The other party clearly could have suppressed them again as easily as crushing ants, yet he had given them a way out.
It could even be said that if Han Xuanji truly had killing intent, probably not a single one of them would have escaped.
This was the 'grace of sparing their lives.'
Furthermore, Han Xuanji did not hold their previous rudeness against them. Instead, he seriously gave them a path forward: to head into Chaos and open up a new world... This was not a dead end; it could even be said that he was preserving the dignity and the spark of the Witch Tribe.
After all, he was a Limitless Primordial existence with significant strength; establishing a foothold in Chaos wouldn't be difficult. Although they would be under supervision and nominally had to obey the Heavenly Court, from another perspective, if any external enemies from Chaos invaded, they could seek help from the Immortal Realm.
Thinking this way, Di Jiang felt that this choice wasn't bad.
Di Jiang slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again after several breaths, his eyes were clear. Though they still held the majesty of an Ancestral Witch, they gained a bit more calmness and... a rare sense of submission.
He took a slight step forward, not in an attacking stance, but using an extremely ancient etiquette used by Primordial Beings toward Powerful Experts. He slightly lowered his head—a head that had never bowed to anyone, including the Dao Ancestor. His voice was somewhat raspy yet exceptionally clear as it echoed over the silent Nether Sea:
"Xuantian Dao Venerable..."
He paused, as if weighing his words, which finally turned into a sincere, long sigh:
"Your divine abilities are peerless. I, Di Jiang... am thoroughly convinced."
As soon as these words were spoken, all sounds fell silent.
Even the wind and waves of the Nether Sea seemed to stagnate for a moment.
Many Cultivators of the Immortal Realm found it somewhat unbelievable to see an Ancestral Witch bow his head.
They had thought these Ancestral Witches would rather die than submit.
In their impression, these legendary Ancestral Witches were famous for being reckless and unruly; being driven out of the Immortal Realm was no different from killing them.
Emperor Ziwei and Emperor Zhenglei looked at each other, both seeing surprise in the other's eyes, but then they felt it was only natural.
It seemed that even the Ancestral Witches, those primeval overlords, were full of rationality when faced with absolute power.
Even the Heavenly Emperor slowly nodded, firstly satisfied that these Ancestral Witches were sensible, and secondly admiring Han Xuanji for so easily settling the Ancestral Witches whom even the Dao Ancestor found difficult to handle.
Meanwhile, the reaction over at the Xuantian Dao Palace was much calmer.
They felt this was perfectly normal.
"This is how it should be. So what if they are Ancestral Witches?"
Li Taiqing nodded with satisfaction.
In his view, given his Master's power, what did mere Ancestral Witches matter?
"Indeed, after witnessing Master's power, who wouldn't be won over?"
Jiang Hao also seemed to think back to the past when he first met Han Xuanji. He had known the other's extraordinariness at a single glance, and after only a few interactions, he was wholeheartedly convinced.
There was always a certain charm about Han Xuanji that commanded respect.
Xiao Hong didn't find this scene too strange either, and even felt a bit of secret satisfaction.
Originally, he hadn't intended to show off on this trip. After all, he was a dignified Primeval Demon God, a terrifying existence famous in the primeval era. Now that he had become someone else's spirit pet, he feared being mocked if he ran into old acquaintances.
But now, he had completely lost that concern.
So what if you Ancestral Witches are arrogant?
Didn't you still obediently kneel and submit?
Di Jiang raised his head, looking at Han Xuanji with a complex gaze, and continued:
"Dao Venerable, your magic power is boundless, yet you did not use your strength to bully the weak or drive us to extinction.
Instead, you left a chance for survival and room for my tribe... For such breadth of mind and character, I, Di Jiang, am ashamed."
The admiration in his words was not feigned; it came entirely from the heart.
This was the 'wisdom' born from enduring endless ages and being suppressed for an eternity.
Countless years of imprisonment had long ago smoothed his sharp edges. His previous aggression was more of an emotional release, and after being soundly thrashed by Han Xuanji, that release was complete.
"We are willing to choose the first path."
Di Jiang's voice became firm as he said in a deep tone:
"I will lead the Witch Tribe to withdraw from the Immortal Realm, head into Chaos, and create our own world.
From now on, we will strictly observe the agreement between the Dao Venerable and the Heavenly Court, keep to ourselves, and never disturb the Immortal Realm.
Everything in the past was due to our arrogance. Having been awakened by the Dao Venerable today, we finally know there is always a heaven beyond the heaven."
As he spoke, he lowered his head again. This time, it was a formal submission and promise on behalf of the entire Witch Tribe:
"The Witch Tribe thanks the Dao Venerable for the grace of sparing our lives and the virtue of your leniency.
This kindness... the Witch Tribe will remember forever. We Ancestral Witches are willing to lead the Witch Tribe to serve as a bridgehead for the Immortal Realm. Should any enemy come, we shall be the vanguard. If the Dao Venerable has any requests, we shall not refuse."
Once these words were out, many Cultivators in the Immortal Realm nodded secretly, sensing the sincerity of the Ancestral Witches.
The eleven Ancestral Witches behind him had various expressions—some dejected, some indifferent—but in the end, not one objected. Following Di Jiang, they all bowed slightly toward Han Xuanji to show their respect and submission.
Even Gonggong, who had the most explosive temper, only pursed his lips tightly and did not voice any objection.
They were proud Ancestral Witches, but they were not fools who didn't recognize the situation or lack reason. To lose to such a figure and receive such a settlement, they were... convinced.
Han Xuanji looked at the bowing Di Jiang and the other Ancestral Witches, a nearly imperceptible glimmer flashing through his eyes.
If these Ancestral Witches hadn't listened to persuasion, he might have had trouble gauging the strength of his strikes.
With good luck, they might have lived to enter Reincarnation Purgatory again, but with bad luck... Han Xuanji nodded slightly:
"Good. Since it is so, let it be settled. Within a hundred years, the Witch Tribe must complete its migration. Chaos is vast; there will be plenty of space for you to roam."
"Take care of yourselves."
As his voice fell, the invisible atmospheric pressure shrouding heaven and earth quietly dissipated.
Even the Nether Sea seemed to brighten up a bit.
The Ancestral Witches also breathed a sigh of relief. Han Xuanji's previous pressure had truly made them feel incredibly oppressed.
However, just at this moment when everything seemed settled and everyone's mind relaxed slightly— A sudden change occurred!
Above the Nether Sea, the wind and waves surged violently. An unimaginable upheaval took place in the Land of Reincarnation, with the source pointing directly to the lowest level of Reincarnation Purgatory—the place where the Lord of Ten Thousand Voids was imprisoned.
Cracks appeared on that chaos prison suppressing stele.
Immediately after, the originally somewhat bright sky over the Nether Sea was suddenly stained by an ominous grayish-white. This grayish-white was not mist, but a bizarre hue that made one's heart feel empty upon seeing it.
The wind stopped.
The waves subsided.
But a 'dead silence' and 'disorder' even more heart-palpitating than raging winds and furious waves spread out like a plague.
Within the Nether Sea, countless remnant souls and fierce spirits that had been submerged for unknown ages now seemed to receive some irresistible summons or some disturbance of their Origin. They emitted sharp, ear-piercing shrieks and drifted uncontrollably toward the direction of the Immortal Realm.
Not only that, the order of the entire Land of Reincarnation began to show visible distortions. Some phantoms of Reincarnation passages that should have been stable flickered in and out of existence, becoming unstable. The Yin and Yang Qi became disordered and intertwined, breeding patches of bizarre scenes full of a sense of paradox.
The Heavenly Emperor immediately realized the severity of the problem and sent a voice transmission to Han Xuanji:
"Fellow Daoist Han, it's the Lord of Ten Thousand Voids... The chaos prison suppressing stele is an object related to the Reincarnation Origin of the Immortal Realm. If the Lord of Ten Thousand Voids escapes, I fear it will throw the Immortal Realm's Reincarnation into great Chaos!"
...Land of Reincarnation.
"Jie jie jie... Hahahaha!"
The Demon Ancestor laughed wildly:
"Han Xuanji! Did you ever calculate this ancestor's true hidden trump card?"