The Fire Qilin was a formidable opponent for Duan Lang, but for Xu Xiao, it was an ant that could be easily defeated.
With his Divine Sense probing, the labyrinthine Lingyun Cave could not hinder Xu Xiao's steps at all, and he instantly locked onto the divine beast that was sleeping deep inside the cave.
With his Divine Sense locked on, Xu Xiao casually tore open a spatial rift and instantly appeared in front of the Fire Qilin.
The sleeping divine beast suddenly awoke, its eyes, as big as earthenware pots, fixed on Xu Xiao, and it was about to roar with a slight movement of its throat.
"Don't yell, I hate being bothered."
With the overwhelming Telekinesis applied, the Fire Qilin, which wanted to roar, was instantly suppressed and unable to even roar.
In order not to attract too much attention, Xu Xiao did not use the power of his clone, and only wanted to do things quietly.
"Sweetie, don't yell. I'll take you to a place where you can eat and drink well, I guarantee it'll be more comfortable than where you are here."
Xu Xiao opened the gates of the divine kingdom and stuffed the Fire Qilin inside.
The Divine Kingdom of Desire, built upon the foundation of the War God Temple, is filled with abundant divine power and Spiritual Energy, and with Xu Xuanpin residing there, it is powerful enough to suppress the Fire Qilin.
After doing all this, Xu Xiao immediately turned around, determined the direction, and tore open the Liaokong rift again.
Little did he know, his every move was being watched by a certain being.
"You little thief, so you came here to steal things without even saying hello."
One of them seemed somewhat displeased, and then lightly tapped his finger.
In an instant, Xu Xiao, who had been tearing open a spatial rift to travel through, felt his marked coordinates toward the sea being disrupted by a force, and then he was involuntarily swept away.
When he appeared, he had already returned to the small courtyard where he lived.
'Oh no! We've been discovered.'
Xu Xiao immediately contacted the World-Crossing Gate, and the World-Crossing Gate in his mind responded, preparing to take him away.
A woman's voice came from the other end, and he immediately stopped in his tracks.
"I've already memorized your scent. Now you're running away, do you want me to go straight to your house and ambush you?"
Although the words were gentle, the underlying threat was already evident.
In less than 0.1 seconds, Xu Xiao adjusted his mindset and put on a smile:
"This humble one greets the Goddess Nüwa. I had no intention of offending you, and I beg Your Majesty to show leniency."
The woman sat down in the spot where Xu Xiao had been sitting, looking at the man in front of her with an amused expression:
How did you know I was Nüwa?
"No, you're a time traveler. You know about the future evolution of this world, so it's normal that you could guess what I'm thinking."
Xu Xiao didn't dare to breathe, silently cursing his bad luck, 'How did I manage to attract such a powerful figure?'
The good news is that the World-Crossing Gate can still take him away; the bad news is that he dares not leave.
If such an important person says they're going to see him, then it's definitely not a joke; otherwise, Xu Xiao wouldn't have stopped.
Fortunately, Nüwa did not directly attack him, and Xu Xiao had no idea what he would face next.
'I have no choice but to gamble. If things turn against me, I'll risk being hunted down to escape. Even being chased to my doorstep is better than being killed outright.'
Xu Xiao had already prepared himself mentally, ready to escape through the World-Crossing Gate at any time.
"What? Thinking about how to escape? Or how to deal with me?"
Nüwa's soft laughter came from the side, and Xu Xiao could only laugh it off.
"Not at all, it's just that this is my first time meeting the legendary Mother of Humanity— Goddess Nüwa, and I don't know how to express my admiration."
"Haha, you little rascal, you've got a sweet tongue. Come to think of it, I do have some connection with you guys."
Nüwa rested her chin on one hand, while her other hand gently tapped the chessboard with her jade-like fingers, appearing to be thoroughly enjoying herself.
Although the other person's face was concealed by the laws of the Great Dao, Xu Xiao could not see their facial expression, but he could guess that his flattery had hit the mark.
Flattery will get you everywhere; it's a principle that applies no matter where you are.
'However, Nüwa and humankind have a karmic connection. Could the legendary story of Nüwa creating humans be true?'
The story, which he had only heard as a legend before, suddenly appeared before him. Even Xu Xiao, who had experienced many worlds, found it somewhat unbelievable.
"Alright, stop standing there like an idiot. Come and sit down. It's been a while since any outsiders have come here; I'm getting a little bored."
Nüwa pointed to the seat in front of her, which was the place where the Mahavairocana had sat before.
Previously, Xu Xiao was the one in control when he sat opposite the other party, but now the tables have turned.
Xu Xiao, upon hearing Nüwa's instructions, dared not refuse. He plopped down in his seat and waited cautiously for Nüwa's question.
"I find you to be somewhat unscrupulous in your actions, though not extremely evil; rather, you are quite interesting."
"So, is it fun to manipulate other people's karma and rewrite their destiny?"
Nüwa rested her chin on her hand, unsure whether the remark was a joke or an accusation.
"Not bad, at least I got to experience the fun of using all living beings as pawns, but I still haven't grasped the fundamentals of cause and effect and destiny."
Xu Xiao thought for a moment, then neither begged for forgiveness nor denied it, but instead expressed his feelings.
"Indeed, although I dislike this method of using all living beings as pawns to explore a certain path, it is, after all, the rule of the world: the strong prey on the weak. You neither lied nor begged for mercy, so you are a decent seeker of the Dao."
Nüwa was fairly satisfied with Xu Xiao's answer.
"I just do what I want, and sometimes I can be a bit extreme, but I wouldn't lie to beg for forgiveness."
Xu Xiao was neither humble nor arrogant. He had a smooth journey and had never lied to or begged anyone.
"I still don't know why the Goddess Nüwa summoned me."
Xu Xiao didn't want to beat around the bush and asked directly.
"It's nothing serious, just that the owner wanted to see you, this petty thief who barged in, did something wrong, and then tried to run away. But I quite like your personality."
"Doing whatever you want, while somewhat indulgent, is a unique way of expressing your true nature, which is quite good."
Nüwa tapped the chessboard lightly with her fingers, and Xu Xiao, hearing this, refrained from asking any further questions.
The big boss already said that if someone breaks in, does something wrong, and then runs away, what can you do?
He deserves a scolding, he deserves a beating; what goes around comes around.
Xu Xiao was prepared to be reprimanded or disciplined; as long as it wasn't fatal, he was prepared to bear the consequences of being caught for his recklessness.
"Haha! You're scared? Are you wondering how I'm going to deal with you?"
Nüwa laughed crisply, her expression conveying an air of "I've seen through your thoughts."
"It's entirely up to Your Majesty. Since I've offended you, I'm willing to bear the consequences, as long as it doesn't cost me my life."
Xu Xiao appeared to be waiting to be killed, ready to be disposed of at will.
"Haha, what an interesting little guy. Alright, I won't pursue you anymore. On the contrary, I'll give you a great opportunity. As for whether you want it or not, you can think it over yourself."
Nüwa smiled mysteriously, then waited quietly for Xu Xiao's reply.
???
What... is going on?