Dijiang looked at the woman at the doorway, a hint of a strange expression flashed through his eyes, perhaps a mix of surprise and melancholy.

He then laughed heartily, "I never expected that Houtu, the Witch King who never meddles in clan affairs, would actually return. Welcome, welcome."

Houtu snorted, standing at the entrance of the Temple, dazzling in her radiance.

"Originally, I didn't plan to come back, but you all have gone too far."

"You not only detained the Saintess but also imprisoned the Old Witch Master. Do you dare to kill Nuannuan and the Old Witch Master too?"

Dijiang looked at the phoenix eyes behind Houtu's veil, majestic and imposing, and shook his head.

"Houtu, perhaps you misunderstood. We merely think that the Wu Clan shouldn't hide at the Ancestral Altar, living in seclusion only."

"With the current strength of our Wu Clan, we should rise in the human world, maybe even establish our own nation, to be worthy of our clan's fame."

Houtu snorted, "Have you mostly forgotten the ancestral teachings of seclusion?"

"Haven't there been enough lessons for not respecting ancestral teachings? Not to mention far-off examples, King of Western Chu was our clan's Great Witch, unparalleled in bravery and strategy, unmatched for a millennium."

"But how did it end? Not only did he die in battle, but he also brought disaster upon our clan's descendants, leading to near extinction."

Everyone fell silent, and Houtu sneered coldly.

"Let's talk about the Primordial Era. Hou Yi, Kuafu, Xingtian, Chi You—weren't they all unrivaled in martial arts, dominant over the heavens and the earth? But in the end, who escaped Divine Punishment?"

"Could any of you compare to these heroes of the past?"

Everyone was rendered speechless by Houtu's questioning.

A silence enveloped the crowd, but Gonggong laughed heartily.

"Houtu, aren't you exaggerating a bit? The Overlord took his own life, merely a casualty of battle, and victory or loss is commonplace in warfare."

"As for Hou Yi, Kuafu, these ancient Great Witches, the legends are far too fantastical and may not be true."

He said this leisurely, scrutinizing the others.

"We are all modern people; those myths of shooting the sun and pursuing the stars are just for amusement."

"But if you truly believe in them, using these illusions to guide your actions is, in my opinion, unwise."

Houtu immediately became angry, pointing at Gonggong and shouting.

"Gonggong, you dare question your ancestors' teachings? That's simply betraying your masters and ancestors, forsaken by both deities and humans."

Gonggong shrugged and turned away, ignoring Houtu.

Dijiang spoke calmly, "Houtu, I served at West Point Military Academy and adopted materialist thinking. As a scholar with a graduate degree from MIT, I cannot accept your ideas."

Houtu snorted, "What's left to say? The Wu Clan is a great Martial Arts family; the spirit of Martial Arts has burned for thousands of years, and now we can only engage in a Martial Contest for Discourse."

At Houtu's proposal of a Martial Contest for Discourse, everyone was visibly stirred.

Dijiang looked at Houtu's beautiful face and sighed.

"Houtu, I heard you've become a renowned electronics magnate in Africa, worth billions; why come back to muddy the waters? Isn't it better to manage your business empire?"

Houtu spoke deliberately, "It's not better because Nuannuan is his daughter, and also because I am a member of the Wu Clan. Today, if you don't release Nuannuan and Great-Grandfather, I will not rest."

Gonggong sneered coldly, "Houtu, you still can't forget the Witch Master, but alas, he is already dead."

"Moreover, can you alone stand against the eight of us Witch Kings?"

Houtu gently removed her veil, revealing a face as bright as a full moon, full of the classical beauty of Huaxia's ancient maidens.

Houtu said calmly, "You eight can all come at me at once, and we'll see if the Pangu True Scripture that the Witch Master passed onto me is still effective."

Gonggong, Tian Wu, and Dijiang glanced at Houtu and couldn't help but laugh.

Gonggong squinted with one eye and said lightly, "Houtu, you managed to rank among the Twelve Witch Kings back then; you should know why."

"If it weren't for the Witch Master's favoritism, just based on strength, how could you have made the Twelve Witch Kings?"

Tian Wu's gaze was extremely complicated, looking at Houtu leisurely.

"Houtu, let me advise you: since you've announced that you're not dealing with Wu Clan matters and are focusing on business, don't get involved in this mess."

"A Martial Contest for Discourse, once initiated, ends only in death, and I don't wish to harm you."

Zhu Rong snorted and stepped forward, blocking Houtu.

"Tian Wu, if you intend to harm Houtu, you should check how capable you are first."

Tian Wu, upon seeing Zhu Rong, his heart ignited with anger.

"Zhu Rong, in Houtu's heart, there is only the Witch Master. You don't need to envy an outdated affection."

Ju Mang snorted, taking a step forward.

"Gonggong, there's also me, Ju Mang. You are so despicable, attacking me sneakily. Now I want justice."

Ju Mang had been ambushed by Gonggong, struck by a tranquilizer dart. Even now, he felt his Essence Qi was sluggish, and upon seeing Gonggong, fury flared in his eyes.

At this moment, the various Witch Kings were on edge, and the situation was about to explode.

Just then, a gentle voice counseled everyone.

"We are all members of the same clan; why meet each other with blades and weapons? Is there nothing we can't sit down and discuss properly?"

Gonggong, Ju Mang, Houtu, and Zhu Rong turned to see an elder with hair as white as silver entering the Temple.

The Old Witch Master!

At this, almost everyone was startled.

Houtu, Zhu Rong, Ju Mang, and others were both surprised and delighted, while Gonggong and others felt both unexpected and terrified.

Houtu bowed deeply to the Old Witch Master, "Elder, are you well? I apologize for the delay in rescuing you. Please forgive me."

The Old Witch Master nodded with a smile, waving his hand repeatedly.

"No harm, no harm, little Houtu, you're growing more beautiful by the day; it truly is the transformation of a young woman."

Unable to help herself, Houtu laughed, "Elder, I'm already over thirty, yet you still treat me like a child."

Gonggong was nonetheless very afraid, looking around nervously, "How... how did you come out? Where is Nuannuan?"

The Old Witch Master smiled gently, showing no resentment towards Gonggong.

"Gonggong, you're becoming more mischievous. I handed you the Ancestral Altar, allowed you to become the Witch Master, yet why did you imprison me in the Black Prison?"

The Old Witch Master's kind-heartedness left Gonggong in embarrassed disarray, struggling with his words.

"Well... Elder, I..."

The others were as astonished as Gonggong.

The Old Witch Master and Nuannuan had been confined in the Black Prison, heavily guarded—how did they escape?

Considering the formidable Great Witch's Power of Nuannuan, everyone couldn't help but search for Nuannuan's trace.

However, Nuannuan didn't appear.

They didn't know what tricks Nuannuan and the Old Witch Master were playing, growing increasingly uneasy.

Nuannuan's style was different from the Old Witch Master's.

The Old Witch Master was a benevolent person, but Nuannuan was decisive in killing and ruthless in action. Now, with Great Witch's Power, she was even more formidable.

With the appearance of the Old Witch Master, Houtu felt even more assured and laughed coldly.

"Gonggong, in a Martial Contest for Discourse, do you dare to battle me?"

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