Chapter 406

Female cultivators can still catch up to male cultivators, can still be no weaker than them.

Isn't this just internal competition? Come on, get creative, have fun, let's all compete, let's all go all-in!

"Each of you sisters has your own influence or schemes, but that doesn't matter. Since we are female cultivators, we must unite and join forces—it benefits us all and brings no harm."

"If we unite, we can gain even greater benefits, without affecting your own plans or arrangements, with no loss of interest whatsoever, and no conflict between the two. What do you all think, fellow cultivators, sisters?"

The Queen Mother of the West blinked her beautiful eyes, a hint of nervousness in her gaze as she swept it over the three women.

"Unite..."

The three women paused in thought, beginning to consider.

They had naturally already guessed this— they weren't fools; if they couldn't figure it out, that would be absurd.

First they were invited over, then all this motivational fluff— the meaning was already crystal clear. If you still didn't get it, you were either truly stupid or pretending to be.

"Agreed."

Nuwa was the first to respond.

She had always been close to the Queen Mother of the West—so close it could be called a bosom friend—and besides, as the Queen Mother said, there was no downside. Why not go for it?

If it turned out to be unsuitable, they could withdraw later—no rush.

If it could bring extra benefits, what reason was there to refuse?

"Good."

"Cooperation!"

With Nuwa's response, Houtu and Wangshu also voiced their agreement.

"Excellent."

Though she had guessed they wouldn't refuse, since it was still only speculation and not yet confirmed, the Queen Mother of the West had remained tense—now that the three had formally agreed, she finally exhaled in relief.

There was no choice.

In the entire Honghuang, she was the only one still flying solo and diligently cultivating—anyone claiming she wasn't anxious was lying.

Everyone else had taken off, reaping massive profits and gains in every direction, while she? Still playing with mud. Who wouldn't be anxious? Who could stay calm?

She had at least had Brother Fuxi and Seeing Minghe to share her plight, offering some comfort—but then both announced their alliances. Seeing Minghe's predictive consortium, in particular, had an incredibly promising future.

Brother Fuxi was the same—his so-called Space-Time Consortium might look ordinary, but even a glimpse revealed he clearly had other plans.

So the jester was me all along?

Am I the only jester?

The Queen Mother of the West was instantly numb, nearly shattered, her head buzzing loudly.

Fortunately, once she realized all the Honghuang titans were beginning to lay plans and act, she too consciously started her own calculations—otherwise, she'd truly have been out of the game amid laughter and joy.

Even so, though she had thought of a solution, it required uniting with several other female cultivators to implement.

If Nuwa and the others refused, the Queen Mother of the West would be utterly helpless—her state of mind was easy to imagine.

"Queen Mother of the West, if I'm not mistaken, you already have an idea, don't you?"

"Tell us."

Nuwa spoke.

She knew her close friend's nature better than anyone—she wouldn't have come to them unless it was certain, and she'd said so much already—clearly, she already had a plan.

"Yes, I do have an immature idea. Perhaps you sisters can help me evaluate it."

Seeing all the women's gazes turn to her, the Queen Mother of the West spoke shyly.

"Go on, tell us."

Wangshu grew interested, her spirit lifting.

"Nuwa created the human race, I created the Celestial Clan, Houtu created the Underworld Clan—except for you, Wangshu, we all have our own races."

"Though you don't yet, that's fine—you can create one soon."

"Humans govern humanity, Underworld governs earth, Celestial governs heaven—thus, the Three Paths of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. If you, Wangshu, create another race, it shall be the Star Clan, meaning the Stars, governing the Zhou Tian stars."

The Queen Mother of the West spoke slowly, pausing slightly at the end, as if giving Nuwa and the others space to absorb and reflect.

"Heaven, Earth, Humanity, Star—four clans..."

As top-tier female cultivators of Honghuang, the three women's wisdom was unquestionable. Though the Queen Mother spoke little, the mention of races made them all pause, sensing something deeper.

"You mean to use living beings as the base?"

Houtu spoke.

"Correct."

"Just like the common saying in Earth: encircle the cities from the countryside."

"The strategies and actions of all the titans are indeed high-end, wildly imaginative, and yield unimaginably vast profits."

"But they've forgotten one thing: across Honghuang and its countless lower realms, the most numerous are always the countless common beings—the lowest-tier lifeforms."

"These beings are the true base, the most numerous."

"In terms of resources and consumption, they certainly can't match mid- and high-tier beings—but in terms of sheer numbers, they're incalculable."

"One, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand might not equal one high-tier being—but what if it's a hundred million?"

"I've already investigated and calculated: taking as examples the lowest-level beings in every realm, with the lowest cultivation base."

"In the Honghuang main world and its over a hundred trillion lower realms, the total number of such lowest-tier beings exceeds one yi zi, while mid- and high-tier beings number roughly ten thousand gai."

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"(daac) The disparity in numbers is obvious."

The Queen Mother of the West said calmly.

Zi!

Remember: one trillion equals one zhao, ten thousand zhao equals one jing, ten thousand jing equals one gai, and ten thousand gai equals one zi—thus, one can imagine just how vast the number of lifeforms in Honghuang truly is.

Exceeding a hundred million zhi!

The gap between lower-tier and middle- and upper-tier lifeforms is self-evident.

"If we could fully utilize all the lower-tier lifeforms of the Honghuang realm, our gains would surpass the combined total of all the giants, and the Honghuang contributions we obtain would far exceed theirs."

The three women's expressions shifted, and they immediately grasped the terrifying profits hidden within this.

Especially Honghuang contributions—this was the paramount concern.

After all, it determined whether they could obtain the next stages of Gao Zhilu or its divine arts from Li Mo.

To the Dao of Heaven, there is no distinction among lifeform tiers; as long as one contributes to Honghuang, as long as one aids the flourishing of life, that is contribution—and lower-tier lifeforms, each individually, contribute more than middle- and upper-tier ones.

This needs no further explanation—those who understand, understand.

"Indeed, we've all been thinking only about how to maximize gains on a grand scale, forgetting that only by viewing things macroscopically can we achieve maximum benefit—only thus can we obtain the greatest gains."

"Middle- and upper-tier lifeforms? No, no, no—the true value lies in the lower-tier lifeforms; they win through sheer numbers. They've all strayed, forgotten the focus and core."

"Middle- and upper-tier lifeforms need no instruction—their inherent foundations are sufficient for cultivation and strengthening. But lower-tier lifeforms are different; without granting them grace, they stand no chance of transcendence."

"No resources, no connections, no lineage—in normal circumstances, they have no possibility of transformation, at best passively gaining minor benefits during Honghuang's ascension. But if we help the lower-tier lifeforms..."

Wang Shu murmured to herself.

As she continued speaking, Wang Shu's expression shifted constantly, her spirit trembled violently, her breath quickened—as if drenched in enlightenment.

She suddenly awakened, as if the thick white fog before her had been utterly dispelled, leaving her with a sense of rebirth.

"We've all been pursuing the wrong direction."

The three said in unison.

Wrong, wrong, all wrong!

Utterly wrong!

All wrong!

We've simply stood too high, causing us to forget all the fundamental truths.

Like gods towering above, no matter how compassionate they are toward mortals, their mindset could never truly comprehend mortal conditions.

It's not that they refuse to act or unwilling to help—it's that their level is too high, they stand too far above, and they simply cannot imagine mortals' joys, sorrows, anger, and pleasures.

Nuwa and the others were the same.

"We have learned."

"We have learned."

Nuwa and the three women grew solemn, rose, and bowed deeply to Xi Wangmu.

"Sisters, you're too courteous—I only realized this after accidentally hearing a child beside me speak. Otherwise, I would never have thought of this."

"So now, do you sisters understand why I wish to ally with you?"

"This cake is too large for me to eat alone, too much for me to handle—but if we pool our strength, it's different. We can completely monopolize this entire market."