Chapter 78

After receiving the news of Panhuang, Shaodian and the Chiyou clan leader began secretly making arrangements.

At most twenty years, the struggle for the Human Sovereign will begin; they want to pave the way for their children in advance, so that when the time comes, the children only need to strive.

As for Shennong's side, he has already solved all the plagues of humanity, and moreover allowed his own compiled Shennong's Herbal Classic to be put into practice.

The only drawback is that the dissemination of this Shennong's Herbal Classic is somewhat difficult.

Nowadays humanity lacks its own script; Shennong's Shennong's Herbal Classic is recorded using the Heavenly Dao's divine markings, a kind of writing that only cultivators can understand.

Fuxi had invented some symbols in the past, but those symbols cannot be used as characters; they were meant to help strengthen the knot‑tying method of record‑keeping.

But as for creating characters, Shennong hasn't even thought about it yet; in his view, to spread the Shennong Herbal Classic, one must first get a group of people to learn it, then have that group go among the human race to teach other humans, and then have them teach yet more humans—doing this, eventually the Shennong Herbal Classic will be spread throughout the entire human race.

While curing the human race's plague, Shennong also gained a woman for himself and moreover obtained a lovely daughter.

Shennong named her Nüwa, but because Shennong was very busy, his supervision of Nüwa became negligent.

Western Sect, Mount Sumeru.

"Senior brother, we can't let this Earth Emperor attain enlightenment so peacefully." Zhunti glared at the Earth Emperor in the water mirror with a resentful expression.

Tongtian obtained the position of Heaven Emperor's teacher, Yuanshi obtained that of Human Emperor's teacher, Laozi and Nüwa gave up the Three Sovereigns' teacher position; logically, then the Earth Emperor's teacher should belong to their Western Sect.

But Panhuang actually excluded their Western Sect, making Zhunti and Jieyin's faces look unpleasant.

"Junior brother, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors are heaven-ordained; if you destroy them, you will invite karmic retribution." Jieyin actually also didn't want this Earth Emperor to attain enlightenment so peacefully.

Because this Earth Emperor is a disciple of the Ren Sect and a granddisciple of Panhuang, that's why they think this way.

"Rest assured, he will attain enlightenment, but it won't be that easy." Zhunti let out a cold laugh; he had already thought of an excellent plan.

"Ah!" Finally, Jieyin let out a sigh.

He did not stop Zhunti, but at the same time he also did not support Zhunti.

Zhunti disappeared into Mount Sumeru while Jieyin was sighing, and when he reappeared, he was already above the East Sea.

At that moment above the East Sea, the Dragon King's third prince Ao Bing was lying on the sea surface enjoying the sea breeze; their dragon clan hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time.

Since the end of the three-clan war, the dragon clan had borne a huge karmic burden; fortunately, with Panhuang's help, they became one of the twelve zodiac signs, and they also used the karmic fire red lotus of the Nether River to help Zhu Long burn off most of their karma; in the Heaven Emperor era, with Fuxi's assistance, they even became a totem of the human race, gaining the support of human fortune, which is why the dragon clan's life improved.

Zhunti looked at the relaxed third prince, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Since I've run into you, you might as well consider yourself unlucky." Zhunti said with a smile.

After saying that, a barely perceptible dark light pierced into Ao Bing's body; his brow furrowed for a moment, but then recovered the next second.

After doing all that, Zhunti concealed his form and quietly observed everything; the scheme was already set up, and now it depended on how those who entered would perform.

……

"Great clan leader, Nüwa's fate has indeed fluctuated." On Mount Shouyang, in the Holy Radiance Hall, Ruyi suddenly found Panhuang.

When Nüwa was born, Shennong was busy spreading the Shennong Herbal Classic; Nüwa was raised single‑handedly by her mother Ting, and after Panhuang learned of Nüwa's birth, he had Ruyi closely monitor her movements.

Because in this lifetime the dragon clan had early friendly relations with the human race, and in the Heaven Emperor era they even became a totem of the human race; as the child of the human sovereign, Nüwa innately carries fortune, which the dragon clan cannot fail to notice.

So he wanted to see whether Nüwa in this lifetime would repeat the mistakes of her previous life; he hadn't expected that she would indeed do just that.

"What's going on?" Panhuang asked hurriedly.

"A force is disturbing the heavenly secrets, but Ruyi can still faintly discern some of it; this force comes from the West." Ruyi said.

"The West? Only two people can shield the heavenly secrets in the West, and besides Zhunti, no one else can act on it." Panhuang rubbed his chin and muttered to himself.

"Send someone to the Jiangwater Tribe to protect Nüwa, and also the person who conflicts with her; if you discover any dark force obstructing, shout out Zhunti's name directly." Panhuang looked toward the West and said coldly.

"Yes, great clan leader." Ruyi nodded.

"Panhuang, you seem to be very concerned about the Earth Emperor's daughter." After Ruyi left, Changxi linked arms with Panhuang.

"Shennong toiled heart and soul for the human race; as his holy teacher, how could I allow anyone to bully his family!" Panhuang said with a laugh.

After the decline of the witch‑demons, Changxi and Xihe took up permanent residence on Mount Shouyang; anyone could see that Changxi and Xihe were interested in Panhuang, and in the end it was Xihe and Changxi who first made a move, after which the three of them got together.

Now Xihe and Changxi have become the mistresses of Zhao Gongming and others, which is why they are so close to Panhuang.

"It's not just that." Xihe said with a smile.

"Moreover, Shennong is my disciple of the Ren Sect; he represents the face of our sect. If his child were schemed against, it would be a slap not only to Shennong's face but also to the Ren Sect's face and to my own face—how could I allow such a thing to happen?" Panhuang said with a laugh, his eyes full of cold light.

"But the opponent is a Saint!" Changxi worried a bit.

"A Saint? So what; if pushed to the brink, Laozi would outright slaughter Saints." Panhuang said coldly.

Panhuang's strength has now reached the peak of quasi‑Saint, and moreover his primordial spirit evolved from the merit of the Great Dao; if he truly wanted to fight to the death, he need only self‑destruct his primordial spirit, and no Saint could withstand it.

Xihe and Changxi said nothing, but they tightened their grip on Panhuang's arm—that was their reply.

"I was just saying it for the sake of argument; things haven't developed to that point yet." Panhuang said with a laugh.

In the Jiangwater Tribe, Nüwa was really bored, so she prepared to leave the tribe to have a look.

Taking advantage of the guards' laxity, Nüwa sneaked out of the tribe and all the way came to the edge of the East Sea (don't quibble about why the Jiangwater Tribe is near the East Sea—just accept that the geography of the wilderness is like that).

Actually, Nüwa's leaving the tribe wasn't because the guards were lax; someone was secretly helping her, and that person was Zhunti.

He couldn't act directly against Nüwa, for if he dared to lay a hand on her he would be discovered immediately, and then he might face an attack from both Lady Nüwa and Panhuang—which is not what he wants.

Upon reaching the edge of the East Sea, seeing the boundless ocean before her, Nüwa's face lit up with an excited smile; she then made a small boat and directly went boating on the East Sea.

Blowing in the cool sea breeze and watching the clouds roll and unfold in the sky, Nüwa's mood was very relaxed.

Just as Nüwa was sleeping while blowing in the sea breeze, a cold gaze in the sea noticed her—this person was the East Sea's third prince, Ao Bing.

If one looked closely, one could see that at that moment a jet‑black light was flickering in the depths of his eyes.

The next second, Ao Bing pinched a spell, and instantly towering waves rose on the sea surface; Nüwa was jolted awake, staring at the looming waves before her, not knowing what to do in the moment, and she just watched helplessly as the waves bore down on her.

"Hahaha, Panhuang, although this Saint cannot prevent the Earth Emperor from attaining enlightenment, I can still cause a flaw in his Earth Emperor's heart; a Saint must not be insulted—this is the price for offending a Saint." A smile appeared on the face of the hidden Zhunti.

If Panhuang heard his words, he'd surely roll his eyes; I provoked you, you go punish someone else, then say this is my penalty for offending a Saint—this makes no sense at all! The people of the West, their mental circuits are truly one weird after another.

Just as Nüwa was being swallowed by the waves, a golden light appeared, directly lifting her up and bringing her back to shore.

Zhunti's eyes narrowed instantly, and as Nüwa was about to return to shore, he very subtly unleashed an attack.

The next second, Zhunti's body staggered, because he had suffered a backlash.

He looked closely and saw that it was Si Teng; at that moment she was holding the girl in her arms, and Zhunti's earlier attack had not landed on the girl but on Si Teng herself.

What kind of person is Si Teng? She is the human race's Man-Creating Whip, bearing one-tenth of the merit of creating humanity; Zhunti injured him, so naturally he will suffer backlash.

"Zhunti Holy One, you are an exalted saint supreme; is it not beneath your dignity to make things difficult for a little girl?" Si Teng wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and shouted loudly.

Upon hearing Si Teng's words, Zhunti's face showed surprise, then he directly vanished from the spot, erasing all his traces and aura, and even the heavenly secrets were once again shielded by Zhunti.

"Hmph!" After waiting a moment and seeing no movement, Si Teng let out a cold snort.

Behind her stood the Ren Sect and the entire human race, plus the merit she inherently carried; she had no fear of saints at all.

While Si Teng was stunned, a black light suddenly shot out from the sea and pierced straight into the girl's body.

After the black light entered her body, the girl suddenly shuddered all over and then lost all signs of life.

"Damn it!" Seeing the girl in her arms lose all signs of life, Si Teng's killing intent exploded outward.

She waved her hand, and the Man-Creating Whip appeared in her hand; she then reached into the East Sea, and the next second Ao Bing was seized by Si Teng and pulled up.

Looking at Ao Bing's bewildered and fearful face, Si Teng felt deep regret; the clan chief had instructed her before she came to pay attention not only to the girl but also to anyone who might come into conflict with her, yet Si Teng had focused solely on the girl and forgotten about those who might clash with her, which led to the girl's death.

"Hmph!" At this moment, having returned to Mount Sumeru, Zhunti's face showed a cold smile.

While Si Teng was at a loss, the girl in her arms suddenly turned into countless specks of light; these specks gathered in the air and, in a moment, became a large bird with a patterned head, white beak, red claws, and feathers all over a deep azure, resembling a crow.

After the bird appeared, it kept calling "Jingwei, Jingwei" from its beak, then it seized a branch and tossed it into the sea.

Si Teng tried to stop the Jingwei bird transformed by Nüwa, but found it useless; if Shennong learned of this, his Dao heart would surely be damaged.

"I knew something would go wrong." Suddenly, a sigh appeared in Si Teng's ear.

The next second, Pan Huang appeared beside Si Teng; seeing this, she hastily bowed to Pan Huang.

"Chief, Si Teng has messed things up; please punish me, Chief." Si Teng lowered her head deeply, not daring to look at Pan Huang.

"It's fine; we haven't reached an irreparable point yet." Pan Huang shook his head.

Now the girl is like this because her resentment has clouded her mind; as long as her resentment is dispelled, she can recover, and might even turn misfortune into blessing.

Pan Huang waved his hand, and grayish rule energy wrapped Jingwei; after a few breaths, the rule power receded and Jingwei regained her senses.

"Girl pays respects to Holy Master." After regaining her senses, she hastily bowed to Pan Huang.

"It's fine; this time you've turned misfortune into blessing, so don't be so mischievous from now on!" Pan Huang patted the girl's little head.

"Yes, Holy Master." The girl nodded.

"I will give you a name; from now on you shall be called Jingwei. This name is to remind you to be steady in whatever you do and always consider the consequences—do you understand?" Pan Huang looked at Jingwei and said.

"Yes, Jingwei understands." Jingwei nodded.

"Go on, return to find your father and the others; they probably already know what happened here, and if you don't go back they'll worry." Pan Huang said to Jingwei.

Jingwei nodded, then transformed into the Jingwei bird and flew away directly.

After returning to the Jiangshui tribe, the entire tribe fell into chaos because the Sovereign's child had gone missing; if the Sovereign's child encountered any mishap outside, they would bear an unforgivable guilt.

"Mother!" Suddenly a voice sounded in everyone's ears.

They turned their heads and saw Jingwei standing gracefully at the tribe's gate; upon seeing Jingwei, Tingxiang rushed over, pulled Jingwei into her embrace, and tears streamed uncontrollably.

"Go inform the Sovereign and say the child has been found." After a moment, Tingxiang said to those nearby.

"Yes!" The messenger nodded and then ran off.

"Mother, Jingwei has worried you; from now on Jingwei will not run around recklessly." Jingwei said to Tingxiang.

"Jingwei? What is that?" Tingxiang looked at her own child with some doubt.

"This is the name the Holy Master gave me." Jingwei said with a smile.

"You saw the Holy Master?" Upon hearing Jingwei's words, Tingxiang immediately became excited.

"Mm." Jingwei nodded.

Afterwards she told Tingxiang what had happened to her; upon hearing it, Tingxiang's face turned pale, then she knelt on the ground and bowed toward Mount Shouyang.

"Thank you, Holy Master! Thank you, Holy Master!"

Soon Shennong also arrived here; seeing Jingwei unharmed, he let out a long sigh of relief.

"Child, Father will finish his work soon; once Father is done, Father will come back to keep you company." Shennong stroked Jingwei's head, his eyes full of affection.

"Mm." Jingwei nodded honestly.

In the West, on Mount Sumeru, Zhunti's face turned ashen; because his scheme had not succeeded and moreover had been discovered, this karmic debt was now sealed, making the days ahead even harder for them in the West.

(End of chapter)