Chapter 309

Chapter 309: Witch Ancestor

Witch Path?

Lian Jiuyou gently rolled his eyes. Long ago, the Yuan Realm once had a Witch Path heritage named the Witches’ Temple. However, this branch was extremely low-key; with the emergence of ancient divine clans, it vanished completely.

He had engaged in a few physical exchanges with Witch Path cultivators; they focused on visualization, imagined abilities, and even summoned heroes for battle, with bodies that were incredibly strong—unlike immortal path cultivators who emphasized the primordial spirit.

The two individuals before him were actually from the Witch Path lineage?

"The rules of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, I need not elaborate." Ye Xu smiled faintly. "The two of you desire news of Witch Ancestor, and this is no small matter."

Whoosh!

Qi Yuanchu and Xin Hongxiu suddenly stood up. Their eyes showed intense shock—was there truly such a terrifying person in the world? Without uttering a single word or revealing the slightest aura, he could discern their intentions and uncover their backgrounds.

The two felt deep reverence.

That couplet truly had no exaggeration.

"With remarkable wisdom, esteemed senior, we have come specifically to request your assistance in deducing the whereabouts of Witch Ancestor." Qi Yuanchu altered his address, his tone now extremely respectful.

Ye Xu’s smile grew warmer.

Witch Ancestor existed in the same era as human ancestor, even predating the Heavenly Emperor and Son of Heaven.

In the early Era of Primordial Beings, Nuwa molded clay to create humans, and human ancestor and Witch Ancestor were born therefrom.

Human ancestor, uniquely blessed and possessing great fortune, comprehended the mysteries of the immortal path and founded the immortal path cultivation system. Witch Ancestor, seeking an alternative route, created the Witch Path lineage.

However, immortal path cultivation required no external aids and could automatically absorb spiritual energy for practice, making it easier to begin compared to the Witch Path lineage.

The barrier to entry for the Witch Path lineage was much higher.

First, one needed exceptionally high innate talent to comprehend witchcraft, and only after that could one practice visualization.

If the innate talent was too poor, one could only halt at that stage.

Visualization was the foundation of witchcraft.

The more complex and detailed the visualized object, the higher it demonstrated the cultivation talent and future achievements in the Witch Path.

Yet, exactly because the Witch Path imposed too many limitations, the rivalry between the two major cultivation systems caused it to gradually fall behind, fading almost completely in modern times.

After the Era of Primordial Beings, Witch Ancestor also disappeared without a trace.

"Senior, state your price." Qi Yuanchu said solemnly.

"System, how many heavenly secrets points are required to query Witch Ancestor’s complete information?" Ye Xu thought to himself.

"[280 billion heavenly secrets points.]"

Ye Xu’s heart skipped a beat—300 billion heavenly secrets points were a big deal.

Witch Ancestor bore the same origins as human ancestor; 300 billion heavenly secrets points for complete information that covered everything actually was not unreasonable.

For instance, life-and-death information on Nuwa alone cost 200 billion heavenly secrets points.

Lin Qianmo required 1.2 trillion heavenly secrets points.

Witch Ancestor’s origins paled compared to those two, so naturally the price was much cheaper.

Ye Xu lightly tapped the armrest with his index finger, his gaze wandering over Qi Yuanchu as he privately evaluated the cost.

"A Witch Venerable and a peak-stage Immortal King must possess considerable treasures between them," Ye Xu thought inwardly. A single Immortal Venerable treasure required tens of billions of heavenly secrets points, and the man before him was undoubtedly capable of producing such wealth.

"Three hundred and fifty billion Star Yuan!"

Ye Xu spoke after several seconds of contemplation.

He had initially considered demanding four hundred billion outright but feared squeezing them too harshly, potentially leaving them utterly depleted in one stroke.

Lian Jiuyou trembled, his legs weakening, nearly collapsing to the ground.

"What kind of being is this Witch Ancestor to command such an exorbitant price?" Lian Jiuyou quivered with apprehension. "Just how much profit is the revered senior actually reaping from this?"

One thing was certain—it must be an immense fortune.

"The Star Yuan mentioned by the Senior, are they the currency currently circulating in the Yuan Realm?" Qi Yuanchu frowned.

The purchasing power of the Star Yuan was significant, making three hundred and fifty billion an undeniably steep price.

"Husband, isn’t this too expensive?" Xin Hongxiu’s gaze shifted, a flicker of slyness in her eyes as she attempted to haggle with Ye Xu.

Ye Xu appeared unperturbed. "Daoist friend Xin," he said lightly, "if you find the price unacceptable, I will not press the matter."

"In business, mutual consent is paramount."

"I’ll buy it."

Qi Yuanchu declared resolutely.

He channeled his magic power, sending forth a streak of gray light. It materialized into a dull, stone-like seal radiating an aura of silence and destruction at the end of the Great Dao.

This was an Immortal Venerable Treasure.

Surprise flickered across Ye Xu’s face.

"What connection exists between Qi Yuanchu and the Witch Ancestor," he wondered, "that he would willingly pay three hundred and fifty billion Star Yuan for the Witch Ancestor’s complete information?"

Xin Hongxiu’s memories contained no details regarding this matter.

"System, exchange it."

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained seventeen billion heavenly secrets points.]

Ye Xu stored away the Seal of Annihilation’s Dao. "You still owe one hundred and eighty billion Star Yuan," he stated with a smile.

Qi Yuanchu had anticipated this. The Seal of Annihilation’s Dao had been obtained by subduing an Immortal Venerable and was not an exceptionally valuable treasure, naturally falling short of the full price.

After a few moments, a petal fragment materialized in Qi Yuanchu’s palm.

The petal shimmered with seven colors, its surface etched with intricate patterns. Each pattern exuded the power of the Great Dao of Space. A single petal felt like a vast, boundless world itself.

"The World Flower?"

Ye Xu’s eyes moved with recognition.

Of the Nine Great Spirit Roots of Heaven and Earth, the Jianmu divine tree, the Ancient Tree, and the Ziwei Spirit Root were three. Now, the World Flower had appeared.

"Senior, your insight is profound indeed."

Qi Yuanchu offered a compliment. "The World Flower was shattered during the Primordial Era," he explained. "By chance, I obtained this fragment several million years ago."

"This World Flower fragment should suffice now."

"Hold on."

Xin Hongxiu frowned yet smiled like a blooming flower. "The World Flower fragment is far more valuable than the Cosmic Extinction Dao Seal, senior. As an impartial facilitator, we trust you’ll ensure everything is settled fairly—returning the excess or covering any shortfall."

Ye Xu’s expression froze momentarily.

"Are you saying this Pavilion Master intends to swindle you?" Ye Xu feigned anger.

"Of course not."

Xin Hongxiu chuckled. "In business, one should be one, and two should be two."

"System, exchange the World Flower fragment."

【Congratulations, Host. Obtained 20 billion heavenly secrets points.】

Ye Xu’s brow furrowed slightly; he still needed to compensate them with 2 billion Star Yuan.

"Ahem…"

Ye Xu coughed twice and declared, "This World Flower fragment is worth 20 billion Star Yuan."

"So, you still owe us 2 billion Star Yuan."

"Do you think I wasn’t aware?" Ye Xu’s eyes gleamed. "You’ve come to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion to transact business; naturally, I wouldn’t deceive you."

"These two Level Two Supreme Lord Cards, each worth 1 billion Star Yuan. When you return in the future, I’ll grant you both a twenty percent discount."

Ye Xu signaled Lian Jiuyou to approach and handed the two Level Two Supreme Lord Cards to the couple.

Converting 2 billion heavenly secrets points into Star Yuan was no small sum.

The monetary system was newly established and still unstable. Printing 2 billion Star Yuan coins and handing them over to Qi Yuanchu and Xin Hongxiu could flood the market, potentially causing inflation.

"Why wait for the future? Can’t we get the discount now?" Xin Hongxiu retorted with a light huff.

"Hongxiu."

Qi Yuanchu shot her a warning glance, and Xin Hongxiu immediately fell silent.

Qi Yuanchu accepted the two cards himself. Turning to Lian Jiuyou, he produced an Immortal King treasure. "Convert this Immortal King treasure into Star Yuan and credit the amount equally to these two cards."

He entrusted both cards to Xin Hongxiu for safekeeping.

"Yes."

Lian Jiuyou’s eyes burned with the intensity of twin suns.

This truly was a major client.

Qi Yuanchu, having already surpassed the Heavenly Emperor, was now the top patron of Heaven’s Machine Bank.

"He knows how things work."

The more Ye Xu observed Qi Yuanchu, the more satisfied and favorably impressed he became.

So much so that Ye Xu felt a tinge of guilt for having just profited 7 billion Star Yuan from Qi Yuanchu.

"Please, senior, tell us the information regarding the Witch Ancestor," Qi Yuanchu requested.

"System, immediately query all information on the Witch Ancestor."

Ye Xu commanded mentally.

Ding!

【Congratulations, Host. Successfully queried information on the Witch Ancestor for 28 billion heavenly secrets points.】

In the next instant, an overwhelming flood of information surged into Ye Xu’s mind.

Dense text filled his thoughts.

The information on the Witch Ancestor felt like a vast, boundless ocean.

As Ye Xu processed and categorized the data into jade slips, the sheer volume left him momentarily dizzy.

Onlookers watched as jade slip after jade slip floated in the air, nearly encircling Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. At a glance, there were at least several thousand.

Lian Jiuyou’s scalp tingled. Just who was this Witch Ancestor? His mere information could be so voluminous?

Qi Yuanchu and Xin Hongxiu exchanged a look but remained silent.

For them, the sheer quantity of data surrounding the Witch Ancestor was not good news.

A quarter-hour later, Ye Xu finally completed the sorting.

Ye Xu exhaled a long breath.

Even with his Immortal King cultivation, his primordial spirit long impervious to myriad calamities, the mere task of organizing this information took so long. It vividly demonstrated the Witch Ancestor’s formidable capabilities.

"To think I actually felt tired…" Ye Xu found it novel.

A year into the operation of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, this was the first time he’d experienced fatigue.

Primarily, the information was simply staggering and disorienting.

"Fellow Daoists, all the information on the Witch Ancestor is recorded in these jade slips. Review them at your leisure." Ye Xu flicked his sleeve. Nearly ten thousand jade slips flew towards Qi Yuanchu and Xin Hongxiu.

Spanning from the Era of Primordial Beings all the way to the present day.

No detail overlooked.

It had to be said, the system’s work was exceptionally thorough.