"You shall be called: humans." Nüwa's clear voice rang out, and the skies of the Primordial World were instantly dyed purple.
Nüwa had become a saint.
The great powers of the Primordial World gazed up at the purple sky, filled with envy. Sainthood...
Until now, the Primordial World had possessed only one saint, Dao Ancestor Hongjun. Now, there was another: Lady Nüwa.
The Three Pure Ones in particular felt deeply bitter. The Dao Ancestor had three direct disciples and one inner disciple, while the Three Pure Ones conveniently ignored the other two nominal disciples.
Yet they, the direct disciples of the Three Pure Ones, had not attained sainthood, while the youngest inner disciple had.
How were the Three Pure Ones supposed to bear that?
At the instant Nüwa attained sainthood, she glimpsed a trace of the Primordial World's future.
She also noticed an especially conspicuous individual among the humans she had created.
Among the three thousand humans, only he had been born a Golden Immortal. All the others were mortals.
"Who are you?"
"Reporting to Holy Mother, this humble Daoist is Qing Xuanzi, created through Holy Mother's divine creation." Qing Xuanzi answered calmly.
He was a transmigrator. In truth, he had transmigrated into the Chaos.
After traveling with Pangu for tens of millions of years, his cultivation had never advanced. He had arrived as a mortal, and tens of millions of years later, he was still a mortal.
Yet for some unknown reason, his life had been extraordinarily long. He had endured tens of millions of years of cleansing by Chaos without dying.
Not until the moment Pangu opened the heavens did Pangu come to an understanding. He told Qing Xuanzi, "Your opportunity lies in the Dao of Humanity."
Thus, Pangu sent him here, where he became one of the Three Thousand Congenital Humans.
"All those I created are mortals. Why are you an immortal?" Nüwa's question interrupted Qing Xuanzi's thoughts.
"The Heavenly Dao is ever-changing. This humble Daoist is destined to be an immortal."
Nüwa's beautiful eyes lingered on him for a long time, until Qing Xuanzi's scalp prickled. It's just a Golden Immortal. Is there really any need to stare like that?
After a long while, Nüwa parted her crimson lips and said, "Are you willing to cultivate in my Nüwa Palace?"
"Thank you, Holy Mother, for your favor. This humble Daoist is an immortal of the Human Race and should remain among the Human Race." Qing Xuanzi knew it was not because his talent was exceptional.
Rather, Nüwa had taken notice of the share of Human Race fortune above his head. That was why she had asked.
More importantly, Nüwa had merely said he could cultivate at Nüwa Palace. She had not said she would take him as her disciple.
At most, that would make him a menial or gatekeeper. Just look at Nezha in the future to see what such a position amounted to.
He might as well cultivate on his own. At this time, even the Three Pure Ones had yet to become saints.
At the very least, he was currently a Golden Immortal. What if he got lucky and entered the Three Pure Ones' sect?
Even becoming Tongtian's disciple would be fine. Who knew how long it would be until the Investiture of the Gods? As a disciple of Tongtian, he would have such a long stretch of time to cultivate in peace. That would be quite good.
"Then take care of yourself." After leaving those words behind, Nüwa mounted the Azure Luan and prepared to depart.
Then her beautiful eyes widened in surprise when the expressionless figure of Hongjun abruptly appeared.
"Teacher." Nüwa moved gracefully to Hongjun's side and performed a Daoist salute.
"Teacher."
"Teacher."
"Teacher."
At the same time, the Three Pure Ones, who had hurried over, also saluted him.
Hongjun remained expressionless as he said blandly, "Qing Xuanzi, are you willing to become the Closed-Door Disciple of my Mystic Sect?"
Ha, was there even anything to consider? If he did not cling to the thickest thigh in the entire Primordial World, wouldn't he be an idiot?
Without the slightest hesitation, Qing Xuanzi knelt and bowed. "This disciple is willing."
Most importantly, his past was far from simple.
The scene after Pangu comprehended Qing Xuanzi's mission surfaced in Qing Xuanzi's mind.
Pangu: "Qing Xuanzi, if a spokesperson for the Heavenly Dao accepts you as a disciple in the future, agree to it."
Qing Xuanzi: "Why?"
Pangu: "The Heavenly Dao will certainly undergo changes in the future. I have told you about this before. The future spokesperson for the Heavenly Dao will represent the thread of survival granted to all living beings in the Primordial World."
Qing Xuanzi: "To gain his protection?"
Pangu: "Yes, and no."
"..."
For that very reason, Qing Xuanzi had agreed immediately when Hongjun spoke.
Hongjun left. He left right after accepting his disciple, without saying a single word.
Qing Xuanzi could not help muttering to himself: At least leave me some spirit treasures, old man. You don't have to give me the Creation Jade Disc. Any random supreme treasure would do.
Seeing that Hongjun had already departed, Nüwa shot Qing Xuanzi a sidelong glance before mounting the Azure Luan and leaving.
She also left behind a voice that resounded throughout the Primordial World: "For ten thousand years, the myriad races shall not disturb the Human Race."
"..."
"Q-Qing Xuanzi?"
The dazed Qing Xuanzi looked up. It was a human beside him speaking to him.
"Yes, I am Qing Xuanzi. Our most urgent task is to find a place where we can settle and survive." Qing Xuanzi spoke gently.
In his previous life, he had been human. He had once lamented that almost all the Congenital Human Race had died.
If only several hundred had remained, the Human Race would surely have risen.
The Dao of Humanity would certainly have risen alongside it.
Now that he had become one of the Three Thousand Congenital Humans, he swore to preserve these seeds of the Human Race.
He would never allow the Congenital Human Race to be reduced in the future to only the Three Ancestors of the Human Race.
He would especially never allow even the surviving Three Ancestors of the Human Race to be completely imprisoned in Fire Cloud Cave alongside the Three Sovereigns.
"Follow me." After using his divine sense to search the terrain within a hundred li, Qing Xuanzi chose a valley as the Human Race's dwelling place.
After arriving at their destination, Qing Xuanzi discussed matters with several of the humans who had been born first.
He assigned some caves for the humans to live in.
He also taught the humans some basic survival knowledge.
Qing Xuanzi stayed busy for a full month. During that time, all the humans' food was hunted by him.
One month later, after the Human Race had basically mastered the fundamental living skills Qing Xuanzi had taught them,
Qing Xuanzi finally chose to let go.
Before doing so, he divided the Human Race into one hundred groups of thirty people each and told them how to elect a leader for each group.
When he saw that all Three Thousand Congenital Humans could hunt for food in groups, he went alone to the mountaintop.
The moment he reached the summit, Heavenly Dao Hongjun appeared.
"Does heaven come before humans, or not?"
Qing Xuanzi screamed inwardly: This is the Heavenly Dao, isn't it? This is definitely the Heavenly Dao, right?
Qing Xuanzi was dumbfounded.
Qing Xuanzi's guess was this: Hongjun accepting him as a disciple had confirmed his fortune as the child of the Dao of Humanity, and the Heavenly Dao was displeased.
After a long while, Qing Xuanzi gave no answer. The air nearly froze solid.
Qing Xuanzi knew that if he answered yes,
then congratulations, his mission would have failed. In the eyes of the will of heaven and earth, there would be no need for him to exist.
If Qing Xuanzi answered no,
then congratulations, he would be free from all suffering. He could die, with both body and soul utterly destroyed.
So sweat covered Qing Xuanzi's forehead. This question was not easy to answer.
He had to find a safe way through this.
Finally, just as Heavenly Dao Hongjun was nearly unable to hold back, Qing Xuanzi's voice rang out: "For the Human Race, yes."
There was not the slightest problem with that answer. Didn't heaven come before humans?
But to the Heavenly Dao, Qing Xuanzi had merely spoken pure nonsense.
Expressionless, Heavenly Dao Hongjun stared fixedly at Qing Xuanzi without speaking.
Qing Xuanzi, meanwhile, looked back at him with an equally calm expression.
In truth, Qing Xuanzi was already on the verge of collapse inside. That gaze was like blades piercing his soul.
Constantly slicing apart his soul.
Just as Qing Xuanzi was about to be unable to endure any longer,
the air suddenly relaxed. When Qing Xuanzi looked again, Heavenly Dao Hongjun's figure had vanished.
What followed was a death sentence: "In ten thousand years, I will return to hear your answer."
Qing Xuanzi's heart tightened. The Heavenly Dao clearly did not intend to let him live.
But if you, Heavenly Dao, want to destroy me, can you? Let's see whether Pangu agrees.
Before you continue