Chapter 9: Nüwa: Speak—how did you get in?

Looking at the modern-style door before him, Xiang Xuanqing’s lips curled slightly.

Of course, primordial spiritual treasures aren’t such inconvenient things!

Xiang Xuanqing pushed open the door—

Whooosh~~~

A rolling wave of heat slammed into him, and Xiang Xuanqing found himself in a world composed of volcanoes.

Before him stretched countless massive fire pools exhaling scorching air, occasionally bubbling as hot vapors rose and popped out one or two bubbles. The fire pools were separated by stone paths a zhang wide, crisscrossing like a spiderweb and connecting the entire surface of the underground world.

Beside the fire pools grew towering crimson trees, their trunks straight and hollow, some reaching a hundred zhang tall, others a thousand zhang, their leaves colored green, blue, or red, their branches and foliage neat, uncluttered, and elegantly slender. On some of these trees perched phoenixes, kings of all birds, each with feathers of differing hues.

These phoenixes bore chicken heads, swallow jaws, snake necks, turtle backs, and fish tails, their bodies draped in feathers radiating spiritual light, exuding an aura of auspicious life!

The phoenixes either stood with wings folded upon the trees, or circled through the air with wings spread, scattering auspicious light and generating blessed energy, revealing their pride, mystery, antiquity, power, and beauty against the crimson backdrop of this underground realm.

At this moment, countless phoenixes listened as a primordial wutong tree expounded the Dao.

And Xiang Xuanqing appeared precisely beneath the wutong tree.

All the phoenixes fixed their gazes upon him, curiously observing this unfamiliar guest.

The primordial wutong tree, enthusiastically expounding the Dao, also froze for a moment.

“Who are you?”

Xiang Xuanqing’s expression remained blank: “Just passing through. Carry on.”

Before the tree could react, he slammed the door shut with a bang.

“Hey, wait! Stop right there!”

Feeling the terrifying heat and murderous intent emanating from the immortal volcano, Xiang Xuanqing fell silent for a moment. Is this the tree Yang Mei described as overflowing with Wu De?

It really is overflowing!

But something feels off.

Xiang Xuanqing stared at the door before him—he had intended to go to Jidu Shenxing.

“Try again?” Xiang Xuanqing changed his appearance and altered his aura.

Click—

The door opened.

Inside a vast palace, a spirited Daoist guarded his alchemical furnace, a vessel forged from purple gold, its exterior revealing the principles of Heaven and Earth, its interior concealing the mechanisms of the Eight Trigrams.

At this moment, he held a fan in one hand and was calculating with the other: “In another moment, my Nine Heavens, Ten Earths, Thousand Spirits, Ten Thousand Transformations Supreme Soul Pill will be complete!”

“Hehe, I’ll need to test the effects on Xuanyao, but how to justify it? Compensation for losses?” The Daoist shook his head: “No, I used that excuse last time!”

“Then just say it’s a free gift? That should work…”

As the Daoist was calculating, flames suddenly surged within the furnace, and a doorframe appeared through the Xun gate of the purple-gold vessel.

Through the furnace’s mouth, Xiang Xuanqing and Jing Yao locked eyes.

Before Xiang Xuanqing could move, the Daoist slammed his palm down: “Ah! I’ve succeeded!”

“The wind aids the fire, the soul pill takes form. So this is the Supreme Soul Pill I’ve crafted! Of course—thousand spirits, ten thousand transformations—could this transformation not be one of them?”

Xiang Xuanqing watched the ecstatic Jing Yao Zishang Zun, then silently closed the door.

“Hey? Where’s my Supreme Soul Pill? Don’t run off!”

In the Underworld, Xiang Xuanqing held a round, plump pill in his hand—the thing he had just taken.

Xuanyao had just been revived; better not let Jing Yao torment him again, or next time Xiang Xuanqing won’t even have enough people for the meeting.

“But this door?” Xiang Xuanqing wondered if the modern aesthetic was the issue—how could he even enter an alchemical furnace?

Are there spirits inside the furnace?

This is too mysterious! “Try again!”

Xiang Xuanqing restored the ghost gate’s ancient style, then pushed it open again.

Boom—

Ganyuan.

With a crisp crack of a whip, six dragon roars echoed as the Sun Divine Chariot slowly ascended, gliding between the clouds.

Xihe wore a flowing, luminous robe, its sleeves fluttering in the wind as if woven from the radiance of the entire universe.

At this moment, she drove the Sun Divine Chariot, piercing the silence before dawn, bringing light and warmth to the earth.

The chariot was pulled by six divine dragons shimmering with golden light, galloping through the void as if possessing the power to traverse time and space.

Crack!

In Xihe’s hand was a whip forged from pure sunlight; with a light flick, it guided the chariot’s direction.

As the Sun Divine Chariot crossed mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas and reached the horizon, the first ray of sunlight bathed the earth—life revived, vitality surged. Birdsong, the sound of blossoms opening, the murmur of brooks—all welcomed this goddess who brought light and hope.

Behind her trailed dazzling trails—the marks of light, the eternal symbol of Ganyuan.

“Hey, you up ahead—move! You’re going to get hit!”

Xiang Xuanqing’s sudden appearance left Xihe momentarily stunned; she pulled the chariot while frantically shouting: “It’s going to hit! Get out of the way!”

Seeing the charging Sun Divine Chariot, Xiang Xuanqing quickly sidestepped.

“This time it seems right.” Xiang Xuanqing thought—he had intended to go to the East Sea.

Though he didn’t know how he ended up in Ganyuan, or nearly got crushed by Xihe’s solar chariot, at least the direction was correct—they were both in the east!

“Keep going!”

Xiang Xuanqing’s confidence soared; he pushed open the door once more.

Bang—

Suguang Plain, Tai Su’s Immortal Realm.

Dawn broke, sunlight spilling over mountains and rivers, awakening all things, bathing the world in golden radiance.

Across the boundless land, forests stood lush and green, leaves rustling gently in the wind, whispering like nature’s murmurs, stirring longing in the heart.

Rolling hills and winding rivers formed breathtaking landscapes.

Crystal-clear streams reflected a crimson robe.

Nüwa, idle and wandering, strolled beside a small stream, her jade feet stepping on soft mud and sand, leaving footprints untouched by a single speck of dirt.

Seeing Xiang Xuanqing step out from the doorframe before her, Nüwa blinked.

Shhhhh!!!

Nine Heaven-Ming Divine Blades unsheathed, hanging like the Dao itself.

“Speak—how did you enter?”

The author’s previous novel, 2 million words completed, had a rather peculiar tone—friends interested may want to check it out.

(End of Chapter)