Chapter 586

The Heavenly Court's thunderous cleansing lasted a full forty-nine days.

Outside the Southern Heavenly Gate, the 【Mirror of Demon Inspection】 overseen by the White Ze Yao Shen became the nightmare of all Heavenly Court divine officials and Yao Jiang.

At first, some still harbored侥幸, thinking this was merely the Heavenly Emperor putting on a show of strength after his recent marriage.

But when they saw their former comrades—those who once called each other brothers and even held high rank—displaying the earthen-yellow halo of Wu clan collusion or the foul aura of blood sacrifice cultivation before the mirror, only to be dragged away by expressionless golden-armored divine generals without a chance to speak, everyone felt a chill rise from the depths of their souls.

The Heavenly Emperor meant it.

He would use the most ruthless means to scrub every blemish not belonging to the sun from the Heavenly Court's magnificent robe, even if it tore the robe to shreds, he would not hesitate.

The forty-ninth day.

When the last heavenly soldier passed before the mirror and it showed no reaction, the inspector Ying Zhao Yao Shen finally withdrew his killing intent, bowed, and reported to the eternally silent Di Jun seated upon the Lingxiao Baodian.

"Your Majesty, of the one million three hundred seventy-nine thousand four hundred twenty-one divine officials, Yao Jiang, and heavenly soldiers listed in the registers of the Thirty-Three Heavens, all have passed inspection by the 【Mirror of Demon Inspection】."

"Among them, thirteen thousand seven hundred twenty were found to be secretly colluding with the Wu clan and bearing the earth turbid evil."

"Three hundred one were found to have privately cultivated blood sacrifice evil methods and carried karmic burdens."

"Furthermore, nine hundred fifteen were those who, guilty in heart, dared not step forward and attempted to flee."

"These traitors and villains, totaling fourteen thousand nine hundred thirty-six, have all been executed on the spot, their souls cast into the Nine Darkness Heavenly Prison, never to be reborn."

Ying Zhao's voice echoed in the vast hall, each word tinged with the smell of blood.

Di Jun sat upon the throne, expressionless.

This number was both more and less than he had anticipated.

More, because he had not imagined the Heavenly Court's interior could be so thoroughly infiltrated—even some star lords he personally appointed had become Wu clan spies.

Less, because he had thought that after the Wu clan's "appointing earth gods" yang scheme, more beings would have wavered, but in truth, only a few ten thousand dared to act.

"Understood."

He replied flatly, his gaze sweeping over the silenced myriad Yao Shen below.

"From this day forth, within the Heavenly Court, if any further collusion with the Wu clan is discovered, the crime equals treason: not only will the individual suffer the torment of heavenly fire burning the soul, but their entire ancestral clan shall be utterly erased from the Wasteland."

"We, your servants, obey the decree!"

The myriad Yao Shen, led by Fuxi and Kunpeng, knelt in unison, their voices filled with reverence.

After this ordeal, the atmosphere within the Heavenly Court was completely renewed.

Everyone knew the Heavenly Emperor's patience was exhausted; there was no longer any room for maneuver.

Suddenly.

A vast, boundless, mercifully benevolent aura of merit and virtue descended without omen from beyond the Nine Heavens, piercing through the entirety of the Wasteland's heaven and earth.

This merit and virtue aura was so pure, so immense, that even the Heavenly Court's recently surged-by-thirty-percent qi luck golden dragon appeared insignificant before it.

All beings in the Wasteland, at that moment, instinctively lifted their heads, gazing toward the direction where the merit and virtue descended.

Kunlun Mountain.

"This is…" Yuanshi Tianzun rose from his futon, his face full of shock.

Such immense merit and virtue, since the opening of heaven and earth, he had seen only once—when the Dao Ancestor lectured the Dao and transformed all beings.

Laozi's half-closed eyes also opened fully, a gleam of contemplative light flashing within.

Tongtian Jiaozhu directly ascended to the summit of the Biyou Palace, gazing into the distance, his face full of curiosity.

Pangu Hall.

The eleven ancestor Wu who had barely suppressed Gonggong's injuries also changed color in unison.

"What is this?" Gonggong asked, bewildered, "Could it be that Di Jun has cooked up some new trick again?"

"No." Di Jiang shook his head, his divine sense sweeping over the entire Wasteland earth, finding no anomaly, "The source of this merit and virtue aura… seems unrelated to us, and also unrelated to the Yao clan."

Blood Sea.

Minghe Laozu lifted his head from the blood pool, feeling the utterly incongruous benevolent aura against the blood sea, and frowned in disgust.

Wuzhuang Guan.

Zhenyuanzi gently stroked the ginseng fruit tree, murmuring, "A new variable… has arrived."

And as the center of all this, within the Donghuang Palace.

Gu Yuan slowly opened his eyes, glanced at the resplendent merit and virtue golden clouds outside the window like a celestial canopy, and yawned.

"Oh, Nüwa's creation of mankind has finally begun."

He was not the slightest bit surprised by this.

For this Wasteland world, this is, since the opening of heaven and earth, another event great enough to reshape the entire world's pattern.

But for Gu Yuan…

This is merely the inevitable of history.

Only then did he see: in the direction of Fèngqī Shān, the source of the boundless merit and virtue, a blurred figure slowly emerged.

She held a jade-green vine, stained with Nine Heavens' nurturing soil, and gently flicked it toward the earth below.

Mud droplets flew.

Landing on the ground, they actually transformed into tiny, weak beings, yet each containing an innate Dao body.

They gazed dazedly at this world, at their creator, and instinctively knelt upon the earth, uttering two tender syllables from their mouths.

"Holy Mother…"

"Holy Mother…"

The human race was thus born.

Boom!

The Heavenly Dao sensed it; the merit and virtue golden clouds frenziedly converged, ninety percent of them condensing into a golden pillar of light that merged into that figure's body.

Her aura began to rise without limit, ultimately surpassing the Quasi-Sage threshold and reaching a brand-new realm of words becoming law, indestructible through myriad calamities.

The Great Wasteland, the first Saint, was born.

Nüwa, attained Sainthood!

"I am Nüwa, today on Fèngqī Mountain, creating humanity, my merit and virtue are complete, I finally attained the Hùnyuán Saint Position!"

The Saint's voice spread throughout the Six Directions and Eight Wastelands.

Countless beings, facing the direction of Fèngqī Mountain, bowed down in reverence.

"Congratulations to Nüwa Niángniáng, for attaining the Saint Position, may her Saintly Longevity be boundless!"

And the remaining merit, half of it transformed into a Postnatal Merit Supreme Treasure【Human Creation Whip】, falling into Nüwa's hands.

The other half was divided into countless portions.

The largest portion flew toward Kunlun Mountain, obtained by the Three Purities, after all they are the Primordial Orthodoxy, possessing the merit of opening heaven within them.

The rest turned into specks of golden light, scattered toward the myriad clans of the Great Wasteland.

The Yao Clan Heavenly Court, as the nominal rulers of heaven and earth today, naturally also received a share.

Although not much, only that insignificant trace, but for the Heavenly Court that had just undergone a Great Wash, with internal hearts unsettled, this was no different than a shot of adrenaline.

Even the Heavenly Dao acknowledges the Heavenly Court's position!

Otherwise, how could there be a person from the Yao Clan calling themselves a Saint on this very day of the Great Wash?

Even if only in the past, that was still one of their Yao Clan people!