Yellow Dragon traveled through the earth along the Earth Veins. One after another, he drew Innate Spiritual Veins of wood, water, and fire into the World Pearl. All he lacked was a sharp and resilient metal-aligned vein. Then the five elements would be complete, cycling endlessly within the pearl's world.
But no matter how he searched the vast lands around the shore of the East Sea, he found no trace of a metal-aligned Spirit Vein.
He turned into a streak of golden light, passed through layers of dark soil and rock, and returned to the surface.
But his head had only just emerged. The rest of his body remained underground, and his vision had yet to clear.
Suddenly, a chill swept through Yellow Dragon's body. His gaze froze.
Less than a meter from his head, a figure crouched quietly before him.
Her plain dress trailed across the ground without picking up a speck of dust. An indescribable Dao aura surrounded her, surpassing even that of the Azure Dragon Patriarch.
Her head was slightly bowed. A strange clump of soil rested in her palm, giving off a gentle glow. Light flowed within it, as though life were taking shape inside.
The figure seemed to sense him. She slowly turned her gaze toward Yellow Dragon, whose body was still half-buried.
Her eyes were as clear as an untouched spring, calm yet deep, as though they could reflect the movements of all things.
Her gaze carried no pressure, yet Yellow Dragon felt as if his dragon soul were being silently cleansed and laid bare.
"Young dragon... what have you been searching for in these Earth Veins?"
Her voice rang directly in the depths of Yellow Dragon's soul, clear and distant as the soft chime of jade.
Yellow Dragon dared not delay. He hurriedly pulled himself free of the ground and brushed nonexistent dirt from his clothes.
He answered respectfully, "I am Yellow Dragon, junior to you, Senior. I was searching for a metal-aligned Innate Spiritual Vein. But fate did not favor me, and my search came to nothing. I had just emerged when I disturbed you. Please forgive me."
The figure studied him for a moment. The power in her gaze seemed to pierce to his very source, leaving Yellow Dragon with the feeling that none of his secrets could be hidden.
"My name is Nuwa."
"Nuwa?"
Yellow Dragon started. Then he understood. Among the few great goddesses of the Primordial World, only one was known for working with soil.
Saint Nuwa!
"Greetings, Empress Nuwa."
Nuwa said nothing more. Her fingertips gently worked the soil in her palm. Though it looked ordinary, it glowed softly, flowing and taking shape beneath her slender fingers as if it were alive.
A tiny bird covered in emerald feathers formed in her palm. Every feather was rendered in exquisite detail.
Nuwa flicked a finger, sending a spark of Creation Spirit Light into it.
The bird beat its wings and took flight, circling Nuwa with a bright, melodious cry. The light of life shimmered across its body.
Nuwa's delicate brows drew together slightly.
She raised her hand again, and the soil flowed and changed beneath her fingertips.
A nimble deer sprang onto the open ground and bounded happily through the trees. Yet its gentle, wide eyes held nothing beyond a longing for fresh grass.
Next came fish, tigers, monkeys... Creatures of every shape were born beneath her fingers, running, swimming, and flying through this small stretch of land.
As each creature emerged from Nuwa's fingertips, the Dao aura around her gradually grew stronger, her presence ever more imposing.
Then Nuwa stopped.
She stood still, her gaze sweeping over the noisy yet uncomprehending lives she had created with her own hands.
The divine light of creation flickered around her as the Dao aura of yin and yang flowed. Great Dao runes seemed to appear and vanish within it, evolving and colliding.
She sank into deep contemplation, motionless as an ancient boulder—a strange contrast to the living yet unknowing creatures around her.
Yellow Dragon stood to one side, not daring to make a sound.
He sensed the Dao aura of creation around Nuwa growing ever more profound and complete.
Under its influence, the newly born creatures gradually developed intelligence. One by one, they prostrated themselves around Nuwa.
After Nuwa remained still for a long while, Yellow Dragon watched her pick up another lump of soil and begin to knead it.
A vague idea, like a pearl rising from the seabed, was stirred by the boundless Dao aura of creation and slowly surfaced in his mind.
He ventured cautiously, "Your Majesty, what if you tried shaping it into the form of an Innate Dao Body?"
The words "Innate Dao Body" struck like thunder, tearing through the layers of mist!
The flowing Dao aura of creation around Nuwa abruptly stilled, then burst forth with an even more brilliant radiance!
An indescribably vast and sacred presence erupted outward from Nuwa. The laws and Dao auras of heaven and earth surged toward her, forming countless phantoms of mysterious law runes behind her, glimmering as they appeared and faded.
Nuwa turned her hand and discarded the ordinary soil in her palm.
In its place appeared a handful of wondrous soil, dark yellow like the dawn of Chaos. Its grains were crystal-clear, each seeming to hold endless power of creation. It radiated such profound weight and vitality that even space warped around it.
Nine Heavens Breathing Soil!
It was one of the Primordial World's finest materials of creation. A single grain could become a mountain ten thousand feet tall.
At the same time, a jade bottle appeared in her other hand, glowing faintly gold, silver, and violet and radiating a rich Dao aura.
It was an Innate Spiritual Treasure.
She tipped its mouth slightly. Drops of wondrous liquid streaked with gold, silver, and violet fell onto the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil.
Three Lights Divine Water!
It held the essence of the sun, the moon, and the Zhou Tian Stars—the foremost divine water of the Primordial World and its greatest healing treasure.
When the Breathing Soil met the divine water, they needed no kneading. The invisible power of creation in Nuwa's palm made them merge and spin on their own.
Dark yellow and three-colored light intertwined, forming a lump of chaos-colored clay!
Just as the clay was about to take shape, a thought flashed through Yellow Dragon's mind, and he brought out a drop of Creation Origin.
"Your Majesty."
"I happened upon this wondrous substance. It can strengthen the source of innate beings. Perhaps it might help you."
The drop of Creation Origin drifted slowly toward Nuwa.
Nuwa's gaze fell on the pure Creation Origin, and a trace of surprise crossed her eyes.
She could clearly sense the power of creation within it, a power that approached the Great Dao Source.
She gave a slight nod. The drop of Creation Origin silently merged into the chaos-colored clay in her palm.
Hum—!
The clay instantly grew warm and supple, full of life. A sense of wholeness spread from it, as though it could give rise to life all on its own.
Nuwa's gaze sharpened with concentration. Her pale fingers moved with the skill of a master sculptor, and the clay changed shape swiftly beneath them.
A head, a torso, limbs. Their proportions were perfectly balanced, subtly echoing the deepest rhythms of heaven and earth.
The features gradually came into focus: brows, eyes, mouth, and nose. Though it had yet to be given life, its outline already held a hint of spirit in perfect harmony with nature.
One, two, three... Nuwa's hands moved faster and faster, while the Dao aura of creation flowing between her fingers grew denser and more powerful.
Lifelike clay figures with flawless human forms appeared beside her, arranged neatly across the open ground atop the cliff.
Their eyes were closed, their faces peaceful, as though they were merely asleep.
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