Deep within the Land of Reincarnation.
The Demon Ancestor and Tianyuan Old Ancestor watched everything happening at the Nether Sea, especially when Dijiang's Limitless Primordial aura was revealed; a pleasant smile appeared on both of their faces simultaneously.
"Fight, cause a scene, the more viciously you struggle, the better..."
The Demon Ancestor whispered, full of smiles:
"Dijiang, oh Dijiang, I didn't expect you to have such a fortune, drawing so much fire for this seat. At this moment, the eyes of the Immortal Realm are all attracted by you... marvelous!"
He didn't care at all whether the Ancestral Witches really wanted to cooperate with him; in fact, he was happy to see it happen.
The stronger the Ancestral Witches were, the greater the pressure on the Immortal Realm, and the easier it was for internal conflicts to intensify, making his plan run more smoothly.
"Tianyuan."
The Demon Ancestor spoke:
"The time has come!"
"While the attention of the Immortal Realm and Xuantian Dao Palace is diverted, immediately accelerate the erosion and theft of the remaining Reincarnation authority!"
"I respectfully obey the decree of the Honored One!"
Tianyuan Old Ancestor responded, his voice carrying suppressed excitement.
With the Nether Lord leading the main force of the Underworld away, plus the turmoil caused by the Primordial Beings in the Land of Reincarnation, it was a god-given opportunity for him to expand his territory and encroach on the Reincarnation authority!
...Meanwhile, as Dijiang appeared, the previously emerged Primordial giants like the Evil Qilin also reined in their arrogance, respectfully retreating to the side and completely yielding the center stage to the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
There was awe in their eyes, but more so a sense of elation and expectation.
Cooperating with the Demon Ancestor?
No, no, no, they naturally wouldn't cooperate with such a fellow.
After all, they were also creatures of the Immortal Realm and didn't have any ideas about destroying the world; they mostly wanted to establish their status.
Their previous arrogance was a venting of emotions, and also a token of loyalty.
Cooperating with "little partners" who had been in prison together was always better than turning to the Heavenly Emperor.
Xuantian Dao Palace.
Han Xuanji sat cross-legged atop the chaos green lotus, slightly opening his eyes as a corner of his mouth curled into an interested arc:
"Aren't these the legendary Twelve Ancestral Witches? Dijiang... somewhat interesting."
"Capturing them to guard the gate... seems like the specifications are a bit too high?"
He didn't feel much pressure; although the other party had stepped into the Limitless Primordial state much longer than he had, strength was never determined by the length of cultivation time.
The other party had quietly stepped into the Limitless Primordial Realm within the Reincarnation Purgatory; it must be said that he had also walked his own path, achieving the Limitless Realm in an alternative way.
"There should be some secret on this Dijiang..."
Han Xuanji thought to himself.
Legend had it that during the Primordial era, the Twelve Ancestral Witches led the Witch Clan to live in the most fertile area of the Immortal Realm, being incredibly powerful. However, they were still not satisfied and tried to enslave other races to become the sole overlord of the Immortal Realm, causing heavenly wrath and human resentment. Finally, the Dao Ancestor took action and forcefully suppressed them in the Reincarnation Purgatory.
But Han Xuanji naturally knew more about the inside story than the legends.
To put it simply, whoever has the bigger fist is right. Who told these Primordial Beings that even combined, they were no match for the Dao Ancestor?
At this moment, in the Heavenly Court, the Hall of Miraculous Mist.
Although they were not personally present at the Nether Sea, the many immortals and gods of the Heavenly Court clearly reflected everything on the front line in their hearts.
When Dijiang's aura, which surpassed Primordial Chaos, erupted without reservation, many immortals and gods of the Heavenly Court showed shock and a trace of panic.
Whether there was a Limitless Primordial Realm expert or not made a world of difference.
Sharp-eyed immortals and gods discovered that even the Heavenly Emperor, sitting on the Imperial Throne with eyes seemingly containing infinite majesty, also revealed a trace of worry.
"Dijiang... he really managed to take that step."
On the surface, the Heavenly Emperor naturally didn't show too many thoughts, but his heart was filled with surprise.
His fingertips unconsciously tapped the armrest of the Imperial Throne, making a rhythmic light sound.
"The Witch Clan is rising again with no small ambition. What they seek is definitely not just a corner of land, but to regain control of the world's authority and recreate the glory of the Primordial Witch Clan."
The Heavenly Emperor's gaze pierced through layers of palaces, as if seeing those twelve towering figures above the Nether Sea.
He quickly weighed things in his heart: Although the Heavenly Court was strong, with himself presiding, the Grand Array of Circum-Heavenly Stars, and many immortals and gods, facing a luxurious lineup of Primordial Beings led by a Limitless expert, the outcome was hard to predict. Even if they won, it would surely be a pyrrhic victory, and the Immortal Realm would be severely weakened.
More troublesome was that the Demon Ancestor was on the sidelines, the Lord of Ten Thousand Voids had not appeared, and any single move could affect the whole situation.
After thinking for a moment, the Heavenly Emperor could only seek help from Han Xuanji again.
"Quickly go to the Thirty-Three Heavens to invite the Great Heavenly Venerable!"
"Haokong, I'll have to trouble you to make a trip."
"Yes."
Hearing this, Li Haokong, who previously had a friendship with Han Xuanji, immediately rushed to the Thirty-Three Heavens.
Meanwhile, the figure of the Heavenly Emperor finally appeared above the Nether Sea, confronting the Ancestral Witch Dijiang... Currently, there were not many Disciples staying behind at the Xuantian Dao Palace, only some young Disciples with insufficient cultivation.
"I implore the Great Heavenly Venerable to take action and save the Immortal Realm from its crisis!"
Li Haokong's voice echoed outside the mountain gate of the Xuantian Dao Palace, carrying obvious urgency and supplication.
On the outskirts of the Dao Palace, Chaos currents slowly flowed, forming a natural mist that isolated the inside and outside into two worlds, but it did not completely block the sound of this plea for help from entering.
Inside the Dao Palace, it was like a paradise beyond the mortal world, with spiritual springs gurgling.
The Disciples staying behind did not have high cultivation and were far from being able to participate in such a great battle that stirred the clouds and winds of the Immortal Realm.
They gathered on the cloud platform near the mountain gate, curiously looking at the blurred figure outside.
"Li Haokong? Is that Emperor Haokong who once discussed the Dao with Senior Brother?"
A young Disciple dressed in green with a delicate face recognized the visitor. He was the youngest Disciple of Li Taiqing, named Gu Changge. He had excellent Aptitude and was especially skilled in Alchemy. At a young age, his attainments in the Dao of Alchemy were already unrivaled in the current generation; therefore, although his cultivation was still shallow, his vision was quite high.
"It's him. It seems that things at the Nether Sea have truly reached a critical point, for him, a close minister of the Heavenly Emperor, to personally come and invite Grandmaster."
A Disciple with a calm temperament nearby added; it was Zhou Li.
After joining the Xuantian Dao Palace, he cultivated honestly. Even if his cultivation was enough to go to the Nether Sea, he had no intention of joining the fray.
What surprised the other Disciples was that Zhou Li's cultivation speed was startlingly fast, far exceeding others.
Even Li Taiqing secretly marveled, feeling that this fellow was somewhat similar to his Master.
The Disciples whispered among themselves. Aside from curiosity, there was not much panic in their eyes.
In their hearts, their Grandmaster Han Xuanji transcended the Immortal Realm and was not within Reincarnation; he was an omnipotent existence.
Even the Demon Ancestor, who made the Immortal Realm tremble, was frightened away by a single glance from Master. What could the rise of a mere Ancestral Witch do?
"But... Grandmaster is currently in seclusion."
A slightly naive Xuanling Clan Disciple asked in a small voice.
Gu Changge frowned slightly, looking up toward the deepest part of the Dao Palace, in the direction of the Xuantian Hall shrouded in endless dao-rhythm.
He whispered:
"Grandmaster should be in the palace."
"However, Dijiang attaining the Limitless Primordial Realm is a major event that shakes the structure of the Immortal Realm."
"The Witch Clan has returned strongly with great demands. Although Grandmaster is strong, any move affects the whole situation. The Demon Ancestor is hidden in the shadows, and there are other great powers watching like tigers."
"Emperor Haokong's arrival likely means that His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor already feels the situation is troublesome and needs Grandmaster to decide the outcome."
Gu Changge's words immediately made everyone nod in agreement:
"Senior Brother Gu is right. Although we can't help much, we can't let the reputation of the Xuantian Dao Palace fall."
"Should we first invite Emperor Haokong in and serve tea in the side hall?"
Zhou Li shook his head slightly and pointed toward the Xuantian Hall: "Look."
Everyone followed his gaze and saw that above the Xuantian Hall, the originally smooth-flowing dao-rhythm was like a calm lake surface into which a small pebble had been thrown, rippling outward.
An indescribable "intent," as if awakening from a slumber, gently but clearly enveloped the entire Dao Palace.
That was Han Xuanji's will.
Without needing any announcement, he already knew everything.