Inside the Chaos Bead, Xuan Wazi lounged comfortably on a "lazy couch" casually piled together from all sorts of Innate Spirit Materials, one leg crossed over the other. His divine sense swept across the storage area, which had expanded yet again and now gleamed so brightly it could nearly blind someone. The corners of his mouth stretched all the way to his ears. His gaze lingered especially on an isolated area filled with dense life force and heavy Essence of Wutu. There, a section of the Innate Gourd Vine, shimmering with seven-colored glazed light and wrapped in mysterious vine-like patterns, floated quietly beside a massive clump of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil suffused with boundless creation aura. These two crucial treasures, along with the seven treasure gourds of differing functions, had long since been completely swept into his possession through "fortuitous coincidence" countless yuanhui ago, leaving not even a scrap behind.
"System Bro, take a look at our stash. Tsk, tsk. The Witches and Demons fought each other to the death, and we got all the benefits." He smugly swung his foot. "What was this called? Calamity was on my side, and creation was in my hands!"
[ Ding! Host, please do not get carried away. According to the system's monitoring, old Hongjun appears to have noticed some 'unreasonable' resource movements in the Primordial World. Although he is temporarily deceived by the Chaos Bead, caution is still necessary.] [However... well done! This system likes that Not Being a Person attitude of yours!]
"Hehe, you flatter me." Xuan Wazi sprang upright with a carp leap and patted away nonexistent dust. "Come on, let's go take a stroll. Ever since returning from Zixiao Palace after listening to the Dao, it seems Nuwa has had some activity over there. Let's go watch the show."
With a flash, Xuan Wazi appeared outside Nuwa's Daoist sanctuary at the foot of Mount Buzhou. After announcing his Daoist title, he slowly entered.
The moment he stepped inside, Xuan Wazi raised his brows in surprise at the sight before him. Nuwa's sanctuary no longer resembled a place of quiet cultivation. It had practically become a massive display hall for figurines. The ground, stone platforms, and even the branches of low spirit trees were covered with all kinds of clay sculptures and wooden carvings.
Some had human heads and snake bodies, resembling Nuwa's true form. Some had beast heads and human bodies, resembling certain great demons of the Primordial World. A few were especially eye-catching, with bulging muscles and faint Malevolent Energy around them, looking seventy or eighty percent like the Twelve Ancestral Witches! These clay figures and wooden carvings came in every shape and size. They were not made from ordinary earth or wood, but from Innate Essence of Wutu mixed with other spirit materials, all glimmering faintly with spiritual light. Some were exquisitely carved, down to clearly visible strands of hair, while others were rather rough, bearing the marks of casual improvisation.
Nuwa sat before a fresh mass of Innate Essence of Wutu, her delicate brows tightly furrowed as her slender jade fingers carefully shaped a new clay doll. Dense Dao Rhyme of the laws of creation flowed from her fingertips, and specks of spiritual light sank into the doll as she attempted to grant it life.
The clay doll had been modeled after the Innate Dao Body passed down by Great God Pangu, with distinct features and proportionate limbs. Yet no matter how much creation spiritual power Nuwa poured into it, the doll remained lifeless. It possessed only the shape, its eyes vacant and devoid of the agility and spirituality that a living being should possess. Though the Innate Essence of Wutu was extraordinary and contained the origin of earth, it seemed to lack some crucial maternal quality capable of bearing the origin of life.
"Alas..." Nuwa sighed softly and set down yet another failed clay doll. It rolled onto the ground and joined the countless failed "works" piled there. Her beautiful eyes were filled with confusion and frustration. Ever since returning from Zixiao Palace after listening to the Dao, she had vaguely sensed that her opportunity to attain the Dao was connected to "creation," and she had immersed herself in this pursuit ever since. Other than the previous uproar over the "Heavenly Marriage affair"—when Di Jun had inexplicably lost his mind and tried to molest the Lunar Goddess, causing the original Heavenly Marriage to collapse, after which Nuwa had stepped forward for the Lunar Goddess, returned the betrothal gifts, upheld "justice," and ultimately had Di Jun marry Qu Ru to settle that farce—she had never left her sanctuary again. Yet countless yuanhui had passed. She had tried countless forms and integrated countless understandings of laws, but she had never managed to take that crucial final step and create a truly new living race.
Xuan Wazi did not disturb her immediately. Instead, he crouched down with great interest, picked up a clay doll that looked remarkably like Ancestral Witch Gonggong, poked its exaggerated muscles, and muttered, "Tsk, Nuwa's craftsmanship is pretty good, but it's still missing something. It has the shell, but no soul. Looks like Essence of Wutu alone isn't enough." Thinking of how he had previously taken on Di Jun's appearance and caused trouble on the Lunar Star, indirectly forcing Nuwa to deal with that mess, a barely noticeable wicked smile appeared on his face.
[ Ding! The prerequisites for the key plot point 'Nuwa Creates Humans' have been triggered. Host, your chance has arrived!]
"Oh? Tell me more." Xuan Wazi's eyes lit up.
[Main Quest Issued: The Beginning of Humanity] [Quest Requirement: Guide Nuwa in successfully creating the human race, and pass down a foundational cultivation technique to humanity, allowing them to gain a foothold in the Primordial World.] [Quest Reward: Innate Supreme Treasure ×1! Essence of the Sun ×5! Cultivation raised to Hunyuan Golden Immortal Great Perfection!] [Note: Hurry up! This is a heaven-shaking amount of great merit and great karmic destiny! Snatch it, and you'll soar straight into the heavens!]
"An Innate Supreme Treasure! Hunyuan Golden Immortal Great Perfection!" Xuan Wazi's breathing quickened for a moment. He then forcibly suppressed his excitement, putting on what he believed was an inscrutable smile, though it looked rather shameless no matter how one looked at it.
He straightened his appearance, walked solemnly to Nuwa's side, and cleared his throat. "Ahem, Fellow Daoist Nuwa, this place of yours... is quite distinctive."
Only then did Nuwa snap out of her thoughts. Seeing Xuan Wazi, a complicated expression flickered across her face. She had a deep impression of this Fellow Daoist Xuan Wazi. He seemed unrestrained and erratic in his actions, yet was actually unfathomable. Though no evidence had been found regarding the Heavenly Marriage affair, she had always felt that this fellow was somehow involved. She forced a smile. "So it is Fellow Daoist Xuan Wazi. Please forgive this embarrassment. I have recently sensed something in my heart, yet I cannot find the method, so I have been experimenting blindly here."
Xuan Wazi waved a hand and casually picked up a clay doll shaped like an Innate Dao Body, weighing it in his palm as he asked offhandedly, "Fellow Daoist, you are so devoted to molding clay figures. Could it be that you wish to emulate Father God Pangu and perform the work of creation after he opened heaven and earth?"
A gleam flashed through Nuwa's beautiful eyes, and she nodded. "Fellow Daoist sees clearly. I have comprehended the laws of creation and sensed that my opportunity lies here, yet it is like seeing flowers through fog, always separated by a layer. How could creating living beings be easy? Form is easy to shape, but spirit is difficult to bestow. Though this Innate Essence of Wutu is extraordinary, it seems to be... lacking that spark of life-giving potential."
Xuan Wazi chuckled, pointed at the clay doll in his hand, then at Nuwa's graceful Innate Dao Body, and said, "Why seek afar when what you need is close at hand? Father God Pangu opened heaven and earth, and his final form was this Innate Dao Body—the form most compatible with the heavens and earth of the Primordial World, the form of the Great Dao. Since you already possess the form, why not use it as the foundation, merge it with your Great Dao of Creation, grant it the origin of life, and add another race to the Primordial World?"
He paused, his voice carrying an inexplicable temptation. "Use this form to create a race, let it inherit the destiny of the Primordial World, and awaken it as the leader of all living things... That would be an act of supreme merit! As for the material... in my view, this Essence of Wutu has more hardness than flexibility. Perhaps it is not the best choice."
"Use the form as the foundation... grant the origin of life... create a race... inherit destiny... awaken the leader of all living things... Essence of Wutu is not the best choice..." Nuwa muttered, repeating Xuan Wazi's words. Her gaze changed from initial confusion to growing brightness, until her eyes shone like two brilliant stars! She vaguely sensed that Xuan Wazi seemed to know something crucial! Recalling his many extraordinary deeds, perhaps he truly had a solution!
Boom!
A vast and majestic Creation Dao Rhyme suddenly erupted from her body, sweeping through the entire sanctuary! Endless law runes emerged around her, circling and colliding as they drew in heaven and earth spiritual energy with frantic force! She ignored everything outside and entered the deepest state of enlightenment!
Xuan Wazi was pushed back half a step by the sudden outburst of Dao Rhyme. Looking at Nuwa, enveloped in immeasurable Divine Light of Creation and possessing a solemn, sacred bearing, he rubbed his chin and bragged to the system, "System Bro, see that? This is called moving a thousand pounds with four ounces! My mouth has been blessed!"
[ Ding! Host has successfully guided a key plot character into a state of enlightenment. Quest completion rate +10%. Rewards will be settled later. However... Host, just now, you looked exactly like some creepy old man sweet-talking a young girl.]
"Pah! That's called wisdom! Strategic investment! Do you understand?" Xuan Wazi rolled his eyes, though he was in an exceptionally good mood. Feeling Nuwa's aura grow ever more vast, nearly breaking through the barrier of the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm, he knew that a historic moment was about to arrive. He weighed the section of Innate Gourd Vine and the heavy mass of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil lying quietly within the Chaos Bead, and a calculating smile curled across his lips.
"An investment always needs some capital. I can lend you the Gourd Vine, and the Breathing Soil... giving you some of it is no problem. Once the merit is in hand, it'll be nothing but profit!" He was already calculating how, once Nuwa awoke from her enlightenment, he could "generously" produce these two treasures and maximize the gains he could reap.
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