Within the valley, Nuwa stood suspended in the air, her expression solemn and dignified. She first placed the enormous mass of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil in midair, then used her jade-like hands to draw in boundless Innate Spiritual Energy and the Three Lights Divine Water she had prepared long ago. Blending them with her own incomparably pure origin of creation, she began kneading the soil.
With her movements, the Great Dao resonated, golden lotuses bloomed from the earth, and auspicious omens descended from the heavens. Countless laws of creation, like tangible threads, wound around her fingertips and merged into the mass of soil, which grew ever more crystal-clear, vibrant, and spiritual. As expected of the mother of all earth, the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil possessed tolerance and malleability far beyond that of the Innate Essence of Wutu, perfectly carrying and amplifying Nuwa's power of creation.
Once the preparations were complete, Nuwa extended a slender jade finger and carefully pinched off a small piece from the enormous spiritual clay filled with endless power of creation. Using her own perfect Innate Dao Body as a reference, her fingertips traced profound patterns as she began to shape it with meticulous care.
The first clay figure quickly took form, its features distinct and limbs complete—the standard form of an Innate Dao Body. Unlike those lifeless clay figures from before, the instant this one took shape, Nuwa infused it with "life origin" and "innate spirituality" condensed through her supreme laws of creation!
Buzz!
A gentle spiritual radiance blossomed around the clay figure's body. Like a beating heart, it began to tremble faintly. Nuwa lightly blew a breath of innate qi containing her Hunyuan Golden Immortal mana toward it.
The next moment, a miracle occurred!
The clay figure grew with the wind, instantly transforming into a life-sized, unclothed woman! Her eyes were initially vacant, but they quickly cleared. She curiously surveyed her surroundings before her gaze finally settled on Nuwa, who had created her. A closeness and reverence born from the origin of her life welled up within her. She naturally bowed down and said in a crisp, joyful voice, "Greetings, Holy Mother!"
It had succeeded!
As Nuwa looked at the first life she had personally created, her eyes brimmed with indescribable joy and excitement. She could feel the close connection between herself and this new life—the bond between creator and creation.
She did not pause. Her hands danced like butterflies among flowers as the Creation Dao Rhyme surged forth. With supreme mana, she carefully molded clay figure after clay figure and bestowed each with life origin and spirituality. Every figure that touched the ground transformed into a living being with an Innate Dao Body. Men and women alike knelt devoutly before Nuwa, calling her "Holy Mother."
These first three thousand people possessed pure Dao bodies from birth, exceptional intelligence, and faint Dao Rhymes flowing around them. They were naturally endowed with the foundations of cultivation from Refining Essence into Qi all the way to Refining Qi into Spirit! They would become the foundation of the future human race—the Three Thousand Innate Humans, corresponding to the number of the Three Thousand Great Daos!
After creating the Three Thousand Innate Humans, Nuwa felt slightly fatigued, yet her eyes remained bright. She looked at the more than half of the spiritual clay still in her hands, mixed with Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, Three Lights Divine Water, and the origin of creation, then at the Innate Gourd Vine, lush with vitality and shimmering with rosy light.
She scattered all the remaining spiritual clay into the air, drawing vast amounts of Innate Spiritual Energy together. Then she gripped the Innate Gourd Vine, dipped it into the clay, and forcefully flung it toward the earth below!
Splash!
Countless drops of clay rained down. The moment each drop landed, it absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, fused with the laws of creation, and was influenced by the lingering vitality of innate yi wood on the gourd vine, as well as a trace of the Great Dao of Strength Fragment's Dao Rhyme secretly added by Xuan Wazi. In an instant, each drop transformed into a new living being with an Innate Dao Body! However, those who took form later had origins, intelligence, and potential somewhat inferior to the Three Thousand Innate Humans who had been carefully molded. They were the Acquired Humans.
One swing, then another... Nuwa swung the Innate Gourd Vine a full nine times!
After nine swings, the valley below was densely packed with newborn humans! Neither more nor fewer—exactly one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred! It corresponded to one yuanhui, a full cosmic cycle!
Three Thousand Innate Humans and one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred Acquired Humans together formed the Primordial World's newborn race—the human race!
"We thank the Holy Mother for the grace of creating us!"
"Holy Mother is merciful!"
The countless newborn humans, whether innate or acquired, all sensed the source of their lives at this moment. From the depths of their hearts, they knelt toward the sacred figure in the sky. Their voices converged into a surging tide, filled with gratitude and devotion, echoing through the clouds and shaking the universe!
At the very instant the countless humans were born and bowed to Nuwa!
Rumble—!!!
The entire Primordial World trembled! Above the nine heavens, countless rays of rosy light and thousands of auspicious colors filled the sky. Boundless mysterious yellow merit qi poured forth from the depths of the void like the Heavenly River cascading downward. Its sheer quantity surpassed every previous descent of merit! Since the creation of heaven and earth, this was the greatest reward ever bestowed for an act of "creation"!
Of this vast sea of merit, seventy percent fell directly toward Nuwa's head. The remaining thirty percent split in two: one portion flew toward Xuan Wazi, while the other descended upon the Innate Gourd Vine. Having fulfilled its mission, its spiritual light had dimmed somewhat, yet it appeared even more ancient and profound. Having received this merit, the gourd vine might one day, by chance, become a merit spiritual treasure.
Nuwa was shrouded in vast Golden Light of Merit. Inspiration struck her, and she immediately brought out that strand of Primordial Violet Qi. Washed by the Golden Light of Merit, the Primordial Violet Qi rapidly fused with and sublimated alongside her own laws of creation!
Her aura began to rise wildly at an unbelievable speed!
Hunyuan Golden Immortal perfection... the bottleneck shattered!
A vast aura that stood above all immortals, transcended the constraints of time and space, roamed freely and remained unblemished through countless tribulations erupted from Nuwa like the first ray of light at the birth of the cosmos, sweeping across the eight desolations and six directions!
Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal!
She had not relied on merit to entrust her primordial spirit to the Heavenly Dao. Instead, using the supreme merit of creating the human race, combined with Primordial Violet Qi and her ultimate understanding of the laws of creation, she had achieved the Dao of Strength and directly attained the Dao Fruit of a Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal! From this day onward, she possessed great freedom and great ease, no longer bound by the Heavenly Dao!
" I am Nuwa. Today, I created a new race, 'humans.' With my merit fulfilled, I have attained the Hunyuan Dao! Let all living beings bear witness!"
Nuwa's clear voice rang through every corner of heaven and earth in the Primordial World. Carrying the holy might of Hunyuan, it proclaimed the birth of a Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal beyond the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Dao!
Throughout the Primordial World, countless great powers were shocked and sent their divine senses toward Mount Buzhou. Jade Void Palace on Kunlun Mountain, Eight Sceneries Palace, Western Spirit Mountain, the Nether River of the Blood Sea, the upper ranks of the witch and demon races... all were stirred by this sudden Hunyuan phenomenon and the vast merit, each harboring different thoughts. On Kunlun Mountain, Laozi and Primordial Heavenly Venerate felt that Hunyuan holy might, their expressions incomparably grave. Though they were of Pangu's Orthodox Lineage and possessed Primordial Violet Qi, they had yet to see through the opportunity to become saints. Seeing Nuwa attain the Dao first left them with feelings too complex to describe. Even Tongtian, who was present, felt immense pressure while rejoicing for Nuwa.
Meanwhile, within the valley, Xuan Wazi was also bathed in the descending Golden Light of Merit. Although he had received only around fifteen percent, the amount was still comparable to an ocean! It far exceeded the merit he had painstakingly accumulated by "scavenging" on the witch-demon battlefield!
"System! What should I use this merit for? Refining treasures or comprehending the Dao?" Xuan Wazi cried out inwardly as he fully circulated the Nine Revolutions Primordial Profound Art, absorbing the immense power of merit. He did not use it to forcefully break through his cultivation bottleneck. After all, his late-stage Hunyuan Golden Immortal foundation still needed stabilizing, and he knew that his cultivation mainly depended on the system cheat.
[Ding! The task of guiding the creation of humans has been completed! Distributing rewards...] [Congratulations, Host! You have obtained: Innate Supreme Treasure 'Qiankun Cauldron'! Essence of the Sun ×5! Cultivation raised to Hunyuan Golden Immortal Great Perfection!]
As the system notification fell silent, an incomparably pure source energy, far surpassing the power of merit, instantly flooded Xuan Wazi's limbs and bones. It fused perfectly with his own mana, naturally loosening and expanding the barriers of his realm before finally settling firmly at Hunyuan Golden Immortal Great Perfection! The entire process flowed as naturally as water, without the slightest strain. As for the enormous amount of merit, he guided most of it toward tempering his body and primordial spirit, while infusing a smaller portion into spiritual treasures such as the God-Slaying Spear to enhance their power.
[Note: The Host's cultivation advancement primarily relies on the great power of this system. Merit is merely supplementary; do not confuse the two. Host's current state: Hunyuan Golden Immortal Great Perfection, stable foundation, deepened comprehension of the Great Dao of Strength.]
Xuan Wazi slowly opened his eyes, feeling the mana within him, far more immense than before, as well as his deeper understanding of strength. The corners of his mouth could not help rising. He could sense that his refinement of the Chaos Bead had also improved considerably because of this breakthrough. As expected, the system's rewards provided a far more solid increase than simply piling up merit!
"Qiankun Cauldron? Returning things to their origins and refining all creation? Good stuff! It'll be perfect for refining materials later!" Xuan Wazi rejoiced inwardly. This investment had paid off handsomely!
At that moment, among the countless humans below, the Three Thousand Innate Humans who had been created first seemed to sense from Xuan Wazi an aura that shared the same origin as Holy Mother Nuwa's—equally close and familiar, even carrying a reassuring presence like the "source of strength." Seeing that he had also shared in the merit of creating humans, several leaders exchanged glances before shouting together once more:
"Greetings, Holy Father!"
"Thank you, Holy Father, for aiding Holy Mother in the grace of creation!"
Their voices shook the heavens, sincere and heartfelt. Though the Acquired Humans did not understand why, seeing the Innate Humans bow, they too followed suit and worshipped Xuan Wazi.
Nuwa, who had just stabilized her Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, heard those words and recalled how Xuan Wazi had lent her treasures, given her soil, and offered guidance. Combining that with the title "Holy Father," even though she was now a Hunyuan saint with a clear Dao heart, a captivating blush still spread across her cheeks. She shot Xuan Wazi a slightly reproachful yet helpless look. This fellow had mooched merit all the way into becoming the "Holy Father"!
Xuan Wazi was stunned when the sudden title of "Holy Father" landed on him. Then, with his exceptionally thick skin, he calmly accepted it. He even blinked at Nuwa and transmitted, "Fellow Daoist, look at this... I can hardly refuse such heartfelt enthusiasm! It's the will of the people, the will of the people!"
Nuwa lightly spat, turning her face away, though the tips of her ears grew even redder. She was secretly annoyed, yet she could not refute him. After all, Xuan Wazi truly had contributed greatly. From the perspective of karma, the human race calling him "Holy Father" actually made sense...
In the distance, Hong Yun and Zhen Yuanzi stared in stunned disbelief. Tongtian's lips curved upward slightly, finding it rather amusing. Fuxi wore a complicated expression as he looked at his younger sister and that "Not Being a Person" fellow, then helplessly shook his head.
Xuan Wazi was brimming with satisfaction. Feeling the power of Hunyuan Golden Immortal Great Perfection granted by the system, looking at the newly acquired Innate Supreme Treasure Qiankun Cauldron and Essence of the Sun in his system space, then hearing the cries of "Holy Father" from the countless humans around him, he felt that life in the Primordial World had never been so wonderful.
"System, did you see that? This is called strategic investment!" he boasted inwardly.
[Ding! The Host's skin thickness is already invincible among Hunyuan cultivators! This system humbly admits defeat!] The system, as always, offered its "sincere" praise.
Before you continue