Chapter 2533: Goodbye, Houtu

Zu An's expression flickered, but he didn't act immediately; he seemed to be waiting for something. Yu Men Beiqing also appeared to be terrified into inaction. Before she could react, the green snake coiled around her and dragged her towards Kua Fu.

Zu An could no longer sit still. He swiftly moved and chopped the green snake with a hand blade. The green snake shrieked in pain and quickly released Yu Men Beiqing. Zu An pulled her into his arms, and with his other hand, punched the yellow snake that had come to assist, sending it reeling. He then took the opportunity to bring Yu Men Beiqing back to the Mermaid Queen.

"Are you alright?" Zu An quickly checked her body. Yu Men Beiqing shook her head slightly, a hint of complexity appearing in her usually cold eyes.

"How dare you harm my beloved snake!" Kua Fu roared. A large staff appeared in his hand, and he swung it directly at Zu An. Judging by the light radiating from the staff and the whistling sound, the terrifying power it carried could probably flatten a small hill.

Zu An was about to counter when he suddenly had an idea. He remembered the strange seven-colored divine light he had encountered before, though he wasn't sure what it did. The moment the thought crossed his mind, seven-colored light suddenly flared in front of him and swept forward. Kua Fu, who was charging forward, vanished without a trace.

Everyone present was bewildered. Just moments ago, Kua Fu clearly had the upper hand. How did the situation change so drastically in the blink of an eye? And where did he go? Seeing this, other members of Kua Fu's tribe brandished their weapons and attacked Zu An, hoping to rescue Kua Fu.

But then, the seven-colored light flashed again, and they too vanished on the spot. "What kind of dark magic is this!" Xing Tian dared not be careless in the slightest. He blocked with his shield and wielded his giant axe in the other hand, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.

His shield had extremely strong defenses and could also dispel many spells, forcing enemies into close-quarters combat. Close-quarters combat was precisely the forte of the Witch Clan. Unfortunately, it was useless. The seven-colored light flashed again, and he, too, vanished from the spot.

Seeing the bustling surroundings suddenly become empty, the Mermaid Queen and Yu Men Beiqing were both stunned. "My... Brother Zu, where did they all go?" With Yu Men Beiqing present, the Mermaid Queen felt that calling him "husband" repeatedly would seem a bit disingenuous.

Yu Men Beiqing, reacting more quickly, asked, "Is this the power of your seven-colored divine light?" Zu An nodded slightly. He could sense that Xing Tian and the others had all been drawn into a special seven-colored space.

The weaker Witch Clan giants had already fainted. Only the strongest, Kua Fu and Xing Tian, were still resisting. Kua Fu's twin snakes had grown to hundreds of feet long, roaming the entire space like giant dragons, trying to break through the realm. However, the edges of the space were filled with seven-colored chaos, and the two giant snakes dashed back and forth but found no way out.

Xing Tian, meanwhile, roared. His body became incredibly massive, and he swung his great axe like Pangu creating the heavens and earth, continuously cleaving the seven-colored space.

Feeling terrifying fluctuations emanating from the seven-colored space, and the entire space seemed to tremble slightly, Zu An secretly pondered. It seemed this seven-colored divine light was similar to Kong Xuan's Five-Colored Divine Light in *Investiture of the Gods*. It could indeed absorb anything, but there was a limit to what it could contain. If the enemy was too powerful, they might be able to break out of the dimension.

Although Xing Tian was causing a great commotion, most of his power was being absorbed by the special laws of the seven-colored space and converted into energy to reinforce the world. Thus, he couldn't break out of this space. But if an enemy was much stronger than Xing Tian, Zu An wouldn't be so confident.

One should know that in *Investiture of the Gods*, although Kong Xuan's Five-Colored Divine Light could even absorb the powerful Zhun Ti, one of the Two Sages of the West, Zhun Ti forcefully broke out from within the dimension. Zu An's current seven-colored divine light, he wondered how it compared in power to the Five-Colored Divine Light...

Sensing that Xing Tian and Kua Fu within the dimension seemed to be pushed to their limits and were preparing to cast some secret art at great cost, Zu An's heart stirred. He didn't want to become a mortal enemy of these Witch Clan members. Crucially, this battle was meaningless.

The seven-colored divine light flashed, and the group of Witch Clan members reappeared before them. The weaker Witch Clan giants stumbled around dizzily, and Kua Fu also plopped down onto the ground. Only Xing Tian stood firm, his fighting spirit soaring like a war god.

"Just now, taking your lives would have been as easy as turning my palm," Zu An said, "but I have no intention of making enemies with any of you. I merely wish to inform you that it was not us who harmed the Chang clan, but someone else." Zu An was exaggerating somewhat; controlling them wasn't difficult, but killing them wouldn't have been so easy.

Xing Tian and Kua Fu were indeed bluffed by him. They believed he truly could have killed them, yet he still chose to release them and patiently explain. Clearly, there was some misunderstanding.

Xing Tian retracted his dharma appearance and said with some apology, "We were greatly offensive earlier; please forgive us, Your Excellency." Kua Fu also apologized. Seeing this, Yu Men Beiqing secretly curled her lip, thinking, "These Witch Clan members truly are bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong."

"The killer used some unknown secret art to slay everyone in a short time," Zu An explained, "and for some reason, they spared only us." Zu An fell into deep thought. Xing Tian and Kua Fu's skepticism just now wasn't without reason; even he couldn't figure out this point.

Xing Tian said in a deep voice, "Anyone with such an ability is certainly not an unknown figure in this world." "Have either of you thought of any suspects?"

"Not yet," Xing Tian replied, "but we can consult the Ancestral Witch." Zu An was immediately shocked upon hearing this. "You can contact an Ancestral Witch? May I ask who it is?"

Some say there are twelve great Ancestral Witches, others ten; in any case, there are quite a few. But these are legendary beings. He never expected to be able to contact one directly this time.

"Empress Houtu!" Xing Tian replied, his face showing a natural sense of reverence. Hearing that name, Zu An's heart skipped a beat. Houtu again. What role was she playing in all this?

Xing Tian cut his finger, and blood welled up. He sprinkled it towards the sky and quickly began drawing. Zu An recognized that he seemed to be drawing strange runes; each stroke contained peculiar and mysterious power.

One by one, the blood-red runes gradually spread out, then seemed to form a thin scroll. "Who calls upon me..." a female voice emerged from within, neither sad nor joyful, seemingly devoid of any human emotion.

Everyone present immediately felt a sense of insignificance, as if a supreme deity was gazing upon them. Xing Tian, Kua Fu, and the other Witch Clan members quickly knelt on one knee and bowed, saying, "Your humble juniors, Xing Tian (Kua Fu), pay respects to Empress Houtu!"

Zu An instantly widened his eyes, hoping to discern Houtu's appearance in the scroll. Unfortunately, there was only a blurry figure in the scroll; it was vaguely discernible as a woman, but her specific features were entirely indistinguishable.

Even through a mere phantom, he felt an intense pressure. He wondered if she was even more powerful now than when he had seen her in later ages.

"What is it?" the female voice remained indifferent. Xing Tian quickly recounted the events that had transpired there.

"Oh?" Houtu's phantom seemed to fix its gaze on Zu An, sizing him up. "The Chang clan leader made you Yi?" Xing Tian and Kua Fu were somewhat puzzled. They had intended to ask for information about the killer, but Empress Houtu seemed more interested in him.

Zu An instinctively nodded. Just as he was about to ask something, a wisp of spiritual energy flew out from the scroll and landed on him. He immediately felt a surge of wild power in his bloodline. This aura was not unfamiliar to him; it was the aura of the Witch Clan.

"From this day forward, he is Yi," Houtu's voice resonated throughout the scene, "You may all bear witness for him." Xing Tian and Kua Fu trembled violently, because they truly felt the purest Witch Clan bloodline within Zu An. Other Witch Clan members, even face to face, wouldn't be able to find any flaws in his identity.

They didn't understand why Empress Houtu would do this, but they dared not defy the Ancestral Witch's arrangements, so they all assented. Zu An was utterly bewildered. Not far away, Yu Men Beiqing lowered her head, her hair falling, making it impossible to see her expression.