Chapter 831

Nüwa Nüwa shocked!

She recalled everything that had happened before; the more she looked at Fuxi, the more she felt his gloomy and terrifying aura; a veil that shrouded the era descended, and even the epoch became dark!

Nüwa was weak, pitiful, and helpless, beginning to little by little quietly retract her own existence.

Even, she had the thought of whether to abandon the punitive expedition against the August Emperor.

But, she ultimately did not run away.

Her steps shifted a few times, then finally stopped, still here.

Everything only because, the era of the lich, needed her protection.

The altered reincarnation, the inaugurated underworld, which accommodated the souls lingering in the world……these also needed her protection.

Since she had done so, becoming the most compassionate in people's hearts, the mistress of reincarnation Houtu Niangniang, she would take responsibility to the end!

Even if this involved unpleasant experiences, even a bit of moral coercion.

But the palm and back of the hand are both flesh!

The dead myriad beings, once also counted as her subjects, are the living spirits she created and protected!

Nüwa knew deeply……

Given August Emperor's style, his obstinacy toward reincarnation, death is death—how could there be any underworld, how could any soul be in reincarnation, awakening past lives in the future era?

——This is unfair!

Others just live one life, everything starts from zero……good fellows, you guys who have awakened past-life memories and insights, secretly cheating, right?!

Moreover, it would cause past-life karma to continue, various grudges intertwined, debts not cleared upon death!

To slay everything and bury it in the boundless sea of true spirits—this is ruthless, yet also the utmost justice.

But Nüwa cannot fully accept it.

She listened to the lament of the dying before they scattered, regret and unwillingness, ultimately embarking on a compassionate path, diverging from her brother, changing the rules of reincarnation, creating the underworld, which is the destination of all beings' souls and the starting point of new life in the next existence.

A gentle mother, sighing over her child's passing, left behind a variable, a path of life.

If the August Emperor's Heavenly Court is restored, the underworld will surely face reckoning, Houtu's painstaking effort will come to naught, what will become of those souls?

Hard to imagine.

Thinking to this point, Nüwa could neither evade nor retreat; she could only stand here, becoming the last line of defense in the era of the lich.

She could be defeated, even die in battle……but she must not retreat, must not surrender!

No one forced her.

Only her heart and her integrity drove her to do this!

"I'm really stupid……truly!"

"How many times have I suffered losses because of this?"

"If I could have my brother's lack of scruples and bottom line……then I wouldn't be in such a dilemma……"

"Sigh……"

Nüwa harbored resentment in her heart toward her own conscience, good and evil clashing; ultimately conscience prevailed over all, and she tightened her grip on the Chaos Green Lotus in her hand.

This green lotus, when battling the Dragon Ancestor, was struck down, withered miserably.

However, when Nüwa's resolve was firm, pure and unblemished, it burst forth with clear radiance, becoming more vivid and splendid!

In a daze, a qualitative transformation's subtle charm was quietly occurring, a brand-new vitality stirring; even Nüwa herself failed to notice, yet it was truly happening.

Everything was soundless and silent.

Only August Emperor inadvertently glanced over……this Heavenly Emperor's face showed no change, as if nothing had happened.

But in the depths of his eyes, there was a trace of tremor, as if he had truly seen something premature, something completely beyond his plans occurring.

For him, this Wise Man who calculates all under heaven, it is truly bizarre, absurd.

"Did I miscalculate?"

"I miscalculated!"

"No way, no way?"

"He who moves others with sincerity elicits sincerity in return?!"

"Before proving Pangu, first there is the heart of Pangu……"

"Illusion……must be illusion……"

August Emperor's mood is complex and hard to put into words.

Both disbelief and relief, joy……for a moment, even the pleasure of toying with the Dragon Ancestor in applause, letting it experience "surprise" and "delight", was largely gone.

Perhaps.

The facts are proving.

Even without someone like him, a top-tier behind-the-scenes black hand strategizing.

A certain Nüwa, after enduring the era's various darknesses, could still hold fast to her original heart without wavering, treating the world with sincerity, ultimately in an unimaginable situation, rising against heaven, reaching the pinnacle!

No need for outsiders to pave the way!

"……Have I become the villain?"

Looking back, August Emperor realized, his sole purpose so far has been to provide pressure to Nüwa, letting her experience the world's darkness.

Like a whetstone.

True warriors, in this process, the more they are tempered, the more outstanding they become.

She had the utmost resolve, cast aside the olive branch extended by the Demon King, absolutely refusing to yield.

——That was a tremendous temptation!

As long as she lowers her head, Pangu can be achieved!

The greatest temptation of achievement, she turns a blind eye to.

A terrifying opponent that is hard to defeat and offers no hope of victory—there is no escape.

Staying true to one's heart, a path that never wavers.

To treat others with sincerity, a determination that bears no regret even unto death.

Finally…

Quietly sublimating, gradually stepping into that realm, grasping that bearing.

Nüwa is still on the road.

But the checkpoint has already been shattered.

As long as she is pierced, she herself can climb upward step by step.

This left the August Emperor silent, lost in thought.

……This makes no sense!

I was still planning to give her a beating, then let her fluke a victory so she could become Pangu, yet she holds me in awe!

My plan to establish a strict father image is about to abort?

Cold on the outside, caring within…… I can completely pin her down.

But now……

How did she suddenly break out of her cocoon and become a butterfly?

The Heavenly Emperor reflected, deeply pondering the root cause.

Suddenly, he glanced at the Dragon Ancestor and suddenly understood.

He understood.

The Dragon Ancestor had a unique idea: the four great dragon ancestors jointly promote the Dragon Dao, seeking to defy heaven and attain Pangu.

He did indeed fail.

But this path knows no failure!

It's merely a freebie from the dragon ancestor!

Nüwa walked this path earlier than he did!

The dragon clan, the Dragon Dao, has four great dragon ancestors.

The human clan, meanwhile, has many human sovereigns.

The four great dragon ancestors also have pits.

But what about the human sovereigns?

Even the incarnation of the Human Dao descending does not oppose Nüwa as leader!

The Dragon Ancestor Great Sage, with a series of cunning maneuvers, lit the lighthouse of the future……

But alas, when Houtu forged the Wu Clan, she had already set out, even achieving the merger of humans and Wu, then altered reincarnation, created the underworld, and sealed that towering karma!

If the Dragon Ancestor Great Sage didn't pull off such cunning maneuvers, Nüwa's transformation would still be mysterious, depending on Fuxi's expression.

But the Dragon Ancestor's defiant gamble…… what a partner, Nüwa immediately set out and even went straight to the end!

The dragon ancestor has a great foe.

Even without the August Emperor secretly scheming, having dug a great pit and inviting him into the jar.

Perhaps……

When the Dragon Ancestor truly steps into that checkpoint, Nüwa will passively sublimate, becoming the final external tribulation for the dragon ancestor to prove the Dao!

Want to sneak away?

Not even a door!

The dragon clan is formidable.

Their sacrifices are evident to all.

But Nüwa has brought fortune to all myriad races!

Even more, to allay the worries of the myriad races, she compassionately listened to the grudges of the dead, even overhauling reincarnation and creating the underworld!

Whose sacrifice isn't a sacrifice?

Nüwa also listened to the world's sorrows and is willing to open her eyes for all living beings!

If we say the August Emperor's defeat of the dragon ancestor is a victory of layout, a crushing of wisdom.

If Nüwa were to face the dragon ancestor and defeat him…… that would be the people's inclination.

No matter what one does……

The dragon ancestor has no chance of victory.

Playing dark schemes, one cannot outplay the August Emperor.

Playing openly, one cannot outcontend Nüwa.

What is called the sibling black manor?

This is the sibling black manor!

Bitterly resenting year after year of pressing gold thread, making wedding clothes for others!

The August Emperor looked at the dragon ancestor again, and his gaze instantly became full of pity.

After thinking, he decided not to provoke this loser.

Losing to this Supreme Heavenly Emperor's hand, the dragon ancestor can still save some face, honorable even in defeat.

But if the truth is exposed and spoken outright?

Let the dragon ancestor know that this freebie is so thorough that he could lose to Nüwa, who is usually a big salted fish, the drag on the leader team's IQ evaluation……

He fears the dragon ancestor might die of anger on the spot.

After all……

Compared to the Dragon Ancestor's constant leaping and jumping, even taking a risky gamble, Nüwa never even considered such a showy way of proving the Dao.

But she ended up doing it!

Nüwa simply followed her heart, doing what she thought she should, fulfilling the wishes of all beings.

Dragon Ancestor created the Dragon Clan.

Nüwa enlightened all beings.

Dragon Ancestor made a single gamble to prove the Dao for the Dragon Clan.

Nüwa didn't think about all that; she simply felt what all living beings needed and did it, thus she transformed the cycle of reincarnation.

Then…

She thus succeeded.

August Emperor mourned silently for Dragon Ancestor.

It's really… those who painstakingly plant flowers see them fail, while those who casually stick willow shoots find them growing into shade.

The dragon that earnestly sought could not obtain.

Nüwa who acted without intent received heavenly reward.

Worldly affairs are strange; nothing is stranger than this.

"What the heck is all this!"

Heavenly Emperor sighed deep inside, his gaze even more sorrowful.

This thoroughly stabbed the heart of the Dragon Ancestor Great Sage who had collapsed before the checkpoint.

This Dragon Ancestor, with the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle nailed to his reverse scale, at the peak of his leap encountered a great change, his spirit seemed crushed, and now he cannot bear such a gaze.

He painfully lifted his head, staring fixedly at the Heavenly Emperor, "Dong Hua, Hong Yun… I fell into your scheming, my loss is not unjust."

"To be targeted by your painstaking scheming, I am honored……"

"But could you let me be a clear-headed ghost just once?"

He trembled as he rose to his feet, dragon blood flowing across the ages, dyeing this stretch of river in Xuanhuang hue.

The Dragon Ancestor's wounds are too severe, even his origin is crumbling.

The blood, it won't stop.

Because the backlash from failed Dao-proving arrived, interfering with the human Dao's future, the great karmic sanction, the ongoing harm, nearly drained the Dragon Ancestor Great Sage's vital essence.

"This Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle, from inside out, broke my Dragon's Great Dao… I accept it."

"But you… how could you break free at the crucial moment, withdraw and leave, causing me to exhibit a rigidity that should not exist?!"

He cannot forget.

Before the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle shattered his Dao, August Emperor had already slipped away, vanished into nothing!

Precisely therefore, the Dragon's Great Dao acquired such a grave flaw, making the Sea-Stabilizing Divine Needle almost a fatal blow to him!

Logically, this should not have happened.

He had imagined that August Emperor might be utterly resolute, preferring to self-destruct his imprint rather than let him have it cheap.

But…

This coming and going as he pleases, this aloofness… is utterly absurd!

Even if August Emperor's cultivation is profound enough, he is a true Pangu's worldly imprint.

But he shouldn't be able to toy with a quasi-Pangu on the verge of proving the Dao!

"With your level of wisdom, you shouldn't be asking such a question." August Emperor looked at him, tone light, "Are you unwilling to believe, or unable to believe?"

"I… I want you to give me an answer in person!" The Dragon Ancestor Great Sage's eyes welled with blood tears.

"Fine, I'll let you die with understanding." August Emperor nodded, "Of the four Dragon Ancestors, three stand together, belonging to my side. What do you have to fight me with?"

"Three votes to one, even if you are the Lord of the Dragon Dao, what then?"

"Naturally I can come and go as I please, stay or leave as I wish—just you, you're not worthy to force me to self-destruct my imprint, to cut off your Pangu process."

"Zhulong… is your man!" The Dragon Ancestor coughed blood, "He actually betrayed me!"

"That's not how to say it." Heavenly Emperor chuckled, "First come, first served—you ought to reason."

"Strictly speaking, it should be counted as you pried open my wall corner."

"Zhulong was originally on my side, we have a contract!"

"And don't overestimate yourself… I'm dealing with you, but I haven't put as much effort into handling Nüwa."

"Since the beginning of the Wu-Yao era, I had summoned Zhulong to join the Wu Clan, to keep an eye on Nüwa… one side reporting to me her daily movements, whether she's diligent, the other side also being a significant force, able to help Nüwa withstand Hongjun's blows."

August Emperor laid his cards bare, paying no heed to Nüwa standing nearby; at this moment she already had her eyes wide open, clearly feeling her elder brother's "loving care."

Starting an independent branch, entrepreneurship, yet there's still an undercover agent sent by her elder brother beside her… what a surprise!

"Wait a moment!"

"Zhulong's Yin actually is your person?!"

Nüwa couldn't care less, she forcefully interjected, glaring angrily, "You actually sent an undercover to my side? Besides Zhulong, who else?!"

"'You ask me who else?' August Emperor glanced at her, 'You might as well ask me, among the Twelve Ancestral Witches, who truly is your die-hard supporter… that way I can report fewer names.'"

Nüwa's delicate body trembled, then trembled again, a third time—her whole self was not well.

She gritted her teeth, "This is absurd? Tell me!"

"'I could tell you, but… do you dare believe it?' August Emperor chuckled lightly, 'So, you might as well guess yourself.'"

This momentarily intimidated Nüwa.

Having personally witnessed how August Emperor toyed with the Dragon Ancestor, the shadow of Fuxi expanded infinitely in her heart.

"Heavenly Emperor is indeed cold-blooded, even scheming against his own sister." the Dragon Ancestor gave a bitter laugh and said.

"'Scheming? Not really.' August Emperor said calmly, 'Just worried.'"

Hongjun is so powerful, and he also has the righteous great cause in hand… Xiao Wa, although she has won people's hearts, is still not at the point of one call, a hundred responses; all the gods have joined the Wu Clan.

At that time, Hongjun had not yet been imprisoned in Zixiao Palace; he truly dared to strike and kill gods.

It's true the gods respect Nüwa, but to call them cannon fodder… they're still pretty cheeky.

We need top-tier powerhouses to lend their support, act in unison, withstand Hongjun's pressure—only then does it amount to something worth seeing.

I helped with this, using my own connections… Without me, how could the later Wu Clan be so lively and energetic?" August Emperor chuckled, "How could the Wu Clan have obtained Pangu's righteous cause to counter the Heavenly Dao's hegemony?"

Although I've been a bit harsh with Nüwa, I'm actually still looking out for her… If it were anyone else, aside from a very few, even if they died before my eyes, I wouldn't even glance at them properly, let alone set aside my dignity to ask for help.

August Emperor explained offhandedly.

By the way, he touched up his image in Nüwa's heart.

——He's not a villain!

He worried, fearing that if he didn't explain now, there might be no chance to explain later.

Speaking of it, a thousand mistakes, ten thousand mistakes—all are the fault of the Dragon Ancestor!

Without his mischievous maneuvers, Nüwa wouldn't have suddenly jumped out of his chessboard!

(End of chapter)