I'll Be Back

Nuwa did not approach. Instead, she kept a safe distance and politely cupped her hands.

"Thank you for your help, fellow Daoist. That was the Fierce Beast Hou, and it's extremely difficult to deal with. I never expected you to be able to counter it so directly."

Her voice was lovely, with a clear, ethereal quality that had yet to fully mature.

Xiang Dong reached into his core, rummaged around, and pulled out a clone. Then and there, he stir-fried a batch of five-spice sunflower seeds.

"Here, have some sunflower seeds to calm your nerves."

Nuwa did not take them.

"What are these?"

"They're sunflower seeds, also called melon seeds. Good stuff."

Xiang Dong picked one up, cracked it open between his teeth, and spat out the shell.

After demonstrating, he held his hand out a little farther.

Nuwa hesitantly reached out and followed his example, picking up a seed and cracking it open in her mouth.

A fragrant burst of Spiritual Qi spread through her mouth, soothing not only her fatigue from the fight but also instantly purifying the lingering Fierce Sha Qi left by Hou.

"They really are good. They can actually purify Fierce Sha Qi. My name is Nuwa. May I ask how to address you, fellow Daoist?"

Xiang Dong folded his arms across his chest and raised his chin.

"My name is Xiang Dong, the Xiang Dong of 'the great river flows east.' Just now, I saw injustice on the road and let out a roar; when it was time to act, I acted."

Nuwa tilted her head. She felt as though she understood, but also as though she hadn't understood much at all. His rap-like speech was truly hard to make sense of.

But Nuwa was Nuwa, after all. After a moment of bewilderment, she managed to puzzle out a little of it.

"The way you speak is really unusual. It even has a bit of rhythm to it. It sounds rather nice, too."

"Unusual is right. That's called a sense of melody. Too bad I can't play an instrument." Xiang Dong offered her another handful of seeds. "Have some more. I've got plenty."

"Oh, right, doesn't your brother Fuxi have a connate spirit treasure, the Fuxi Qin?"

Xiang Dong said whatever came to mind, with little restraint. He also failed to notice that Nuwa's body paused ever so slightly as she took the seeds, and even her gaze turned a little dangerous.

She had not mentioned her brother to Xiang Dong, yet he had revealed the divine name Fuxi in a single sentence. Not only that, he also knew that Fuxi possessed the Fuxi Qin, a connate spirit treasure.

Why does this person know so much about my brother? Is he plotting something?

Xiang Dong was indeed plotting something. He wanted Fuxi to accompany him on the Fuxi Qin so his singing would have more feeling.

Keep the music playing, keep dancing.

It painted quite a picture, and had a touch of everyday life to it.

Just as the atmosphere grew a little delicate, the clouds in the distance suddenly churned, and a fierce wind came howling toward them.

The newcomer was a young man who also had a snake's tail. His features were handsome and refined, and anxiety showed between his brows.

He was Fuxi, Nuwa's older brother, the future Xi Emperor of the Demon Race, and one of the innate divinities most skilled in divination in all the Primordial World.

Earlier, Fuxi had been cultivating in seclusion when a sudden premonition had told him his little sister was in danger, so he had immediately rushed out of seclusion and come here.

"Sister!"

Fuxi fixed his gaze on Nuwa. After confirming that she was safe and sound, he noticed Xiang Dong standing beside her.

A fellow two meters tall, glowing all over, whose origins were unknown.

The instant Fuxi saw Xiang Dong, his heart and temples began to throb, and the feeling of premonition grew even stronger.

Danger!

The source of that danger was the being before him.

It was not a threat of strength, but something deeper, one involving karma and fate.

Previously, it had only been a premonition, and he had been unable to divine anything.

Now the other party was right in front of him, yet he still could not divine his origins. It was not that he was a bank of fog, leaving Fuxi unable to see or fathom him.

Rather, he was a light, a brilliantly dazzling energy-saving bulb, or even a little sun.

He was right there, shining so brightly that it hurt the eyes, and that was why he could not be seen clearly.

Fuxi did not hesitate in the slightest. When his little sister was involved, he would show no mercy.

He raised a hand, and an ancient-looking wooden qin appeared in his palm.

"What kind of fiend dares approach my little sister?!"

"Brother!"

Nuwa tugged at Fuxi's sleeve. Although she too felt that Xiang Dong was very strange and that his origins were unknown,

he had at least helped her drive Hou away, and the sunflower seeds he had given her could purify Sha Qi. No matter how she looked at it, he didn't seem like a bad person.

If Fuxi had known what Nuwa was thinking, he would certainly have said, "Sister, you're just too young. Can't you see the one in front of you is a blond punk?"

Indeed, he was golden yellow all over. If he wasn't a blond punk, what was he?

Facing Fuxi's murderous gaze, Xiang Dong did not retreat. Instead, he stepped forward and said with a grin,

"So this is the Fuxi Qin. Come, come, I've done a little study of the Dao of music too. Why don't we exchange pointers..."

Before he could finish,

Fuxi plucked the strings.

Twang—

With the crisp sound of the qin, a wave of sound slammed into Xiang Dong's chest like a sledgehammer.

Xiang Dong had not expected Fuxi to act so decisively, or even to strike with the ferocity of someone facing the man who had stolen his sister. He had no time to react before the sound wave blasted him away.

Come on, I'm a little glowing man, not a blond punk. I haven't even said ten sentences to your sister yet.

Just like that, Xiang Dong flew like a kite with its string cut, tracing a glittering golden arc through the air as he fell toward Buzhou Mountain.

The closer he got to Buzhou Mountain, the heavier Pangu's pressure became, pressing Xiang Dong down toward the ground.

This pressure had been bearable before, but now sound waves shook him from within while the majestic pressure bore down on him from without. Caught between these troubles inside and threats outside, Xiang Dong's energy, as a pure energy body, became unstable.

And so, he exploded in midair.

Brilliant fireworks bloomed, and countless specks of golden light scattered like rain. Only an echo reverberated through the air.

"Ahhh~~~ I'll be back! When I do, I'll park my Ghost Fire at..."

"Hmph, he still dared to make alarmist threats. Sure enough, he was no good."

Fuxi snorted coldly and put away the Fuxi Qin.

"Brother, his words and behavior were a little strange, but I felt he meant us no harm. Brother, why did you have to strike so hard?"

Fuxi warned Nuwa,

"Remember, don't go near that boy. I can't see his karma or fate clearly, but my senses tell me he's very dangerous. I've never had such a clear feeling before."

"So don't go near him. Do you understand?"

Nuwa knew of Fuxi's powers of divination, so she opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing and nodded silently.

Seeing his little sister nod, Fuxi was reassured.

What he did not know was that the handful of sunflower seeds clutched in Nuwa's palm was now glowing faintly.

Xiang Dong's main body had been blown apart, and when the sunflower seeds scattered across the ground, the rebirth mechanism had been triggered automatically. Thus, the sunflower seeds Nuwa had yet to eat entered the stage of taking root and sprouting on their own as the mechanism activated.

Nuwa naturally felt it. After all, it was in her heart, and the stirring and heat of life taking form brought her a glimmer of understanding.

At that instant, she seemed to have found her own Dao!