"How could that be?"
Di Jiang laughed at Nuwa's doubt. "Fellow Daoist Nuwa, I trust your character more than anyone's."
"Nor am I saying that I want you to become a fickle Grand Unity Divine Being."
"My true intention is merely to hope..." The Ancestral Witch's expression was sincere. "I hope Fellow Daoist Nuwa can escape the factional blindness brought about by your identity as a member of the Demon Clan and view the matter from an objective standpoint."
"The gates of the Witch Clan will always be open to you, awaiting the day you join us."
"The Demon Clan has never failed me. How could I fail the Demon Clan?" Nuwa furrowed her brows. "Now that the contract has been signed... As long as I remain the Demon Clan Emperor, I will surely protect those living beings who have pledged their loyalty."
As he listened to her words, Di Jiang's eyes glittered, yet he remained utterly calm and composed.
Loyal and steadfast people were hardly something he had never seen before.
But with his silver tongue, there was no one whose worldview he could not turn upside down and whose mind he could not leave in utter confusion!
"Did Fellow Daoist Nuwa join the Demon Clan for the sake of benefits?" Di Jiang smiled meaningfully. "Or was it... for the sake of an ideal?"
"From what I see, Fellow Daoist Nuwa possesses lofty and flawless morals. Just because you signed a contract with the Demon Clan first, you rejected cooperation with us for the sake of your own integrity. You must surely be a Grand Unity Divine Being who has transcended all vulgar interests, right?"
Di Jiang smiled so broadly that he looked rather punchable. "Therefore, the reason you joined the Demon Clan must surely have something to do with your ideals!"
Nuwa opened her mouth, then closed it. She opened it again, then closed it again... The cycle repeated, yet she could not utter even a single word.
At that moment, as she stared at Ancestral Witch Dijiang's smile, she only wanted to punch him hard and vent the frustration in her heart.
Whether Di Jiang knew what Nuwa was thinking or not... it had little effect on what he said.
If the other party spoke of benefits, he would discuss benefits. If the other party spoke of ideals, then he would discuss ideals!
Once he seized an opportunity, he could absolutely manipulate the other party and lead them into a bottomless pit from which they could not climb out. Even after being sold, they would still help count the money.
Just like now, Nuwa felt as though a stone were lodged in her chest. Her heart was painfully blocked, yet in the end, she had no choice but to follow Di Jiang's rhythm. "What you say is quite true..."
"I joined the Demon Clan not because of how much I would gain... It was entirely because I have lofty ideals!"
Her expression was solemn and dignified. Behind her, ten million divine rings bloomed with radiance. "I want to build a beautiful world where the myriad races can live together in harmony!"
"Therefore, I joined the Demon Clan and took on the position of Emperor..." Nuwa's face was filled with compassion for all under heaven. "By uniting the myriad races and creating the Demon Clan, with me as one of its Emperors... I can surely bring about improvements from the top down and correct the tragic order of predators hunting prey throughout the food chain in this era!"
"Fellow Daoist Nuwa truly possesses great compassion. You are a true sage." Di Jiang smiled as he flattered her, then suddenly changed tack. "But what if one day you discover that you have failed to change anything... that the malignancy has spread throughout the Demon Clan and can never be uprooted?"
"The hope of turning the tide of the era lies with our Witch Clan. In that case, would your loyalty to the Demon Clan... still have any reason to exist?"
Was the signed contract more important?
Or were the ideal pursued from the depths of one's heart and one's personal convictions more important?
Nuwa looked at Di Jiang, narrowing her eyes slightly.
Di Jiang looked back at Nuwa, his smile growing even more amiable.
A subtle atmosphere settled between the two.
Suddenly, Nuwa chuckled lightly, breaking the stalemate. "Regardless, the Witch Clan has yet to demonstrate the ability to guide all living beings and races toward prosperity and development."
"The Demon Clan, however, already exists. It is the platform most suited to me."
"I know." Di Jiang nodded frankly. "That is why we will use time and facts to prove it to this world."
"Please wait and see, Fellow Daoist Nuwa... And in the years to come, I also ask that you judge us from an objective standpoint—if your ideals still exist and have not been corrupted by benefits." He spoke leisurely. "At the same time, I hope that we can set aside our disputes and cooperate to some extent in the great undertaking of creating a beautiful Primordial World."
"There is nothing wrong with the struggle between the Witch and Demon Clans, but aren't we all still part of the Primordial World?"
"Fine."
Nuwa felt that she had nothing left to say.
In the end, she could only use that single word to forcibly bring her exchange with Di Jiang to an end.
After all this, she barely managed to keep her expression from collapsing and immediately said, "I still have an urgent matter and need to return to Fengqi... I shall take my leave first."
"We are headed in the same direction. Shall we travel together?" Di Jiang suggested.
"No, no, no... How could I?" Nuwa repeatedly refused. "The friends of the Witch Clan have come with such an impressive entourage. As a matter of etiquette, I must prepare a grand welcoming ceremony."
"So please allow me to part ways and take my leave for now... We will meet again very soon!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Great Sage Nuwa bowed slightly, then urged the Phoenix beneath her feet onward.
Amid a dazzling flash of innate treasure light, the Golden Phoenix surged forward at full speed, overtaking the Witch Clan's ceremonial procession and leaving Feng Xi with only a view of her back.
Perhaps it was just an illusion?
Feng Xi pondered the matter. This Empress Nuwa, who was said to possess great compassion and supreme benevolence, seemed somehow to have fled in a rather disheveled and embarrassed manner.
Thinking of this, he could not help but admire Ancestral Witch Dijiang. He truly was eloquent, managing to drive away a supreme powerhouse without spending a single soldier or weapon!
Di Jiang, however, looked quite calm, as though this were nothing more than a trivial matter he had accomplished countless times before and was not worth mentioning at all.
"Fellow Daoist, you are truly capable."
Ancestral Witch Houtu's carriage came from behind and arrived beside Di Jiang.
The Ancestral Witch praised Di Jiang in a strange tone. "I imagine that before long, your name will surely shake the Demon Court from top to bottom."
"You slew the target Tai Yi was trying to rescue, then sent Nuwa away with just a few words... With such achievements, who would not be astonished?"
"If you could also achieve victories against Di Jun and Fuxi, the might of our Witch Clan would surely surge, earning the reverence of all the gods of the Primordial World!"
"Hey... You can't calculate it that way." Di Jiang smiled faintly. "Tai Yi suffered because he underestimated my strength."
"And Nuwa? Though her strength is formidable and her cultivation profound, she is..."
"In certain aspects, she is still too bad at this... No, she is still too immature."
"These two are famous for their combat prowess, yet they suffered because they lacked a little cunning..." Di Jiang sighed. "But what if today's opponents had been Di Jun and Fuxi instead?"
"Difficult! Difficult! Difficult!"
"Are you saying that Tai Yi is inferior to Di Jun? And Nuwa is inferior to Fuxi?" Houtu's eyes darkened.
"Exactly!" Di Jiang nodded firmly. "As the saying goes—your elder brother will always be your elder brother!"
"Don't be fooled by the fact that Tai Yi and Nuwa seem more capable in a fight than their elder brothers."
"If you truly threw them all into the most complicated situation, the ones who lived the most comfortably and laughed until the end would definitely be those two with the higher seniority!"
"Oh."
Houtu said "Oh" once, then fell silent.
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