Inside the Pangu Temple, Qiang Liang stood his ground, refusing to consume the Essence Blood and insisting that his eldest brother take the first leap.
Di Jiang looked at Qiang Liang with eyes full of profound emotion. "You truly are my good brother!"
Touched by the gesture, Di Jiang pledged, "Good brother, I will not let our family down. If there is even a drop left after I break through, it is yours. I swear it." Di Jiang had already decided: he would take only what was strictly necessary to Attain Sainthood through the Physical Body (Attain Sainthood through the Physical Body), leaving every remaining scrap for Qiang Liang. He would not disappoint a brother who supported him so selflessly.
Qiang Liang merely waved a hand dismissively. "No need for all that, Brother. My cultivation is lower; it's only right that the elder brothers go first."
The senior Ancestral Witches looked at Qiang Liang with silent, tearful pride. In this moment, silence was more powerful than any speech.
"Enough of the sentimentality," Xuan Ming interjected, breaking the brothers' emotional huddle. "Brother, go into seclusion now. The Yao could strike at any moment, and time is not on our side."
"Right!" Di Jiang nodded, turning toward the depths of the temple without another word. The remaining Witches watched him go with bated breath; the fate of their race now rested on his shoulders.
The Return of the Variable
Meanwhile, Ling Xiao had quietly departed from Mount Buzhou, leaving as silently as he had arrived—a hidden architect of fate.
The jade bottle he had given Qiang Liang contained a potent "Dark Cuisine" blend of Saint Essence Blood and converted spiritual nectar. For any other race, it might be too volatile, but for the Ancestral Witches, whose biology was rooted in physical dominance, it was the ultimate tonic.
Di Jiang and the others were already at the Peak Quasi-Saint (Perfection) level. With this blood, the possibility of attaining a Saint-tier physique was no longer a dream. While they wouldn't have the infinite mana of a true Saint, their combat power would transcend the Quasi-Saint realm entirely.
Hongjun and the Sanqing are in for quite a surprise, Ling Xiao thought with a faint smile as he sped toward the Sun Star. If the Sanqing want to give the Yao 'cheats,' I'll give the Witches a 'hack' of my own. Let's see whose is stronger.
Reunion at the Solar Core
Ling Xiao arrived at the Sun Star unnoticed, walking across the churning solar seas. It had been an age since he was last home; a strange sense of nostalgia washed over him. He made his way to the Fusang Tree (fusang tree), where Di Jun and Tai Yi sat in deep meditation.
Ling Xiao snapped his fingers, sending a resonance through the solar flames to wake them.
"Who dares trespass on the Sun—" "Third Brother!"
Di Jun and Tai Yi jumped, their expressions shifting from defensive aggression to wild joy.
"Third Brother, you're back!" Di Jun exclaimed, his happiness at the reunion clear.
"I grew bored of the Chaos," Ling Xiao said casually, as if he had just returned from a short vacation. "I thought I'd come back to clear my head."
"But... coming back like this... aren't you worried?" Tai Yi pointed toward the heavens, his meaning obvious.
"Don't worry, I have my ways," Ling Xiao laughed. He produced two jade bottles. "This is nectar converted from Saint Essence Blood. It should help you."
"Saint Essence Blood?!" The two brothers gasped. They immediately connected this to the rumors of the All-Saints' Sermon. Their brother had actually hunted Saints!
"To think you can already slay a Saint while we are still stuck at the Peak Primordial Golden Immortal (Quasi-Saint) level... it's humiliating," Di Jun sighed, a look of self-deprecation on his face.
"Don't feel too bad," Ling Xiao "consoled" them. "Even if you reach the Grand Unity Golden Immortal (Daluo) rank, you wouldn't necessarily be able to slay one. Saints are... tricky."
Di Jun's face turned slightly green. The truth hurts, but does it have to hurt this much?
Tai Yi, however, was already reaching for his bottle. "Third Brother, why don't you give us a lecture? With your guidance, maybe we can speed up our breakthrough."
"Sure," Ling Xiao agreed immediately. They moved into the Ling Xiao Treasure Hall, sealing the doors. Ling Xiao used the Chaos Pearl to shroud the temple, ensuring that even the eyes of the Saints could not peer inside.
The Tide Turns
While the Golden Crows were in seclusion, the Yao Race finally mobilized. For the first time in history, the Yao were the aggressors. A black tide of demons surged toward the Witch ancestral lands.
The Great Desolation erupted in excitement. No one expected the Yao to be this bold. But then again, with the Five Elements Grand Array, the power dynamic had shifted. After killing an Ancestral Witch in the last battle, the Yao were riding a wave of unprecedented momentum.
At Kunlun Mountain, the Sanqing watched the Yao army with satisfied smiles.
"Kunpeng might lack raw power, but he has the spirit for conquest," Laozi remarked, stroking his beard. "Our investment wasn't in vain."
"This battle will be the final collision," Yuanshi added coldly. "The Luck of both races will perish here. Those 'innately flawed' Witches are finally being purged from history."
He couldn't kill them himself, but watching them be wiped out by his hand-picked "Demon Master" provided a measure of vindictive peace.