Sainthood

The merit that fell upon Lu Chen amounted to twenty percent; the Gourd Vine received five percent, while the remaining seventy-five percent all went to Nuwa.

Lu Chen sensed the profundity of this merit. With this merit alone, if he wished, his cultivation could shoot upward like a rocket and leap straight into the Quasi-Saint realm. That was only because, after cultivating the Nine-Turn Origin Art, advancing was a thousand times harder for him than for ordinary people. For an ordinary cultivator, provided they had sufficient spiritual treasures, instantly severing two corpses would be perfectly normal.

And this was merely twenty percent. One could only imagine how vast and boundless the merit contained within Nuwa, who alone had received seventy-five percent, must be.

As the merit entered Nuwa's body, her aura instantly surged.

It rose step by step, without the slightest sign of exhaustion.

Very soon, it climbed to the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm...

Boom!

A thunderous roar sounded from within Nuwa's body. An unfathomably profound aura radiated around her as her entire being entered another realm.

The next moment, rosy clouds blazed across the sky, golden lotuses sprang from the earth, and strange phenomena appeared one after another.

A vast pressure enveloped the Primordial World.

Nuwa became the second Sage after Hongjun, and every faction stirred.

Three Pure Ones Palace.

The Three Pure Ones also opened their eyes. Feeling that familiar yet unfamiliar pressure, Yuanshi and Laozi's bodies were instantly pressed down several degrees.

"Nuwa actually became a Sage!!!" Yuanshi's eyes brimmed with disbelief.

Although Nuwa, like them, was a direct disciple of the Dao Ancestor, that had only made him regard her as an equal.

As for her becoming a Sage ahead of them, he had never considered it. He had believed that Laozi would certainly be the first to become a Sage, and that he himself would be the second.

At most, Nuwa should have been third.

Yet Nuwa had now stepped ahead of them. Yuanshi felt deeply unbalanced.

Though Laozi's gaze shifted slightly, he did not reveal what he was thinking.

Feeling the pressure, Tongtian's body swayed. A flash of sword light glinted in his eyes as he sat upright upon his meditation cushion.

"Nuwa actually became a Sage!"

Within the Endless Nether Sea, where blood qi pervaded the air.

"Creating humans leads to Sainthood?"

"I can try it as well."

Styx sat cross-legged upon a crimson lotus platform. Feeling the Sage's might and hearing that Nuwa had attained Sainthood through creating humans, Styx's eyes lit up. He had always devoted himself to imitating the paths others took to become Sages.

With a sweep of his hand.

Blood bubbles swelled within the Blood Sea, giving birth to three thousand Asuras. The women were fiery and seductive, while the men were incomparably ugly.

"I, Styx, have created a race within the Blood Sea, named the Asuras. May the Heavenly Dao bear witness!"

The gazes of countless great powers turned toward the Blood Sea, their eyes carrying a trace of anticipation.

They were all watching to see whether Styx could become a Sage. If Styx succeeded as well, they would imitate him...

The Heavenly Dao obligingly trembled. Auspicious merit clouds appeared above the Blood Sea, but compared to those that had blanketed the entire Shores of the East Sea for Nuwa, they fell short by far—not even one-tenth as much.

The merit entered Styx's body, and his cultivation rose without pause. Once the merit was exhausted, Styx's cultivation had risen from the late stage to the peak.

Seeing this, the great powers watching in secret shook their heads and continued searching for their own paths.

Witch Clan.

As the most seasoned among the ancestral witches, Dijang's expression darkened. He said in a deep voice, "Nuwa has become a Sage. The Demon Race has gained a Sage, and their strength has greatly increased. This is no good thing for our Witch Clan."

Zhu Jiuyin, the second eldest, smiled faintly. "Eldest Brother need not worry. I have observed the River of Time, and Nuwa's trace does not exist upon the battlefield of the future. Thus, Nuwa becoming a Sage will not only bring no harm to our Witch Clan, but will instead benefit us."

Hearing Zhu Jiuyin's words, Dijang's expression eased somewhat.

Because Zhu Jiuyin was born with mastery over the Dao of Time, he was one of the rare wise men in the Witch Clan who had a brain. Moreover, nothing he saw in the River of Time had ever been wrong; nearly all of it had come to pass.

"Since that is so, continue comprehending the great formation. Then, at those feathered beasts' banquet, we will wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

"Yes, Eldest Brother!"

Heavenly Court.

"The Nuwa Empress has become a Sage! Now the overall situation between witches and demons will be reversed. In the future, the Primordial World will belong to our Demon Race. After the banquet, call upon all demons and seize every last one of those witch barbarians in a single stroke!"

Dijun sat upon the Heavenly Emperor's throne, his face filled with wild joy and visions of a bright future.

As the second Sage of the Primordial World, he already anticipated leading Nuwa as the vanguard to sweep away every witch barbarian, then unifying the Primordial World. He and his second brother Taiyi would then use the fortune of the entire Primordial World to glimpse the Saintly Dao.

Then a vast Dao voice personally shattered his beautiful dream.

"After becoming a Sage, you must go to the chaos and establish a Daoist sanctuary. You may not lightly interfere in the affairs of the Primordial World."

Under Lu Chen's gaze, Hongjun appeared before Nuwa. His voice was calm and indifferent, as though he were speaking of some utterly trivial matter.

Compared to the last time in the west, Hongjun's aura contained less of himself and more coldness and numbness, like an icy machine.

Looking at the Dao Ancestor, Lu Chen murmured inwardly.

Is this the price one must pay for Dao Integration? And can you reclaim yourself from the hands of the Heavenly Dao and achieve transcendence?

Setting aside their positions, Lu Chen admired Hongjun for becoming the first Sage and integrating himself with the Dao. Neither feat could be accomplished without tremendous opportunity and tremendous courage.

Sensing Lu Chen's gaze, Hongjun tilted his head slightly. With a single glance, his cold and indifferent eyes sent a chill through Lu Chen's entire body, as though he were about to be frozen solid.

Then Hongjun raised his hand and lightly pointed a finger. A stream of light entered Lu Chen's brow.

Seeing this, Nuwa's eyes flashed with surprise. She then cupped her hands and bowed slightly.

"This disciple obeys Master's command."

This was a bow between master and disciple.

"Mm."

Hongjun nodded, then flashed away and vanished from midair.

"We pay respects to the Holy Mother and Holy Father!"

The three thousand innate humans knelt upon the ground and kowtowed, crying out in unison.

"Holy Father?"

"Me?"

Hearing the Human Race's voices, Lu Chen froze. Instinctively, he turned his gaze toward Nuwa.

Nuwa had created the Human Race, so calling her the Holy Mother was only natural. But he had merely provided a few things.

And that title... it rather easily made one's thoughts wander.

Nuwa said calmly, "You assisted me in creating the Human Race. You are worthy of being called their Holy Father."

As Nuwa acknowledged it, Lu Chen felt an indescribable force settle upon his body. His spiritual platform became clear and tranquil, and comprehending the Dao became much smoother.

"The Human Race's fortune has just been bestowed upon me like that?"

Lu Chen had not expected that one day, he would receive the Human Race's fortune.

Do not be fooled by how weak the Human Race was now, their fortune hardly worth mentioning. After the witches and demons fell from the stage, the Human Race would become the sole racial hegemon of the future Primordial World. Following the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, the Human Race's fortune would be something even Sages coveted. They would scheme against one another and even come to blows over a share of it.

But since Nuwa did not mind, he naturally accepted it with peace of mind. After all, these were the Human Race's original shares.

Lu Chen sensed it. Although the Holy Father and Holy Mother held equal status, he only possessed twenty-five percent of the Human Race's fortune. Nuwa, the Holy Mother who had contributed the most, held seventy percent, while five percent rested upon the Beating Whip.

"Concealing yourself so thoroughly—does Tongtian not have your trust?"

"What?!!!"