Hou Tu's aura weakened somewhat.
He gently squeezed Hou Tu's hand to comfort her.
Then Hong Yun turned to greet the others first.
He nodded to Zhen Yuan Zi, ignoring the baffled glint in his eyes.
Then he turned to Fuxi and said,
"Fellow Daoist Fuxi, you've had a hard time!"
Fuxi grimaced.
"It's nothing for me. I can cultivate anywhere."
"Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuan Zi is the one who's had it hard!"
"But, Fellow Daoist Hong Yun, it's been so long. Why did you only just come back?"
"Didn't you say you'd be right back?"
Hong Yun laughed and explained,
"I suddenly gained some insights, so I went into seclusion to cultivate for a while!"
Fuxi shook his head and sighed.
"Well, that was quite a while!"
"My sister had already finished opening Empress Wa's Palace, and you only just made it back..."
In fact, Hong Yun hadn't returned only after Nu Wa made her move.
He had arrived just as Kun Peng and Ancestor Minghe had fallen into disagreement.
He simply hadn't shown himself.
Instead, he'd hidden nearby and watched quietly!
He'd wanted to see what Ancestor Minghe was capable of.
If he really dared to harm the Human Race,
Hong Yun would have gone all the way to the Nether Blood Sea and shown Ancestor Minghe why its waters were so red!
He hadn't expected Old Brother Zhen Yuan to be so cautious.
He had already covered the entire Human Race settlement with the Earth Book, easily blocking Ming He's sneak attack.
Just as Hong Yun was about to show himself and put Ming He in his place—
ideally, by extorting one or two treasures from him as compensation for the Human Race's emotional distress—
Nu Wa suddenly returned.
It was as if Nu Wa had suddenly