Chapter 2569: The Road to the Heavens

As he looked at the sky full of Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, their combined oppressive presence felt almost tangible, and Zu An finally understood how Sun Wukong must have felt when he fought against the Heavenly Court in the myths.

Gonggong was furious. "Do you think you're the only ones who can summon reinforcements!"

Immediately, he took out a conch-shaped artifact and blew a desolate, wailing sound from it.

Soon, countless Witch clan warriors swarmed in from all directions, including many renowned Grand Witches. For a moment, their momentum was no less than that of the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals.

Zhulong, however, was not as impulsive as Gonggong. Instead, he looked at the sky full of gods and asked, "You've practically sent everyone. Does Zhuanxu know about all this?"

Di Jun said calmly, "If he didn't know about all this, how could so many gods have come down?"

Hearing this, the Witch clan members were both shocked and enraged. Many couldn't help but curse loudly, realizing that the Heavenly Court's demon clan had long plotted against them.

As a result, not only ordinary Witch clan members, but even the other Ancestral Witches were enraged. No one knew who struck first, but the two sides instantly clashed.

Immediately, terrifying lights erupted across the entire battlefield. Grand Witches and gods fell with almost every clash.

Zu An was about to step forward to help when Xi He pulled him back. "Let's leave this place first," she said.

Zu An frowned. "But I still need to settle scores with Di Jun and ask him where Xiao Xi is."

"I think I know," Xi He said after a moment of thought.

"You know?" Zu An was both surprised and delighted.

"Let's get out of here first." Xi He clutched her chest, her face pale from severe injuries. "If we don't leave now, we might not be able to leave at all."

Zu An knew she was telling the truth. In a battle of this scale between the Witch and Demon clans, almost any fighter there was stronger than him.

Although he could put up a fight with the Sun-Shooting Bow and some special divine abilities, with so many powerful combatants on this battlefield, he wouldn't last long and would regretfully fall.

Moreover, both the Goddess of Wushan and Xi He were severely injured and in critical condition. If he had to look after them, the three of them would only die faster.

Sensing that the spatial elements around them were becoming strange, as if a grand formation was about to take shape, Zu An didn't dare to hesitate any longer. He scooped up the Goddess of Wushan and Xi He, one in each arm, transformed into a rainbow, and vanished into the distance.

Seeing this, Di Jun raised his hand and reached for the rainbow. He now hated Zu An intensely, so how could he let him escape right before his eyes?

Unexpectedly, a huge head suddenly appeared in front; it was Zhulong, blocking the two sides. "Di Jun," he said, "it's time we settled our accounts properly."

He was grateful to Zu An for exposing the truth of the incident; he owed Zu An a great favor. Of course, he had to protect him for a while.

Zhulong's power was such that even Di Jun was wary of him. He could only watch as Zu An departed.

Zu An transformed into a rainbow and traveled until he reached a safe area. Even a million miles away, he could faintly feel the terrifying energy fluctuations from the battle, clearly indicating that both the Witch and Demon clans were fighting with full fury.

"It's strange," the Goddess of Wushan mused. "If Zhuanxu truly supported a war against the Witch clan, why did he sacrifice his beloved grandson to sever the connection between heaven and earth back then?" The Goddess of Wushan was puzzled. If he knew a war between the two sides would follow, then Zhuanxu's sacrifice to resolve the conflict between the Witch and Demon clans at that time would have been too great.

"Zhuanxu and Di Jun have never gotten along, so he absolutely wouldn't support him," Xi He said in a deep voice. "If I'm not mistaken, Zhuanxu is probably being controlled now."

Zu An was startled. "How could he, the dignified Heavenly Emperor, be controlled?"

"You don't understand the situation in the Heavenly Court," Xi He explained. "Many demons in the Heavenly Court consider themselves noble and disdain sharing the world's power with the Witch clan. Furthermore, the Witch clan has always had a bad temper, and over countless millennia, the friction and grievances between the two sides have accumulated to an unmanageable degree." Xi He's expression was complex. "Seeing how many Heavenly Soldiers and Generals came out to help Di Jun just now, it's not necessarily because Di Jun swayed them; it's more likely they've long wanted to attack the Witch clan."

"Then aren't the Witch clan in danger?" Zu An worried. If the Witch clan fell, where in this vast world would he have a place to belong?

"Not necessarily," Xi He reassured him. "The Ten Ancestral Witches are manifestations of Pangu's essence and blood, each incredibly powerful and possessing various divine abilities. The other Witch clan members are also natural-born warriors. If it comes to a real fight, it's still unknown who will emerge victorious. Besides, these aren't things we can influence. Whether we're there or not, it won't affect the course of the battle."

Zu An remained silent. He actually agreed with her. Although he had only caught a fleeting glimpse of the battlefield earlier, countless powerhouses, whose strength was no less than his own, fell with every clash between the Witch and Demon clans. He truly couldn't influence the battle.

"Where is this Xiao Xi you mentioned?"

"The Heavenly Court!"

Zu An was startled by her answer.

"Originally, Di Jun's plan was flawless, but because of your appearance..." Xi He paused, then continued to explain. "It interrupted his plan prematurely, causing their war with the Witch clan to start earlier. He hasn't used the Myriad Souls Banner yet, which suggests it still needs more time to be fully refined."

"The ground is the Witch clan's territory, so he wouldn't dare risk keeping something so important there now; it's most likely in his divine palace. Given that most gods seem to support him, the probability of him keeping the Myriad Souls Banner in the Heavenly Court is higher. What place could be safer than that?"

Hearing this, the Goddess of Wushan couldn't help but snort. "These fellows wreak havoc for their own selfish desires, yet they have the audacity to call themselves gods."

Thinking of everything that had happened recently, and realizing that so many gods in the Heavenly Court knew about it, even with her temperament, she began to feel angry.

"The victors write history," Xi He said emotionlessly. "As long as they win, history will be theirs to write." Having held a high position, she had long seen through the ways of the world. "Let's hurry to the Heavenly Court now."

"Heaven and earth have been severed; how can we go to the Heavenly Court?" Zu An asked, a little worried.

"There is still a path to heaven on Kunlun Mountain," Xi He said, looking westward.

Zu An nodded, and carrying both women, he quickly transformed into a rainbow and headed towards Kunlun Mountain.

On the way, he suddenly remembered that the Goddess of Wushan was severely injured, and felt a touch of apology.

The Goddess of Wushan gave a faint smile. "Don't worry, I just took some elixirs, and my injuries have recovered quite a bit. After all, I'm the daughter of the Red Emperor; I won't die so easily."

Zu An didn't have time to send her back to Wushan now; it was safer to keep her with him.

As they continued flying, the three of them suddenly fell into an eerie silence.

"I'm sorry," Zu An suddenly said. Although the Golden Crows had been possessed by Di Jun, he hadn't known this at the time. He had still shot down nine Golden Crows.

Xi He knew what he meant. After a long silence, she finally spoke. "All this time, I actually wanted to kill you."

"But you never did."

"I don't know why that is... The one I always thought was my enemy wasn't, and instead, the one closest to me was the real enemy."

Thinking of how, despite all her efforts in recent days, history still couldn't be changed, and eventually discovering such a truth, Xi He couldn't help but marvel at the power of fate.

Zu An tightly clasped her hand. "I will help you get revenge!"

Both publicly and privately, he and Di Jun were irreconcilable enemies.

Xi He's hand instinctively tried to pull back, but his grip was strong, and after a few attempts, she let him hold it.

At this moment, there was no romance in her heart, but rather endless sorrow.

Following the two women's guidance, Zu An finally reached the peak of Kunlun Mountain, stopping before a massive tree.

The tree's trunk soared into the clouds, straight and branchless. Its bark resembled hanging ribbons and emitted a purple glow.

At its apex were nine winding, coiling branches. Its leaves were green, and faint dark, mystical flowers were visible among them.

"Is this the Jianmu, the tree that connects heaven and earth?" Zu An mused to himself. Although the tree was massive, it wasn't as towering or all-encompassing as he had imagined.

Xi He nodded and walked to the tree. She placed her hand on the trunk of the Jianmu. Soon, a golden light enveloped them, and in the next second, Zu An felt as if he were inside the Jianmu.

He rose rapidly, as if riding an elevator.

Just then, the three of them felt a violent tremor around them, as if the entire tree was about to collapse at any moment.