Biodata
| Feature | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Nuwa (女娲) |
| Alias(es) | Empress Nuwa; Saint Mother Nuwa; Supreme Saint Niang Niang Nuwa; Saint of Merit |
| Gender | Female |
| Affiliation | Demon Clan; Human Race (creator); Mount Liguan / Wa Imperial Palace |
| Occupation/Role | Heavenly Dao Saint; creator of the Human Race; wielder of the Monster Summoning Banner |
| Status | Active |
| First Appearance | Chapter 54 |
Power Progression
| Stage / Realm / Level | Chapter | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Powerful innate being | 54 | Occupies one of the first six cushions at Hongjun's Purple Cloud Palace, seats said to hold an opportunity for sainthood 54. |
| Heavenly Dao Saint | 79 | Achieves sainthood through the immense merit gained by creating the Human Race; receives Heavenly Dao empowerment 79. |
Appearance
Nuwa is a peerlessly beautiful woman whose calm, divine presence initially leaves Li Xuan flustered. She is often depicted in palace attire and later appears seated upon a Twelve Grade Purple Jade Lotus Platform 54 84 169.
- Long hair cascading like a waterfall 54.
- Flawless, jade-like face and a faint serene radiance 54.
- Usually wears palace robes; she appears in a pure white dress after the Witch–Demon war 104.
- Her eyes contain a chaotic, cosmic quality after attaining sainthood 79.
- Later Human Race traditions portray her with a human body and snake tail, though these records also misattribute several of Houtu's deeds to her 167.
Personality
Before becoming a Saint, Nuwa is contemplative, creative, and emotionally responsive. Frustrated by her inability to find a path to great merit, she spends a thousand years traveling the Primordial Era with Fuxi and becomes determined to create a “perfect” new race 78. She is initially embarrassed and put off by Li Xuan's blunt admiration, but later responds politely when they meet again 55 58.
After attaining sainthood, her demeanor becomes increasingly detached and divine. She tells the newly created humans to unite for survival but does not remain to protect them, and her ties with Fuxi grow distant 79 100. Although she expresses reluctance over the Heavenly Dao's demands, she ultimately complies with them during the Investiture of the Gods tribulation 168 169.
Abilities & Treasures
Creation of Life
Nuwa creates the Human Race from spiritual yellow mud, her own essence blood, and Fuxi's true-spirit energy.
- Creates the first 365 ancestral humans with Fuxi supplying divided portions of his true spirit 79.
- Creates a further 3,650 humans directly after gaining insight into the art of creation 79.
- Uses a vine from Buzhou Mountain to scatter mud that becomes 100,000 additional humans 79.
- Her creation of humanity earns the merit that allows her to become a Heavenly Dao Saint 79.
Saint Authority
As a Heavenly Dao Saint, Nuwa possesses overwhelming control over time, space, and Dao principles.
- Freezes time and space throughout the Nuwa Temple while approaching Di Xin 168.
- Places a ten-thousand-year fabricated memory of a blissful life with her into Di Xin's mind 168.
- Is nevertheless forbidden by the Heavenly Dao from directly interfering in the Primordial Era's great calamities 104.
- Cannot repair Fuxi's severely weakened true spirit because doing so requires merit she cannot provide 104.
Monster Summoning Banner
Nuwa wields the Monster Summoning Banner, a Lingbao used to summon and control cultivated demons.
- Summons tens of thousands of great demons to the Wa Huang Palace 169.
- Retains the Nine-tailed Fox, Nine-headed Chicken Spirit, and Jade Pipa Spirit for a mission in Chaoge 169.
- Maintains a soul restraint on the Nine-tailed Fox through the banner; Li Xuan later severs this connection 178.
Treasures
- Twelve Grade Purple Jade Lotus Platform — Her seat and traveling platform 84 169.
- Monster Summoning Banner — A banner capable of gathering demons and imposing soul restraints 169 178.
- Buzhou Mountain vine — An innate spiritual root gifted by Tai Yi; Nuwa uses it to create 100,000 humans before it withers 79.
Background / History
Nuwa attends Hongjun's lecture at the Purple Cloud Palace, taking one of the first six cushions alongside the Three Pure Ones and Kun Peng. Li Xuan first notices her there and sits directly behind her, later admitting that he had been staring because he found her beautiful. Nuwa is embarrassed by his bluntness and chooses to ignore him 54 55.
After Hongjun's sermon, Nuwa leaves with Fuxi. Li Xuan attempts to approach her again, but is devastated when Fuxi arrives and affectionately embraces her 58. Nuwa and Fuxi later remain at Mount Liguan, seeking a method of great merit while other great powers become Saints 78.
Following a thousand-year journey through the Primordial Era, Nuwa resolves to create a new race combining the Witch Clan's bravery and passion with the Demon Clan's wisdom and calmness. Her first clay figure fails because it has no true spirit. Fuxi then divides his own true spirit to bring the first humans to life, enabling Nuwa to complete the creation of the Human Race and attain sainthood through merit 78 79.
Following the Witch–Demon war, Nuwa is unable to intervene despite her former ties to Di Jun, Tai Yi, Xihe, and Fuxi. She retrieves Fuxi's frail true spirit, later sends it into the Six Paths of Reincarnation, and declares that their connection is over 104 115 116.
During the Investiture of the Gods tribulation, Nuwa manifests before Human Emperor Di Xin at her temple, freezes time and space, and implants a ten-thousand-year memory in him. After Di Xin publicly leaves an obscene poem in her temple, Nuwa declares her part of the tribulation complete and orders three demons to enter Chaoge and bewitch him in support of Western Qi's destined rise 168 169.
Human Race Legacy
Nuwa is revered by the Human Race as its primordial mother because she created humanity and named the race “Human” 79. Her actual involvement in their later survival is limited: she instructs the first humans to unite and gather for survival, but says she cannot protect them at all times 79.
Over time, Li Xuan repeatedly exploits Nuwa's authority by falsely claiming to have received her revelations. Huangni Shi accepts these supposed messages and leads the Human Race south before the Witch–Demon war, while later refusing Jieyin and Zhunti's teachings 97 118.
Later Human Race records credit Nuwa with mending the heavens, blocking floods, protecting humanity during the Witch–Demon war, and issuing benevolent decrees. In reality, Houtu refined the Five-Colored Divine Stones and mended the breach in the heavens while Nuwa arrived only near the end 84 85 167.
Relationships
- Fuxi — Her close companion and collaborator in creating the Human Race. He divides his true spirit to animate the first ancestral humans, leaving himself severely weakened; Nuwa later sends his recovered spirit into reincarnation 58 78 79 104 116.
- Li Xuan — Initially the object of Li Xuan's infatuation and pursuit. He later uses her name to influence the Human Race and secretly disrupts her control over the Nine-tailed Fox 54 55 97 178.
- Human Race — Her creation and the race that reveres her as Saint Mother; she names them and instructs them to unite for survival 79.
- Houtu — Greets Houtu warmly when arriving at the breach in the heavens, but does not interfere after finding Houtu already prepared to repair it 84 85.
- Di Xin — She influences him at the Nuwa Temple to fulfill her role in the tribulation, then sends demons to disrupt his rule and aid Western Qi 168 169.
- Nine-tailed Fox, Nine-headed Chicken Spirit, and Jade Pipa Spirit — Demons ordered by Nuwa to infiltrate Chaoge, bewitch Di Xin, and assist Western Qi 169.
- Zhunti — Presses Nuwa to continue the tribulation after Di Xin's temple visit; Nuwa resents his interference but ultimately sends the three demons 168 169.
- Di Jun, Tai Yi, and Xihe — Former Demon Clan associates whom Nuwa cannot aid during the Witch–Demon calamity due to the Heavenly Dao's restrictions 104.
Notable Quotes
“You humans are newly born beings of the Primordial Era. Although I created you, I cannot protect you at all times. Remember this: the Human Race must band together and gather to survive in this Primordial Era.” 79
“Under the tribulation of the Heavenly Dao, I too am powerless.” 168
“The human dynasty, Great Shang, is now in decline... Heaven's will has decreed that Western Qi shall rule the human world.” 169