Chapter 276: Come Be the Great Witch

The Great Witch, turning to the Shamaness behind her, ordered a search across the entire island for Xi Tao's family.

Then the Great Witch's gaze fell on Lin Ling's face, not with surprise but with a faint remorse: "Lin Ling, no matter what, it was you who took the Huo Mother Elixir and thus earned my attention; you know in your heart that this matter is not without innocence."

The people inside the Wushen Temple also gradually grew biased in their hearts.

Yes, all of this, regardless of whether Diao Ji confesses, or whether other females who took the Huo Mother Elixir are useless, or whether the threat to Xi Tao is real, Lin Ling indeed received the Great Witch's attention because of the Huo Mother Elixir.

Under the despising gazes of the Shamanesses, Lin Ling felt darkness over her eyes, an unprecedented despair surged, her chest felt as if weighed down by ten thousand jin of stone, and she collapsed weakly to the ground.

It shouldn't have.

It shouldn't be like this…

She wanted to open her mouth to continue the sophistry, but meeting the Great Witch's expression, an inexplicable chill ran through her heart, as if the pheromones she had been using to confuse the Great Witch were suddenly useless!

The blow Lin Ling suffered was so huge that she could not accept it in her heart.

She was a reincarnated one with special pheromones, knowing things others didn't, and she had even killed Fang Yue Dan…

Why did Lin Manzhi appear!

Why. Why.

Lin Ling was going insane; her body, in self‑preservation, felt she was now in a nightmare, that all of this was false.

"Until the Huo Mother Elixir matter is clarified, imprison Lin Ling on the eighth underground level," the Great Witch's hoarse voice rang in the great hall.

It concerns a Shamaness with a Pregnancy Value of 2; these should be investigated thoroughly from the ground up.

Upon hearing that the Great Witch invited the Cangqiong Lord and Mo Lie Lord to jointly investigate the Huo Mother Elixir with the Wushen Temple, Lin Manzhi felt that things were basically stable.

Xi Tao's Beast Husband soon found her in the dense forest of the Tide‑Chasing tribe on Lei Ting Continent, and Xi Tao's family finally reunited.

Those awaiting Diao Yi were executed on the spot; all the private assets he had accumulated were distributed to the females he had harmed.

And Lin Ling, the punishment she faced was equally severe.

As a precious female possessing pheromones, she will forever be imprisoned in the female prison established underground on the Mountain Classic Beast Temple island, her pheromones drained daily to make elixirs, until she naturally ages and dies.

The Wushen Temple's grand turmoil was swiftly quelled.

After Lin Manzhi and others dealt with the Huo Mother Elixir matter, when she met the Great Witch again, she was invited to the Great Witch's sleeping chamber.

Regarding the females' private room, Lin Manzhi entered alone, while Mo Lie stayed in the outer hall waiting for her.

In the Great Witch's sleeping chamber, the resting area displayed exquisite jeweled ornaments and several precious green plants.

Behind the screen, the inner room held a massive bed at its center; Su Li and a dozen Shamaness elders stood at the bedside. The Great Witch never receives guests in such a private place of the sleeping chamber, except when her body has a serious problem.

Lin Manzhi had a premonition that the Great Witch might be reaching the end of her life.

Su Li and the others, seeing Lin Manzhi, stepped aside to clear a spot by the bed.

She caught a glimpse of the figure on the bed.

The Great Witch lay half‑reclined, a soft backrest behind her; her silver hair was loose, she wore simple‑colored robes, her eyes unusually bright, and she raised a hand to point at the only stool beside her for Lin Manzhi.

Lin Manzhi pursed her lips and approached; under the solemn gazes of several older females, she asked nothing further and obediently sat on the stool.

She lifted her eyes to look at the half‑reclined Great Witch.

The Great Witch looks so weak.

Having been invited to the Mountain Classic Beast Temple to meet the Great Witch, she had been occupied with the elixir matters and hadn't had time to bring up the Dragon Vein exchange with the Great Witch.

Given the Great Witch's current condition, she wasn't sure whether she had the energy to discuss the Dragon Vein matter.

The lying Great Witch scanned the people in the room and said, "Everyone is present, so let us begin discussing the next Great Witch."

Su Li slowly inhaled deeply, holding back the regret in her heart.

In the past few days she had been following the Great Witch, and at that time she recommended Lin Manzhi to her; thereafter the Great Witch convened a dozen Shamaness elders for several discussions, and by this day everyone finally agreed on the matter.

The people in the room wore smiles of joy, each silently and solemnly waiting to hear the Great Witch continue.

Lin Manzhi felt a bit bewildered, her gaze quietly shifting to Su Li, who gave her a solemn nod.

What?

She looked puzzled, whispered and interrupted, "Um… you Wushen Temple are deciding the Great Witch matters; I'm an outsider here, perhaps it's not appropriate for me? Should I leave first and return after your discussion?"

She stood up from the stool, but Su Li reached out and pushed her back onto it.

Lin Manzhi, now seated again on the stool, said: "??"

She looked up bewildered, and the Shamaness elders in the room, including the Great Witch, gazed at her kindly.

Huh?

A premonition flashed in Lin Manzhi's mind; she turned back to look at the Great Witch again.

The others also respectfully looked at the Great Witch, awaiting her words.

"Since I entered the aging phase, I have been searching for the next successor to the Great Witch of the Mountain Classic Beast Temple, to become the highest Great Witch of all continent's Wushen Temples," the Great Witch exhaled slowly, a trace of deep sorrow flashing in her hoary eyes, suppressed deep within:

"But it turns out it's because I'm old; the successor I once valued was deceiving me and you with lies."

A few heavy sighs rose in the room; everyone realized Lin Ling's deeds, and a group of Shamaness elders showed angry expressions at having been duped by such a vicious female.

It's all Lin Ling's skill at disguise!

Su Li's face was also angry; Lin Manzhi, the only calm one present, sat quietly.

"When we select a Great Witch, we primarily consider the strength of a Shamaness's pheromones; compared with the Beast Transformation energy of male beasts, pheromones are the only power females possess, equal to the vital reproductive ability of Pregnancy Value, and they are the foundation for refining elixirs—processing herbs, various bones and beast blood all require pheromones as a catalyst before a proper elixir can be made."

The Great Witch delivered a long speech, her breath uneven, and after a moment of heavy breathing she continued:

"Until last year, Su Li discovered Lettuce in Kuangsha City, confirming that raw Lettuce, if abundant enough, can substitute the effect of taking elixirs; subsequently, Holy Maiden Fruit, Agave, watermelon and other edible medicinal plants appeared in succession. These plants were not only tasty but even more effective than the elixirs."

She lifted her gaze to Lin Manzhi sitting beside her, extended a hand marked with age spots, and said, "As the cultivator of these medicinal plants, your ability surpasses that of all Shamanesses in the Wushen Temple—"

Lin Manzhi was looked at by the Great Witch with a kind, satisfied gaze.

The conjecture in her heart earlier now felt even closer.

She heard the Great Witch continue:

"Lin Manzhi, you are the most suitable; I will pass the Great Witch's identity and status to you."