NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36: Birth of Humanity
Inside Southern Emperor Palace on the Fourth level of Thirty-Three Heaven, Nuwa sighed.
"What's wrong?" Fuxi asked. He had healed from his injuries and was preparing to sever his Corpse again.
"I've been comprehending the Grandmist Violet Qi all this way, but I still haven't discovered anything," Nuwa said.
Fuxi frowned. "Maybe your chance hasn't come yet. There's no rush."
"Do you really believe that?" Nuwa asked. "You've seen how powerful the Pangu Genesis Formation was. Even the Starry Sky War Array at its peak could not match it."
Fuxi stayed silent. As the creator of the Starry Sky War Array, he knew how powerful it was, which was why he was even more horrified by the Pangu Genesis Formation.
"If I do not become a Saint before the time limit set by the Dao Ancestor is up, the Demon Clan will be doomed. And, we'll be forced to run away like losers for the rest of our lives," Nuwa said. "If we don't die during battle, that is."
A tense silence descended between them. Suddenly, Nuwa stood up. "I'm going out."
"Out? You mean into the Great Desolation?" Fuxi asked. He moved forward to stop his sister. "You can't. Didn't the Dao Ancestor say that demons should remain in the sky?"
"The Dao Ancestor said that two sides should not war, and the Demon Clan should rule the sky while the Titan Tribe rule the lands. He said nothing about not walking the lands," Nuwa calmly replied. Seeing the worry on her brother's face, she sighed. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm already in the Advanced Quasi-Saint Realm. If the Titan Tribe wants to do anything to me, can't I escape?"
"But," Fuxi started, still not willing to let Nuwa encounter any danger.
"You've always protected me since I was born. I became the Dao Ancestor's disciple and gained the chance to achieve sainthood thanks to you," Nuwa said as her eyes softened. "This time, let me protect you. Too many of us will die if I don't become a Saint."
Fuxi sighed, stepping out of her way upon seeing the determination in her eyes.
Nuwa revealed a smile more beautiful than a blooming flower. "Don't worry, I'll succeed."
When Nuwa left Heavenly Court, only a few people knew. Di Jun only glanced in her direction before returning to his cultivation. Kunpeng had rejected Heavenly Court's invitation and even started recruiting demons under him.
Kunpeng may not have aspirations of dominating heaven and earth, but it was clear as day that he refused to serve anyone.
Since that was the case, he could only take forceful measures. All he needed was a chance.
When Nuwa stepped out of South Heaven Gate and into the Great Desolation, Buzhou Mountain was no longer under her feet. During the last two battles between Heavenly Court and the Titan Tribe, Buzhou Mountain had been leveled twice. Now, it was half its height, and the peak no longer connected to the Thirty-Three Heavens.
Seeing the weakened Buzhou Mountain, Nuwa sighed. She once called it her home before the Titan Tribe forced her out, sowing enmity and causing her to join the Demon Clan. Seeing its current state barren, a dismal mood overtook her.
No longer did essence fill every nook and cranny. The spiritual herbs and plants that once inhabited the land had gone extinct, leaving weeds and grass in their place. Treasures once filled the caverns, but they had all been plundered; nothing remained.
And all that was left were the vestiges of its once-grand reputation as the number one mountain of the Great Desolation.
Slowly, Nuwa walked down the mountain, step by step. After the coercion disappeared, numerous animals made the mountain their home, filling it up with another kind of vitality. These animals were later heaven lifeforms. Unlike nascent heaven lifeforms like congenital gods, they weren't born mature or with any knowledge.
Later heaven lifeforms didn't even open up their spirituality yet. Only when they become Earth Immortals will they open up their spirituality and gain sentience. Until then, they were mere beasts that relied on instinct.
Nuwa stretched out her hand, and a sparrow landed atop it. Using her other hand, she gently stroked the sparrow's head. It preened under her caress. She pulled back and let the sparrow fly away, smiling.
Years later, the sparrow would achieve the rank of Earth Immortal and gain spirituality thanks to Nuwa's grace.
Step by step, Nuwa slowly reached the bottom of the mountain. She took care not to alert any of the giants nearby and flew off into the distance. Nuwa didn't purposely cultivate; she just toured the regions of the Great Desolation. Even so, her cultivation progressed gradually until she was a hair's breadth away from severing her Third Corpse. All she needed was an epiphany.
During her travels, she felt an aversion to the creatures living on the land. Nearly two eons had passed since the Dao Ancestor separated Heavenly Court and the Titan Tribe. Now, the Demon Clan of Thirty-Three Heaven could be said to be a totally different species from the demons that remained on land.
Most of the demons from the land ascended from later heaven lifeforms, and they kept many habits from when they were mere animals. They only knew how to take without giving anything back to the world, depleting the essence of heaven and earth.
Not just the earthly demons but the Titan Tribe too.
The Titan Tribe acted like a force of destruction. They killed and feasted on any animals that they caught. Giants needed an enormous amount of food not just to stay alive but to strengthen themselves. Compared to the slow rate of absorbing essence, it was much quicker to eat.
But because of this, they brought extinction to many species. The loss wasn’t limited to one area alone, but entire swathes of land. When they hunted everything they could, they simply moved on to the next area. Because of this, the territory near the Titan Tribe became devoid of life.
Nuwa also saw that the Titan Tribe had shown signs of splitting into twelve separate tribes based on their titan leader. The distance would reduce the rate of overfeeding. Still, this didn't solve the problem at its core.
She continued to travel, hoping to find a peaceful race that didn't ruin the land they lived on. Nuwa visited all sorts of locations and even races, but none of them fit her requirement.
"It'd be great if there were a race that could bring fortune instead of misfortune," Nuwa said. Her eyes widened as she felt the Grandmist Violet Qi in her thrum.
"Race? Is my chance for sainthood related to a peaceful race?" Nuwa muttered. She felt more confident in this plan when the Grandmist Violet Qi vibrated even more. "But I haven't found any race like that during my travels. No, if it was something that can just be found, other people should have reacted."
Nuwa seemed to have realized something as her eyes lit up. "Yes, it should be something only I can do. I practice the Law of Creation; I can create a new race, something I haven't done yet."
The Grandmist Violet Qi's resonance increased. Emboldened, Nuwa immediately went to work. Currently, she was walking on a vast plain, so her first thought was to create a creature suitable to live there.
Nuwa grabbed a handful of dirt, mixed it with water, and began to form a four-legged beast. When she finished, it had dark fur, a horse-like head, two curved horns, and hooved feet. She then breathed life into it, but it died not long after it started moving, confusing her.
"Why didn't I succeed?" Nuwa asked herself. After over a hundred years of standing still, she finally found the answer. Although she wanted the new race to be of the later heaven stage, she couldn’t use ordinary materials.
She immediately thought of the Ninesky Blessdirt she obtained from Tongtian. She pulled it out and began to craft the creature again. After a thousand years, she breathed life into it, and a new race was born.
Thanks to being the first of its race created by Nuwa, it was already at the Sky Immortal Realm. "I shall name you Cattle, and all others after you shall be known as cattle."
The newly named Cattle bowed, "Thank you, Empress Nuwa."
Nuwa nodded, satisfied. It had a mild and gentle temperament, but she hadn't succeeded. She furrowed her brows, wondering why it failed. Perhaps it wasn't the new race that the Way of Heaven wanted.
She traveled the Great Desolation once more and created two more races: pigs and chickens. Pigs were omnivorous and weren’t picky about their food, while chickens liked to roam around and eat poisonous insects that harmed vegetation.
Still, Nuwa had yet to achieve sainthood. Her travels eventually led her back to Buzhou Mountain.
Nuwa sighed. "Why haven't I succeeded? All three are peaceful and won't bring harm."
She stared at the three creatures she created, who lowered their heads in reverence and shame for their uselessness. Finally, after days of observation, she noticed the problem. "Although Cattle is strong, his horns are not sharp enough. Pig can eat a lot, but it cannot defend itself. Chicken has a sharp beak and talons, but they are too dull, and it is too small. Even if a creature is peaceful, how can they propagate if they cannot defend themselves?"
Nuwa had another headache. She needed to create a peaceful creature, and it needed to be able to defend itself. But if she sharpened their claws or fangs too much, wouldn't it turn into a predator, the exact opposite of a peaceful race?
She sighed and shifted her gaze, which landed on Buzhou Mountain. "Buzhou Moutain? Pangu's spine."
Nuwa's eyes brightened with inspiration. What race was more suited to the Great Desolation than one modeled after Pangu? All creatures in heaven and earth were born from Pangu, and his form was the most perfect for cultivating. Hence every lifeform chose a humanoid form after transforming—even the giants born after the titans had humanoid body shapes.
She grabbed a handful of Ninesky Blessdirt to form them again. This time, she took a thousand years to shape the new race. When she was done, she breathed life into it, but contrary to expectations, her creation crumbled into dust.
Nuwa tried several more times, even imbuing the Ninesky Blessdirt with her blood, but nothing she tried worked. She could feel it. Once she created this new race, she would achieve sainthood.
As time passed and her failures increased, Nuwa grew increasingly impatient.
"Is something troubling, fellow Daoist?"
Nuwa frowned, facing the newcomer. She hadn't sensed Kong Xuan appearing next to her at all. Upon closer inspection, she sensed that he had become one with the land, thus hindering her perception of him.
"Why is Daoist Kong Xuan here?" Nuwa asked. Although Kong Xuan betrayed Violet Manor in the end, he had once been Heavenly Court's enemy. Not to mention, she had fought with Kong Xuan and Tongtian over a spiritual artifact before, although both of them had eventually lost.
Kong Xuan pretended not to notice Nuwa's wariness towards him. "Fellow Daoist seems to be troubled by something. Although I do not claim omnipotence, I still consider myself knowledgeable. Perhaps I can help solve your troubles."
Nuwa hesitated. Although she didn't trust Kong Xuan, the allure of sainthood was too much. Before she spoke, she felt a familiar aura and gazed into the distance.
Not long later, Tongtian arrived. Unlike Kong Xuan, Nuwa felt something in Tongtian's possession that attracted her. "Senior Sister."
On the way to Buzhou Mountain, Tongtian suddenly paused as she heard a familiar voice.
"Little friend has a predestined fate with my West."
Tongtian stopped just in time to see Zhunti capture a Profound Immortal Realm demon. With a satisfied face, the incarnated Boddhi Tree turned around and froze, seeing Tongtian staring at him with a smile.
Zhunti's awkward smile disappeared, and he clapped his hands together as if he hadn't just kidnapped an immortal. "Greetings, Senior Sister."
"Greetings to you as well, Junior Brother," Tongtian said. "I know the West is barren and that Junior Brothers are working hard to revitalize the West. I can also turn a blind eye to most things, but don't go too far, understand?"
Zhunti continued to smile. "I don't understand what Senior Sister is saying. I'm simply ferrying those with predestined fate. Their opportunities lie in the West and not the East. I am helping them."
Tongtian rolled her eyes. She almost believed Zhunti because of the sincere smile on his face. The East was prosperous, and the West was barren. Not even Heavenly Court and the Titan Tribe cared for it. Who would want to go at this juncture?
"Forget it. I don't want to argue with you. You know in your heart what you can and cannot do," Tongtian said as she flew off, leaving Zhunti still standing there.
Zhunti sighed in relief when Tongtian left. "Senior Brother is right. Daoist Tongtian is the mildest of the Three Purities. If it were Yuanshi, he would have attacked me, and Laozi would have forced me to go back empty-handed."
Unknowing of Zhunti's thoughts, Tongtian continued to fly all the way to Buzhou Mountain, where she found Nuwa. To her surprise, Kong Xuan also appeared.
"Junior Sister," Tongtian said after Nuwa greeted her.
"I have a question I hope Senior Sister can solve for me," Nuwa said.
Tongtian saw Kong Xuan's expression soured, but she didn't care. "If it is within my abilities, naturally, I will."
"It's like this," Nuwa started to explain that she wanted to create a peaceful race, but for some reason, she always failed.
Tongtian made a strange expression. 'Humans, peaceful? That's got to be the biggest joke I've ever heard.'
Despite her thoughts, Tongtian did not show it. She had already discovered the reason why after Nuwa spoke about her troubles. Her own Grandmist Violet Qi vibrated and resonated with one of Tongtian's possessions.
With a flip of her hand, Threelight Divinewater appeared in her palm. "Since Junior Sister used Ninesky Blessdirt to form the body, the water cannot be ordinary. All things are split into yin and yang, bringing balance. The Ninesky Blessoil is yang, and the Threelight Divinewater is yin."
Upon receiving the Threelight Divinewater, Nuwa smiled joyfully. "Thank you, Senior Sister."
She mixed the Ninesky Blessoil and the Threelight Divinewater to create a mud mixture that glowed seven different colors. With her experience, Nuwa only took a hundred years to form the first creature.
The second took even less time. Unlike the first, the second had two lumps on her chest and nothing dangling from her crotch, a female. Like Tongtian said, all things were split yin and yang, and thus her new race should be half male and half female.
After creating several thousand of them, Nuwa grew tired. She could feel her spirit become fatigued, but she knew she hadn't created enough yet. By chance, she caught sight of the Immortal Gourd Vine in Tongtian's hand.
"Senior Sister, may I borrow that for a moment?" Nuwa asked.
Tongtian didn't say anything, letting the Immortal Gourd Vine fly into Nuwa's hand. Nuwa took it and dipped it into the mud mixture. She flung it, and drops of mud fell down, turning to the same race as the handcrafted ones, but a few had disfigurements.
When Nuwa created one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred of the new race, she smiled in satisfaction. "I shall call you Humanity."
"Humanity?" the first human created by Nuwa spoke. Then, he spoke again. "Humans, we are humans! Humans!"
"Humanity, Humans!" All one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred humans shouted, causing the world to resonate.
Boundless merits descended from the sky. An immortal song entered every lifeform's ears, the sky and earth roared, the sun and moon faded, and the world turned upside down. The only things that could be heard were the cries of the newly born humans and the boundless merit descending.
Seventy percent of the merit directly merged into her body; ten percent flew into the Immortal Gourd Vine, turning it into a meritorious spiritual artifact, ten percent dispersed among the newly created humans; and the last ten percent fell onto Tongtian for her contribution, much to Kong Xuan's envy.
Nuwa directly absorbed all the merit bestowed upon her. Once she did so, the Grandmist Violet Qi merged with her truesoul, and Nuwa could feel herself breaking the limit of the Quasi-Saint Realm. Her body rose into the air, and a holy light radiated off of her.
It was a soft and gentle light, but it illuminated all of heaven and earth. Every creature knelt under her coercion. Just like when Hongjun achieved sainthood, numerous phenomena occurred, dazzling all creatures.
Nuwa had become a Saint of Heaven.