Heaven-Defying Rebel Sage
Chapter 97: Seeking the Culprit, Ancestral Witch Enters the Tomb

Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Seeking the Culprit, Ancestral Witch Enters the Tomb

Wukong and Yuan Hong had encountered tremendous danger, their fates uncertain for the moment.

However, after Di Jiang had discussed matters with Zhu Rong and Houtu, he summoned the rest of the Ancestral Witches.

Yue Ci said, "Big brother, what’s the matter? Why have you called us here?"

Seeing everyone had arrived, Di Jiang said, "Recently, someone has been stealing souls from within my Reincarnation Netherworld. Just a few days ago, Zhu Rong found that we were short by three million six hundred thousand souls!"

Jiang Liang angrily said, "What? Who would dare do such a brazen thing!"

Houtu took out the Reincarnation Ledger and threw it on the table, saying, "Moreover, these people, they were not meant to run out of life at this time. Their deaths are mysterious, and their souls have completely disappeared without a trace!"

Yue Ci frowned and said, "Are you saying someone is killing on a large scale, collecting souls?"

Houtu nodded and said, "Exactly, Zhu Rong and I have only recently discovered this person’s whereabouts."

Yue Ci then asked, "Where is this person?"

Houtu said, "In the Ancient Tomb within Demon Mountain, Southern Ridge! This Ancient Tomb was built because the souls couldn’t enter reincarnation during the ancient war; they simply had no cycle of reincarnation to enter. It is said that the tomb has nine levels, burying the souls of powerful beings from ancient times..."

Ju Mang said in astonishment, "There are at least several hundred million souls in this Ancient Tomb, what does he need these three million six hundred thousand for?"

Houtu then said, "After one hundred and twenty thousand years, these souls have likely lost their original nature, nothing more than shadowy ghosts without consciousness, only knowing how to kill and drink blood, attacking any sign of life force. Yet these three million six hundred thousand souls are freshly harvested, naturally retaining their consciousness. This person’s intentions must be significant."

Yue Ci said, "Who could this person be?"

Zhu Rong sneered and said, "No matter who it is, people daring to challenge us, the Twelve Ancestral Witches, have become increasingly common; if we don’t demonstrate our might, they will think we are easily bullied!"

Everyone’s gaze turned towards Di Jiang, except for Xuan Ming, who frowned deeply in thought.

As the head of the Ancestral Witches, it was ultimately up to Di Jiang to make a statement.

Di Jiang, toying with a pen of reincarnation in his hand, said, "Hmm, we indeed need to show them our might."

Having said this, the Twelve Ancestral Witches each used their Escape Technique and headed towards Demon Mountain, Southern Ridge.

Shortly after, they arrived at White Tiger City within the White Tiger Clan, similarly structured to Vermilion Bird City. At the city center was a platform with a statue of a White Tiger that depicted the beast leaping into the air with an open mouth in a roar, its presence exceptionally formidable. As soon as the Twelve Ancestral Witches entered the city, they were intercepted, given their conspicuously ostentatious appearance.

But Di Jiang simply waved his sleeve, sending the guard soldiers flying outright.

With little interest in further conversation, they headed straight for the central statue.

Suddenly, the alarm bells within the city rang, and a loud gong sounded.

"Who are you people, daring to forcefully enter our White Tiger City!" The city master of White Tiger City came out first, furious at the sight of the twelve figures striding majestically towards the platform.

"Silence!" Xuan Ming said coldly, ready to take lethal action.

However, Di Jiang stopped Xuan Ming and said, "After all, the White Tiger Clan is a major clan within the Demon Tribe; if we totally offend them, it might not end well."

Xuan Ming said, "How could it end poorly?"

Di Jiang then said, "It’s not that the White Tiger Clan is formidable, but rather the Demon Tribe is currently rising. We are keeping a low profile, there’s no need to make enemies with them. Besides—" he gave Xuan Ming a deep look, a teasing smile playing at the corners of his mouth, "I think Sister Xuan Ming wouldn’t want to be enemies with the Demon Tribe either, right?"

Xuan Ming, hearing the implication in Di Jiang’s words, just snorted lightly and lowered her hand.

Di Jiang simply pointed the pen of reincarnation at the city master of White Tiger, who was immediately flung away.

"Why do the Ancestral Witches grace our White Tiger City? We apologize for not welcoming you from afar." Bai Yuhu came from nowhere, clasping his hands and smiling.

The rest, meanwhile, were dismissed by Bai Yuhu.

Di Jiang then said, "Someone in the Ancient Tomb is stealing souls from my underworld; we are here today to settle accounts!"

Bai Yuhu frowned and said, "Oh? All that remains in the Ancient Tomb are dead, unconscious souls; who could be stealing souls from your underworld?"

Xuan Ming’s expression turned icy as she said, "Are you suggesting we are lying?"

Bai Yuhu, not daring to provoke these twelve ferocious gods, quickly made a gesture of obeisance and said, "Of course not, of course not. If the Ancestral Witches wish to enter, please, go ahead."

He then led the Twelve Ancestral Witches up to the platform towards the teleportation formation.

Once the Twelve Ancestral Witches entered the teleportation formation, without any further discussion, they channeled their mana and directly entered the Ancient Tomb.

Seeing that the twelve did not cause trouble, Bai Yuhu breathed a sigh of relief. These twelve were not easy to deal with; their actions were domineering, and their powers extremely strong, even Saints preferred not engage with them. Once they deployed the Twelve Capital Heavenly Divine Slayer Formation, everyone would flee.

In years past, Eastern Emperor Taiyi wielded the Eastern Emperor Bell and waged a great battle against the Twelve Ancestral Witches—the moment the Capital Heavenly Divine Slayer Formation emerged, though he managed to temporarily vanquish the Twelve Ancestral Witches with his Mana, he was also severely injured. Eventually, he was blindsided and completely annihilated by Zhun Ti and another. With the Eastern Emperor Bell in hand, neither Zhun Ti nor his accomplice was a match for Eastern Emperor Taiyi. But the fact that he had been severely injured by the Twelve Ancestral Witches speaks volumes about the terrifying power of the Capital Heavenly Divine Slayer Formation.

Bai Yuhu thought to himself, "I wonder which fool has dared to provoke the Twelve Ancestral Witches... in the Ancient Tomb, huh? He really did find a place to hide!"

The Twelve Ancestral Witches entered the teleportation formation and were transported to the first layer of the Ancient Tomb.

The twelve of them formed a formation, extending their Divine Senses to envelop the entire tomb. In the blink of an eye, they discovered the teleportation formation leading to the next layer.

All of them were at least at the level of Great Completion in the Great Luo Golden Immortal Realm, and their Escape Techniques were formidable, reaching the teleportation formation in the blink of an eye and directly entering the second layer.

In a moment, they had reached the third layer.

"There is a wandering soul that transforms into a long snake with venomous fangs. It doesn’t bite others, only itself. Ultimately, it perishes... It gouges out its own heart to taste its true flavor. The pain is intense, how can it know its true flavor? Once the pain settles, it slowly begins to consume. However, its heart has decayed, how can it know its original flavor?"

Suddenly, the Twelve heard a singing voice. Although the voice was clear and melodious, the song was filled with sorrow, making one’s heart sour.

Di Jiang only saw a spirit sitting atop a tomb. This spirit seemed a bit more special compared to ordinary ones—it was slightly more solid, and its features were extremely gentle and fair-looking. With her eyes slightly closed, she sang softly, her voice filled with confusion and pain.

"Do you know who I am?" Nuwa’s remnant soul asked upon seeing the Twelve.

They continued heading towards the teleportation formation without responding.

But Nuwa’s voice followed, "You haven’t answered my question."

Xuan Ming, losing patience, said, "Where does all this prattle come from!"

Zhu Rong was of a volatile temperament, and he grabbed a fireball from the void, hurling it directly at Nuwa’s remnant soul.

Yet, Nuwa’s remnant soul lightly pointed into the void, and a feeling beyond words emerged—the fireball abruptly reversed direction, catching Zhu Rong off guard and striking him squarely in the face, causing him to tumble to the ground.

"Wow! Such profound Mana; she must be the one who stole the souls!" Zhu Rong screamed, charging toward Nuwa.

Nuwa simply said, "I don’t like you all; please leave."

She sighed softly and with a wave of her hand, ripples surged through the void. Zhu Rong was struck by the ripples and immediately flung backward, his body aching intensely as if it were about to split open, though he sustained no injuries. Nuwa was kind-hearted in life, hands-on in all matters, loving her people like children, and reluctant to kill. Even after death, this lingering remnant soul of hers was still unwilling to harm others.

Enraged, Zhu Rong declared, "Today, I will surely reduce you to ash!"

As he charged forward again, Nuwa merely flicked her finger, sending Zhu Rong flying back once more.

Xuan Ming frowned, grabbing hold of Di Jiang and the others who were about to act, and said, "Do not fight!"

Di Jiang asked, "Why not?"

Xuan Ming shook his head and said, "This spirit is the remnant soul of a saint who had comprehended the changes of the Heavenly Dao Laws. Unless we form the Capital Heavenly Divine Slayer Formation, we stand no chance against her."

Zhu Rong, repeatedly knocked to the ground, could not rest with such humiliation. He yelled, "Then let’s form the formation and obliterate her!"

Di Jiang, however, said, "Don’t waste time; let’s quickly find the one who has stolen three million six hundred thousand souls from the Underworld."

Zhu Rong, still not pacified, refused to listen to Di Jiang and wanted to fight again.

Xuan Ming told Zhu Rong, "This is likely the remnant soul of Nuwa from the Ancient Times. Even in death, she doesn’t remember herself."

Zhu Rong paused for a moment and then said, "She is Goddess Nuwa? I truly cannot raise my hand against her; that would be utterly disrespectful!"

Di Jiang added, "Nine times out of ten, it is Goddess Nuwa. In the Ancient Times, aside from that bastard Di Jun and Goddess Nuwa, who else could it be?"

Jiang Liang then said, "Big brother is right. In the Ancient Times, that bastard Di Jun was still hiding in the sun while Goddess Nuwa was battling the Chaos Heaven Demon in the Earth Immortal Realm, weeping tears of profound yellow, and sacrificing herself to mend the heavens. Without Goddess Nuwa, where would the flourishing Earth Immortal Realm come from today? We might not even have had the chance to develop from Pangu’s physical body before being annihilated by the Chaos Heaven Demon."

Even the Twelve Ancestral Witches held immense respect for Nuwa, showing just how revered she was in ancient times.

"There is a wandering soul that transforms into a long snake with venomous fangs. It doesn’t bite others, only itself. Ultimately, it perishes... It gouges out its own heart to taste its true flavor. The pain is intense, how can it know its true flavor? Once the pain settles, it slowly begins to consume. However, its heart has decayed, how can it know its original flavor?"

Nuwa began singing again, repeating the line, which was enough to cause immense sorrow. If someone with low Cultivation Level and an unstable Dao heart were to hear her, their heart might just break.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches bowed to Nuwa, and Di Jiang said, "Goddess, the world will forever remember everything you did for the Earth Immortal Realm. The Twelve Ancestral Witches wish for you to soon regain your memory and find your true self."

"Nuwa? Who is Nuwa..." she murmured, then she began to sing again.

Di Jiang sighed and said, "Let’s go!"

The Twelve Ancestral Witches moved to the next level, immediately activating the Formation and entering the fourth layer.