Nüwa Arrives

The next moment.

Lei Jun wore a playful expression.

Just like when he watched Hongjun and Luo Sao's duel before.

He felt like watching a "live broadcast."

"Fuxi, Nüwa, Houtu, Zhen Yuanzi, Hong Yun, Ming He, Queen Mother of the West..."

"And then there are the new Taiyin Goddess, Xi He, and Changxi..."

"I wonder who among them will reach the summit first!"

Although Lei Jun could work out the result.

He could even arrange it.

Or tamper with it.

But if he knew everything right away, wouldn't that be rather boring?

Meanwhile.

At the foot of Immortal Mountain.

One innate god after another came to a halt.

They gazed at Immortal Mountain.

Their eyes filled with shock.

Fuxi, Nüwa, and Houtu, who had come from Mount Buzhou, were especially stunned.

They were so shocked they couldn't speak.

What was this?

Another Mount Buzhou?

Mount Buzhou.

It was known as the Heavenly Pillar, supporting the heavens and earth of the Primordial Wilderness.

Many innate gods.

Though they had never seen it, they had certainly heard of it.

And that was all the more true.

For cultivators who lived near Mount Buzhou.

Or had even taken form on Mount Buzhou itself!

Fuxi, Nüwa, and Houtu.

Were just such cultivators.

The first two.

Had lived in a Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land near Mount Buzhou.

Houtu, meanwhile, had lived on Mount Buzhou.

It was fair to say.

They knew Mount Buzhou well.

And that was precisely why, when they arrived and saw Immortal Mountain.

Their eyes went wide.

They could hardly believe it.

The pressure emanating from Immortal Mountain.

Was on par with Mount Buzhou!

It was terrifying!

Though they hadn't even climbed the mountain, they could already sense its immense power.

It was astonishing.

For a time.

The cultivators reacted in all sorts of ways.

But they all had one thing in common: none of them could stay calm.

At the foot of the mountain.

Nüwa was looking at both the mountain and the Stone Steps.

She couldn't help exclaiming in wonder.

"Elder Brother, these Stone Steps may contain the power of creation!"

"The power of creation?"

Fuxi couldn't help but freeze. Why hadn't he sensed it? It had to be said.

Nüwa's cultivation was now far above Fuxi's.

Ever since she took form.

She had possessed the cultivation of Peak Da Luo. By comparison, Fuxi was only at the early Da Luo stage.

He was now only at the middle Da Luo stage.

Still nowhere near Nüwa's level.

More importantly.

Nüwa had a hint of opportunity in her heart!

Fuxi did not.

This difference not only meant their cultivation levels were unequal, but also that they sensed the mountain's Stone Steps differently.

But Fuxi couldn't doubt her.

Because.

He could feel the pressure of this mountain!

Anything capable of building steps on such an Immortal Mountain couldn't be ordinary.

The steps themselves.

Would naturally be the same.

After all...

The fact that they could withstand the pressure without breaking was proof enough.

"In that case!"

"We should go up and see for ourselves!"

"Agreed!"

At once.

Fuxi and Nüwa made their choice. They prepared to climb the Stone Steps. But.

The moment they stepped forward, their expressions changed.

They felt a change.

Moreover.

The change each of them sensed was different.

Take Fuxi, for example.

The moment he set foot on the Stone Steps, they ceased to be steps. Instead...

They became a great formation!

If Fuxi couldn't solve the formation, he couldn't go any farther.

And while solving the formation.

He also had to bear the pressure.

What about Nüwa?

It wasn't a great formation.

Instead...

It was as if she had entered a place like a "Duel Arena."

Inside the arena.

There was a fierce-looking Fierce Beast.

It wasn't very powerful.

It was only on par with a Heavenly Immortal.

But Nüwa was horrified to discover that her cultivation seemed to have been sealed.

She couldn't make a move!

"This..."

"A single Stone Step has such power?"

"I'm at Peak Da Luo!"

"How can this be?"

"Doesn't that mean the opportunity here may be even greater than I imagined?"

Guided by a hint of opportunity.

Nüwa had sought this place out.

But before she arrived, she hadn't been sure what to expect.

She hadn't known whether the opportunity here would be any good.

Now she could be certain.

The opportunity here.

Might be astonishingly great.

Because a single step had left her utterly helpless.

One had to understand.

She had only just set foot on the first Stone Step!

What about the steps beyond it?

They could only be more extraordinary.

As for how to climb the steps.

Obviously.

She had to defeat this Fierce Beast.

And the way to defeat it.

Wasn't by attacking.

Instead...

"By applying the laws I've comprehended!"

"Or perhaps..."

"The Dao?"

It had to be said.

Nüwa's comprehension was truly astonishing.

The power of creation.

Was no weaker than Time and Space, nor Karma and Fate.

To have comprehended the Law of Creation so early after taking form was proof of Nüwa's extraordinary aptitude.

She took a deep breath.

Nüwa gradually understood.

"Creation!"

"I must create a life-form!"

"One that can defeat the Fierce Beast."

Then.

Nüwa began to consider what sort of life-form she should create.

Before long.

She had an idea.

A Little Beast appeared in her palm.

But the moment it appeared in the Duel Arena—or rather, the Beast Arena—it instantly became mighty and imposing, its aura on par with the Fierce Beast.

Then.

The two beasts clashed.

In the end.

The life-form Nüwa had created emerged victorious.

The Fierce Beast turned into The Void.

Nüwa abruptly opened her eyes and looked around, seeming slightly confused.

At that moment.

There was no sign of the Duel Arena anywhere.

The Stone Steps were still the same Stone Steps.

It seemed they had never changed.

It was as if...

Not even a moment had passed.

As if it had all been a dream!

For a moment.

Nüwa was even more shaken.

She knew clearly that everything she had just experienced had not been an illusion.

She had indeed created a living being.

And defeated a Fierce Beast.

The insight from that experience was still in her mind.

She could call it forth with ease.

More importantly,

her understanding of the Laws of Creation had clearly deepened!

She could make another breakthrough.

"The Stone Steps are the opportunity?"

Nüwa came back to her senses.

She was overjoyed.

She had never imagined that the opportunity would be right beneath her feet.

All she had to do was step onto them to obtain it.

Although she still had to complete each challenge first,

that was no matter.

The insights gained after succeeding at a challenge would leave a much deeper impression.

Nüwa looked up.

Her heart could not settle.

"So many steps. They're enough to loosen the limits on my cultivation and push my understanding of the Laws of Creation into an entirely new realm!"

"In other words..."

"The Dao!"

The Dao of Creation!

Da Luo comprehended laws, but laws alone were not enough to become Hunyuan.

One had to master a Dao.

The gap between the two

was so vast it was despairing.

So,

until now, Nüwa had never found a way to break through—to transform her laws into Dao Principles.

But now,

she no longer needed to search for that method.

It was right beneath her feet!

"What a Great Fortune!"

Then,

Nüwa wasted no time and continued to "challenge" the next Stone Step!

Fuxi did the same.

It was just that his cultivation was inferior to Nüwa's.

His speed at solving the formations

was a little slower.

Aside from Fuxi and Nüwa, the other cultivators who had arrived later

also went through a change of heart

and began their own climb.

It was painful, yet exhilarating.

The pain came because the "challenges" were not always easy. As they climbed higher, the difficulty increased.

Every ten thousand and eight hundred steps,

the difficulty rose noticeably once more.

So,

the "problem-solving process" was anything but easy.

But once they found the answer,

the rush was indescribable.

Because...

their cultivation had clearly improved!

She had climbed only a third of the way,

yet Nüwa had already become a Hunyuan Golden Immortal!

With her bare hands, she could create thousands of races and countless lives!

She had comprehended the Dao of Creation!

At this moment,

Nüwa, who was in first place, had undergone a tremendous change in cultivation.

She had already achieved the goal that had brought her here: finding an opportunity.

But Nüwa was not satisfied with that.

Because...

if she could reach the summit,

her cultivation would surely grow even stronger!

With that in mind, Nüwa climbed step by step.

Time flew by.

Though there was no concept of time within the Stone Steps' space,

after solving each problem,

she still had to pause, thoroughly absorb and integrate her insights, and only then proceed to the next level.

That way, she would gain more.

So,

by the time Nüwa had climbed all the Stone Steps and emerged from the foot of the mountain at its summit, some time had passed.

But that time

had been well spent.

Feeling her own cultivation, Nüwa could barely contain her excitement.

"I'm almost at the late stage of Hunyuan Golden Immortal!"

Compared to when she had first begun the climb, her improvement

far exceeded her expectations.

Before coming here,

Nüwa would never have believed that an opportunity could be this incredible.

So much so that

she couldn't help thinking,

"With my current cultivation, I should rank among the strongest in the Primordial Wilderness. There can't be many who can rival me, right?"

As she was thinking,

beyond the final Stone Step,

a courtyard appeared in her perception.

At once,

Nüwa was puzzled.

After passing through layer upon layer of Stone Steps and reaching the summit, she had found a courtyard standing there?

What was the story behind this courtyard...?

Was it the work of a Sage?

With many questions in mind, Nüwa slowly approached.

However...

before she even reached the entrance,

Nüwa could no longer dwell on her questions. Something else had completely interrupted her train of thought.

It was a Willow Tree!

It looked unremarkable,

yet she could not see through it. It was incomparably mysterious.

At once,

Nüwa was startled and found it unbelievable.

What level of cultivation did she have?

She was close to the late stage of Hunyuan Golden Immortal!

By rights,

even if it were a peak Hunyuan Golden Immortal, she should have been able to discern something.

If she couldn't, didn't that mean...

this Willow Tree...

was comparable to Hunyuan?

True Hunyuan!

A Willow Tree could rival Hunyuan?

Before this,

if anyone had told Nüwa such a thing, she would have been the first to question it.

Hunyuan

could stand against a Sage.

In other words...

this Willow Tree

could contend with Sage Hongjun?

At that moment,

Nüwa was deeply shaken, disbelief written across her beautiful eyes.

Looking again at the courtyard behind the Willow Tree,

she grew even more bewildered.

"It stands atop the mountain, guarded by a Spirit Root—a Willow Tree whose aura strongly suggests it is Hunyuan. Then the being who lives here must be far more powerful than I can imagine!"

In other words...

stronger than Hunyuan?

Nüwa drew a quiet breath and did her best to calm herself.

Then she cautiously stepped forward.

Actually,

for a brief moment, she had wanted to turn back.

The difference in their cultivation was simply too great.

If there was danger,

she wouldn't stand a chance of fighting back.

She wouldn't even be able to escape.

But then Nüwa thought it over and felt at ease.

"What level is my cultivation?"

"And what level is the cultivator who built this courtyard? I can't even compare to the Willow Tree guarding the entrance!"

"If they wanted to do something to me, would they need to go to all this trouble?"

"Nüwa, oh Nüwa!"

"You really are overthinking this!"

She gave a self-deprecating smile.

Nüwa put aside her worries and walked with a graceful sway.

Cautiously, she made her way toward the courtyard.

Though she was still worried,

it was always better to be careful. What if she disturbed the Willow Tree?

Her instincts told her

this Willow Tree might have an extraordinary background.

Whether or not it was comparable to Hunyuan,

it was at least...

a top-grade Innate Spirit Root!

Terrifying!

Even by the entrance, a Spirit Root rarely seen in the Primordial Wilderness had been planted.

What was inside?

With that thought in mind,

Nüwa approached the entrance.

At that moment,

the four characters cast in supreme Daoist Script on the plaque above the courtyard gate came into view.

"Seeking Dao Academy?"

She murmured the words twice.

Nüwa felt she had gained some vague insight.

But she didn't pay it much mind.

There was no need.

No matter how impressive the plaque was, it couldn't possibly compare to what lay beyond the gate, could it?

Fortunately,

the gate stood open, with no wards in place.