At the back of Mount Sumeru, beside the Chaos Merit Pool that had been transformed into a place of extravagant luxury, the atmosphere was subtle and solemn.
Taiyuan stood by the pool with his hands behind his back. The Human Creation Whip, renewed and gleaming from end to end, with Dao Runes coiling around it, swam joyfully through the water like a roaming dragon.
At the bottom of the pool, the Essence of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil he had dug out of Buzhou Mountain radiated a warm, mellow Yellow Divine Light, shining in harmony with the Three Lights Divine Water around it.
Nuwa stood beside Taiyuan, her beautiful eyes fixed on the two treasures in the pool. Her breathing had grown rapid.
She could clearly feel the Primordial Violet Qi within her, which had long lain dormant, suddenly stirring violently. It was as if it had encountered a long-lost relative and was frantically urging her to touch the two objects.
The Sainthood Opportunity!
Right before her eyes!
"Daoist Taiyuan..."
Nuwa's voice was a little hoarse, with a barely perceptible tremor in it. "Could these two things be...?"
"Precisely."
Taiyuan turned around, his expression solemn and entirely free of humor. He reached out, and the Human Creation Whip flew into his hand. At the same time, a clump of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil wrapped in Three Lights Divine Water floated into the air.
"You once said that you wished to create a new kind of living being, but lacked both a soul and a foundation."
"Now, everything is ready. All that remains is the final spark."
Taiyuan pointed to the clump of soil, his tone carrying the wisdom of one who had seen through the secrets of Heaven:
"This soil was formed from the Essence of Father God's Spine. As flesh, it can bear the creations of Heaven and Earth."
Then he pointed to the starry divine water in the pool:
"This water contains the essence of the sun, moon, and stars. As blood, it can grant intelligence."
Finally, he raised the vine in his hand:
"This vine is called the Human Creation Whip. It can serve as bone, or as a tool. Use it to scatter drops of mud, and you can produce living beings in great numbers, allowing them to multiply endlessly."
"Combine the three, and add your Creation Dao and the strand of Wish Essence I gave you earlier..."
"Then the great undertaking can succeed!"
Boom!
Those words rang out like a great bell, shattering the last haze in Nuwa's mind.
She seemed to see an entirely new race being born from her hands. Though that race would be weak, it would possess limitless potential, as well as a creativity and resilience that other races lacked.
This was more than the creation of living beings. This was... the creation of the protagonists of the world!
"So that's how it is... So that's how it is!"
Nuwa murmured to herself. Divine light blazed in her eyes, and her aura began to soar, a trace of Saintly Might faintly spreading from her.
She looked at the two treasures in Taiyuan's hand, her gaze burning with desire. She could hardly wait to take them.
But she held back.
She knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.
Taiyuan had gone to great lengths to obtain these things, even risking the wrath of the Ancestor Witches. He couldn't have done all that just to be kind.
"Daoist Taiyuan."
Nuwa took a deep breath, forcing down her excitement, and spoke seriously. "I will remember your great kindness. But treasures of this caliber are far too precious. If you have something you want, please say so."
"As long as it doesn't go against what is right, I will agree."
A clever woman.
Taiyuan praised her inwardly and stopped beating around the bush.
His smile faded, and his gaze grew utterly serious, even carrying an unquestionable air of dominance.
"What I want is simple."
"I can give you these two treasures for free and help you attain sainthood."
"But I have one condition."
Taiyuan raised a finger and looked straight into Nuwa's eyes.
"When that new race is born, it must honor me as its 'Saint Master.'"
"My Western Sect must receive thirty percent of its karmic fortune and the merit of guiding it, for all eternity!"
Saint Master!
Thirty percent of its karmic fortune!
Nuwa's brows knitted slightly.
It was no small condition.
Karmic fortune was mysterious and elusive, yet it determined whether a Saint's lineage could endure.
If that race truly became the protagonist of Heaven and Earth, thirty percent of its karmic fortune would be an unimaginable amount.
Taiyuan was taking a share of the fruits of her path to sainthood!
But then she thought it over.
Without the things Taiyuan had provided, without his earlier guidance and that strand of Wish Essence, even with the Primordial Violet Qi, she might have been stuck at the threshold of sainthood for countless eras.
She might even have gone astray.
Besides, Taiyuan himself had contributed a portion of his essence. In a sense, he was already "half a father" to this new race. Asking for the title of Saint Master seemed... only fair.
In fact, she thought Taiyuan might be getting the short end of the stick.
After all, the treasures were real, while this so-called "Saint Master" title and "karmic fortune" were, for now, nothing more than an empty promise.
What if the race failed to thrive? Wouldn't Taiyuan have lost both the treasures and the opportunity?
"Daoist... is that all you want?"
Nuwa asked uncertainly. "No spiritual treasures? No other resources?"
"That's all."
Taiyuan answered firmly, confidence shining in his eyes. "I believe the race you create will astound the Primordial World. This deal is no loss for me."
"Agreed!"
Nuwa no longer hesitated. She raised her right hand, Dao laws flowing through her palm.
"I, Nuwa, swear by the Great Dao!"
"If I create life and attain sainthood, I will honor Daoist Taiyuan as the Saint Master, and the Western Sect will receive thirty percent of its karmic fortune. Let Heaven and Earth bear witness!"
Taiyuan raised his hand as well and slapped his palm firmly against Nuwa's.
Smack!
The crisp sound of their palms meeting rang across Mount Sumeru.
Rumble!
Heavenly Dao seemed to sense their vow. A thick golden thread of Karma descended from the highest heavens, binding their fates tightly together.
The contract was sealed!
[ Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have successfully laid the groundwork for the future and secured the position of Human Saint Master! ] [ It has been detected that your actions will dramatically alter the future course of the Human Race and may even affect the progression of the calamity. ] [ Reward issued: Human Dao Supreme Treasure, Kongtong Seal (Fragmentary Seal). ] [ Note: This seal is the treasure that suppresses the Human Race's karmic fortune. It is currently inactive. Once the Human Race is born and the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors take their places, it will evolve into a complete treasure. At that time, you will be able to decide who rules the Human Race and who attains immortality—and even... challenge the Saints! ]
Taiyuan was overjoyed.
The Kongtong Seal!
This was the "proof of ownership" he had truly wanted!
With this thing, who would rule the Human Race in the future, who could become an immortal, and even how its karmic fortune would flow—all of it would be up to Taiyuan.
Laozi wanted to establish the Human Teaching? He'd have to ask whether this Saint Master, holding the seal, agreed!
"Pleasure doing business with you."
Taiyuan cheerfully handed the Human Creation Whip and the clump of Essence of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil to Nuwa. "Take good care of them. Once you return, you can meditate and study them in peace. When the time is right, you'll be ready to prove your Dao."
Nuwa accepted the treasures as if they were priceless. She bowed deeply to Taiyuan once more, then wasted no time in taking her leave on a cloud, her heart full of joy.
She couldn't wait to return and go into seclusion to create the Human Race.
After Nuwa left,
Zhunti, who had been holding back all this time, finally couldn't restrain himself.
He watched Nuwa's retreating figure, then looked at the gray, brick-like seal in his elder brother's hand. His face was full of heartache and confusion.
"Elder Brother! Why did you just give them away?"
Zhunti stomped anxiously. "That was the Innate Gourd Vine! And the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil! We could've profited even by trading them for two Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures! And you traded them for... an empty title? And a promise we don't even know will be fulfilled?"
"Thirty percent of the karmic fortune? If that race ends up being less numerous than mice, what good will thirty percent of its karmic fortune do us?"
Jieyin looked regretful as well. He wondered whether his elder brother had been dazzled by Nuwa's beauty... no, by the aura of a Saint.
Taiyuan toyed with the Fragmentary Seal of the Kongtong Seal in his hand, feeling the Human Dao energy within it—faint, but full of limitless potential. A cold smile curved his lips.
"An empty title?"
"Third Brother, you're still too young."
Taiyuan patted Zhunti's bald head. "This isn't an empty title. It's equity! It's an initial public offering!"
"What we invest now is for a return thousands, tens of thousands of times greater in the future."
"Once that race spreads across the Primordial World, once every Buddha and deity in the heavens is fighting for a share of its incense offerings, you'll understand just how solid this 'brick' in Elder Brother's hand really is."
Zhunti nodded as if he understood. He still felt they had taken a loss, but if his elder brother said they had profited, they surely had.
Just then,
a hurried set of footsteps came from down the mountain.
The figure running up was Daoist Liuguang, once a spy and now proudly the Western Sect's head gardener. He was panting, a Messaging Jade Talisman clutched in his hand, his face grim.
"Lord! Bad news! Something terrible has happened!"
Daoist Liuguang shouted as he ran, even losing one of his shoes.
"Why panic? If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up."
Taiyuan frowned, put away the Kongtong Seal, and resumed his lazy demeanor. "Take your time. What happened?"
"It's... it's that old bastard East King Duke!"
Daoist Liuguang gritted his teeth, clearly holding no fondness for his former master. "He just issued a 'Prohibition Order' to the entire Primordial World in the name of the Head of Male Immortals!"
"He said... he said that Taiyuan of the West was disrespectful to his betters, hoarding treasures, and even colluding with the Witch Clan!"
"Effective immediately, no cultivator in the Primordial World—especially male cultivators—is allowed to trade any spiritual materials or magic treasures with the West! Anyone who dares to sell us anything or buy anything from us will be considered an enemy of Purple Mansion Continent and an opponent of the Head of Male Immortals!"
"He's trying to... impose economic sanctions on us!"
Zhunti flew into a rage. He slammed the Sky-Turning Shovel into the ground with a bang. "That old fool! He's trying to cut off our income! Elder Brother, I'll go destroy him!"
But Taiyuan wasn't angry at all.
On the contrary, after hearing the news, he not only failed to get mad—he burst out laughing.
"Sanction me?"
"An economic blockade?"
Taiyuan shook his head, his eyes full of amusement. "Is East King Duke's head full of paste? Who does he think he is, Dao Ancestor Hongjun?"
"Good. I've just developed a batch of new products and was wondering how to advertise them."
"This is practically... a free delivery of the perfect publicity stunt."
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