In Eminence Heavenly Palace, Di Jun's expression darkened as he felt the infinite coercion spreading from Nuwa. It was a good thing for the Demon Clan to have a Saint, and he didn't need to worry about becoming a puppet emperor with the Demon Summoning Banner in hand.
However, what if Nuwa took back the Demon Summoning Banner by force?
A Saint couldn't be the Heavenly Emperor, but Nuwa had a brother, Fuxi. What if she wanted to install him as the Heavenly Emperor?
Di Jun gritted his teeth and resisted the coercion. When he thought he couldn't resist anymore, the Nine Dragon Throne shrouded him in an imperial light that protected him, further supporting his resistance.
How can the Emperor of Heaven kneel to anyone, even a Saint?
On the third level of heaven inside Taiyi's palace, the advanced Quasi-Saint struggled not to kneel under the coercion. He gained a deeper understanding of what it meant that all under Saints were ants.
Taiyi roared as he utilized all his measures; he refused to kneel. The Chaos Bell appeared above Taiyi's head and rang, alleviating some of the pressure Taiyi felt.
Finally, Taiyi managed to hold himself up but still bowed under the coercion.
In the Darknorth Sea, Kunpeng grunted and used all his strength, but he still fell to his knees under Nuwa's coercion.
In complete contrast, Xuangui only slightly lowered his head. If he really wanted to, he could forcibly ignore the pressure, but he didn't see the point, so he lowered his head.
In the Blood Sea, Minghe's eyes flashed with envy as he was forced to his knees. He silently swore that he would attain the same power in the future.
In the main hall of Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain, Zhen Yuanzi and Redcloud Ancestor both kneeled. Zhen Yuanzi sighed at the Saint's might. Just their birth created such a stir.
On the other hand, endless desire spilled out of Redcloud Ancestor's eyes. He also got a strand of Grandmist Violet Qi, but he couldn't decipher it at all. Should he also leave and wander the Great Desolation?
Laozi's and Yuanshi's expressions darkened as they felt Nuwa's coercion. They didn't expect that out of the seven people who received Grandmist Violet Qi, it would be Nuwa who achieved sainthood first.
As the Taiji Diagram appeared behind Laozi, he understood that he delayed his ascendancy to Sainthood because he wanted to let his three Corpses merge and become a Saint of Heaven. Still, he never once believed that anyone, including his siblings, would surpass him.
Yuanshi also used his Pangu Banner to resist kneeling. Out of the Three Purities, he held the greatest pride, borderline arrogance even. So, to see someone achieve sainthood and not be among the Three Purities damaged it. He vowed to achieve sainthood next.
On Mount Sumeru of the West, Jieyin and Zhunti both did their best to resist Nuwa's coercion. Like Taiyi, they managed to stay standing but still bowed, with Zhunti bowing lower than Jieyin.
Zhunti couldn't help but sigh and think. "When will we be able to achieve sainthood?"
In the South, Jinchi unwillingly knelt down. After all these years, he still hadn't severed his second Corpse. While on his knees, he wondered how his brother fared. Surely he wouldn't kneel, right?
At the epicenter, the coercion surpassed all other locations. Blood spilled out of Kong Xuan's nine orifices as he fought against the Saint's coercion. With one last unwilling roar, Kong Xuan fell onto one knee.
Tongtian also resisted, but it was a subconscious action stemming from her pride as one of the Three Purities. Most of her focus was on realizing her obsession. To outsiders, her eyes seemed dim.
'So that's it,' Tongtian thought. When she saw humanity's birth, she realized that she didn't hold much obsession with them. Or rather, her past as a human.
Her memories as a human had become sidelined, while her identity as Tongtian took center stage. Her times as a human influenced her, but deep down, she no longer considered herself one of them. Eons of time had broken that connection.
If humanity wasn't her obsession, then what was?
The answer was herself. To be more specific, it was her identity as the Supreme Purity.
Because she accepted this identity at the core of her being, she also feared the original Supreme Purity's ending in the Investiture of the Gods. Near the end, four Saints besieged her, or rather, him.
The four Saints who united against her were her two brothers, Laozi and Yuanshi, and the two western Saints, Jieyin and Zhunti. Worse, not only was he defeated, but the Dao Ancestor locked him in Violet Heaven Palace after the battle.
That fate was why Tongtian worked so hard to deepen the relationship between the Three Purities. When she discovered the Twelfth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification, she made sure to share the Ninth-Ranked White Lotuses of Purifications with her brothers, making them feel like they owed her.
Her efforts bore fruit. Rather than acting as individuals, they acted as one unit. However, it was unknown how long this would continue. The Three Purities would split up after the creation of their individual forces.
Still, so what?
Tongtian still didn't want to come into conflict with her brothers, but she would no longer fear it. If they blocked her way and forced her into confinement, forget her two brothers, she’d even cut down Hongjun!
One sword to seek the Great Dao.
"Sever!"
A silver river appeared behind Tongtian, and on the third flower, a humanoid figure appeared. It jumped and merged with the Ninth-Ranked Green Lotus of Good Fortune and transformed into her third Corpse. Tongtian's cultivation, which had stagnated for over an eon, progressed, and she entered the Peak Quasi-Saint Realm. Coupled with her willpower and noble identity, Tongtian only bowed slightly under Nuwa's coercion.
When Nuwa saw this, sure enough, none of the Three Purities were simple. Once she became a Saint, she understood why the Dao Ancestor said that all under Saints were ants, but Saints also had restrictions.
As the coercion disappeared, Nuwa glanced at the newly created humans with turmoil in her eyes. When she became a Saint of Heaven, she peered into the secrets of heaven and discovered that the Way of Heaven didn't want the Demon Clan or the Titan Tribe to win. No, the Way of Heaven wanted the newly created humanity to become the final winner, the new masters of the Great Desolation.
Nuwa felt the urge to destroy the newly created humanity, but she couldn't bear to do it. Humanity was akin to her own children. In the end, she sighed and decided to go with the flow. If she helped the Demon Clan, the Grandmist Violet Qi fused with her truesoul would stop her.
Once the coercion disappeared and humans regained their voices, they knelt even lower and addressed Nuwa as Mother Nuwa.
"Daoist Tongtian, since I have achieved sainthood, I will no longer live in the Great Desolation. I will open up a grotto in the chaotic boundary in a thousand years. If you are interested, you can come and listen to my sermon," Nuwa said. Her voice didn't just spread to Tongtian, but a similar message echoed throughout the Great Desolation. Afterward, she returned the Immortal Gourd Vine.
"I'll definitely come. How can I miss the chance to listen to the sermon of a Saint?" Tongtian said, accepting the Immortal Gourd Vine back and not minding the change in Nuwa's address.
Nuwa nodded and flew off into the sky. Along the way, she chanced about a qingluan. She waved her hand and captured the divine bird. "From now on, your name will be Caiyun, and you will be my mount."
Caiyun couldn't be happier. "Thank you, Mother Nuwa."
She had made her way to Buzhou Mountain after the coercion disappeared, hoping for a stroke of fortune. True, a divine bird like her had been reduced to a mount, but it depended on whose mount she was. Not just her but many beasts were willing to become a Saint's mount.
Riding on Caiyun's back, Nuwa disappeared into the distance.
With Nuwa gone, Tongtian took this time to observe her Obsession Corpse. His features were handsome. Not at the level of her Good Corpse, but his features surpassed her Evil Corpse. All in all, he looked like a mixture of the two wearing cyan robes.
"From now on, you will be called Lingbao," Tongtian said.
Lingbao smiled and cupped his fist. "Lingbao greets Main Body."
She rolled her eyes and stored her Obsession Corpse in one of the three flowers with the rest of her Corpses. Then, she turned towards the one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred humans.
Their small size struck a chord in her. Before, Tongtian had always thought she was average in height, at least compared to a human, but only now did she realize she was wrong. Compared to her, humans only stood at around one-twentieth of her height, barely the length of her finger.
Seeing the lost look in their eyes, Tongtian wanted to help. Even if she no longer considered herself human, she could not deny that she had once been human, but before she could, she looked up. She could feel the Grandmist Violet Qi warning her.
Tongtian frowned. Why was the Way of Heaven warning her? She couldn't discover the reason, so she turned to leave. Kong Xuan seemed to have wanted to do something but suddenly stopped with an ugly expression, making her feel better.
Just as she turned to leave, a voice called out. "Please wait!"
Tongtian and Kong Xuan stopped and turned around. One of Nuwa's handcrafted humans had walked up in all his naked glory and kneeled down. "Revered Immortal, please accept me as your disciple!"
Before Tongtian could speak, Kong Xuan spoke. "Since you want to apprentice under me, then I will accept you."
Tongtian threw an annoyed glare at the damn peacock. Maybe Yuanshi's words had some truth when he called them flat-feathered beasts. But contrary to her expectations, the human didn't get up and looked toward her.
Kong Xuan's expression darkened while Tongtian's brightened. It must have been because Nuwa had spoken to her instead of Kong Xuan. She schooled her expression and tried to appear more dignified.
"It's not that I cannot accept you as a disciple, but you must pass my test first," Tongtian said. "Do not worry, I won't make it too hard since you are a newly born later heaven lifeform, but I will test your willpower and ingenuity."
The human was elated. "Thank you, Revered Immortal!"
"Don't thank me so soon," Tongtian said. She pointed at a location higher up on Buzhou Mountain. "If you can climb up there, I will accept you as my disciple."
Without waiting for the human to react, Tongtian flew towards the location she pointed at. To her, it only took an instant to arrive, but for a human, it would take decades. She wasn't worried that the human would die of old age.
Unlike the seventy-year life expectancy of later generations, Nuwa endowed the first generation of humanity with superior vitality. Coupled with the waning, yet still abundant essence remaining on Buzhou Mountain, living for a few thousand years was no problem at all.
As Kong Xuan left, he glared angrily at the human, who shrunk his head back. When he looked at the rest of the humans, they all huddled together with fearful looks. Kong Xuan hated iron for not becoming steel and left after waving his sleeve.
Back with Tongtian, she arrived at the location. With a wave of her hand, she carved a deep cave into the rock. Once she stepped inside, darkness shrouded her. Tongtian moved her hands a few times, and sword light shot out from her fingers.
In the next moment, the darkness disappeared as a vast sky appeared in the cave, and an endless prairie filled the ground. Tongtian recreated the sky and land using a formation. Even though a Golden Immortal of the Great Unity could create a grotto like she did, they would have to spare massive amounts of energy and resources.
Lastly, she built a temple with Allheaven written in Dao Script above the entrance in the center of the grotto. She walked inside and sat atop her Twelfth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification above the raised platform, waiting for the human.
In Eminence Heavenly Palace, Di Jun's expression darkened as he felt the infinite coercion spreading from Nuwa. It was a good thing for the Demon Clan to have a Saint, and he didn't need to worry about becoming a puppet emperor with the Demon Summoning Banner in hand.
However, what if Nuwa took back the Demon Summoning Banner by force?
A Saint couldn't be the Heavenly Emperor, but Nuwa had a brother, Fuxi. What if she wanted to install him as the Heavenly Emperor?
Di Jun gritted his teeth and resisted the coercion. When he thought he couldn't resist anymore, the Nine Dragon Throne shrouded him in an imperial light that protected him, further supporting his resistance.
How can the Emperor of Heaven kneel to anyone, even a Saint?
On the third level of heaven inside Taiyi's palace, the advanced Quasi-Saint struggled not to kneel under the coercion. He gained a deeper understanding of what it meant that all under Saints were ants.
Taiyi roared as he utilized all his measures; he refused to kneel. The Chaos Bell appeared above Taiyi's head and rang, alleviating some of the pressure Taiyi felt.
Finally, Taiyi managed to hold himself up but still bowed under the coercion.
In the Darknorth Sea, Kunpeng grunted and used all his strength, but he still fell to his knees under Nuwa's coercion.
In complete contrast, Xuangui only slightly lowered his head. If he really wanted to, he could forcibly ignore the pressure, but he didn't see the point, so he lowered his head.
In the Blood Sea, Minghe's eyes flashed with envy as he was forced to his knees. He silently swore that he would attain the same power in the future.
In the main hall of Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain, Zhen Yuanzi and Redcloud Ancestor both kneeled. Zhen Yuanzi sighed at the Saint's might. Just their birth created such a stir.
On the other hand, endless desire spilled out of Redcloud Ancestor's eyes. He also got a strand of Grandmist Violet Qi, but he couldn't decipher it at all. Should he also leave and wander the Great Desolation?
Laozi's and Yuanshi's expressions darkened as they felt Nuwa's coercion. They didn't expect that out of the seven people who received Grandmist Violet Qi, it would be Nuwa who achieved sainthood first.
As the Taiji Diagram appeared behind Laozi, he understood that he delayed his ascendancy to Sainthood because he wanted to let his three Corpses merge and become a Saint of Heaven. Still, he never once believed that anyone, including his siblings, would surpass him.
Yuanshi also used his Pangu Banner to resist kneeling. Out of the Three Purities, he held the greatest pride, borderline arrogance even. So, to see someone achieve sainthood and not be among the Three Purities damaged it. He vowed to achieve sainthood next.
On Mount Sumeru of the West, Jieyin and Zhunti both did their best to resist Nuwa's coercion. Like Taiyi, they managed to stay standing but still bowed, with Zhunti bowing lower than Jieyin.
Zhunti couldn't help but sigh and think. "When will we be able to achieve sainthood?"
In the South, Jinchi unwillingly knelt down. After all these years, he still hadn't severed his second Corpse. While on his knees, he wondered how his brother fared. Surely he wouldn't kneel, right?
At the epicenter, the coercion surpassed all other locations. Blood spilled out of Kong Xuan's nine orifices as he fought against the Saint's coercion. With one last unwilling roar, Kong Xuan fell onto one knee.
Tongtian also resisted, but it was a subconscious action stemming from her pride as one of the Three Purities. Most of her focus was on realizing her obsession. To outsiders, her eyes seemed dim.
'So that's it,' Tongtian thought. When she saw humanity's birth, she realized that she didn't hold much obsession with them. Or rather, her past as a human.
Her memories as a human had become sidelined, while her identity as Tongtian took center stage. Her times as a human influenced her, but deep down, she no longer considered herself one of them. Eons of time had broken that connection.
If humanity wasn't her obsession, then what was?
The answer was herself. To be more specific, it was her identity as the Supreme Purity.
Because she accepted this identity at the core of her being, she also feared the original Supreme Purity's ending in the Investiture of the Gods. Near the end, four Saints besieged her, or rather, him.
The four Saints who united against her were her two brothers, Laozi and Yuanshi, and the two western Saints, Jieyin and Zhunti. Worse, not only was he defeated, but the Dao Ancestor locked him in Violet Heaven Palace after the battle.
That fate was why Tongtian worked so hard to deepen the relationship between the Three Purities. When she discovered the Twelfth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification, she made sure to share the Ninth-Ranked White Lotuses of Purifications with her brothers, making them feel like they owed her.
Her efforts bore fruit. Rather than acting as individuals, they acted as one unit. However, it was unknown how long this would continue. The Three Purities would split up after the creation of their individual forces.
Still, so what?
Tongtian still didn't want to come into conflict with her brothers, but she would no longer fear it. If they blocked her way and forced her into confinement, forget her two brothers, she’d even cut down Hongjun!
One sword to seek the Great Dao.
"Sever!"
A silver river appeared behind Tongtian, and on the third flower, a humanoid figure appeared. It jumped and merged with the Ninth-Ranked Green Lotus of Good Fortune and transformed into her third Corpse. Tongtian's cultivation, which had stagnated for over an eon, progressed, and she entered the Peak Quasi-Saint Realm. Coupled with her willpower and noble identity, Tongtian only bowed slightly under Nuwa's coercion.
When Nuwa saw this, sure enough, none of the Three Purities were simple. Once she became a Saint, she understood why the Dao Ancestor said that all under Saints were ants, but Saints also had restrictions.
As the coercion disappeared, Nuwa glanced at the newly created humans with turmoil in her eyes. When she became a Saint of Heaven, she peered into the secrets of heaven and discovered that the Way of Heaven didn't want the Demon Clan or the Titan Tribe to win. No, the Way of Heaven wanted the newly created humanity to become the final winner, the new masters of the Great Desolation.
Nuwa felt the urge to destroy the newly created humanity, but she couldn't bear to do it. Humanity was akin to her own children. In the end, she sighed and decided to go with the flow. If she helped the Demon Clan, the Grandmist Violet Qi fused with her truesoul would stop her.
Once the coercion disappeared and humans regained their voices, they knelt even lower and addressed Nuwa as Mother Nuwa.
"Daoist Tongtian, since I have achieved sainthood, I will no longer live in the Great Desolation. I will open up a grotto in the chaotic boundary in a thousand years. If you are interested, you can come and listen to my sermon," Nuwa said. Her voice didn't just spread to Tongtian, but a similar message echoed throughout the Great Desolation. Afterward, she returned the Immortal Gourd Vine.
"I'll definitely come. How can I miss the chance to listen to the sermon of a Saint?" Tongtian said, accepting the Immortal Gourd Vine back and not minding the change in Nuwa's address.
Nuwa nodded and flew off into the sky. Along the way, she chanced about a qingluan. She waved her hand and captured the divine bird. "From now on, your name will be Caiyun, and you will be my mount."
Caiyun couldn't be happier. "Thank you, Mother Nuwa."
She had made her way to Buzhou Mountain after the coercion disappeared, hoping for a stroke of fortune. True, a divine bird like her had been reduced to a mount, but it depended on whose mount she was. Not just her but many beasts were willing to become a Saint's mount.
Riding on Caiyun's back, Nuwa disappeared into the distance.
With Nuwa gone, Tongtian took this time to observe her Obsession Corpse. His features were handsome. Not at the level of her Good Corpse, but his features surpassed her Evil Corpse. All in all, he looked like a mixture of the two wearing cyan robes.
"From now on, you will be called Lingbao," Tongtian said.
Lingbao smiled and cupped his fist. "Lingbao greets Main Body."
She rolled her eyes and stored her Obsession Corpse in one of the three flowers with the rest of her Corpses. Then, she turned towards the one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred humans.
Their small size struck a chord in her. Before, Tongtian had always thought she was average in height, at least compared to a human, but only now did she realize she was wrong. Compared to her, humans only stood at around one-twentieth of her height, barely the length of her finger.
Seeing the lost look in their eyes, Tongtian wanted to help. Even if she no longer considered herself human, she could not deny that she had once been human, but before she could, she looked up. She could feel the Grandmist Violet Qi warning her.
Tongtian frowned. Why was the Way of Heaven warning her? She couldn't discover the reason, so she turned to leave. Kong Xuan seemed to have wanted to do something but suddenly stopped with an ugly expression, making her feel better.
Just as she turned to leave, a voice called out. "Please wait!"
Tongtian and Kong Xuan stopped and turned around. One of Nuwa's handcrafted humans had walked up in all his naked glory and kneeled down. "Revered Immortal, please accept me as your disciple!"
Before Tongtian could speak, Kong Xuan spoke. "Since you want to apprentice under me, then I will accept you."
Tongtian threw an annoyed glare at the damn peacock. Maybe Yuanshi's words had some truth when he called them flat-feathered beasts. But contrary to her expectations, the human didn't get up and looked toward her.
Kong Xuan's expression darkened while Tongtian's brightened. It must have been because Nuwa had spoken to her instead of Kong Xuan. She schooled her expression and tried to appear more dignified.
"It's not that I cannot accept you as a disciple, but you must pass my test first," Tongtian said. "Do not worry, I won't make it too hard since you are a newly born later heaven lifeform, but I will test your willpower and ingenuity."
The human was elated. "Thank you, Revered Immortal!"
"Don't thank me so soon," Tongtian said. She pointed at a location higher up on Buzhou Mountain. "If you can climb up there, I will accept you as my disciple."
Without waiting for the human to react, Tongtian flew towards the location she pointed at. To her, it only took an instant to arrive, but for a human, it would take decades. She wasn't worried that the human would die of old age.
Unlike the seventy-year life expectancy of later generations, Nuwa endowed the first generation of humanity with superior vitality. Coupled with the waning, yet still abundant essence remaining on Buzhou Mountain, living for a few thousand years was no problem at all.
As Kong Xuan left, he glared angrily at the human, who shrunk his head back. When he looked at the rest of the humans, they all huddled together with fearful looks. Kong Xuan hated iron for not becoming steel and left after waving his sleeve.
Back with Tongtian, she arrived at the location. With a wave of her hand, she carved a deep cave into the rock. Once she stepped inside, darkness shrouded her. Tongtian moved her hands a few times, and sword light shot out from her fingers.
In the next moment, the darkness disappeared as a vast sky appeared in the cave, and an endless prairie filled the ground. Tongtian recreated the sky and land using a formation. Even though a Golden Immortal of the Great Unity could create a grotto like she did, they would have to spare massive amounts of energy and resources.
Lastly, she built a temple with Allheaven written in Dao Script above the entrance in the center of the grotto. She walked inside and sat atop her Twelfth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification above the raised platform, waiting for the human.
