40: Tai Chi Qi, longing for Hou Tu

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a hundred years had passed.

During the time after Ancestral Witch Houtu's return, Li Yun sparred daily with the Great Witches and Lesser Witches of the Wu Clan.

At first, he was no match for them, barely able to put up any resistance.

However, as time went on, with the blessing of his top-tier Comprehension Ability, Li Yun's ability to learn was incredibly rapid.

This led to his close-combat techniques reaching an extremely powerful level in just a few decades. Because he spent so much time in close-quarters combat, he also learned a great deal about martial arts like Tai Chi Fist and Eight Extremities Fist.

But Li Yun did not major in Eight Extremities Fist; instead, he chose the more difficult Tai Chi Fist.

In fifty years, he successfully brought it to Major Achievement and condensed the Taiji Qi.

Extremely hard and masculine, yet extremely soft and feminine—the unity of Yin and Yang, peerlessly dominant.

This meant that even though Li Yun's Physical Body Realm was not as high as those Lesser Witches and Great Witches, he could still hold his own against them. Ordinary Lesser Witches were no longer his match, and even some Great Witches would suffer if they grew careless.

Consequently, the members of the Wu Clan tribe became even more enthusiastic.

For no other reason than the fact that the Taiji Qi was simply too powerful.

Unlike the biased Taiji Qi previously practiced by some Wu Clan members—which was either purely hard and masculine or purely soft and feminine, making it little different from the Eight Extremities Protective Aura in their eyes—

Li Yun's successful condensation of the true Taiji Qi opened their eyes. Witnessing its true power, they felt an immense longing and aspiration in their hearts.

Although they could no longer Cultivate or change their own paths,

Li Yun's perfect Taiji Qi made those Wu Clan members who had yet to condense their own Protective Aura restless. Who wouldn't want to obtain such a powerful existence?

Under these circumstances, besides sparring with the Wu Clan members, Li Yun also spent his days teaching Tai Chi Fist. More than ninety percent of the Houtu Tribe had begun to learn from him.

"Lord Li Yun!"

On this day, a Lesser Witch hurried to Li Yun's location and said, "Lord, Ancestral Witch Houtu has returned."

"She's back?"

Raising an eyebrow, Li Yun stopped his Tai Chi Fist instruction.

Looking at the thirsty-for-knowledge Houtu Tribe members surrounding him, he immediately clapped his hands and said, "Alright, I'm going to see Ancestral Witch Houtu. You all practice well on your own!"

"Remember, Tai Chi Fist emphasizes balance and harmony. Do not seek quick results during Cultivation, or the Taiji Qi you produce won't achieve the harmony of Yin and Yang and will instead be inferior!"

"Yes!"

"Understood!"

"..."

Hearing this, the Wu Clan members present all responded in agreement.

They didn't think too much about Li Yun's departure.

After all, Li Yun had never said he was leaving, and such a thought hadn't crossed their minds.

After watching Li Yun leave, they immediately resumed their practice... "Greetings, Ancestral Witch Houtu!"

Inside the palace, Li Yun approached Ancestral Witch Houtu, cupped his fists in a salute, and said, "Fellow Daoist Houtu, I plan to leave."

"Leave?"

Houtu, who had been smiling just a moment ago, froze. She looked at Li Yun in disbelief and said, "Fellow Daoist, what you just said about leaving is—"

"Yes."

Nodding, Li Yun saw the disbelief in Ancestral Witch Houtu's eyes, but he could not waste time here.

With that in mind, Li Yun immediately said, "My cultivation has reached the Taiyi True Immortal level. The further I go, the slower the progress. I need tempering and Opportunities to improve quickly."

Hearing this, Houtu fell silent.

She knew Li Yun had made up his mind, and there was no point or possibility in trying to stop him.

After a brief silence, Ancestral Witch Houtu looked up and asked, "Then where do you plan to go?"

"The current Honghuang World is not safe. Traveling randomly could be dangerous. What if—"

To be honest, Houtu didn't want Li Yun to leave.

Not just because Li Yun taught Ancient Martial Arts to the Wu Clan, but mainly because she didn't want him to go, to take risks, or to be in danger.

"Fellow Daoist, there is no need to worry."

Waving his hand, Li Yun understood Houtu's meaning.

He could even feel a certain special affection from her. Unfortunately, this was the Honghuang World, where the strong were respected.

Unless one stood at the top of the pyramid, everything was an illusion and could not be grasped.

For instance, Ancestral Witch Houtu's future.

As a Transmigrator, he knew all too well the future fate of the Wu and Demon clans.

Although Ancestral Witch Houtu did not die in the Great Calamity, she sacrificed her body to form Reincarnation, becoming Pingxin of the Earthly Dao, forever confined within the Netherworld.

If he didn't have enough power, how could he harbor other thoughts? If he couldn't even protect his own woman, then nothing would matter.

Thinking of this, Li Yun spoke up: "Fellow Daoist, I plan to go to Kunlun Mountain!"

"I met the Three Pure Ones at Kunlun Mountain before, and they invited me to stay there for a while."

"I know your relationship with the Three Pure Ones is not good, and there are even conflicts. But it cannot be denied that as the Three Pure Ones formed from the pangu primordial spirit, they indeed possess much of the Pangu Inheritance I need, so—"

Hearing this, the words at the tip of Houtu's tongue were swallowed back down.

She was no fool; how could she not understand Li Yun's meaning? He was going to Kunlun Mountain for the Pangu Inheritance held by the Three Pure Ones.

Though she didn't know where Li Yun got the confidence that the Three Pure Ones would hand over the Legacy, she tactfully refrained from asking further.

After a moment of deliberation, Ancestral Witch Houtu looked up at Li Yun and said, "In that case, I won't keep you."

"Be careful out there. If things don't go well there, come back anytime. I will wait for you—"

At this point, Houtu seemed to realize something. Her face flushed red as she quickly changed the subject: "I—I mean, we Ancestral Witches can protect you!"

"I understand."

With a slight smile, Li Yun cupped his fists to Houtu and said, "I will return, but not now!"

"Ancestral Witch Houtu, farewell!"

Having said that, Li Yun did not linger. He turned and left the palace, then rode a cloud out of the Wu Clan Territory, heading toward Kunlun Mountain.

Only after Li Yun's figure vanished did Ancestral Witch Houtu walk out of the palace, looking somewhat dejected.

Gazing toward Kunlun Mountain, she unconsciously clenched her fists and muttered, "Three Pure Ones, I hope you won't be unreasonable. Otherwise, I will certainly not forgive you."

After a while, Ancestral Witch Houtu snapped out of it, took a deep breath, and said, "Someone, gather everyone and prepare for battle!"

In an instant, the Houtu Tribe was shaken as countless members began to assemble.

Not just the Houtu Tribe, but the other Ancestral Witch tribes were also rapidly gathering under the summons of their respective Ancestral Witches.

They already knew about the demon summoning banner.

Naturally, they could not sit by and watch Dijun and Donghuang Taiyi achieve their goals, nor could they watch the Demon God Palace use it to rapidly grow and threaten the future of the Wu Clan!