Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Assault on the Celestial Court

At the command of the great Ancestral Witches, the scattered tribes of the Witch Clan from across the vast wilderness were summoned, slowly gathering into a dense, endless mass that stretched for tens of thousands of miles in every direction.

“Children of the Witch Clan! We are the descendants of Father Pangu, destined from birth to rule the primordial world. Yet the Celestial Court blocks our path—this is a humiliation shared by every last one of us!” Di Jiang stood high above, his deep, resounding voice reaching the ears of every witch.

“Kill! Kill! Kill!” The countless witches, their blood boiling at his words, threw back their heads and shouted in unison. The voices of billions merged into a single roar that shook heaven and earth, echoing for millions of miles around, their sound enveloping all.

The living beings of every race, upon hearing this, felt their hearts tremble with fear, unable to find peace, dreading what disaster these harbingers of calamity intended to unleash.

“Good! Victory will surely belong to our Witch Clan!” Di Jiang, seeing the fervor of his people, nodded in satisfaction. With the hearts of all united, this battle was certain to be won.

“My kin, follow me—let us march upon the Celestial Court!”

“Kill!”

The immense army of trillions of witches surged forward, their footsteps thundering across the land, bringing devastation to all living things in their path. Wherever the Witch Clan passed, whether beast, demon, or human, all were slaughtered without mercy, their bodies cast aside and crushed beneath the advancing hosts.

Mountains, stones, forests—anything that stood before the Witch Clan’s advance was ground to dust beneath their feet.

Such an unstoppable momentum filled the Ancestral Witches and the great witches with immense excitement. The tide had turned: the Witch Clan was destined for glory.

Jie Yin and Kunpeng, accompanied by over a dozen Golden Immortals of Grand Luo and several hundred Golden Immortals of Taiyi, soared in the sky above, gazing upon the formidable spectacle below. Even they could not help but feel a surge of confidence.

May the Witch Clan triumph over the Celestial Court—after all, the Church of All Beings was now inextricably bound to their fate.

...

At Mount Buzhou.

Dong Wang Gong, while on patrol with other divine clans, heard the commotion and frowned in concern. After pondering a moment, he led over a thousand elite soldiers, all of Taiyi Golden Immortal rank, to investigate.

When he saw the endless horde of witches advancing toward Mount Buzhou, Dong Wang Gong’s heart quailed, but remembering that the Celestial Court—and two Sages—stood behind him, his courage returned.

My chance to prove myself at last! he thought, blood surging with resolve.

I must earn merit; I must become the true Eastern King!

“You Witch Clan, why do you invade Mount Buzhou?” Dong Wang Gong stood before the mountain, unleashed his power, and his form swelled to a colossal size. With a single mighty stride, the earth trembled and mountains cracked.

“Hmph, insect!” The Wind Ancestral Witch, Tian Wu, flying in the vanguard, snorted coldly as he gazed at Dong Wang Gong. He lifted his spear, summoned the winds, and charged forward.

“How dare you!” Dong Wang Gong bellowed and rushed to meet him.

In truth, facing the fearsome Ancestral Witch, Dong Wang Gong felt some dread. But standing at the foot of Mount Buzhou, knowing nothing could escape the Sages’ notice, he found new resolve.

Such an opportunity must not be wasted!

...

Such movements of the Witch Clan could not escape the notice of the Celestial Court.

Li Tian, upon hearing the witches were advancing at this time, was shocked—for there were still tens of thousands of years left until the epochal meeting decreed by Hongjun.

For the Witch Clan to attack now—did they not fear Hongjun’s wrath?

After enduring for so many ages, could they not wait a few thousand more years?

“But since the witches have chosen to strike first, I will show no mercy... Even if Hongjun appears, it will have nothing to do with me!” With this thought, a faint smile appeared on Li Tian’s lips. In a flash, he appeared atop the Lingxiao Palace.

At the same time, the other high officials of the Celestial Court, having received the summons, hurried to the palace. Even Chang Xi, who rarely attended court, was reluctantly dragged along by Xi He.

After all, this invasion by the Witch Clan was the greatest threat the Celestial Court had faced in countless years.

Li Tian sat high upon his throne, looking down upon the assembled officials. At that moment, Nuwa emerged from seclusion and appeared beside him.

Seeing that nearly all members of the Celestial Court had arrived, Li Tian swept his gaze over them and spoke in a calm, measured voice: “The Witch Clan disregard the law, treating the epochal meeting decreed by the Dao Ancestor as nothing. Tell me, how should this matter be handled?”

Fuxi stepped forward first, bowed, and said: “The Witch Clan have shown no respect for the Dao Ancestor; this is a crime of the highest order. The Celestial Court must teach them a lesson on the Dao Ancestor’s behalf!”

“We concur!” the high officials cried in unison, stepping forward.

“Very well.” Li Tian nodded. With such a justification, even if Hongjun were to appear, there would be little he could say against it.

“Return to your posts. Summon your forces. Gather at Mount Buzhou!”

“We obey the Celestial Emperor’s command!” The officials bowed deeply and retreated.

...

“Do you think our teacher will appear this time?” After everyone had left, Li Tian turned to Nuwa and asked.

“I do not know, but I think it unlikely,” Nuwa replied after some thought. “Now that Hongjun has merged with the Dao itself, he likely pays little heed to such trivial matters.”

Li Tian nodded. Last time, Hongjun showed himself because the Dragon-Phoenix calamity had just passed and the world was still desolate, unable to withstand another disaster. Now, with two Sages present, how could a war between the Witch Clan and the Celestial Court truly be called a great calamity?

Thus, it seemed unlikely that Hongjun would appear. Having merged with the Dao, he surely cared nothing for such petty affairs.

“Hmm?”

At that moment, Li Tian’s senses stirred. His gaze pierced layer upon layer of distance, focusing on the outskirts of Mount Buzhou.

There, Dong Wang Gong was in fierce combat with Tian Wu. Clearly, Dong Wang Gong was no match for the Ancestral Witch, surviving only by virtue of his speed, unable to land a single blow in return.

“Heavenly Emperor, save me!” Dong Wang Gong barely dodged a thrust from Tian Wu’s spear, cold sweat pouring down his face. He retreated in panic, crying out desperately to the sky.

Now, all thoughts of glory forgotten, he cared only for his life.

“How did Dong Wang Gong come to blows with the Witch Clan so quickly?” Li Tian was somewhat surprised. He had paid little heed to the Witch Clan and had not noticed Dong Wang Gong’s predicament.

Nuwa looked in the same direction. Seeing Dong Wang Gong’s peril, she showed no emotion, only a slight frown.

“What a cowardly man.”

...