Nuwa Visits! The "Barrenness" of the Western Lands Makes Me Doubt My Life

At the rear mountain of Mount Sumeru, beside the extravagantly transformed Chaos Merit Pool, the atmosphere was subtle and solemn.

Taiyuan stood with his hands clasped behind his back at the pool's edge. The Human Creation Whip, now reborn—crystal-clear and entwined with Dao runes—swam joyfully through the water like a roaming dragon.

At the bottom of the pool, the Essence of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, excavated from Buzhou Mountain, radiated a warm, mellow yellow divine light, interweaving with the surrounding Three Lights Divine Water.

Nuwa stood beside Taiyuan, her beautiful eyes fixed on the two treasures in the pool, her breathing growing rapid.

She could clearly sense that the Primordial Violet Qi within her, which had long lain dormant, was now violently trembling, as if meeting a long-lost kin, frantically urging her to touch those two items.

The opportunity to become a Saint!

Right before her eyes!

"Daoist Taiyuan..."

Nuwa's voice was hoarse, carrying a faint, barely perceptible tremor. "These two things... could they be..."

"Indeed."

Taiyuan turned around, his expression solemn, with no trace of jest. He raised his hand, and the Human Creation Whip flew into his grasp, while a lump of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil wrapped in Three Lights Divine Water hovered in midair.

"Daoist, you once said you wished to create a new kind of life, but were troubled by the lack of a soul and a foundation."

"Now, everything is prepared, only the east wind is needed."

Taiyuan pointed at the lump of soil, his tone carrying the wisdom of one who had seen through heavenly secrets:

"This soil is the essence of Father God's spine turned to flesh; with it as the body, it can bear the creation of heaven and earth."

He then pointed at the divine water shimmering with starlight in the pool:

"This water contains the essence of the sun, moon, and stars; with it as blood, it can grant spiritual intelligence."

Finally, he raised the vine in his hand:

"This vine is called the Human Creation Whip; with it as the bones, or as a tool to flick mud droplets, it can mass-produce living beings, endlessly multiplying."

"Combine these three, add your Dao of Creation and the wisp of Wish Essence I gifted you earlier..."

"The great deed can be accomplished!"

Boom!

These words, like a resonant bell, shattered the last fog in Nuwa's mind.

She seemed to see a new race born in her hands—weak, yet possessing infinite potential, a creativity and resilience other races lacked.

This was not merely creation... it was crafting the protagonist of the world!

"So that's it... so that's it!"

Nuwa murmured, divine light blazing in her eyes, her aura climbing step by step, a faint saintly might spreading.

She stared at the two treasures in Taiyuan's hands, her gaze burning, eager to seize them at once.

But she held back.

Because she knew there was no free lunch in the world.

Taiyuan had gone to great lengths to obtain these things, even risking offending the Ancestor Witches—he could not be doing this just to be a good person.

"Daoist Taiyuan."

Nuwa took a deep breath, suppressing her inner excitement, and said solemnly, "I, Nuwa, will remember your great kindness. But such supreme treasures are too precious. If you have any requests, speak frankly."

"As long as it does not violate the Dao, I will not refuse."

A wise one.

Taiyuan praised inwardly and stopped beating around the bush.

He dropped his smile, his eyes turning extremely serious, even carrying an unyielding authority.

"What I want is simple."

"I can give you these two treasures freely, to help you become a Saint."

"But I have one condition."

Taiyuan raised a finger, meeting Nuwa's gaze directly:

"In the future, when that new race is born, they must honor me as 'Saint Master.'"

"My Western Sect shall enjoy thirty percent of their fate and teaching merits, and this shall never be revoked!"

Saint Master!

Thirty percent of fate!

Nuwa frowned slightly.

This condition was no small matter.

Fate was an elusive thing, yet it concerned the continuation of a Saint's lineage.

Thirty percent of fate—if that race truly became the protagonist of heaven and earth—would be an unimaginably vast fortune.

Taiyuan was carving out a share of her Saintly fruit!

But then she reconsidered.

Without the things Taiyuan had provided, without his earlier guidance and that wisp of origin, even if she now possessed the Primordial Violet Qi, she would likely be stuck at the threshold of sainthood for countless kalpas.

She might even have gone down the wrong path.

Moreover, Taiyuan himself had contributed the origin power, counting as the "half-father" of that newborn race. Asking for the title of Saint Master seemed... reasonable, didn't it?

In fact, she even felt Taiyuan was getting the short end of the deal.

After all, the treasures were solid and real, while that so-called "Saint Master" and "karmic luck" were still nothing but an illusory pie in the sky.

What if that race never developed? Wouldn't Taiyuan have lost both his investment and his gains?

"Daoist friend... just this?"

Nuwa asked uncertainly, "No spiritual treasures? No other resources?"

"Just this."

Taiyuan was resolute, a confident light flashing in his eyes. "I believe the race you create will surely astonish the Primordial World. This deal, I do not lose."

"Good!"

Nuwa hesitated no longer. She raised her right hand, and the laws of the Great Dao swirled in her palm.

"I, Nuwa, swear by the Great Dao!"

"If I can create life and attain sainthood, I will honor Daoist friend Taiyuan as Saint Master, and the Western Sect shall enjoy three-tenths of the karmic luck. Let Heaven and Earth bear witness!"

Taiyuan raised his hand as well, and they clapped heavily together.

Smack!

A crisp sound of the handshake echoed across Mount Sumeru.

Rumble!

Above the nine heavens, the Heavenly Dao seemed to sense it, sending down a thick golden thread of karma, binding their fates tightly together.

The contract was sealed!

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully laying the groundwork for the future, locking in the position of Human Race Saint Master!]

[Detected that this action will greatly alter the future direction of the Human Race, even affecting the course of the great kalpa.]

[Reward issued: Human Dao Supreme Treasure · Kongtong Seal (Fragmentary Seal).]

[Note: This seal is a treasure for suppressing the karmic luck of the Human Race. Currently in an inactive state. Once the Human Race emerges and the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors take their places, it will evolve into a complete supreme treasure. At that time, the host may wield the authority to establish or depose leaders of the Human Race, and even... challenge the Saints!]

Taiyuan's heart surged with ecstasy.

The Kongtong Seal!

This was the true "equity certificate" he had been after!

With this thing, who would become emperor of the Human Race, who could ascend to immortality, and even the flow of the Human Race's karmic luck—all of it would be a matter of Taiyuan's single word.

Laozi wants to Establish Human Teaching? He'd better ask this Saint Master holding the seal if he agrees first!

"Pleasure doing business."

Taiyuan smiled warmly as he handed the Human Creation Whip and that clump of Essence of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil to Nuwa. "Take these. Go back and meditate in peace. When the time is ripe, that will be the moment of your enlightenment."

Nuwa received the treasures as if they were priceless gems, bowed deeply to Taiyuan once more, and without lingering, joyfully rode her clouds away.

She could hardly wait to return and go into seclusion to create life.

After seeing Nuwa off.

Zhunti, who had been holding it in all along, finally couldn't contain himself.

He watched Nuwa's retreating figure, then looked at the dull, brick-like seal in his elder brother's hand, his face full of pain and confusion.

"Elder Brother! How could you just give that away like that?"

Zhunti stamped his feet in agitation. "That was the Innate Gourd Vine! And the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil! Even trading for two Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures would have been a profit! And you traded it for... an empty title? And a promise that may never come through?"

"Three-tenths of karmic luck? If that race doesn't even have as many as a nest of rats, what good is three-tenths of karmic luck?!"

Jieyin also looked regretful, feeling that his elder brother might have been blinded by beauty... no, by the halo of sainthood.

Taiyuan toyed with the Fragmentary Seal of Kongtong in his hand, feeling the faint but infinitely promising aura of the Human Dao within it, and curled his lips into a cold smirk.

"Empty title?"

"Third brother, you are still too young."

Taiyuan patted Zhunti's bald head. "This is not an empty title. This is equity! This is founder's stock!"

"The investment now is for a thousandfold return in the future."

"When that race spreads across the entire Primordial World, when all the gods and buddhas fight over a sliver of incense and offerings, then you'll know just how hard this 'brick' in your elder brother's hand really is."

Zhunti nodded, half-understanding. Though he still felt it was a loss, since his elder brother said it was a gain, then it must be a gain.

Just then.

The sound of hurried footsteps came from the foot of the mountain.

The man who had once been a spy but was now honorably serving as the Western Sect's chief gardener, Liuguang Daoist, came running up breathlessly, clutching a Messaging Jade Talisman in his hand, his face ashen.

"Elder Brother! Terrible news! Something huge has happened!"

Liuguang Daoist shouted as he ran, even losing one of his shoes along the way.

"What's the panic? If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up."

Taiyuan furrowed his brow, put away the Kongtong Seal, and resumed his usual lazy demeanor. "Speak slowly. What's wrong?"

"It's... it's that old bastard East King Duke!"

Liuguang Daoist ground his teeth, clearly holding no goodwill toward his former master. "He just issued a 'Prohibition Order' across the entire Primordial World, under the authority of the Head of Male Immortals!"

"He says... he says that Western Taiyuan has no regard for rank, secretly hoards precious treasures, and even has suspicions of colluding with the Witch Clan!"

"From this day forward, any Primordial World cultivator, especially male cultivators, is forbidden from trading any spiritual materials or Magic Treasures with the West! Anyone who dares to sell things to us, or buy things from us, will be considered an enemy of Purple Mansion Continent, an enemy of the Head of Male Immortals!"

"He's trying to... to impose an economic sanction on us!"

Upon hearing this, Zhunti erupted in fury. His Sky-Turning Shovel crashed into the ground with a thunderous boom. "That old bastard! He wants to cut off our livelihood! Elder Brother, let me go destroy him!"

But Taiyuan was not angry.

On the contrary, after hearing this news, he didn't rage—instead, he let out a snicker.

"Sanction me?"

"Economic blockade?"

Taiyuan shook his head, his eyes full of mockery. "Does East King Duke have mush for brains? Who does he think he is? Dao Ancestor Hongjun?"

"Perfect timing. I just developed a batch of new products and was wondering how to advertise them."

"This counts as... a perfect assist delivered right to my doorstep."