Chapter 511

Heartbroken.

So heartbroken.

How come nobody believes her, Nüwa?

Is she really that weak?

"No!"

"Absolutely not!"

Nüwa encouraged herself, vowing that one day she would make everyone look at her with new respect.

"Now, let's start with Dong Hua!"

To gain the allies' trust, she earnestly persuaded Dong Hua, convincing him that listening to her was the right choice.

Dear!

Just trust me this once!

Take a few more hits, so I can figure out the Dragon Ancestor's background... This is important!

After all, the Eastern Barbarians' foundation is the human race.

And the Dragon Ancestor is indeed the Dragon Clan.

If we don't assess our future rivals now, it'll be difficult later!

"Besides, rest assured, I have an understanding with Di Jun..."

"In the battle, he'll hold back!"

"Nüwa said earnestly, 'Look, being able to chat with me online so easily is the best proof!'"

"Di Jun and Taiyi will hold back, and the Heavenly Stars Grand Formation's power will also be reduced; otherwise, how could you connect with me?"

"Um..."

Dong Hua choked, and suddenly realized he had nothing to say.

——What could he say?

——Saying he wasn't let off easy by Di Jun and Taiyi, and that the Heavenly Stars Grand Formation wasn't secretly weakened?

——Just because, in terms of combat power, he, burning at his peak, would have to catch up to your level, Nüwa?

Outsiders and insiders—sometimes outsiders see clearly, sometimes only when insiders drink water do they truly know their own comfort.

Dong Hua's feelings were complicated.

"I never thought there would come a day like this..."

"I need to prove I'm strong, not that the other side is going easy..."

"'What's up? Should I hit you, Nüwa, with a combo, blasting you in the face?'"

The emperor, imagining that absurd scene, would almost get drunk.

After getting drunk, he laughed helplessly.

——It doesn't matter anymore.

——No more arguing.

After all, he never thought about living to take his bow today.

Originally, I was worried that Nüwa would recklessly rescue him at any cost, actually managing to keep him alive... How embarrassing!

Now it's fine; a lucky accident.

Nüwa has become 'smart'—truly delightful and congratulatory!

With this biggest variable settled, the rest can unfold freely... Anyway, Nüwa can just imagine it herself!

Of course.

You can imagine the process, but not the outcome.

Life is life, death is death.

By then...

Nüwa's expression will surely be wonderful, right?

Hmm.

It's a timeless masterpiece, you can't escape it.

"If we could add to this recording..."

The Dong Hua Emperor's incarnate imprint chuckled lightly, a crystal condensing—exactly the words Nüwa had just spoken, now recorded.

——No need to say, this is definitely precious historical material!

Another black mark added to Nüwa's lifelong history!

If... this ends up in the hands of certain specific people later?

For example, Fuxi, Fuxi, or still Fuxi!

Then...

This great figure, even if only a breath left, would instantly revive at full health, just to rush to Nüwa's face and laugh madly!

Even if in the future Nüwa becomes the head and rises to power through force...

Xihuang holds this, displaying it before people; perhaps on the surface it seems like sorrow and care, but actually the corners of his mouth desperately suppress laughter, yet they keep twitching upward uncontrollably...

"'Sigh, I'm not unable to beat my sister; she's made me the master of the house.'"

"'I just love the intellectually challenged child; I can't bear to bully her, so I accompany her in her mischief.'"

"'Exactly! That's right!'"

Yes! That's right! Exactly like that!

"Tsk tsk… Am I being too nasty?"

Donghua's mouth corner twitched slightly, he carelessly flicked, and that crystal stone casually fell into some corner of the mountains, rivers, and earth.

At the same time, he calmly responded to Nüwa.

"Since that's the case, you've already directed it, then I have no problem."

"Acting, I also know a bit."

"Director Nüwa, since you've given the go-ahead, I will surely perform wholeheartedly..."

"Right."

"Afterward, remember to bring a jug of wine and a chicken leg to reward me!"

"After all, I'm risking my life to accompany you in this act!"

Donghua's tone was full of nonchalance.

"Ah... okay, okay, okay!" Nüwa cheerfully said, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for your trust!"

"Afterward I will definitely reward you; your Dongyi isn't lacking resources and sponsorship, is it?"

"Aid! We must have aid!"

Nüwa is easy to talk to and very generous.

Donghua shook his head, yet said nothing more, just a few simple words.

"Then... goodbye."

"Mmm... goodbye! goodbye!" Nüwa nodded like a chick pecking at grain, until their signal was cut off.

She did not know at this moment.

This goodbye... the next time they meet, it will be after an unknown span of years.

Moreover, accompanied by a big "surprise"!

……

"Nüwa... sigh!"

In a soft sigh, Donghua Emperor transformed into the brightest sword light, fearlessly meeting the falling stars like rain—this was the true activation of the Star Dipper Killing Array operating at peak posture!

"Boom!"

"Peak collision!"

In that instant, it seemed as if they had returned to the primordial age when Honghuang was first opened.

A flash of axe light suddenly appeared, cleaving Chaos; meanwhile, stars twinkled, shining eternally.

At this moment, the myriad common folk trembled in fear.

Because in their perception, the entire universe swayed, like a ship tossing on the boundless, endless blue sea!

Sword qi is a great sea, starlight is also a great sea.

They originally evolved from internal forces of Honghuang, but now they surpass the definition of heaven and earth, expanding without limit, exponentially complex... ultimately shaking the very foundation of heaven and earth, causing the Eight Wastelands to churn and the Six Harmonies to become unstable.

Starlight shimmering, as if the cosmos of countless stars were compressed to the limit, then burst forth in an instant, more easily transforming Xuanhuang, reshaping Qiankun.

Sword light blazing, it cuts forth the definition of eternity, the far shore of seeking the Dao, the persistence of cultivation, the practice of life.

Speaking purely of power, sword light falls far short of starlight.

Yet within the sword light lies a most transcendent quality that makes those who face it feel terrified.

Sword qi sweeps across three thousand ages; a single sword light chills the eternity of heaven!

This is a sword capable of opening myriad epochs and suppressing boundless heaven and earth!

Gazing at such a sword, at Donghua such a deity, at the Heavenly Emperor who turns the Zhou Tian Star Dipper Grand Array, hearts involuntarily broke out in a cold sweat.

—Fortunately.

Fortunately, he and Donghua communicated well, and together they served as screenwriters.

Fortunately, he and Nüwa also "communicated" well, and together they served as "directors".

Otherwise?

The trouble would be great!

If either of those two had any problem, this play would surely flop.

Given Donghua's combat power, if he didn't want to die and fought while fleeing... even though the encircling assault array today is that terrifying, it might not truly be able to hold him; he could escape with wounded blood.

Moreover, with Nüwa providing support, not being duped into deciding to watch the play, but instead striking decisively at once...

Hmm.

Perhaps Donghua merely suffered some superficial wounds!

"'Donghua's combat power is seriously problematic...' Di Jun smirked covertly, 'I don't even need to hold back... rather, I need him to show a flaw.'"

He personally witnessed, as Donghua Emperor's sword light shone with unparalleled brilliance, at the point where an opponent could clearly sense his strength was far from exhausted, he suddenly waned, maintaining a delicate balance with the Star Dipper Grand Array, producing the most dazzling sound-light effect.

When this effect appeared, Nüwa the director, far away at Mount Buzhou, could finally begin her own self-directed, self-performed script.

Under the gaze of all, she "calculated with her fingers", "showed a look of surprise", then immediately commanded her subordinates' generals to sound the alarm, summoning many Ancestral Witches to gather, to discuss and declare their stance on rescuing Donghua Emperor.

What should have been a swift, decisive action turned into a meeting for discussion, pooling ideas.

As everyone knows.

The more people in the meeting, the harder it is to conduct well.

What more, now?

Nüwa wished to gather everyone, to conveniently conduct a loyalty‑treason investigation.

"I want to rescue Donghua!"

"Who agrees? Who opposes?"

Houtu Ancestral Witch spoke loudly.

"'I oppose!' Gonggong Ancestral Witch stepped forward at once, appearing as a great loyal minister, 'Houtu Dao friend, please reconsider!'"

Right now, Donghua has suddenly been besieged—who knows what the true situation actually is?

Could it be that the Heavenly Court is planning to encircle and strike at our Wu Clan?

Once our main force moves out, the demon army will directly launch a sneak attack on our headquarters... This isn't impossible!

Moreover!

A perfectly fine operation—how could it be exposed so suddenly?

I have reason to suspect that Donghua may already have been turned by the Demon Race into a double agent!

Right now he appears to be besieged, yet he's as lively as ever—this makes no sense emotionally or logically.

In the Heavenly Court, the four Taiyi have joined forces, even with a great formation aiding them, yet they can't quickly win and suppress him?!

Who would believe that?!

There must be a conspiracy!

Gonggong the ancestral Wu raised his arm and called out, 'So we absolutely must not be rash—we must be careful!'

'Gonggong!' Houtu shouted angrily, 'Don't spread alarmist talk—you'll chill the heart of Donghua, this loyal and brave underground worker!'

'Houtu, I'm just speaking based on the facts, from a rational, objective, neutral standpoint!' Gonggong stood his ground, 'You have your ideas, I have my logic.'

What, do you still want to run a one-man show?

Do you want to play dictator?

Gonggong's voice boomed, 'Everyone acknowledges your position as top director, but that doesn't make you our lackey—everyone still has a stake here... you need to reason!'

Yes, yes...

As soon as Gonggong's words fell, a chorus of voices rose from the great Wu.

This fits Nüwa's expectations—she knows which fellows won't follow her.

"Very well... I've taken note of it all."

Houtu kept a little mental notebook, having arranged the futures of these fellows.

When the war against the Demon Race later reaches its final stage, we'll place them as much as possible in dangerous spots, letting them 'accidentally' perish.

However.

She was mentally noting her blacklist when suddenly she discovered——

This number—isn't it a bit too many?!

Look at the great Wu present—how many are there?

Right now, nearly half support the so‑called neutral centrists!

"Huh?"

In Nüwa's heart, a great doubt rose.

Then it turned into shock and lingering fear.

At this moment, she felt somewhat moved, fortunate that she had earlier agreed to the proposal of joining forces with Di Jun to stage a performance.

Otherwise, how could she have known—that the Wu Clan had almost become a sieve?

So many great Wu are following the Dragon Ancestor's footsteps!

"Wait... there must be something wrong in here!"

Nüwa furrowed her brows.

Because she saw that some great Wu were her loyal followers, with no reason to follow the Dragon Ancestor.

"What's going on?"

With doubt in her heart, she secretly investigated the cause.

The answer came quickly, yet it was also beyond her expectation.

—Old grudges from years past!

"Please, milady, forgive my selfish motives."

That great Wu transmitted guiltily, 'I will always support you, milady, but regarding the matter of Emperor Donghua……'

"I know I was wrong, disregarding the bigger picture…… but I truly hope he gets to taste some hardship."

Nüwa listened, speechless.

She also had nothing to say.

As the saying goes—'One who has not suffered cannot urge others to be good.'

People had once been tossed left and right by Emperor Donghua, treated like three‑surnamed lackeys, their faces bloodied from being pitied; countless years of painstaking effort went to waste, not to mention being struck by Luo Hou the demon ancestor, hacked to near death.

With such a great grudge, how could one possibly just let it go?

Of course, a grudge is a grudge; not letting it go is also useless.

Emperor Donghua being a double‑agent is also the most successful double‑agent, sailing smoothly all the way, cultivating to his present achievements.

Others wanting to retaliate and strike have no chance of success.

Now it's fine.

It looks like this emperor is about to suffer a great fall.

The victims are quite eager to watch the show.

After they've seen enough of the show, we'll slowly discuss the rescue issue!

"Good fellow……"

Nüwa's scalp went numb, her whole person at this moment became at a loss——

The script she designed wasn't supposed to be like this!

Of course.

This also can't be said to be Nüwa's negligence—mainly she has always been the template of a life‑winner; back then, Donghua's pitfalls weren't hers.

The unlucky one is Dragon Ancestor, along with his friendly little followers, and many steadfast innate deities who oppose the Phoenix faction.

Saying something embarrassing—Dragon Ancestor fell, and the ones who ate the most were Fuxi's group; as for Nüwa… she actually just picked up some broth.

Just like the distribution of an inheritance.

The first in line of heirs are all dead—doesn't that just benefit the second in line?

Even if the process of transferring incurs too much loss.

"Donghua… I miscalculated…"

"Someone is settling scores with you and making a list!"

"It's not just that Dragon Ancestor is causing trouble…"

Suddenly, Nüwa's heart welled up with great worry.

And this worry reached its peak when a heavyweight Ancestor Witch spoke.

"Cough cough… I'll just say a few words." Time Ancestor Witch—Zhu Jiuyin, spoke up!

He exchanged a glance with Di Jiang, as if there was a fleeting transmission of feeling through their brows, and then he said slowly, "I think, Donghua, definitely needs to be saved."

"Otherwise, later on, the reputation of our Wu Clan will stink—who would still dare to cooperate with us?"

"Because of some personal grudges, we sold out our teammate."

"However, this rescue also needs to discuss methods and details."

"In this regard, I also approve of what the Gonggong brothers say…"

"We cannot be careless, cannot rush ahead… we must be cautious, pay attention to details."

"Don't fall for the encircle-and-point‑aid ploy, and even less be turned around by reverse tactics—after all, Donghua also has a record."

"Back then, didn't he just frame Luo Hou?"

"It seemed he was charging forward bravely… but the result was, as soon as Luo Hou entered, he immediately shut the door and beat the dog, letting the Demonic Ancestor die neatly."

"We have to guard against this…"

Zhu Jiuyin, old and calm, spouted some nonsense, making Nüwa's face grim—"So, I personally think we should make a few preparations."

"First, we need to keep enough people to guard the main base, to prevent being raided."

"Second, to avoid a self‑injury ploy, the rescue team shouldn't recklessly charge into battle."

"We should properly adopt the feint‑east‑strike‑west tactic, to attack where the enemy must rescue…"

"If the Heavenly Court side doesn't buy our act, are they just trying to bury the Donghua Emperor?" Houtu interrupted.

Zhu Jiuyin wasn't annoyed either, merely smiling and replying, "Then all we can say is that Fellow Daoist Donghua's luck has run out—we can't do anything about it."

"In this era, we're all licking blood from the blade, with our heads hanging at our waists."

"We can't even guarantee our own survival from start to finish, so how could we promise anything to others?"

"Furthermore."

"From the corner of the camp…"

"No one is irreplaceable."

"Nor is anyone indispensable."

"There's always a substitute."

"Take the Eastern Yi… besides Donghua, the current White Emperor, isn't there also an heir, Hong Yun?"

"If Donghua Emperor unfortunately dies in battle, then we'll ask Fellow Daoist Hong Yun to reluctantly take over supreme authority."

"One would think he'd be overjoyed at such a windfall falling from the sky."

"He'll actively cooperate with us and do thorough publicity."

"On one hand, announce how the former White Emperor died heroically in battle; on the other, downplay our mistakes in this affair—the human royal court and the Eastern Yi camp, we're still good friends!"

Zhu Jiuyin spoke slowly, laying out the plan clearly.

Having an heir is good.

Even if someone dies, there's someone to take over, letting the faction's authority transition smoothly.

—You're worried about the big picture? Then I'll give you stability in the big picture!

Zhu Jiuyin's words gained the support of many attendees.

Among them, the Gonggong Ancestor Witch was the most supportive.

He smiled with a hint of eeriness, shouting loudly, "Exactly, exactly, exactly! That's exactly the principle!"

"If one Donghua dies, there's still Hong Yun, right?"

"Compared to that, the real big picture is still on our side!"

"To rescue an important combatant, yet risk losing the main base and everyone falling into a trap… this is a problem well worth serious thought!"

"Everyone, say—isn't it?"

"Yes!" A chorus of agreement rang out, echoing in the Pangu Holy Hall.

Nüwa watched this scene, and a chill rose in her heart.

After a brief silence, she then softly said, "Then you say… to what extent must it be before we send troops?"

"That should be a special turning point…" Gonggong Ancestor Witch laughed, his laugh five‑parts eerie.

"For example…"

His words hadn't even finished.

Suddenly, the whole heaven and earth turned red, and a torrential blood rain poured down.

A terrifying omen… a top‑level expert has fallen!

Who is it?

At this moment, in the vast Honghuang, all the able‑bodied Great Luo raised their heads, gazing into the void.

There, a strand of mist spread, endlessly diffusing and rendering.

The mist was tinged with blood red; it was what had dyed the universe red.

Likewise, it was what caused blood rain to fall upon Honghuang.

Dark winds howled, grief endless… a wave of sorrow swept through the hearts of all beings, then vanished.

"A mighty expert of the Cloud Dao has died……"

In the Sea of Blood, the Nether River Old Ancestor, who had been staying home these days, rarely poked his head out, clicking his tongue in wonder, "Is… this Red Cloud?!"

"Who killed it? Let me take a look……"

He muttered, tracing cause and effect, but was blocked by the dao force lurking in the darkness, erasing many clues.

This is the mighty power of the Great Simplicity.

The Nether River Demon Ancestor was not surprised either—if not the Great Simplicity, who could have slain Red Cloud so suddenly and cleanly?

After all, Red Cloud was a top-tier Primordial Great Luo, only one step away from the highest realm.

To kill such a figure, one needs not only overwhelming battle power but also deep familiarity… best of all, there must be interaction on the path—a clash of the Great Dao!

Only then can one slay painlessly and easily!

The Nether River traced back to the source, investigated the origin, forcefully breaking through layer after layer of obstruction, catching traces before the clues were erased.

"Hmm……"

"It looks like they're wearing Di Jun's skin？"

"But it doesn't seem to be the case……"

"After all, Di Jun has been fighting against East Splendor……"

(End of chapter)