Signs Before Attaining the Dao?

Having gained protection, they could also share fortune and resources. Why not?

Having thought it through, she no longer hesitated. After simply packing her things, she took her younger sister and followed closely behind, heading for the Three Immortal Islands.

The instant they stepped off the Moon Star, a system notification quietly rang out in Tongtian's mind:

[Congratulations to the host for subduing two Quasi-Saint-level elders. Reward: Jade Plate of Creation fragments ×2.]

Tongtian: "..."

This thing was really determined to make me collect the whole set, wasn't it?

Upon returning to the Heavenly Court, Dijun's face was grim, with killing intent faintly flickering between his brows.

This time, he had truly lost everything.

Not only had he gained nothing, he had also lost ten mid-grade spiritual treasures, and even his own brother had been injured.

How could he not be furious?

But what use was anger?

Faced with Tongtian, who had already attained the Dao, no matter how many schemes he had, he could only swallow his anger.

Could he beat him? No.

Could he dare curse him? No.

All that remained was the frustration churning endlessly in his chest.

After a long while, his eyes darkened as he finally made up his mind.

The Demon Race's strength alone was no longer enough to contend with him. He had to unite with outside forces—

Laojun, Yuanshi, and Jieyin and Zhunti of the West.

With four Saints joining forces, they might be able to restrain Tongtian!

There was no need to mention the first two. As Tongtian's elder brothers, they had repeatedly been thwarted by him and utterly humiliated. They had long since hated him to the bone.

As for The Two Sages of the West, there was even less need to say anything—the grudge of Mount Sumeru's destruction had yet to be avenged. How could they simply let it go?

Still, he did not yet possess the means to confront a Saint head-on.

If he rashly formed an alliance, he would only become someone else's pawn.

Having made up his mind, Dijun immediately summoned Kunpeng and the great experts of the Demon Race.

Once everyone had gathered before the hall, he gave his order in a low voice:

"This is the Grand Formation of the Stars, which I derived using the River Diagram and Luo Book. It is still incomplete, so study it and familiarize yourselves with it first."

"Later, you will help me perfect it."

The Grand Formation of the Stars?

Everyone froze upon hearing this.

After immersing their Spiritual Sense in it and carefully comprehending it, every one of them drew a sharp breath.

This formation could connect to the vast stellar power beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens and borrow the force of the cosmos for itself. Once completed, its might 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 reveal this formation was, first, because he needed everyone's combined efforts; second, because the formation core was controlled by the River Diagram and Luo Book. Only Dijun himself could preside over it, so he had no fear of his subordinates harboring disloyal thoughts.

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

"Choose another ten men and depart with me at once—Hong Yun must be eliminated!"

As the words fell, killing intent overflowed, as though foretelling a bloody storm about to erupt.

On the path of cultivation, karma was entangled everywhere. He had seen far too many situations where one could barely move forward.

Therefore, eliminating Hong Yun as soon as possible had become the most urgent matter.

Only then could Zhunti and Jieyin charge toward sainthood without obstruction.

Once the two successfully attained the Dao, he would have a few more cards to rely on when plotting great matters.

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

This formation could not be broken without four Saints joining forces.

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

And now, apart from the Dao Ancestor, only Yuanshi, Laozi, Zhunti, and Jieyin could take on that role.

The rest, such as Nuwa and Fuxi, all belonged to the Interception Sect. Naturally, they could not possibly turn against it.

Just as Dijun secretly plotted to besiege Hong Yun,

Nuwa, who had returned to the Three Immortal Islands with Tongtian, suddenly frowned.

An indescribable ripple rose in her heart, as if a breeze had passed over a tranquil lake, sending rings spreading across its surface.

The Primordial Violet Qi between her brows trembled twice as well.

Sensing that something was wrong, Tongtian reached out, took her hand, and asked in a low voice:

"Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Nuwa shook her head slightly, confusion in her voice. "I don't know either... Just now, my heart suddenly tightened, as though something was about to happen. But when I looked into it carefully, there was nothing at all."

Tongtian's heart trembled slightly.

Uneasy?

Could this... be a sign before attaining the Dao?

If something truly was about to happen, how could he, with his cultivation, have failed to notice anything?

The moment the thought arose, he spoke at once:

"Since your heart is unsettled, why don't we take a walk through the Primordial Wilderness?"

"We've spent all these years cultivating quietly on the island and haven't properly seen this world."

Even though he was unsure whether this truly was Nuwa's opportunity,

Tongtian still decided without hesitation to take her traveling.

The affairs of the Interception Sect were handled by its disciples. Since they had nothing to do, he could accompany her and help ease her mind.

Nuwa nodded in agreement.

Tongtian immediately summoned Qing Xuanzi and instructed him to properly receive Changxi and Xihe, who would soon arrive on the island,

then took Nuwa's hand. With a flash, the two had already arrived atop Buzhou Mountain.

He planned to begin from this mountain, circle the Primordial Wilderness, and travel slowly, taking in every sight.

Looking at the familiar rocks, forests, and trees before him, Tongtian was filled with mixed emotions.

It was on Buzhou Mountain that he had first met Nuwa, and it was here that he had gained many opportunities.

In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of years had passed. He had long since stepped into the Saint Realm,

yet whenever he looked back on the past, it always felt like a grand dream, so illusory that he scarcely dared touch it.

He gently suppressed his thoughts and stopped reminiscing.

The two walked side by side, their fingers interlocked like a mortal couple, slowly making their way down the mountain.

Perhaps because they had recently leveled Mount Sumeru and thoroughly taught Zhunti and Jieyin a lesson,

the area within hundreds of millions of miles around Buzhou Mountain was exceptionally peaceful.

No one dared step forward to cause trouble. The occasional sounds of fighting were merely Witch Race disciples sparring.

Three thousand years flowed by like water.

During that time, Tongtian accompanied Nuwa across countless mountains and rivers.

From Buzhou Mountain, where Blazing Flames surged, to cliffs strewn with qilin bones;

from the ends of the Four Seas, where waves roared violently, to the depths of deserts filled with yellow sand.

Their footprints were left in nearly every famous place.

After traveling far and wide, they finally arrived by the East Sea.

One day, Nuwa suddenly stopped and spoke softly:

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

Tongtian was startled.

In truth, he had noticed it long ago, but it was not strange.

Those innate deities and cultivators of extraordinary origin had either entered Closed Door Meditation and never emerged,

or had long since joined the major powers. Many more had already perished, their Dao extinguished.

Moreover, after Dijun and Taiyi established the Demon Race, they had forcibly unified the myriad races and registered countless living beings under the Demon Race.

Most who refused to submit had already turned to dust amid the flames of war.

That was the true reason the world appeared so monotonous.

Though he understood the reason, he could not say it outright.

After all, Nuwa's future path to attaining the Dao lay in creating humans. If he exposed the truth now,

causing her to hesitate or even abandon the idea, it would only backfire.

So he smiled and asked, "You think it's too desolate as well?"

"Yes." Nuwa looked at the distant rolling waves, deep in thought. "If there were more different living beings, how lively would this world become?"

The instant she finished speaking, her entire body suddenly froze.

Her lips moved as she repeated what she had just said, her eyes gradually changing from confusion to clarity,

until they finally lit up with blazing radiance.

The Primordial Violet Qi between her brows shook violently, as though it were about to burst from her body!

Tongtian stood quietly at the side, watching the changes in her expression. He already understood—

She had realized it.

He held his breath and focused, silently guarding her, afraid that the slightest outside disturbance would interrupt this descent of heavenly insight.

Almost instinctively, Nuwa grabbed a clump of earth and gently kneaded it between her fingers, beginning to mold living beings.

Yet after shaping more than a hundred lives of differing forms, she always felt that something was missing and could not be satisfied.

Just as she frowned in thought, inspiration suddenly flashed through her mind.

With a thought, her eyes brightened slightly, and she immediately began reshaping the figures according to Tongtian's and her own appearances.

A moment later, a clay figure had taken shape.

However, the clay doll stood still, utterly lifeless. It was nothing more than dead earth.

"Try these."

Just as she frowned and pondered, Tongtian's voice reached her.

In his hands, he held the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil and Three Lights Divine Water.

Nuwa's eyes lit up. Without bothering to say anything more, she reached out and took the treasures.

This time, she did not begin immediately. Instead, she bit her fingertip and let several drops of essence blood fall, carefully blending the three together before molding them once more.

As her ten fingers moved swiftly, three clay embryos gradually took shape, their features distinct and lifelike.

Seeing the vivid figures before her, she held her breath and waited.

In an instant, an enigmatic light descended from the heavens. A faint glow rose around the clay figures, their auras began to flow, and their tightly shut eyelids slowly opened—they were alive!

It worked!

Overjoyed by the sight, Nuwa immediately continued casting her spell.

But as their numbers increased, her movements gradually slowed, her vital energy began to fail, and her soul grew hazy, as though she might collapse at any moment.

"Use this."

Seeing this, Tongtian reproached himself and slapped his forehead, taking out the Innate Gourd Vine and handing it to her.

The moment Nuwa saw it, her eyes shone. She hurriedly accepted it.

Holding the vine, she lightly tapped it, then swept it through the air. Countless clay figures fell to the ground in response, instantly taking form.

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of thousands of living beings stood along the shore of the East Sea.

At that moment, the Primordial Violet Qi between her brows pulsed violently. Sensing some unseen summons, she stopped what she was doing.

An indescribable realization flooded her heart.

She looked up at the Heavenly Vault and declared loudly, "Heavenly Dao above, the Primordial Wilderness is vast, yet living beings are few, and heaven and earth are lonely.

"Today, I, Nuwa of the Interception Sect, use the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil and Three Lights Divine Water, blending them with my own essence blood, to create a race in this world. Let it be called humanity—the Human Race is established!"

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

Rumble—

Countless members of the Human Race knelt in unison, and heaven and earth trembled.

The Heavenly Dao responded. Thunder Sound rumbled as vast power poured down from the void.

Nuwa's voice resounded through the eight directions and six realms.

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

Her aura rose steadily, undergoing a visible transformation.

At the same time, golden light filled the void for hundreds of millions of miles. Merit gathered into an azure cloud that hung high in the sky.

Great experts throughout the heavens were startled awake, opening their eyes from Closed Door Meditation as their Divine Sense swept outward.

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

"If even half a fraction fell upon me—no, even a trace would be enough!"

"Tongtian is there too... It seems her tribulation of attaining the Dao is inseparable from him."

"Surely not? Tongtian may be strong, but guiding Nuwa to become a Saint? Isn't that too exaggerated?"

"Have you forgotten what the Dao Ancestor said in Purple Heaven Palace? That man could converse with the Dao Ancestor as an equal. How could we possibly fathom him?"

As everyone's thoughts churned, the merit in the Heavenly Vault had already solidified.

The vast merit then split into three portions.

The largest share, accounting for seventy percent, flew straight toward Nuwa.

The next share, twenty-five percent, fell into Tongtian's hands, confirming countless speculations.

The final five percent went to the Innate Gourd Vine.

Tongtian smiled indifferently and did not accept it. With a wave of his hand, he sent his entire share into Nuwa's body.

Why should he fuss over matters within his own family?