On Fengqi Mountain, Nuwa brought back a hundred foxes, and enlightened one fox to transform into a youth.
The youth prostrated himself and bowed, "This little fox, Tu Shan, pays respects to Empress Nuwa. Thank you, Empress Nuwa, for your mercy!"
Beside them, Fuxi chuckled, "Little sister, where has your title as Empress Nuwa reached now?"
Nuwa smiled helplessly, "Brother, do not tease me."
Nuwa was bestowed the title of "Empress" by all beings in the vast Northwest Wilderness out of their own accord.
Since the Ancestral Witch Ru Shou of the Wu clan established the Ancestral Witch Hall here, leading his kin to hunt and kill myriad beings, feeding their still-immature shamans with flesh and blood.
All shamans below the Heavenly Shaman realm of the Wu clan required flesh and blood to survive.
The Wu clansmen above the Heavenly Shaman, such as Profound Shamans, Wu Elders, Great Shamans, and even Ancestral Shamans, had long transcended the need for flesh and blood, subsisting solely on the malevolent qi of heaven and earth, which they used as their mystic power for extraordinary abilities!
However, in reality, only the Great Shamans and Ancestral Shamans of the Wu clan could truly break free from their dependence on bloody sustenance.
This was because the power of the Wu clan resided entirely within their shamanic bodies. Their vital essence was the soul of the shamanic body, and their flesh and blood formed its shape. By neutralizing the ferocity of the malevolent qi with the blood and flesh of myriad beings, they could achieve completeness.
Therefore, the Wu clan viewed all beings as mere food.
Countless creatures in the vast Northwest Wilderness were hunted and fled to Fengqi Mountain, seeking Nuwa's compassionate protection. Hence, they reverently addressed her as Empress Nuwa of Fengqi Mountain!
Nuwa said to Tu Shan with a touch of solemnity, "Your clan leader sacrificed their life to protect you all. Henceforth, you shall cultivate diligently on Fengqi Mountain and ensure the continuation of your lineage. You are the leader of the white foxes; I hope you will act with prudence."
Tu Shan bowed again, respectfully saying, "Thank you, Empress Nuwa, for your guidance."
"Go now. Fengqi Mountain is vast; find a place to settle."
Hearing this, Tu Shan's eyes welled up with tears. The world was vast, yet they had no home. Empress Nuwa was willing to offer her dojo as a sanctuary for all beasts. Though a supreme being, her heart held compassion for even the most insignificant of creatures.
Tu Shan led the hundred foxes down from the peak of Fengqi Mountain. As far as the eye could see, a multitude of beasts gathered, with no less than a hundred species of various beasts residing at the foot of Fengqi Mountain.
On the summit, Fuxi's gaze swept over the myriad beasts below. In his eyes, Yin and Yang unfolded, dividing into the Four Symbols, which then diversified into the Eight Extremes.
Within his perception of the Eight Extremes, wisps of faint destiny rose from the heads of the beasts below, connecting towards the heavens.
That nexus was the peak of Fengqi Mountain, the increasingly flourishing image of a being with a human body and a serpent's tail, radiating destiny!
However, there was only one being with a human body and a serpent's tail, and that was Nuwa.
There was no image of Fuxi, not because he was not born with one, but because it had dispersed in later ages to complement the feminine Yin image.
Just as Fuxi was lost in thought, Nuwa suddenly said, "They are finally here."
Fuxi raised his head and looked towards the northwest.
Beneath the rising sun, a colossal giant, reaching into the heavens, with a height of ten thousand and ten thousand zhang, striding across a thousand and a thousand li of land, advanced. With each step, the earth transformed into a golden tidal wave, as if one being was leading a golden tide, threatening to engulf mountains and rivers.
From the north, heavy rain poured, and fierce winds raged. Wind merged with rain, water softened and fused with wind's sharpness. Great winds arose, clouds scattered; torrential rains fell, fog thickened, and frost appeared. A giant rode the wind like a dragon, moving with the wind like a fierce tiger. Where a woman’s foot landed, a thousand li became marshland.
From the northeast, black mist obscured the sky, casting a pall over mountains and rivers. The heavens and earth were dim and unfathomable. Grass withered, and beasts turned to bone; life ceased to exist. A staggering figure advanced stiffly.
On Fengqi Mountain, a serene blue ocean surged upwards, flowing against the wind, meeting the northeastern winds, blending with the morning clouds and evening rain from all directions. A furious roar erupted, like the roar of ten thousand rivers and the surge of mighty streams.
Outside Fengqi Mountain, terrifying celestial phenomena instilled dread and awe in all living beings. All beasts turned their gaze towards the two figures standing on the summit, facing the world; they were their only hope in this great cataclysm.
A ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the peak of Fengqi Mountain. In this era, akin to the end of days, that figure was neither a god nor an immortal.
She was their god! Their god of faith!
With a thunderous boom from the sky, a giant loomed overhead, its terrifying voice piercing the eardrums of all beasts.
"Nuwa of Fengqi! How dare you obstruct our clan's survival and propagation? Even more so, how dare you annihilate our shamanic kin?"
Fuxi's expression was as calm as water. His gentle smile had vanished. He slowly walked back to the peak, beneath the梧桐 tree with its fiery red leaves, and slowly sat down. He placed an ancient zither across his knees and looked at Nuwa.
Nuwa let out a soft laugh. Facing the pervasive shamanic power, she said with a smile, "For the Wu to live, must all beings perish?
I destroy only those who offend me."
From the vast dead mist in the northeast, a hoarse and broken voice emerged, "Only death!"
The giant from the northwest, whose steps brought forth golden tides, said coldly, "Supreme beings, this is not the first time we have killed."
Amidst the heavy rain and cold, a woman's clear and cold voice spoke, "Make your move."
The wind and rain intensified, the golden tides rolled and crushed the earth, the eerie black mist churned, and the waters of the nine heavens poured down. The power of the five Wu clan members enveloped Fengqi Mountain.
On the peak of Fengqi Mountain, beneath the梧桐 tree, as a fiery red leaf fell, Fuxi plucked a string. The zither resonated, and the profound notes sounded, creating rainbows!
The sky was suffused with a myriad of red clouds. A woman in red, wielding dual blades, with clouds and mist as her army, music as her armor, and the firmament as her formation, her blades as her edge.
Her red sleeves danced, stirring the rolling clouds of the horizon. Her blades emerged from her sleeves, like drawing swords from the clouds. Fuxi's zither chimed, its sound resonating in all directions, transforming into a phoenix dancing with the clouds and mist, and into the Eight Extremes as a shield, encircling the phoenix and the mist, guarding the center, with its edges spread to the four directions.
Nuwa's blades were as swift as lightning, and a thousand times faster than lightning. With each upward and downward strike, she ended the life and creation of a being. Where her blade light pointed, the golden tides faltered, the wind and rain shattered like fragments, the ice cracked and pulverized, the wind turned to dust, the black mist dissipated, and the light of creation entered. The sounds of the Eight Extremes ascended to the nine heavens, and the vast oceans flowed outwards, yet could not compare to Fengqi.
At the Eastern Jianmu, Qing Ling smiled as he watched the converging winds and clouds. The Tengshe lineage protected Nuwa, the great goddess who created heaven and earth, destined for greatness.
The music on the peak of Fengqi Mountain became a song, the leaves of the梧桐 tree were red as blood, reflecting the nine heavens, clouds, and mist, blades and light. Though the five ancestors from the northwest and east were close to Fengqi, they could not destroy the land of Fengqi.
Beneath the梧桐 tree, Fuxi played the zither, and in the nine heavens, Nuwa danced her sleeves.
The music from the zither initiated the Eight Extremes trigram mechanism, and the swirling sleeves represented the falling blades of creation.
Fengqi's zither music was exquisitely pleasing to the ear, and the dance in the nine heavens was a feast for the eyes.
A beam of civilized light in the brutal, ancient era. Thoughts stirred in all directions.
In the Southern Lands, a man in golden robes sighed, "The greatness of the supreme beings protects the Great Wilderness. The power of the supreme beings is boundless! These two truly possess peerless talent!"
In the Western Kunlun, the Queen Mother, seated on her immortal throne, was momentarily lost in thought.
The Azure Bird fairy attendant at her side sighed, "This Nuwa truly lives up to the title of 'Empress'!"
The Queen Mother, after a moment of reverie, said, "Though I held immense power, at her age, how could I compare to her freedom in cleaving the eight desolations and dyeing the crimson clouds with blood?"
In the Eastern Penglai, the Eastern King Gong's expression turned grim. "If these two cannot be utilized, the calamity will be considerable. Once they gain power, they could become another Eastern Wilderness Lord!"
On Phoenix Terrace, Zhu Que emerged, gazing at the fiery梧桐 tree, her heart filled with sorrow. Though her thoughts churned, she could do nothing.
However, at this moment, beneath the梧桐 tree, Fuxi's music suddenly changed. His mind was absorbed in the interplay of his fingers on the zither, each note resonating within his heart.
Fuxi's clear voice burst into a resounding laugh, its cheerful and elegant melody spreading to the four seas.
"Phoenix, oh phoenix, return to your homeland; roam the four seas in search of your mate!"
The southern heavens trembled, and thirty million auspicious phoenixes descended!