There Wasn't That Much

Once Nuwa succeeded in creating humans with the Gourd Vine, the Heavenly Dao Merit that descended from the heavens would be completely swallowed by the Gourd Vine.

One had to know that the Gourd Vine had originally absorbed only part of the Heavenly Dao Merit, becoming a postnatal merit treasure.

But now...

The Gourd Vine, which Hong Yun had refined anew with the Qiankun Cauldron, was completely different.

It would swallow all the Heavenly Dao Merit, but it would not automatically absorb it and become a merit treasure.

Instead, it would preserve the merit within the Gourd Vine, allowing Hong Yun to extract it whenever he wanted in the future.

Moreover, the Gourd Vine had now been completely refined by Hong Yun.

Once Nuwa finished creating humans and absorbed the Heavenly Dao Merit, Hong Yun would only need a thought to store the Gourd Vine in his personal spatial domain.

This was the backup plan Hong Yun had prepared to turn the tables on Nuwa.

At that moment, Nuwa had also arrived before Hong Yun.

"Daoist Hong Yun, I have a request. I hope you can help me!"

Nuwa glanced at Hong Yun as she spoke.

As a mighty cultivator at the Quasi-Saint Peak realm, it was already quite rare for her to speak so courteously to Hong Yun, who was only at the Great Unity Peak.

She had not even bothered with formalities.

"Daoist Nuwa, may I ask what it is?"

Hong Yun replied indifferently.

"Daoist Hong Yun, you obtained the Gourd Vine and the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil at Buzhou Mountain before. Do you still have these two treasures?"

"I do!"

"Then I hope you can lend these two treasures to me."

Nuwa spoke again.

"Oh? May I ask what benefit I would receive for lending them to you?"

Hong Yun raised his eyelids slightly. Nuwa clearly did not look like she had come to borrow treasures.

She had not mentioned a single word about benefits. He was neither her father nor her mother, so why should he lend them to her?

Besides, these were two treasures, not two blades of grass.

"Daoist Hong Yun, I am a disciple of the Dao Ancestor and a cultivator at the Quasi-Saint Peak. I will also attain sainthood in the future. Do I really need to offer benefits just to borrow two treasures from you?"

Nuwa's expression turned cold.

She was a dignified disciple of the Dao Ancestor and would become a Saint in the future. The fact that she was willing to borrow treasures from Hong Yun was already giving him face.

Yet now, Hong Yun was actually asking for benefits?

He was simply courting death!

"No benefits, no lending!"

Hong Yun waved his hand impatiently.

"Hong Yun, you're courting death!"

Hearing Hong Yun's words, Nuwa shouted furiously.

Boom!

The next moment, she unleashed her terrifying aura.

Quasi-Saint Peak!

One had to know that there were only a few Quasi-Saint Peak experts in the entire Great Desolation.

Apart from Taiyi and Yuanshi, even Tongtian, Jieyin, and Zhunti might not have reached the Quasi-Saint realm.

As for Dijun, Taiyi, and the Twelve Ancestral Witches, they were also only at the late Quasi-Saint stage.

The Quasi-Saint Peak realm was only one step away from sainthood.

If another mighty cultivator of the Great Desolation felt the terrifying aura of such an expert, they would probably be frightened until their legs went limp.

However... Nuwa was facing Hong Yun.

"Daoist Nu... Nuwa, let's talk this out."

Hong Yun also put on an expression of having weak legs, his speech becoming somewhat halting.

As a mere Great Unity Peak cultivator facing the aura of a Quasi-Saint Peak expert, this was the reaction he ought to have.

"If you know what's good for you, hand over the Gourd Vine and the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil at once. Otherwise, I'll let you learn the law of survival in the Great Desolation!"

Seeing Hong Yun's reaction, Nuwa sneered and then spoke coldly.

Her target was the Gourd Vine and the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil. She had no real need to kill Hong Yun.

Unless Hong Yun refused to hand over the two treasures.

After all, Nuwa was no benevolent person. She had become the Empress of the Demon Clan and had even been able to remain indifferent during the Witch-Demon Tribulation. This was not something an ordinary person could do.

Even when the human race she personally created later suffered a tremendous calamity, Nuwa had been able to ignore them and let them live or die on their own.

Clearly, Nuwa was a ruthless figure.

"I... I'll give you the Gourd Vine and the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil!"

Hong Yun put on an extremely respectful expression, then took out the Gourd Vine and the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil and handed them to Nuwa.

Whoosh!

Nuwa reached out and snatched both treasures away, joy appearing on her face.

With these two treasures, there would be no problem with creating a new race.

However, at that moment, Nuwa's expression suddenly changed.

"Hmm? You refined this Gourd Vine?"

Just as she was about to refine the Gourd Vine into her own treasure, Nuwa discovered that the restrictions on it had already been refined by Hong Yun.

Hong Yun nodded.

It was his treasure. What was strange about refining the restrictions on it?

However, this meant that Nuwa would have to erase the divine soul imprint Hong Yun had left behind before she could refine the treasure anew.

But erasing the divine soul imprint of a treasure's original owner was no easy matter. It would take a great deal of time...

Unless she killed the original owner.

Nuwa glanced at Hong Yun, her eyes growing somewhat cold.

However, after a long moment, Nuwa still did not act.

In the end, she abandoned the idea of killing Hong Yun.

"Forget it. I only want to create humans anyway. What difference does it make whether this treasure belongs to me or not?"

Nuwa thought to herself.

Then she returned to the foot of Shouyang Mountain, brought out the Gourd Vine and the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, and began creating a new race.

Seeing this, Hong Yun also breathed a sigh of relief.

If Nuwa had wanted to attack him, Hong Yun had already prepared two plans.

The first was to slap Nuwa to death.

After all, a mere Quasi-Saint Peak cultivator was no different from an ant in Hong Yun's eyes.

But if he did that, his plan would be completely ruined.

He would also have no way to obtain the Heavenly Dao Merit.

The second was to directly control the Myriad Heavens Auspicious Cloud and fly away.

After all, the Myriad Heavens Auspicious Cloud was the fastest flying treasure in the Great Desolation. It was absolutely impossible for Nuwa to catch up with him.

Then, when Nuwa began creating humans, he could quietly return.

Hong Yun felt that the second method was more reliable.

As for Nuwa spending a great deal of time erasing his divine soul imprint from the Gourd Vine, that was completely impossible.

He cultivated the Mythical Grand Unity Method. Even a Saint could not erase the divine soul imprint he had left on his treasure.

In the end, however, neither plan was needed.

Nuwa had abandoned the idea of killing him.

Hong Yun continued sitting atop Shouyang Mountain, quietly watching Nuwa create humans.

Crack!

Nuwa held the Gourd Vine in her hand and swung it like a whip, producing a sharp snap.

The whip struck the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil on the ground.

The originally nine-colored Nine Heavens Breathing Soil was sent flying in all directions.

At the same time, the power of the laws surrounding Nuwa enveloped the splattered clumps of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil.

Then, an incredible scene appeared.

The lifeless clumps of soil transformed into humanoid beings the instant they landed on the ground.

"Innate Human Race!"

Seeing this, Hong Yun's heart stirred.

Nuwa had actually succeeded in creating the Innate Human Race.

Although he had long known the outcome, Hong Yun was still puzzled when he truly witnessed the scene.

He had created humans in the same way, so why had he failed?

"Greetings, Holy Mother!"

The first member of the Innate Human Race to arrive in the world immediately knelt before the Nuwa it saw.

Seeing this scene, a glimmer of insight flashed through Nuwa's eyes.

"As expected, this is right! This is my path to proving the Dao!"

Nuwa thought to herself.

After creating the first member of the Innate Human Race, she already felt that she had seemingly taken a step closer to becoming a Saint.

This progress was not an increase in strength, but rather...

A feeling that was profound and mysterious.

Nuwa could not explain it clearly either.

She did not yet know that creating an entire race would earn her a reward of Heavenly Dao Merit, but she had a premonition that she was on the right path.

Then, Nuwa raised the Gourd Vine in her hand again.

Crack!

She swung it twice more.

The nine-colored Nine Heavens Breathing Soil was once again sent flying by Nuwa's blows.

At the same time, whoom!

Nuwa released her aura, and a force of laws enveloped the clumps of soil.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Soon, two clay figures took shape and transformed into members of the Innate Human Race.

"Greetings, Holy Mother!"

"Greetings, Holy Mother!"

The two members of the Innate Human Race likewise came before Nuwa and knelt to worship her.

Nuwa nodded.

Then she stopped holding back, waving the Gourd Vine in her hand and striking the soil fiercely.

She knew that she had created only three living beings so far, which was far from enough to form a race.

She had to create many more.

Crack, crack, crack...

The sound of the whip echoed repeatedly as countless clumps of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil flew through the air.

Time passed, and a hundred years went by in the blink of an eye.

Now, three thousand living beings stood before Nuwa.

All of them had been created by Nuwa from the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil.

"Greetings, Lady Nuwa!"

"Greetings, Holy Mother!"

"Greetings, Holy Mother!"

The three thousand members of the Innate Human Race worshipped Nuwa, having already formed a certain scale.

"It's still not enough. Still not enough!"

Nuwa muttered.

A vast race was counted in the hundreds of millions.

There were only three thousand now. How could that possibly be enough?

Crack!

Nuwa swung the Gourd Vine again, but this time, she froze.

"Hmm? The Nine Heavens Breathing Soil is gone!"

Nuwa was dumbfounded.

Without the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, she could no longer create Innate beings.

Whoosh!

Nuwa's figure flashed, and she once again arrived before Hong Yun.

"Hong Yun, take out all the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil!"

Nuwa spoke to Hong Yun without the slightest trace of courtesy.

After all, she had already practically seized the Gourd Vine and Nine Heavens Breathing Soil from Hong Yun before.

There was no need to give him a pleasant expression this time either.

"Daoist Nuwa, I gave you all the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil I had!"

Hong Yun spoke with a bitter expression.

"You saw how much Nine Heavens Breathing Soil I obtained at Buzhou Mountain last time. There isn't any more!"

Hong Yun explained.

Nuwa stared intently at Hong Yun for a moment, and a powerful pressure radiated from her body.

After sensing that Hong Yun had not lied, Nuwa grew flustered again.

Without the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, she had no way to recreate beings like these innate lifeforms.

Nuwa now felt that she was only half a step away from becoming a saint.

Taking the path of creating an entirely new race was definitely the right choice.

But without enough beings to create, she could not form a race at all, and without a race, she would be unable to become a saint.

"Fellow Daoist Nuwa, I saw that you created an entirely new kind of lifeform earlier. Now that you have no Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, can't you use ordinary soil as a substitute?"

Hong Yun reminded her.

Naturally, he also hoped that Nuwa would complete the creation of humanity and obtain the merit bestowed by Heaven as soon as possible.

That way, his Gourd Vine treasure could devour the Heavenly Dao Merit.

And he could complete his plan sooner.

Hearing Hong Yun's words, Nuwa's eyes lit up as well.

"You're right!"

Nuwa nodded. She stopped looking at Hong Yun and flew once more to the foot of Shouyang Mountain.

After Hong Yun's reminder, Nuwa realized that she had indeed been too narrow-minded before.

Creating an entirely new race did not necessarily require every member to be an innate lifeform.

Without the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, the lifeforms created from ordinary soil might merely be acquired lifeforms.

But what did that matter!