NOVEL NEXT Chapter 39: Wa Outer Heaven
Ever since the Dao Ancestor's third sermon, Tongtian hadn't left the Great Desolation. Now, she had entered the chaotic boundary once more to listen to Nuwa's sermon on her way. Along the way, she reunited with her brothers.
"Congratulations to Third Sister for cutting off your last Corpse," Yuanshi said. Laozi also gave a rare smile on his increasingly indifferent face.
"Do you two feel uncomfortable because Nuwa became a Saint before you?" Tongtian asked. Laozi and Yuanshi stayed silent, but Tongtian got her answer. "You don't need to worry about it too much. Nuwa used Karmic Merit to become a Saint. I'm sure any one of us can accomplish the same feat if we use the Heaven Opening Merit in us, but I wouldn't recommend it."
Karmic Merit had many uses, but it wasn't Karmic Luck. However, Heaven Opening Merit was different due to its meaning. It also accrued luck for the possessor, and using it was short-sighted.
"I don't know if there is a difference between merging three Corpses or merit, but generally, relying on external forces is inferior," Tongtian said, easing her brothers’ wounded pride.
"I’m ashamed," Laozi said. "To need to be reminded by Third Sister, it seems that my daoheart is not strong enough."
"No worries," Tongtian said. "I was present near Nuwa when she became consecrated, and I could tell that she was lacking in comparison to the Dao Ancestor. Of course, she is still a Saint, so we can't underestimate her. The longer we take, the further the distance will widen, so we can't be too complacent."
"Third Sister's words are correct," Yuanshi said. "I feel like I will be able to merge all three Corpses soon, so I should be able to achieve sainthood within an eon."
Laozi looked at Yuanshi, apparently hearing this for the first time. Tongtian cupped her fist. "Then I will congratulate Second Brother ahead of time. It seems that Eldest Brother and I have some catching up to do."
Yuanshi smiled, feeling gratified. Tongtian was the first to enter the Quasi-Saint Realm, and Laozi severed three Corpses first. Now, he could finally take a step ahead of his two siblings. Although he was the second to be born, he did not feel inferior to Laozi at all.
The Three Purities found Nuwa's Immortal Grotto in the chaotic boundary. She had taken the chaos energy and opened up a minor world, transforming chaos into yin and yang and then further into five elements, creating a paradisiacal land.
Inside the world, they saw a palace with the words Wa Palace written in Dao Script above the gate. The Three Purities and the other people who arrived flew in.
Inside, Nuwa smiled at them, "Fellow Daoists, please take a seat."
The Three Purities sat on seats on the same level as Nuwa. They ignored the fact that Fuxi sat on the same level as them next to Nuwa, while all the other guests sat at a lower level, including Di Jun and Taiyi.
Upon seeing Taiyi, Tongtian's gaze sharpened as her aura converged into a single sharp edge, as if ready to attack at any moment. Instead of retreating or apologizing, Taiyi turned towards Tongtian and smiled, igniting the sparks between them even more.
The guests began to murmur and theorize about the exact nature of the relationship between Tongtian and Taiyi. They quickly stopped when Yuanshi's aura shrouded over them. After they stopped, the Jade Purity directed his attention to Taiyi with ill intent, but Taiyi only looked at Tongtian, ignoring everything else.
Before the scene could dissolve, Nuwa distracted them as she greeted Jieyin and Zhunti, who arrived late as usual. Like the Three Purities, Nuwa placed them at the same level as herself. After Jieyin and Zhunti arrived, nearly three thousand guests had arrived, and Nuwa sealed off Wa Palace.
"Thank you, everyone, for coming to my Wa Outer Heaven," Nuwa said. "Since I have achieved sainthood, I will educate anyone with the fate to come here as my master did. Allow me to explain my Way of Good Fortune."
As Nuwa spoke, the world resonated with her words, and numerous phenomena occurred. Green clouds emerged from the floor, making everyone feel as if they were sitting on clouds high in the sky.
Tongtian tapped her forefinger on the sheath of her Qingping Sword as she ruminated on the Law of Creation Nuwa mastered. She had fought Nuwa before and gained a glimpse of her Law of Creation. Comparing her past comprehension and her current level, the difference was akin to heaven and earth. It was as if Nuwa once only knew how to do simple multiplication, but she suddenly mastered trigonometry.
She continued to comprehend the Law of Creation and use it as a reference for the Law of Time and Law of Space. Although the laws were different, every single one of them could lead to the Great Dao.
When a thousand years passed, Nuwa stopped speaking, and the myriad phenomena stopped. Slowly, everyone begrudgingly awakened from their comprehensions. Still, they got up and thanked Nuwa.
With her sermon done, Nuwa excused the listeners. Aside from the Three Purities and the two from the West who said a few words before leaving, the rest quickly filed out. Only Fuxi, Di Jun, and Taiyi were left inside.
"Daoist Nuwa," Di Jun began. He froze when Nuwa cast a glance at him, feeling as if all of heaven was crushing down on him. But the feeling quickly disappeared, as if it was a mere illusion. He gritted his teeth and continued, "About the Titan Tribe..."
"Unless the Titan Tribe forces the Demon Clan to the point of no return, I will not strike," Nuwa directly said.
"Sister," Fuxi said with a frown.
"You don't need to say anymore," Nuwa said. "It's not that I don't want to act, but I can't."
Fuxi frowned and couldn't help but ask. "Is it because you became Saint?"
Nuwa stayed silent.
"As long as Daoist Nuwa is able to take a shot against the Pangu Genesis Formation at the critical time, then I am confident we can defeat the Titan Tribe," Di Jun said.
Nuwa closed her eyes and said nothing. When she opened them, she stared at her brother and then sighed. "Daoist Di Jun, from now on, I'll be living in Wa Outer Heaven and won't show up in the Great Desolation unless something important happens. I'll have to ask you to take care of my brother in my stead."
A hint of excitement flashed through Di Jun's eyes. "Don't worry. Daoist Fuxi is one of the four demon emperors, how can I not take care of him?"
"Then I'll thank Daoist Di Jun ahead of time," Nuwa said.
"I won't bother Daoist Nuwa anymore," Di Jun said as he turned to leave, but Taiyi didn't budge from his spot. "Taiyi?"
"I want to see a Saint's power," Taiyi said. "I want to see the difference between a Saint and a Quasi-Saint."
"Brother!" Di Jun grabbed Taiyi's shoulder and gave Nuwa an apologetic look. "Please don't take his words to heart. You've known him for years. He's just like this."
Taiyi removed Di Jun's hand from his shoulder and stared into Nuwa's eyes. "Just one move. That's all I ask for."
Seeing the steel-like determination in Taiyi's eyes, Nuwa nodded. "Alright."
"Daoist Taiyi, prepare yourself," Nuwa warned. She didn't make any extravagant techniques. No dragon roars or phoenix cries rang. All she did was point at Taiyi with her finger.
Taiyi felt all the hairs on his body stiffen and stand on end. The world disappeared, and only the finger and he remained. The fingertip approached him slowly, but Taiyi couldn't move at all. He roared and managed to summon the Chaos Bell to block the finger in the nick of time.
Not a moment later, the finger lightly tapped the Chaos Bell. A thunderous ring echoed in Wa Palace. Taiyi crashed into the wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood in the process.
Di Jun's eyes widened. He could see that Nuwa didn't do anything special, yet his brother, an advanced Quasi-Saint, was sent flying without being able to put up any resistance. No wonder the Dao Ancestor said all under Saints were ants.
Taiyi stood up with some difficulty. Although his injuries appeared severe, it was nothing that time couldn't fix, and his foundation had not been damaged at all. "Thank you."
Nuwa pointed at Taiyi again, and a green glow covered him. To his surprise, he discovered that all his injuries had been healed in an instant. Not only were Saints mighty in terms of strength, but they possessed mysterious means as well.
Di Jun and Taiyi left, as Nuwa wanted to talk to Fuxi alone. "Brother, if possible, can you extricate yourself from the Demon Clan?"
"Is the Demon Clan doomed?" Fuxi asked, immediately thinking of the reason.
Nuwa shook her head. "Not necessarily, but the war with the Titan Tribe will be perilous. The chances of Di Jun and Taiyi surviving aren't high either."
Fuxi smiled. "How can I shirk away at the slightest hint of danger? We received many benefits from joining Heavenly Court. How can I abandon them like this? Speak no more, I won't leave."
Nuwa sighed. She silently vowed to pay attention to Fuxi and prevent him from dying, even if she had to suffer punishment from the Way of Heaven.
"Eldest Brother, did you gain any inspiration for fusing your three Corpses after the sermon?" Tongtian asked.
"Third Sister did as well?" Laozi returned.
Tongtian smiled. "Just some inspiration, nothing solid."
Laozi nodded. After returning to the Great Desolation, halfway to Kunlun Mountain, Tongtian split off. "When Nuwa created humanity, I accepted a nominal disciple. It's been a thousand years, I should see how he is doing."
Upon hearing this, Laozi felt the Grandmist Violet Qi in his possession resonate, but it was only for a fleeting moment. His eyes turned as he made a decision. "You actually accepted a disciple. I wonder how his roots are."
Tongtian scratched her cheeks. "He's very weak, not even an immortal. How about you wait until he's at least an Earth Immortal?"
"Nonsense," Yuanshi said. "Since Third Sister accepted a disciple, the first of the Three Purities lineage, we should take a look."
Tongtian eventually agreed. She didn’t really have anything to hide, so she brought them to Allheaven Temple on Buzhou Mountain. There, Tongtian sent a message to Wutian for him to see her.
While she was gone, Wutian had returned to the rest of humanity. Due to his cultivation, he stood out and was immediately noticed by the three ancestors, Suiren, Zhengyi, and Youchao. They summoned Wutian and asked him why he was so strong, and he answered truthfully.
Upon hearing this, all three ancestor's eyes lit up. Although they solved the issue of food, safety, and shelter, they could not strengthen humanity, and many still fell to ferocious beasts. They asked Wutian if he was able to teach them the method, but Wutian said that it could only be taught to his master's disciples.
The three ancestors were disappointed but did not blame Wutian. However, Wutian still had a method to strengthen the able men and women of the tribe. Wutian created weapons, and merits descended.
Tongtian had already warned him about the danger of reliance on merit, so Wutian didn't absorb the merit to increase his cultivation, inteased forming a Halo of Merit behind him. The introduction of weapons instantly increased the overall strength of humanity by several folds.
The weapons were formed from bones, stones, or other sharp objects attached to sticks. Wutian wasn't pleased with the end product, but this was the best he could do right now, as he couldn't manipulate iron and forge them.
Wutian didn't rest on his laurels either. While he continued to open his acupoints, he also created a set of simple martial arts to teach his fellow humans. The martial arts didn't instantly increase their strength like weapons, but they provided long-term benefits. By practicing them, humans could unlock the acupoints in their bodies without using essence or a cultivation method. Because of this, more merits descended down on Wutian, but he still didn't absorb them.
Humanity came to respect Wutian's contribution to the race and came to revere him as humanity's fourth ancestor, the Martial Ancestor.
During this time, Wutian occasionally returned to Allheaven Palace, but Tongtian was never there. When he suddenly heard Tongtian's message, his eyes lit up. He turned towards the three ancestors and said, "Eldest Brother, Second Sister, Third Brother, my master has summoned me. I have to leave now."
Suiren nodded. "Go, don't make her wait too long."
Wutian smiled and left the cave the four made him. He had already reached the Inner Formation Realm, so compared to before, he didn't need to take too long to reach the grotto Tongtian created. He entered Allheaven Temple and froze as he saw two unfamiliar men with his master.
Still, that shock only lasted for a second. He cupped his fist together and greeted them respectfully. "Disciple greets Master, and greets seniors."
Wutian wanted to say more but felt a dangerous sensation coming toward him. He snapped his head up to see a handsome middle-aged man wearing black robes glaring daggers at him.