After Taiqing Laozi and Jieyin had fallen one after the other in that earth-shaking battle, the entire world seemed to tremble.
The remaining Primordial Lord, Sect Master Tongtian, and Daoist Zhunti stood rooted to the spot, their faces filled with terror and their bodies trembling uncontrollably. They were completely stunned by what had just happened.
"This... this... how... how is this possible?" Daoist Zhunti stared wide-eyed, his mouth hanging open as he struggled to get out a single coherent sentence.
His face, once filled with wisdom and confidence, was now blank with bewilderment. He seemed unable to accept the cruel truth: even Saints could be slain!
They had always believed that once someone attained Sainthood, they would gain an immortal body and transcend the cycle of life and death.
Yet now they had watched two Saints fall in fierce battle, their life force vanishing in an instant. The stark contrast shattered their faith completely.
Primordial Lord's face was as pale as paper. His lips quivered, and his eyes were filled with deep fear and disbelief.
He murmured to himself, "What is going on? Could everything we understood about the path of Sainthood have been wrong? Why would even Saints meet such a terrible fate?"
Tongtian gripped his Magic Treasure tightly, his arm trembling with tension.
He stared blankly ahead as scenes from the harrowing battle flashed through his mind. If I ever face such a desperate situation, how will I deal with it?
At that moment, the three surviving Saints were gripped by unprecedented terror. They began to reassess the path they had pursued and wonder how many unknown dangers still awaited them in this unpredictable world.
Only when Taiqing Laozi and Jieyin's figures reappeared between heaven and earth did they finally breathe a sigh of relief, their taut nerves at last relaxing.
"Senior Brother, what exactly happened to you and Senior Brother Taiqing?" Zhunti asked, his face full of confusion as his gaze darted anxiously between the two.
Recalling what it had felt like to be slain, Jieyin still couldn't suppress his lingering fear. In a trembling voice, he said, "We truly did die just now, but fortunately, we were able to come back to life in the Heavenly Dao Space."
As he spoke, he raised a hand to wipe away the sheen of cold sweat on his forehead.
Taiqing Laozi, however, wore a face as dark as still water, his eyes glinting with an inscrutable light. His brow furrowed as he seemed to wrestle with some thought.
After a long silence, he slowly said, "I keep feeling that something extremely important has left me, but I can't tell what it is..." His words were filled with worry and unease.
"Teacher, the Five Sages are exhausted and no longer capable of fighting. Now is the time for us to awaken the Human Dao!"
Su Mu gazed at Nuwa with shining eyes, unable to hide his excitement and anticipation as he urged her on.
Nuwa's heart was just as stirred, joy surging through her. She knew the long-awaited moment had finally arrived.
Fuxi, standing nearby, nodded solemnly. "Little Sister, there's no need to hesitate. Begin at once."
Nuwa drew a deep breath, slowly raised her head, and gazed up at the heavens. In a clear, resolute voice, she proclaimed, "Great Dao above, I, Nuwa, seek today to create the Human Dao and mend the flaws in the Primordial Heaven and Earth. The Human Dao is the path walked by all living beings. Today, the Human Dao shall be established!"
As soon as her words rang out, the Human Race answered her, one voice after another.
"We, Sui Ren Shi, You Chao Shi, and Zi Yi Shi of the Human Race, sincerely beseech the Human Dao to descend!" Their voices rang out in unison, filled with hope for the future.
"I, Su Mu of the Human Race, beseech the Human Dao with a sincere heart!" Su Mu's impassioned cry resounded through the sky.
"I, Cangjie of the Human Race, pray that the Human Dao will protect our people!" Cangjie's fervent voice echoed in the air.
"I, Shaoyao of the Human Race, am willing to contribute my strength to the Human Dao!" Shaoyao's clear, melodious cry drifted into the distance.
"We, Fuxi, Shennong, Xuanyuan, Zhuanxu, Di Ku, Yao, Shun, and Yu of the Human Race, beseech the Human Dao together!" These outstanding leaders of the Human Race shouted in unison, their voices mighty and resounding.
Finally, the entire Human Race cried out as one: "The Human Race beseeches the Human Dao!" Their thunderous voices shook the entire Primordial World.
They swept over mountains and rivers and spread across every inch of the land, as if proclaiming to all creation that the Human Race was embarking on a new journey and welcoming an age of glory of its own.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
Amid a series of earth-shaking booms, the entire Primordial World began to tremble violently.
The calm sky was torn open in an instant. A dazzling light erupted from the depths of Hundun beyond the Primordial World, and countless Great Dao Merit rained down like a torrential downpour.
The Great Dao Merit surged into the Primordial World like a golden river, distorting the very space it passed through.
In the blink of an eye, it blanketed the entire Primordial Land, as though draping the ancient, mysterious land in a thick golden mantle.
The amount of Merit that descended this time was beyond imagination, far exceeding that of any previous occasion.
The Great Dao was impartial and knew that the birth of the Human Dao was of extraordinary significance to the Primordial World, a key force in driving the world forward.
And so it bestowed an extraordinarily generous reward without reservation.
Amid this boundless sea of Merit, a mysterious and mighty force suddenly descended from the heavens and shot straight toward Shouyang Mountain.
Like a dazzling meteor streaking across the sky, it vanished at the summit of Shouyang Mountain.
At the same time, the Human Race's fortune descended with the mysterious force. The two intermingled and merged, bringing about an extraordinary transformation.
In an instant, brilliant light blazed atop Shouyang Mountain, and a magnificent, imposing palace rose from the ground.
The palace gleamed with dazzling radiance. Clouds swirled around it, and the faint strains of celestial music filled the air, inspiring awe.
A closer look revealed a plaque hanging above the palace's main gate. Four bold, powerful characters were inscribed on it: "Human Dao Hall."
As the Human Dao Hall appeared, the Great Dao Merit that had filled the sky finally began to settle.
It did not dissipate, however. Instead, it divided itself into four portions according to some mysterious pattern.
The largest portion, about seventy percent, flew straight to Empress Nuwa.
The remaining three portions each accounted for ten percent and went respectively to the Six Ancestors of Humanity, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, and the countless ordinary members of the Human Race.
After absorbing the Great Dao Merit, Nuwa's cultivation soared like a rocket, reaching the Seventh Heaven of the Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal in an instant!
Though she was only at the Seventh Heaven, her astonishing combat prowess was already on par with, or even greater than, that of a Saint at the Saint Ninth Heaven.
After all, this was the supreme power granted by Law Attainment!
At the same time, the three Human Race elders—Sui Ren Shi, You Chao Shi, and Zi Yi Shi—also made a major breakthrough after absorbing the Great Dao Merit. They advanced an entire major realm and entered the Early Primordial Golden Immortal stage.
However, since this was not a Great Tribulation, the benefits they could gain from using Merit Power to improve their cultivation were relatively limited, and their progress was not especially great.
Su Mu, on the other hand, chose not to use the precious Great Dao Merit to increase his own cultivation. Without hesitation, he placed it back inside the Supreme Innate Merit Spirit Treasure, the Creation Pagoda.
Cangjie, meanwhile, skillfully fused all of the Great Dao Merit into the Three Thousand Characters.
At that moment, those already mysterious characters began to shine with a brilliance comparable to that of an Innate Spiritual Treasure!
Full of ambition, Cangjie planned to use the wondrous Three Thousand Characters to craft a mighty formation.
Shaoyao also absorbed the Great Dao Merit and incorporated it into herself, raising her cultivation once more to the Peak Golden Immortal of the Origin realm.
As for the Three Human Sovereigns—the Heavenly Sovereign Fuxi, the Earth Sovereign Shennong, and the Human Sovereign Xuanyuan—their cultivation had long since reached a bottleneck, making any substantial improvement impossible.
With no other choice, they carefully stored the Great Dao Merit in their respective Dao-affirming Magic Treasures, hoping to put it to use someday.
The Five Emperors did not let this rare opportunity pass them by either. They decisively absorbed the Great Dao Merit and transformed it into cultivation.
Thus, the Five Emperors advanced by leaps and bounds, rising straight from the Early Primordial Golden Immortal stage to the astonishing Peak Golden Immortal of the Origin realm.
Finally, the ordinary people of the Human Race also benefited greatly from absorbing the Great Dao Merit.
Each became stronger, healthier, and more energetic, as though filled with boundless vitality. The entire race was brimming with vigor and promise.
Nuwa naturally became the Representative of the Human Dao, a result that met with universal approval.
Once everything had settled, Nuwa would formally take up residence in the solemn and mysterious Human Dao Hall on Shouyang Mountain.
As the Human Dao gradually awakened from its slumber, Houtu and the other powerful beings also stopped trying to break through their seals.
Houtu understood perfectly well that this was not the right time to break the seal. If she insisted on forcing her way out, the Heavenly Dao and Dao Ancestor Hongjun would surely do everything they could to suppress her.
Besides, the newly born Human Dao was still weak and could not offer Houtu any effective support.
Dao Ancestor Hongjun's face was dark as still water, and his mood was heavy.
After all, with the Heaven Dao, Earth Dao, and Human Dao now all present in the Primordial World, the Heavenly Dao's once-supreme authority would inevitably diminish.
As its Representative, Hongjun would naturally bear the brunt of that change.
After much deliberation, Dao Ancestor Hongjun finally decided to go to Mount Tai Summit.
When he arrived, the Five Sages, who had been waiting there, immediately bowed together and said, "We greet you, Teacher!"
Nuwa stood tall and straight, like a pine tree. She showed no sign of bowing. Instead, her brows knitted together, and her eyes blazed with anger.
She resented Hongjun. She believed he had been unfair and biased, and had even forcefully stopped her from establishing the Human Dao.
When the Human Race saw that their revered Saint Mother Nuwa had not bowed to Hongjun, they naturally followed her example. One by one, they stood tall, with no intention of paying their respects.
Hongjun, however, seemed unconcerned by any of this. Clearly, he had come for another important purpose.
Hongjun slowly began, "Nuwa, you have now attained the Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm again. So hand over the Primordial Violet Qi."
Nuwa's expression grew complicated. She silently gazed at Dao Ancestor Hongjun, her eyes filled with emotions too difficult to put into words.
Time seemed to freeze. After a long while, Nuwa finally spoke, her voice clear and resolute: "Great Dao above, I, Nuwa, willingly return the Primordial Violet Qi today, and from this day onward, sever my master-disciple bond with Dao Ancestor Hongjun!" With that, Nuwa swept her long sleeve, sending a streak of purple light flying from her body straight toward Hongjun.
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