Omen of proving the Dao?

If you are protected, you can also share in the luck and resources. Why not?

Understanding this, she no longer hesitated. She simply packed her belongings, took her sister, and followed closely, heading for the Three Immortal Islands.

The moment they stepped off the Moon Star, a system prompt quietly echoed in Tongtian's sea of consciousness:

[Congratulations to the host for subduing two Quasi-Saint level elders, rewarded with Fragments of the Jade Plate of Creation ×2.]

Tongtian: "..."

This guy is really determined to make me collect the whole set, isn't he?

Returning to the Heavenly Court, Dijun's face was grim, killing intent flickering between his brows.

This venture had cost him dearly.

Not only did he gain no benefit, but he also lost ten mid-grade Spiritual Treasures, and even his own brother was injured.

How could he not be angry?

But what use was anger?

Facing Tongtian, who had already proven his Dao, he could only swallow his pride no matter how many plans he had.

Could he defeat him? No.

Could he curse him? He dared not.

All that remained was a chest full of pent-up frustration churning in his heart.

After a long while, his eyes sank, and he finally made a decision.

The power of the Demon Race alone was no longer enough to resist. He had to unite with external forces—

Laozi, Yuanshi, and the Western Jieyin and Zhunti.

With the four Saints united, they might be able to check Tongtian!

The first two needed no further explanation. As an elder brother, he had been repeatedly thwarted by Tongtian, losing all face and already hating him to the bone.

As for the Two Sages of the West, there was even less to say—the revenge for the shattering of Mount Sumeru had yet to be repaid, how could they let it go?

However, at present, they did not have the capital to confront a Saint head-on.

A rash alliance would only make them pawns in someone else's game.

With his mind made up, Dijun immediately summoned Kunpeng and the other great powers of the Demon Race.

When everyone had gathered before the palace, he said in a deep voice:

"This is the Grand Formation of the Stars, which I deduced using the River Diagram and Luo Book. It still has some deficiencies. You should study and familiarize yourselves with it first."

"In the future, you will help me perfect it together."

The Grand Formation of the Stars?

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this.

After their divine sense immersed themselves in it and carefully comprehended it, they all gasped.

This formation could actually communicate with the vast stellar power outside the Thirty-Three Heavens, borrowing the might of the universe for its own use. Once perfected, its power would be enough to shake a Saint!

Even if the Twelve Capital Celestial Evil Slaying Formation reappeared, it might not be able to suppress it.

The reason he dared to reveal this formation was twofold: first, it required collective wisdom and effort; second, the core of the formation was controlled by the River Diagram and Luo Book, and only Dijun himself could lead it, so he was not afraid of his subordinates having ulterior motives.

After confirming that everyone had received the formation diagram, Dijun spoke again, his voice chilling:

"Select ten more people, and we will depart immediately—Hongyun must be eliminated!"

As the words fell, killing intent surged, as if heralding an impending bloodbath.

He had seen too many cultivators trapped in the predicament of being unable to move an inch due to the entanglement of karma on the path of cultivation.

Therefore, eliminating Hongyun as soon as possible became a top priority.

Only by doing so could Zhunti and Jieyin sprint towards the Saint realm without any hindrance.

Once the two of them successfully proved their Dao, he would have more support when planning major events.

As for why he also needed to rope in Yuanshi and Laozi, the reason was simple—Tongtian held the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation.

This formation could only be broken by the combined efforts of four Saints.

To deal with Tongtian, at least four Saints had to act together.

And currently, apart from the Dao Ancestor, the only ones capable of this task were Yuanshi, Laozi, Zhunti, and Jieyin.

Others like Nuwa and Fuxi belonged to the Intercepting Sect and could not possibly turn against them.

Just as Dijun was secretly plotting to encircle and annihilate Hongyun, Nuwa, who had returned to the Three Immortal Islands with Tongtian, suddenly frowned.

A vague, indescribable fluctuation arose in her heart, as if a breeze had stirred the lake of her heart, creating ripples.

The wisp of Primordial Violet Qi between her eyebrows actually trembled slightly twice.

Tongtian noticed the anomaly, reached out, and held her hand, asking in a low voice:

"But where do you feel unwell?"

Nuwa shook her head slightly, her tone filled with confusion. "I don't know... My heart suddenly tightened just now, as if something was about to happen, but upon closer inspection, there were no traces of it."

Tongtian's heart trembled slightly.

Uneasy?

Could it be... a precursor to proving the Dao?

If there were truly any changes, how could I, with my cultivation, not have sensed it?

As the thought arose, he immediately spoke:

"Since you're feeling uneasy, why don't we take a walk around the Primordial World?"

"These years, I've been cultivating on the island, and haven't properly seen this world."

Even if he wasn't sure if this was truly Nuwa's opportunity, Tongtian still decided without hesitation to take her out for a journey.

The affairs of the Intercepting Sect were handled by his disciples. With nothing else to do, it was a good time to accompany her and relax.

Nuwa nodded in agreement.

Tongtian immediately summoned Qing Xuanzi and instructed him to properly host Changxi and Xihe, who were about to arrive on the island.

Then, he took Nuwa's hand, and their figures flickered, landing on the peak of Buzhou Mountain.

He planned to start from this mountain, circle the Primordial World, and walk slowly, observing carefully.

Looking at the familiar rocks and trees before him, Tongtian felt a myriad of emotions.

It was on this Buzhou Mountain that he first met Nuwa, and it was here that he gained much fortune.

Tens of thousands of years had passed in the blink of an eye. He had long since reached the Saint realm, but looking back, it always felt like a grand dream, so illusory that he dared not touch it.

He gently suppressed his thoughts and no longer dwelled on the past.

The two walked side by side, fingers intertwined, like a mortal couple, slowly descending the mountain.

Perhaps it was because he had recently flattened Mount Sumeru and severely taught Zhunti and Jieyin a lesson, the area around Buzhou Mountain, spanning hundreds of millions of miles, was exceptionally peaceful.

No one dared to cause trouble. The occasional sounds of conflict were merely sparring among the Witch Race disciples.

Three thousand years passed like flowing water.

During this time, Tongtian accompanied Nuwa through countless mountains and rivers.

From the blazing Buzhou Mountain to the cliffs where Qilin's remains lay scattered;

From the turbulent end of the Four Seas to the depths of the vast desert where sandstorms raged.

Almost every famous place had their footprints.

They traveled through various places and finally reached the coast of the East Sea.

On this day, Nuwa suddenly stopped and spoke softly:

"Don't you think that the current Primordial World seems to only have the Witch Race and the Demon Race left?"

Tongtian was taken aback.

In fact, he had noticed this long ago, but it wasn't surprising.

Those innate deities or cultivators with extraordinary backgrounds were either in seclusion, or had already pledged allegiance to major powers, and many had long since perished.

Furthermore, after Dijun and Taiyi established the Demon Race, they forcibly unified all races, incorporating countless beings into the Demon Race registry.

Those who refused to comply had mostly turned to dust in the flames of war.

This was the true reason why the world appeared so monotonous.

Although the reason was clear, he could not directly state it.

After all, Nuwa's future path to proving the Dao lay in creating humans. If he were to reveal the truth now, causing her to hesitate, or even abandon this idea, it would be counterproductive.

So he smiled and asked back, "Do you also find it too desolate?"

"Mmm," Nuwa gazed at the surging waves in the distance, lost in thought. "If there were more diverse beings, how lively this world would be."

As soon as she finished speaking, her entire body froze abruptly.

Her lips moved, and she repeated what she had just said. Her eyes gradually shifted from confusion to clarity, finally lighting up with a brilliant radiance.

The Primordial Violet Qi between her brows vibrated violently, as if it were about to burst out of her body!

Tongtian stood quietly by her side, watching the change in her expression, and already understood--

She understood.

He held his breath, concentrating, silently guarding her and preventing even the slightest external disturbance from interrupting the descent of this heavenly revelation.

Nuwa almost instinctively grabbed a clump of mud, gently kneading it with her fingertips, and began to shape living beings.

However, after creating over a hundred beings of varying forms, she felt something was still missing and couldn't be satisfied.

Just as she furrowed her brow in deep thought, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck her mind.

With a flicker of thought, her face brightened, and she immediately began to reshape them based on Tongtian's and her own likeness.

A moment later, a mud figure had taken shape.

Yet, the mud figure remained still and lifeless, nothing more than dead earth.

"Take these and try."

Just as she was frowning in thought, Tongtian's voice came.

He held the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil and Three Lights Divine Water in his hands.

Nuwa's eyes lit up. Without further words, she reached out and took the treasures.

This time, she didn't rush. Instead, she bit her fingertip, letting a few drops of her essence blood fall. She carefully blended the three before starting to shape again.

Her fingers flew, and three mud figures gradually took shape, their outlines distinct, as lifelike as real people.

Gazing at the lifelike figures before her, she held her breath in anticipation.

Instantly, a mysterious light descended from the heavens. The mud figures began to glow, their energies flowing. Their previously closed eyelids slowly opened—they were alive!

Success!

Seeing this, Nuwa was overjoyed and immediately continued her spellcasting.

But as the number of beings increased, her movements gradually slowed, her vital energy began to falter, and her spirit grew hazy, as if she might collapse at any moment.

"Use this."

Tongtian was filled with regret upon seeing this. He slapped his forehead and took out the Innate Gourd Vine, handing it over.

Nuwa's eyes immediately shone upon seeing it, and she eagerly took it.

She lightly tapped the vine and then sprinkled it, and countless mud figures landed with a sound, instantly taking shape.

In the blink of an eye, the shores of the East Sea were filled with hundreds of thousands of living beings.

At this moment, the Primordial Violet Qi between her brows pulsed violently. Sensing a mysterious summons, she stopped her actions.

An indescribable realization surged into her heart.

She looked up at the sky and declared loudly, "Heavenly Dao above, the Primordial World is vast, yet its inhabitants are few, and the heavens and earth are lonely.

Now I, Nuwa of the Intercepting Sect, using the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil and Three Lights Divine Water, infused with my own essence blood, create a race in this world, naming them Humans. The Human Race is established!"

"Thank you, Holy Mother, for bestowing our name. We pay our respects to the Holy Mother!"

Rumble—

Tens of thousands of humans knelt in unison, and the heavens and earth trembled.

The Heavenly Dao responded with rolling thunder, and immense power poured down from the void.

Nuwa's voice echoed throughout the eight directions.

Endless fortune converged from the nine heavens, forming a sea above her head.

Her aura surged, visibly transforming.

Simultaneously, the void within a radius of tens of millions of miles shone with golden light, and merit condensed, forming a patch of green clouds high in the sky.

Great Daos from all the heavens were alerted, and they opened their eyes from their seclusion, their divine senses sweeping out.

"Hiss... This abundance of merit is more than ten thousand times greater than when Dijun and Taiyi established the Heavenly Court! Nuwa is likely about to attain the Dao!"

"If even a fraction of it fell upon me, even a sliver, it would be wonderful!"

"Tongtian was also present... It seems this tribulation of attaining the Dao is inseparable from him."

"Surely not? Although Tongtian is powerful, guiding Nuwa to sainthood? That seems too exaggerated."

"Have you forgotten what the Dao Ancestor said in the Purple Heaven Palace? That person can converse with the Dao Ancestor as an equal. How can we speculate about such a being?"

As their thoughts churned, the merit in the sky solidified.

The vast merit was then divided into three portions.

The largest portion, accounting for seventy percent, went directly to Nuwa.

The next two-and-a-half tenths fell into Tongtian's hands, confirming many speculations.

The final half-tenth went to the Innate Gourd Vine.

Tongtian smiled indifferently. He did not accept his share and waved his hand, sending his portion entirely into Nuwa's body.

Why should we quibble over our own affairs?