Chapter 46: Hou Tu's Demise

  Xihe originally carefully guarded the path of women, rarely interfering with Emperor Jun's major events, and never went to the grand hall for discussion. This time, she was so shocked that she couldn't care about anything else, and rushed directly to the grand hall, just in time to meet Fuxi, who led Tian Hou to stand before the bed of Emperor Jun and Taiyi.

  Xihe saw her husband lying in front of her like a dead man, and tears flowed from her eyes like broken pearls, evoking sympathy. As the goddess of Taiyin, she had once heard the teachings of Zixu Palace and was one of the pre-heavenly great gods, so although her heart was filled with boundless sorrow, she knew how to prioritize and remain extremely calm at this critical moment of life and death, without any panic.

  "Fuxi Dasheng, I don't know what's going on with you two emperors?"

  "As for the Empress's words, the Demon Emperor suddenly fainted without leaving any instructions. However, the Eastern Emperor did say something when he was awake - they were ambushed and didn't know who was behind it at the moment. We are also at a loss."

  "The Niangniang who can secretly calculate the emperor's fate is undoubtedly the Witch Clan, especially this strange black energy that is absolutely a means of the Witch Clan. We also had a demon god who was cursed by the Witch Clan before, but we didn't have a way to rescue him. I think it's still best to find Nüwa Niangniang." After a moment's thought, Kunpeng guessed about 80-90% correctly, and as soon as he spoke, all the demons nodded in agreement.

  Xihe bowed her head in thought for a moment, then turned to Fuxi and said: "Please trouble the Great Sage to inform Nüwa Shengren that I wish to seek an audience." Fuxi turned around and headed towards the palace of the Queen of Heaven.

  Xihe had also heard Emperor Jun say that the saints did not interfere with witchcraft, and it was not easy to persuade Nüwa this time. Xihe thought for a moment, biting her silver teeth, took out an object from Emperor Jun's bedroom, and headed to the palace of Empress Wa.

  Nüwa, as the first saint after Hongjun, was extremely proud in her thoughts. However, the Three Purities and the two saints from the Western Regions had been putting pressure on Nüwa since their ascension, establishing their own teachings and continuously reducing Nüwa's influence. Nüwa was also isolated and unable to resist the other saints, and she was deeply embroiled in the struggle between witches and demons, so her heart was not at ease.

  Listening to Fuxi's account, Nüwa used the great method of the sage to carefully calculate what had happened to Emperor Jun and Taiyi. However, Nüwa felt a dark energy lurking in the river of fate, making it difficult for her to find the reason.

  Nüwa originally thought it might be some immortal who interfered with the heavenly mechanism, but after careful identification, she found that it was not so. That black air was not a spell of any immortal, and in it, she could feel a hint of the aura of the Primordial Chaos Demon God. The demon's shadow shrouded it, and Nüwa basically confirmed that it was the doing of the Witch Clan.

  Nüwa was also shocked, she didn't expect that the small ant would have such means, if the witch tribe is not eliminated, the sage will be uneasy.

  Xihe arrived at the palace of Empress Wa and saw Nüwa, immediately kowtowing.

  "I pay homage to the Holy Mother Nuwa, wishing Your Holiness eternal life." Xihe's face wore a melancholic beauty.

  "Empress, please calm down. I already know what you're asking for, but this palace is also in a difficult situation. You also know that the old master has made an agreement with the various saints and cannot interfere with witchcraft affairs. I'm also helpless."

  "As a goddess, can't you see that our demon clan is declining? My husband and Taiyi have worked tirelessly for the great cause of our clan, never slackening. They have no merit but only hard work to show for it. Please, Your Ladyship, take pity on us as members of the same clan and lend a helping hand." As she spoke, Xihe was about to kowtow again, her face streaming with tears that moved the heart.

  Fuxi, who was watching from the side, also couldn't bear it and spoke up: "Your Majesty, now that the demon tribe is competing with the witch tribe for dominance, it's really impossible to do without both of Your Majesties. Just for the sake of the entire demon tribe's reputation, please help Emperor Junyi."

  Nüwa listened to Fuxi's words and secretly laughed at her brother's excessive kindness. Emperor Jun wanted to save him, but he couldn't just save him for nothing. Nüwa fell silent for a moment.

  Xihe's heart ached at the sight, took out an object and placed it on her palm, then bowed and presented it to Nüwa.

  "Please, Your Majesty, accept this banner of the demon tribe. As a revered saint, you should command the demons. Emperor Jun has already spoken to me about it, but due to his busy schedule, he hasn't had the chance. I'm presenting this to you now, and I hope you'll consider Emperor Jun's kindness towards the demons and save them. I beg of you." Xī Hé wailed, crying out loud as she kowtowed on the ground.

  Nüwa looked at the banner for summoning monsters and then at Xihe kneeling on the ground, letting out a long sigh.

  "I'll keep this thing for the Demon Emperor for now, don't worry, I will definitely save the two of you. You should go back to Heaven first and stabilize the situation."

  Xihe obtained Nuwa's guarantee, turned around and returned to the Heavenly Court without mentioning it. Nuwa put away the demon-summoning flag, took out the red silk ball and the map of mountains and rivers, sat upright in the Wa Huang Palace, and used the great method of the sage to break through the witch tribe's secret technique.

  Nüwa raised the red silk ball, a red light struck the River of Destiny, a black aura transformed into the shadows of demons, constantly howling, resisting Nüwa's great law. Nüwa's one strike did not harm the black aura, Nüwa's eyebrows were also upside down, her heart filled with great anger: "You wicked sorcerer tribe, dare to defy the power of a saint!"

  Nüwa increased her magical powers on one hand, and on the other hand, she took out the Mountain and River Map, transforming it into a golden light that flew above the dark energy. In an instant, it enveloped everything, and Nüwa once again urged on the red silk ball, immediately dispersing the dark energy. After eliminating the interference, Nüwa's vision gradually cleared up.

  The great law of the sage is indeed extraordinary. Nüwa followed the guidance of the river of fate, penetrating the heavens and seeing the scene in front of the ancestral temple of the Wu tribe, making Nüwa's heart tremble with fear.

  Only in front of the ancestral temple, a high platform was erected, on which were placed statues of Emperor Jun and Taiyi made of flesh and blood, also wearing yellow robes. Their faces could not be seen clearly, but the majestic aura of the emperor was unmistakable. In the center of the platform was a huge pool of blood, with dozens of exotic beasts tied to its edge, all of which were wounded and bleeding constantly. On the outside, countless witches danced in mysterious rituals, their bodies painted with unknown patterns, while dozens of high-ranking witches led the dance, their movements eerie and frenzied.

  Di Jiang, Zhu Jiu Yin and other ancestral witches appeared from time to time, chanting strange incantations. Black lines rose from the blood pool and converged on the heads of Di Jun and Tai Yi. In the darkness, there was a huge suction force that guided the primordial spirits of Di Jun and Tai Yi to fly here. If it weren't for Tai Yi's treasure protecting his body, perhaps the two men's primordial spirits would have been captured by the witch tribe and made into cannon fodder.

  Nüwa immediately understood that the Wu tribe was using a blood sacrifice method to capture the souls of Emperor Jun and Taiyi, a method Nüwa had never heard of or seen before, and it seemed that even among the 3,000 great ways of Hongjun, there was no mention of such a thing, truly unthinkable.

  Knowing the origin and cause, Nüwa was no longer in a hurry. The methods of the saint are not something that ordinary cultivators can understand. Nüwa's only way to save Emperor Jun was to suddenly raise the Mountain and River Society Chart, transforming it into a flowing light that rushed straight to the Great Wilderness Continent.

  The one who closely observes all of this is the Guide, the Guide uses the secret art of cause and effect to observe every move of all parties involved. At this time, the Guide is waiting in the Sea of Blood for the transformation of the Later Heaven Body.

  Houtu sat on the edge of the Blood Sea for nearly a hundred years, thinking through past and present, then stood up, with clusters of yellow earth rising from under her feet, just right to restrain the Blood Sea. Houtu arrived in the midst of the Blood Sea, with an unprecedented look of relief on her face, holy and unparalleled.

  "With a jade hand pointing directly to heaven as an oath, 'Now the ancestral witch and the earth have feelings about the incomplete operation of the heavenly way. After the death of all living things, their souls have no place to return to, and they are sorrowful and dependent. I wish to transform myself into reincarnation, accomplish the six paths, and reward good deeds with good fortune and evil deeds with evil fortune, in order to complete the operation of heaven and earth.'"

  The Six Paths of Reincarnation! Stand!"

  After finishing speaking, Hou Tu's body shape continued to grow larger and larger, with a height of tens of millions of zhang. Suddenly, it shattered into countless light spots, scattered on the surface of the Blood Sea.

  Jieyin and Minghe were both carefully observing all of this, Jieyin was a sage's state of mind, and couldn't help but sigh at the great virtue of Houtu. Between life and death, to be able to abandon oneself for the sake of others' accomplishments and bring about a common destination, regardless of the purpose, Houtu indeed lived up to his name.

  A surge of movement at the bottom of the bloody sea, a gigantic space appeared before everyone's eyes. The black hole was almost invisible to the edge. Six arched gates appeared, each with different Taoist patterns engraved on them. No matter what kind of creature it was, they could all feel and recognize that the inscriptions were Tian Dao, Ren Dao, Ashura Dao, Egui Dao, Chousheng Dao, and Diyu Dao.

  He joined his palms together and bowed, "Great virtue of the Earth!" The Nether River and countless Asuras also bowed together to thank the Great Virtue of the Earth. The Nether River should indeed be grateful to the Earth. Once the Six Paths were established, it was as if they had registered the Asuras on the household register, and they were no longer unregistered households. Although Heaven and Earth had acknowledged the Nether River's creation of the Asuras in the past, the Heavenly Way had not truly recognized them. Now that the cycle had a name, the Asuras could walk freely in the vast expanse. The Nether River felt its own aura rising rapidly, its Dao advancing, and it was about to cut off the evil corpse. How could it not be joyful and thank the Earth?

  At this time, the cycle has been established, and the Heavenly Way is moved. Endless merits are bestowed, and from a quantitative perspective, they far exceed those of Nüwa's creation of humans. This bestowal of merit shocks all quarters. The Three Pure Ones and Zhunti break through space-time to arrive at the Blood Sea. Upon seeing the guide, they have already arrived, with some astonishment.

  "Leading the Taoist friend, what's going on?" Tongtian asked.

  "Alas, Hou Tu Dao You with unparalleled benevolence, sacrificed his body to transform into the six paths of reincarnation, the Heavenly Way is moved and bestows boundless merits." Ji Yin let out a sigh.

  The saints were initially silent, and then a hint of unusual color flashed in their eyes, all guessing and calculating.

  A massive merit condensed into a golden wheel in the cycle of reincarnation, far surpassing the sun and moon in the sky by tens of thousands of times. A vague figure was gathered from the dark space of the six paths of reincarnation, and it could still be faintly discerned that it had some resemblance to Hou Tu.

  The illusory figure gradually became substantial, and a lovely woman stood before the saints. She was about 80-90% similar to Hou Tu. Jie Yin felt that Hou Tu had not simply come back to life, nor was it just a soul; it gave him a feeling similar to seeing Hong Jun.

  With a slight movement of her mind, Hou Tu established the Six Paths with her body and perfected the Heavenly Dao. She had many similarities with the Dao Ancestor in terms of merging her body with the Dao. Now that Hou Tu has appeared again, it's likely that she has already become a part of the Heavenly Dao.

  Behind the earth, a golden wheel of merit hangs behind his head, slowly stepping out of the six paths of reincarnation.

  "I have met all of you fellow Taoists and bid you farewell with a peaceful heart."

  All the saints understood at first glance, and Hou Tu became Ping Xin, which means that past events have passed. The cause and effect have been eliminated, and as long as the saints do not interfere with the affairs of the witch tribe, it is enough. The saints felt the abnormality of Hou Tu, but they also knew that she had not achieved the position of a saint, nor did they take it to heart. However, in their hearts, they secretly determined that Hou Tu was absolutely not so simple, and she might have achieved a very special state.

  "The Queen Mother is great virtue, I pay my respects." The various saints could only look at Hou Tu with equal eyes now. After the ceremony, all the saints dispersed. Only Nüwa did not come, she was currently rescuing Di Jun and Tai Yi.

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