Chapter 31: Borrowing the Earthly Tome

Nuwa noticed the movements of the Wu Clan, and naturally, Fuxi did as well.

Nuwa was a predestined saint and had no need to worry about the position of a saint, but Fuxi was different. Following the three sermons at Zixiao Palace, Fuxi, like other great powers in the Primordial World who had failed to obtain the Grandmist Purple Qi, had been constantly searching for a way to achieve sagehood.

The Dao Ancestor once said, "Below the saints, all are ants."

Fuxi had no desire to become an ant in the eyes of the saints, especially not in the eyes of his sister.

It so happened that at this time, Di Jun and Tai Yi offered Fuxi a path to sagehood: gathering the fortune of the Primordial World to become a saint. After running through the deductions, Fuxi felt this method was feasible, so he agreed and joined the Demon Clan.

Originally, Fuxi did not want to involve his sister. The Demon Clan aimed to unify the Primordial World and gather its fortune, and the Wu Clan was an obstacle that could not be bypassed. As a neighbor to the Wu Clan, Fuxi understood them well enough to know they would never submit to the Demon Clan. His sister, Nuwa, was close friends with Xuan Ming of the Wu Clan and had a good relationship with Houtu; having her join the Demon Clan would only put her in an impossible position.

However, upon learning that Fuxi had joined the Demon Clan, Nuwa chose to join without the slightest hesitation. Just as much as Fuxi cherished Nuwa as his sister, Nuwa cherished Fuxi as her brother. From the moment they took form to this day, they had never been apart, and this sibling bond was the primary reason Nuwa was willing to join the Demon Clan.

Di Jun had spared no effort to win Fuxi over, even revealing his plan to gather fortune for sagehood, all to use this sibling bond to tie Nuwa—a predestined saint—to the war chariot of the Demon Clan.

"Brother, do you intend to tell Di Jun about the unusual movements of the Wu Clan?" Nuwa asked.

Fuxi nodded and replied, "There is no possibility of reconciliation between the Demon Clan and the Wu Clan; a battle between them is inevitable. Since I have already taken the side of the Demon Clan, I cannot know of this and fail to report it."

Nuwa sighed, "Brother, the Demon Clan..."

"Nuwa, I understand what you want to say, but the arrow has already left the bow. Besides, I need this opportunity." With that, Fuxi transformed into a streak of light and vanished.

Nuwa let out a long sigh, slowly closed her eyes, and continued to contemplate the Grandmist Purple Qi. With the Grandmist Purple Qi in her possession, Nuwa’s cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds. She had now surpassed Fuxi, becoming the first to sever her evil尸 (evil incarnation) and reach the mid-stage of the Quasi-Saint realm.

The other six great powers who obtained the Grandmist Purple Qi, with the exception of Zhunti and Laozi, were all at the mid-stage of the Quasi-Saint realm, having severed two incarnations. Zhunti had been delayed because his body was shattered by Bai Jing’s Grandmist Measuring Ruler, which hindered his cultivation progress; otherwise, he too would have severed two incarnations.

Laozi, however, had already reached the late stage of the Quasi-Saint realm. Looking across the entire Primordial World, aside from the reclusive elders of the older generation, Laozi and Di Jiang were the most powerful existences. The difference was that Laozi relied on his own enlightenment to break through to the late Quasi-Saint stage, while Di Jiang had reached the late stage of the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm with the aid of the Earthly Dao’s merit, granted when he repaired the Western ley lines.

Of course, those great powers without the Grandmist Purple Qi had also seen breakthroughs to the mid-Quasi-Saint stage following the Zixiao Palace sermons. Di Jun, Tai Yi, Ancestor Minghe, and Zhenyuanzi—whom Bai Jing and Houtu were about to visit—had all attained this level.

At Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain, Zhenyuanzi, who had been meditating, suddenly opened his eyes. After a quick calculation, he called out, "Where are the acolytes?"

The acolytes waiting at the door saw Zhenyuanzi emerge and hurried to bow, saying, "Greetings, Master. May you be well."

Zhenyuanzi nodded. "Rise. We have honored guests arriving today. Go inform Fellow Daoist Hongyun, and pick ten Ginseng Fruits."

"As you command, Master."

"Go!"

After bowing to Zhenyuanzi, the two acolytes went to carry out his orders. Just as Zhenyuanzi had calculated, Bai Jing and Houtu arrived at Wuzhuang Temple shortly thereafter. Zhenyuanzi personally went out to welcome them.

Zhenyuanzi was quite grateful to Bai Jing. If not for Bai Jing’s assistance, he would certainly not have obtained the Treasure-Dividing Cliff, nor would he have been able to refine his "Universe within the Sleeve" in a mere twenty thousand years. In fact, upon perfecting that divine ability, his long-standing obsession was resolved, and in a moment of epiphany, he severed his final "obsession incarnation," breaking through to the mid-stage of the Quasi-Saint realm. Having incurred such a significant debt of karma, Zhenyuanzi naturally wished to welcome Bai Jing warmly.

Seeing them arrive, Zhenyuanzi stepped forward with a smile and bowed, "Fellow Daoist Bai Jing, Fellow Daoist Houtu, it has been over twenty thousand years since we parted at Zixiao Palace. Your cultivation has advanced significantly!"

"Thank you for your concern, Fellow Daoist. I have been in seclusion, digesting the Dao Ancestor’s teachings, and have only gained a little. I cannot compare to you," Bai Jing said with a smile.

Houtu returned the greeting but remained silent, observing the conversation between Bai Jing and Zhenyuanzi.

After pleasantries, Zhenyuanzi led them into Wuzhuang Temple. The acolytes had already gathered the Ginseng Fruits, and Hongyun had paused his cultivation to join them, as he was, in a sense, half-owner of the temple. After more rounds of formal greetings, the small talk concluded, and Bai Jing took out the Grandmist Measuring Ruler to shroud their surroundings from the heavenly secrets.

Seeing this, Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun knew Bai Jing had serious business to discuss and immediately adopted a solemn attitude.

"Fellow Daoist Zhenyuanzi, Houtu and I have come to Wuzhuang Temple with a request."

"Please speak freely, Fellow Daoist Bai Jing. Thanks to your help, I was able to obtain the Treasure-Dividing Cliff and perfect my 'Universe within the Sleeve.' I am not one to forget a kindness; as long as it is within my power, I will not refuse," Zhenyuanzi said righteously.

Bai Jing waved his hands repeatedly. "You misunderstand, Fellow Daoist. I have not come to trade on favors. I simply wish to borrow your Earth Book. The Wu Clan, upholding the will of the Great God Pangu, is tasked with repairing and dredging the ley lines of the Primordial World. However, the situation in the Western lands is complex, and progress has been difficult, with only a little over ten percent repaired in twenty thousand years. Your Earth Book, being the membrane of the earth, is naturally connected to the ley lines. With it, the Wu Clan’s efforts would be twice as effective, and you would earn a share of the merit."

After listening, Zhenyuanzi pondered for a moment before agreeing. The Earth Book was his innate spiritual treasure, so there was no risk of it being lost. Furthermore, he owed Bai Jing a great debt of karma that had to be repaid eventually. Loaning the book was a profitable way to settle that debt; the only question was how long Bai Jing intended to keep it.