Chapter 76: First Encounter with the Twelve Ancestral Witches

So that's how it is!

After listening to Tongtian Jiaozhu's account, Lin Fan was suddenly enlightened.

Things had reached this point, and he finally understood what this so-called Pangu Will was.

It was a lingering obsession left behind by Pangu before he died.

However, this obsession was not a true descendant of Pangu in any real sense; rather, it belonged to those who feared death and clung to life, and was even an existence unable to take human form.

Precisely because of this, this obsession emerged and attempted to hoodwink the Three Purities in the name of Pangu.

It was a pity, however, that it did not understand the Three Purities at all, which led to its failure.

The Three Purities.

Do not be fooled by their self-proclaimed status as Pangu Orthodox; they were independent individuals.

Pangu's One Qi Transforms into Three Purities was, in reality, three independent individuals, and even independent personalities.

They could acknowledge Pangu, revere Pangu, and even become Pangu, but they would absolutely not allow Pangu to appear before them.

Even if it were merely a sliver of obsession.

Even if it were merely an existence unable to take human form.

To the Three Purities, this was an existence that could not be ignored, and indeed, could not be allowed to survive.

Unfortunately, the Three Purities were still weak at that time and could not directly obliterate it, which led to it escaping to where the Twelve Ancestral Witches were, and it even gained the recognition of the Ancestral Witches, becoming the Pangu Will that now protects the Wu Clan.

"That's not right!"

Suddenly, Lin Fan's body jolted.

Why was Tongtian telling him these things? He had even brought him along.

Was this the kind of thing a junior like him should know? Was this something that a mere Inner Disciple like him should be aware of?

Most importantly, having learned so much, wouldn't he be dragged into it? This completely contradicted his "Dao of Keeping a Low Profile."

Subconsciously, Lin Fan turned his head to look at Tongtian Jiaozhu and said cautiously, "Master, I~"

"Do not worry."

Seeming to see through Lin Fan's thoughts, Tongtian Jiaozhu waved his hand indifferently and then said, "This matter has nothing much to do with you, nor will it affect you. You are my disciple; any karma or crisis belongs to me."

"As for your inner doubts, I can answer you directly: from the moment you absorbed the Extreme Yang Origin in the Thirty-Three Heavens and learned the Killing Sword Dao, you were no longer a simple Inner Disciple, but a candidate for my Mantle Successor."

"I know this, and the top Great Supernatural Power holders of the Thirty-Three Heavens know this as well. Do you understand?"

Once these words were spoken, Lin Fan fell silent.

He knew that Tongtian Jiaozhu's words were not false.

Precisely because of this, Lin Fan's heart was filled with helplessness.

After all, this matter had completely implicated him, and he had no possibility of resisting it.

Yet, all of this had already happened; his status as a candidate for Mantle Successor could no longer be shaken, and it would be impossible to act low-key in the future—he would be the center of attention wherever he went!

"Sigh~"

"I didn't want to stand out, I didn't want to be so sharp and exposed."

"I just wanted to keep a low profile, to keep a low profile until the grand finale~"

Sighing inwardly, Lin Fan quickly adjusted his mindset.

Since this had happened and he could not resist, he had to adjust his strategy to preserve himself as much as possible.

Thinking of this, Lin Fan no longer suppressed his curiosity and continued to ask, "I understand Master's meaning, and I will not let Master down."

"But Master, according to what you said, that so-called Pangu Will was no match for you and your two senior brothers back then, so how was it able to hoodwink the Twelve Ancestral Witches? It even became the Pangu Will that now protects the Wu Clan!"

"Although the Twelve Ancestral Witches have no Primordial Spirit, as beings formed from Pangu Essence Blood, their intelligence cannot be underestimated."

This was no joke.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches were not savages or brutes in the true sense.

Even without a Primordial Spirit, their wits and schemes were absolutely top-tier; otherwise, they could not have shaken the Great Desolation, or developed the Wu Clan to such a level.

"This is also something I am curious about."

Waving his hand, Tongtian Jiaozhu said with a complex expression, "Based on my understanding of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, they would never allow a guy who claims to be Pangu to hold power over them, yet they did exactly that. It is simply mind-boggling."

"As for that Pangu Will, hmph, if not for the blessing of the faith of the entire Wu Clan, what is it? I could destroy it with a flick of my hand."

"But now that it has obtained the blessing of the Wu Clan's fortune, its own power is not much inferior to a Saint's, which is why I find it troublesome. After all, it is not a human form; formless things are not easy to kill."

Speaking of this, Tongtian Jiaozhu's expression was solemn.

Clearly, he was also somewhat wary of the current Pangu Will.

"So that's it!"

"Using the blessing of the Wu Clan's faith—isn't this a different kind of Proving the Dao through fortune?"

Muttering to himself, Lin Fan roughly understood the reason.

Precisely because of this, Lin Fan's expression also became more serious and grave at this moment.

After all, they were about to face the Twelve Ancestral Witches. The Pangu Physical Body they summoned by deploying the Twelve Capital Divine Array was already not inferior to a Saint, and now there was another Pangu Will that was not much inferior to a Saint. If they really started fighting...

Tap, tap, tap—

Just at this moment, a series of footsteps rang out.

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see the figures of the Twelve Ancestral Witches walking out from the Pangu Hall not far away.

As far as the eye could see, the Twelve Ancestral Witches looked no different from ordinary people, and their height was only about two or three meters.

But this was merely a false body; their true forms were behemoths tens of millions of feet tall. However, since cultivators within the Great Desolation generally appeared this way, they also presented themselves in this manner.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Tongtian!"

"Greetings, Tongtian Saint!"

"..."

Very quickly, the twelve Ancestral Witches arrived in the area before Tongtian Jiaozhu, cupping their hands in a salute one by one with solemn expressions and not a hint of a smile; those who didn't know better would have thought he owed them a great deal of money.

In fact, if it were not for the fact that Tongtian Jiaozhu's cultivation had reached the level of a supreme Saint, the twelve Ancestral Witches likely would not have taken the initiative to salute him.

"Alright, there is no need for these empty gestures."

Waving his hand, Tongtian Jiaozhu swept a glance at the twelve Ancestral Witches with indifference, then spoke: "Speak directly, for what reason have you sought me out here?"

"This seat has no relationship with you, and the conflict between us is the greatest of all."

Hearing this, the expressions of the twelve Ancestral Witches stiffened.

Although the relationship between the two sides was already poor, Tongtian Jiaozhu's heartless words still made them uncomfortable.

But thinking of their purpose this time, even if they were unwilling, the twelve Ancestral Witches did not show any signs of anger.

After exchanging glances, the Ancestral Witch Dijiang from within the group stepped forward, cupped his hands in a salute, and said: "It is the honor of us Ancestral Witches that Tongtian Saint could come!"

"We sought out fellow Daoist this time because we believe that among the Three Pure Ones, only fellow Daoist is truly worthy of recognition and friendship."

"However, the matter is somewhat important, so it would be better if we did not discuss it here; why don't we go into Pangu Hall to talk?"