Chapter Eighteen: The Gathering of Immortals Paying Homage, Protecting the Human Tribe

  Nüwa's merits and virtues had reached sainthood, causing a great commotion in the Primordial Chaos, but also shocking several major gods. Donghuang Taiyi and Emperor Jun were overjoyed, as Nüwa hadn't directly joined the Heavenly Court, yet her name was still revered within it. Moreover, Nüwa's brother Fuxi had already joined the Heavenly Court, and most importantly, Nüwa herself was a member of the demon tribe and had certain feelings for them. With all these reasons in mind, Emperor Jun believed that as long as the demon tribe needed help, Nüwa would definitely assist them. This meant that the demon tribe would have the protection of a saint, giving them a significant advantage over the witch tribe, and increasing their chances of dominating the Primordial Chaos continent. The two gods didn't dare to delay, immediately ordering someone to prepare lavish gifts to congratulate Nüwa.

  The witch tribe knew that Nüwa Niangniang had become a saint, and they were all shocked and lost their color. Although the witch tribe was not afraid of heaven or earth, they still had some taboo against saints. When the Taoist ancestor became a saint, it was a powerful momentum, with thirty-three heavens opening up to lecture on the great way. If the witch tribe hadn't been neglecting their primordial spirit, they would have definitely gone to listen to the Tao. Now that the demon tribe had produced a saint, how could the eleventh ancestor of the witch tribe not be flustered? Although Nüwa Niangniang had always been quietly cultivating and ignoring external affairs, she was still a member of the demon tribe after all. If the demon tribe were in trouble, wouldn't they go to help? Therefore, after learning the news, the eleventh ancestor of the witch tribe hurriedly gathered at the Ancestor Witch Temple to discuss how to respond to this matter.

  The old master was very dissatisfied with this. He considered himself the eldest brother of all, but now he had been surpassed by his own junior sister. It was unbearable for him, but there was nothing he could do about it. After some consideration, he decided to go outside the thirty-third heaven to take a look and see how Nüwa Niangniang became a saint, whether it would be helpful for his own ascension. The old master had already become like this, let alone Yuanshi, who was even more unbearable after hearing the news of Nüwa Niangniang's ascension. His face turned iron-green and his eyes hid a fierce anger. Yuanshi always thought that the first to become a saint would be the old master, which didn't matter to him, since the old master was born much earlier and was the eldest brother of all. Then it should have been his turn, Yuanshi Tianzun, to become a saint, but now he had been surpassed by Nüwa Niangniang. To make matters worse, among the people destined to become saints by Hongjun Dazong, Nüwa Niangniang's cultivation was almost the worst, and besides, Yuanshi always looked down on the demon tribe, calling them "hairy and armored, born from eggs and transformed". Now someone like that had become a saint before him - wasn't this a slap in his face? This made the proud Yuanshi unbearable. Thinking of these things, Yuanshi Tianzun couldn't help but burn with anger, staring fiercely at the sky as if glaring at Nüwa Niangniang outside the thirty-third heaven.

  Afterwards, the two of them deliberated and set off towards the outside of the thirty-third heaven. Yuanshi naturally didn't want to go, but facing the majesty of the Holy One, everything had to be compromised. Moreover, he also wanted to know how Nüwa became a saint, and gain inspiration from it, so that he could become a saint as soon as possible.

  Jieyin and Zhunti were also shocked by Nüwa's ascension to sainthood. In fact, they too thought that Laozi would be the first to ascend, after all, he was the one with the highest cultivation among them, and his enlightenment was also extremely high. But unexpectedly, it was precisely Nüwa, who had the lowest cultivation and not very high enlightenment among them, who ascended to sainthood.

  This made the two of them both shocked and delighted at the same time. With this, Laozi will definitely be dissatisfied, and who knows, maybe some other destined saints will also have thoughts about it. The few saints from the East will disagree with each other because of this, and even conflict with each other, which means their Western counterparts will get a chance. When they thought of this, they looked at each other, smiled in understanding, and then prepared gifts to go on a pilgrimage to the Thirty-Three Heavens.

  There are also many great gods in the vast wilderness, who are all shocked by this matter. However, as for this old master, it was originally a helpless situation. What opinions can they have? They can only prepare gifts to congratulate him. If not, if they provoke the saint's displeasure, they will immediately turn into ashes!

  After several days, at this time outside the thirty-three days of chaos, the goddess Nüwa stood with her eyes closed, quietly standing in the midst of chaos. There were also dozens of people standing by, including Laozi, Yuanshi, Jièyǐn, Zhǔntí, Dìjūn, Tàiyī, Kūnpéng, and Zhēnyuánzǐ, all major gods were present, only Tongtian and Houtu were missing. However, the two of them were low-key characters, only familiar with Laozi, Yuanshi, and Dìjūn, while others were unfamiliar. At this time, Laozi, Yuanshi, and Dìjūn's hearts were all occupied by Nüwa's ascension to sainthood, so they didn't notice Tongtian and Houtu.

  Everyone saw that Nüwa Niangniang closed her eyes and didn't move, as if she had entered a state of meditation. No one dared to go forward and disturb her, so they all stood aside and quietly watched.

  Suddenly, the Goddess Nuwa opened her eyes, and a sharp light flashed in them. She said faintly, "It's time for me to open up the arena." After speaking, the Goddess Nuwa took out a red embroidered ball and exerted her saintly strength. The red embroidered ball transformed into a flowing light, bursting through the Thirty-Three Heavens, breaking through the chaos, and opening up a small world within it. Although the Goddess Nuwa was a saint, her strength couldn't compare to Pangu's. Being able to open up a small world in the midst of chaos was already her limit.

  In the small world, earth, water, wind and fire were rampant. The goddess Nüwa commanded the red thread ball, constantly breaking up the generated earth, water, wind and fire. Earth, water, wind and fire were born and then destroyed, destroyed and reborn. Gradually, all things in the world were born in that small world.

  In that small world, mountains and rivers were generated, with the largest mountain peak in the middle. An ancient palace was situated on it, with the words "Nuwa Palace" written above it, which was Nuwa's dojo.

  "This world, from now on, shall be called the Goddess Realm of Nuwa." The goddess Nuwa said calmly to the many great gods behind her. When a saint speaks, their words naturally carry an irresistible majesty.

  "Yes! Nüwa Niangniang!" Some quasi-saints who had no hope of becoming saints responded. Those who were destined to become saints in the future, however, merely nodded their heads.

  "I will be lecturing at the Queen of Heaven's Palace, those who are destined can come and listen. Fellow Taoist friends can also come and listen together." The first sentence spread throughout the vast wilderness, while the second sentence was directed at a few people beside her.

  Those who have come this far are all figures who have heard the Tao in the Zi Xiao Palace. Even if Nüwa Niangniang has become a saint, she can only be called a fellow Taoist.

  "Let's go together!" The crowd responded in unison.

  Listening to a saint's sermon can also benefit one's own spiritual practice, and people will naturally not let this opportunity go to waste.

  Nüwa Niangniang spread the word that she would be lecturing in the Nüwa Imperial Palace, and naturally, people from all over the Primordial Chaos came to the Thirty-Third Heaven. Many of these individuals were from the demon tribes, but they did not dare enter the void of chaos. When a certain number of people had gathered, Nüwa Niangniang released her guiding light, leading those who had come to listen to her teachings into the Nüwa Imperial Heaven.

  These people entered the Jade Emperor Heaven, but they cannot enter the Jade Emperor Palace. The face of a sage is not something that can be seen just by saying so. These people can only find a position in the Jade Emperor Heaven and start listening to the Tao at will.

  Nüwa saw that everyone had arrived, and without regard for the people outside the palace, she began to speak. What she spoke of was naturally the creation of humans this time, and the comprehension of the Dao of Creation. At the time of the Purple Mansion, Hongjun had once spoken of the 3,000 Great Daos. The Dao of Creation is one of them, but at that time, the Old Ancestor Hongjun had the 3,000 Great Daos, so naturally he couldn't speak in such detail about each and every Dao. Everyone could only listen to a general outline, and the rest would have to rely on their own comprehension.

  Nüwa created humans and made them sacred. She spoke about the way of creation in a naturally profound manner. Those who came to listen to her teachings were all powerful beings, but only a few could truly understand and master them.

  The goddess Nüwa spoke for fifty years, and after fifty years, she said to the crowd in a light tone: "The way of creation is already exhausted. How much you understand depends on your own destiny." The crowd listened and stood up, hurriedly thanked her, and then said: "We bid farewell!" Then they left the palace of Nüwa and went down to the vast wilderness. Only Emperor Jun, Donghuang Taiyi, Fuxi, Kunpeng, and a few others did not leave. Emperor Jun saw that everyone had already left, and immediately asked Nüwa: "Goddess, I don't know what will happen to my demon tribe, please enlighten me."

  Nüwa listened and was not surprised, knowing that Emperor Jun would ask this question. She replied, "The affairs of the demon tribe are predetermined by heaven." Emperor Jun heard these words and felt dissatisfied in his heart, but Nüwa had already become a sacred being, so he didn't dare to be presumptuous. He looked at Donghuang Taiyi beside him, who was about to speak, and immediately stopped him with a glance. Donghuang Taiyi saw this and stood aside, sulking and not speaking. Emperor Jun saw this and felt relieved in his heart. Immediately, he gave Fuxi a signal with his eyes, and Fuxi understood, asking, "Sister, what do you think about the demon tribe...?"

  Nüwa couldn't help but sigh at the sight. She had opposed Fuxi's entry into the Heavenly Court from the start, and now it seemed that her concerns were justified. With all his duties in the Heavenly Court, Fuxi hadn't made any progress in his cultivation over the years. It was all because of the burden of being in the Heavenly Court.

  However, seeing her brother's expectant expression, Nüwa could only say, "Brother, I understand what you're thinking. There will be opportunities in the future." She glanced at the others and continued, "The demon clan has its own affairs, and I won't just stand by and do nothing."

  With that, Nüwa stood up and left, leaving the others to exchange helpless glances. But they were relieved that she had said she wouldn't stand idly by, which meant that she still supported the demon clan.

  As soon as Nüwa was gone, the others also dispersed, each lost in their own thoughts.

  But then Tongtian said to Houtu after Nüwa left, "Sister, this human race may not be born from our hands, but they have also made great efforts and gained a lot of merits. Sister, you even cut off the evil corpse, which is very grateful. In this way, we will take care of the human race for 500 years to repay their kindness." Houtu listened and immediately replied:

  "The little sister was indeed deeply affected by the emotions of the human tribe, and it should be so. According to her brother's words, she didn't have any objections now. Hou Tu had always liked the human tribe a bit, and naturally, she didn't have any opinions. Thus, the two of them didn't return to Penglai Island, but instead secretly protected the human tribe completely."

  At this time, the human race also began their most primitive life, eating wild fruits every day, sleeping in the wilderness, drinking blood from animals, suffering from cold and hunger. However, facing numerous difficulties, the human race did not retreat even a little bit, they all marched forward bravely. The heavens were fair, the gentleman was self-reliant and never gave up. The human race started their road of self-improvement.

  Tongtian saw that the human race lived in hardship and his heart ached with pain, but for the development of the human race, these difficulties had to be experienced. He and Houtu only helped by driving away the evil spirits that came to disturb them, but they did not dare to interfere too much. The human race lived like this for over a hundred years.

  These hundred years felt longer to Tongtian than the millions of years he spent in the primordial chaos. Now, the time had finally ripened.

  On this day, Tongtian selected three people with the highest qualifications and wisdom from among the many tribes of the human race, two men and one woman. He said to them: "Are you willing to be my disciples?" The three were overjoyed and quickly knelt down to thank him. It turned out that Tongtian had helped the human race drive away some evil spirits in these years, allowing the human race to survive. Although even without Tongtian, the Heavenly Way would not let the human race perish, but the human race did not know this. Therefore, Tongtian still had great prestige among the human race, which is why the three were so happy.

  At this time, Tongtian said to the three of them again: "My master's name is Tongtian, and I will give you three names separately: Sui Ren Shi, You Chao Shi, and Zhen Yi Shi. When you have free time, you can come to listen to the Tao. However, I want to give you a task, which is to solve the suffering of hunger and cold for the human race." The three of them also understood the hardships of the human race, and after hearing Tongtian's words, they immediately asked: "Master, how can we alleviate the suffering of the human race?"

  Tongtian looked at the three of them, his heart racing with excitement, but thinking of his current identity, he let out a silent sigh and calmly said to them: "You go to each tribe and observe carefully, see what the human race lacks, what they need, what they don't understand, you can come ask me." The three listened and immediately bid farewell to Tongtian, going to observe the tribes. After the three left, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Tongtian, it was Hou Tu. Hou Tu looked at the three people walking away in the distance and couldn't help but say to Tongtian: "Brother, is this okay? The human race is newly born, their wisdom is limited, not giving them any hints on how to proceed." Hou Tu had gradually grown fond of the simple, united, friendly, and passionate human tribe after a hundred years of interaction with them. Now seeing Tongtian testing the human race like this, she couldn't help but feel some heartache.

  Tongtian looked at Houtu's worried expression and thought to himself, "Alas, silly sister, I'm even more anxious than you are! But this is an essential experience for the human race!" He composed his emotions and seriously looked at Houtu, saying:

  "The dangers of the Desolate World, I suppose I don't need to say, sister also knows. The newly born human tribe wants to survive on this dangerous continent and have a foothold, they must go through these trials. If they can't even overcome this little difficulty, how can they face the countless disasters on the Desolate Earth? So, sister, you should also understand that now is not the time to be heartbroken for them." Hou Tu listened, silently not speaking, she knew what Tong Tian said was correct, but if she really had to be so ruthless and let the human tribe face so many difficulties, she still couldn't do it. But thinking of Tong Tian's words, Hou Tu sighed and turned away, going off to cultivate by herself.

  Tongtian was watching the direction where the three people of Suiren had left, muttering to himself: "Don't let me down!"

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  Here is the translation:

  (The first update is sent, let's start with three named disciples. Everyone has different opinions on this matter of disciples, I'll think about it carefully again. A new week has arrived, can everyone please give me more votes or something, give me some motivation? I'm almost updating 10,000 words every day...

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  I want to thank you all again for your support here, I will continue to work hard.)