181: As expected of Taiyi...

This was the first time Dao Ancestor Hongjun had taken action since merging with the Dao and declaring he would not appear unless the great trend demanded it.

With a single move, he displayed the power of a Saint, forcing back the Pangu True Body summoned by the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

Although he was powerful, it was still within the expectations of the sentient beings in the Primordial World.

What truly left a deep impression on everyone was Qing Wu's punch—the one that sent Taiyi, bolstered by the chaos bell, flying and shattered the dual protective array of the Zhou Tian Star Dou and Hunyuan Heluo.

All living beings were vaguely guessing that another existence rivaling a Saint seemed to have appeared in the Primordial World.

Within the Three Friends Courtyard on Kunlun Mountain.

The Three Pure Ones were somewhat silent.

When they encountered those two Fellow Daoists last time, they had already sensed their strength.

Yet, they didn't seem like completely unattainable existences back then.

But after truly witnessing their formidable power, they realized they were wrong.

Those two Fellow Daoists were truly experts who had taken that step towards Dao validation.

In this way, they had already taken a massive step ahead of them.

To think they were still somewhat complacent about being the strongest among the Three Thousand Guests of Zixiao Palace.

Looking at it now, there are indeed many formidable people in the Primordial World.

Even the arrogant Yuanshi had no critical words to say at this moment.

Tongtian recalled the day he was looked down upon; although he felt dissatisfied, he was glad he hadn't taken any actual action.

Otherwise, he might have been beaten senseless, just like Taiyi.

It was Taishang Laozi who noticed their Dao Hearts were wavering and spoke up:

"Second Brother, Third Brother, there is no need to care too much. Let him be strong; we already have our own method of Dao validation."

"We should focus on our comprehension and not be influenced by others; only then can we gain enlightenment."

As he spoke, a wisp of purple energy flew out from his body and swirled around him, resonating with him; clearly, some Fusion had already occurred.

"The day of Dao validation and becoming a Saint is not far off!"

Yuanshi and Tongtian both nodded in agreement.

Although they were currently lagging behind, they might still catch up from behind... In the West, atop Mount Sumeru.

Having witnessed Qing Wu's action, Jieyin and Zhunti were only now realizing the truth.

So those two Fellow Daoists were already this strong, yet they themselves had not yet comprehended any Opportunity for Dao validation from the Primordial Violet Qi.

This inevitably made them feel uneasy.

But what truly broke their composure was that, compared to the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and even the Yao Race of the Heavenly Court, they were truly too poor.

Although the earth veins of the West had been roughly repaired once by Zhenyuanzi using the Earth Book.

It was only enough to keep the Spiritual Qi from dissipating and meet the most basic requirements for cultivation.

Furthermore, after such a great catastrophe, all the treasures and opportunities in the West, whether already discovered or not, had been destroyed.

Although they were actively working to improve the spiritual essence of the West, they were still a hundred and eight thousand miles away from true prosperity.

Only now did they realize how difficult the Dao Ancestor's words, 'The West shall prosper, you must work hard for it,' truly were.

At this thought, Zhunti's face turned bitter, and his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the eastern lands.

The creatures were outstanding, and the opportunities were limitless. If only... Then, Jieyin feigned composure: "Junior Brother, you are becoming too attached to appearances."

"Since our teacher, the Dao Ancestor, has said so, our West will surely prosper; that day will inevitably come."

"Our current priority is still to refine the Primordial Violet Qi and comprehend the chance for Dao validation."

"Remember, beneath the Saints, all are but ants!"

Hearing this, Zhunti set aside his petty thoughts. "Senior Brother is right."

The two brothers would often boost each other's confidence like this.

There was no other way; without doing so, there would be no hope for the future... Phoenix Perch Valley.

Nuwa, alone in her Dao arena, saw the end of the battle and the withdrawal of the Witches and Yao. She thought to herself, "Serves them right!"

Initially, she was somewhat worried about her elder brother, wondering if he would suffer a calamity in this great war.

But after seeing Dao Ancestor Hongjun and then Qing Wu take action, the situation was settled, and there was nothing left to worry about.

Suddenly, the Primordial Violet Qi within her stirred, and Nuwa immediately felt something.

She then turned her gaze toward the Primordial World.

She could feel that her time for Dao validation was very near.

And the Opportunity lay within the Primordial World.

Without further hesitation, Nuwa rose and walked out of her Dao arena... In the Heavenly Court, Dijun and the other Yao were stabilizing Taiyi's injuries.

Having taken that punch, Taiyi had fainted on the spot.

If the chaos bell hadn't automatically awakened him, he wouldn't have known how long he would have remained unconscious.

When he woke up, he found himself near the East Sea.

From the region of Mount Buzhou to the vicinity of the East Sea—he had truly been beaten senseless.

However, thanks to the protection of the Heavenly Court's Luck and the favor of the Starlight of the Firmament on his body.

During his unconscious state, he also exerted a subtle influence on this part of the world.

The Solar True Fire dissipated on its own, enlightening many spiritual plants. Fire Mulberry Trees sprang up one after another, adding more Life Qi to this island.

This place was named Tang Valley.

"Donghuang, how are you?" Ying Zhao asked in the Heavenly Court.

The group of Yao Saints behind him also looked very concerned.

Whenever they recalled Taiyi recklessly facing that world-destroying punch to buy them time to deploy the array.

They couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

Taiyi waved his hand and laughed loudly, "It's nothing! A mere punch cannot harm my foundation."

"I feel like I could still take on ten Ancestral Witches!"

Despite his words, Taiyi blinked, and in his mind, a fist the size of a sandbag seemed to be constantly approaching, impossible to shake off.

The Yao Saints once again looked at him with admiration.

As expected of Donghuang Taiyi, he easily accomplished what they could not.

After a brief moment of joy, the hall fell into silence once again.

It was simply because, after this battle, they had a much clearer understanding of the Witch Race's combat power.

Especially the Twelve Divine Gods and Demons Array of the Ancestral Witches.

They could find no way to break that power which stood above all else.

The thought of a Sky-Opening Divine Axe hanging over their heads—how could they not be worried?

If the Saint hadn't stepped in to block it for them, they would likely have been annihilated under that single axe strike.

Dijun scanned the crowd, and seeing the low morale, he said in a heavy voice, "Everyone, although the Witch Race is strong, they are not invincible. Recently, while deducing the heavenly secrets, I have found a way to break the deadlock!"

"Is Your Majesty telling the truth?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of all the Yao Saints present, including Taiyi, lit up.

If the Divine Gods and Demons Array of the Ancestral Witches was broken, although the Witch Race would still be strong, the Yao Race wouldn't feel so powerless.

If the Ancestral Witches fought individually, they could always find a way to deal with them; at worst, they could just let their Donghuang Taiyi take on ten of them.

Besides, those ordinary members of the Witch Race were even easier to handle.

With the Yao Race's numbers in the hundreds of millions, they could simply overwhelm them through sheer quantity.

Therefore, Dijun's claim that he could counter that Divine Gods and Demons Array was undoubtedly heartening news.

Among the crowd, Fuxi was lost in thought.

The way to counter that power above all else that Dijun mentioned was likely... becoming a Saint!