Chapter 173 The Ancestral Witch Token
Inside the Pangu Palace, there is a Pangu Token, on which is recorded Pangu's method of physical cultivation—the Pangu Body Refining Technique.
The Nine Revolutions Profound Technique of later generations is derived from this method.
When the Witch Clan was established, the Pangu Token suddenly transformed into twelve tokens, evolving into twelve body refining techniques, which fell into the hands of the twelve Ancestral Witches.
This is the origin of the Ancestral Witch Token!
Those twelve body refining techniques are the inherited techniques of the twelve tribes of the Witch Clan today. The Ancestral Witch Token records this technique, making it a treasure of the Witch Clan's heritage.
Houtu was able to give this item away, clearly not considering Feng Zichen an outsider.
"Your Majesty, this item is too precious; I cannot accept it."
Even without knowing the origin of the token, just hearing its function made Feng Zichen understand its value. How could he dare to accept it? He hurriedly wanted to return it to Houtu.
But Houtu possessed such cultivation; once she gave something away, if she didn't want to take it back, how could Feng Zichen simply return it?
With a gentle wave of her hand, the Houtu Token seemed to be permanently attached to Feng Zichen's hand; no matter what methods he used, he couldn't shake it off.
"Fellow Daoist, you have passed on the Dao of Gods and Demons. How can a mere Houtu Token repay such a debt of gratitude?"
"Once I complete the map of the primordial earth veins, I will gather my remaining brothers and sisters to offer sacrifices to our Father God in the Pangu Palace, and report to you, Fellow Daoist, on the matter of passing on the Dao of Gods and Demons!"
"At that time, Fellow Daoist will be the teacher of all witches, the teacher of the witch clan. Every member of the witch clan who sees you must address you as 'Teacher' to show respect!"
Considering the importance of the Dao of Gods and Demons to the witch clan, Houtu made these promises to Feng Zichen.
The Dao of Gods and Demons is based on an innate bloodline. Each advancement allows one's bloodline to further revert to its ancestral state, continuously strengthening it.
The strongest aspect of the witch clan lies in the Pangu bloodline flowing within them.
Combined with the bloodline purification properties of the Path of Gods and Demons, this path is far more suitable for the Witch Clan than for humans; it's practically tailor-made for them.
If the Witch Clan were to adopt the Path of Gods and Demons, their strength would increase several times over within ten thousand years, making their conquest of the Demon Clan imminent.
Feng Zichen's gaze was still fixed on the human race, intending to connect the Path of Gods and Demons with them. Once humans became the dominant force in the world, the Path of Gods and Demons would naturally flourish.
But Houtu was different. Her cultivation was higher, and her vision was far more far-reaching, encompassing the entire prehistoric world. She saw that, compared to humans, the Path of Gods and Demons was more suitable for innate races.
Born as innate beings, they possessed the bloodline of innate gods and demons, giving them a vast advantage over humans, who were born later, in transforming into innate gods and demons.
Houtu believed that, faced with the Xuanmen Dao and the Path of Gods and Demons, aside from innate gods and demons, those innate beings would lean more towards the Path of Gods and Demons.
For primordial beings, transforming into primordial gods and demons and achieving the Great Luo Golden Immortal, is their lifelong pursuit. The Path of Gods and Demons, compared to the Path of the Profound Gate, allows them to reach this goal much faster.
As for anything beyond the Great Luo Golden Immortal, that's something to consider only after achieving that level. By then, they'll be immortal, and switching to the Path of the Profound Gate wouldn't be impossible. Houtu's consideration for the Path of Gods and Demons wasn't without its own selfish motives.
In the future, once she completes the map of the primordial earth veins, she can use it to modify the cultivation methods of the Path of Gods and Demons, creating another lineage besides Feng Zichen, making the Path of Gods and Demons even more perfect.
At that time, she would be the master of that lineage, her position in the Path of Gods and Demons second only to Feng Zichen, the founder, and able to share in his destiny. How could she not care when it concerned her own interests?
"Your Majesty, please make the decision!" With Houtu offering such generous benefits, Feng Zichen understood the situation after a moment's thought.
However, he did not refuse. The Witch Clan's fortune was immense; such assistance would greatly benefit his cultivation. Even if the Witch Clan declined in later generations, causing a significant drop in their fortune, he would still have reaped enough benefits and wouldn't lose much.
Moreover, with Houtu helping him promote the Path of Gods and Demons, he could save a lot of effort. After all, how could he alone contend with the Great Dao of the Profound Sect and promote the Path of Gods and Demons?
The rise and fall of a path is not the achievement of one person, but the result of the efforts of countless generations.
As the pioneer of the Path of Gods and Demons, everything about it is inextricably linked to him, and he could easily reap the rewards, sharing a portion of the fruits of future generations' achievements.
Therefore, how could Feng Zichen refuse an existence like Houtu, who continuously expands the Path of Gods and Demons? He wished more of them would appear!
"Hmm!" Seeing that Feng Zichen did not refuse, Houtu nodded, revealing a satisfied smile.
"However, while the Path of Gods and Demons is good, its drawbacks are too obvious. I wonder if, with your wisdom, you have thought of a solution?" Houtu frowned and continued.
Success and failure both stem from the True Spirit!
Relying on the True Spirit, cultivators of the Path of Gods and Demons can advance far faster than other cultivators.
While a damaged primordial spirit is not difficult to recover from, a damaged True Spirit, unless one's cultivation reaches the Golden Immortal realm, has almost no chance of recovery.
If this problem isn't resolved, cultivators of the Divine Demon Path will inevitably be hampered in future battles, unable to unleash their full power.
"In this world, what cultivation method is perfect?"
"I, too, have no solution to this matter!"
"The only thing I can do is suggest they forge a magic treasure to protect their true spirit. As for its effectiveness, that depends entirely on the treasure's level!"
Shaking his head, Feng Zichen smiled bitterly.
The flaws of the Divine Demon Path were so obvious; if he had a way to solve this, he would have done so long ago, instead of waiting for Houtu to discover it.
"Fellow Daoist's words are reasonable; Houtu was greedy." Hearing Feng Zichen's words, Houtu seemed to understand.
The more perfect something is, the more likely it is to incur divine envy. Perhaps it is precisely because of this flaw that the Divine Demon Path has been able to spread. Otherwise, how could the Heavenly Dao allow such a method of reversing innate divine demonic powers to exist!
"Your Majesty, is there anything else?" Thinking of the Floating Pagoda, Feng Zichen once again took his leave.
"Fellow Daoist, could you leave a token?"
"When the Dao of Gods and Demons is passed down, I need you to witness it, to validate your status as a sorcerer!"
Understanding the implication, Houtu thought for a moment and said.
"Indeed!"
Nodding, Feng Zichen took out a wisp of chaotic energy and condensed it into a piece of black jade.
"If Your Majesty needs me, you can infuse your magic power into this jade, and I will sense it!" Handing the black jade to Houtu, Feng Zichen said.
"Well, since you have business to attend to, I won't keep you any longer."
"Xingtian has prepared thirty percent of the Houtu tribe's harvest this time. You can go directly to Him to collect it after you leave."
Accepting the black jade, Houtu said. She had increased the previously agreed-upon ten percent to thirty percent.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I, Zichen, will take my leave now!"
Bowing, Feng Zichen turned and left the Houtu Temple, walking outwards.
(End of Chapter)