Chapter Eight: Beyond Mount Buzhou

After spending a few more days in the valley, the subtle influence of Li Tian had gradually inspired both Nuwa and Fuxi to yearn for leaving Mount Buzhou and traveling across the vast world. Li Tian, of course, agreed with pleasure; after all, this had been his intention from the very first day he met the siblings.

There was little to pack in the simple valley, and so, with a flick of his wrist, Fuxi casually arranged a protective formation around their birthplace before preparing to depart. Nuwa, however, was reluctant to leave the valley where they had been born. She turned back several times, her eyes lingering.

Fuxi smiled and reassured her, “It’s alright, Sister. We can always return. With the formation I set, no ordinary being will ever find it, and you need not worry about it being destroyed.”

Nuwa considered this and nodded in agreement, finally letting go of her reluctance.

Once they left Mount Buzhou, freed from the suppression of Pangu’s will, the trio felt an immense sense of liberation.

Looking around, the world stretched endlessly—millions of miles of blue skies and white clouds, distant mountains, rushing rivers, forests, and boundless grasslands. Such vibrant and expansive lands! Nuwa was instantly captivated by the wonders of the world outside, and Fuxi could not help but sigh in awe.

Li Tian’s heart, too, was filled with joy; this journey through the primordial wilderness was the perfect opportunity to grow closer to Nuwa.

Recalling the nearby scenery, Li Tian suggested, “Nuwa, there’s a beautiful immortal lake ahead, teeming with lovely fish. Why don’t we go and enjoy ourselves there?”

“Alright!” Nuwa replied with a smile, a hint of excitement on her face. It was her first time leaving Mount Buzhou, and everything in the outside world sparked her curiosity.

...

At this time, the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans held sway over the world, having divided the seas, the skies, and the land among them as their private domains. All other races in the primordial wasteland submitted beneath their feet, living in constant fear.

Life under the dominion of the Dragon Clan was especially miserable. The dragons, by nature, were lustful and never claimed responsibility for their actions, leaving countless women of various tribes to suffer under their tyranny. Yet the dragons’ overwhelming power left all others no choice but to submit.

As a result, many strange “monstrous creatures” with dragon blood emerged throughout the world. Most of these beings inherited the dragons’ lasciviousness and domineering nature, spreading their seed far and wide. Even countless years after the dragons’ decline, creatures bearing their diluted bloodline could still be found everywhere.

Of course, these “misshapen” dragon offspring were largely unacknowledged by the true dragons and were shunned by other races as well.

Yet there were nine exceptions: Qiuniu, Yazi, Chaofeng, Pulao, Suanni, Bixi, Bi’an, Fuxi, and Chiwen. Each of these nine dragon descendants possessed unique divine talents equal to any pure-blooded dragon. To strengthen the clan, the Ancestor Dragon recognized them as true dragons.

As for the others—such as Winged Serpents, Longma, Dragon Turtles, Dinosaurs, and so on—they were still dragon descendants in blood but deemed unworthy by their kind, left to their own fate.

“Let me go! Please, let me go!”

In a certain demon tribe settlement, a young girl with snowy white beast ears was pinned beneath a man in blue brocade robes. Before the eyes of many of her kin, he was about to commit an unspeakable act. The onlookers dared not speak out, though rage burned in their eyes.

The girl, her body immobilized, could not resist. Her gaze swept over her tribesmen, and pain twisted her features.

“Haha! You say no, but I insist!” the man laughed wildly, caring nothing for those around him and growing even more brazen.

The girl closed her eyes in resignation, having given up hope. Yet, after a long wait, the anticipated storm never came. She opened her eyes in confusion to find the arrogant man frozen in place. Before she could react, he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed lifeless to the ground.

A flash of azure light, and the man’s body vanished, replaced by the corpse of a dragon, dozens of meters long—his true form.

“Another dragon,” came a voice from above.

A cloud of auspicious light swept overhead. Atop the cloud, Nuwa gazed down at the dragon’s corpse, a hint of anger flickering across her delicate features. Clearly, she harbored no fondness for the Dragon Clan.

Over the course of several months, as the three traveled, they encountered countless such vile acts, and the initial lightness of their journey had long since faded.

Kindhearted by nature, Nuwa could not help but intervene whenever she witnessed injustice, and so they slew many wicked beings along the way. Whether it was fate or simply the territory they passed through, nearly ninety percent of those they destroyed were dragons or “monstrosities” bearing dragon blood.

Li Tian grew increasingly frustrated. Aside from their first few days, the journey had not gone as he imagined. Wasn’t he supposed to travel with Nuwa, enjoying scenic spots and nurturing their bond?

He realized he had been naïve. He had seen much of this ugliness upon his arrival, but had chosen to ignore it. Poor Nuwa—would these experiences scar her, stealing away her innocence for good?

“Nuwa, why don’t we find a quiet place to rest for some time? With the three clans casting their shadow over the world, there’s little left worth seeing,” Li Tian suggested after some hesitation.

They had made many enemies among the Dragon Clan, incurring great karmic debt. In ordinary times, this would matter little. But with a great tribulation looming, if they were drawn into its vortex, escape would be nearly impossible. Li Tian had no wish to be swept up in a deadly struggle—who knew if he would survive such chaos? Even the Three Pure Ones had chosen to keep their distance during the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation.

Moreover, he had noticed many suspicious signs along the way, as though some invisible hand was manipulating events from the shadows. Though the three clans’ interests clashed, the frequency and nature of their battles seemed unnatural, and neither side gained any real advantage.

Putting all this together with what he knew from his previous life, Li Tian could easily guess that someone was working behind the scenes, fanning the flames of hatred between the clans.

Who that was, he did not need to say. In any case, he wanted nothing to do with that power, nor to draw its attention; otherwise, he would only be dragged deeper into the coming calamity.

“Lately, I’ve had a constant sense of foreboding. Finding a place to rest is a good idea,” Fuxi said, frowning as he met Li Tian’s gaze and nodded his agreement.

A sense of foreboding?

Li Tian glanced at Fuxi in surprise—was this not the same Fuxi famed in later ages for his mastery of divination? If he sensed a coming disaster, then it was surely no baseless worry. Was a great tribulation truly about to descend?

Nuwa, however, had little to say. She glanced at Li Tian, then at her brother, and gently nodded. “Yes, I’ll do as you both say.”

Her spirits had been low in recent days. Though Li Tian often found ways to amuse her, the dominance of the three clans left all but the most remote places in misery. Witnessing so much suffering, her heart ached as if she herself were the one being bullied.

“Nuwa...” Li Tian, seeing the sadness on her face, was overcome by a sudden tenderness. He instinctively took her fair, delicate hand in his, feeling its coolness, and tightened his grip.

Nuwa lowered her head, a gentle warmth blooming in her heart.

Fuxi, standing nearby, saw this and quietly turned away, rubbing his nose with a wry cough.

At the sound, Nuwa drew her hand back as if shocked, turning away in embarrassment. Li Tian could not help but smile, bringing his hand to his nose, where a faint fragrance lingered.

...