Chapter 1063

Nüwa Island, Xi Valley, Gongsun Jun's residence.

An exquisite small pavilion, a subtle fragrance drifting, a dozen or so neatly dressed pretty maidservants stood quietly beneath the covered walkway.

Inside the pavilion, Gongsun Jun and Gongsun Yao, father and son, said nothing, sitting quietly in their chairs. They held their breath, wearing expressions of calm and harmony; their bearing was somewhat like that of the little maidservant standing in the corridor.

Qingning, whose face was slightly pale, held a black jade cup, sipping little by little the viscous, bubble‑pitching, boiling‑hot, extremely bitter medicinal liquid inside the cup.

As the medicinal liquid entered his belly, it was like a volcanic eruption, like a tsunami raging; waves of violently potent medicinal power surged forth, quickly merging with Qingning's whole body. Qingning gritted his teeth, enduring the pain of the medicinal power ravaging his interior, silently circulating his cultivation method, gradually absorbing the power into every part of his body to compensate for his bodily deficiency.

Earlier, in order to rescue Gongsun Yao, Qingning forcibly activated the treasure mirror forged from fragments of the Haotian Mirror, which had already severely damaged his vital energy.

Later, Wu Tie forcibly demanded the treasure mirror; Qingning could only sever his bond with it, 'gifting' the mirror to Wu Tie in exchange for the mother and child's safe escape. Forcibly cutting the soul link also caused considerable harm to Qingning's soul.

Both his flesh and soul injured, Qingning returned to Nüwa Island and immediately had someone brew a healing medicinal decoction.

This tiny cup of medicinal liquid, though only enough for a dozen or so small sips, actually consumes precious medicinal ingredients worth a kingdom; even the most ordinary auxiliary ingredient is tens of millions of years old, all divine herbs that the various human tribes have painstakingly cultivated with endless effort.

In the vast Nüwa Island, those qualified to enjoy such a potion, if you count them, amount to no more than a hundred people.

For the vast human race, to support a hundred people……

Even so, such a medicinal potion is not something Qingning can lightly drink or bear to waste; if not for this injury to his vital energy, he would not be so extravagant.

After drinking the cup of medicinal liquid, Qingning took a deep breath and then rose to his feet.

In just those few breaths, Qingning's injuries healed, his magical power filled, his body strengthened, surpassing before by a great margin. A fine sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead, his skin flushed red; at first glance he looked no different from a youthful maiden.

"Mother!" Gongsun Yao rose to his feet.

"Wife!" Gongsun Jun rose to his feet.

Qingning seized Gongsun Yao's hand, pulling him outward as she walked, and meanwhile instructed Gongsun Jun: "Summon the clan chiefs of the Youxiong tribe, especially the Elders of the Gongsun clan, and make clear to them what I previously told you."

"The Youxiong tribe, direct lineal descendants of the Xuanyuan Sage Emperor…… have had many Elders and clansmen innocently slain; this debt must be repaid."

"How dare Ji Third Dog dare to do such a thing; the Ji clan must give us an explanation…… even if we reckon by bloodline, we are all close relatives; heh, even brothers settle accounts clearly, let alone those who are 'close relatives' only after many generations."

"If the Ji clan does not give us an explanation, we will give them one."

Qingning's words were filled with boundless killing intent, causing Gongsun Jun and Gongsun Yao to shudder involuntarily.

"Wife, perhaps…… senior matriarchs……" Gongsun Jun lowered his voice, speaking urgently: "Now that demons run amok, if our human tribes were to stir internal strife again, it would be……"

"Internal strife has already broken out……" Qingning glanced sideways at Gongsun Jun: "If an abscess forms, it's better to lance it and drain the poison; better short pain than long. You're old enough to understand this, aren't you?"

"Enough, stop nagging; after all these years of marriage, when have you ever seen my plans fail?" Qingning patted his chest confidently.

"Mother, even if you miscalculated this time…… we have suffered a considerable loss this time." Gongsun Yao spoke bluntly.

"Pa—" Qingning gave Gongsun Yao a moderate slap: "You wretched brat, after all my calculations, isn't it all for you? Have I miscalculated this time? Heh, everything is firmly under control."

Qingning raised his head arrogantly, pulling Gongsun Yao along with big strides: "Let me tell you, kid, if the heavenly court were in our hands, that would indeed be splendid; this would count as your first foundation in life."

"But since the heavenly court is not in our hands, that's even better. Now the senior matriarchs understand: within our human race, those with wolfish ambitions keep emerging, and many villains still hide behind friendly faces."

"Heh, if we don't let the senior matriarchs see the scheming and turmoil now rampant among our people, how could they bear to bring out the wealth they've secretly hoarded over the years and hand it over to the youth?"

Gongsun Jun, following closely behind Qingning, suddenly changed expression and asked urgently: "What wealth? What wealth do the senior matriarchs have?"

Qingning glanced sideways at Gongsun Jun and sneered: "All you do is busy calculating Nüwa Island's firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea; those are indeed the bulk, but compared to the treasures the senior matriarchs hide away, they're nothing— not even worth calling junk."

"Do you still remember what happened with the Huanlong clan back then?" Qingning said coldly: "The Huanlong clan was put forward by the senior matriarchs to compete with Xigu Valley. Originally the matriarchs only wanted to probe the situation, but Xigu Valley directly employed an extermination tactic, wiping out the Huanlong clan entirely."

Snorting coldly, Qingning twisted his slender waist and said triumphantly: "Though the senior matriarchs can fool the world, they cannot fool me, the chief aide they personally cultivated. Heh… the Huanlong clan was exterminated root and branch, yet the Huan Niu, Huan Ma, Huan Zhu, Huan Yang clans… merely changing names and appearances, who knows how many of them still lurk in secret."

Shaking his head, Qingning looked at Gongsun Jun and sighed lightly: "Jun brother, you're just too honest and simple, which makes you prone to suffering losses."

"Don't you think? The senior matriarchs have held the human lineage from the age of primordial myth until now…… do you really suppose they are merely a bunch of feeble, sickly old women who can't withstand a breeze?"

"Goodness, anyone who dares think that has probably died countless times already!"

After patting his clothes, Qingning said leisurely: "Alright, I need to take Yao'er to file a complaint, put on a pitiful show, and go to the arena…… heh, over the years I've deliberately let the senior matriarchs see a fox's tail; I suspect a few petty scoundrels have already reported it."

"This time we must make the performance splendid." Qingning's eyes narrowed into slits as he smiled, truly like a fox.

Two hours later, at the heart of Nüwa Island, within a valley, inside the ancient hall built of massive stones.

In the hall stood nine bronze cauldrons, majestic and faintly linking heaven and earth, each a hundred zhang tall, firmly positioned according to the Nine Palaces at the center of the hall.

Within the cauldrons, nine clusters of spark‑fire flickered silently; each ambergris‑scent ball, the size of a human head, refined by secret arts, hovered in the fire. Under the high heat of the spark‑fire, wafts of rich, heavy fragrance rose from the cauldrons, perfuming the whole hall like aged cured meat, every brick and tile soaked in that special aroma.

The hall faces south with its back to the north; beneath the northern wall, an offering table bears the many sages, human sovereigns, and great emperors of ancient human legend.

At the highest level are enshrined Fuxi and Nüwa.

In the middle are enshrined the Three Sovereigns of humanity.

Below the Three Sovereigns are enshrined the Five Emperors of humanity.

Below the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors are the renowned mighty ones and sages of human legend, later venerated as saints—those great wise men, plus the progenitor figures acknowledged by the various major clans of the populace.

Beneath the offering table, over a hundred straw mats were laid out in a row, upon which twenty‑odd white‑haired, feeble‑breathing old women sat cross‑legged, trembling slightly.

To the left and right of the old women, hundreds of women of all ages stood silently with hands lowered; whether aged or youthful, their aura was quite mystical and lively, more elusive and unpredictable, starkly different from the fierce, violent aura of the Xigu Valley's Xihuang lineage warriors.

Moreover, the warriors of Xigu Valley each had fierce gazes; put bluntly, their eyes revealed more of the primal savagery of ancient beasts.

Meanwhile, the women's gazes were tranquil and gentle, like deep pools of water, shining with the light of wisdom.

The auras of Nüwa Island and Xigu Valley are thus starkly different, yet this is perfectly natural.

Xigu Valley needs only martial force, only absolute, supreme martial force.

Whereas Nüwa Island is for education, transmission, gathering, and protection; the myriad knowledge and crystallized wisdom of humanity are spread by them to tribes great and small. They oversee the reproduction, farming, and rest of the entire human populace, relying more on wisdom than force.

Qingning led Gongsun Yao into the hall, went around the cauldrons, and came before the old women seated cross‑legged on the mats.

She brought Gongsun Yao and knelt before the old women.

Gongsun Yao knelt with utmost reverence, kowtowed to the old women, then stood obediently, silent and motionless.

On Nüwa Island, males hold little status. Were it not that Gongsun Yao is Qingning's son, he would not even be qualified to reside there year‑round.

"Qing'er, what has happened in the heavenly court?" Just as Qingning rose to his feet, a senior matriarch seated in the center got straight to the point and asked him.

"Ji Bai Jie has rebelled…… slaughtering countless of our human elites." Qingning nodded to that matriarch and said solemnly: "Such conduct must be severely punished. Qing'er implores the senior matriarchs to mobilize the human elite, to uproot the heavenly court root and branch, as a warning to others."

Taking a breath, Qingning said solemnly: "Qing'er further asks the senior matriarchs to consider his earlier proposal—— humanity must have a united standing armed force……"

"A woman whose age looked about the same as Qingning's, with an oval face, gentle and stunningly beautiful, gave a light laugh: 'Qing'er sister, hold on, I have something I don't understand... Earlier, Qing'er sister swore solemnly, letting Young Master Ya take charge of the Heavenly Court, saying it was to subdue demons and eliminate monsters, to protect our human race's people. How did it turn into such a mess?'"

"Qing'er sister's past plans were flawless, so how come this time......" The gentle-faced woman lightly sighed: "Concentrating the human race's elite, this is said lightly, but the human race's elite concentrated in the Heavenly Court, under Young Master Ya's command, were completely wiped out...... Our human race's vitality is greatly injured; where else can we muster elite?"

"Qingning raised her brows arrogantly and said: 'Ladies and sisters, I, Qing'er, have made a mistake; I accept punishment; everything has nothing to do with Ya'er.'"

"She gave the gentle-faced woman a deep look, then said calmly: 'Now is not the time to quarrel over personal grudges; Sister Dai, please consider the future of the human race, offer some good ideas, and stop stirring up trouble here, wasting time.'"

"The gentle-faced woman Wa Dai laughed: 'Quarreling over personal grudges, stirring up trouble, wasting time—Qing'er sister, as always, you're good at taking the blame...'"

"Wa Dai stepped out from the crowd, bowed to the assembled senior matriarchs, and then said in a low voice: 'Ladies matriarchs, I have some depositions here; please review them...'"

"She pulled a thick stack of animal-skin paper from her sleeve, and Wa Dai handed it to the senior matriarchs sitting on the mats."

"None of the senior matriarchs glanced at those animal-skin papers; their gazes were like knives, fixed on Qingning. The matriarch in the center said calmly: 'Wa Dai, tell us, what exactly do these depositions say?'"

"Wa Dai took a deep breath, glanced at Qingning, and said in a low voice: 'Qing'er sister, over the past three hundred years, she has frequently privately connected to the ancestral spirit space, praying to the ancestral spirits for power to assist Gongsun Ya's cultivation...... Moreover, Qing'er sister has even projected her own spiritual awareness into the ancestral spirit space......'"

"Wa Dai said softly: 'In the past century, twelve sisters who had grievances with Qing'er sister suffered damage to their souls and spirits from the immense primordial spirit power when connecting to the ancestral spirit space, and they remain unconscious to this day.'"

"Qingning drooped her eyelids, remaining silent."

"The senior matriarchs gave Qingning a deep look, then let out a light sigh."

"The matriarch in the center said softly: 'Qing'er, you are the junior we hold in highest regard...... but for the sake of your husband and your son, what you have done is truly detrimental to the interests of our human race.'"

"Connecting to the ancestral spirit space, privately borrowing the ancestral spirits' power to assist Gongsun Ya's cultivation, enabling him to develop the Primordial Classic to the pinnacle of the Three Thousand Great Dao...... What you have damaged is the foundation of our human race."

"Even so, you have after all nurtured such a peerless genius, Gongsun Ya; we can tolerate your self-serving act that harms the public for private gain."

"However, regarding the Heavenly Court affair, Gongsun Ya's poor command led to the deaths of many human elites...... This shows he is ultimately unfit for great responsibility, capable only as a commander, not as a leader. You must give us an explanation for this, and give an explanation to everyone on Wa Island."

"We are fully aware of all your actions over these years."

"You are guilty, but not deserving of death. Relinquish all your posts and go to the Wa Huang Cave to face the wall and reflect for a thousand years!"

"Gongsun Jun's posts are also relieved. Let him and Gongsun Ya turn back their Gongsun clan and never set foot on Wa Island again."

"Several senior matriarchs simultaneously waved their hands lightly; the nine great cauldrons trembled slightly, and Gongsun Jun and Gongsun Ya father and son mysteriously appeared suddenly outside the sea of Wa Island. Meanwhile, Qingning, without any power to resist, directly appeared in a profound cave."

"On the surrounding rock walls, countless intricate divine symbols flickered with profound divine light; before Qingning, on the massive stone wall, a towering thousand-zhang statue of the Wa Huang clan was strikingly carved in relief."

"Boundless void, Heavenly Crystal War Star."

"Qingning smiled, twisted her waist, and laughed toward Xuanwu and four others: 'Your Highnesses, the moment has arrived. Heh, a snake cannot be headless; I will now lead the five of you straight to the human race's holy land, Wa Island.'"

"As long as we slaughter those old fogeys completely, the human race will be a loose sand, utterly powerless."

"Your Highnesses, this time you must deploy elite troops and strong generals down there; you must deliver a killing blow in one strike, otherwise once the human race reacts, their foundation is not inferior either!"