Chu Yan smiled faintly. He'd laid all the traps and was just waiting for her to fall into them.
"You should say this: 'I, Nuwa, hereby make a Dao Oath. If the Human Race worships me as their Holy Mother, I will protect them until the Immeasurable Tribulation. If the Demon Race slaughters the Human Race, I will stop them at once and punish them. From this day onward, no matter who dares to scheme against the Human Race, I, Nuwa, will protect them from being deceived. Otherwise, may my soul be scattered and my true spirit destroyed. This oath will remain in effect even after I attain Sagehood.'"
Rumble...
The world shook in an instant, and countless great powers turned pale.
"Kid, you've gone too far."
In a flash, countless members of the Demon Race in the Primordial World flew into a rage.
"Chu Yan, what do you think you are? How dare you force our Nuwa to make such an oath? I'll kill you right now!"
"Chu Yan, you dared to threaten the Demon Race. You're dead!"
Countless curses rang out. Suddenly, a terrifying fury erupted from the heavens.
"Human ant, watch as I, Eastern Emperor Taiyi, kill you!"
In his fury, the Donghuang Bell came crashing down.
But then...
Pfft!
A flash of golden light streaked past, and Eastern Emperor Taiyi was sent back to his original form.
"Oh no!"
The Demon Heavenly Court shook violently. Di Jun turned pale and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Damn it! I refuse to believe I can't kill you. Again!"
Just as the Donghuang Bell was about to strike again, Di Jun hurriedly grabbed Eastern Emperor Taiyi.
"Taiyi, stop! That last attack has already damaged the Demon Race's fortune."
"What? How could this happen?"
Eastern Emperor Taiyi immediately checked, and his face changed. The Demon Race's fortune had indeed declined.
The countless great powers were so shocked they stared in stunned silence. What the hell kind of race was this?
The Demon Race was dumbfounded. So were the countless great powers—even the Three Pure Ones were utterly baffled.
Could Junior Sister Nuwa really have been completely cornered?
"Hahaha! This Chu Yan fellow is great. I like him!" Zhurong laughed.
Outside the Ancestor Witch Divine Hall, the Twelve Ancestor Witches were delighted by what they saw.
Nuwa was part of the Demon Race, and Chu Yan was giving the Demon Race a piece of his mind. That brought honor to the Witch Race, which made him their friend.
"Chu Yan, well done! The Witch Race has your back!"
"And you have me, Ancestor Minghe! Go ahead and do whatever you want, Chu Yan. I've wanted to deal with those feathered beasts for ages!"
Above the Primordial World, the Witch Race's voices rolled like thunder, leaving the Demon Race red-faced.
The Sea of Blood surged with bloodlust. Back when they had fought over the Hongmeng Purple Qi, Ancestor Minghe had been injured by the Demon Race. He had never let go of that grudge.
They had even caused Hong Yun's death.
Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi were instantly enraged.
"Witch Race! Ancestor Minghe! You're asking for death!"
They were about to attack again when, at the critical moment—
"Everyone, stop!"
Nuwa let out a shriek and erupted with power.
"Chu Yan, are you trying to tell me what to do?"
"Yes. Do you have a problem with that?"
"Ah!"
Nuwa was going mad. She grabbed her head and rubbed it furiously, but that still wasn't enough to vent her anger.
She raised one hand like a claw. In an instant, it blotted out the sky and reached straight for the Heavenly Court.
She grabbed Di Jun and gave him a thorough beating.
The countless great powers were stunned. Damn, that was brutal.
But Chu Yan was even more ruthless. He'd driven a mighty goddess on the verge of Sagehood to such a state.
Di Jun was beaten until his head looked like a pig's. He was also deeply aggrieved. I was sticking up for you! Why are you beating me?
And why aren't you hitting Eastern Emperor Taiyi?
Di Jun seethed with resentment, but he didn't dare hold a grudge against Nuwa. In the end, he glared viciously at the Human Race and swore that he would make them pay for this humiliation.
After beating Di Jun, Nuwa finally felt a little better. Then she turned to Chu Yan.
"Fine. I agree. I'll make the Dao Oath."
But her gaze was murderous.
"I, Nuwa, hereby make a Dao Oath. If the Human Race worships me as their Holy Mother, I will..."
Crackle...
Suddenly, Purple Firmament Divine Thunder descended from the Nine Heavens and struck Nuwa on the head.
Pfft!
Nuwa spat out a mouthful of blood. The oath had rebounded on her again.
Nuwa felt like she was about to break down. This was supposed to be the day she attained Sagehood, yet she'd been struck by lightning!
At the same time, Hongjun's voice echoed throughout the Primordial World.
"Silence!"
Hongjun had intervened.
When Chu Yan had first appeared, Hongjun had sensed something was different, so he'd been calculating nonstop.
But since he had sensed no change in the General Trend, he hadn't come forward.
This time, however, he had no choice.
The instant Nuwa began making her Dao Oath, Hongjun spat out a mouthful of sacred blood, his face changing drastically.
The General Trend was about to change. He couldn't sit still any longer.
With a mighty shout, he stopped Nuwa from completing her oath.
"Teacher?"
They looked up and saw Purple Qi Come from the East stretching thirty thousand li across the Nine Heavens.
Golden light filled half the sky, as if immortal music had begun to play.
It was as though dragons and phoenixes were singing in harmony.
Countless golden markings appeared, and a figure slowly emerged.
Boundless golden light and Daoist aura swirled around him.
With each step, a lotus bloomed beneath his feet.
Hongjun had appeared. His Dharma Body had descended to this place.
"This disciple pays respects to Teacher."
Nuwa, the Three Pure Ones, and the Two Saints of the West all knelt.
"Greetings, Dao Ancestor."
All the great powers of the Primordial World knelt. Even the ordinary demons prostrated themselves.
Was this the spectacle that accompanied a Sage's arrival?
Chu Yan was stunned by the sight. As expected of the greatest boss in the Primordial World.
The moment he appeared, countless living beings knelt before him.
There were only two exceptions: the Witch Race and Chu Yan.
The Witch Race only knelt to Pangu. Chu Yan believed that his fate was his to command, not Heaven's.
Hongjun didn't seem to mind. He turned to Nuwa and said:
"Nuwa, you mustn't make a Dao Oath lightly. You nearly caused a great disaster."
His tone was calm, but there was a hint of reproach in it.
"This disciple knows her mistake."
Indeed, Nuwa was still shaken. The moment she began making the Dao Oath, she had felt an immense and terrifying force of karma rushing toward her. Its power was beyond measure.
Even a Sage might not have been able to escape it.
Fortunately, Hongjun had stopped her. Otherwise, Nuwa would have been doomed—her soul would have been scattered.
Once Nuwa had completed the Dao Oath, even if Hongjun hadn't intervened, the Heavenly Dao would have destroyed her outright.
"Chu Yan, Nuwa created the Human Race and attained Sagehood. The Human Race honors her as their Holy Mother. This is Heaven's will. Why are you trying to stop it?"
Hongjun's voice boomed like thunder, resounding in everyone's minds. It felt as though a great bell had tolled deep within their hearts.
Hearing this, Chu Yan looked straight up at him.
Hongjun's white hair fluttered, and the whisk in his hand swayed gently. Clad in white, he looked like an immortal sage.
But Chu Yan knew the old man before him was no good person.
He could say that every evil in the Primordial World had been brought about by this old man.
"Greetings, Ancestor of the Heavenly Dao. Nuwa created the Human Race, but she also attained Sagehood because of them. This is just an exchange of benefits between Nuwa and the Human Race—a win-win for both sides. You're going too far with that claim."
Hongjun's eyes narrowed slightly. Chu Yan had called him the Ancestor of the Heavenly Dao, not the Dao Ancestor.
In other words, Chu Yan only acknowledged Hongjun as the Heavenly Dao's top boss. As for the Earthly Dao and Humanity Dao, Chu Yan didn't recognize Hongjun's authority over them.
And Chu Yan's meaning was already clear.
He intended to sever the future bond between the Human Race and Nuwa. If that reasoning held, the moment Nuwa attained Sagehood would also be the moment she severed her ties with the Human Race.
That was unacceptable.
Hongjun's eyes transformed into two beams of golden light that shot toward Chu Yan, as if they would see through everything.
But the next moment, he furrowed his brows.
Strange. Everything seemed normal, but why couldn't he see through Chu Yan? Could Chu Yan really be an anomaly?
A variable and an anomaly were very different things.
Seeing Hongjun's expression, everyone's hearts leapt into their throats.
Hongjun pinched his fingers to calculate, but still found nothing.
"No. I must investigate this thoroughly, or something terrible will happen."
Chu Yan's three earlier questions had already touched upon the General Trend, as if he knew what was going to happen in the future.
Hongjun remained motionless, but his primordial spirit had already entered the River of Destiny, seeking to uncover Chu Yan's secret.
The instant he touched it, Hongjun's expression changed drastically.
"Oh no!"
Before you continue