Chapter 163: Chaos

Nüwa Palace, inside the Earth Palace.

On both sides of the deep passageway, intricate reliefs were carved into the metal-cast walls; silhouettes of ancient, peculiar figures flickered in and out, each relief exuding a vicissitude-laden aura that hit the face.

A lamp floated beside Nuwa Mu, illuminating the road within several meters around her.

Wearing a black robe, Nuwa Xiu was like a female ghost, bearing an inscrutable smile as she stood before Nuwa Mu, blocking her path.

"Nuwa Xiu?" Nuwa Mu stared coldly at Nuwa Xiu: "You, still want to be locked up for a few days?"

Nuwa Xiu let out a light sigh, the corner of her mouth curling, her smile very fleeting: "Third sister, over these many years, Nuwa Valley has never had a mistress as dominant as you… Of course, the elders chose you, the ancestral spirits chose you; perhaps this is a good thing."

Nuwa Mu tilted her head slightly, gave a cold laugh: "You, what do you want to say?"

Nuwa Xiu smiled: "As a sister, I'm just kindly reminding you: your son has offended not only the Gongsun clan but many others. Of course, aside from the Gongsun clan, those he's offended elsewhere aren't really his fault."

"Third sister, you're too harsh, your extortion too severe— that gambling affair dragged many little ones into losing everything clean…" Nuwa Xiu giggled: "You also know, children from big families have bad tempers."

Nuwa Mu's eyes flashed with a strange light as she fixed her gaze on Nuwa Xiu, speaking low: "You mean to say that because of that gambling match, because I schemed too well, someone is looking to cause trouble for Wu Tie?"

Nuwa Mu gave a thoughtful cold laugh: "Is it that little slut Nuwa Yue wanting to stir up trouble? Are you here to shift blame onto her in advance? Nuwa Xiu, you mother and daughter have always had a bit of cleverness… merely a bit of cleverness."

Nuwa Xiu's face changed.

Nuwa Mu pointed rudely at her nose and scolded: "If anything happens to Wu Tie, I'll skin you alive!"

Nuwa Xiu stared, then suddenly laughed: "Third sister, saying that… in Nuwa Valley, if even Wu Tie could meet with trouble, what does that have to do with me? It can only be that you, the mistress, are incapable. Heh, I too am one of the current three great priests…

With a shake of her hands, black flame spurted from Nuwa Xiu's palms, like viscous magma, quickly elongating and condensing in her grasp into two splendid, exquisite long swords.

"I stopped you, third sister, to see just how strong you are— being favored by so many elders, receiving the ancestral spirits' manifestation, directly blessed to become the current matriarch…" Nuwa Xiu gritted her teeth, smiling lightly: "You should know, from childhood I've always been stronger than you; I really don't believe you now…"

Nuwa Mu's eye sockets suddenly spewed five-colored divine light; her eyeballs turned into two blazing five-colored mini-suns, an ancient, vicissitudinous, divinely majestic pressure— like the supreme, inscrutable will of heaven and earth in the primordial world— roared forth.

At this moment, Nuwa Mu was not like a person.

She was like an ancient deity that had crossed the river of time, descending from the origin of time into the present age.

Her aura was like a mountain crushing down from above, like a violent wind and rainstorm gone mad, directly shattering all of Nuwa Xiu's aura.

The two flame-forged longswords shattered piece by piece, turning into drifting sparks.

Nuwa Mu stepped forward, drew close to Nuwa Xiu, and rained down thirty-six heavy slaps upon her head and face. The low thuds of the slaps echoed through the long, deep passageway stretching over ten li…

Nuwa Mu struck with all her strength; a normal slap sounds 'pa-pa', but with full force her palm hitting Nuwa Xiu's face made a drum-like 'dong-dong'.

Nuwa Xiu's head jerked violently side to side; the first slap split her cheek, blood mixing with saliva spurting like a stream. The second slap swollen her lovely red lips to sausage size, shards of teeth constantly spraying from her mouth.

After thirty-six slaps, Nuwa Xiu's once country‑toppling, bewitching face was beaten to resemble a boiled‑over pig's head.

Nuwa Mu launched a kick, a heart‑wrecking footstrike slamming into Nuwa Xiu's solar plexus.

Bone‑cracking sounds rang out; Nuwa Xiu was kicked flying by Nuwa Mu, shooting straight out over a hundred meters, crashing heavily to the ground, then sliding backward another hundred meters across the polished metal floor.

Nuwa Mu flicked her right hand, speaking lightly: "You've said it yourself—I've been the rarest, most dominant matriarch in years… Do you not know in your heart what 'dominant' means?"

"Nuwa Xiu… has gone mad… perhaps she went berserk in cultivation? Strip her naked, toss her into the Earth‑class No. 1 Profound Yin Nether Pool to soak, let her vent the demonic fire in her heart… Without my order, no one may release her."

"If she's thirsty, let her drink the Profound Yin Nether Pool water; if she's hungry, feed her the Nine Nether Cold Cherry Fruit growing beside the Earth‑class No. 2 Nine Nether Yin Pool… let her sober up properly."

Nuwa Mu lightly tapped the floating lamp beside her, then strode forward with big steps.

She paused not at all; when she reached Nuwa Xiu's side she stepped directly on her body and passed over: "Also, send people to patrol the surroundings, see where Wu Tie and Nuwa Xiaoxi have gone to cause trouble… and have me strictly investigate Nuwa Yue's whereabouts…"

Nuwa Mu said coldly: "These days, while communicating with the ancestral spirits, I've noticed that little slut Nuwa Yue has been sneaking about, as if some external force shadows her. Don't let me find proof; if it's shown that Nuwa Yue colluded with outsiders, scheming against our own kin…"

Nuwa Mu's stern reprimand echoed through the passageway: "Nuwa Xiu, I will personally kill you as a sacrifice to the forefathers."

Two silver‑white giants, skin smooth and hairless, faces delicate and handsome, bodies slender and sturdy yet standing nearly five meters tall, appeared out of nowhere.

They wore extravagant golden armor to the extreme, each clutching a heavy golden scepter, expressionless as they approached Nuwa Xiu and reached out to grab her.

Nuwa Xiu shouted at the two giant girls, straining to struggle and resist.

One girl lifted a golden scepter far thicker and longer than Nuwa Xiu's body, then brought it down with a dull thud onto her head.

Nuwa Xiu rolled her eyes and fainted, her body twitching like a fish just hauled ashore.

Nuwa Mu walked the long passageway, following the complex, trap‑laden stairs up to the above‑ground structures of Nüwa Palace, exiting the main gate to see a group of old and young women walking toward her.

Two old women from afar greeted her with smiling faces, warmly saying hello.

"Matriarch, we've come to discuss our family's Fang Yuan seeking to marry a Nüwa clan maiden."

A group of women naturally gathered around Nuwa Mu, chattering noisily.

Nuwa Mu's expression turned somewhat unsightly.

Fang Yuan, a talented young scion of the Fang clan, quite renowned among its younger generation.

The Fang clan, among the dozens of major territories surrounding Nuwa Valley, stands equal in power to the Gongsun clan. Fang Yuan is a regular visitor to Nuwa Valley, often circling around the clan's most outstanding maidens.

What vexed Nuwa Mu was that Fang Yuan's father's elder brother was precisely the betrothed of Nuwa Yin; in other words, Fang Yuan is the paternal cousin of Nuwa Qing'er. Thus Fang Yuan is a bona fide relative of the Nüwa clan, and also a close kin of Nuwa Mu.

Faced with this sudden band of Fang clan women, Nuwa Mu could not be too rough.

Surrounded by the chattering women, Nuwa Mu's face grew grim… Could this Fang clan women's gathering really be a stunt pulled by Nuwa Xiu? If it were to delay Nuwa Mu's actions, even these Fang clan women could be provoked by Nuwa Xiu…

Nuwa Mu's mind swirled with countless thoughts— is this Nuwa Xiu's doing?

Or perhaps this is something Nuwa Xiu is capable of stirring up?

Furthermore, what's the point of Nuwa Xiu fussing over this?

A group of chirping women surrounded Nuwa Mu, each smiling warmly, affectionate, as if seeing her closest kin.

Nuwa Mu narrowed her eyes; a dangerous glint flickered in her narrow phoenix eyes.

She raised her right hand, fingers flicking, then clenched them one by one.

The women's gazes were drawn to Nuwa Mu's fingers, which flickered with faint five‑colored divine light; they stared blankly at her hand.

The divine light swayed; the Fang clan women's bodies jerked, then with a simultaneous 'dong' they collapsed to the ground, snoring as they fell asleep.

"Move them in… attend to them well. People, conduct a strict inspection of the Nuwa Valley outskirts; report any anomaly at once." Nuwa Mu had already sent people to look for Wu Tie and Nuwa Xiaoxi, etc., but she now reinforced the detail, ordering a thorough sweep of the Nuwa Valley perimeter.

She didn't leave Nüwa Palace to search personally; the stone floor beneath her feet rippled like water, her body flickered and she sank swiftly into the ground. At top speed she reached the teleportation array inside the Earth Palace, then was transported to the Stone Cave World three thousand li below.

Nuwa Mu descended from the vault of the Stone Cave World, her body swaying lightly as a strange chant accompanied her; her upper half rapidly expanded, her body swelling to three times its original size.

Her two long legs gradually merged into one, then her lower limbs suddenly flicked backward.

A five-colored divine light was flung out, strange power surged toward the rear, and on the ceiling a gorgeous five-colored rainbow was flung out.

Below the waist, Wa Mu's body transformed into a snake body over ten meters long!

Her jade-white snake body was covered with layer upon layer of crystal-clear scales, each scale's edge flashing a hint of five-colored light; amidst the shifting halo, Wa Mu's snake body did not look ferocious and frightening, but instead exuded a mysterious ancient and sacred aura.

An invisible force lifted Wa Mu's body; she hovered in midair and slowly swam toward the high platform at the center of this stone cave.

She lightly landed on the platform, and Wa Mu reverently bowed before the statue of a woman with a human torso and snake tail on the altar at the platform's center, then she coldly chuckled and shook her head: "Playing tricks in Wa Valley? Heh, I don't have my mother's good temper; I, Wa Mu, have had a bad temper since childhood."

Dozens of faint soul undulations swept in from all directions, ripples stirred in the air, and dozens of women clad in black robes, each holding staves of various materials, silently stepped out from the air ripples.

They silently gazed at Wa Mu, no one speaking; in their tranquil, water-like eyes, the same five-colored light shone.

They are all Elders of the Wa Clan, Elders who cultivate in seclusion here.

The Wa Clan has a great number of Elders, though many remain in year‑long seclusion; these dozens of Elders are merely on rotating duty, the rotating Elders responsible for Wa Valley's safety.

They silently watched Wa Mu's actions.

The Wa Clan's rules stand here; as the clan's matriarch, whatever she does is perfectly proper. Even the Elders have no authority to restrict Wa Mu's conduct.

In the stone crevice, inside the ice prison, Gongsun Cheng let out a low roar and hurled a heavy punch at Wu Tie's head.

Wu Tie ignored Gongsun Cheng's fist, raised the White Tiger Split with both hands, and thrust the spear straight at him.

A glint of cold light flashed; the White Tiger Split was much longer than Gongsun Cheng's arm, his fist still several feet from Wu Tie's head, yet the spear's tip had already touched the skin over Gongsun Cheng's heart.

Gongsun Cheng's leg muscles suddenly bulged, erupting with strange strength; his body whooshed away from before Wu Tie, and, driven by immense power, he reappeared with a terrifying speed, whooshing suddenly behind Wu Tie.

The heavy punch continued to smash down toward Wu Tie's head.

Wu Tie's swiftly thrust White Tiger Split suddenly stalled in midair, accompanied by a low, tiger‑like roar seeming to rise from deep within his mind; the White Tiger Split shot out from under Wu Tie's left armpit, its tip still locked onto Gongsun Cheng's heart.

Gongsun Cheng whooshed away, then appeared at Wu Tie's right hand.

Just as he threw his heavy punch, the White Tiger Split had already swept a perfect arc, a horizontal strike hitting his waist.

Gongsun Cheng cursed angrily and began to sprint wildly around Wu Tie.

The immense power brought terrifying speed; the ground around Wu Tie continually burst open in clusters of icy blue crystals, the frozen ground was stamped with deep footprints that quickly froze over anew.

But no matter how Gongsun Cheng ran or from which angle he attacked Wu Tie, a White Tiger Split always appeared before him, thrusting straight at his heart.

The spear tip always followed either an absolutely straight line or a perfect arc, stubbornly appearing before him to pierce his heart.

After being entangled for a full span of time to brew a pot of tea, the several young men and women who had appeared alongside Gongsun Cheng simultaneously shouted reproaches.

"Gongsun Cheng, are you capable or not?"

"This is Wa Valley's territory; don't waste time."

"You know how fearsome the Wa Clan is… even with divine protection, we are unwilling to take risks."

Gongsun Cheng, urged on, let out an angry roar, stepped back several paces, then lifted his gaze to the ceiling densely covered with countless icy‑blue runes.

A bowl‑thick beam of blue light descended from the ceiling, shattering the clothes on Gongsun Cheng's body; he donned a set of exquisite armor forged from icy blue shards, upon which blazed blue ice‑flames several feet high.

Judging solely by his aura, Gongsun Cheng's power has now reached the level of the Life Pool Realm!

This is not his own power; it is power bestowed from outside.

Gongsun Cheng let out a triumphant roar, was about to speak, when a golden bullet like thunder slammed hard into his face.