Ten thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, Nuwa emerged from seclusion.
The Fengqi Mountain was bathed in a kaleidoscope of neon lights, as if the sunset had stained half the sky crimson, stretching all the way to Buzhou Mountain.
Nuwa stood in the firmament. Even from this mere first heaven, one could feel a sense of lofty supremacy, as if she were thirty-three heavens above.
The resplendent saintly majesty descended upon the Primordial World, and countless Wu tribe members prostrated themselves, unable to rise.
All the mighty beings turned their gaze to Buzhou Mountain once more, but this time, they were merely watching a show.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches, their faces grim, emerged from the Great Ancestral Witch Hall. Each of them revealed their true Ancestral Witch form, towering for billions of feet, shielding the countless Wu tribe members beneath them.
Di Jiang spoke with a chilling tone, "Saint Nuwa! What business brings you to our Wu tribe?"
He did not harbor fear or trepidation simply because Nuwa was a saint. Fear was an emotion unknown to the Wu tribe.
Nuwa's faint gaze swept across the Twelve Ancestral Witches. Her eyes held no anger, no sorrow, only a detached indifference, as if looking at ants.
"In the past, your Wu tribe used the Twelve Heavenly God-Demon Array to battle my Demon tribe, resulting in my elder brother's demise. My brother was my closest kin. It is only natural for me to settle this karma for him."
Xuan Ming sneered, "Hypocritical! If you wish to fight, then fight. Must you always concoct an excuse to disguise yourself?"
Nuwa glanced at Xuan Ming, her eyes utterly devoid of emotion. "I speak for the heavens and earth to hear. There is no need to explain myself to you."
Xuan Ming's face flushed with shame and anger, but he ultimately restrained himself.
Nuwa continued leisurely, "Your Wu tribe, as descendants of Pangu, revere Pangu as the Father God and consider yourselves Pangu's orthodox lineage. Yet, you consume all living beings, slaughtering billions upon billions of lives. The piled-up white bones are perhaps as high as Buzhou Mountain itself!
However, this world was created by the great god Pangu, and all beings are transformed from Pangu. Tracing back to the roots, all beings in the Primordial World, every blade of grass, every tree, every mountain, every stone, all sentient beings are descendants of Pangu. All revere Pangu, and there is no difference between them and your Wu tribe."
The faces of the Twelve Ancestral Witches turned ashen. Zhu Rong roared, "Ridiculous! Those savage beasts, ignorant of the heavens and earth, are they worthy of being compared to our Wu tribe?"
Nuwa's gaze passed over the Twelve Ancestral Witches, looking towards the depths of Buzhou Mountain, where a Pangu Hall stood.
"All beings are equal. Why can they not be compared? If there is any difference, it is that you, the Twelve Ancestral Witches, were formed from Pangu's essence blood, while other beings were formed from Pangu's flesh, hair, and bones. All are descendants of Pangu. That is the only difference."
Gonggong roared, "Nonsense! How can your reverence for Father God Pangu be compared to ours?"
Despite being contradicted repeatedly, Nuwa remained unperturbed. She spoke again, "The Wu tribe's reverence for the great god Pangu is born of fanaticism, a direct and unreserved adoration.
The reverence of all beings for the great god Pangu is hidden in their hearts, embodied in their words and deeds. Which living being has not worshipped the Pangu heavens and earth? Who has not respected and protected the heavens and earth? Which one has ever complained about the heavens and earth in the slightest?
Is direct adoration any less true than subtle, implicit adoration?
Furthermore, because of your Wu tribe, the heavens and earth have distinguished between the orthodox lineage of Pangu and ordinary beings. You alone are permitted to revere Pangu without restraint, while other beings dare not emulate you, for fear of being slaughtered by your kind.
You claim to be Pangu's orthodox lineage, yet what have you done for the heavens and earth? Have you educated the masses? Have you protected the mountains and rivers? Have you contributed to the heavens and earth?
All you have done is slaughter beings, wage war upon all tribes without regard for the shattering of mountains and rivers, and assert your own superiority.
Pangu's heart is buried deep within Buzhou Mountain. You have drawn his blood ceaselessly. You waged war against the Demon tribe, not hesitating to disturb Buzhou and ascend to the heavenly realm upon it, trampling Pangu's spine underfoot and conquering all tribes upon his shoulders. We of the Demon tribe, when establishing ourselves and ascending to heaven, only climbed Jianmu and did not tread upon Buzhou, for fear of disturbing Pangu's remains. Yet you, Pangu's orthodox lineage, what have you done?"
Nuwa's words struck the hearts of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, stirring their souls. Countless Wu tribe members felt bewildered and fearful.
All beings in the world heard this and were moved. All beings are equal, all transformed from the great god Pangu. Where did the distinction between orthodox and not arise?
Innumerable beings bowed in gratitude to Empress Nuwa's compassion. Many mighty beings felt ashamed, as if a veil had been lifted, and they suddenly understood.
On Jianmu, Qingling witnessed Empress Nuwa's every word strike at the hearts of the Wu tribe and enlighten all beings. He felt a sense of awe. A saint's actions brought merit and virtue, and with a saint governing the world, this era would be different.
He asked himself if he truly lacked the same sense of responsibility and burden as Nuwa. She dared to transgress the laws of heaven, to speak of secrets unknown to all beings, the mysteries of the heavens and earth. She could set aside personal grudges to uphold the righteous principles of the world!
Perhaps this was why he would not become a saint, and why he had never vied for that position, even knowing the world had not yet opened.
Those with saintly hearts, the wise and virtuous, were worthy of the saintly position and the title of Saint.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches fell silent. Houtu, unable to bear the despair of the Wu tribe, spoke, "Even if Empress Nuwa states these are the righteous principles of heaven and earth, if our Wu tribe does not consume flesh and blood, we will perish from poisoning. Must our billions of tribe members relinquish their right to survival?"
Nuwa looked up at the sky and said, "The Dao Ancestor, with his profound wisdom, conceived of using the true spirits of chaotic gods and demons to complete the will of heaven and earth, even sacrificing himself. But who knows that the will of the gods and demons influences the will of heaven's law? Your Wu tribe was born this way. The conflict between heaven and earth, the struggle between extremes, is all but the will of heaven's law.
However, I hope your tribe can find another way to coexist with all beings in this world."
Zhu Jiuyin scoffed, "If that is the case, then even Empress Nuwa, as a saint, cannot alleviate my Wu tribe's suffering. How can you then instruct us on how to act?"
Nuwa said calmly, "Even if your Wu tribe faces this innate calamity, you should not have slaughtered all beings without a shred of remorse, leading to the annihilation of countless species.
Know that slaughter also has its laws and order. One should always leave a sliver of life. Your Wu tribe has gone too far."
"Heh~" Ru Shou laughed dejectedly, "To leave a sliver of life for the heavens and earth, who, then, will leave a sliver of life for my Wu tribe?"
This time, Nuwa remained silent. Her gaze fell upon Houtu, then moved away.
"I have now fulfilled my duty as a saint, and it is time to act on my personal feelings.
Twelve Ancestral Witches, the hatred for the murder of my brother cannot be erased. But as a Hunyuan Saint, I shall employ only three moves. After these three moves, I will settle the karma for my brother."
Saying this, Nuwa addressed Jianmu, "I request your assistance, fellow Daoist."
Qing Ling stood up and replied, "I shall oblige."
With a wave of his hand, the head of Shebishi, which had been suppressed beneath Jianmu, flew towards Buzhou, returning to Shebishi's body.
Since Nuwa intended to settle the karma, she naturally had to completely defeat the Wu tribe, making them surrender wholeheartedly and vanquish the arrogant Twelve Heavenly God-Demon Array of the Wu tribe.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches exchanged glances and roared in unison. Their true Ancestral Witch forms suddenly swelled, their might reaching the heavens. Their bodies merged with Buzhou, and the ancient earthly energies returned, coalescing into the divine mountain of Buzhou. Their colossal forms reappeared.
This time, the Pangu giant form was even more formidable. The Twelve Ancestral Witches were all in their prime, and having cultivated in the Pangu Hall, Houtu and Di Jiang's strength now approached the Half-step Hunyuan realm.
But the opponent of the Pangu giant form this time was a Hunyuan Saint!
Countless mighty beings in the world craned their necks, stood on tiptoe, and widened their eyes. Never before had they witnessed a saint engage in battle. Naturally, they wished to see it with their own eyes.
The Hunyuan Saint, so lofty, so venerable and noble, immortal and undying, had become an object of faith in the hearts of countless mighty beings. They wished to see, to behold, what strength the legendary Hunyuan, the legendary Saint, possessed, and how far they themselves were from that realm.
Saints were invincible in the world, their fame too great. Without witnessing it firsthand, their doubts would not be dispelled, and their respect for saints would remain superficial.
Ultimately, strength reigned supreme. And since the saintly realm required both strength and a saintly heart, a world governed by saints would be a prosperous one!