Chapter 373: Abandonment!
However, if he chose the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation, his reward for ranking ninth this time would essentially be forfeited. Though the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Pagoda of Encountering Realms was not particularly powerful, it could still slightly enhance his strength.
The Ten Thousand Buddha Formation would enhance the overall power of Buddhism. Thus, the Jieyin Buddha had to make a choice. Time was limited, and the subsequent rewards were still waiting. Moreover, many Buddhist disciples were watching him at this moment.
If he did not take the lead in making a decision now, it might cause those Buddhist disciples to doubt him.
After deep contemplation, the Jieyin Buddha finally made his choice.
[Jieyin Buddha: I choose the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation!]
Simply choosing the formation was not enough. The grand formation required a sufficient number of Buddhist disciples, and the stronger they were, the better. The Jieyin Buddha immediately ordered the entire Buddhist sect to quickly assemble disciples capable of setting up the Ten Thousand Buddha Formation.
At the very least, he could not let this reward go to waste; it needed to be utilized as soon as possible.
…
Houtu had long been impatient. After watching the Jieyin Buddha slowly choose his reward, it was finally her turn.
[Tenth place reward on the Technique List: Blood Essence of the Eleven Ancestral Witches]
[All the blood essence of the eleven other Ancestral Witches, excluding Houtu herself. It can strengthen the Witch Tribe's bloodline and enhance their physical bodies!]
For Houtu, this reward was acceptable. The blood essence of the Ancestral Witches no longer brought her the same level of enhancement as before since she was now a Saint.
The reward was indeed good, but it had arrived a bit too late.
However, Houtu did not feel regret because this was not just the blood essence of one Ancestral Witch—it was the blood essence of all the others except her.
This gave her a new possibility: the chance to condense the True Form of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, also known as the True Form of Pangu.
Pangu had achieved sainthood through his physical body, and his physical strength was considered the greatest in the primordial world—at least until the incredibly powerful Ye Tian appeared, making things uncertain.
Nonetheless, there was no denying that Pangu's physical body was among the strongest. The fact that so many things in the world had been derived from his body was proof of its immense power.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches had each inherited a fraction of his power, and that alone had made them incredibly strong. If Houtu could reforge the True Form of Pangu, her strength would soar.
When the other members of the Witch Tribe saw this reward, they were equally astonished. This was something they had never expected. They had never imagined that so much blood essence from the long-deceased Ancestral Witches could still remain.
Even a single drop could cleanse their bodies and purify their bloodline.
Since this was a reward from the Golden List and ranked tenth, it certainly wasn't just a single drop—each Ancestral Witch had thousands of drops available. That was why Houtu believed she could forge the True Form of Pangu.
With sufficient Ancestral Witch blood essence at her disposal, even if she failed to fully recreate the True Form of Pangu, she could still greatly enhance her strength, at the very least condensing her Ancestral Witch bloodline to its utmost limit.
However, Houtu worried whether the Witch Tribe's bloodline could still provide immense power. After all, she had become a Saint through the Six Paths of Reincarnation, which had little connection to her Witch Tribe bloodline.
[Chiyou: To think that this is the blood essence of the other eleven Ancestral Witches… I never imagined that so much of their blood essence had been preserved even after their deaths. The Golden List is indeed powerful to be able to locate such a reward!]
[Xiangliu: This is a treasure beyond measure! For the Witch Tribe, nothing is more important than this. Even though Houtu has become a Saint, acquiring so much Ancestral Witch blood essence means that if she refines it all, her strength will undoubtedly skyrocket!]
Even though these members of the Witch Tribe were incredibly envious, deep down, they also desperately wanted the Ancestral Witches' blood essence for themselves.
The blood essence of the twelve Ancestral Witches had the potential to reforge the True Form of Pangu. However, the key to this process was achieving physical immortality. Since Houtu had already become a Saint, receiving so much Ancestral Witch blood essence was far less beneficial to her than it would be to the rest of the Witch Tribe.
All the members of the Witch Tribe understood that even if Houtu refined all the blood essence, she would only be able to enhance her strength slightly. If she failed to reforge the True Form of Pangu, she would merely gain a minor power boost.
On the other hand, if the blood essence were distributed among the remaining members of the Witch Tribe, it could elevate the entire tribe's strength to a new level, making ordinary Witch Tribe members strong enough to crush the Demon Tribe.
The immense value of the Ancestral Witch blood essence was enough to drive any Witch Tribe member into a frenzy. However, they knew that this was just a fantasy—Houtu, as a Saint, would never share such a precious reward with so many others.
Indeed, Houtu had no such thoughts at all. A single overwhelmingly powerful individual was what ensured a race's prosperity and survival. A large group of ordinary strong warriors could never achieve the same effect.
Houtu now had the opportunity to strengthen herself further, which was an excellent development for her.
There was no way she would distribute her reward among the other tribe members. As the only Saint of the Witch Tribe, she knew that she needed to become even stronger to guarantee the tribe's safety.
[Sun Wukong: This is blood essence from the Ancestral Witches, who are as strong as Quasi-Saints! To think that so much blood essence has been preserved… It seems the Witch Tribe's physical bodies are truly formidable, on par with the Demon Tribe!]
[Bull Demon King: They've really struck gold this time. With so much Ancestral Witch blood essence, Houtu Saint's physical body will surely reach an incredibly terrifying level!]
[Di Jun: It's a pity that the Demon Tribe has no Saint. I never expected our mortal enemies, the Witch Tribe, to produce one. Now that Houtu has obtained this reward, she will only grow stronger and stronger!]
The enmity between the Witch Tribe and the Demon Tribe was irreconcilable. The members of the Demon Tribe were deeply concerned about the Witch Tribe's rising strength.
Even though only Houtu had gained power, the mere presence of a Saint was an enormous source of pressure.
The Demon Tribe simply could not compare. Their rewards from the Golden List were far inferior. If this trend continued, the gap between the two races would only widen, until the Demon Tribe would be completely unable to contend with the Witch Tribe.
The only way to change the situation was for the Demon Tribe to also produce a Saint—only then could they counter Houtu. However, this was an almost impossible task.
Even at the height of their power, they had failed to accomplish it. How could they possibly succeed now?
[Luya: The reward that just appeared is already excellent for the Witch Tribe. Hopefully, the second reward will be weaker than this one!]
His greatest fear was that the second reward would be even more terrifying. If that happened, Houtu's power would grow to an unimaginable level.