Chapter 596

Chapter 596: Old Era of Disaster Soil

"Five hundred trillion divine stones!"

Ye Xu spoke.

"Five hundred trillion?"

Even Wu Qinyun was startled by the price Ye Xu quoted.

Wu Tianyue and Lin Qianmo exchanged astonished glances.

Ye Xu smiled faintly. "Daoist friend, considering the Witch Master’s power, five hundred trillion divine stones is actually quite reasonable. The significance of the Witch Master to the Witch Clan surely needs no explanation from me?"

Wu Qinyun’s expression turned grave.

He understood perfectly.

"This matter is of utmost importance. I must report to the Patriarch," Wu Qinyun said to Ye Xu. "Please wait a moment, Master."

Ye Xu nodded.

He was in no hurry.

Wu Qinyun channeled his magic power. Like the Dao Clan, the disciples of the Witch Clan possessed exceptionally resilient physical bodies, their vigorous life force surging like smoke, their bodies like furnaces. Yet, they still had two weaknesses: source energy and primordial spirit.

A streak of light shot into a command token.

Hmm!

A soft hum sounded. Immortal light shimmered across the token, forming what seemed like a time-space tunnel, extending from the other end. In a rugged bone hall, a corpulent old man with a bare chest came into view.

The old man’s hair was woven into braids. His eyes shone like the sun and moon, and his aura was as deep as an abyss. He resembled an ancient beast lying in wait—motionless, yet capable of unleashing lethal fury in an instant.

"Patriarch."

Wu Tianyue and Wu Qinyun bowed in reverence.

"Elder Wu Xuan greets the Master." The corpulent old man clasped his fist.

"You are too kind, Daoist friend," Ye Xu replied with a smile. "I have long heard the Patriarch of the Witch Clan is a top-tier Dao Ancestor. Seeing you today confirms it."

Wu Xuan’s strength surpassed that of Mu Fanyin.

Even the young man in the golden robe of the Haotian lineage was not his equal.

"Patriarch, the cost to find the Witch Master’s whereabouts is immense. I dared not decide alone, so I requested your presence for judgment," Wu Qinyun reported.

"How much?"

"Five hundred trillion divine stones!"

Wu Xuan’s eyes narrowed slightly, yet he smiled. "Though five hundred trillion divine stones is no small sum, it would be well worth the price to learn the Witch Master’s whereabouts."

"It is approved."

Ye Xu was overjoyed.

With Wu Xuan’s decisive approval, his two hundred trillion Hongmeng points were secured.

"Master, this old man will surely pay you a personal visit in the future," Wu Xuan said with a smile. With a light wave of his hand, the time-space passage vanished, cutting off their view.

Ye Xu looked at Wu Qinyun with a sudden understanding.

Wu Qinyun definitely possessed five hundred trillion divine stones, but this information must have been concealed by Wu Xuan. Otherwise, Ye Xu couldn’t possibly have been unaware of it.

"Master, let us begin the transaction," Wu Qinyun took a deep breath, channeled his magic power, and a bizarrely large drum flew out from within his Great Dao World.

The drum exuded a vast, mighty aura, as deep and vast as the universe.

Two totems were embossed onto its front and back surfaces.

Vaguely, the sound of a roar seemed to penetrate the mind, shaking heaven and earth, tearing through space and time.

"An epochal treasure?"

Ye Xu’s expression shifted slightly.

"The Master is indeed wise," Wu Qinyun stated. "This is an epochal treasure forged by our clan in the Seventh Epoch. It is known as the Primordial Heavenly Demon Drum."

"Might I inquire if this artifact is worth five hundred trillion divine stones?"

"System, exchange it."

Ding!

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining four hundred and sixty trillion Hongmeng points!]

The price matched Ye Xu’s expectations almost perfectly.

"You are short by forty trillion divine stones," Ye Xu said with a smile.

Wu Qinyun activated his arcane technique, calling forth another ancient sword with eight facets. Each facet of the blade bore the mark of a different profound Great Dao, radiating an immensely powerful aura. It was unmistakably a Celestial Lord treasure.

"Adding this sword should surely make up the full five hundred trillion."

With a single thought from Ye Xu, the eight-faceted ancient sword vanished.

"Forty-three trillion divine stones."

Ye Xu smiled.

Wu Qinyun chuckled, "The extra three trillion can be considered a subsidy for the Master’s expended mental effort."

"Predicting the heavens requires Exhausted Efforts. Master, please do not refuse," Wu Tianyue added, also smiling.

"Since that’s the case, I shall accept with pleasure," Ye Xu laughed heartily. Predicting the heavens was indeed strenuous work, but that effort wasn’t his own.

"The System can’t get tired to death, can it?"

Ye Xu muttered under his breath.

"System, immediately inquire about the whereabouts of the Witch Master!"

Ding!

[Congratulations to the host, spending three hundred trillion Hongmeng points. Inquiry successful.]

Name: Witch Master.

Identity: Leader of the Witch Clan.

Cultivation Level: Dao One.

Technique: Great Wilderness Furnace Sutra.

Innate treasures: Great Wilderness Furnace.

Location: Above the Witch Clan’s ancestral land, within the world of the Pure Land, at the third epoch of disaster soil. Through the ancestral land, one may enter.

Information flooded in.

Ye Xu felt surging emotions.

Not only the Witch Master’s location was revealed, but also fundamental information about him.

"It truly is Dao One!"

Ye Xu thought silently.

Seeing the Witch Master’s details, Ye Xu could now confirm that within the Hongmeng Dao Realm, there were at least three Dao One experts. The three Ancestral Spirits, representing essence, energy, and spirit, were all Dao One.

Ye Xu compiled the information into the golden book and jade slip, presenting it to Wu Qinyun.

"Daoist friend, the whereabouts of the Witch Master lie entirely within this," said Ye Xu. Circulating his magic, he deliberately allowed his face to pale slightly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. At a glance, he appeared mentally fatigued.

"It seems divining the Witch Master’s location is no easy feat," Wu Qinyun exchanged a glance with Wu Tianyue, both registering surprise.

Wu Qinyun’s Divine Sense flowed into the jade slip.

"Above the ancestral land… the third epoch of disaster soil?"

Wu Qinyun looked bewildered, a trace of confusion in his eyes. "Master, what does ‘third epoch of disaster soil’ mean?"

"Could it be that the Witch Master exists in the third epoch of the past?"

"He is indeed in the past!"

Ye Xu solemnly declared.

The world of the Pure Land was a world of the past, not present in the current era.

The Witch Master dwelled in bygone times.

"Thank you, Master, for clarifying."

Wu Qinyun said excitedly. Since a Dao Ancestor could traverse past and present, then someone as supremely powerful as Dao One could surely accomplish it with ease.

"No wonder we could find no trace of the Witch Master."

Wu Qinyun stated.

"Daoist friends, I have one remark you might heed."

Ye Xu spoke. "Perhaps within the disaster soil of the third epoch, what you encounter may not be the answer you seek."

"What does the Master mean by this?"

Wu Tianyue inquired, puzzled.

Lin Qianmo’s eyes flickered knowingly. The problem was likely rooted in the Witch Master himself.

"Hahaha…"

Wu Qinyun laughed loudly, his gaze proud and arrogant. "Master, the Witch Master is one of the most powerful beings between heaven and earth. It is unthinkable that any mishap could befall him."

"Your kind concern, Master, I shall remember."

"Tianyue, come back to the clan with me at once."

After bidding farewell, he prepared to return to the Witch Clan with Wu Tianyue.

"Qianmo."

Wu Tianyue’s expression was hesitant.

"Your disciple is here," Lin Qianmo responded.

"Remain in Eternal Emperor City for now. I will return for you once matters are settled." Wu Tianyue smiled, though a trace of reluctance flickered deep in her eyes.

"This disciple understands."

Lin Qianmo bowed respectfully. "Master, take care."

The two flew out of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

Ye Xu sighed inwardly. Mother and daughter, yet unable to acknowledge each other—he understood Wu Tianyue’s heart all too well.

"Miss Lin, you may stay at Heaven’s Secret Pavilion," Ye Xu offered.

"My thanks, Master."

Lin Qianmo accepted calmly before shifting the subject. "Master, has something happened to the Witch Master?"

Ye Xu’s smile deepened.

"If even cultivators of that level face disturbances, this world itself harbors a true problem!"

…

"Tianyue."

Wu Qinyun suddenly spoke mid-flight through the void.

"What commands does Seven Ancestors have?" inquired Wu Tianyue.

"Is that your daughter?"

Wu Qinyun asked bluntly.

Wu Tianyue stiffened momentarily before laughing lightly. "Seven Ancestors, she is merely a new disciple. How could she be my daughter?"

"Spare me the excuses. I see the truth plainly."

Wu Qinyun continued, "So long as you do not bring her into the clan, I shall turn a blind eye."

"Recovering our ancestral land and welcoming the Witch Master are paramount now."

"I understand."

"This time, our clan shall follow the Dao Clan’s example and announce our return to the world," Wu Qinyun declared, ambition blazing. "Veiled from mortal sight for too long, we will reemerge through the ancestral land’s awakening to reclaim our dominion."

"When shall we seek the Witch Master?" pressed Wu Tianyue.

"Our ancestral land lies beneath the world of the Pure Land."

Wu Qinyun’s voice turned grave. "Once it opens, we shall traverse it to enter the Pure Land, journey back through the third epoch of disaster soil, and stand before the Witch Master."

"Yes!"

Wu Tianyue’s elegant brows furrowed slightly. "Yet I sense deeper meaning behind Master Ye Xu’s words."

"Mere alarmist talk!"

Dismissed Wu Qinyun without concern.

After all?

The Witch Master stood among the mightiest in existence—what harm could possibly befall him?