Chapter 53: The Heavenly Realm of Nuwa

Under the gaze of Li Tian, heaven and earth shifted, a great consciousness descended from the unseen, and then, a colossal golden pillar of light poured down from the sky, cascading over Li Tian like a waterfall.

“So much merit!”

Li Tian was overjoyed. For a fleeting moment, he almost believed he could achieve sainthood on the spot.

But it was not enough; he was still lacking a little. The merit gained from creating this cultivation method was nearly a third of the merit earned by Nuwa when she fashioned humanity. Adding the merit he had accumulated in the past, Li Tian now possessed about sixty percent of the merit from the creation of humanity. Yet, this was still insufficient for him to become a Saint.

Li Tian estimated that he would need at least seventy or eighty percent of that merit to stand as a Saint in his own right.

“But… what opportunities remain for me to gain more merit? Must I found a religion as well?” He shook his head, dismissing the thought.

There was no rush; after all, even the Three Purities had not yet attained sainthood. Time was on his side.

Having finished creating the cultivation method, Li Tian saw no reason to linger. He released his virtuous corpse to guard the human race, and then soared into the chaos.

Decades passed. The day when Nuwa would establish her sacred domain must be drawing near.

...

Chaos stretched infinitely.

Nuwa stood alone amid the endless chaotic currents, her form radiating multicolored clouds of light. The fierce winds, softened by the glow, caressed her hair like a gentle spring breeze.

A Saint establishing a domain in chaos, by supreme power, was akin to Pangu’s creation of the world. Thus, when the mighty ones of the prehistoric era learned of it, they rushed to witness the event.

Even the Three Purities, after deliberation, arrived to observe.

More than eighty years had passed since Nuwa became a Saint. One by one, tens of thousands of mighty beings broke through the chaotic currents to reach this place, offering congratulations before spreading out and standing aside.

Even the proud Three Purities, upon witnessing Nuwa’s majesty, sensibly bowed in greeting. After all, beneath the Saints, all were but ants; their power paled in comparison.

On this day, after spending over ten years traversing the chaos, Li Tian finally arrived.

“Nuwa.”

Li Tian landed before Nuwa, and upon seeing her current appearance, a faint smile touched his lips.

“Emperor of Heaven,” Nuwa replied, the corners of her mouth curving slightly as she nodded, “How fares the human race?”

“Rest assured,” Li Tian said, approaching her and basking in the Saint’s radiant glow, feeling a wave of comfort.

“My virtuous corpse still guards them, and I’ve created a special cultivation method for the human race. Soon, they will be able to protect themselves.”

Nuwa nodded, satisfied by Li Tian’s assurance, and had no further worries.

They stood at the center of the endless chaos, ignoring the tens of thousands of mighty beings around them, exchanging intimate words.

Those nearby dared not speak; most closed their eyes, feigning meditation as if nothing in the outside world concerned them.

Time flowed quietly. After several years, many powerful beings from the Heavenly Court arrived as well. Li Tian had summoned them while passing through the Heavenly Court; otherwise, without his command, its members would not dare to mobilize so freely.

“Greetings to the Empress of Heaven, greetings to the Emperor of Heaven!”

To show their respect for the Saint, the Heavenly Court members first saluted Nuwa, then Li Tian.

“Sister, congratulations on achieving sainthood. From now on, may you endure forever, unscathed by countless calamities,” Fuxi arrived, smiling as he spoke.

Nuwa smiled and nodded in return, saying, “Brother, you must work hard as well.”

She had noticed the strand of primordial purple energy within Fuxi.

One after another, those from the Heavenly Court who were familiar with Nuwa came forward to offer lavish compliments. Nuwa nodded to each, without any airs of a Saint, making many blush with pride and deepening their sense of belonging to the Heavenly Court.

“I’m so envious. After becoming a Saint, the Empress of Heaven is even more beautiful,” Xihe and Changxi, sisters, also approached Nuwa, and Changxi gazed at her, surrounded by multicolored light and radiant beauty, eyes full of admiration.

“Do not be disrespectful to the Empress of Heaven,” Xihe warned Changxi, then turned to Nuwa, bowing, “My sister is inexperienced; I hope the Empress will forgive her.”

“It’s nothing,” Nuwa replied with a smile, naturally unconcerned by such trivial matters.

...

Time passed swiftly, and the century mark arrived quietly. Nuwa glanced at the assembled mighty ones, then soared upward and spoke slowly: “The appointed hour has come. Now, watch as I establish my domain.”

With that, Nuwa held a red silk ball in her left hand and the Yin-Yang Sword in her right, standing atop the Map of Mountains and Rivers. The Saint’s power erupted in an instant, radiance bursting forth.

Everyone retreated to a distance, watching intently.

Soon, a vast space was forcibly carved out by Nuwa, the surrounding chaotic currents compressed and raging.

Nuwa continued to wield her power, striking at the chaotic currents. Gradually, they began to settle, slowly transforming into the four energies of earth, fire, water, and wind.

Under Nuwa’s power, these energies gradually stabilized, and a new world began to take shape.

All present watched this act of near creation, wide-eyed in awe. Their reverence for the Saint deepened.

Yet, compared to Pangu’s creation of heaven and earth, Nuwa’s achievement was far lesser. Pangu had created the entire prehistoric world, while Nuwa merely established a small world about the size of Earth.

Pangu was born with power equal to a Saint, proving the Way by force, which was the Great Dao itself—a realm beyond the Saints of the current era.

As the small world stabilized, Nuwa took out various spiritual materials from her storage treasures, constructing a simple palace and placing a plaque inscribed with “Palace of the Empress Nuwa.”

Then Nuwa turned to the crowd, her immense Saintly aura pressing upon them as she declared coldly, “From this day forward, this realm shall be my domain, known as the Heaven of the Empress Nuwa!”

“We shall remember!”

All present, shaken by the powerful aura, bowed in unison. Li Tian, Fuxi, and the Heavenly Court members, shielded by Nuwa’s deliberate favor, felt nothing amiss, but still followed suit to display respect for the Saint.

Nuwa scanned the crowd and spoke slowly: “I will preach here for a hundred years. All may listen.”

With that, Nuwa flew to the high platform before the main hall of the Palace of the Empress Nuwa.

Seeing this, everyone rushed forward; after all, the Saint’s teachings, though perhaps not equal to Hongjun’s, could not be far behind.

The Three Purities exchanged glances and entered as well, eager to learn how Nuwa had achieved sainthood, to use as reference.

Li Tian, surrounded by Heavenly Court members, also entered, taking a seat at Nuwa’s left. As the Emperor of Heaven, he could hardly sit below Nuwa. In any case, he would become a Saint sooner or later; the other mighty ones dared not object.

Soon, everyone gathered inside the Palace of the Empress Nuwa, sitting in order of arrival. As there were no seats, the scramble for places that had occurred in the Purple Cloud Palace was avoided.

Li Tian, seated at the upper end, saw many familiar faces: the Three Purities, Zhun Ti, Ming He… Most of the three thousand guests of the Purple Cloud Palace were present.

The Three Purities, seeing Li Tian seated at the upper end, frowned imperceptibly, but said nothing. After all, they understood well the relationship between Li Tian and Nuwa.