Settling the Human Race

The supreme Great Dao Will swept slowly across the entire prehistoric world like an invisible tide.

Every living being, from ants to Quasi-Sages, felt utterly seen through inside and out at that moment. Not a trace of resistance could arise within them—only the most instinctive awe.

The feeling came swiftly and vanished just as swiftly.

After only a few breaths, the aura unique to the Great Dao gradually faded, and all beings of the prehistoric world breathed a sigh of relief.

The Great Dao's oppressive presence was simply too overwhelming. The ultimate goal of all beings who cultivated was to attain the Great Dao; before it, no thought in anyone's heart could possibly be concealed.

For certain existences, those few breaths were harder to endure than several aeons.

The enormous, cold eye of the Heavenly Dao hanging in the sky received special attention from the Great Dao Will. It shuddered violently, as though seared by a red-hot branding iron.

A hint of panic and grievance actually appeared in its formerly emotionless, indifferent gaze. With a swish, it shrank back into the deepest reaches of the void, not daring to make a peep as it fled faster than anyone else.

As a Heavenly Dao that had developed selfish desires, if it caught the Great Dao's attention, destruction was the only possible outcome. The Great Dao would never permit a self-serving Heavenly Dao to control a world.

The Great Dao was utterly impartial. It favored no living being, nor would it allow any being to undermine the rules.

Even Hongjun could no longer maintain the detached expression on his aged face. The corners of his mouth twitched faintly, while his complexion shifted from green to white.

He felt like a child caught red-handed by his parents while secretly doing something bad—one who had even been dragged out by the ear!

He had merged himself with the Heavenly Dao, intending to control the prehistoric world by controlling the Heavenly Dao. Yet before the Great Dao, none of his petty schemes or covert actions had anywhere to hide.

The rage in his heart nearly made him explode!

He had plotted for countless aeons, preaching the Dao and distributing violet qi, all while waiting to bind these peak Great Powers to the chariot of the Heavenly Dao.

Yet after merging with the Dao, he discovered that the Heavenly Dao had actually developed self-awareness. By then, it was already too late for regret; he could only walk this dark road with the Heavenly Dao to the very end.

And then Nuwa, the most crucial piece of the entire arrangement, had actually jumped off the chariot!

She had even done it right in front of the Great Dao!

In the process, she had exposed both him and the Heavenly Dao beneath the Great Dao's very gaze!

And that Qingxuan—damn that anomaly!

If he had not interfered, how could Nuwa possibly have contacted the Great Dao?

Hongjun shot Qingxuan a vicious glare, his eyes seeming to wish he could devour him alive and flay him apart.

But he did not dare make a move.

Though the Great Dao appeared to have withdrawn, that invisible sense of being watched seemed to linger.

If he dared attack now, the Great Dao could return at once and kill him.

"Good. Very good!"

Hongjun forced out the words through clenched teeth, his voice dry and heavy with killing intent.

"Nuwa, you truly have taken in a fine disciple."

His words dripped with sourness.

He, Hongjun, might be revered by the living beings of the prehistoric world as the Dao Ancestor, yet he did not even have a disciple capable of truly inheriting his mantle—let alone an anomalous disciple like Qingxuan.

The Three Pure Ones had been accepted by Hongjun only because the Heavenly Dao wished to divide Pangu's Primordial Spirit. Nuwa was the key to the awakening of the Human Dao, while Jieyin and Zhunti had to be accepted to repay the Karma of shattering the western earth veins during the Dao-Demon Conflict.

Moreover, as one who had merged with the Dao, Hongjun naturally knew that Jieyin and Zhunti would establish their own lineage in the future.

After casting Qingxuan one more glance, Hongjun's figure flickered, and he vanished from the spot.

He had probably returned to Zixiao Palace to trade complaints with the Heavenly Dao.

Nuwa's move had not only evaded the Heavenly Dao's schemes, but also awakened the Human Dao. Everything had happened too suddenly; all the prior plans of the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun had to be overturned and redone.

Seeing that the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun had disappeared, Nuwa and Qingxuan both let out a sigh of relief.

Feeling the vast, boundless power of a Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal within her, and clearly sensing the warm, majestic Human Dao Will that was intimately connected to both herself and the human race and was slowly awakening, Nuwa revealed a radiant smile.

She had succeeded!

Not only had she broken free of the Heavenly Dao's control and attained the realm of a Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, she had personally awakened the Human Dao as well!

"Congratulations, Master, on attaining the Primordial Zenith. From now on, you shall roam free and unfettered!"

Qingxuan came over with a grin. Though blood still stained the corner of his lips and his Daoist robe was tattered, he was in excellent spirits.

Seeing his bedraggled state, Nuwa felt both distressed and amused.

She reached out to wipe the blood from his lips, then chided him.

"You always have to show off! That was so dangerous just now! What if the Great Dao had appeared even a moment later..."

Indeed, if the Great Dao had responded to Qingxuan even slightly later, the outcome of everything would have been reversed. Fortunately, the Great Dao had still "stood" on their side.

Nuwa's eyes brimmed with gratitude and admiration, unable to conceal the affection within them.

She knew that without Qingxuan risking his life to block the Heavenly Dao's divine lightning and buy time, without him invoking the Great Dao, there would never have been such a perfect ending.

At the same time, the image of Qingxuan standing before her under the immense pressure of the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun would be engraved deeply in her heart.

"Hehe, my skin's thick. I can take a beating!"

Qingxuan waved it off without the slightest concern.

Just then, a golden phoenix flew in from the horizon. Arriving before Empress Nuwa, it transformed into a humanoid form and fell to its knees.

"Jin Ning of the Phoenix Race's Mysterious Sky Fire Phoenix greets Empress Nuwa. May Your Holiness's sacred lifespan know no bounds."

Qingxuan looked Jin Ning over. As expected of the Phoenix Race, she truly was beautiful.

Looks like the Phoenix Race intends to throw in their lot with Master.

Jin Ning... so this is Master's future mount.

As expected of the Phoenix Race, her looks are indeed outstanding. Seems I'll have to find myself a presentable mount someday too.

Hearing Qingxuan's inner thoughts, Empress Nuwa waved a hand and allowed Jin Ning to rise.

"What brings you here?"

Unlike the gentle tenderness she showed Qingxuan, this was the true Empress Nuwa, a Sage whose every gesture radiated the bearing of a Sage.

"Reporting to Your Holiness, having heard that Your Ladyship has become a Sage, Jin Ning is willing to enter Your Ladyship's service and serve as Your Ladyship's mount."

Jin Ning answered respectfully.

Though being a mount was humiliating, that depended on whom one was serving as a mount.

Could a Sage's mount be compared to an ordinary mount? Even a seventh-rank official at a chancellor's gate commanded respect; who outside would dare refuse a Sage's mount its due?

Through Qingxuan's inner thoughts, Empress Nuwa had already learned that Jin Ning would be her mount in the future. She did not mind, and simply nodded in acceptance.

Seeing Empress Nuwa agree, Jin Ning was immediately overjoyed.

After accepting Jin Ning, Empress Nuwa turned her gaze toward the newly born human race.

Looking at these little ones she had created, Empress Nuwa's eyes were so tender they seemed ready to drip with water.

These were her children, the hope for humanity's rise.

But how to settle the human race gave Empress Nuwa something of a headache.

Seeing what Empress Nuwa was thinking, Qingxuan spoke up to remind her.

"Master, humanity's greatest strength lies in thought and creation. If they are protected completely, it would be no different from strangling their talents in the cradle. I think the shores of the East Sea are well suited for humanity to multiply and thrive."

Hearing this, Empress Nuwa nodded as well. After all, when humanity had been created, they had been intended to be entirely different from the existing living beings of the Primordial World.

Thus, Empress Nuwa waved her hand and set down a restriction along the shores of the East Sea. At the same time, her sacred voice resounded throughout the Primordial World.

"I am the Sage Nuwa. Humanity has been newly born today and shall multiply and thrive by the East Sea. For one hundred thousand years, should any dare harm humanity, I shall personally act and wipe out their entire race!"

The entire Primordial World heard the Sage's decree. Some Great Powers who had been curious about humanity, such as the Three Pure Ones and Minghe, all dismissed their thoughts. After all, no one dared provoke a Sage—especially when that Sage was a Primordial Sage.