Hearing this, Xiao Hong couldn't help but roll her eyes.
Who knew you back when you were insignificant? They were born divine, extremely powerful existences from birth.
However, there was indeed some history between them.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to play the villain:
"Master, these fellows are all arrogant and unruly; you should just do as you see fit with them!"
The Evil Qilin's posture, combined with Xiao Hong's words, instantly struck fear into the hearts of these Primordial Beings.
It was like toppling the first domino.
A crowd of former Primordial giants, each of whom had once dominated the Primordial era, now scrambled to follow the Evil Qilin's example. They shrunk their massive bodies to ordinary sizes, prostrating themselves upon the waves of the Nether Sea or kneeling in the Void Realm, their heads buried deep and their Auras restrained like the most submissive Spirit Beasts, not even daring to breathe loudly.
"Dao Venerable, have mercy!"
"We are willing to serve as slaves and servants, to be driven by the Dao Venerable!"
"We beg the Dao Venerable for grace!"
The sounds of pleading rose and fell, their posture humbled to the dust.
They were truly terrified, seeking only to preserve their lives before this Xuantian Dao Venerable, who could determine their life or death with a single thought.
The scene of Han Xuanji's strike just now was too shocking.
Without a word, the Twelve Ancestral Witches were silenced in an instant; no one knew if they were now dead or alive.
As for the Twelve Ancestral Witches?
Not familiar.
At the same time, they couldn't help but feel lucky that when the Ancestral Witches emerged, they had remained honest and hadn't tried to show off.
"Since you know repentance, you are not beyond redemption."
Han Xuanji spoke slowly, with a hint of condescending scrutiny:
"That you escaped and encountered me is also a matter of fate. My Dao Palace gathers all spirits, and it still lacks some mounts."
He paused, his gaze lingering for a moment particularly on the Evil Qilin and several other giants with the most ancient and majestic Auras.
"Considering your hard-earned cultivation, you may enter my sect to atone for your crimes through service. If you practice diligently and strictly observe the palace rules in the future, you shall have a prospect.
If you harbor ulterior motives..."
Han Xuanji did not finish, but the indifference that flickered in his calm gaze made the Divine Souls of all the Primordial Beings tremble. They quickly buried their heads even lower, saying repeatedly:
"We wouldn't dare! We definitely wouldn't dare! We are willing to obey the Dao Venerable's decree! Eternal loyalty!"
A sense of relief at having survived a disaster simultaneously rose in their hearts.
Moreover, following this supreme existence who could suppress the Twelve Ancestral Witches with a flip of his hand didn't seem bad.
If they had the chance to receive occasional guidance from this Dao Venerable... they might even be able to take another step forward.
Han Xuanji nodded slightly and said no more. He had his own plans.
These Primordial Beings each had extraordinary origins and immense potential. Even after wasting endless years, their strength remained extremely formidable, each being a top-tier Powerful Expert capable of stirring up trouble in the Immortal Realm.
Bringing them back to the Dao Palace would, for one, enrich its foundation and add combat power, and for another, their great strength would allow them to frequently guide the Disciples whose cultivation was still shallow.
With a flick of his Divine Thought, he had already locked onto the five most powerful Primordial Beings among them. All were notoriously fierce, each possessing heaven-shaking Divine Abilities, yet now they were as submissive as sheep before Han Xuanji.
First was the Evil Qilin, whose cultivation was among the best of the Primordial Beings. Not only did he possess a Bloodline at the level of the Ancestral Qilin, but he had also traveled through Chaos and obtained great fortune, possessing significant potential. The others included the Nine-Headed Xuanming Snake, who controlled the Absolute Extinction Cold Frost that could freeze everything; the Chaos Demon Ape, whose arms could prop up the heavens and who possessed infinite strength, capable of fighting an Ancestral Witch alone; in addition, there were the Nine-Headed Dragon and the Heaven-Bearing Turtle, both at the peak of the Celestial Golden Immortal Realm.
At this time, the Twelve Ancestral Witches also surfaced, crawling up from the bottom of the Nether Sea.
Looking at Han Xuanji, the eyes of the Ancestral Witches were filled with terror.
This human is too terrifying!
"Big Brother..."
Houtu looked at Di Jiang, conveying her thoughts.
Di Jiang's face was ashen. He didn't speak, but stared intently at Han Xuanji, a stubbornness and an indescribable fear in the depths of his eyes.
Han Xuanji no longer paid attention to those Primordial Beings, his gaze locking onto Di Jiang once more:
"Di Jiang, I give you two choices."
"One, lead the Wu Clan to withdraw from the Nether Sea and head outside the Immortal Realm to open up a world within Chaos. Stay in your place, do not start wars, and do not disturb the creatures of the Immortal Realm.
I can represent the Heavenly Court to grant the Wu Clan a formal status, enjoying the rights of a regional lord, subject to the supervision of the Heavenly Dao, and also protected by the Heavenly Dao."
Han Xuanji didn't push things to the extreme; killing these Ancestral Witches would bring him no benefit.
These Ancestral Witches were also figures who had once contributed to the Immortal Realm, which was why the Dao Ancestor hadn't pushed things to the extreme either. Di Jiang being able to break through to the Limitless Primordial was even likely part of his plan.
After all, every additional Limitless Primordial in the Immortal Realm was a good thing.
"Two,"
Han Xuanji paused. Still, no powerful Aura erupted from him, but the entire Nether Sea seemed to completely freeze at this moment, as an invisible pressure transcending all concepts slowly spread.
"I can only take action myself and invite the twelve of you back into that Reincarnation Purgatory to cool off for a few tens of thousands of years."
As the words fell, heaven and earth became silent. The Heavenly Emperor nodded secretly, feeling that Han Xuanji had handled it well.
He just didn't know if these Ancestral Witches could recognize reality.
Meanwhile, the others watched the scene with amusement.
The Nether Lord chuckled inwardly:
"If these Ancestral Witches remain as arrogant and unruly as before, it will be hard to wrap things up."
At this moment, he was glad he had joined early; otherwise, after taking in these Primordial Beings, the power of the Underworld alone, even including himself, would amount to nothing.
Adding flowers to a bouquet is far inferior to delivering charcoal in a snowstorm.
However, many immortals and gods pondered secretly, wondering if these Ancestral Witches could take advice.
These fellows had once deterred all ages with supreme power; when had they ever suffered such "humiliation"?
Even the Dao Ancestor back then had to go through a fierce battle and use some strategy before finally sealing them.
Now, asking them to choose to leave their ancestral lands in the Immortal Realm, which they had managed for countless ages, and go to the unfamiliar world of Chaos, was no different from cutting off their own flesh to the Ancestral Witches.
However, the scene that followed left Li Taiqing, Jiang Hao, and even all the immortals and gods observing in secret slightly stunned.
Di Jiang's massive body trembled slightly—not out of fear, but as if some pride that had supported him for ages finally slumped slowly before absolute power, as he began to face reality.
"Heh..."
Di Jiang let out a bitter laugh of relief.
He looked around at his brothers and sisters, who were equally battered, their eyes still holding remnants of shock.
In Houtu's eyes was admonishment; Gonggong's tightly clenched fists had already slowly loosened; the flames around Zhurong had dimmed slightly... They had lost, lost completely and utterly, without any suspense.
It wasn't a defeat by schemes or calculations, nor by timing or geography, but a total defeat in a direct confrontation.
Han Xuanji had even given them a chance to struggle, a chance to join forces and form a formation.
Such a gap was no longer something that "risking one's life" or "unwillingness" could bridge.