Nuwa: Yuanshi, are you Hongjun's loyal dog?

Watching Nuwa's evasive movement, Tongtian scratched his head, unsure of what was going on.

Laozi and Yuanshi, however, showed no reaction, their faces still expressionless.

Nuwa also noticed the difference among the Three Pure Ones.

Tongtian was warm and enthusiastic, unlike the other two with their deadpan faces.

Standing before the closed gates of the Purple Cloud Palace, the group could only sit and wait.

Nuwa, however, grew curious and began wandering around the Purple Cloud Palace.

The palace was grand and vast, its scale so immense that calling it a mere palace felt inadequate—it was nearly the size of a Lesser World.

When she reached a certain cliff, she saw thousands of Postnatal Spiritual Treasures and a few Innate Spiritual Treasures displayed upon it.

Nuwa stood frozen in place.

"This old man is something else, just leaving spiritual treasures out on a cliff like this. Showing off, is he?"

She then thought of her own master, who had never given her a single spiritual treasure since she became his disciple.

But then she recalled the stack of Wooden Tokens in her bosom, and felt a bit more balanced. Her master's strike must have been immensely powerful, right?

Defeating the current Hongjun didn't seem impossible—she could probably suppress him in a fight.

Looking back at the cliff, she felt a stirring of temptation.

"This old man's showing off—should I just take the whole cliff?"

With that thought, Nuwa pondered for a moment.

Though she was thinking, her hands were already reaching out toward the cliff.

When she came to her senses, she was already holding two spiritual treasures.

Gripping the treasures, she instinctively glanced around and found no one stopping her.

Her courage swelled.

With a sweep of her sleeve, she gathered all the treasures into it.

Nuwa nearly jumped up in excitement.

"Success! Old man, let that be a lesson for showing off. Today, your granny here teaches you a lesson."

Just as she turned to leave, a figure stood behind her.

Their eyes met, and Nuwa felt a flash of panic.

Hongjun had been composing himself to begin his sermon when he sensed a disturbance at the Treasure Distribution Cliff he had created.

He never imagined someone would dare to pilfer from within his own Purple Cloud Palace.

Looking at Nuwa, Hongjun calculated with his fingers and saw the karmic ties between them.

This person bore immense fortune and would later attain enlightenment through great merit—a destined Heavenly Dao Saint.

She was also fated to be his disciple.

Yet that master-disciple bond had been severed.

The reasons for this were unclear to Hongjun.

But after some thought, he realized he had lost a certain opportunity before attaining enlightenment, and this must be it.

Seeing Hongjun's deadpan expression, Nuwa felt a flicker of panic. She'd been caught stealing.

What now?

Waiting online.

Kind of urgent.

"Uh, I was just admiring the scenery here. It's quite nice."

Hongjun was speechless. Scenery? Was it the scenery of the spiritual treasures?

You've cleaned out the entire Treasure Distribution Cliff—why not just take the cliff itself?

"Return the treasures, and this matter ends."

Nuwa rubbed her head, her smile awkward, but she still spoke.

"Treasures? What treasures? I don't see any."

"Oh, right, I have an Elder Brother who should be here by now. I need to go find him."

With that, she tried to leave, but found herself unable to move.

Nuwa clutched a Wooden Token tightly in her hand, thinking that if he dared to act, she'd remind him of the fear from before.

She still vividly remembered that battle.

Hongjun had nearly died there.

"If you don't want to return it, you can take me as your master instead."

Hearing this, Nuwa's hand, clutching the Wooden Token, trembled slightly.

But at such a proposal, she didn't even think before speaking directly.

"Sorry, Sage, but I already have a master, and you've met him before."

Hongjun already knew that Nuwa had taken a master, just not who it was.

Thinking it over, there were only two in the Primordial World who could take Nuwa as a disciple.

One was Yangmei, and the other was that one above the South Sea.

But on second thought, it seemed he couldn't beat either of them.

His mood instantly soured—first losing to that one above the South Sea, then directly to Yangmei.

"Then return the spiritual treasure."

After a moment's thought, Nuwa directly infused a stream of spiritual energy into the Wooden Token in her hand.

A flash of golden light shot from the token, straight toward Hongjun.

Seeing that familiar golden light, Hongjun's face turned pale, his mind flashing back to that day's scene.

Countless beams of light gathered in his hand, forming a barrier-like screen of light.

The golden light struck the screen, and Hongjun thought this would block the incoming strike.

But suddenly, he saw the barrier he had raised shatter in an instant.

The golden light flew toward him without any resistance.

Hongjun could only split off a clone in an instant, teleporting his true body backward.

When the golden light struck the clone, it finally dissipated slowly.

Hongjun's face flushed red, and he vanished from the spot in an instant.

Watching Hongjun retreat, Nuwa felt all the restraints on her body dissolve, and she could move again.

The Wooden Token she had been clutching had already turned to ash.

Glancing at it, Nuwa's eyes were full of amusement.

"Hmph, he still can't beat my master. Sure enough, the token my master gave me works like a charm."

With that, she prepared to leave the Purple Cloud Palace, but the commotion had drawn some cultivators.

When they saw Nuwa, they were all curious about what had just happened.

They had only seen a flash of golden light.

Just as Nuwa was about to leave, a familiar voice rang in her ears.

"Sister, where have you been all these years? Couldn't you leave a message? Your elder brother was so worried!"

Looking at Fuxi appearing before her, Nuwa felt a bit speechless.

She had a feeling she wouldn't be able to leave now.

Still, she explained herself.

"Elder Brother, I found a Great Power back then and took them as my master. Later, I followed my master in cultivation. It's just that I snuck out when I suddenly saw someone become a Sage."

A Great Power?

Taking a master?

Fuxi thought it over, then showed some doubt.

"Don't tell me you took this Sage Hongjun as your master?"

Nuwa rolled her eyes, her face full of disdain.

"Hongjun? He's nothing. He's not fit to be mentioned in the same breath as my master. He's just—mmph!"

Before she could finish, Fuxi stepped forward and covered her mouth.

"Sister, don't talk nonsense! This is a Sage's dojo!"

No sooner had he spoken than three figures walked out.

"Such big words. This is a Sage's dojo, and you spout nonsense here, saying he can't compare to your master. Rushing off like this—are you afraid the Sage will drive you away?"

Nuwa, hearing this, directly pried Fuxi's hand off her mouth and stared at the speaker, Yuanshi.

"So what if I stay? My master is better than Hongjun—what of it? I'd say it to his face, and I'd say it right in front of him!"

"And you, what are you so smug about? Hongjun himself didn't come out to say anything, but here you are. What, are you Hongjun's watchdog? That loyal?"

At this, the surrounding cultivators all wore expressions of someone enjoying a good show.

Yuanshi's face darkened, and he was about to strike.

Just then, a man in a red robe stepped out, a smile on his face.

"Everyone, please cease your arguing. This is a Sage's domain; our clamoring here may displease the Sage."

Hearing this, Yuanshi fell silent, but his face was twisted with fury as he glared at Nuwa and let out a cold snort.

"When the Sage begins the lecture, I will surely report this matter. We'll see what tricks you have left to flaunt then."

Nuwa snorted coldly in return, staring at the Yuanshi before her.

A Wooden Token had appeared in her hand at some point.

She barely held back from activating it right then, to teach this fellow what it meant to lick boots until you end up with nothing.