Chapter 9

In the past, she had not fought because she had not recognized the schemes within.

Now, for the sake of the human race, she naturally would not hesitate.

At that very moment, a figure abruptly appeared—it was none other than the Demon Emperor, Di Jun.

Clearly, he had received the message Guiche sent before his fall.

"Di Jun, what have you come for?"

Nuwa swept him with cold eyes, her tone indifferent.

Because of the matter with Lin Fan, she had grown distant toward the entire Demon Race.

"The Demon Race offended the human race today, so I have come especially to beg forgiveness from Empress Wa."

Di Jun hurriedly explained.

"There is no need. Guiche has already been executed."

Nuwa's expression was calm.

Di Jun's heart tightened.

In his eyes, it was hard for the human race to prove the Great Dao; in the Primordial World, the weak were prey to the strong, so what did these mortal lives matter?

But now that Guiche had angered Empress Wa's biological brother and provoked a sage's wrath, if this matter was not handled properly, it might bring disaster upon the Demon Race's fortune.

Thinking of this, Di Jun immediately took out three Innate Spiritual Treasures and spoke solemnly to Lin Fan—

"Guiche was steeped in evil. Young friend, please forgive us. Take these few artifacts as an apology."

Di Jun knew very well that if he could gain Lin Fan's forgiveness, Nuwa would not pursue the matter, and this grudge would naturally be resolved.

"No need."

Lin Fan flicked his sleeve and refused.

His heart was clear as a mirror—

The Demon Race was savage, its beast nature hard to change.

Di Jun was merely feigning civility because he feared Nuwa's might.

How could the blood debt of the human race, a river of slaughter, be so easily let go?

Seeing Lin Fan's firm attitude, Di Jun had no choice but to give up. Just as he was about to take his leave, he heard Nuwa say coldly:

"Keep the Demon Race under control. Do not create more sins of slaughter."

"I respectfully obey your decree."

Di Jun heard the anger of a sage in her words, a chill running down his spine, and hurriedly agreed.

Before Mount Sumeru in the West.

Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian arrived together.

At that time, the Sanqing had not yet become sages, and their brotherly affection ran deep.

Hearing that Jieyin and Zhunti had seized their Senior Brother's opportunity, Tongtian's rage could not be contained. He followed Laozi straight to Mount Sumeru.

The Sanqing stood before the mountain gate, their aura surging to the heavens.

Tongtian was the first to shout his challenge, his voice shaking the Eight Wastelands:

"Jieyin, Zhunti, come out and meet us!"

The Two Sages woke from meditation with a start. Recognizing Tongtian's voice, they could not help feeling puzzled—

Why had the Sanqing come to visit?

Before they could think further, the two appeared to meet them.

The Sanqing's gazes were like swords, their pressure blanketing heaven and earth.

Jieyin cupped his hands and said:

"I wonder what guidance the three Senior Brothers have for us, arriving here in person?"

"Two Junior Brothers, have you ever seen the Kongtong Seal?"

Laozi observed courtesy before force, asking in probe.

"The Kongtong Seal? Senior Brother, what do you mean by that?"

Jieyin and Zhunti looked at each other in bewilderment.

The conflict between the Sanqing and the Two Sages of the West.

Faced with Jieyin and Zhunti playing deaf and dumb, Laozi's expression instantly darkened.

These two really were harboring ghosts in their hearts!

After stealing the Kongtong Seal, they had actually dared to conceal the heavenly secrets. Now that he had come to their door, they were still quibbling. They were clearly coveting his opportunity, their intentions sinister!

Venerable Yuanshi had always loathed the conduct of Jieyin and Zhunti, and now fury burned even hotter in him. With a sweep of his sleeve, the gate of Mount Sumeru shattered with a boom.

Jieyin and Zhunti's faces were ashen. "Senior Brother Yuanshi, why have you destroyed our Daoist temple?"

Sect Master Tongtian pointed his sword at the two of them. "Hand over the Kongtong Seal at once, or don't blame me for showing no mercy!"

Zhunti's expression turned solemn. "I swear upon my Dao heart that I have never seen this object."

When Laozi heard this, he nearly cursed aloud—these two ** scoundrels were worthy of talking about character?

Seeing the Sanqing's anger grow even fiercer, Jieyin hurriedly explained, "Senior Brother Laozi, there must be some misunderstanding in this matter! My junior brother and I have long lived in seclusion on Mount Sumeru, cultivating behind closed doors. How could there be any talk of stealing a treasure? May I ask who made this false accusation?"

Laozi said coldly, "Junior Sister Nuwa's younger brother saw it with his own eyes, and you still intend to deny it?"

"Nuwa's younger brother?" Jieyin and Zhunti looked at each other. They only knew of Fuxi. Since when had another younger brother popped up?

Zhunti raised his voice. "We have never even heard of this boy! Since he does not know us, how could he have witnessed the theft? This is clearly a frame-up!"

The moment these words were spoken, the Sanqing's hearts became clear as snow—

The two claimed not to know Lin Fan, yet Lin Fan could describe their appearances and methods in detail. Did that not prove that when they seized the Kongtong Seal, Lin Fan had witnessed it with his own eyes, only they had been focused on the treasure and had not perceived him?

Besides, the words of a child were always more credible than those two petty villains Jieyin and Zhunti. Did this matter even need further discussion?

They did not need anyone else to smear their names; their own misdeeds were already too numerous to count.

"Eldest Brother, why waste more breath on scum like this?"

Sect Master Tongtian had an impatient temper and lost it on the spot.

"If we don't beat them into submission, how will they honestly hand it over?"

"Third Brother's words are exactly right."

Venerable Yuanshi nodded.

"Sanqing, don't bully us too far!"

Jieyin and Zhunti were thoroughly enraged.

All this time, they had been quietly cultivating, devoting themselves to comprehending the Hongmeng Purple Qi, and had never provoked trouble.

Yet the Sanqing had come picking a fight for no reason, opening their mouths to demand some Kongtong Seal.

They had never even seen that treasure. This was clearly a deliberate attempt to find fault.

They were merely taking advantage of the West's barrenness and using their power to oppress others.

Venerable Yuanshi struck with ruthless force, and the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi smashed down toward their heads.

Sect Master Tongtian activated the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation and followed close behind.

Even the most peaceful Taishang Laojun, because this involved his chance to attain the Dao, brought out the Taiji Diagram and attacked with all his might.

Jieyin and Zhunti were beaten into a wretched flight, cursing loudly:

"You three, don't go too far! Do you truly think we are easy to bully?"

"Tongtian, you **!"

"Aiyo! Senior Brother Taishang, we can discuss this properly..."

At the same time, on the eastern land.

Empress Nuwa held the Kongtong Seal and descended with Lin Fan upon the Human Tribe.

"Respectfully welcoming Empress Nuwa."

"We kowtow to the Holy Mother."

"We pay respects to the Holy Venerable."

The Three Ancestors of the Human Race led the masses in kneeling and bowing.

When many people looked towards Lin Fan, their eyes were filled with reverence.

That admiration was not the least bit inferior to their veneration for Nuwa.

After all, Lin Fan had previously protected the human race, slaying tens of thousands of great demons, and even when facing a Demon Saint, he had shown not the slightest fear.

This magnificent feat filled every member of the human race with the deepest gratitude.

Nuwa appeared in the world, holding the Kongtong Seal as she stood in the void. Hunyuan magic power surged, awakening the ** virtue power within the seal, and the Human Race Destiny thereby gathered into one.

Holy light bloomed from all around Nuwa, illuminating the land of the Primordial World.

"With my honored status as the Holy Mother of the human race, I hold the Kongtong Seal and establish the Human Teachings, to protect and bless the human race for thousands of generations." Before her words had faded, the Kongtong Seal erupted with ten thousand zhang of golden light.

The heavens ** trembled, and purple clouds stretched across the sky, veiling the firmament.

Illusory golden lotuses bloomed one after another, myriad phenomena appearing in succession as they merged with the Human Race Destiny.

Above the ninth heaven, merit poured down like a rain of stars. Twenty percent went to the Kongtong Seal, while eighty percent flowed into Nuwa's body. Empress Nuwa circulated the Primordial Creation Scripture, and the Power of Creation surged forth in majestic waves.

Her cultivation rose like a tide, breaking straight through three minor realms from the early stage of Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal of the Origin.

Lin Fan looked up at the phenomenon in the sky, then suddenly heard the system prompt: mission completed, bestowed an opportunity for enlightenment, obtained the acquired merit treasure, the Primordial Heaven Measuring Ruler.

This treasure was unmatched in killing and conquest, and Lin Fan was delighted. In the next thought, Thinking of how the Kongtong Seal's merit had not been complete before, and that only when Human Teachings was established did it truly awaken.

The Immortals of the Great Desolation gazed toward the Human Ancestral Land from afar, all revealing looks of shock.

Empress Nuwa established Human Teachings as well?

First she created humans and gained Heavenly Dao merit; now she had obtained such a great opportunity again. She was truly favored by the destiny of the Great Desolation.

Above the heavenly realm, Fuxi gazed at the winds and clouds below, unable to hide the joy and excitement between his brows.

His little sister had actually gained such fortune again. Heaven's Will was truly unfathomable.

Perceived the heaven-surging might released by Nuwa, Demon Emperor Di Jun felt a secret chill. Recalling how the Demon Race had slaughtered the Human Race some time ago and provoked Lin Fan's wrath, he still felt his spine go cold.

If they had failed to obtain Nuwa's forgiveness back then...

Within the Witch Tribe Territory.

Dijiang stared in disbelief at the changing phenomena in the sky: had Nuwa not just proved her Dao? How had she drawn down such Immeasurable Merit again?

The Twelve Ancestral Witches all wore grave expressions. Nuwa setting foot in the Primordial realm had already made the Witch Tribe wary, and now she had created Human Teachings as well...

At the summit of Mount Sumeru.

Laozi, who had been locked in combat with Jieyin and Zhunti, suddenly stopped.

"Senior Brother, why have you stopped fighting?"

Amid Tongtian's confusion, he saw Golden Merit Clouds on the eastern horizon hanging upside down like the Heavenly River, illuminating the nine skies.

Laozi's face was as frosty as ice, his beard and hair bristling, a sweetness of blood in his throat almost making him vomit.

Within his Spiritual Platform, the Hongmeng Purple Qi violently vibrated—the Kongtong Seal was actually in the East! The workings of heaven had been veiled just now, but at this moment they hung high like a bright lamp.

"What a Nuwa!"

"A dignified Sage, yet she imitates Jieyin and spouts lies as if opening her mouth!"

This furious shout made the Two Sages of the West's faces sink like iron, the joints of their ten fingers cracking.

(Beyond the ninth heaven, group number private chat)

Laozi flew east in a towering rage, paying no attention at all to Jieyin and Zhunti.

Yuanshi and Tongtian looked at each other in stunned silence.

They glanced at the bruised and swollen faces of the Two Sages of the West, and the atmosphere instantly became subtle.

"Elder brother, the scenery of this Mount Sumeru is rather unique."

Tongtian put away the Immortal Slaying Sword as if nothing had happened, pretending to admire the mountain view.

"Though the West is barren, it also has its own distinctive charm."

Venerable Yuanshi tucked the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi into his sleeve and echoed him indifferently.

In the blink of an eye, the two Sages drifted away.

Jieyin and Zhunti clutched their bruised cheeks, towering fury igniting in their eyes.

"These fools! They were clearly tricked by Nuwa, yet they took it out on us!"

What enraged them even more was that the other side had not even offered a single word of apology.

"Yuanshi! Tongtian! Taiqing! You bunch of bastards!"

By now, Laozi had already descended upon the Human Race's lands.

The biting mountain wind gradually calmed him down.

Although his anger had not faded, his reason began to return.

Nuwa's realm had already been transcendent to begin with, and now she had gained the added support of Human Teachings merit.

Forget a duel alone—even if the Sanqing joined forces, they might not have much chance of victory.

A rash provocation could trigger consequences impossible to predict.

Thinking of this, Laozi felt unbearably stifled.

He turned around and flew straight toward Zixiao Palace.

Within the Human Tribe, auspicious purple qi coiled around Nuwa's body.

Her cultivation at the fourth heaven of Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal of the Origin had already stabilized.

Nourished by the Human Race Destiny, the Kongtong Seal gradually transformed into an acquired merit treasure.

Just as she was feeling gratified, heaven and earth abruptly changed.

The purple clouds filling the sky were swallowed by dark clouds, and thunder transformed into **.

The entire Great Desolation trembled under a terrifying pressure, and mortals were nearly suffocated.

Empress Nuwa gazed at the heavens, a trace of doubt rising between her brows.

As the ancient saying went: all living things under heaven received heaven's grace.

Guiding the life of a realm and protecting a race was, in itself, a deed of Immeasurable Merit.

Why, then, had the Heavenly Dao sent down such a lightning tribulation?

It made no sense.

Could it be that she had overlooked something crucial?

Before her thoughts could settle, deafening thunder swept in, and a rolling sea of lightning came crashing down toward her.

Empress Nuwa's expression remained calm. As her sleeves billowed, she stirred the power of Hunyuan, and the Primordial Creation Scripture displayed all its mysteries.

Her left palm upheld yang; her right palm gathered yin.

Her hands overlapped, and the two qi of yin and yang blended and flowed.

Countless Yin Yang Sacred Seals condensed into form, surged against the heavens, and pierced straight through the Ninth Firmament.

The sea of lightning formed from Purple Firmament Divine Thunder collapsed in an instant, vanishing into nothingness.

The Heavenly Dao seemed to be enraged. Across hundreds of millions of miles, the firmament suddenly lit with dazzling divine radiance, and Law Chains poured down like a river of stars, carrying endless heavenly might as they descended.

Empress Nuwa's gaze was calm as she raised her hand, drawing Hunyuan magic power into the Kongtong Seal.

In an instant, golden light shot into the heavens. Upon the seal appeared the sun and moon, mountains and seas, rivers and stars, and a vast world abruptly unfolded.

Surging destiny swept across the Primordial World, transforming into thousands upon thousands of golden dragon shadows that soared into the sky and roared.

The Law Chains clashed with the dragon shadows, snapping inch by inch before dissolving into the void.

All beings of the Primordial World witnessed this scene, and their hearts shook violently.

"Empress Nuwa can actually contend against heavenly punishment with her strength alone!"

"The Heavenly Dao is supreme, yet someone can rival it?"

Just as the faith of all beings began to waver, the Law Chains in the void grew denser and denser.

Heavenly might surged vast and boundless, shaking the Primordial Stars until they trembled, as though the order of heaven and earth were about to collapse.

With Human Race Destiny upon her, Empress Nuwa watched as destiny's golden dragons collided ceaselessly with the Law Chains.

Countless minor worlds perished into silence amid the clashes.

Rotation of Heaven and Earth

The vault of heaven shuddered as supreme power crushed the four directions and eight wildernesses.

The vast heavenly tribulation was finally dismantled, and the rolling thunderclouds scattered into nothingness.

Empress Nuwa gathered her sleeves and was about to withdraw when she suddenly sensed Human Race Destiny erupt into an abnormal change—

A force of order that stood above all things was awakening, like the Heavenly Dao, yet not the Heavenly Dao.

A sharp gleam abruptly lit in her eyes.

"The power of Humanity's Way!"

So this was the root of the heavenly punishment.

The newborn Humanity's Way was still like a young sprout; only by following the Human Race into its flourishing age could it become the ultimate order.