Chapter 348: Besieged, the Nine Nine Dispersing Soul Gourd (the book has finally reached a million characters)

Jieyin and Zhunti looked at the many ancestor witches before them, as if a great stone had fallen in their hearts, and they smiled and spoke:

Since you all agree, we will naturally invite the Heavenly Dao to bear witness for you; after you take your oaths, we will immediately rush to the western tribes to see this matter through.

The twelve ancestor witches nodded, their hearts filled with myriad emotions, their faces showing a complex mix of feelings; they had little interest in Jieyin and Zhunti's words, only Di Jiang stepped forward and said: "That's excellent; then please trouble yourselves."

Jieyin smiled and said:

This is a plan for the West; how can it be called trouble? Since you have entered the West, it is the West's joy.

Jieyin turned his head to look at Zhunti and spoke again: "Junior brother, will you come with me?"

Zhunti smiled and said:

Good.

Jieyin and Zhunti's auras intertwined; with their breath, an invisible ripple spread through heaven and earth; although Di Jiang and the others could not see it, they also sensed it.

Zhunti's words were blunt and pierced the heart; Hong Yun showed no particular annoyance, only letting out a long sigh: "My nature, fellow cultivators, you should know; since I have spoken before, regardless of my prior mindset, it will certainly not change."

The correct version is read on 69 Book Bar! (It's the first release from 69 Book Bar, and the edition is a novel.)

If not so, why would you fellow cultivators gather again in my western lands? Could it not be that some treasure has appeared in Xifang Dalu, drawing you to contend over it?

On the path of the Great Dao, hesitating to advance; in cultivation, filled with selfish desires—how dare such a person aspire to the position of sage?

In the end, the two parties parted unhappily; immediately on their return journey, Gong Gong encountered their ambush and nearly lost his life.

Di Jiang nodded, and together with the remaining eleven ancestor witches took a step forward, speaking in unison:

Seeing the two struggling within, Hong Yun spoke with reluctance: "You two should simply hand over the Primordial Purple Qi; my Nine Nine Dispersing Soul Gourd contains endless blood sand, and is daily sacrificed and refined, nourished by the gourd itself."

At the same time he shouted aloud, clearly he was the one being besieged, yet the black-robed Daoist felt as if he had become the aggressor.

In the wilderness it is utterly useless; among living beings it brings no merit; in cultivation it achieves nothing!

Di Jiang and the others had not seen it, but countless heavenly deities plainly witnessed it; innumerable currents of fortune rose from the east and flowed into Xifang Dalu.

Zhu Jiuyin also felt myriad emotions, saying: "Indeed, this is so; Jieyin and Zhunti as opponents are truly difficult to deal with; we once narrowly escaped their harm, but now our positions have shifted, and our hearts have eased somewhat."

At this moment the twelve ancestor witches were anxious beyond measure, for they had first sworn an oath to the Heavenly Dao, after which they would become people of the West!

"Kill me? You would need the ability; since we dare to come out, we naturally will not fear your methods, and how it will end remains unknown."

"Still putting on this false show of affection, borrowing an object in words, trying to make us obediently hand it over!"

Having spoken, Hong Yun raised her hand, and a crimson gourd appeared in her palm—precisely the treasure she had once gathered on Mount Buzhou.

Just as Hong Yun spoke, Zhen Yuanzi had already raised the Earth Book; a massive enclosure surrounded everyone, and Mysterious Yellow Qi poured down, shrouding the place.

On the other side, Jieyin and Zhunti's spirit treasures gleamed as they jointly attacked a black-robed Daoist, striking with extreme ferocity.

The black-robed Daoist also felt intense resentment; he had clearly not intended to act, merely observing from afar, yet he saw Jieyin and Zhunti fly straight at him, and without a word he lunged forward to attack.

"Heaven possesses the virtue of cherishing life; I too am unwilling to use it excessively. Friends, you might heed my words and hand over the Primordial Purple Qi; my earlier statement still holds, and I will surely withdraw—how about that?"

Di Jiang, Zhu Jiuyin, and the others felt a hundred emotions intertwined, while Jieyin and Zhunti seemed oblivious, laughing and saying: "Welcome to my Xifang Dalu; my master-brother duo will now set out to persuade the tribes; Di Jiang, please wait a little longer, and we will surely not betray your trust."

"Under the Heavenly Dao, from today onward, taking the twelve ancestor witches as leaders, my Wu Clan shall enter the West and thereafter become its people."

Di Jiang saw the battle erupt and exclaimed: "Not good! You and I must hurry to help them; even if they die, perhaps they will fulfill their promise afterward!"

Hong Yun could only shake her head helplessly: "Zhunti's words are most refreshing, yet you have left yourself no retreat, forcing me to kill you."

Upon hearing this, Hong Yun's heart tightened, yet she had no thought of retreat, only saying: "If so, then I can only ask to learn your methods."

Meanwhile, Hong Yun and the others, having finally arrived just as the black-robed Daoist was beaten beyond recognition, faced Jieyin and Zhunti, and Hong Yun said: "Friends, this companion of mine has done no wrong to you; why then strike so cruelly? Is it because you bully us in the West, thinking we dare not offend you?"

And when Di Jiang saw the two depart immediately, his face showed a hint of relief, and he sighed:

Jieyin and Zhunti promised them, to help them achieve the position of western overlord, yet now there is not even a trace of it!

When the time comes, they will bear the karma of heaven and earth, with karmic burden upon them, unable to escape the great calamity.

Hong Yun enjoys a fine reputation in the wilderness, her dealings with others mostly sincere; facing Jieyin and Zhunti's mocking words today, she can only remain speechless.

Di Jiang could only force a smile and say:

In this wilderness, perhaps no one wishes more than the twelve ancestor witches at this moment that Jieyin and Zhunti come to harm.

Especially seeing that their attacks seem to consume no divine power, coming one after another, striking him until he has unspeakable suffering.

Although Hong Yun had spoken plainly, Jieyin and Zhunti naturally knew what she sought; facing the crowd surrounding them, Zhunti directly cursed: "Some foolish wretches, still dreaming of the Primordial Purple Qi, without even checking your own merit—do you even have the qualification?"

Jieyin stood aside with downcast eyes, as if Hong Yun and the others were not present, while Zhunti gave a cold chuckle and said:

"Let it be so."

Yet amidst the laughter and chatter, suddenly a divine light flashed in the distance, heaven and earth turned a blank white, and only after a while did a fierce sound erupt.

"Those of Zixiao Palace are proud in spirit, unwilling to contend for the Great Dao's path; today they brazenly come to seize by force—truly shameless!"

Elsewhere, Hong Yun and the others were also filled with doubt; clearly this place was not the agreed-upon battlefield, yet the heavenly-illuminating divine light was so eye-catching, and the black-robed Daoist's message forced them to rush over.

Many ancestor witches cursed aloud, yet their motions to rescue Jieyin and Zhunti were unabated, wishing they could grow two more legs! A thunderbolt fell from the sky; although Di Jiang and the others could not perceive shifts in fortune, they also felt that they had lost something.

"If I did not still have some means, everyone coming to rescue would have been timely enough; otherwise we might not see today's scene—I would say they were still a bit slow."

Beside him, Zhen Yuanzi wanted to say something, but ultimately did nothing; instead, a white-robed Daoist farther away shouted: "Today we undertake to seize treasures—how can we care about superficial words! Let us fight them and rely on our abilities!"

The two almost immediately tried to retreat, but found they could not escape; a red mist instantly enveloped Jieyin and Zhunti, simultaneously covering the surroundings.

Zhunti spat: "You are unworthy!"

Jieyin smiled and said:

Amid the crowd's joy, Hou Tu stepped forward and said: "As long as they persuade the myriad western tribes, and the whole Xifang Dalu falls into our hands, then we will have a substantive legitimate claim over the West."

"In the past the two sides fought; I wished to devour their flesh raw and sleep in their skins, but now that they belong to one side, I finally feel it is secure."

"Thus, we shall await the good news from the two great deities."

Yet today we see Jieyin and Zhunti turn to serve the Wu Clan, making the myriad western tribes submit to their rule—how could we not feel myriad emotions?

"Whoever takes the rise of the West as paramount, with Jieyin and Zhunti as witnesses, may all the western tribes behold it; may heaven and earth examine it."

"Friends, we have met once; today I ask one last time—do you truly refuse to yield the Primordial Purple Qi?"

Jieyin and Zhunti spoke together: "Under the Heavenly Dao, today I, Jieyin and Zhunti, serve as witnesses to guide the Wu Clan into the West; from now on they shall be its people; may heaven and earth examine it."

Now that you fellow cultivators dare to ambush us here, it naturally shows that my two fellow brothers are not in your eyes.

Hongyun heard this, his face instantly flushing, but thinking of his supporters, he still said: "Jieyin, Zhunti, fellow cultivators, we have come today to borrow an item from you two; if you hand it over, we will leave immediately and will not cause you any trouble."

Besieged and forced to hide within the past strong enemies' interior to avert disaster, today the time has come to take revenge!

It can destroy the protective spiritual light of all under heaven; upon contact, flesh and blood vanish instantly, the primordial spirit scatters, and even the true spirit cannot be preserved—extremely perilous.

Outsiders cannot enter, and those inside cannot even think of getting out; ordinary people dare not attack lightly, for fear of damaging the earth's embryonic membrane.

Everyone smiled knowingly; when they had just entered the West, they launched an offensive against the Western lands, whereupon Jieyin and Zhunti came to stop them.

Those copper pillars set up by the Heavenly Court back then—we can now begin preparations; the chains that have bound the Wu Clan for so long can finally be seen as hopeful, and we can undo them.

Fortunately, everything went as Jieyin and Zhunti had expected, with no oversight; they also knew the methods of Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi, and they could certainly hold out until the Twelve Ancestor Witches came to assist.

Jieyin and Zhunti turned and left, not lingering even a moment; in a place where many ancestor witches had never been, a flicker of fierce light flashed in their eyes.

Hongyun! You are unworthy to be my friend! You are unworthy of this title!

The bursting aura spread everywhere, the clouds at the horizon torn apart, showing that heaven and earth were shaking; the Twelve Ancestor Witches felt a flicker of unease, sensing something amiss.

Heaven shows mercy; although he had sat down with Hongyun and others to plot the ambush of Jieyin and Zhunti, he had not yet moved—how did he end up in such a state?

All that was heard was Jieyin and Zhunti angrily shouting: "How dare you, villain!"

If these two have any ulterior motive, how would the myriad tribes of the West view their words from life? And would they consent to this? Then everything would be dark and unclear.

"Saying you'll cause no trouble, dare you swear before the Heavenly Dao that when you came, you never harbored the thought of exterminating my two fellow brothers?"

"You pretentious people, what talk of righteousness as lofty as the clouds? If it were truly so, then after the great calamity of the ferocious beasts, our friendship would still be evident today."

On Mount Buzhou, the heavenly pillar trembled, and several streams of turbid flow surged in from the West, shaking even the heavenly realm.

Jieyin and Zhunti were all smiles at this moment, looking at the approaching Hongyun and others; Jieyin laughed and said: "No, no, although my two fellow brothers have some reputation in the West, they cannot compare to Fellow Cultivator Hongyun in the Primordial."

"My two fellow brothers may have ill repute in the Primordial, but we also act for the sake of all beings in the West; you are utterly shameless—simply intolerable."

Fortunately, the distance is not great, and the black-robed Daoist's position was also carefully selected by Jieyin and Zhunti, making it most convenient for them to rush there.

Gonggong pursed his lips, dissatisfied, and said: "That serves them right; back then, they led many Westerners to besiege me outside my tribe."

As it turns out, even before the Twelve Ancestor Witches gave their consent, Jieyin and Zhunti had already made up their minds to use the Witches' hands to detain a few of Hongyun and company. But they could not speak of this directly to the Witches, for otherwise the Witches would see through the scheme and, regarding joining the West, would likely hold out for a better deal—there would be no such ease today.

At the same time, Di Jiang and company felt that the land beneath their feet had changed, becoming somewhat different from before and feeling closer to them.

Hongyun pulled the stopper, tipped the gourd, and instantly a burst of red mist spewed out, its hue like blood sand; though he had not experienced it, Jieyin and Zhunti could sense its danger.

After Jieyin and Zhunti finished speaking, everyone present felt somewhat tense; upon seeing golden clouds appear on the horizon, they relaxed, turned to the ancestor witches, and said: "Please."

The black-robed Daoist could offer no resistance, only wearily coping, and hastily sent word to Hongyun and company to explain his situation.

The remaining ancestor witches immediately began to chatter, their eyes all smiling; after being bound for so long, they were finally free from the cage!

Others also hurled spiritual treasures into the red mist, divine light flashing, yet there was no cry of pain from Jieyin and Zhunti—only the sound of metal striking metal.

Everyone harbored doubts, but then a golden light suddenly pierced the red mist's seal, revealing itself before their eyes, with Jieyin and Zhunti within that light.

Only after it broke through the red mist did everyone see Jieyin and Zhunti standing atop a golden lotus, the flower blooming with twelve layers.

PS: Thanks to reader Black Cross for the recent tips; I, Phoenix King, hereby express my gratitude.

By the way, I'll let everyone know—this book has finally hit a million words today! It's the first million-word novel of my life! (End of chapter)