Chapter 74

The Twelve Witch Ancestors, the pillars of the Witch Sect, numbered only twelve in total. However, first, Hou Tu transformed into the cycle of rebirth, then Gong Gong broke the celestial pillar. By the time of the battle against the heavens, only ten of the Twelve Witch Ancestors remained.

Now, the four Witch Ancestors who controlled the laws of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning—Tian Wu, Xuan Ming, Qiang Liang, and Yue Ci—had perished. Then, the two actual leaders of the Witch Sect, Di Jiang and Zhu Rong, also died. Only four Witch Ancestors remained. With such a situation, how could they even think of dominating the heavens and earth in the future? Whether the Witch Sect could even continue was questionable!

Feng Ye and Yuan Kui exchanged a glance, and the two of them invoked the River Diagram and the Luo Book to protect the many living beings by the Yellow River. As for the rest, they had no more energy to spare.

However, there was no need for them to worry. The space-time vortex invoked by the two Witch Ancestors of space and time was indeed powerful, but they were not the main targets of the vortex.

After all, the vortex appeared in the Heavenly Realm, and it was not a posthumous phenomenon of the Witch Ancestors. Instead, seeing their inevitable death, the two Witch Ancestors used a forbidden technique to launch a final attack, targeting the Heavenly Emperor Di Jun, determined to take him down with them.

Only to see the stars in the sky flicker as Di Jun invoked the Star Map. The numerous stars formed by the Zhou Tian stars cast their projections, transforming into star ropes that blocked the fatal attack of the two Witch Ancestors of space and time.

The space-time vortex, locked by the star ropes, gradually subsided and was suppressed in the Heavenly Court. However, this also consumed a great deal of Di Jun's magical power. With four Witch Ancestors still remaining, Di Jun did not last long and perished.

As the Heavenly Emperor, even if Di Jun was unpopular, he was still recognized by the Heavenly Dao. The phenomenon of his death was even more significant. The entire world was shrouded in darkness, the sun and moon lost their light, and the stars were hidden. Then, the imperial blood scattered, and white flowers drifted. In a mysterious place, the sound of a bell faintly echoed, as if to mourn the Heavenly Emperor.

However, Di Jun had no regrets. He took three Witch Ancestors with him in his death. Only one of the Twelve Witch Ancestors, the Metal Witch Ancestor Ruxiu, stood alone in the Heavenly Court, looking at the empty court, at a loss. As for the other Witch Deities, there were only a dozen or so in total. The same was true for the Divine Beasts, with the two combined numbering no more than a hundred.

Should they continue the fight? How could they continue? The grand battle of ten thousand deities had now been reduced to just a hundred. If they continued, there would be no one left, and even protecting their own territories would be a problem. Don't forget that before the Witch-Beast War, there was a purge, and many grudges were formed. Taking advantage of one's weakness to finish them off, no one was a fool!

Seeing Di Jun's death and the Heavenly Court's defeat, the remaining deities were all injured and could no longer fight. The Three Pure Ones exchanged a smile. The three of them used their escape techniques to reach the edge of the Heavenly Realm, preparing to reforge the earth, fire, wind, and water to recreate the Heavenly Realm.

"Di Jun was unjust, and the Witch Sect lost virtue. This is the source of the chaos in the world. Our Daoist Sect, though lacking, has perceived the will of heaven and wishes to reestablish the Heavenly Court, dividing the heavens and earth to align with the Heavenly Dao!" The three of them shouted in unison, their voices spreading throughout the world.

In the Purple Dawn Palace, an old Taoist sat as if he were a piece of rotten wood, exuding a sense of decay. His brows twitched, then fell silent again.

In the Nüwa Palace, Nüwa's face was expressionless, but a clear tear rolled down her cheek. After all, the ancient Heavenly Court was built by her own hands. With the court now in ruins, the world would no longer belong to the deities. How could she not be heartbroken?

Speaking of which, those male deities were useless. They fought, each with grand ambitions, vying for dominance in the world, and in the end, left the mess to Nüwa, a woman.

By the Eight Virtues Pool in the West, Zhunti hesitated, wanting to say something to Jieyin. Jieyin, who had known Zhunti for countless years, understood his thoughts. Jieyin sighed, "Brother, now that the Three Pure Ones are the main players, why oppose them? I know you want to ally with Nüwa, but she may not appreciate your efforts. It's better to wait for Nüwa to seek our help."

Zhunti thought for a moment and said no more.

As for the other immortals and deities, some were happy, some sighed, and others had mixed feelings.

In the Purple Sun Cave, the Nine Sovereign True Mother sat, flanked by her two eldest sons, Gouchen and Ziwēi, and her youngest son, Qi Yao. The Nine Sovereign True Mother casually summoned the Star Map, seeing the true spirit of Di Jun sealed within. She laughed maniacally, knowing that with this true spirit, she could cast a spell to completely kill him. Moreover, the Star Map carried the aura of the Heavenly Emperor, which would greatly aid her in controlling the stars in the future.

As for the Three Pure Ones establishing the Heavenly Court, the Nine Sovereign True Mother had no objections. The relationship between the Nine Sovereign and the Three Pure Ones was relatively good, and the Nine Sovereign True Mother had already lost power, so it posed no significant threat.

On the surface of the Yellow River, Yuan Kui sighed, "From now on, the era of the deities governing the world is over!"

Feng Ye was not as sentimental as Yuan Kui. He looked at the deaths of Shubi, Zhu Rong, and Goumang and began to calculate.

Shubi was dead? As the deity of plagues and diseases, his death would bring his essence to the world, causing a disaster for all living beings. The resulting plague demons and disease spirits would be difficult to deal with!

Moreover, why had there been no fire rain or falling Mars? Why was the disturbance of the fire law so small after Zhu Rong's death, unlike the other Witch Ancestors? Could it be that he hadn't truly died?

As for Goumang, Feng Ye saw a glimmer of destiny. In a wild field, a stream of Goumang's wood essence fell to the ground and grew into a nine-colored grain. So that's where it came from! Feng Ye was overjoyed, explained it to Yuan Kui, and immediately used his escape technique to search for this divine object.

After making their grand vow, the Three Pure Ones began to reshape the Heavenly Realm. However, a new emperor, a new court. The Three Pure Ones wanted to establish a new Heavenly Court for the Daoist Sect, completely changing the face of the world. They did not want to use the ancient nine layers of heaven but instead wanted to create thirty-three layers as the new Heavenly Court.

In ancient times, the Heavenly Emperor divided the Heavenly Realm into nine regions: the Central Heaven, the Eastern Heaven, the Northeastern Heaven, the Northern Heaven, the Northwestern Heaven, the Western Heaven, the Southwestern Heaven, the Southern Heaven, and the Southeastern Heaven. In the end, it was just one layer of heaven. At most, the Great Luo Heaven was added as the tenth layer, a place for the cultivation of the Heavenly Emperor and other great deities.

In ancient times, the Eastern Emperor, together with Fuxi and Nüwa, reformed the nine layers of heaven. The Heavenly Realm was divided into nine layers based on the density of spiritual energy and the purity of the clear and ethereal energy, with the higher layers having more concentrated spiritual energy, which was more beneficial for cultivation. The highest layer was the legendary Great Luo Heaven, the head of all heavens, and the core of the Heavenly Court. It was built on the foundation of the ancient Great Luo Heaven, with eight additional layers created below it.

However, in the Daoist Sect, they wanted to establish thirty-three layers of heaven as the new Heavenly Court. However, the Three Pure Ones did not want to touch the original Great Luo Heaven, which had been passed down from ancient times. Instead, they wanted to divide the other eight layers into thirty-two layers, and for this, the Kunlun Tower was very important.

The Kunlun Tower was prepared to suppress the Heavenly Realm and would be given to the new Heavenly Emperor as a support.

However, when the Three Pure Ones were halfway through their work, transforming the Heavenly Realm into pure clear and ethereal energy, they suddenly discovered that a part of the clear and ethereal energy in the lower eight layers had escaped their control and flowed into the Great Luo Heaven.

In addition, the jade palaces and pavilions of the Heavenly Court rose from the ground and flew into the Great Luo Heaven. Finally, the Great Luo Heaven transformed into a talisman, which was taken by a jade hand.

Without the Great Luo Heaven to suppress it, the remaining eight layers began to collapse. Fortunately, the Heavenly Court buildings and the living beings within were taken by the Great Luo Heaven, so there was no loss.

However, if the Heavenly Realm collapsed and the Three Pure Ones could not repress it in time, the Heavenly Realm would revert to its primordial clear and ethereal energy, fall to the ground, and attract the primordial turbid energy, causing the world to be recreated. Such a disaster would be too much for the Three Pure Ones to bear.

A pleasant laugh echoed, "You three are truly skilled, but without the Great Luo Heaven in my hands, how will you suppress the Heavenly Realm?"

The Three Pure Ones exchanged a glance, and Laozi threw out the Kunlun Tower from his sleeve. The nine-story Kunlun Tower, once released, landed on the cloud base of the Heavenly Realm, growing to support the entire Heavenly Realm and stabilize it.

Then, the three of them took action, using their treasures to drag the eight layers into the Kunlun Tower, infusing the essence of the eight layers into the tower. In the future, they would use this treasure to control the nine layers of the world.

Nüwa appeared, "Well, well, well! I knew you three were up to something. You were preparing this to deal with me, weren't you?"

"As the ruler of the deities and one of the founders of the Heavenly Court, you are skilled, so we naturally had to be cautious!" The Three Pure Ones had anticipated Nüwa's interference. After all, Nüwa was not someone who would accept a loss, and as a virtuous sage, she could not be fought, touched, or sealed, making her a troublesome opponent.

Then, Laozi tapped the Kunlun Tower, and the first layer of the first heaven flew out. Next, Tongtian used the Sword of Slaughter to cut the first heaven into four parts: the Great Yellow Heaven, the Red Bright Yang Heaven, the Yuan Zai Kong Sheng Heaven, and the Hao Ting Xiao Du Heaven. Then, Yuanshi placed them in the four directions as the lowest layer of the eight heavens in the four directions.

Seeing this, Nüwa gripped her fan, ready to act. However, seeing that the Three Pure Ones were fully focused on creating the heavens but were also wary of her, she decided to wait and see. After all, she still had a trump card and was not in a hurry. Moreover, if a fight broke out, three against one would be a disadvantage for her.

Then, the Three Pure Ones transformed the second heaven into the Great Bright Jade Heaven, the Dark Bright Respectful Heaven, the Great Peace Yellow Cliff Heaven, and the Deep Passage Yuan Dong Heaven. The third heaven into the Clear Bright He Tong Heaven, the Radiant Bright Zong Piao Heaven, the Manifested Fixed Extreme Wind Heaven, and the Great Text Han Chong Miao Cheng Heaven. The fourth heaven into the Dark Womb Ping Yu Heaven, the Zhu Luo Huang Jia Heaven, the First Emperor Xiao Mang Heaven, and the Great Essence Xiulè Jìn Shàng Heaven. The fifth heaven into the Yuan Ming Wen Ju Heaven, the Void Bright Tang Yao Heaven, the Supreme Ji Heavy Floating Rong Heaven, and the Supreme Void Unsurpassed Constant Rong Heaven. The sixth heaven into the Upper Bright Seven Stars Mo Yi Heaven, the View Bright End Tranquil Heaven, the Unthinking Jiang You Heaven, and the Great Release Jade Long Teng Sheng Heaven. The seventh heaven into the Void Non-Existence Yue Heng Heaven, the Dark Bright Respectful Celebration Heaven, the Upper Selection Ruan Le Heaven, and the Dragon Transformation Fan Du Heaven. The eighth heaven into the Supreme Ji Concealment Heaven, the Great Radiance Extreme Yao Heaven, the Non-Extreme Tan Shi Heaven, and the Supreme Ji Ping Yu Jia Yi Heaven.

In total, there were thirty-two layers of heaven, all connected by the Heavenly Ladder.

The Great Yellow Heaven, the Great Bright Jade Heaven, the Clear Bright He Tong Heaven, the Dark Womb Ping Yu Heaven, the Yuan Ming Wen Ju Heaven, the Upper Bright Seven Stars Mo Yi Heaven, the Void Non-Existence Yue Heng Heaven, and the Supreme Ji Concealment Heaven were the eight heavens in the east.

The Red Bright Yang Heaven, the Dark Bright Respectful Heaven, the Radiant Bright Zong Piao Heaven, the Zhu Luo Huang Jia Heaven, the Void Bright Tang Yao Heaven, the View Bright End Tranquil Heaven, the Dark Bright Respectful Celebration Heaven, and the Great Radiance Extreme Yao Heaven were the eight heavens in the south.

The Yuan Zai Kong Sheng Heaven, the Great Peace Yellow Cliff Heaven, the Manifested Fixed Extreme Wind Heaven, the First Emperor Xiao Mang Heaven, the Supreme Ji Heavy Floating Rong Heaven, the Unthinking Jiang You Heaven, the Upper Selection Ruan Le Heaven, and the Non-Extreme Tan Shi Heaven were the eight heavens in the west.

The Hao Ting Xiao Du Heaven, the Deep Passage Yuan Dong Heaven, the Great Text Han Chong Miao Cheng Heaven, the Great Essence Xiulè Jìn Shàng Heaven, the Supreme Void Unsurpassed Constant Rong Heaven, the Great Release Jade Long Teng Sheng Heaven, the Dragon Transformation Fan Du Heaven, and the Supreme Ji Ping Yu Jia Yi Heaven were the eight heavens in the north.

In the Three Pure Ones' plan, they would appoint four celestial emperors to assist the central Heavenly Emperor, with each emperor governing the eight heavens in one direction, balancing the power with the central Great Luo Heaven to prevent any one from becoming too powerful and threatening their rule.

"Clap, clap—" Nüwa clapped her hands, "You three are truly skilled, but without the Great Luo Heaven in my hands, all your efforts are in vain!"

"What do you think, Lady?" Laozi closed his eyes and slowly said. Indeed, as Nüwa said, without the Great Luo Heaven, everything was a joke. The Great Luo Heaven was the foundation of the Heavenly Court, representing legitimacy. Although the Three Pure Ones could create a new Great Luo Heaven, without the recognition of the Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Court's fortune would be divided, and Nüwa could use the Great Luo Heaven to reestablish the deity court, competing with the Daoist Sect.

"In the future, if the Heavenly Court is reestablished, I want seventy percent of the fortune!" Nüwa said, covering her lips with her fan.

"Ridiculous!" Tongtian coldly snorted, "The Heavenly Court is established by our Daoist Sect. What does it have to do with you? What virtue do you have to claim seventy percent of the fortune?"

"Really nothing to do with me? Then I will go to the Western Two Sages for tea!" Nüwa said, about to leave.

Seeing this, Yuanshi pulled Tongtian and said, "Lady, wait. This is not the place to talk. Why don't we find a place to discuss?"

"No need!" Nüwa waved her fan, and a palace appeared before the Four Sages, named "Nüwa Palace."

Of course, this was not the real Nüwa Palace but a projection from the outer heavens, used to block others' prying eyes and to assert her power. The ability to project from the outer heavens to the Heavenly Realm was a feat even sages found difficult.

The Three Pure Ones exchanged a glance and followed Nüwa inside. Indeed, this sage was not to be underestimated. The Three Pure Ones could not perform such a feat as easily as Nüwa.

Of course, the Three Pure Ones overestimated Nüwa. In reality, their cultivation was on par. However, Nüwa, along with the Eastern Emperor and others, had reshaped the Heavenly Realm, making her more familiar with the laws of the Heavenly Realm, giving her a home-field advantage. Although the Three Pure Ones had reestablished the thirty-two layers of heaven, without the Great Luo Heaven, it was not fully complete, and their control over the Heavenly Realm was not as strong as Nüwa's.

In the Nüwa Palace, Nüwa lay on a five-colored cloud bed, lazily saying, "Enough talk. Do you really think you can establish the Heavenly Court without me? Not to mention the part of the Heavenly Realm's essence in my hands, but as the Eastern Sage, if you exclude me, do you think I won't team up with Jieyin and Zhunti