Nuwa hurriedly rose to her feet and tossed out the Shanhe Sheji Diagram in her hand. It transformed into an expanse of mountains and rivers stretching billions of miles, encompassing all things as it blocked the hole in the sky and sealed off the extraterrestrial waters pouring endlessly from it.
With Nuwa's help, Xuan Yi immediately felt the pressure lessen drastically.
Then, a scroll surrounded by Yin-Yang Two Qi flew out from Shouyang Mountain. In an instant, it expanded countless times, and innumerable rays of golden light shot forth from it. Under that golden radiance, the continuously collapsing Primordial World gradually stabilized. This was the Taiji Diagram.
For a time, chants of Daoist true words rang out. Then an old man riding a green ox arrived. His face was aged, like that of a ninety-year-old human elder. He was Laozi, the Taiching Saint and foremost of the Sanqing.
The Taiching Saint had acted. As a Saint, protecting the Primordial World was his responsibility. Moreover, he was Hongjun's eldest disciple and ought to set an example for his junior brothers. He could also earn an immense amount of merit in the process, so why not?
Seeing this, Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian Jiaozhu no longer hesitated and each brought out their magical treasures.
Yuanshi Tianzun waved the jade ruyi in his hand, sending countless streaks of golden light surging out to protect the mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas.
Tongtian Jiaozhu cast out the Immortal Slaying Four Swords, transforming them into a grand formation that fixed the four poles of heaven and earth.
Even the two most shameless men, Jieyin and Zhunti, took action.
Zhunti brought forth the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree. It swelled with the wind and soon became a towering tree standing at the center of the Primordial World, supporting Nuwa's Shanhe Sheji Diagram.
Jieyin, meanwhile, raised his golden lotus and continuously poured his mana into the Primordial Chaos Measuring Heaven Ruler, helping Xuan Yi support heaven and earth.
Although heaven and earth had temporarily stabilized under the Saints' all-out efforts, this could not continue forever.
"Wa'er, you are proficient in the Dao of Creation. You can use the Qiankun Cauldron to refine Five-Colored Stones and mend the sky."
"However, before that, we need something to support the heavens. I know there is a Mysterious Turtle in the North Sea whose four limbs can serve as supports for the sky."
Knowing the general course of the Primordial World, Xuan Yi gave his orders.
"Fine, I will retrieve the North Sea giant turtle's limbs. Fellow Daoist Nuwa, focus on refining the material needed to mend the heavens."
Tongtian voluntarily accepted the task and flashed toward the North Sea.
Nuwa, meanwhile, began gathering materials for mending the heavens.
Guided by the Heavenly Dao, Tongtian rushed toward the region of the North Sea where the giant turtle resided.
"Mysterious Turtle, I am Tongtian Jiaozhu. Come out and see me at once."
After arriving at the North Sea where the giant turtle dwelled, Tongtian immediately called out to the Mysterious Turtle.
"Saint Tongtian, why have you summoned me?"
Seeing the strange phenomena in the sky, the giant turtle, newly awakened from sleep, felt a vague unease in his heart, as though some danger was about to befall him.
The Heavenly Dao had long decreed that the Mysterious Turtle had been born to support heaven and earth.
However, Tongtian did not immediately kill him. Instead, he quickly told him everything that had happened in the Primordial World.
"Sigh! I knew long ago that I would face this calamity one day. I only hope that my reincarnated self may live a lifetime in peace after my death!"
In the end.
The Mysterious Turtle knew that he could not escape this calamity. He could only choose to let Tongtian take his four limbs, but he demanded that Tongtian promise that his reincarnated self could enjoy eternal peace.
Seeing that the giant turtle had made his choice, Tongtian no longer hesitated.
After using his arts to preserve the Mysterious Turtle's True Spirit, he used the Green Duckweed Sword to sever the Mysterious Turtle's four limbs.
After obtaining the Mysterious Turtle's limbs, Tongtian also stored away his corpse, intending to refine it into a magical treasure.
Afterward, Tongtian placed the refined Mysterious Turtle limbs at the four poles of heaven and earth. The Heavenly Dao then exerted its power, and before long, they had completely transformed into pillars that held up the heavens.
With something supporting the sky, the constantly collapsing heaven and earth slowly began to stabilize.
Nuwa's refinement of the Five-Colored Stones on the other side did not go so smoothly either.
To ensure the success of mending the heavens, Nuwa had specifically requested a Chaos Origin Stone from the Dao Ancestor to use as raw material.
However, the Chaos Origin Stone was simply too sturdy. Despite refinement after refinement, it showed no reaction. Its surface gradually took on five colors beneath the tempering of the power of creation, appearing crystalline and incomparably profound.
Yet there was still no reaction within the Chaos Origin Stone, nor did it show the slightest sign of melting.
This left Nuwa frantic. If the Chaos Origin Stone would not melt, what could she use to mend the sky?
"I'll try it. I hope it works."
Seeing that the Chaos Origin Stone had remained unmelted for so long, Nuwa gritted her teeth and broke her finger, allowing a drop of Saint's blood to flow into the Chaos Origin Stone.
One had to know that this was a Saint's essence blood.
The energy contained within it was enough to destroy heaven and earth, and it also held Nuwa's understanding of the power of creation. If she had not been driven to desperation, Nuwa would never have done this.
But mending the heavens was urgent, and Nuwa could not concern herself with so much. Refining the Chaos Origin Stone was what mattered most.
With the aid of Nuwa's drop of essence blood, the indestructible Chaos Origin Stone finally began to melt slowly. Before long, it transformed into a dazzling, multicolored liquid.
However, a flaw appeared within that liquid.
It turned out that one Chaos Origin Stone remained unrefined. Although it had absorbed Nuwa's essence blood, it showed no sign of melting. Instead, it grew increasingly sturdy.
This Chaos Origin Stone was hidden within the dazzling liquid, and Nuwa failed to notice it for a time.
Nuwa was also quite curious about this Chaos Origin Stone, so she picked it up and studied it carefully.
"Junior Sister Nuwa! We can't hold on any longer!"
"Quickly bring the material for mending the heavens!"
The enormous pressure of supporting the heavens was pushing the Saints to their limits.
One after another, they began urging Nuwa anxiously. Remembering that mending the heavens was of great importance, Nuwa could no longer spare attention for this Chaos Origin Stone.
She casually removed the Chaos Origin Stone and tossed it into the Primordial World.
Nuwa hurriedly lifted the Five-Colored Stone that radiated five-colored light with both hands and headed toward the crack in the sky caused by the broken heavenly pillar.
Chaos qi continued to fall from the crack. Left with no choice, Nuwa could only circulate her mana to protect herself while carefully approaching the fissure. She then infused the power of creation into the Heaven-Mending Stone, pressing it bit by bit onto the crack in the sky.
As the five-colored Heaven-Mending Stone slowly filled the gap, the enormous crack in the sky gradually vanished.
At last, the heavens were mended.
Bright sunlight once again shone upon the earth, allowing the living beings of the Primordial World to survive this great calamity.
In this immense disaster, the once lush and flourishing Primordial World had been ravaged by heavenly fire and weak water until it was utterly ruined. Countless living beings had perished, and fewer than half of the original creatures remained.
Just then, a strange phenomenon suddenly appeared.
A massive stream of Mysterious Yellow Qi poured down from the sky, gathering in the void to form an enormous mass of merit.
The Saints had rendered merit by mending the heavens, and the Heavenly Dao, moved by this, bestowed merit upon them.
The merit split into eight portions. Nuwa received sixty percent, the remaining Saints evenly divided thirty percent, and the final ten percent was obtained by the bashful one who had saved the living beings of the Primordial World.
After the merit was distributed, the Saints turned their gazes toward the surviving Witch Race and Demon Race.
"Do you have any ideas on how the remaining Witch Race and Demon Race should be dealt with?"
Taishang, the eldest senior brother of the Mystic Sect, spoke.
Everyone looked at one another, unable to reach a decision for a time.
"Kill them outright? The karmic consequences are too great, and no one wishes to bear them. Take them under our command? The Demon Race has Nuwa, while the Witch Race has Houtu."
For a time, the Saints found themselves in a dilemma.
"Senior Brother Xuan Yi!"
"Senior Brother is the Dao Ancestor's son and has the authority to judge the living beings of the Primordial World. I am willing to follow Senior Brother's arrangements!"
Zhunti was still the crafty one, throwing this difficult problem to Xuan Yi.
The other Saints immediately chimed in.
"We will all follow Senior Brother's arrangements!"
Seeing them like this, Xuan Yi knew that he had to make a decision.
He then looked toward the Witch Race and Demon Race. "The Witch and Demon Races defied the mandate of heaven. Their great war caused Buzhou Mountain's pillar to break, resulting in countless casualties among the living beings of the Primordial World."
"However, heaven cherishes life. The Demon Race shall relocate to the bitterly cold northern lands. From this day forward, Lady Nuwa shall lead you, and none may leave without an order."
"As for the Witch Race, I shall take you to the Netherworld Underworld, where Lady Houtu will oversee you. You may never again set foot in the Primordial World."
"What do you all think?"
After making his judgment, Xuan Yi asked for the Saints' opinions.
"We leave it all to Senior Brother!"
Naturally, the Saints had no objections. Even if they did, they would not dare voice them.
After dealing with the Witch Race and Demon Race, Xuan Yi looked in the direction where the Five-Colored Stone had flown.
"Sun Wukong?"
"Journey to the West?"
Xuan Yi murmured thoughtfully.
With the matter settled, the Saints bid farewell one after another and returned to their respective dojos.
"Wa'er, take the Demon Race to the far northern lands. You may refine a Monster Summoning Banner to make it easier to control the Demon Race."
"I will take the Witch Race to Houtu for her to manage."
The two split up, one heading to the far northern lands and the other to the Netherworld Underworld.
The Netherworld Underworld.
Sensing Xuan Yi's arrival, Pingxin hurriedly rose to welcome him.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Xuan Yi, for preserving the last trace of the Witch Race's bloodline."
Houtu had been watching the great war between the Witch Race and Demon Race all along. Seeing the ancestral witches self-destruct one after another had filled her with grief, but she could not leave herself and could only worry in secret.
Later, Xuan Yi preserved the last trace of the Witch Race's bloodline. Houtu was sincerely grateful to him.
"It is nothing. The Witch Race should not perish. I merely made a fair judgment."
"Even so, Pingxin must thank Senior Brother!"
"The Underworld has only just been established and still lacks manpower. I wish to establish the position of Emperor Fengdu of the Northern Yin to manage the Underworld on my behalf. This position can obtain immeasurable merit, so let one of Fellow Daoist Xuan Yi's disciples take it."
Xuan Yi had not expected Houtu to offer such a great gift. After pondering briefly, he cupped his hands and thanked her.
"In that case, I shall thank Lady Pingxin on behalf of my unworthy disciple!"
Among his three disciples, Six-Eared Macaque was shrewd but honest, and although Kong Xuan was proud, he was also rather steady. Only Great Peng was somewhat impetuous.
After careful consideration, Xuan Yi ultimately decided to appoint Great Peng as Emperor Fengdu of the Northern Yin, lest he perish in the future Investiture of the Gods war. He then summoned Great Peng.
"Great Peng, the position of Emperor Fengdu of the Northern Yin is of immense importance. You must not be careless. I hope you will manage the Underworld well and not disappoint the expectations of your master and Lady Pingxin!"
Sitting at home, Great Peng had fortune come to him from the Underworld. Having obtained such an excellent post, he grinned so widely that his mouth nearly reached the back of his head.
"Thank you, Master! Thank you, Lady Pingxin!"
"I will certainly devote myself wholeheartedly and not disappoint the expectations of Master and Lady Pingxin."
Just like that, Great Peng gained an enormous advantage and became Emperor Fengdu of the Northern Yin.
After settling the Witch Race, Xuan Yi also returned to Jade Capital Mountain.
Before you continue