On the shores of the East Sea, in the Kuafu Peach Forest.
Xuan Xiao and Yun Xiao faced their tribespeople who seemed poisoned, one worried, the other confused.
Suddenly, unfamiliar words reached their ears, instantly putting Xuan Xiao and Yun Xiao on alert. They looked at each other, their blood surging, ready to fight in an instant.
The speaker, clad in clothes made of unknown beast hide, walked slowly towards them. He carried a simple bow and arrow on his back, his strong face framed by a pair of sharp eyes. He glanced briefly at the many tribespeople, then at Xuan Xiao and Yun Xiao.
His expression shifted slightly as he looked at Yun Xiao: "Don't be alarmed, little ones. I am not an enemy."
Xuan Xiao recognized the man, his expression changing drastically, his pupils constricting in shock: "You, you are Hou Yi, the Great Witch who shot down the Golden Crow with his bow and arrow that day!"
"Haha... So you know me. That makes things easier." Hou Yi laughed, but his laughter was complex, laced with sadness. He gazed at the sprawling peach forest, sighing softly: "Rest assured, I am here only to find what remains of my brother Kuafu."
"The Great Witch Kuafu?" Xuan Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. With the strength of the Great Witch Hou Yi, he should have no reason to lie. If he said he was looking for Kuafu, then he was indeed looking for Kuafu.
Xuan Xiao calmed himself and regained his composure: "If you are seeking the remains of the Great Witch Kuafu, then I have only a small fragment of his body and the remains of his staff. However, for some reason, the Kuafu staff transformed into countless seeds that sprouted into this peach forest."
"The Peachwood Staff was destined to become a peach forest. Besides, this is the East Sea, and there are methods left by the Saints!" Hou Yi didn't find it strange at all that the staff had turned into a peach forest. He mentioned the East Sea and the Saint's methods, piquing Xuan Xiao's curiosity.
But now was not the time for curiosity. Seeing his tribespeople still groaning in pain, Xuan Xiao urgently asked: "Great Witch Hou Yi, let's set aside the matter of the staff transforming into a peach forest. What is wrong with my tribespeople? Why are they suffering like this after smelling the peach blossom fragrance?"
"Don't worry, they are fine. In fact, they are awakening their ancestral Witch bloodlines through the scent of the peach blossom." Hou Yi did not conceal anything, casually explaining: "The Peachwood Staff was originally a Primordial Top-Grade Spirit Root: the Snow-Proud Peach Tree. This Spirit Root, though classified as top-grade, is a rare Instrument Spirit Root in the Primal Chaos."
"As a Primordial Spirit Root, the Instrument Spirit Root bears fruits that are naturally Heavenly Treasures. The 'Snow-Proud Peach Tree' is even more special. It has no ability to bear fruit, nor does it possess the many divine abilities of other Spirit Roots. It possesses only one kind of proud, independent sharpness."
"The Snow-Proud Peach Tree's core contains an inherent, sharp, proud energy. This sharpness grows, strengthens, and refines as it grows, eventually becoming internalized. Finally, when the Snow-Proud Peach Tree reaches its peak growth, it becomes a perfect vessel."
"Your brother Kuafu encountered the fully grown Snow-Proud Peach Tree. Delighted, he took it, transforming it into a Peachwood Staff. Even as a staff, the sharpness it contained made it no less formidable than a spear or a divine sword. Your brother Kuafu loved it dearly. He nurtured it with his own bloodline and his own Dao."
"Unfortunately, in the battle against the Golden Crow, he was subdued by the Golden Crow. Not only did the Peachwood Staff shatter, but he also perished. However, because the Peachwood Staff had been nurtured with his bloodline and Dao for so many years, when it shattered and turned into a peach forest, his bloodline and Dao spread throughout."
"Kuafu, as the Great Witch of the Jumang Tribe, his bloodline naturally carried the Dao of Life. It nourished your tribespeople, but it also awakened their ancestral Witch bloodlines."
"As for you and the young lady, the reason you are not changing is that you have undergone some kind of transformation. You have purged your complex bloodlines and Witch bloodlines, leaving them as impurities. You have also transformed from a Mortal Human into a Primordial Human. Furthermore, the Primordial Humans you have become are comparable to Third-Generation Humans."
"Snow-Proud Peach Tree, Instrument Spirit Root, Witch Blood Awakening, Third-Generation Humans... This..." Xuan Xiao listened, getting many answers, but also raising many questions.
Hou Yi, as a Great Witch, was knowledgeable and experienced. The words he spoke filled Xuan Xiao with a sense of the unknown.
Seeing Xuan Xiao's puzzled expression, Hou Yi calmly explained. He told Xuan Xiao that Instrument Spirit Roots, like Primordial Banana Trees and Primordial Gourd Vines, produce fruits that cannot be eaten but can be refined into Primordial Heavenly Treasures.
The Snow-Proud Peach Tree was a top-grade Instrument Spirit Root. Its entire body was a vessel, which Kuafu obtained and refined into a staff.
The awakening of the Witch bloodlines was entirely due to Kuafu's staff containing his bloodline.
Well, seeing his tribespeople gradually calming down, Xuan Xiao felt happy. He never expected that those who were previously groaning in pain were actually awakening their Witch bloodlines. And after awakening their Witch bloodlines, their strength would surely increase, which was why his luck had skyrocketed.
Xuan Xiao was filled with emotion about the awakening of his tribespeople's bloodlines, and he also marveled at the power of becoming a Primordial Human after his own transformation.
Hou Yi continued to explain: "The first batch of humans created by Nüwa were the First-Generation Humans. This generation of Humans was the most talented of all. Later, as the Human race multiplied, their talents gradually declined. However, the first nine generations of Humans were all Primordial Humans, with Primordial Bodies, their talents were no less than some Primordial Beings."
"And you, Xuan Xiao, and Yun Xiao, after your transformation, have become Primordial Humans. In terms of talent, you are comparable to the Third-Generation Primordial Humans."
"Only comparable to the Third Generation?" Xuan Xiao knew that he was comparable to the Third-Generation Humans, but he felt a tinge of disappointment. After being reborn, he was only comparable to the Third Generation. What about the Second and First Generations?
Hou Yi saw the thoughts in Xuan Xiao's mind and continued: "Don't underestimate the talents of the Third Generation. Xuandu, who entered the Human Sect, is also a Third-Generation Human. Several of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect are also Third-Generation Humans. Moreover, as your cultivation strengthens and you continue to transform, you will eventually reach the level of the First Generation."
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