104: The Three Pure Ones and the Ancestral Witches
Just as Yuanshi and Tongtian were struggling to deal with the Ancestral Witches of Water and Fire, four more figures stepped forward.
The Ancestral Witches Jumang, Qiangliang, Xuanming, and Tianwu appeared.
The remaining Ancestral Witches were still hidden in the shadows, wanting to see the true level of these Three Pure Ones, who, like them, were Pangus Legitimate Successors.
The four Ancestral Witches joined the battle without the slightest hesitation.
There was no such thing as a one-on-one fight; the Ancestral Witches didn't care for such formalities.
Why fight one-on-one when you can gang up on them?
With the addition of the four Ancestral Witches, the pressure on Yuanshi and Tongtian, who were already barely holding their own, suddenly intensified.
They could handle a one-on-one with ease, and even a one-on-two could temporarily result in a stalemate.
But one-on-three? That situation was looking a bit grim.
The Jumang struck first, slamming a fist into the ground as thousands of green vines grew wildly from the Void Realm.
Those vines were covered in barbs, each one infused with the poisonous Origin breath of the Jumang, instantly corroding Tongtian's sword light until it was riddled with holes.
Qiangliang followed closely behind, clashing his fists together to summon the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder. Purple-black lightning pythons tore through Yuanshi's Spirit Treasure defense, scorching his Daoist robes black.
Xuanming's entry caused the battlefield's temperature to plummet. She simply blew a breath of air, and the extreme cold Xuanming Qi froze all the surrounding space.
Tongtian's sword-swinging movements suddenly slowed as if stuck in a quagmire, and thick black ice condensed on the blade's edge.
Tianwu whipped up a hurricane, and the sonic waves from his eight heads howling together shook Yuanshi and Tongtian's Primordial Spirits, making even their protective immortal light flicker.
Furthermore, Zhu Rong and Gonggong were waiting for their chance, ready to throw punches at any moment.
The coordination of the six Ancestral Witches was seamless. Water and fire merged to derive Chaos, wind and thunder intertwined to destroy all techniques, and wood poison and ice cold eroded their Foundation.
Yuanshi's Spirit Treasure defense was torn apart by Qiangliang, and Tongtian's zhuxian sword Intent was blown away by Tianwu.
Within just three to five exchanges, the signs of their defeat were fully evident.
"With just this little skill, you dare call yourselves Pangus Legitimate Successors?"
Zhu Rong stepped on Tongtian's spiritual sword, the firelight reflecting his mocking smile, showing no sense of dishonor in winning by outnumbering them.
Gonggong's water chains drew closer, nearly binding Yuanshi completely. "Why don't you hand over Father God's Legacy? We might just spare your lives."
The other Ancestral Witches also chimed in with their own taunts, enjoying the spectacle.
Besides their formidable combat power, the Ancestral Witches were also quite skilled with their tongues. They were the type to take advantage of others and then act unreasonable, leaving Yuanshi and Tongtian both shamed and infuriated.
In the shadows, Dijiang and the other Ancestral Witches watched coldly.
This crushing battle gave them a general understanding of the Three Pure Ones' combat strength.
Without top-tier Spirit Treasures, they were simply vulnerable.
Buzz!
A series of humming sounds rang out as a small pagoda appeared out of thin air, hovering above Yuanshi and Tongtian's heads.
The Heaven and Earth Exquisite Mysterious Yellow Pagoda dropped billions of strands of Xuanhuang Qi, enveloping Yuanshi and Tongtian like a waterfall.
When Gonggong's water chains struck the Xuanhuang Qi, the Nine Nether Profound Water slid off like ordinary water.
When Zhu Rong's Dutian Divine Fire touched the pagoda's body, the flames instantly weakened by thirty percent.
With every rotation of the pagoda, the Great Dao's silken voice echoed, causing the power of the Laws summoned by the six Ancestral Witches to fall away.
Taishang Laozi took a step forward and appeared in front of Yuanshi and Tongtian.
The Three Pure Ones were a trinity; the brilliant golden light of Karma shone, and the power of the Heaven and Earth Exquisite Mysterious Yellow Pagoda was fully unleashed.
"Ancestral Witches, feel free to try!" Taishang Laozi flicked his horsetail whisk and sat down beneath the pagoda with his eyes closed.
Such a provocative act naturally ignited the Ancestral Witches' Battle Intent.
"A trivial trick!" Qiangliang roared, his arm muscles bulging as he summoned the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder to strike the pagoda.
The purple-black lightning pillar was enough to split mountains, but it disintegrated the moment it touched the Xuanhuang Qi, like a clay ox entering the sea.
Jumang refused to believe it and summoned his natal poisonous vines to wrap around the pagoda, only to see a flash of Xuanhuang light, and the toxic vines withered and died at a visible speed.
Tianwu whipped up a world-destroying hurricane, and Xuanming unleashed the Extreme Cold Ice Soul as the six Ancestral Witches erupted with their full power simultaneously.
The entire world trembled, and the Void Realm was torn with countless cracks, yet that small pagoda remained as steady as a mountain.
The area around the Xuanhuang Pagoda became its own world, Innate and invincible, immune to all techniques.
The Xuanhuang bells hanging from the eaves chimed, neutralizing all incoming attacks.
"This was formed from the Karma of creation; how can it be broken by brute force?" Taishang Laozi's voice came from the top of the pagoda.
As he performed hand seals, a phantom of the prehistoric mountains and rivers appeared at the base of the pagoda, while the Zhou Tian Starry Sky manifested at the tip.
As the Xuanhuang Qi circulated, it actually reflected the Ancestral Witches' attacks back at them.
The Ancestral Witches discovered to their horror that their Physical Body strength, which they relied on to dominate the prehistoric world, was like an ant trying to shake a tree before this Karmic Supreme Treasure.
Inside the pagoda, Yuanshi and Tongtian's injuries were rapidly healing, while outside, the Ancestral Witches tasted the bitterness of helplessness for the first time.
The six Ancestral Witches were temporarily helpless and could only watch as the Three Pure Ones inside continuously meditated to restore themselves to their Peak state.
"Is that so? Then I shall see how long this pagoda can protect you!"
At this moment, Dijiang appeared with the remaining Ancestral Witches.
Without a word, he manifested his Ancestral Witch True Body and threw a punch, meeting the resistance of the Xuanhuang Pagoda.
Dijiang suddenly let out a roar, and the Law of space surged.
In the next moment, he actually bypassed the protection of the Xuanhuang Pagoda and struck the seated figures of the Three Pure Ones directly.
Boom!
A massive explosion rang out, dust filled the air, and rubble tumbled.
When everything cleared, the Three Pure Ones were nowhere to be seen, and even the Xuanhuang Pagoda had vanished.
The Ancestral Witches were all bewildered; could it be that their Eldest Brother's punch had directly pulverized the Three Pure Ones?
At this time, Dijiang shook his head slightly.
"The Three Pure Ones are not to be underestimated!"
After the exchange, he realized he had underestimated their abilities.
The difference in the Three Pure Ones' combat power with and without the support of Spirit Treasures was like night and day.
A single Heaven and Earth Exquisite Mysterious Yellow Pagoda in the hands of the Three Pure Ones could exert such power.
If they were supported by even better Spirit Treasures, the Three Pure Ones would certainly be opponents worthy of serious attention.
On the other side, the Three Pure Ones had already returned to the place where the Creation Green Lotus had first appeared.
As a bolt of tribulation lightning fell, the newly born Creation Green Lotus was completely shattered into four pieces.
Its creative vitality was gone, and the entire body of the immortal lotus was rapidly annihilating.
"Come!"
The Three Pure Ones acted quickly, each grabbing a part of the immortal lotus.
After they withdrew their hands, three Top Grade Innate Spirit Treasures had fallen into their possession.
Taishang Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian obtained the Flat Staff, the three treasures jade ruyi, and the qingping sword, respectively.
Red flower, white lotus root, and green lotus leaf—the Three Pure Ones were originally one family.
Having obtained the treasure, Tongtian immediately wanted to fight back. "Two brothers, let us go back and settle the score with them now!"
"Third Brother, those Twelve Ancestral Witches are nothing but a group of brutes who rely on their Physical Body strength to act tough. Why should we lower ourselves to their level?"
"Listen to me as well; do not be obsessed with fighting and brawling."
"If we do that, how are we any different from those brainless Ancestral Witches? It would be a disgrace to the name of the Three Pure Ones."
"Second Brother! Are we just going to let it go?" Tongtian interrupted hurriedly.
Yuanshi stroked his long beard and began to speak incessantly: "No, no. What I mean is that for a gentleman, ten kalpas is not too late for revenge. Look, this qingping sword has not yet merged with your mind and soul, and the Jade Ruyi still needs nurturing. When the time comes..."
Laozi suddenly gave a light cough, and Yuanshi immediately changed his tune: "Of course, Eldest Brother said that practitioners of the Dao should avoid anger most of all. Those Ancestral Witches do not understand the heavenly fate and will eventually face their tribulation. Why should we dirty our own hands?"
"Alright, Second Brother, I understand." Tongtian waved his hand helplessly.
He knew that when his Second Brother started lecturing, there was no end to it.
The good news was that Eldest Brother could stop him.
The bad news was that Eldest Brother usually didn't speak.
Time flowed by, and in a flash, while all living beings were unaware, a certain change had quietly arrived...