Unwelcome Request

The red-robed Taoist nun left Shouxian Palace and hurried towards the outskirts of Chaoge City.

She stopped in a mountain hollow.

At this moment, she no longer wore the icy expression she had when facing King Zhou in Shouxian Palace. Instead, her face was filled with apprehension, and her demeanor was somewhat nervous.

"This humble demon greets the Goddess. May the Goddess's life be eternal!"

She glanced at a large tree in full bloom and then bowed respectfully.

Following her voice, a radiant woman in palace attire emerged from behind the tree.

If Di Xin were here, he would surely recognize that this woman bore a striking resemblance to the statue of Goddess Nuwa.

"Report truthfully!" Goddess Nuwa said, speaking only when necessary.

Hu Ximei was secretly surprised. She hadn't expected Goddess Nuwa to come to Chaoge. She had only come here because she heard the Goddess's telepathic message. Even though she was in Chaoge at the time, how could the Goddess have inquired of her in this manner?

Goddess Nuwa was the leader of the demon race. In the presence of this Goddess, the Jade Pipa Spirit felt her status was lowly and dared not ask further. She recounted everything Daji had said to Goddess Nuwa, word for word.

She included the details of her encounter with King Zhou, omitting nothing, even though she knew the Goddess must have already been aware of it.

After hearing Hu Ximei's report, Goddess Nuwa frowned and remained in deep thought for a long time.

Hu Ximei didn't dare to breathe, quietly waiting by her side.

After a long while, Goddess Nuwa spoke again, "Pipa Spirit, you will arrange for the Nine-Headed Pheasant Spirit to temporarily reside in Chaoge. Keep a close watch on all the Qi Cultivators who appear in Chaoge, without exception. Record any strange or unusual occurrences, and I will send someone to contact you. Maintain frequent contact with the Fox Spirit and report any matters."

"Yes, I shall obey the Goddess's decree!"

Hu Ximei respectfully agreed, transformed into a blur of light, flickered a few times, and quickly vanished into the distance.

Watching the Jade Pipa Spirit depart, Goddess Nuwa slowly raised her right hand. Two beams of light, one white and one red, flashed beside her, transforming into two stunningly beautiful women.

One was dressed in fiery red, the other in pure white.

"Xuan Nu, Su Nu, you two should also prepare to enter Chaoge and act as I previously instructed!" Goddess Nuwa said slowly, gazing in the direction of Chaoge.

These two beautiful women were both disciples of Goddess Nuwa. The one in red was named Nine Heavens Profound Maiden, and the one in white was Nine Nether Pure Maiden.

"Yes!"

The two beauties each responded and, with another flash, transformed into red and white streaks of light, disappearing from sight.

Goddess Nuwa watched the direction in which they vanished. After a moment, she paused lightly, then ascended into the air. A large Azure Luan Bird flew out from the clouds, landing precisely beneath her.

Just as she was about to mount the Azure Luan Bird to leave, Goddess Nuwa suddenly looked into the distance. A white streak of escape light was approaching rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, it had arrived.

The escape light landed, transforming into a handsome young man in white robes.

The youth was strikingly handsome, but unlike ordinary people, he had an extra vertical eye on his forehead.

"Are you Yang Jian?"

Goddess Nuwa asked after a brief appraisal. Although she had never met Yang Jian before, his distinctive third eye made him highly recognizable, leading to her guess.

The young man in white glanced at Goddess Nuwa and the Azure Luan Bird beneath her, then cupped his fists. "Senior recognizes Yang Jian? May I ask who Senior is?"

Goddess Nuwa smiled and nodded. "Heh... A disciple of True Man Yu Ding of Golden Cloud Cave of Jade Spring Mountain, of course, I have heard of you. If we speak of origins, you and I are of the same root. I am Nuwa!"

"So it is the Goddess herself! This disciple is remiss, please do not take offense!"

Upon hearing Goddess Nuwa introduce herself, Yang Jian quickly bowed deeply.

His master, True Man Yu Ding, was one of the Twelve Golden Immortals and a disciple of Primordial Lord of Heaven. Primordial Lord of Heaven, in turn, was a direct disciple of Old Ancestor Hongjun.

Goddess Nuwa was a registered disciple of Old Ancestor Hongjun and one of the first six Saints to achieve enlightenment, placing her in the same generation as Primordial Lord of Heaven.

If they were to truly calculate their relationship, Yang Jian should have addressed Goddess Nuwa as his grand-aunt.

"Yang Jian, there is no need for such formality. Why are you not cultivating at Jade Spring Mountain, and what brings you here?"

Goddess Nuwa did not react strongly to Yang Jian not addressing her as grand-aunt, merely asking calmly.

Yang Jian and his master, True Man Yu Ding, belonged to the Chan Sect. The Chan Sect's doctrine was to teach according to aptitude, with extremely strict selection and acceptance of disciples. In contrast, Tongtian Sect Master's Jie Sect emphasized teaching without discrimination; anyone with the aspiration to follow the Dao could join.

Therefore, although the Jie Sect had followers all over the world, including many demons with scales and horns, most of them failed to achieve true enlightenment due to the indiscriminate acceptance of disciples, which was heavily criticized by the Chan Sect.

If the Jie Sect was viewed this way by the Chan Sect, it was even more so for the entire demon race led by Goddess Nuwa.

Consequently, the relationship between Nuwa and the Chan Sect was very delicate, with very little interaction.

However, Yang Jian was one of the few disciples of the third generation in the Chan Sect who held few prejudices against demons.

He kept a demon beast named Sky-Howling Dog, and therefore did not have much aversion to other demon beasts.

Under these circumstances, Yang Jian's ability to overcome his sect's prejudice against demons and greet her with the respect due to a junior was already commendable.

Hearing Goddess Nuwa's question, Yang Jian showed a hint of hesitation.

Nuwa chuckled lightly. "I merely asked casually. If it is inconvenient, you need not say!"

Yang Jian said with a wry smile, "Replying to the Goddess, it is not inconvenient, but rather a matter that is difficult to speak of. Today, I was cultivating at Jade Spring Mountain when my Sky-Howling Dog suddenly transformed into a white light and flew away. I sensed its direction and pursued it, only to find that it had already entered Chaoge. Unfortunately, I soon lost its trace, and so I came here to search. If I speak of it, I fear the Goddess will laugh!"

As he spoke, Yang Jian observed Goddess Nuwa's reaction inadvertently.

He knew that as the leader of the demon race, this Goddess possessed many means to restrain demons. Could it be that his Sky-Howling Dog had been abducted by Goddess Nuwa?

Otherwise, why would such a coincidence occur, meeting her precisely here?

"You suspect I had something to do with the Sky-Howling Dog incident?"

Seeing Yang Jian's expression, Goddess Nuwa immediately guessed his thoughts and asked with a light laugh.

"This disciple wouldn't dare. If Your Ladyship asks, this disciple will report truthfully."

Yang Jian quickly bowed, feeling a bit presumptuous. Given Goddess Nuwa's status, she could command all the demon tribes in the world; she certainly wouldn't have taken a liking to his little white dog.

He looked up at Goddess Nuwa, wanting to speak but hesitating.

"Just say whatever is on your mind!"

Goddess Nuwa said casually.

Yang Jian said, "This disciple has a presumptuous request, and I hope Your Ladyship will grant it. I've heard Your Ladyship possesses an Acquired Spiritual Treasure called the Monster Summoning Banner. By activating this treasure, you can summon demon tribes within a certain range according to your will. My Sky-Howling Dog is a demon beast and is also within the summoning range of this treasure. Could I trouble Your Ladyship to use this treasure to help this disciple find the whereabouts of the Sky-Howling Dog?"

"Ugh..."

Goddess Nuwa felt a sudden tightness in her chest, as if something were blocking it.