As Houtu's words fell, the countless souls above the Nether Blood Sea all looked at her. Then, to the astonishment of the Styx River, they all prostrated themselves before Houtu!
At the same time, Houtu understood why she had felt a mysterious pull that had drawn countless souls from all directions to her after she left Pangu Hall.
This world was beckoning to her! Since Father God opened the heavens and established the earth, there had been no place for souls to reincarnate in this world!
Only with the endless cycle of souls could the world continue to circulate!
As Houtu thought of this, a thunderous roar echoed in her mind. She had attained enlightenment!
Concurrently, in Pangu Hall on Mount Buzhou, the eleven Ancestral Witches suddenly had an ominous premonition! Dijiang spoke:
"Brothers, do you feel anything? I feel utterly restless!"
After Dijiang spoke, the other Ancestral Witches chimed in:
"I feel the same way. I thought it was just me!"
Dijiang's face changed drastically upon hearing this. Anything that could cause all eleven Ancestral Witches to feel such unease could not be a trivial matter!
Zhu Jiuyin's expression turned grim. He addressed Dijiang:
"Big Brother! Could it be that our little sister is in trouble?"
The Ancestral Witches' faces contorted in fear. Dijiang immediately declared:
"It's highly probable. Little sister shares the same origin as us. Only when an Ancestral Witch is in danger would all of us feel it. Let us depart at once to find her!"
After Dijiang spoke, all the Ancestral Witches erupted with a sky-shattering rage!
The great powers of the Primordial World felt eleven terrifying auras surge from Mount Buzhou. No one understood what had happened to the Twelve Ancestral Witches!
Why were there only eleven auras? The Twelve Ancestral Witches always acted as one!
The eleven Ancestral Witches were now solely focused on finding Houtu. If they discovered who dared to harm their little sister, they would drag that person to hell with them!
As the eleven Ancestral Witches unleashed their power, the Demon Court immediately entered a state of combat readiness. Taiyi and Changxi unfurled the Sun and Moon Banners, and the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Array was poised for activation at any moment!
Di Jun, too, prepared to unleash the River Diagram and Luo Book!
After all, no one knew why the Ancestral Witches were acting so erratically. If they were to storm the Demon Court and engage in a slaughter, the Demon Court could not bear such losses!
However, Di Jun was slightly reassured to see that the eleven Ancestral Witches were not heading towards the Demon Court.
In the Nether Blood Sea, Houtu sensed the eleven auras from Mount Buzhou and wondered what could have made her eleven elder siblings so enraged!
Patriarch Styx felt the eleven auras emanating from Mount Buzhou and then looked at Houtu before him. A dreadful feeling arose within him!
Could these Twelve Ancestral Witches be intending to attack him!
Styx quickly reviewed his recent actions in his mind. He found no reason why he would have offended the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
Upon sensing the presence of her eleven elder siblings, Houtu also unleashed a terrifying aura!
The eleven Ancestral Witches, who had just rushed out of Pangu Hall, felt a sense of relief upon sensing Houtu's aura. At least, Houtu was safe for now!
The eleven Ancestral Witches immediately headed towards Houtu!
Styx, seeing the eleven Ancestral Witches approaching the Nether Blood Sea with palpable anger, turned ashen. He immediately conjured the Twelve-Petaled Karma Red Lotus to shield himself!
Houtu said nothing about Styx's actions, as her eleven elder siblings, for reasons unknown, seemed to be coming with ill intent!
Upon arriving at the Nether Blood Sea, the eleven Ancestral Witches, seeing that Houtu was unharmed, finally relaxed. Then, their gazes turned hostile towards Styx!
Styx, encountering the unwelcoming glares of the eleven Ancestral Witches, felt utterly bewildered, as if he had been treated unfairly. Styx could only place his hope on Houtu, wishing she could provide an explanation!
Houtu, understanding Styx's predicament, immediately spoke:
"Big Brother, Fellow Daoist Styx is not involved!"
Upon hearing this, Dijiang retracted his hostile gaze and turned his attention back to Houtu!
Houtu looked at her eleven elder siblings with a complex expression. She never imagined she would see them again!
The eleven Ancestral Witches also noticed the unusual look in Houtu's eyes. They looked at her in confusion, not understanding why she bore a look that seemed like a final farewell!
Simultaneously, a suffocating feeling gripped the hearts of the eleven Ancestral Witches, as if they were about to lose something precious!
This was the first time they had experienced such a feeling since their birth. They could not comprehend why they felt this way, only that it was deeply unsettling!
Houtu's gaze swept across the faces of her eleven elder siblings, and tears unbidden streamed from her eyes!
Seeing Houtu weep, the eleven Ancestral Witches became flustered. They did not know what was wrong with her. Dijiang quickly asked:
"Little sister, what's wrong? Who bullied you? Tell Brother, and he'll get revenge for you!"
Houtu remained silent, wanting only to gaze upon her closest kin during these final moments!
Sensing that her time was drawing near, Houtu forced out three drops of her essence blood of Earth from her body, which then slowly drifted towards Dijiang.
Houtu knew that the Twelve Heavenly God-Devil Array could only be performed by all twelve Ancestral Witches together. She hoped these three drops of essence blood would aid her elder siblings.
Without the Twelve Heavenly God-Devil Array, the Ancestral Witches would surely be at a disadvantage when fighting against the Demon Court, which possessed the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Array!
Dijiang, watching the three drops of Earth essence blood fly into his palm, could not comprehend Houtu's intentions, and his sense of unease grew stronger!
Seeing the three drops of essence blood safely in Dijiang's hand, Houtu smiled. She then turned towards the Nether Blood Sea and declared:
"I am Houtu. Perceiving the incompleteness of the heavens and earth, and the plight of wandering souls with nowhere to go, I now willingly offer my body to become the Six Paths of Reincarnation, governing the transmigration of souls, and establishing the six realms: Heaven, Humanity, Asura, Beasts, Hungry Ghosts, and Hell!"
As Houtu's voice faded, her body emanated a dazzling, ethereal light!
When the light dispersed, Houtu was nowhere to be seen. All that remained in her place was a dark, swirling mass of light!
Within this mass, something seemed to be gestating. Then, it split into six distinct orbs of light, connected by a subtle, ethereal glow!
All the souls above the Nether Blood Sea, upon seeing these six orbs of light, bowed respectfully to them with a solemn three bows and nine prostrations!
Then, the six orbs of light emitted a pure, white radiance. As the souls were bathed in this light, they seemed to undergo a sublimation, slowly drifting towards the six orbs!
Houtu's voice echoed throughout the Primordial World. Upon hearing her words, all beings in the Primordial World, except for the Saints, knelt towards the Nether Blood Sea and cried out:
"We pay homage to Empress Houtu!"
Dijiang, his eyes red with unshed tears, looked at the six orbs of light and said to Zhu Jiuyin:
"Second Brother, use Time Reversal. Little sister Houtu will be alright!"
Zhu Jiuyin, hearing this, also snapped back to reality and immediately employed Time Reversal!
He shouted:
"Time Reversal!"
As Zhu Jiuyin's words fell, the surrounding environment began to shift. A speck of dust that had just fallen from the air returned to its original position!
However, the six orbs of light seemed unaffected by Zhu Jiuyin's divine ability!
Zhu Jiuyin tried several more times, his face pale, and shook his head at Dijiang!