Dong! The third chime of the bell echoed.
The body of Jin Ling Saint Mother, both inside and out, was crushed by the violent force of spatial energy. A mouthful of fresh blood spurted out, leaving her gravely injured and on the brink of death.
This is what it means to take on seven Ancestor Witches in the Primordial World!
The Power of Time within the small courtyard rapidly dissipated, and it reverted back to the ordinary, unremarkable courtyard it was before, save for a young man who had collapsed into a deep sleep.
To Xi He, Jin Ling Saint Mother was a young one in every sense.
After a while, confirming that Jin Ling Saint Mother was completely shattered and had fallen into a self-protective unconscious state, Xi He revealed her figure and moved closer, though her appearance seemed significantly more illusory now.
Although she had only briefly dragged Jin Ling into a past temporal projection, and even then only with the help of favorable terrain, the damage was entirely inflicted by Taiyi himself. Nevertheless, the strain on her current state was no small matter.
Looking at Jin Ling Saint Mother lying on the ground, blood streaming from all seven orifices, her battle-worn robes in tatters, Xi He carefully wiped the bloodstains from her face, examined her for a moment, then thoroughly "checked" her body again. Satisfied, she revealed a pleased expression, gently lifted her with soft golden light, and carried her into a side hall...
With Nezha entering the Sun Star’s origin, the restless Sun Star was finally pacified, no longer continuing to expand.
Outside, Hao Tian breathed a sigh of relief at the sight, while inwardly conjecturing whether it was Jin Ling Saint Mother who broke the stalemate or if the Western Pharmacist had played a role.
As for Guang Chengzi and Nezha, lacking Quasi-Saint cultivation, Hao Tian viewed their involvement as mere formalities.
Unlike the Sun Star, which was in a lordless state, the Taiyin Star remained under the stewardship of the Moon Deity, Heng E. The Immortals had gathered to assist Heng E in alleviating the immense pressure, helping disperse the spiritual energy accumulated over countless eons within the Taiyin Star’s origin space.
For the Immortals, this was no small opportunity.
But would Heng E really be so kind as to grant Hao Tian, who had always sealed her Taiyin Star, this favor?
Silver Quasi-Crystal energy continually cascaded down, flooding the Immortals below who maintained a grand formation to absorb the lunar spiritual energy. The silver light grew denser, gradually submerging them...
In the blink of an eye, three more years passed.
In the Mortal World, Ji Fa, Jiang Ziya, and others found themselves firmly stuck at Mengjin, unable to make any progress due to the obstruction of the Seven Attendant Immortals. The situation was stable on all fronts.
Meanwhile, within the Sun Star, Nezha finally gained preliminary recognition from the Sun Star’s origin. The process wasn’t particularly complicated—it was simply that Nezha’s cultivation was too shallow.
A brilliant golden Divine Rune once again condensed within Nezha’s Divine Soul, granting him the new title of Deity of the Sun.
Currently, the acquisition of divine positions in the Primordial World generally falls into three categories. The first is appointment by the Heavenly Court, such as Nezha’s earliest position as a Thunder Department God.
The second is ascending to godhood through incense and wish power, a common path for mortals with great merit.
The third, like Nezha’s case, bypasses the Heavenly Court entirely to directly attain recognition of a divine position—a forceful ascension. The downside is falling out of favor with Hao Tian, but the upside is that this divine position cannot be easily revoked, and the connection with the Sun Star grows immensely stronger.
As Nezha’s consciousness returned to his body, he immediately noticed something off about his Dao Body.
After having been flooded with the Sun Star’s energy earlier, he felt as though he had overindulged. But now, that feeling had completely vanished, replaced instead by a sensation of being overnourished.
Opening his eyes, he found himself lying beneath the Fusang Tree.
Beside him, Xi He leaned against the tree, gazing at him with a warm smile.
Nezha shifted his body, but to his surprise, he leapt astonishingly high. As someone proficient in the Power Dao, with near-perfect control over his physical strength, this kind of lack of control should never have occurred.
Stretching out his hand to examine himself, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he seemed to have grown a bit "plump."
"Elder, what’s going on with me?"
Without rising, Xi He smiled and said, "I noticed your origin was insufficient, so I used a secret technique to help replenish it. Your Dao Body is exceptionally adaptable, which led to an outcome that even surprised me."
Nezha was speechless. His physical body had already been transformed by Pangu’s Power—could its potential truly be anything less than vast?
After a brief period of acclimation, Nezha fully grasped the new information conveyed by his Dao Body. Though his Eight-Nine Profound Skills had previously suffered a breakdown that weakened his physical body, it was now stronger than ever.
His blood had fully transformed into brilliant gold, and while Witches and Demons once fought fiercely, his Golden Crow Bloodline and Houtu Bloodline merged naturally and harmoniously.
Nezha reckoned that, going forward, not many would believe he was originally of Human Clan lineage.
At this point, his physical body was impervious to any harm below the Daluo Golden Immortal level.
The enhancement of his physical body was just a bonus. His current foundation was already comparable to that of certain Innate Sacred Beings. As a result, his overall capabilities were substantially elevated.
In the Primordial World, origins truly mattered a great deal.
Nezha’s rapid progress in cultivation seemed impressive, but compared to someone like Yunxiao, who began as a Golden Immortal upon achieving form, or Nuwa, who became a Daluo Golden Immortal upon transformation, his journey had merely reached their starting point.
Nezha offered his sincere gratitude.
Xi He waved casually and said, "It’s merely because I feel a connection with you."
Seeing Xi He’s demeanor of a solitary, widowed elder who remained behind, Nezha decided not to rush off. He stayed, sitting nearby and chatting about life with Xi He.
"What? You’re ranked sixth among them?"
Nezha chuckled awkwardly and explained, "At the time, their minds were underdeveloped. Somehow, I ended up voluntarily stepping into the role of Old Six."
Suppressing her laughter, Xi He asked, "Then what about Old Ten—no, Old Eleventh? What’s he up to outside?"
Nezha wasn’t sure what Lu Ya was busy with these days.
"I heard he seems to be planning to become a monk."
With a smack, Xi He stood up, muttering phrases like "little rascal" and "no good" under her breath as she paced back and forth.
Nezha merely shrugged, raising his small hand in a gesture that clearly said, "None of my business."
After fretting for a while, Xi He’s expression suddenly softened, as if she had thought of something.
Wearing a playful smile, she said, "Since it’s our first meeting, I’ve prepared a gift for you as an elder. Follow me to take a look."
Nezha stood up eagerly, nodding with excitement. He loved generous elders who didn’t hold back.
Following Xi He as they wove through various palace halls, Xi He explained the function of each area to Nezha along the way.
"This place is the Demon Court’s Heavenly Prison, where all major offenders were once held. During the final battle, these prisoners were taken by His Majesty as sacrificial offerings."
They continued deeper into one of the great halls within the Heavenly Prison. The surrounding red light pulsed intensely, indicating the hall was still operational.
Several thick iron chains inscribed with runes stretched outward, tightly binding the figure at the center.
Pointing to the figure bound inside, Xi He said, "This is my gift to you."
Nezha squinted for a closer look and saw that the captive was none other than the starkly bare Jin Ling Saint Mother.
He took another look.
Jin Ling Saint Mother’s snow-white body was now covered with dense, violet runes. They exuded an eerie yet strangely captivating allure.