Only Ten Thousand Years Remained

On Fangzhang Island, Fu Xi asked Qing Xuan, "Younger Brother, you've given Sanqing such guidance, but I'm afraid they may not understand what you mean."

Qing Xuan replied with a helpless smile, "As they say, those involved are blind, while bystanders see clearly. They've been blinded by hatred and jealousy, so it's no surprise they can't grasp my meaning."

"But have you considered this, Brother? If I told them outright, would they really believe me? They'd probably think I was trying to ruin their Dao Path."

"Everything comes down to fate. If their own fate is lacking, there's no one else to blame. After all, I've done everything I can."

Nuwa, standing nearby, chimed in, "Little Gourd Vine is right. I even demonstrated it for them, but if they're still stubbornly refusing to see the truth, that's on them."

"Even if Pangu were to come back to life someday, he couldn't blame Little Gourd Vine. Little Gourd Vine has already done more than enough."

Qing Xuan smiled wryly, then said to Nuwa, "Forget about everyone else. Hurry up and stabilize your cultivation, and form an Outer Incarnation within these ten thousand years."

Nuwa pursed her lips. "My breakthrough came naturally. Why would I need to stabilize my cultivation?"

"And forming an Outer Incarnation only takes a thought. Why would I need ten thousand years for that? Besides, what would I even want one for?"

Fu Xi glared at Nuwa. "Just do what Younger Brother tells you. Why do you have so many questions?"

Seeing Nuwa's wounded expression, Qing Xuan told her, "The Method of Severing Three Corpses may be a shortcut, but it has advantages of its own."

"The three Corpses Incarnations can fight independently, each one possessing cultivation just below that of the original."

"Back when Dao Ancestor fought Luo Hou, he and his three Corpses Clones attacked the four gates separately. That was how he broke the Immortal Slaying Formation."

Fu Xi said, "It seems the incarnation Younger Brother wants Little Sister to form isn't an ordinary one. I wonder what makes it so special."

Qing Xuan said, "Do you remember me telling you that Laozi once stole a sliver of Yuanshi Tianzun's and Tongtian's Nascent Souls?"

Nuwa nodded repeatedly at Qing Xuan. "I know about that. We all witnessed it together when we obtained Pangu Marrow at Buzhou Mountain."

Qing Xuan nodded. "Laozi stole a sliver of Yuanshi Tianzun's and Tongtian's Nascent Souls because he inherited a secret art called One Qi Incarnation."

"By combining a sliver of his two younger brothers' Nascent Souls with his own origin qi, he could form two incarnations. They weren't as strong as his original self, but they were still formidable."

"If he could increase the amount of Nascent Soul used, he might even be able to form incarnations as powerful as his original self."

Fu Xi asked, "Does that mean you also know the One Qi Incarnation technique, Younger Brother? If so, I'm willing to give Little Sister a sliver of my Nascent Soul so she can cultivate an Outer Incarnation."

Except for the Witch Clan, who didn't cultivate Nascent Souls, a cultivator's Nascent Soul was their foundation. If it was damaged, not only would their potential be limited, but their cultivation would also decline.

Nuwa shook her head at once. "No. I'd never do something that would harm my own brother."

Fu Xi was about to try to persuade her, but Qing Xuan cut in. "Don't argue yet. You can decide after I've finished explaining."

"Nascent Souls are notoriously difficult to heal. Everyone in the Primordial Wilderness knows that. Even Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian needed countless aeons to recover after Laozi stole a sliver of their Nascent Souls."

"Otherwise, Laozi wouldn't have been the first of them to undergo Form Transformation. Yuanshi Tianzun might have done so first instead. Laozi might even have been the last of Sanqing to undergo Form Transformation."

"But healing a Nascent Soul is no difficult task for me. We have an entire pool of Three Lights Divine Water, one of the finest remedies for repairing Nascent Souls."

"And there's no need for you to give Nuwa a portion of your Nascent Soul, Brother. Only her own Nascent Soul is suited to cultivating her incarnation."

Nuwa let out a long breath. She knew Fu Xi well. Once he made up his mind, even her objections might not stop him.

Now that Qing Xuan had said she would use her own Nascent Soul, she no longer had to worry that her brother would forcibly split his Nascent Soul to help her cultivate One Qi Incarnation.

At the same time, Nuwa remembered Qing Xuan's words: the greater the portion of Nascent Soul split off, the stronger the incarnation would be. She began considering how much she should divide off to cultivate one.

After hearing Qing Xuan's explanation, Fu Xi also gave up the idea of splitting his Nascent Soul to help Nuwa cultivate an incarnation.

"How much of her Nascent Soul do you think Little Sister should divide off to cultivate one?"

Qing Xuan held up three fingers and looked at Nuwa. "If Nuwa can endure the pain of splitting her Nascent Soul, it'd be best to divide off thirty percent."

"Then use an Innate Spiritual Treasure as the foundation and refine it into an incarnation of her own. Just as with Severing Three Corpses, even Dao Ancestor won't be able to spot the difference."

At last, everyone understood why Qing Xuan wanted Nuwa to form an incarnation within ten thousand years.

Houtu, standing nearby, spoke up. "Fellow Daoist Qing Xuan, you're clearly planning to deceive Dao Ancestor. Are you worried he won't allow any other cultivation methods to exist in the Primordial Wilderness?"

Qing Xuan replied, "Carefulness keeps a ship afloat for ten thousand years. The chances may be slim, but they're not nonexistent."

Nuwa looked at him, puzzled. "If you don't want anyone to know that I used the Great Dao Law to break through to the Primordial Unity Realm, why did you have me break through in front of Sanqing? That's just asking them to leak the news."

Qing Xuan smiled. "They have only ten thousand years. If they can solve the Mystery of the Plate in that time, they'll surely keep quiet about this."

"If they still haven't figured out the key after ten thousand years, then when you reveal your incarnation at Zixiao Palace, they'll be even more convinced that I was lying to them that day."

Fu Xi nodded repeatedly. "Younger Brother is right. They'll even be glad they didn't abandon the Path of Severing Three Corpses."

Nuwa finally understood. Qing Xuan had planned everything from the very beginning.

She immediately said to Qing Xuan, "Hurry up and teach me the One Qi Incarnation technique. If I fail to master it because there isn't enough time, don't blame me."

"And there's one more thing. Remember this: from now on, call me Second Sister. Don't call me Nuwa anymore."

Looking at Second Sister's adorably fierce expression, Qing Xuan nodded. "All right, Nuwa."