noffsinger Chapter 2.2 The Ancestral Witch's Questioning
Chapter 2.2 The Ancestral Witch's Questioning
All the ancestral witches looked at her.
Houtu's gaze fell upon the nine-clawed golden dragon, its serpentine tail swaying gently, its eyes filled with contemplation:
"When I climbed Mount Buzhou and found this object, it was still asleep, its aura was stable, and it was no different from an ordinary treasure."
But just now... I seemed to sense a momentary fluctuation in its aura.
"Fluctuations?" Dijiang raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." Houtu nodded. "The fluctuation was extremely weak. If I hadn't been paying attention to it, I wouldn't have noticed it."
That fluctuation... didn't seem to emanate naturally from a treasure; it was more like... the aura of a living being.
Upon hearing this, all the ancestral witches changed color.
"A living thing?" Zhu Rong's enormous, flame-filled eyes widened. "You mean, this little thing is alive?"
Gonggong, no longer bothering to argue with Zhurong, stepped closer to examine the python closely; the giant eyes on its head gleamed with an eerie light.
"Let me see! A living creature? None of the twelve of us could tell it was alive, but you actually could?"
Xuanming's ferocious beastly body leaned forward slightly, its bone spikes gleaming coldly as it stared at Pan Xuan:
"If it were truly alive, it would be quite capable to feign death right under our noses for so long."
Houtu shook her head: "I'm not sure either. It's just that the fluctuation at that moment was too strange, and we have to be careful."
Pan Xuan inwardly groaned.
This Houtu Ancestral Witch truly lives up to her reputation as a compassionate and benevolent being, yet also incredibly meticulous; she was able to detect even his faintest fluctuations in aura.
This is troublesome. Should he continue to play dead, or...?
"Let me give it a try."
Shebi Shi stepped forward, his true form—a tiger's head, a human body, and four hooves—was shrouded in an eerie mist, and the snake in his mouth stared intently at Pan Xuan.
He stretched out his large hand and placed it on the layer of primordial yellow energy, closing his eyes to sense it.
Pan Xuan felt a chilling aura seep in and circulate around him.
The aura carried the scent of death and decay, causing him to instinctively feel a sense of resistance.
But he forcibly suppressed this impulse, kept his breathing steady, and even deliberately imitated the lifeless state of the treasure.
After a long while, Shebishi withdrew his hand and shook his head: "I can't sense any life force. Either my cultivation is insufficient, or... it really isn't a living thing."
Houtu frowned slightly but remained silent.
"Since Shebishi has said so, there shouldn't be any problem."
Jumang spoke, his true form—a bird-bodied human-faced being riding on two dragons—radiating a rich vitality. Since even he hadn't sensed anything unusual, it was probably just Houtu being paranoid.
The ancestral witches nodded and continued to study the nine-clawed golden dragon.
"Since this thing shares the same origin as us, why don't we try to refine it using the essence blood of the Ancestral Witch?"
Qiangliang suggested that his true form—a tiger's head, a human body, and a snake in his mouth—looked particularly ferocious.
"No!" Houtu immediately objected. "Since it is related to the Father God, it is one of our own kind. How can we refine it?"
"Sister Houtu is right," Dijiang agreed. "Our Father God's relics should not be treated lightly. Let's first investigate their origin and purpose before making any plans."
Pan Xuan breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Fortunately, although these ancestral witches looked fierce and menacing, their reverence for the Father God Pangu was genuine, and they would not easily destroy anything related to the Father God.
But before he could even catch his breath, he heard Zhu Rong yell, "Research it! We've been researching it for three days now, and we haven't figured it out at all!"
In my opinion, we should just put it in my Southern Ming Fire and burn it; maybe then it will reveal its true form!
"Nonsense!" Gonggong immediately retorted, "Your broken fire would ruin even good things! You should soak them in my Weak Water!"
"Shut up, both of you!" Qiang Liang roared, his body crackling with lightning. "All you ever do is burn and soak things. Can't you use your brains?"
"Xi Zi, who are you calling brainless?" Zhu Rong glared at him angrily.
Seeing that the Ancestral Witches were about to start arguing again, Xuanming coldly spoke:
"All of you, keep quiet. If you disturb this thing and ruin everything, who will be responsible?"
Her icy voice seemed to possess the power to freeze everything, and both Zhu Rong and Gong Gong shivered simultaneously, no longer daring to argue.
Pan Xuan watched this scene and felt a strange sense of emotion. These were the legendary Twelve Ancestral Witches, the overlords of the primordial land and the rulers of the Witch Clan, who could actually quarrel and argue like ordinary people.
Although they were high-ranking ancestral witches, the affection between them was genuine.
Just then, Zhu Jiuyin suddenly spoke up: "Wait."
The ancestral witches were taken aback and all looked at him.
Zhu Jiuyin's eyes, which seemed to see through time, were now fixed on the nine-clawed golden dragon, a strange light flashing in them:
"Its aura... has fluctuated again."
What?
All the ancestral witches' gazes instantly converged on Pan Xuan.
Pan Xuan inwardly cried out in alarm. He had been amused by the quarreling of those Ancestral Witches, and his aura had involuntarily fluctuated, which Zhu Jiuyin had unexpectedly detected.
This is it.
"There's definitely a fluctuation!" Di Jiang's expression turned serious. Spatial power surged, and with a stomp of his six legs, he instantly sealed off the surrounding space. "Everyone, be careful! This thing is unusual!"
The twelve Ancestral Witches immediately entered battle mode, their auras surging, completely surrounding Pan Xuan.
Xuanming's body was enveloped in a chilling aura, and layers of frost condensed on his bone spurs. He coldly said:
"If it dares to make any move, I will pierce it through with this ice spike."
Pan Xuan felt the twelve terrifying auras and smiled bitterly to himself.
This is truly like escaping one wolf's den only to fall into another.
He's only been here a short time, and he's already facing an attack from the Twelve Ancestral Witches? What an "honor" this is!
But he also knew that he could no longer play dead.
Playing dead will only make things worse.
Now that it has been discovered that it possesses intelligence.
If he continues to pretend, these ancestral witches will only think he has ulterior motives. If they really think he is some kind of evil spirit and destroy him, that would be a great injustice.
Fight!
Pan Xuan took a deep breath, and then, enveloped in the layer of primordial yellow energy, slowly opened his eyes.
Those were golden eyes, like two miniature suns, dazzling and bright, yet balanced and peaceful, without the slightest hint of hostility.
The twelve Ancestral Witches all took a step back, their eyes filled with shock.
"It...it opened its eyes!" Houtu exclaimed.
Pan Xuan's gaze swept over the twelve Ancestral Witches, finally settling on Houtu.
He knew that this ancestral witch was the only one who had goodwill towards him, and was also his only breakthrough at this moment.
"Everyone..." Pan Xuan began, his voice somewhat hoarse, as if he hadn't used it in a long time, "Brothers and sisters, please hold your hands."
His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every ancestral witch.
Dijiang's faceless head turned slightly, staring at Pan Xuan: "What are you? Why do you possess the aura of my father god?"
Pan Xuan tried his best to appear calm and respectful, and he lowered his head slightly before speaking slowly:
"I am formed from the righteous energy of Father God Pangu, and I was created by combining the merits of creation with the mysterious energy of heaven and earth."
The twelve ancestral witches were all born from the essence and blood of the Father God; in a sense, I am one of your kin.
Upon hearing this, all twelve Ancestral Witches were stunned.
Compatriots?
This tiny, newly awakened nine-clawed golden dragon—can we really call them compatriots?
"Bullshit!" Zhu Rong was the first to jump up, and flames surged on his beast-headed, human-bodied form.
"We are formed from the essence and blood of the Father God, and are His direct descendants! Who do you think you are, daring to call yourselves our fellow citizens?"