtu having already undergone reincarnation, the twelve ancestral witches of the Wu tribe were no longer complete, greatly boosting the morale of the demon race. They were just waiting for the three-thousand-year truce to end before annihilating the Wu tribe in one fell swoop.

Di Jun and Tai Yi were ambitious and wanted to take advantage of the momentum of unifying the prehistoric world to break through the shackles with boundless fortune and touch the realm of saints.

This path is not uncharted territory. The three ancient races—Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin—waging endless wars were all vying for the position of overlord of the primordial world, hoping to ascend to the top through the power of destiny. However, they were ultimately outmaneuvered by Rahu and failed at the last moment.

In the underworld, Chen Qing and Houtu were discussing matters when they suddenly stopped at the same time, looked at each other, and smiled.

Chen Qing said, "Your witch clan is quite generous, sending several great witches here."

Houtu sighed softly, her expression complex: "The Wu and Yao clans appear powerful on the surface, but their fortunes are like rootless duckweed, constantly in danger of collapsing. Now that there is an opportunity to preserve our bloodline, we must naturally make more preparations."

Chen Qing nodded. Although Houtu's body had been reincarnated, her heart still belonged to the Wu tribe, just as Nuwa, after becoming a saint, still cared for the demon tribe. Unfortunately, the will of Heaven was hard to defy, and the general trend was hard to change.

He harbored no ill will towards the Witch Clan. When the Demon Clan slaughtered the Human Race, many humans escaped only by seeking refuge in Witch Clan tribes. Now that the Witch Clan had found a place in the Netherworld, it was perhaps a good thing.

"Greetings to the Ancestral Goddess Houtu!"

Thousands of Wu tribe warriors knelt down in unison, creating a magnificent spectacle. Houtu glanced around and realized that they were all members of her Houtu tribe, and couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Now that you have come to the Underworld, stay and do your job well." Houtu's voice was calm yet dignified. "Managing the Underworld brings great merit and fortune, but the responsibility is equally heavy. I hope you will all keep to your duties and live up to the mandate of Heaven."

"yes!"

The entire witch clan responded in unison.

Just then, the Heavenly Dao suddenly issued a warning. A vast heavenly might descended from the heavens, permeating the entire underworld and making everyone breathless.

Chen Qing knew perfectly well what was going on and looked at Houtu.

Houtu's face paled slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. She raised her head, facing the heavens, her voice clear and resolute, echoing throughout the primordial world:

"Now that Houtu has been reborn, from this day forward, I will no longer be a shaman. From this day forward, my name is—Pingxin!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the divine aura slowly dissipated, as if acknowledging her declaration.

Inside the Pangu Palace, the twelve Ancestral Witches all changed color upon hearing this news.

Zhu Rong suddenly stood up and angrily said, "What's wrong with Hou Tu? I'll go see her!"

"Stop!" Di Jiang shouted, his face ashen.

The moment Heaven issued its warning, he, as the patriarch of the Witch Clan, understood everything. This was the will of Heaven, beyond human power to defy. If they rushed over now, they would not only fail to help Houtu, but would also harm her.

Dijiang slowly sat down, closed his eyes, and said nothing more.

The hall was deathly silent.

In the underworld, all the witches knelt and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Lady Pingxin!"

Houtu—no, Pingxin nodded slightly, a hint of relief in her eyes, but also a trace of inexplicable melancholy.

Chen Qing cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations, Empress Pingxin."

Pingxin smiled but didn't say anything more.

Next, the positions in the underworld began to be assigned. Of the Ten Kings of Hell, three were held by members of the Witch Clan; the remaining positions, such as Judges, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, and Black and White Impermanence, were also held by members of the Witch Clan in several places. This was already the limit of Heaven's tolerance.

Chen Qing had originally intended to bring a few of his junior brothers to serve in the Underworld to accumulate merit and good fortune. However, after considering their cultivation levels, he decided against it; they were too weak and wouldn't be able to handle the situation. He'd wait until they had grown stronger before considering it.

With everything settled, Chen Qing stepped out of the underworld.

Standing on the edge of the sea of ​​blood, he glanced back at the deep, dark entrance to the underworld, his heart filled with countless emotions.

The war between the Lich and the Demon races is imminent. This war is unstoppable, just like the destruction of the three ancient races. The Lich and Demon races are destined to withdraw from the stage of the primordial world.

Neither the will of Heaven nor the schemes of the sages will allow them to continue dominating this land.

A new protagonist is rising.

Chen Qing withdrew his gaze, strode towards the primordial land. Before the great battle, he wanted to take a good look at this world; after the battle, he wondered what it would look like.