Chapter 508: Nuwa, if you insist on this, I do not mind going to war with the gods

Nuwa looked toward Tongtian Jiaozhu, "Shangqing Saint, are you going to indulge them in this nonsense too?"

Tongtian Jiaozhu let out a cold snort, "The ruthlessness of a Great Dao Saint—I have truly learned a lesson today."

"My Disciple; you may not feel heartache, but I do."

"I am determined to save this person. If Nuwa insists on obstructing me, do not blame me for being disrespectful."

In the past, he still respected Nuwa to some degree. But in this matter, even if the Great Dao itself arrived, it would be of no use.

Nuwa felt a slight sense of disappointment toward Tongtian Jiaozhu, "With the Primordial Demon not yet dead and the Three Realms in peril, the Shangqing Saint is actually being swayed by emotions."

"Do you not know that if the Primordial Demon returns after death to strike back, it will surely be a Great Tribulation that annihilates the Three Realms?"

"Hmph." A cold snort came from behind the several Saints.

Li Shimin had been brought by Taishang Laojun, and he had understood everything about what had just transpired.

"The Great Tribulation of the Three Realms is not the tribulation of a single person."

"The Earthly Dao has the Houtu Saint, the Heavenly Dao has the Three Pure Ones to protect it, and the Human Path has me, the co-ruler of the world."

"If you say the Human Race has no Human Emperor, then today, in my capacity as the co-ruler of the world, I shall proclaim myself Human Emperor."

"As for the great disaster of the world, it concerns all living beings of the Three Realms. If you Saints and gods wish to step in and help, I shall be grateful."

"If you will not help, then stay far away and protect yourselves; do not interfere in the affairs of my Three Realms."

Nuwa looked at Li Shimin, a faint displeasure between her brows, yet she could not easily vent it.

"Nuwa Saint, I address you as a Saint out of respect for your merit in creating the world."

"If you are truly idle with nothing to do, go and mold clay to create humans, adding to the Three Realms' combat strength so we may resist the Great Tribulation together!"

"Instead of just wagging your tongue here, forcing my daughter to pay for the common people with her life, forcing her to die!"

"Even without An'er, I can still lead my troops to guard the borders of the nation!"

"If it is fated that my Human Race must suffer this tribulation, then it shall be I who dies for the country first! Not the Princess!"

Li Shimin held his sword, pointing it at Nuwa.

"If you insist on stopping them from saving An'er, then I do not mind going to war with the gods!"

Nuwa stared at Li Shimin; given the fortune he carried, she could not force his hand, nor could she threaten him.

"Fine."

"If the living beings of the Three Realms suffer, you will all know that you should not have obstructed my actions today."

Having said this, Nuwa vanished from the spot and returned to Wahuang Palace.

West Lake, Baohe Hall.

Tang An lay on the bed, her complexion haggard and pale. Although the wounds on her body had healed, the internal injuries caused by the Magic Fire and her withered, burnt-out Primordial Spirit would not recover for some time.

Sun Wukong, Yang Jian, Wukong, and Xu Xian stood by the bedside, while Bai Suzhen was feeding medicine to Tang An.

Jiuyue transformed into her true form as a small fox, letting Tang An lean against her, just as Tang An used to lean against her during their journey to fetch the scriptures.

"Husband," Bai Suzhen looked at Xu Xian with worry, "She cannot swallow the medicine; what should we do?"

Xu Xian took the bamboo slip used for feeding medicine, intending to pry open Tang An's teeth so Bai Suzhen could feed her.

Yet, even in her comatose state, Tang An had no will to survive, so the bamboo slip could not pry her teeth apart at all.

Sun Wukong was so anxious he was scratching his ears and cheeks, "What is to be done?"

Yang Jian frowned deeply, "Actually, even if the medicine is fed to her, it is useless. Mortal medicine is of little help to Master."

Nezha looked at Bai Suzhen, feeling somewhat nervous, but still gathered his courage to say, "You could call her An'an."

"Ah?"

"If you call her name, she should be able to hear it."

Upon hearing the name An'an, Bai Suzhen subconsciously looked for the scent sachet on Tang An. "Does she still have that sachet with her?"

Nezha lowered his head in guilt, "It was ruined by someone." If only they had been by Tang An's side at that time, perhaps she would not have suffered such a great shock.

Bai Suzhen looked at Tang An, always feeling that there was some kind of close connection between her and Tang An.

"In that case, I will make another sachet, and have my husband prepare some medicinal herbs inside that will help her condition; I hope it will have some effect."

"Many thanks, Madam." Nezha was overjoyed.

Yang Jian bowed, "Then I shall trouble you, Madam."

Sun Wukong was the most impatient, "Madam, please make the sachet now, quickly, quickly." He pulled Bai Suzhen toward the door to have her make the sachet.

During this time, Tang An remained in a coma, showing no signs of waking up.

Bai Suzhen recalled the style of the previous sachet and stitched together an identical one, needle by needle.

At night.

The sachet that had been destroyed by the Primordial Demon was once again crafted by Bai Suzhen.

She brought the sachet over, looked at the comatose Tang An, and placed it into her hand.

"Look, the sachet is not damaged; it is right here in your hand."

"When you wake up, you will be able to see it."

Bai Suzhen fetched water to wipe Tang An's cheeks and body. When she unfastened Tang An's clothes and saw the scars covering her back and shoulders, a wave of inexplicable, sharp pain pierced her heart.

"How... how can such a small child have so many scars on her body?"

She reached out to touch the scars, her heart aching uncontrollably.

"If her own mother knew the child had suffered so much, how heartbroken she would be."

Whether it was this sentence that triggered something, the mark between Tang An's brows flickered for an instant.

At the same time, Bai Suzhen's vision blurred, and she lost consciousness.

From an observer's perspective, there was nothing amiss with Bai Suzhen, but her eyes were like those of a different person.

Previously, her gaze had held heartache, but it was not as profound as the gut-wrenching pain she felt at this moment.

"An'an."

"My An'an."

Tang Zhenzhu looked at the scars on Tang An's body, and large tears fell one after another. It truly was pain on the child's body, and heartache in the mother's heart.

"Mother has only ever hoped for you to be safe and sound, how did you... how did you end up with a body full of such injuries..."

If praying to all the gods and buddhas in the sky were useful, she would kneel and beg without hesitation to take on these sufferings in Tang An's place.

Yet she also knew that it was precisely those gods and buddhas who had harmed her daughter to this state.

"An'an."

"It is Mother who has failed you, I should not have left you alone to suffer so much."

She was finally able to touch Tang An; she stroked her daughter's cheeks and then pulled her daughter's hand up to place it against her own face.

"An'an, don't be afraid, Mother is here."

"If you don't want to wake up, then we won't wake up. Sleep, child, Mother is right here keeping you company, don't be afraid, Mother is here."

Seeming to hear Tang Zhenzhu speaking, Tang An's fingers trembled slightly.

But she did not wake up and remained in a deep sleep.

Tang Zhenzhu could not stay with Tang An for long, so only when night fell each day could she borrow Bai Suzhen's body to keep Tang An company, chatting with her and telling her bedtime stories.

It was as if to make up for the maternal love Tang An missed out on when she was little, because those stories were all meant to be told to children.